The Anthem Ranger Javelin is something of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the flying, armored suits of BioWare’s epic. It’s a balanced mix of offense and defense, compared to the game’s other Javelins, but that doesn’t make it any weaker than the rest.
Ranger gear abilities are varied. You can combine them in a variety of ways to bolster damage and even help protect allies. There’s really no doubt about it — the Ranger might not be the sexiest pick of the Javelins, but it is no less useful than any other. You really ought to at least try some of the best loadouts for the Ranger in Anthem before you dismiss it completely.
- Anthem Storm Class Guide: Abilities, Grenades, Strengths
- Anthem Class Guide: Which Javelin Is For You?
- Anthem Season 1 Guide – Echoes of Reality, Cataclysms, & More
Regardless of the Javelin you play as, it’s important to get to know each of their abilities. This amazing chart (above) by Reddit user FireDragon04 lists each Javelin’s gear abilities, their element types, and whether they’re primers or detonators.
The Ranger has two gear slots called Grenade and Assault Launcher. And combining these two abilities is key in your success — whether you’re flying solo in Freeplay to farm crafting materials or working in concert with a full team on Grandmaster Strongholds.
Each Javelin applies its own special effect on enemies whenever it triggers a combo. The Ranger is no different. When the Ranger triggers a combo, it adds “Critical Target Damage” — dealing more single-target damage to the detonated enemy than any other Javelin in Anthem.
“Combo Machine” – Ranger Loadout
- Grenade – Frag Grenade/Sticky Grenade (Detonator)
- Assault Launcher – Venom Darts (Primer)
- Support Gear – Muster Point
The Ranger’s gear slots are flexible for creating combos, but this is the best combination of abilities to create havoc on the battlefield. It has decent range and will allow you to clear out adds swiftly.
Venom Darts are especially powerful. They home in on a target and will prime them from a decent distance, all while also being stronger against high health and armored targets.
Once the target is primed with Venom Darts, follow it up with a Frag Grenade or a Sticky Grenade to detonate the combo. Using these two abilities in concert means the Ranger does not have to rely on teammates for priming or detonating.
The Muster Point Support Gear is also extremely strong — especially at a distance. Using Muster Point creates a bubble that the Ranger and its allies can stand in to increase their weapon damage. Enemies can’t shoot into it, but allies can fire out. It’s perfect for guarding defensive positions.
With this loadout, you should get in the rhythm of Venom Dart -> Grenade -> Muster Point -> fire weapons to deal a ton of damage. The Grenades especially are strong due to their wider area-of-effect of damage, making it vital in taking out larger groups of enemies. The Ranger is the only Javelin without any intrinsic AoE to its combos, after all.
“Focused Aggression” – Anthem Ranger Loadout
Grenade – Frost Grenade (Primer)
Assault Launcher – Pulse Blast (Detonator)
Support Gear – Muster Point
If you’re having issues with enemy shields, this loadout will do the trick. Both Frost Grenade and Pulse Blast do wonders against shields (blue bars of health). That allows you to get to the enemy’s true hit points and finish them off.
This loadout is definitely better suited for single-target damage, too. It should be equipped if you’re teamed up with other Javelins who can take out larger groups of enemies. That way you can focus on the biggest bads that enter the battlefield. It’s often the Ranger’s true specialty, anyway.
That’s not to say that this loadout is useless for crowd control. Frost Grenade is especially useful when it comes to freezing a bunch of enemies and priming them for large combos by fellow Javelins who may have area-of-effect abilities.
Don’t ever be shy about using the Muster Point gear, either. In fact, use it as often as it’s available. You and/or your teammates can get inside and get extra weapon damage on whoever you’re shooting at.
“Melee Shocker” – Anthem Ranger Loadout
Grenade – Frag Grenade (Detonator)
Assault Launcher – Seeking Missile (Detonator)
Support Gear – Bulwark Point
Arguably the most underrated piece of the Ranger’s kit is its melee ability: Shock Mace. The basic melee attack is actually an Electric primer, unlike the raw detonators that the other Javelins have. Hitting any enemy with your little cattle prod will prep it with Electric elemental damage.
Because of this, you can use this Ranger melee build to fly up close and personal in the field — hammering enemies to prime them, while using both gear slots as detonators to create combos.
Being so close to the enemy makes Bulwark Point a must in the Support slot. This item is a bubble, much like Muster Point, but it doesn’t buff your teammates’ damage. Instead it protects your allies and yourself from incoming damage by absorbing fire.
This type of loadout works especially well with any Javelin that is good at priming — like the Storm. The Storm’s combo detonations spread primer effects to other enemies, allowing the Ranger to detonate combos even further.
