OMG this is a hard class to play!

[GameNu]

<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#339900 size=3> <P><FONT color=#669900>I am an EQ2 newbie sampling various classes – my highest character is a L30 Enchanter. I have tried…maybe 8 or so different classes so far, and liked most of them. Just deleted the ranger to make room for this guy (arrows are just way to pricey, plus my Swashi is just as fun and similar).</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#669900>I was reading about how Coercers could control 3 up arrow yellows and that kind of got the juices flowing :smileytongue: <SPAN> </SPAN>So I made one and he is now level 5. I have to say this is by far my hardest character to play. My Charm only lasts a maximum of 5 minutes if that! Please tell me it lasts longer at higher levels? If so, where is the length of Charm by level posted? </FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#669900>Charm seems to break pretty often, sending the pet and all those he was fighting straight at me. </FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#669900>Also, it seems that when ever I join in and try to attack the target, the target comes right at me! My pets don’t seem to hold agro worth beans. Any tips?</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#669900></FONT> </P> <P><FONT color=#669900>I guess I am hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t mind working and dying if that’s what it takes to get better, but so far to be honest this is looking pretty grim.</FONT></P> <P></P></FONT></DIV> <P>Message Edited by GameNutz on <SPAN class=date_text>12-15-2006</SPAN><SPAN class=time_text>04:43 PM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by GameNutz on <span class=date_text>12-15-2006</span> <span class=time_text>04:43 PM</span>

[MokiCh]

<a href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=27&message.id=9824" target=_blank>STICKIES ARE YOUR FRIEND!</a> <div></div>

[GameNu]

Good info, thanks.

[Sydias]

<P>A couple tips that got me through the lower levels:</P> <P>-Keep the mob you are attacking rooted.  Stand back a little ways otherwise, yes, you will take agro.</P> <P>-Our mez gives you 2 chances to charm a mob before it ends.</P> <P>-If your charm breaks, mez, stun or root everything before either recharming or killing them all 1 by 1.</P> <P>Hope that helps a bit.</P>

[Jimmythehand]

<DIV>At your lvl the tactic I used a lot was that of the disposable pet. I charmed a mob and sent it to its death.. I helped it very little and if it died so what Im evil the target was almost dead anyway..  /root /kill the last bit..  You usually have a lot of mana left at the end of the fight so all was good.. And when I got a bit better I would time it so my pet was almost dead at the end of the combat.. Then I would cancel the charm mezz debuff and kill it.. Then charm another and rinse and repeat. When you lvl more this wont be needed as much or at all.. It also helps with all them charm breaks as the mob isnt alive long enough to break.. All of what I mentioned though is posted above as mentoned : ).. Good Luck.. Solitare 70 Assassin Eldrad 64 coercer..</DIV>

[GameNu]

<DIV>Thanks again guys. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One question still has me curoius - at my level, the charm only lasts 5 minutes before it breaks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Does this change as you get higher? If so, how long does a charm last at say, level 20? 30? 60? 70?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[RatWithGun]

<DIV>Yes the final spell in the Charm line "Domination" has a basic duration of 30mins</DIV>

[Chog]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> GameNutz wrote:<BR> <DIV>Thanks again guys. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One question still has me curoius - at my level, the charm only lasts 5 minutes before it breaks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Does this change as you get higher? If so, how long does a charm last at say, level 20? 30? 60? 70? <HR> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Every new charm increases the duration by 5 minutes.

