Epic Quiver of Alacrity

[Bobbryan2]

Wow really ancient times. Too early for me.

Yes, although I don't think the problem is that the devs created spells for the paladin; this was good for the game. The problem is that there are many lists that have never been updated, or have only been partially updated.

Aside from the gear's savage powercreep that has made so many spells obsolete, of course.

Oh no, of course not. The paladin spells were excellent additions to the game which got better when they were updated.
Things like barkskin should give +1 PRR per bonus of natural AC in addition, for instance.

 

[Bobbryan2]

Rangers still have access to Barkskin which, (by the time they can cast it) their armor already has a higher + than the spell.

Sure... now. Back in the day, natural AC was only +1 or +2 at cap, so being able to give +5 Natural AC was a big bonus over BiS. AC characters would require barkskin, and would list their AC totals with or without a ranger in the party ( having to use +3 nat AC potions).
Druids also weren't in the game, so rangers were the only source of barkskin.

It's a mostly useless spell now, but it was one of the best defense spells in the game when the level cap was 12-16.

 

[Buddha5440]

Sure... now. Back in the day, natural AC was only +1 or +2 at cap, so being able to give +5 Natural AC was a big bonus over BiS. AC characters would require barkskin, and would list their AC totals with or without a ranger in the party ( having to use +3 nat AC potions).
Druids also weren't in the game, so rangers were the only source of barkskin.

It's a mostly useless spell now, but it was one of the best defense spells in the game when the level cap was 12-16.

Not just "now". You talk about the lv cap being 12-16. That was less than 3 years. The remaining 16 years it has been useless.

 

[Bobbryan2]

Not just "now". You talk about the lv cap being 12-16. That was less than 3 years. The remaining 16 years it has been useless.

I was not making the case that Ranger spells are in a good place. I was pointing out the historical oddity that once Ranger spells were considered so overpowered that everyone kept complaining about them with a comparison to Paladin spells, and it was only after years of forum-complaining that Paladins even got those.