Of the four options available, it's fair to say that the Anthem Ranger javelin is... somewhere in the middle. As a general all round assault option it offers a balanced set of offensive abilities, which do a decent job but aren't setting the world of Anthem alight. It's still worth considering this mech as an option, as having a reasonable level of competence in every area is useful, but being average means you don't get the opportunity to excel at anything in particular. Take a look through our guide to the Anthem Ranger javelin, and see if it's one that could work for you.
Anthem Interceptor Javelin guide | Anthem Storm Javelin guide | Anthem Colossus Javelin guide
Ranger specific skills and playstyle
While the other Javelins in Anthem look very distinct and have unique abilities, the Ranger is somewhat basic. It can't charge at enemies with a shield or rain down elemental storms for above, but it does have one powerful trick up its sleeve.
Melee: While the Colossus' melee ability brings an enormous smash crashing down, the Ranger equips a Shock Mace which as you'd expect, electrocutes anyone you smack with it. You can also come swooping down from the air for an area-of-effect electric attack, which also acts as a combo primer. We'll get onto those later.
Best Ranger Assault Launcher
1. Seeking Missile: Our favourite of the Ranger's Assault Launcher arsenal is the Seeking Missile, which is pretty much as you'd expect. It launches a missile that tracks a single target and explodes. No need to worry about accuracy here.
2. Venom Darts: Launches three acidic darts that also zone in on a single target, along with applying the acid status effect. This means enemies take more damage when covered in acid, so you can then throw all your might at them to deal maximum damage.
3. Blast Missile: It doesn't lock on to targets like the Seeking Missile, but the Blast Missile does have a much larger blast radius which is great for groups of enemies. Unfortunately it's not a primer or detonator though, so won't benefit your combos.
4. Spark Beam: One of the more unique Assault Launchers for the Ranger, the Spark Beam is essentially a traction beam that you can use to mow down enemies. It doesn't deal a lot of damage but lasts for much longer than the other abilities in this category. It's also not a primer or detonator so in our eyes, it can just get in the sea.
Best Ranger Grenades
1. Frost: Our top grenade pick is the Frost grenade. These act as primers and apply a short freezing effect to any targets, which means it's easy for yourself or a teammate to follow up with a detonator for that sweet combo.
2. Inferno: Similar to the Frost grenades but instead of freezing them in place, it adds fire damage. Another great choice for added firepower.
3. Sticky: It's somewhat spoiled by the name, but Sticky grenades literally stick to your target so you don't need to worry about missing. There's no elemental effect, but it's a detonator so you know, every cloud and all that.
4. Frag: Very similar to the Sticky, Frag grenades don't latch on to enemies but the blast radius is bigger. Better for groups of enemies, worse for larger, single targets.
5. Seeker: The Seeker grenade splits into multiple parts that will hone in on nearby enemies, much like the Seeking Missile. It's the only grenade that doesn't count as a primer or detonator though, which makes it much less useful.
Best Ranger Support Gear
1. Bulwark Point: Throws up a shield that protects you from any incoming projectiles and with the amount of enemies you fight at any one time, this can come in very handy indeed.
2. Muster Point: Spawns a visible field that teammates are supposed to stand inside so gun damage is increased by 20% for everyone. We say "supposed to", because they rarely ever do. Unless you're playing with a full squad, we'd recommend sticking with the Bulwark Point.
Best Ranger Combos
There's a lot of possible Ranger combos, but our most used ones come from the grenades. If you don't know how combos in Anthem work, you essentially need a primer and a detonator. Start with the former, finish with the latter and watch the fireworks. Fireworks made of enemy flesh and bone, that is.
1. Primer: Frost Grenades/Detonator: Pulse Blast: Like we explained before, if you throw a Frost Grenade at a group of enemies, they'll be frozen in place for a few seconds. Follow that up with a Pulse Blast and you can take out swarms of bad guys with little to no effort.
2. Primer: Inferno Grenades/Detonator: Shock Mace: The other incredibly powerful grenades are the Inferno ones. Set your targets alight then whip out your Shock Mace to come flying in, causing some electric and fiery mayhem.
Best Ranger Weapons
Since the Ranger Javelin in Anthem is as close as you'll get to a traditional soldier, those are the types of weapons you want to use. Equip an Assault Rifle for the automatic firing mode or if you do prefer to be a bit more close and personal, try a Machine Pistol. For those longer engagements, you'll want either a Marksman or Sniper Rifle. Either way, you'll want to use your grenades frequently so your choice of weapon won't matter as much.
Best Ranger Components
The Ranger has a lot of unique components but there's a select few that are no-brainers to include in your loadout. The first is without a doubt the Ranger Combo Augment. I've explained how vital combos are to your Ranger gameplay so using a component that increases combo damage should go without saying, especially against larger enemies like Titans.
The Grenade Augment is another smart one to include because it simply increases grenade damage, especially if you're rocking the Inferno Grenades. Along similar lines, you can increase your weapon damage with the Firearm Calibration Core.
Our final Ranger Component recommendation comes in the form of Advanced Circuitry. This one is great if you find yourself using the Shock Mace frequently, because it increases melee damage and enemy electric effect buildup. Basically, it makes your Shock Mace more powerful. Great, right?
Ranger Ultimate
The Ranger Ultimate is one of the most powerful, which somewhat makes up for the lack of individuality with the class. It's essentially a missile barrage that you can use to target as many or as little enemies as you want. The number of missiles fired always remains the same, so whether you need to take out a Luminary or Ursix with a bunch of missiles or dedicate one missile per Outlaw, the Multi-Target Missile Battery is right for the job.
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