[schmee]

domination is 30 mins iirc.<div></div>

[zormik]

<DIV>If you play solo a lot, try to buy the master 1 of your charms and your roots ...</DIV> <DIV>They are crucial and will make your live multiple times easier...</DIV>

[GameNu]

<P><FONT color=#66cc00>I am sure your right about the Master 1 spells. Unfortunately, like most new EQ2 players, I cannot afford them. I will do the best I can.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#66cc00>By the way, at level 10, my new charm version lasts 8 minute, so apparently they do not increase by 5 minutes each time.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#66cc00>The thing that actually got me interested in playing this character was a post about the fastest leveling characters. Folks had made a list and coercer was not on it. Then one fellow piped in and said that Coercer was the absolute fastest leveler. I think he mentioned sacrificing heroic pets over and over for xp, which may not be viable. But he still got me interested in the class with his pep talk.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#66cc00>If your looking for an easy button class, this is certainly not it. I have died an insane amount of times already. I am going to hang in for a while and post reports as they may be useful to other newbie’s thinking of starting.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#66cc00>At level 11 I would say:</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#66cc00>Pros – very interesting class – the choice of different mobs as pets, and the potential of getting a higher level pet is very fun indeed.</FONT></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#66cc00>Cons – Deaths, deaths and more deaths. Its almost comical. The amount of time you spend finding a pet, getting the crap beat out of you by it, and running from it when the charm breaks is discouraging.</FONT></SPAN></P>

[Leawyn]

<div></div><div><blockquote><hr><span>GameNutz</span> wrote:<div></div><font color="#66cc00">The thing that actually got me interested in playing this character was a post about the fastest leveling characters. Folks had made a list and coercer was not on it. Then one fellow piped in and said that Coercer was the absolute fastest leveler. I think he mentioned sacrificing heroic pets over and over for <span>xp</span>, which may not be viable. But he still got me interested in the class with his pep talk.</font><hr></blockquote>That has been fixed. It was a bug that when your pet died, if you had damaged it before charming it, you got rewarded with full experience. So coercers were able to toss a light nuke, <span>mez</span>, charm, send it against another mob, let it die, charm that mob, rinse, repeat ad <span>nauseum</span>. That is no longer the case. I never used it and only found out about it after the fix.</div>

[Norrsken]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Leawyn wrote:<BR> <DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> <SPAN>GameNutz</SPAN> wrote:<BR> <FONT color=#66cc00>The thing that actually got me interested in playing this character was a post about the fastest leveling characters. Folks had made a list and coercer was not on it. Then one fellow piped in and said that Coercer was the absolute fastest leveler. I think he mentioned sacrificing heroic pets over and over for <SPAN>xp</SPAN>, which may not be viable. But he still got me interested in the class with his pep talk.</FONT> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>That has been fixed. It was a bug that when your pet died, if you had damaged it before charming it, you got rewarded with full experience. So coercers were able to toss a light nuke, <SPAN>mez</SPAN>, charm, send it against another mob, let it die, charm that mob, rinse, repeat ad <SPAN>nauseum</SPAN>. That is no longer the case. I never used it and only found out about it after the fix.<BR></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Yep, you could pretty much down yellow heroics twice as fast as full groups, and get all the exp yourself. AND you got the loot to boot. I think its nice it got fixed. Too many coercers got high in levels without learning anything about their class.

