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Comments
First of all, you gotta get your priorities right as an Archer. I would say Archer is the DPS class most people have problems playing because of complexity. (Altho when i played an archer, it looked fairly easy)
Second, all it took in Ktera for Archers to be revived, was the addition of a new passive skill: Sharpshooter, which you learn at lvl 60. It increases crit chance by 15% when attacking from the rear and the sides. I'm no theory crafter, but i do know someone who is, and he told me that this new passive made archer dps so good, that ktera archers are just jumping in joy when they see how much dps they do.
Archers are below complexity compared to Sorcerers, then again, people just don't play Sorcerer to begin with... but they are fairly easy and straightforward assuming you know what each skill does and the best way to use them (their rotation is quite easy) and they have an advantage over Gunner and Sorcerer and that is that 2 of their most used skills are charged ones and if glyphed you get no movement reduction so you can accommodate for backcrit if the boss moves just a little.
In theory that 15% crit chance increase is solid, and considering Radiant Arrow already has a double crit chance (at least I think it's double, haven't checked in months) and the fact critting from behind is easier I can see how and why their dps is improved by quite a lot with just a "mere" 15% crit chance added.
My framerate pretty much sucks so I still won't be able to out-dps most classes, which is fine; just being able to crit more often will be enough to make me happy
EDIT: and yeah, like @JoHighnes, I also would like to know if there is an actual source for this buff, aside from the usual "well Ktera got it so we'll get it eventually too". Not that I'm completely doubting it, I'm just "cautiously optimistic" when it comes to good news.
Is there any source for this timeframe of "next week or so" or is it just hopeful talk?
Yes you are correct, but a critical difference is very noticeable
https://sites.google.com/site/yoshasstuff/home
I also find archer a not so complicated class that allows me to do some good dps from a safe distance. Now, if we went with the risk and reward method, archer shouldn't do more dps than the melee or cloth DPS classes, because melee classes are closer to the enemy and cloth classes (excluding ninja because of base end) are squishy by default. BUT, this dps shouldn't be so low that it makes them irrelevant, so it's important to keep the class updated when the other classes get buffs.
First, you need proper gear as it's a pretty gear dependent class. +15 Weapon is mandatory with other vital gear pieces like VM gloves for attack speed, proper rolls, double crit accessories for max crit (3/2 Shadowvain / Shademaze). Although this rule of thumb applies to most classes, it's very unforgiving on archer to have poor gear. It's like trying to play a +120 crit archer compared to a +240. It's light and day.
Second, you need a very strong understanding on how to play Archer because it's honestly a pretty annoying class to play in let's say SSHM for example. Knowing when exactly to charge, rain or rotate around the boss for back damage is crucial. Although it might look brainless, it does take some complexity to constantly maintain 85-90%+ up time on Enfeebling Trap while also doing mechanics and maintaining fair DPS.
Lastly, you still need a decent team comp after all of the above. As someone that's run a lot of SSHM w/ only single healer whether it's priest or mystic, the damage is nothing compared to double healer. The highest I've done on Imperator w/ single healer was like 700k while I can consistently hit 1mil with double healer. The benefits you gain from just having that extra endurance debuff and buff (whether it's aura or shakan), is just way too necessary for archer.
At the end of the day, it takes a lot to play Archer just to do mediocre damage when you can just play a Ninja. However if you do play Archer solely because you enjoy it, it's possible to do decent damage, it just takes time, money and practice.