This ability provides you the chance of instantly killing an opponent(humanoid only) who is too far below you in level to provide a challenge, when using a bow.
AS of rank 8 and 9 I was able to headshot all the Bubonian War Rats and Bubonian Mystics and Most all Corrupted/Foul Puslings lvl 75 ranger rank 9 HS but was doing it with rank 8 HS couldn't really tell a difference. I was wondering also where else might be a great spot to solo at at 75 as ranger, and less than 100 aa's I get 21% per kill aa in CoD off the rats and puslings!
Where is the best place to get Humanoid targets and take advantage of all the hard AA grinding with my Ranger that got me to Headshot 13? I box him with my 85 Shammy and use 1 healer merc and 1 tank merc. He is level 85 and all range stuff maxed out with Sporerune bow and Best Arrow available that is non expendable. I have been getting worn out on DSH. Nymphs just dont give much XP anymore and Minos are getting boring. Anyone got any suggestions on where to do some good ranger hunting in game? if so I would be grateful. If you would rather not post it here for whatever reason you can send me a tell in game. Arborist on Stromm server. Many thanks and good hunting.
The biggest factor that makes getting all of the headshot AA worthwhile is that it can be triggered from the Hail of Arrows line of spells. Round up 8 or more humanoid mobs that are at the low end of light-blue, use Vinelash cascade to root them all, then HoA or AoA (depending on your level) and get 32 chances for headshot to work (4 shots per target, max 8 targets per cast). Keep shooting while you wait out the 15 second recast for yet more headshot opportunities.
If you pull more than 8 mobs at a time, you run a bigger risk of root being resisted or breaking early and disrupting your nice tight grouping of mobs. However, you will also have the full 8 targets for HoA even after a few mobs are dead.
I have headshot maxed for level (level 9 headshot at level 78 ranger) It works on level 64 mobs and lower that are humanoid. These mobs are LB and though don't necessarily provide a ton of exp per kill (about 1.5% in the zones I hunt) the kill rate is staggering. Find a zone with green to-LB mobs that meet the criterion for headshotting and you will amaze anyone. At level 76 I could headshot most mobs in HoH and could solo 80 kills in an hour without exaggerating. With a lesson I could get 3.5 AA in 30 mins (got over 4 one time /grin). So while this aa is probably a waste for RAID oriented rangers, it is amazingly fun (remember its a game and FUN is important,) for casual players and those who enjoy soloing. Also useful for PL'ing. How often does it proc? Sometimes the mob falls dead instantly before they can move. Other times you may plink away 'til it's at 50%.... but it ALWAYS kills before you erode a mobs HP. For those that will dispute this - you may have tried this AA ability before the anti-nerf I experienced fall '07. Overnite I went from slow root-n-rot kills to power-ranger! If you have ignored this AA, give it a shot.. but be advised if you want to use it to get AA and exp, it will have to be MAXED for your level, else you will only kill mobs that are too low to bother.
Does Headshot leave a corpse when used, or is it like Wizard's disintegrate?? And for any Rangers out there who have the ability, how frequently does it work?
Yes Headshot does indeed leave corpses, my question is why it doesnt work on giants or and non-humanoid NPCs even though they are lower than lvl 48. The max lvl of the NPC that I had headshot work on was lvl 48 I believe. It doesnt have to be a lightblue con, i got a headshot on a lvl 48 mob in AR that was blue to me. I am still trying to fathom the truths of the headshot discipline, but i hope this information helps some people.
Hunter Multani Thundersoul Forest Stalker of Karana <Moonlight Crusaders>
Actually it does indeed include goblins and stuff. Although it's not entirely clear what Sony classifies as humanoid, I have had it work on goblins, ratmen, and even rockgrabber type mobs. It's a coin toss on what it works on, you just have to experiment. If you have headshot maxed, pick a green mob (definately within your lvl range) and test it out in the area you want to hunt in. Shouldn't take you long to figure out if they are humanoid or not.
Plane of Valor was the classic example of this. Headshot would work on just about everything in the zone - the razorfiends, the sentries, and so forth. With the birth of some mage (and druid?) abilities/spells, many mobs were reclassified as 'geonid', which included the crystallized golems of the zone. Funny then that the golems with their two arms and two legs are no longer humanoids, but the Spiders and Centipedes of the zone still are!