[Signal9]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> roxer2b wrote:<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Leawyn wrote:<BR> <DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> <SPAN>GameNutz</SPAN> wrote:<BR> <FONT color=#66cc00>The thing that actually got me interested in playing this character was a post about the fastest leveling characters. Folks had made a list and coercer was not on it. Then one fellow piped in and said that Coercer was the absolute fastest leveler. I think he mentioned sacrificing heroic pets over and over for <SPAN>xp</SPAN>, which may not be viable. But he still got me interested in the class with his pep talk.</FONT> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>That has been fixed. It was a bug that when your pet died, if you had damaged it before charming it, you got rewarded with full experience. So coercers were able to toss a light nuke, <SPAN>mez</SPAN>, charm, send it against another mob, let it die, charm that mob, rinse, repeat ad <SPAN>nauseum</SPAN>. That is no longer the case. I never used it and only found out about it after the fix.<BR></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Yep, you could pretty much down yellow heroics twice as fast as full groups, and get all the exp yourself. AND you got the loot to boot. I think its nice it got fixed. Too many coercers got high in levels without learning anything about their class.<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>We can still do a variation of this, but only once we receive our PBAOE nuke/stun.  Send in the pet, and once the pet is under 1/2 bulb of HP, start your PBAOE, and then break the charm just before it lands.  You pet should take mortal damage, and you get most of the xp.  (I'm pretty sure there's an xp penalty, but I don't know how much).</P> <P>It is far, far slower leveling than the old "exploit" method, but it does work.</P> <P> </P> <P>The biggest thing about playing a coercer is being instinctively aware of your timers.   When you have 2 mobs mezzed, and are killing a 3rd with a pet, and spells, you have to know exactly when to go back and re-mez.  If your timing is off, very few hits are required to send us to a dirtnap.</P> <P> </P> <P>Many of us here "grew up" under the origional system, and the lower 1/3 of the game has had radical changes to it.  Back then, we were absolute GODS until mid-20's, and then the giant sucking sound started to set in.  From what I understand, the progression is much smoother now.  There will still be level ranges where you feel very underpowered, though.</P> <P> </P> <P>Perseverence is what makes this class work, and lots of it.  Masochism helps a bit too :smileyvery-happy:  Once you get into the groove of the class, though, it's hard to play other classes.</P> <P> </P> <P><BR> </P>

[Sonaht]

<div></div>Practice, practice, practice! Playing a Coercer, IMHO, is like playing a violin or juggling chainsaws... a lot of it gets easier as it becomes second nature but you have to practice. It might help to turn your xp off so that you can learn your spells at a slower pace and have time to practice with them. After a while you get to the point that breaks in charms and mezzes are routine, not cause for panic, because it has happened so many times that you learn to deal with it without thinking. Same with death... you kind of have to get over it. You will die.  A lot. You learn to avoid death-traps and aquire patience (usually the hard way.) But when it all starts to come together, it's amazing what you can do. In the early levels I spent a lot of time doing what I call "[expletive haxx0red by Raijinn] fighting"... (herein *was* a noun with similar meaning to rooster!) selecting a couple of mobs and watching them duke it out. I'd take the winner as pet and move to the next victim. It's best done out in the open somewhere so you can see what's going on without any complications. You also need to learn to watch the mobs to see what their abilities are and understand what the various classes do. Then you can walk into a room and suss out the situation... what pet you need to do the job and how to get it done. I added complications as I felt confident but at a certain point you have to jump in the deep end and sink or swim with a rowdy group in a tight space filled with hostile enemies.As for your spells, you really do have to find the money or come up with some other tactic for getting the Masters. A Coercer isn't a cheap date. This is another advantage to turning xp off... you aren't constantly doling out cash for upgrades. (Another advantage is that you can actually keep your skill levels maxed and have more AA points available.) Being the only Coercer in an active NBG guild helps too. That said, if you just don't have it and can't get it, consider spending time harvesting rares for Adept 3's. You might not get the rare you need but often you can sell the ones you do get or trade for what you need. Adept 3 isn't the optimum but it's probably the bare minimum you'll need for your charm.Lastly, you might want to consider making a "beer and pretzels" alt for those times when you just don't want to work so hard... if you don't want to stray too far, Necros and Conj's are good choices.<div></div><p>Message Edited by Sonaht on <span class=date_text>12-19-2006</span> <span class=time_text>11:58 AM</span>

[schmee]

<div></div>one other possible route, if you really don't want to work at it, is to roll an illusionist and then betray when you get closer to your 50s.illussys are great soloers up to thenish.but honestly, you won't really know how fun a coercer can be until you get into the 25 range, and by 40 you should be in love. if you aren't liking the class after you get your first ae mez, then it's possible it's just not for you.and don't forget, the coercer can be just as fun (or indeed even more fun if you're so inclined) in a group than solo. grouping in pick ups all the time is the best way to learn all about the game and get a large group of friends going that can help you do the really fun stuff in this game. not to mention you can blow thru levels in no time this way, no matter what class you are.don't forget that for many people, this game doesn't really start until 70.<div></div><p>Message Edited by schmee on <span class=date_text>12-19-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:16 PM</span>

