The Ranger is in Anthem the Javelin with the most versatile combo possibilities. Here we show you a constellation of special weapons and abilities that you can use to keep up well in the endgame.
That’s why we recommend this build: With this configuration, you take full advantage of the Ranger’s passive ability. With the two detonator abilities, you can execute strong combo attacks and recharge your Ultima very quickly. Your weapon acts as a primer.
Who is this build suited for? For Ranger pilots who want to use their Ultima ability as often as possible and aren’t afraid to engage in close combat. Those of you who can rely on a strong team will also be successful with this build at higher Grandmaster levels.
Equipment
These abilities are being used:
- Grenade: Last Argument (Fragmentation Grenade)
- Launcher: Recurring Vengeance (Guided Missile)
- Strengthening System: Collective Space
What the abilities do:
- Last Argument (Detonator): Enhanced fragmentation grenade. Hitting enemies adds 700% more charge to the Ultima charge.
- Recurring Vengeance (Detonator): Enhanced guided missile. After a kill with this ability, it is immediately restored.
- Collective Space: Generates an orange sphere that increases any weapon damage for you and your team members by 20%.
Our combo guide shows you how primer and detonator abilities work.
Components
These components are required:
- Component 1: Tip of the Spear
- Component 2: Combined Weapons
- Component 3: Favor of the General
- Component 4: Vanguard Pin
- Component 5: Elemental Operations
- Component 6: Determination of the Victor
Weapons
These weapons are essential for the build: The assault rifle “Ralner’s Firestorm” and the precision rifle “Thunderbolt of Yvenia”.
Ralner’s Firestorm
What can this weapon do? Ralner’s Firestorm is the improved version of the “Hammerhead”. This assault rifle has the highest impact power in its class, but the lowest rate of fire.
Why is this weapon essential? Ralner’s Firestorm ignites enemies after a short series of hits. This allows you to prime your opponents without having to expend your abilities. This weapon will be your main tool in combat, as it allows you to initiate combo attacks on your own.
Thunderbolt of Yvenia
What can this weapon do? Thunderbolt of Yvenia is the improved version of the “Scout”. This semi-automatic precision rifle delivers powerful shots at advantageous distances.
Why is this weapon essential? Thunderbolt of Yvenia generates an electric shock with every third round in the magazine. With the electric damage from this weapon, you can quickly overpower enemies with a shield. While the fire damage from Ralner’s Firestorm disables armored enemies, Thunderbolt of Yvenia handles opponents with an annoying shield system.
How to Play This Build
Why is this build good in the endgame? To fully exploit the Ranger’s potential, one should equip a detonator in both ability slots. You can prime your opponents using your melee attack, your weapon (Ralner’s Firestorm), and your team members.
With this setup, you should be able to deal high damage from combos even in the Grandmaster difficulty levels, as the Ranger deals significant bonus damage to detonated single targets. However, be aware that your current power level is crucial for determining how much damage you deal—not the individual abilities themselves.
Here you can find out how your pilot level affects loot and everything else.
This is the approach: Your task is to detonate as many combos as possible. Therefore, this build is even better when you play in a complete team. Ideally, one of your comrades should be a specialized “primer”.
First, you should shoot your enemies with Ralner’s Firestorm to trigger the burn status effect. It is advisable to prime multiple enemies with the assault rifle before you use your detonator ability. Once enough foes are ablaze, you can subsequently blow them all up with the fragmentation grenade and deal massive damage. The key point here is the additional effect of the masterful fragmentation grenade “Last Argument”.
This is what the additional effect of Last Argument does: When you hit enemies with this grenade, you receive seven times the amount of Ultima charge as usual. Successful combos with the fragmentation grenade can thus fill nearly half of your Ultima bar.
This allows you to fully recharge your Ultima ability with two to three well-placed grenades and use it very often.
However, Ralner’s Firestorm is not the only method to execute combo attacks. The Ranger’s melee ability – “Shock Piston” also acts as a primer. This allows you to play more offensively as well and first hit your opponents with the piston before finishing them off with the guided missile while you dash to safety with your thrusters.
If you do everything right, you detonate an explosive combo and thanks to the additional effect of “Recurring Vengeance,” you even get your guided missile back. This allows you to execute this combo sequence a second time immediately afterward.
