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[dwarfhoplite]

should i give metal armor for rangers? shield? please help me. how do you equip your guys

[shlorf]

It mainly depends on how high you value them. Training them to legendary takes a large amount of bolts spent on shooting targets and a bit less if using prisoners or wild animals for target practice. Since it takes so long i usually equip mine with the best armor i have (steel or spoilermetal) and the best quality metal shields (shield material doesn't matter except for attacking with the shield, shield quality however gives a bonus to the block chance). The melee soldiers usually have decent dodging and shield user skills anyway so they will need the armor less, but if your ranged dwarf squad becomes the target of a goblin elite crossbowman and his bowsquad having them equipped in good armor will pay off.

[sjaakwortel]

crossbows and bone bolts,
position behind fortifications, the ones that make legendary get armor.

[slothen]

Marksdwarves use bucklers.  GIVE THEM BUCKLERS!  and train them in a danger room so they get legendary shield user, and they'll be able to take out elite enemy archers.

[rephikul]

Marksdwarves use bucklers.  GIVE THEM BUCKLERS!  and train them in a danger room so they get legendary shield user, and they'll be able to take out elite enemy archers.

I've been giving them shields. They do use their shields. Why bucklers?

[Icee77]

Less weight. you want your marksdwarves to be quick and mobile.
I use my Markdwarves as a kind of ranger. They are usually composed of peasants and those that survive get leather armor.

[martinuzz]

The little difference in weight does not outweigh the shield's superior protection.
Note that bucklers have [UPSTEP:1], and shields have [UPSTEP:2]
This means that bucklers protect the hand (where it is worn), plus the lower arm (one step 'up' from the hands), while shields protect hand, lower arm AND upper arm.
Note that this is seperate from their blocking ability. The protection mentioned is the armor protection it gives apart from being able to block incoming attacks.
I don't think there's any difference in their chance to 'block' an attack, but I could be mistaken there.

EDIT: shields have [BLOCKCHANCE:20], bucklers have [BLOCKCHANCE:10]. ANother reason to prefer shields over bucklers

If you want your marksdwarves to be fast, pick dwarves that have a good agility.
Also, to train your marksdwarves up fastest, don't use archery ranges. Instead, make them hunt for a year, before enlisting them.
Have them use bone bolts for this. It will give them some more shots per kill, adding to the rate of training.
Train their other combat skills in a danger room.

As for my marksdwarves' outfit, they wear full metal armor, plus a cloak or three, like the rest of my military.

A good strategy to adopt is to crosstrain marksdwarves as hammerdwarves. Do this by making sure they have no ammo, and unleashing them on goblin prisoners that have been robbed of their weapon, but not their armor, while using wooden or bone crossbows.