Who runs Explosive Arrow
103 of the 200 Rangers we analysed (51.5%) have Explosive Arrow equipped, at an average stigma level of 5.7. 89.3% of them fill all four stigma slots. The group leans Light: 54.4% Light against 43.3% for the rest of the class.
Official-sample n=103, 2026-10-26
This page compares those players with the 97 Rangers who leave Explosive Arrow out. The full class picture, with every skill and the gear for each slot, is on the Ranger build page.
Explosive Arrow stigma setups
Players who run Explosive Arrow most often pair it with Vaizel's Authority (88.3%), Bow of Blessing (81.6%) and Supporting Fire (66%). It mostly takes the place of Griffon Arrow: 28.2% of this group run Griffon Arrow, against 67% of the players without Explosive Arrow. The most common full set is Bow of Blessing, Vaizel's Authority, Explosive Arrow and Supporting Fire, run by 60 players (58.3% of the group).
| Stigma set | Share of Explosive Arrow players | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Bow of Blessing, Vaizel's Authority, Explosive Arrow, Supporting Fire | 60 | |
| Griffon Arrow, Bow of Blessing, Vaizel's Authority, Explosive Arrow | 16 | |
| Griffon Arrow, Vaizel's Authority, Explosive Arrow, Supporting Fire | 3 | |
| Griffon Arrow, Illusory Arrow, Arrow Storm, Explosive Arrow | 3 |
| Stigma | With Explosive Arrow | Without |
|---|---|---|
| Vaizel's Authority | ||
| Bow of Blessing | ||
| Supporting Fire | ||
| Griffon Arrow | ||
| Arrow Storm | ||
| Illusory Arrow | ||
| Sealing Arrow | ||
| Ensnaring Trap | ||
| Mother Nature's Breath | ||
| Stealth | ||
| Assault Smite | ||
| Ambush Kick |
Combat power
The median combat power of the group is 72,571, about the same as the 73,773 of other Rangers. Its share of the class top 50 (26 players) is close to what an even spread would give (26). The 90th percentile is 98,008 for the group and 102,646 for the rest.
| Group | Players | Median CP | p90 CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Explosive Arrow | 103 | 72,571 | 98,008 |
| Without Explosive Arrow | 97 | 73,773 | 102,646 |
Skill bar changes
The skill bar barely changes: no active or passive skill differs by 5 points or more between players with and without Explosive Arrow.
Gear changes
The top main hand is the same Spiritforged Bow on both sides, worn by 71.8% of the group and 61.9% of other Rangers. Median weapon enchant is +10 in both groups. The top piece changes in the pants, boots, necklace and earring slots, shown below.
| Slot | With Explosive Arrow | Without | Median enchant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main hand | Spiritforged Bow 72% | Spiritforged Bow 62% | +10 / +10 |
| Off hand | Spiritforged Guard 77% | Spiritforged Guard 73% | +10 / +10 |
| Torso | Bakarma Breastplate 52% | Bakarma Breastplate 37% | +6 / +5 |
| Pants | Bakarma Greaves 31% | Vakron Greaves 26% | +5 / +5 |
| Boots | Bakarma Boots 22% | Vakron Boots 27% | +5 / +5 |
| Belt | Noble Belt 74% | Noble Belt 65% | +1 / +1 |
| Necklace | Pilgrim Necklace 27% | Aulamus Necklace 27% | +5 / +5 |
| Earring 1 | Pilgrim Earrings 30% | Aulamus Earrings 29% | +5 / +5 |
| Earring 2 | Pilgrim Earrings 33% | Liberator Earrings 30% | +5 / +5 |
| Ring 2 | Pilgrim Ring 32% | Aulamus Ring 31% | +5 / +5 |
| Bracelet 2 | Pilgrim Bracelet 42% | Liberator Bracelet 43% | +5 / +7 |
| Arcana 5 | Mirror of Vigor 11% | Mirror of Magic 6% | +0 / +0 |
Daevanion
Daevanion progress is close to the rest of the class on every board; the largest gap is 2.1 points on Azphel.
| Board | With Explosive Arrow | Without |
|---|---|---|
| Nezekan | ||
| Zikel | ||
| Vaizel | ||
| Triniel | ||
| Azphel |
Other Ranger variants
Each Ranger variant page follows one stigma that splits the class. The groups overlap, because a player runs four stigmas at once.
| Variant | Players | Median CP | In class top 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosive Arrow (this page) | 103 | 72,571 | 26 |
| Griffon Arrow | 94 | 73,292 | 25 |
Other Ranger stigmas with at least 20 players on each side of the split, without their own page: Vaizel's Authority (177), Bow of Blessing (161), Supporting Fire (141), Arrow Storm (32).
Back to the Ranger build, the Ranger PvP build or the stigma guide.
What other sources say
None of the community readings we track lists Explosive Arrow for Ranger, so the armory numbers above are the only data we have on it.
Not confirmed yet
- The armory does not record whether a player mostly runs PvE or PvP, so this page cannot say which mode Explosive Arrow is for.
- Why players pick Explosive Arrow. The data shows who equips it, not their reasons.
- Whether Explosive Arrow changes your combat power. Any gap above may come from gear, levels or the kind of player who picks it.
Ranger Explosive Arrow FAQ
How many top Rangers use Explosive Arrow in Aion 2?
103 of 200 sampled level 45 Rangers (51.5%) had Explosive Arrow equipped on 2026-10-26. The sample is the top 200 per class by combat power across the five Global regions.
What does Explosive Arrow replace in a Ranger build?
Mostly Griffon Arrow: 28.2% of Explosive Arrow players run it, against 67% of other Rangers.
Do Explosive Arrow Rangers have higher combat power?
About the same. Combat power follows gear and levels, so this describes who runs Explosive Arrow, not what Explosive Arrow does to your power.
Is Explosive Arrow a PvP or PvE pick for Ranger?
The armory data does not record which mode a player plays, and no source we read labels Explosive Arrow for one mode. Treat it as a general pick.
How often is this Ranger data updated?
The armory sample refreshes daily. The date at the top of the page is the sample date of the numbers you see.
Sources
- AION 2 official About page (Classes)
Classes section lists exactly eight classes in this order: Gladiator, Templar, Assassin, Ranger, Chanter, Cleric, Sorcerer, Spiritmaster. Brawler is absent. Source of every official class tagline on this site. Also the source for the combat, flight, dungeon, customization, pet, faction, and lore lines on the Systems page.
- MetaBot AION 2 Stigma Guide: Slots, Shards and Best Stigmas
Published 1 October 2026, updated 10 October. Says it reads the global client files (2.0.3.0): 13 Stigmas per class, 4 Stigma slots at levels 22, 27, 32 and 37, and a per-class table of the Stigmas it would run plus how many of about 150 tracked level 45 characters per class run each (3 October sample). Weapon labels per class come from its site menu. Community database, not NC.
- Official AION 2 character pages (armory)
Public, no login. We sample top level 45 characters per class and publish only aggregates: no player names or IDs. Method and sample size are on the Stats page.