[Melodar]

This class isn't hard it's fun and challenging!<div></div>

[WasFycksir]

<DIV>In another post (the lev 58 coercer who didn't know which spells to use /ebay) I totally meant to be a jerk, because I think he deserved it.  This is <FONT color=#ff0033>not</FONT> the case here.  So here are my comments-</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you are ready to call it quits at lev 10/11 because it's too hard, maybe you should?  Sorry to say, but it probably always will be too hard for you and/or your play style.  Coercers get far better spells (most work anyway) and more varied spells as we level up adding further to the difficulty of the class.  This goes whether you grouping on PVE, all the way to raiding on PVP.  At least this is the case if you are expecting to do a good job at the class.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>There are several classes that have more pressure than others.  Pressure in that played well, your soloing/groups/raids will benefit a huge amount.  If these classes are played poorly it can mean wipes and frustration for yourself and your groups/raids.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>These classes are healers, enchanters and tanks.  I guess all but non-dps classes now that I look at it in writing.  Necro's can be very challenging to get the max out of them too, but not as critcal if they are less than perfect.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>But if you are enjoying the challenge and read the stickies on the forums here, I still would encourage you to level up to 20-24 ish before rerolling another class.  At lev 10/11 you really have no idea what a coercer can do yet.</DIV>

[GameNu]

<P><SPAN><FONT color=#669900>Thanks for the replies. I am definitely not "calling it quits" - I think I said was hanging in there :smileyhappy:</FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><FONT color=#669900>I have another account (wife plays too) and realized I have a new Bersker on it that I can 2 box with. I have been doing this for a few levels (am now 15 with the coercer) and it is helping a lot.</FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#669900>But before you purists shudder in utter disgust :smileysurprised: (jk) I only plan to do this until level 25 when I get the AE mezz. I think at that point it should be a lot easier to handle when the pet breaks mezz and they all start charging at me. I suppose the more conventional route would be just find a group. I agree except I don’t always have time, and I do have this 2nd account, so hey, why not?</FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#669900>I will say this for the class - there is something about it that is more addictive than the rest, at least it feels that way now. </FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#669900>My wife and I play duo Conjurers. Very powerful combo, some would say the easy button. When I am not doing that with her, I will play the Coercer, and report back every 5 levels or so.</FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#000000><FONT color=#669900>To the person who said the class was not hard – maybe I should have said the class was hard to start and solo relative to other classes I have played (mostly fighters and mages).</FONT><SPAN> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by GameNutz on <span class=date_text>12-20-2006</span> <span class=time_text>07:38 AM</span>

[DwarvesR]

<P>Your "AE Mez" is green background -- encounter only.  When your charm breaks and the mobs is heading for you, if you "ae mez" it, your former pet is still unmezzed after the 3 second delay........</P> <P>To get around this, I always target through my pet and keep the mob we're fighting rooted.  This makes it so that when charm breaks I already have my pet targeted so just have to pop the mez.  Since the mob we were fighting is rooted it can't beeline for me either, just sits there witing for me to get my pet back under control again until we can finish it off.</P> <P>If fighting a group of mobs, I also prefer to have my pet targetd as well and on "protect yourself" mode.  Send it in and then ae-mez the group of mobs.  It will pick its own target faster than I can target a new one and tell it to attack, and with the implied targeting I get its new target just as fast as it does.  I still always keep the "awake" mob rooted and the rest of the group mezzed.  That way when my charm breaks on me I can still do like in the "single mob" situation, simply re-mez the pet, make sure the mobs are under control, then re-charm and finish them off.</P> <P>Works for me anyway, after much practice....</P>

[GameNu]

