In Anthem the Ranger is the face of the game for a reason. You will learn how to best utilize the abilities of the all-rounder and what to watch out for in this guide.
The Ranger is called the jack of all trades among the Javelins, and as a Ranger pilot, you must be prepared for all situations.
For this Javelin, the motto is: “Easy to learn, but hard to master.”
Overview
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Most balanced Javelin | Little specialization possible |
| Agile in the air and on the ground | Interceptor is significantly more agile |
| Solid shield and health | Never as stable as a Colossus |
| Close combat prepares combos | Does less baseline damage |
Ideal for:
- Beginners who want to familiarize themselves with the controls
- Players who do not like to force themselves into a specific role
- Players who want to experiment with various build possibilities
- Players who want to stay flexible
This is what makes the Ranger special: The futuristic super soldier embodies the perfect balance of attack and defense. The Ranger is the most versatile Javelin, which is also reflected in its abilities.
It also has the ability to perform a double jump and can dash in one direction at regular intervals.
What are the Ranger’s abilities? The Ranger has a diverse arsenal of various grenades. From regular fragmentation grenades to freezing frost grenades, there is something for everyone.
Furthermore, it has a launcher on its wrist from which it can fire smaller projectiles such as guided missiles, poison arrows, or energy beams.
Its support ability generates a spherical field. Depending on the choice, this ability either provides protective or offensive bonuses for each team member inside it.
Finally, the Ranger also has an ultimate ability, the “Multiple Target Missile Barrage”. In this ability, the Ranger fires a salve of micro-missiles that lock onto multiple targets in advance and then deal high damage to them.
Build Tip for the Ranger in Anthem
The Ranger has a variety of good abilities that can be combined, and we have created a “build” for you to efficiently level up at the beginning of the game.
This is the build:
- Grenade: Frost Grenade (Primer)
- Launcher: Guided Missile (Detonator)
- Support System: Collecting Area
What can this build do? With this configuration, you should be able to progress smoothly. The Frost Grenade does not deal high damage, but it freezes affected enemies. This gives you enough time to clean up the enemies with your weapons or your guided missile. The collecting area assists you with that.
The guided missile is a good choice because its cooldown is relatively low, allowing you to use it often. Especially at the beginning, when you have to get used to the controls, this ability provides good training to understand the Ranger and learn the combo system.
Endgame Build for the Ranger
If you are already fit enough for the endgame in Anthem, we have here an endgame build for you. There, we deal with masterful equipment and explain how to use it correctly. This way, the Ranger can easily handle the Grandmaster difficulty levels.
How to Play the Ranger
This is how you play the all-rounder: The Ranger is all about adaptation. As a Ranger pilot, you need to understand what is happening on the battlefield and where. Depending on the situation, you either support your teammates or clear the way yourself.
Unlike the other Javelins, you do not have a specific playstyle you must adhere to. The Interceptor should always stay close to its enemies, while the Storm does the opposite. As a Ranger, however, you should always keep an eye on your team and adapt to the circumstances depending on the battlefield situation.
What role does the Ranger have in the team? The focus of the Ranger is to recognize where the best combo opportunities are. Knowing which enemies should be prioritized and which combos to use is one of the main tasks of a good Ranger pilot.
Assuming your teammate plays a Storm Javelin, who prepares enemies with its “Primer abilities” for combos. It rains regular area damage from above, affecting many enemies with a status effect and thus making them available for combo attacks.
Your task as a Ranger is to keep track of where this area damage is currently hitting and to respond with a well-placed “Detonator ability”.
This is how combos work: By successfully combining a Primer ability and a Detonator ability, you achieve increased combo damage and can wipe out entire groups of enemies with just one blow.
Since battles in Anthem can often be a bit chaotic, you should inform your teammates when a more important target appears and point out to them to redirect their attacks to it.
If the roles are reversed, you should prioritize the right targets and explain to your team where they can best trigger their combos.
Depending on your build specialization, you should trigger combos or prepare them for your team.
How do I play the Ranger solo? If you are on your own, you need to understand and learn the cooldowns of your abilities. Once you have internalized your “cooldowns”, you can adapt much better in combat situations without constantly needing to pay attention to what is currently available and what is not.
Use the pauses during cooldowns to become mobile and dodge enemies. Use your dash and double jump to reposition yourself to better flank enemies.
The Ranger’s Abilities
These are the customizable ability slots:
- Grenades
- Launcher
- Support System
- Components
In Anthem, each Javelin can be equipped with various modifications and abilities. Which ones you choose is up to you. You can distinguish between Primers, Detonators, and neutral abilities.
Components, on the other hand, offer passive bonuses and are not manually activatable effects.
What should you pay attention to? Before you customize your Javelin’s equipment, you should consider what type of expedition you are starting and how many members your squad consists of. The effectiveness of a Ranger depends heavily on its build and the corresponding team composition.
If you are playing alone, it is advisable to equip at least one Primer ability in one of the offensive slots. If you have a balanced team, you can equip a Detonator ability in each slot to maximize your damage output.
