Anyone else feel that ranger still not good enough for melee build?

I have a lvl66 Ranger got respec from last patch and i want to try a melee build. but during theorycraft, i just can't find a build that ranger can do better than duelist or shadow.

For defensive routine the evasion and life hybrid nodes are worse than duelist start zone, and for offensive routine, duelist/shadow nodes give much better physical damage bonus.
The 2 new notable nodes are both good on first look but acctually meh. Primal spirit give mana regen and recovery from flask, but most melee rely on leech, which only scale to maximum mana. Heart of Oak give avoid stun, most life build have enough life to avoid stun, and if not, you are doing wrong; for CI, since the 30% avoid stun and 50% avoid from ES are calculate seperately, these two combine only give 65% total, which is not enough for melee(I guess a avoid stun unique could help).
The outer part are much better now, good life nodes and crit nodes, but every other class can take those nodes w/o involve the worse start zone of ranger.

My biggest concern is ranger not viable for a melee CI build. In new league there are no eye of chayula , so as CI melee, you are force to take unwaverstance, and the two keystone US and CI are both far away from ranger start position. I thought the new avoid stun nodes could help but apparently I was wrong.

I don't believe you are forced to take any keynodes. There are many many many builds out there.

I am a duelist but I take the ranger nodes up to the ranger starting 18% evasion and life, no reason ranger cannot do the same.

for example:

"

draygourn wrote:

I don't believe you are forced to take any keynodes. There are many many many builds out there.

I am a duelist but I take the ranger nodes up to the ranger starting 18% evasion and life, no reason ranger cannot do the same.

for example:

Spoiler

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgQBAF4FLQW1B2MILgj0DPIOSBEvEZYZjhm0GtsbrRvIHhoj9iSdJKUmlSgqLIUs6TBUMHw2PTvhPeI-z0MxR35I7klRUUdVS1crWhpaSFs9XhNgS2HiYlplTWqTbRlte25pc1N07XTxeQN67311fyt_xoTZhO-H24hri3qNfY2_mSuZV5mamy2bjZ65nyeio6XLpn-nK6c0p1yqf6q4q8Wsr6-nsbO1SLZBtve307fivYG95r6nwA_AVMHFwfPDbcOGxLjK09JN037V7dX41orXy-L344Tnketj7BjtQe2D7g7veu_w8Xb2o_lj_rr_kw==

take 18% evasion node in a lvl 100 char? sounds reasonable.

I only talked "forced to take a keystone" once, and that's for CI melee, and yes, it is forced to take US.

IF you choose to make CI melee and think you are forced to take US, then take it. All players pay the price for getting any keystone they want, some travel really far.

What do you think a DUELIST want to play CI melee have to do? yeah same thing as ranger if they also forced to take US. Same as every class, not just ranger.

and NO, duelist don't have to be level 100 to take ranger's starting nodes.

"Anyone else feel that ranger still not good enough for melee build?"

I guess the answer is in the question.

Don't forget the Strength and Int portions of the mana regen/potion regen. Sure they're not fantastic (10 mana, 4% es, and 4% melee physical damage with the 10 life being meh if you're CI), but they make the skill worth getting a decent chunk of the time.

"

Eternal_Echo wrote:

I have a lvl66 Ranger got respec from last patch and i want to try a melee build. but during theorycraft, i just can't find a build that ranger can do better than duelist or shadow.

Why should ranger be better with melee than duelist/shadow? lol

i have a melee DW sword ranger(physical cleaver) as my main and im playing/testing this build since end of CB and i made several change on the build for the past few month that i have been playing it and i can tell you,yes ranger as a melee is viable and even really good with the right build/gear/skill setup.

just look at that amazon build:

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/469496

I think ranger is good enough even as melee as long as you use evasion, accuracy, life, physical damage.

BTW I hate when people confuse rangers for someone using a bow. Those are called archers. If we are to stay in fantasy world, Aragorn was a ranger. In PoE even a girl can do that. Being a ranger is not a weapon choice.

cheers
w.