<P>Dwarvus,</P> <P>That makes perfect sense, thanks for you advice. I will play that way next time I can log on.</P> <P>I am 16 now and decided to ditch the 2 boxed Zerker - just too much button mashing, takes the fun out of it for me at least.</P> <P>1 new question - after charm breaks and I mezz/re-charm, there is a period of time where the newly charmed pet is <EM>still mezzed</EM>. </P> <P>I have tried clicking on the icon under his name to remove the mezz, but that doesnt work. Is there anyway to <EM>unmezz</EM> the new pet faster (instead of having to wait for it to wear off)?</P> <P>Thanks</P> <P> </P>

[Signal9]

<DIV>To break the mez early you need to right-click and cancel the icon in your maintained spells window.  (The one that defaults to the left side of your screen).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Edit:  Or, just nuke the bugger!</DIV><p>Message Edited by Signal9 on <span class=date_text>12-21-2006</span> <span class=time_text>09:35 AM</span>

[whytakemine]

<div><blockquote><hr>Signal9 wrote:<div></div> <div>To break the mez early you need to right-click and cancel the icon in your maintained spells window.  (The one that defaults to the left side of your screen).</div> <div> </div> <div>Edit:  Or, just nuke the bugger!</div><p>Message Edited by Signal9 on <span class="date_text">12-21-2006</span> <span class="time_text">09:35 AM</span></p><hr></blockquote>He's talking about his pet.  Mezz, re-charm, and pet is still mezzed.  So your first suggestion is the way to go, can't nuke your own pet. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />You can't really judge any class until 25 at the earliest.  You're still getting new, basic spells in your early 30's.  It sounds like you're having fun so you'll stick it out anyway, but if you do get discouraged remember you don't have anywhere near your full complement of spells yet.As a side note (slight derail), I wish once you got one toon up past level 25 they would give you the option to start all your toons there.  I mean really, how long does it take to learn a couple spells?</div>

[GameNu]

<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#669900 size=3>Confession time – I deleted the Coercer (level 16) and made a Defiler to play with my Zerker.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#669900 size=3>After numerous dirt naps, I went to the broker and found 2 level 20 Coerce spells – one for 2 plat, the other for 7 plat. Being a new player, I have never seen a plat. I had started trying to get the spell by going to Fallen Gate (with my Conjuror), but it occurred to me that – if I did get the Master drop and could actually sell it for even 1 plat, that would outfit all my alts for many levels to come.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#669900 size=3>In short, if you really need to spend a plat to get a low level spell so that your character can perform as well as any other new character when soloing, what does that say about the class?</FONT></P> <P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#669900 size=3>Now, I realize that there is more to the game than soloing, and that raiding coercers often don’t even use a pet. But my non-solo time is spent duo-ing with the wife, and frankly our Conjururs pet’s never fail, and there is simply no comparison.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#669900 size=3>It’s not that I <I>can’t</I> play the character – its that, knowing how easy it is to solo with almost anything else, the never ending dirt naps on this one just take the motivation out of it for me.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#669900 size=3>My hope – that SOE will actually make the Coercer pet break a LOT less than it does now, with normal spell levels that a newbie can get. If they ever do that, I will try it again, as it potentially could be one of the most enjoyable classes.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#669900 size=3>Thanks for the feedback and tips all.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#669900></FONT> </P>

[oyroy]

Well, the charm spell is the only one thats really expensive at that lvl, and you can get by with an adapt3. Most other Corcer masters are dead cheap (some of the cheapest masters on the broker) and when in a group you rarley use a pet anyway. At 34 I had a dilemma for what to take as M2 choise as I had all the spells as M1 already <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />The lvl 20 Charm used to be usable at lvl 70, thats why they used to be so expencive. My lvl 20 dropped in FG and used it way past its date, as I mostly grouped when resists got too bad. To drop a class cause one spell is expencive is a shame I think. Same with Rescue for all fighters. Costs a few platt (lvl 25), but never discurages anyone. If you cant get it at master, harvest for an adapt3. Not everyone can have fabled toons, and you can play fine without it. Just try to upgrade the adapt1s. Even just to adapt4 is worth it. Find a sage thats lvling, and he'll prob make it for just a silver more then the cost <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Signal9]