Grenades
Which grenades are particularly good? In the demo, the “Inferno Grenade” proved to be very effective against single enemy groups.
This grenade applies a fire status effect to all affected enemies and also causes damage over time. These enemies are thus primed, i.e. affected by a status effect.
For this reason, the Inferno Grenade pairs particularly well with a Colossus, as it can detonate the burning enemy group with its heavy weaponry and multiply the damage.
Alternatively, you can use the “Fragmentation Grenade” to deal massive damage.
What can the Fragmentation Grenade do? Since this grenade is a Detonator ability, it is significantly more effective when it hits enemies that have already been affected by a status effect such as frost or acid.
Launchers
Which launcher should one use? This slot should always match the choice of the grenade. If you use the Fragmentation Grenade, it is advisable to use a Primer ability, such as the “Poison Arrows”.
What do Poison Arrows do? With the Poison Arrows, you can target a single enemy and then apply an acid status effect to it.
Acid is particularly effective against armor and increases incoming weapon damage as long as the status effect is active. Since this ability is a Primer, it can be combined with a Fragmentation Grenade or a “Blast Grenade” to deal devastating damage to a single target.
If, however, you have equipped a Primer ability in the grenade slot, you can also use the “Pulse Explosion”.
How to use the Pulse Explosion? This ability is a chargeable energy beam that can hit enemy weak points. This allows you to deal critical damage to an enemy or boss.
The Pulse Explosion pairs very well with the “Frost Grenade”, which freezes enemies and immobilizes them. This allows you to aim the energy beam precisely at an enemy’s weak point and thus inflict high critical damage.
Neutral Attacks
What are neutral attacks? Abilities like the “Spark Beam” are neither Primers nor Detonators. However, they have higher base damage and are not reliant on combos.
This is what the Spark Beam does: The Spark Beam fires a burning beam of energy that continuously deals damage.
When should you use the Spark Beam? Enemies with an active shield are resistant to Primer and Detonator abilities. However, thanks to the extra damage from the Spark Beam, these enemies can be efficiently eliminated without much preparation.
Furthermore, the Spark Beam is currently the only ability that can fully penetrate shields.
Support Systems
What support systems are available? Depending on the build, an offensive or defensive support ability can be selected. You can choose between the “Bulwark Point” and the “Collecting Area”.
This is what the Bulwark Point does: The Ranger generates a blue field that deflects bullets from enemies for a while.
This ability functions as temporary protection and can be used in critical situations to recharge a Javelin’s shields without having to leave the combat area. Additionally, it is the optimal ability to revive a fallen teammate with little risk.
With this ability, you should pay close attention to where you can best place it. If a allied Storm, for example, is having trouble finding adequate protection in the air, you can fly up to him and support him with the Bulwark Point.
This is what the Collecting Area does: In this case, an orange sphere is generated that increases all weapon damage from all team members within the effective range by 20%.
This ability is particularly useful for inflicting targeted damage against stronger enemies or bosses. Therefore, the Collecting Area is highly recommended for difficult expeditions since it increases your team’s damage output in the long term.
When using the Collecting Area, make sure to use the ability as close to your teammates as possible, and do not create a dome for yourself alone at the other end of the battlefield.
Melee Ability
What makes the Ranger’s melee attack so special? The “Shock Baton” of the Ranger is the only melee ability of the four Javelins that is a Primer.
What does the Shock Baton do? With this attack, you can apply an electrical status effect to an enemy, thus preparing it for combos.
Moreover, the electrical status effect can jump to individual nearby enemies. While your other abilities are recharging, you can consistently prime your enemies with the Shock Baton and prioritize important single targets for your team.
This attack can also be activated in the air, allowing skilled Ranger pilots to dive directly onto an enemy.
Ultimate Ability
When do I use the ultimate ability? The Ranger’s ultimate is a Detonator ability. Therefore, it should ideally be used on targets that have previously been affected by a status effect.
During a boss fight, it should be fired as quickly as possible to activate it as frequently as possible within a fight.
If you hesitate for too long, you may waste potential ultimate activations.
This ability can also be used while flying, allowing the Ranger to remain mobile during its ultimate.
How do I build up the ultimate ability? Your ability bar charges up with successful combos. However, only combos that you detonate yourself count, not detonations from other players.
Passive Ability
This passive ability belongs to the Ranger: This Javelin deals extra damage with successful combos against single targets.
Since this passive ability integrates excellently into its existing arsenal, it allows the Ranger to deal even more burst damage through successful detonations.
This supports eager solo players against tough single targets and increases your overall damage in a group.
What distinguishes the other Javelins? The four Javelins differ mainly in their contrasting gameplay possibilities. The bulky Colossus can carry heavy weapons, while the mage-like Storm can stay in the air significantly longer.
When do I unlock the other Javelins? You will initially start your journey with a stripped-down version of the Ranger. After the tutorial, as soon as you reach pilot level 2, you can choose your preferred Javelin from the four classes.
You unlock the other Javelins at pilot levels 8, 16, and 26.
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