New player, Brigand questions

[gilliganww]

I'm a lvl 13 Brigand, and new player, so bear with me.

I abandoned my Warrior and started a Brigand because I wanted to use a bow, both to support the other two friends I play with, and because I just plain wanted to, it was one weapon I never liked using in Diablo II, but I like the way it works here better.

I've been putting most of my stats into Dexterity, because Strength only affects melee damage, not ranged, correct? Is this wise? Also, both my rings give +30 to Offensive ability, I assume the chance to crit is important to bow users?

Secondly, is there a point to using a spear as well as a bow? I have my Marksmanship skill maxed, to be fair, but my spear does so little damage compared to my bow. It's more effective for me to use my bow even when face to face with enemies (right now, anyway). Maybe if I put points into calculated Strike and Blade Honing, that will make my spear more powerful than my bow?

Thanks in advance.

[Marouk]

Your Str-Dex distribution ratio for Attribute Points should usually be 1:1. The masteries themselves already give a significant amount of Dex over Str. Str affects base physical damage, Dex affects piercing damage, so both are important. Plus, keeping your Str up as well as your Dex ensures that you'll have access to a wider range of armor to equip.

+60 Offensive Ability isn't going to do much for you. Depending on what point in the game you're at and what kind of group you're playing with, you'll be better off with rings that provide resistances, or ones that give you significant boosts in Health or Energy.

When playing a bow character, you should always keep a spear and shield as your off-hand equipment. Spears will continue to get better and do a ridiculous amount of damage with Lethal Strike and even Calculated strike. Shields can be life savers, even moreso as you progress since better shields block more damage and have a higher percentage chance of doing so.

[Poinas]

You can't crit with a bow, and bows always hit. OA makes no difference for bows.

[gilliganww]

So, I took the time today to read through a lot more of the forum archives here (I only read the first 10 pages before posting, sorry), and they answered many questions, some I didn't even know I had. Thanks for the replies, and thanks to all who have posted on the mechanics of this game, I have learned a lot these past two days!