English is my 2nd Language, Help ^^

[Sethstiel]

I speak 6 languages, English being one of my best but sometimes.. I don't get some words and what exactly they mean..?

So my question is:
What's the difference between an Archer and a Ranger?

My Lightnovel and upcoming Comic is about a RPG, basically, and I do play a lot RPG and I saw these two are pratically the same thing but as an author I need to know what's the difference so I can use the right word.
So.. help

[cherrystark]

I always think of LOTR with those terms. Legolas is an archer and Aragon is a ranger. haha. But according to my search, a ranger uses a variety of weapons and has a large skill set. They know how to survive in nature. While an archerr specializes in one weapon

[TheGentleArtist]

Archers are people who use bow and arrows; a bowman. Whether for sport or attacking

A Ranger, in context of military, is a trained and armed infantryman. Also a mounted soldier

[Scarlet_Cryptid]

Archers are primarily defined by the use of a bow and arrow. A soldier can be an archer. A hunter can be an archer. An athlete can be an archer.

In fantasy settings, a ranger, as @cherrystark said, is defined by their wilderness survival skills. They forage, they track animals, they can build fires, etc. They are often very good hunters, so they may indeed use a bow and arrow, but are not restricted to that weapon alone, or even required to use it.

Basically, some rangers are also archers, and some archers can be rangers. But an archer is a person who shoots a bow and arrow, and a (fantasy) ranger is a wilderness survival expert.

[vapidink]

In RPGs, Archers are usually quick, agile, long distance fighters specializing with bows/crossbows as their weapon. They usually focus on frontal defense and controlling the area enemies can cover. If you get some good defense on them, they can cause a lot of damage from a distance.

Rangers can use bows/crossbows, but also use swords and daggers, so they can be mid-range fighters as well. Even though their movements might not seem as agile sometimes, they have a greater range of mobility because of the nature of their fighting style/weapons.

The difference is really that an archer specializes in one weapon, whereas a ranger uses different weapons.