In video game worlds, both modern and fantastic, there is a figure who travels far distances, fights impossible battles with seemingly unstoppable foes, and is never deterred: the ranger. Either a master of firearms or archery (or both!), depending on the era, the ranger is a blend of the wandering soldier and wise hunter. They work in packs or alone with equal skill and almost always come out on top.
As a symbol of self-reliance, impeccable resilience, and unmatched prowess, there is hardly a moretantalizing power fantasybase to start from, so it should be unsurprising that plenty of them show up in video games. Although there are plenty of roleplaying games that give the player the chance to play as a ranger, these characters were born for the role and prove themselves as cunning survivalists and lethal shooters in every one of their encounters.
Private James Ramirez ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, best known for his penchant for incessantly receiving increasingly extreme orders from his superiors, is a member of the 1st Ranger Battalion and one heck of a soldier. His training as an Army Ranger makes him a master of firearms, explosives, stealth, drone tech, and close-quarter combat.
After taking on invading forces, blasting apart a tank, and surviving a helicopter crash, he takes part in what is essentially a suicide mission to reclaim the U.S. capital and the White House. Although Ramirez remainscharismatically silent throughout the game, his competence as a ranger speaks for itself.
In theMetrouniverse, it’s hard enough to find a way to survive, never mind a way to make light of a dark situation. However, against the odds andheavy existential dread, Ulman manages to bring to the fight a knowing smile and a cavalcade of bad quips. Although his jokes can make him come across as childish, his easygoing attitude thinly masks his confidence and competence.
It isn’t just his upbeat attitude and love of fun that helps him survive as a member of the Spartan Rangers, the deadliest fighters in all of Metro, but his skill in a firefight and willingness to work in a team when things get really serious. As well as being a crack shot without needing to resort to laser sights, Ulman is a deadly knife thrower, as he deftly demonstrates when saving Artyom’s life with a blade inMetro 2033.
ForLord of the Ringsfans, the word “ranger” probably evokes images of Aragon, a Ranger of the North and heir to the throne of Gondor. InShadow of Mordor, players are thrust into the shoes of Aragorn’s southern counterpart, Talion, a ranger of Gondor. Not only was he trained by the Rangers of Ithilien, who helped him to developsuperior stealth and freerunning abilitiesas well as deadly combat prowess, but Talion was so skilled that he eventually became their leader.
After a fall from grace, he and his wife and son were exiled to the Black Gate, Sauron’s abandoned domain. However, not long after, Sauron unexpectedly returned, along with his minions, and put Talion and his family to the sword. A mysterious wraith saves Talion from death and bonds with him, granting him more unearthly abilities, including the power to dominate and bind Uruks to his will.
Aloy represents the more primal “ranger” archetype despite the post-futurist setting ofHorizon: Zero DawnorForbidden West. She is able to run, climb, swim, and sneak her way through any territory with fluid ease, and just in the same way many roleplaying game rangers (both computer and dice-based), she has an intuitive bond with spirits and nature via her Focus, even if they consist of holographic audio logs and self-replicating machines that roam the landscape.
As an outcast, Aloy saw that the only way to find answers about her past and identity would come through her proving herself as a warrior. She trained to hone her stealth, archery, and combat skills to gain acceptance, which ultimately allowed her to survive and thrive in thebeautiful post-apocalyptic world.
While the New Californian Republic (NCR) Veteran Rangers might just be Fallout New Vegas' most iconic characters, given their mysterious, red-illuminated masks, bristling coats, and penchants for putting bullets between the eyes of Legion scouts, information about these elite shooters is hard to come by. Those with an eye as quick as Texas Red might notice that manyNCR Veterans are ghouls.
Some fans have speculated that these veterans are so adept at their jobs because of their long life experience, given that, besides an accident or falling in with the wrong cowboy, ghouls seem to be immortal. Another explanation might be that these hardcore members of the NCR are simply exposed to more radiation due to the extreme nature of their mission assignments. Either way, on the spin of an NCR dime, each and every member is able to demonstrate why they were granted the honor of wearingthe fabled black armor.
