Earth Defense Force 6: Best Ranger Weapons

Highlights

Ranger in Earth Defense Force 6 is not just a basic soldier, but a powerhouse with powerful vehicles and a wide array of weaponry.
M9 Thermite Grenades offer great AOE damage, Goliath ZD is a fast missile launcher, and CA90 can one-shot bosses with proper planning.
The MR111 Fang Sniper Rifle is perfect for elite and boss enemies, while the A72 Binary Bullet Gas Grenade provides constant damage and area denial.

As a seasoned Earth Defense Force veteran of over 50 levels and countless hours spent battling hordes of alien scum, I can confidently say that these three weapons are absolute game-changers for any Ranger looking to turn the tide of battle in their favor.

Initially, the Ranger may appear to be just an ordinary soldier in the Earth Defense Force series, particularly when compared to the Wing Diver with flight capabilities, the Fencer who resembles a walking weapon of mass destruction, and the Air Raider capable of summoning various vehicles. However, this straightforward impression doesn’t accurately reflect their abilities, especially in Earth Defense Force 6.

Hey there! I’ve got to say, the Ranger in Earth Defense Force 6 is equipped with some seriously impressive vehicles, not to mention their standard arsenal that’s already out of this world. You know, the Ranger can be played so many different ways, and it seems like all these strategies are effective, even on the toughest settings like Hardest and Inferno. So, let’s delve into the diverse selection of weapons the Ranger has in EDF 6 and highlight some of our (and the community’s) top picks.

9 M9 Thermite Bullet Grenades (Backpack)

Great Area of Effect Damage for Hordes

Earth Defense Force 6: Best Ranger Weapons

Initially, let’s talk about an armament carried by a Ranger in their backpack, which isn’t limited to just grenades. The Ranger’s backpack inventory includes grenades, landmines, self-detonating bombs, targeting equipment, and other tools. For our first choice, we’re selecting a grenade – specifically, the M9 Thermite Grenades. Although players can get less powerful versions of these grenades at an early stage with the Ranger, the M9 Thermite Grenades are among the most potent variations available.

Thermite Grenades from the Ranger’s arsenal serve a dual purpose: they can inflict damage on specific targets and also affect multiple foes in a given area. Once thrown, the grenade adheres to whatever it hits – be it a piece of furniture, the ground, or even a colossal ant. Upon impact, the grenade ignites, emitting flames for an extended period, which causes substantial harm to anything it comes into contact with and repeatedly disrupts weaker enemies by preventing them from executing their attacks effectively.

8 Goliath ZD

Relatively Fast Reload Missile Launcher WIth Speed, Damage, & Massive Explosions

As a Ranger, there are numerous methods for launching rockets, so many that they are divided into two main categories: Rocket Launchers and Missile Launchers. Essentially, Rocket Launchers function like your typical “point and shoot” weapons, while Missile Launchers require you to “lock on” before firing.

The Goliath, much like its namesake, serves as a fundamental rocket launcher. Unlike other comparable weapons, it stands out due to the rapid speed of its projectile and an exceptionally large explosion radius. This weapon’s massive explosion area makes it ideal for dealing with clusters of enemies, while its swift flight speed makes it challenging for opponents to evade.

7 CA90 (Backpack)

Needs Proper Planning, But Can One-Shot Bosses & Full-Clear Hordes

Afterward comes the CA90, which functions similarly to massive blocks of C4 that the Ranger can toss around and detonate by activating the Backpack command once placed. Consequently, players often employ these for blocking paths they anticipate enemies will traverse or areas occupied by large boss-like enemies, subsequently obliterating them as soon as they step onto the CA90 blocks.

In Earth Defense Force 6, these items have an enormous destructive power that can be catastrophic and their blast radius is overwhelming. However, they come with a significant responsibility – players must be mindful of where they position them to avoid accidentally blowing up teammates. The CA90 has the potential to inflict some of the highest damage in the game, but it’s tricky to control enemies’ movements and guide them in desired directions, making it challenging to kite enemies effectively.

6 MR111 Fang (Sniper)

Elite & Boss Killer Sniper

Let’s discuss another excellent single-target ranged weapon, the MR111 Fang Sniper Rifle. If players are diligent in their farming efforts, they can obtain different versions of the Fang at lower levels, but the MR111 version is undeniably the most potent. This weapon embodies the essence of a Sniper Rifle, delivering one-shot, one-kill capabilities from afar.