Basically, you should be able to adapt to many situations with this setup. Your weapons play a central role. As fire effects deal 25% more damage against armor and electrical effects deal 50% more damage against shield systems, you have an answer for every enemy with these weapons. With this build, you should get used to frequently switching your weapons.
Here’s a tip: The strengthening ability Collective Space reloads your weapons as soon as you place it. It’s advisable to empty both magazines before using this ability. This trick can be very helpful during DPS phases against bosses.
These are the effects of the components:
- Tip of the Spear (1): Increases combo damage by 60%. A successful combo attack restores 40% armor for you and nearby allies.
- Combined Weapons (2): Increases grenade damage by 30%. A kill with the launcher increases grenade damage by 60% for 5 seconds.
- Favor of the General (3): Accelerates the recharge rate of the launcher by 40%. Melee kills increase grenade damage by 45% for 10 seconds.
- Vanguard Pin (4): Increases melee damage and electrical effects by 30% each. Melee kills restore 35% shields.
- Elemental Operations (5): Increases fire damage, maximum heat capacity, and fire resistance each by 20%. A hit series (5) drenches the target in acid.
- Determination of the Victor (6): Increases explosion damage by 50% and decreases impact damage by -20%. A small multikill (2) restores 25% armor.
What the components do in the build
These are exclusively masterful components. To keep up in the endgame, you rely on the shield and armor bonuses that the components passively provide you.
Here is a list of all masterful and legendary items, including all components for each Javelin.
This is what the components provide during play:
Tip of the Spear (1) increases your combo damage by a whopping 60%. Combined with the Ranger’s passive ability, your combo attacks become very powerful and deal devastating damage, especially to single targets. The additional effect is extremely important because it drastically increases your survival chances.
Since you should be executing as many combo attacks as possible anyway, this component allows you to restore 40% armor every time. This enables you to play much more offensively and engage more in close combat.
Combined Weapons (2) and Favor of the General (3) make your two abilities significantly more effective. Both additional effects (indirectly) support your grenade and make it considerably stronger. You should remember with this build to always fire the guided missile first or land a melee kill before throwing your grenade. A kill with these abilities grants your grenade an important damage bonus.
If you are quick enough, you can first defeat an enemy with the shock piston and then take down another foe with the guided missile, thereby gaining both effects for a short time, and your grenade will thus deal 100% more damage.
The Vanguard Pin (4) makes your melee attack much more effective. The shock piston benefits from the additional melee damage as well as the extra electrical damage. Additionally, melee kills restore 35% of your shield system.
The shock piston is therefore not only responsible for priming enemies, but also provides you (through the two components) with various advantages in the case of a successful melee kill.
Furthermore, Thunderbolt of Yvenia also benefits from this component. The electric shock thus becomes even stronger and allows you to defeat enemies with a shield system even faster.
Through Elemental Operations (5), the assault rifle Ralner’s Firestorm becomes significantly more effective. The increased fire damage makes the weapon’s additional effect more effective, thus facilitating the priming process for you. Additionally, you receive some passive protection bonuses that can protect you from overheating and an additional primer effect that can drench tough targets in acid.
Through Determination of the Victor (6), you make your grenade and your Ultima 50% stronger than normal. While this reduces the impact damage of your guided missile, since this build specializes in Ultima charges, this should not be a significant deficit.
Your weapons are also slightly weakened by the negative impact damage. However, you compensate for the missing 5% to 10% damage through the two elemental components (4) and (5).
Furthermore, you regularly restore a part of your armor through the additional effect of this component, which promises a good advantage in the endgame and rewards diligent killing.
Insignias: What You Should Pay Attention To
Insignias are equipment properties that give your Javelin or item significant advantages. You can find them beneath each item with a rarity level of Common or higher.
We have summarized which insignias exist and what they do here for you.
These universal insignias are suitable for this build:
- + % Damage – Increases overall damage output
- Armor + % Maximum – Increases your maximum armor value
- Combo + % Damage – Increases dealt combo damage
- Weapon + % Damage – Increases the damage of all weapons
- Weapon + % Magazine – Increases the magazine size of all weapons
- [Skill] + % Damage – Increases the damage of a certain ability
- [Skill] + % Cooldown – Reduces the cooldown of a certain ability