<DIV>Prices on ALL lower level items have skyrocketed due to the Transmuting craze that is going on.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've actually had several Adept 1's that have been on the market for 6 months or more (I'm too lazy to pull them out and vendor them) vanish within 3 days of EOF release.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Sorry to hear that you gave up on the coercer so early, I personally believe you will be a bit bored with the healer after a bit, but even so, enjoy the game.  (Anyway, playing with the wife is more important than having fun, right?  :smileywink<img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[ugramu]

Imo the class isnt hard or anything like that, just insanely boring compared to some other classes. First time i died on trial isle with any class was with a coercer and i died more than once. Getting masters on any class helps hugely so its not just this class. But its great some ppl like the class i am not one of them lol. When playing a coercer (beside the mezz) its like every other class can do the same and usually better than the coercer can. Pets? conjurer and necro, they wont turn on you. Dmg? lets just say wizard.Now i dont know how well a coercer (solo) can do against heroics ^^^, but i bet it involves roots/mezz/stun etc. Which means a fight will last forever? so might aswell wrap up a few players to take heroics down and save you alot of time lol (imo). Ive heard coercers do well against heroics, but fights last forever... (sounds very boring to me).Well im not gonna sit and bash on the class itself, its not for everyone thats it <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[RightInTwo]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> ugramu wrote:<BR>Imo the class isnt hard or anything like that, just insanely boring compared to some other classes. First time i died on trial isle with any class was with a coercer and i died more than once. Getting masters on any class helps hugely so its not just this class. But its great some ppl like the class i am not one of them lol. <BR><BR>When playing a coercer (beside the mezz) its like every other class can do the same and usually better than the coercer can. Pets? conjurer and necro, they wont turn on you. Dmg? lets just say wizard.<BR><BR>Now i dont know how well a coercer (solo) can do against heroics ^^^, but i bet it involves roots/mezz/stun etc. Which means a fight will last forever? so might aswell wrap up a few players to take heroics down and save you alot of time lol (imo). Ive heard coercers do well against heroics, but fights last forever... (sounds very boring to me).<BR><BR>Well im not gonna sit and bash on the class itself, its not for everyone thats it <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>huh??? Your first 2 sentences don't make much sense to me. Almost contradicting. You say that the class isn't hard, but yet it's the only one that you died multiple times on?? Granted, I don't know what lvl you took your Coercer to, but like other posts in here have stated, we don't 'shine' until later on when we get our reactives. </P> <P>This class isn't boring at all. Especially in groups. If you are in a full group, you are there for crowd control, in-combat power regen, reactives, and possibly adding your pet's dmg if your group isn't out of control to where all you can do is CC. If you are bored in a group, then you have an awesome tank and you don't have to CC. But then you can charm a pet and concentrate on DPS.</P> <P>I don't think you can measure a class by how quickly they can take down a heroic ^^^ mob. Again, Coercer's can solo just fine, and we have lots of CC to ensure that we don't take much or any dmg at all.<BR></P> <P>And if you are on a pvp server, it just increases your value on the server. Coercer's are great in group pvp. Solo pvp we can hold our own vs most classes. Trust me, in group pvp, you are NEVER bored. There are always tons of things to do.</P> <P>Anyways...like you ended up saying...this class is obviously not for you....but make no mistake, this is not a boring class by any means, as long as it's played right. GL in whatever class you pick. =)</P>

[Lorien5555]