The weapon requires a reload following each shot, but in reality, it’s not much of a concern since the reload time is quite lenient, and typically, the enemy being targeted has already been defeated by the initial bullet. This makes it an ideal secondary weapon to keep handy during battles against large groups of insects, especially when a Queen Ant or similar elite enemy emerges.

5 A72 Binary Bullet Gas Grenade (Backpack)

Easy Access to Large Area Denial & Constant Damage

Both the Ranger and the Air Raider have access to some pretty powerful gas-type weaponry, with the Ranger’s A72 Binary Bullet Gas Grenade being the better of the two. Now at first, one might look at a Gas Grenade and think something like “Why kill the bugs slowly with gas when you could just use a rocket to kill them immediately?”, and that’s a decent question. The most obvious reason is that a Gas Grenade allows a player to deal damage in one direction while also being able to fire in another.

In Earth Defense Force 6, a good chunk of the weaker foes will exhibit ‘recoil actions’ after taking a hit, and guess what? The gas I’m using can keep setting off these reactions because it deals continuous damage, effectively trapping anything within its reach until they meet their demise. Just remember to exercise caution when deploying this in an online multiplayer session, or better yet, give your teammates a heads-up about the harmful purple gas.

4 Leopard Guided Rocket Launcher Model 0

A Rocket That’s Hard to Miss With

For a Ranger character, there are numerous precise weapon options available, yet sometimes players seek a projectile that’s simpler to aim rather than one that’s easier to hit, and that is where the Guided Rocket Launchers from the Leopard branch become invaluable. These aren’t just potent weapons, but they also track the player’s laser sight after being fired (as long as the laser sight hits something within its range), which can be incredibly useful against certain enemies.

Instead of demolishing buildings sequentially to expose a fugitive enemy hidden within, players can strategically curve their rockets to strike the specific building where the enemy is hiding, eliminating them in one go (in the game EDF6). Choosing a standout weapon from the numerous options available in each class in EDF6 is challenging, but the versatility and destructive power of this rocket launcher earn it a spot on our list.

3 ZEXR-Gun Turret (Backpack)

Allies That’ll Cover Your Back & Won’t Accidentally Blow You Up

All of the Gun Turret Backpack weapons for the Ranger are fantastic, though some are a bit riskier to use in multiplayer than others. Friendly Fire can be pretty difficult to deal with in this game, especially on the higher difficulties, but for the most part, players don’t really struggle with hitting each other using their standard ammo, instead, explosions and large AoE effects like fire is usually what ends up accidentally causing team kills (especially low-Armor teammates). So, the ZEXR-Gun Turrets, which fire powerful bullets, isn’t going to hurt allies nearly as much as the flamethrower variant Turrets will.

Swapping a grenade slot for Gun Turrets might seem like a tough decision considering their longer reload times compared to grenades. However, when deployed en masse, these turrets significantly boost offense, making it a worthwhile trade-off. Additionally, they can be strategically placed on moving vehicles, amplifying the destructive power of any allied vehicle.

2 EXA Blazer (Assault Rifle)

Less of an Assault Rifle, More of a Beam Rifle

It’s a little tough to call the Blazer branch of Assault Rifles, well, Assault Rifles as they’re more like Beam Rifles than anything else. Instead of firing standard ammunition, this thing unleashes a solid purple beam that is devastatingly strong. This is one of the Assault Rifle branches that players won’t start obtaining until the high 50s in terms of level, but once they do get one it’s hard to switch off of it, even if the mission level is a lot higher than it.

The EXA Blazer boasts an impressive power level, offers a tremendous shooting distance, exhibits satisfactory ammunition usage, and notably, its consistent damage output often traps enemies in their recoil animation loop.

1 UMFF Grenade Launcher

Reliable (and Deadly) Area of Effect Damage

The UMFF Grenade Launcher is a high-level variant of the UM series of Grenade Launchers, and it’s a total powerhouse. Even the earlier iterations of this weapon are incredibly deadly, incredibly reliable, and incredibly easy to knock yourself out with.

With Missile Launchers, the Ranger has the ability to send projectiles soaring straight ahead in any direction, offering a wider range compared to Grenade Launchers, which are more like thrown items that arc through the air. This can sometimes make it difficult to gauge their effective range accurately. However, they excel at clearing out clusters of nearby enemies and are also useful for demolishing obstacles like buildings or terrain. When used carefully, the UMFF Grenade Launcher is an excellent choice for area-of-effect damage and can be a valuable asset when dealing with obstructions in your path as well.

2024-08-17 12:24