<P>First of all, I have played every mage char, dirge & ranger, Inq & myst, Pal & SK.</P> <P>Not all are my chars but so long as I pay for repairs i am allowed to play all.</P> <P>I mostly play solo as I am on at odd hours.</P> <P>My favourites are 1) Coercer; 2) Wizard; 3) Necro; 4) SK; 5 Illie.</P> <P>The wizard is the best for the quick kill..no doubt about that but >2 and a problem</P> <P>(thank God for aas!!).</P> <P>The coercer is by far the best at groups and yellow/oranges but yes you do die</P> <P>a lot(as do all mages) when the charm fails early or fails period.</P> <P> </P> <P>However only real problem is the solo named who sits by himself and you gave to go and drag up</P> <P>a yellow from somewhere to sic him onto the named as you often get the odd beating'</P> <P>by the time you get back to the named.</P> <P>But by far it is the ONE class where you MUST think about you actions, your direction of attack</P> <P>and when to cut and run all far moreso than any other char.</P> <P> I am mightily impressed with the Coercer.</P> <P> </P> <P>BTW the one above who sneered at the lev 58(ebay guy).</P> <P>He may not have been an ebayer...We came back to the game after 16 mths out and we ALL</P> <P>had dire problems with our favourite chars as the spells were different and the aas really</P> <P>complicated choices. I died 7x just attacking blues as I was so rusty and it took me over a week to get my</P> <P>hands back in.</P>

[Brimacombe]

<div></div><font color="#006600"><font size="1"> <font size="2">    Yeah, this is one tough class to play.  There really isn't much challenge in this game anymore, what with hell levels taken out etc etc.  I am delighted that there is a class that is tough to play, and I am glad that it is still the Enchanter.  Chanters have traditionally been difficult to do right, but done well, you can Rock The Cazbah!  If you want a challenge, here is where it is at.  If you don't there are other options.  Play what makes you happy, that's why we are all here.     Psychadeli     18 Coercer Twink of Dauntless     Venekor Server</font></font></font><div></div><p>Message Edited by Brimacombe on <span class=date_text>01-22-2007</span> <span class=time_text>01:01 PM</span>

[Ni'ka]

<DIV>I would agree that this is a difficult class to play.  I would also say that's why I'm attracted to it so much.  I've always enjoyed being the class so few people play for one reason or another.  The reason usually being it is too difficult.  I won't brag and say I'm really good at coercer yet, I'm sure there is still much for me to learn, but I did something tonight that everyone I knew told me I would not be able to do.  I currently have a level 34 coercer with a decent amount of masters (especially the charm, all the other masters are SO cheap on AB, LOL.  Thank God for lucky rare collection quest drops for cash too).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I was going to put in this section a description of what I did that everyone said I couldn't, but I'm afraid if I did, I'd end up getting us either nerfed, or flooded with noobs with dreams of grandeur.  If you really want to know, PM me.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>My point being, risk comes with reward, and rewards come with skill.  While being one of the more difficult professions to master, the joys of it for me outweigh any kind of price I need to put into the menders children's college funds.  I've had many deaths, with the charm breaking (though recently I've been learning how to get control again, even with 3 mobs after me)and resists, but I just get back up, brush off the dust and go at it again.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For the average player, who is unwilling to put the time, patience, attention, love, and care, into a coercer, this class is not for them.  For those who are willing to dedicate themselves to being the very best with no looking back, those are the ones who'll play this class well.</DIV>

[mwr]

<P>I'm not sure I'd say playing a Coercer is difficult, so much as it is involved. You have a huge toolbox, and figuring out what to use when can be a little daunting... and since you lack the big-old-nuke factor, you have to get a bit of a rhythm going in chaining skills together.</P> <P>However, once you get at least partway through the learning phase, playing a Coercer is quite safe. You have so many redundant failsafes that resists aren't scary. If a wizard's root fails to take hold, that wizard is potentially in quite a bit of trouble. If ours fails? Mez. Or the other mez. Or Stun. Or the other stun. Or the stun after that.</P> <P>Now, there will always be times when something goes spectacularly wrong (inconvenient Charm breaks hurray!), but on the whole, I don't find playing a Coercer terribly difficult. It can be complicated, and it involves a LOT of buttons, but it's not like... say, a warlock, where one little unfortunate mishap can mean yet another dirtnap.</P> <P>Oh, and if you think Coercers take a long time to solo, try a Mystic. </P>

[TheSpin]

<DIV>Since I hit level 20-22ish (I'm only 24 now)  I can solo things I couldn't solo with any other class.  I've played my fair share of alts too.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Blue ^^^....possible but depends on their class and a little bit of luck</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Blue heroics with multiple mobs rather than one ^^^ are cake.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You just have to get past a learning curve (which I'm still working on) and rethink the way you manage your fights.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The reason I love the coercer class so much is because you're always on your toes and if you're pushing yourself a little bit you'll never find yourself stuck doing the exact same thing over and over.  It was a great change from my Inquisitor because all I do with him while soloing is keep myself alive and spam my 4 Combat arts....Boring!     I love to look at an encounter, or an area full of mobs, and think about how I could go about picking them apart one by one.  Sometimes I pull by charming one of the mobs and immediately send it after another mob in the encounter, other times I start with a quick root and then try to keep anything I can't keep away from me stunned while I burn it down.  So many options for tactics with this class that it brought new life to my entire EQ2 experience.</DIV>

[Eebig]

<P>Love death? I do. thats what I tell myself everyday.  <EM>you love to die, you love to die. </EM>In truth this is a very cool class. and I'm only up to 22. I have a higher level wizzie and like that class too, however, nuke, nuke, nuke, breath, nuke, nuke, nuke can become tedious. </P> <P>So far as I can tell a coercer can never rest even when resting. you just never know when that pet will turn on you. (<EM>wonder if thats why it uses 3 concentration points)</EM></P> <P>At times I do get frustrated about the breakage, but hey whatcha gonna do. I did finaly updat my charm at like 16 or so and it made a little diff on charm breaking and such but made a huge diff on what my pet can do. gotta love the mage pet. I also found a very good pet for tankin. Hard to take argo away from it and thats trying to do it just to see if I could. yes I could but it was not easy.</P> <P> </P> <P>Prob not the best place to ask but I will anyways. I've been lookin for AP stuff for coercer and havnt read anything on the one that reduces resist on charms. is that worth it? Ok enough ranting on and on.</P>

[Aranieq]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Eebig wrote:<BR> <P>Love death? I do. thats what I tell myself everyday.  <EM>you love to die, you love to die. </EM>In truth this is a very cool class. and I'm only up to 22. I have a higher level wizzie and like that class too, however, nuke, nuke, nuke, breath, nuke, nuke, nuke can become tedious. </P> <P>So far as I can tell a coercer can never rest even when resting. you just never know when that pet will turn on you. (<EM>wonder if thats why it uses 3 concentration points)</EM></P> <P>At times I do get frustrated about the breakage, but hey whatcha gonna do. I did finaly updat my charm at like 16 or so and it made a little diff on charm breaking and such but made a huge diff on what my pet can do. gotta love the mage pet. I also found a very good pet for tankin. Hard to take argo away from it and thats trying to do it just to see if I could. yes I could but it was not easy.</P> <P> </P> <P>Prob not the best place to ask but I will anyways.<STRONG><FONT color=#ffff00> I've been lookin for AP stuff for coercer and havnt read anything on the one that reduces resist on charms</FONT></STRONG>. is that worth it? Ok enough ranting on and on.</P><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I'm confused what you mean.. AP= Acheivment points, Adornments, AutoProc... I'm jus not sure what you were asking about... if it's obvious and I'm being goofy sorry hehe I just seem to be missing it =)

[Signal9]

<P>AP = AA to EQ1 folks.  It's the Alternate Advancement path.  The new set from EoF has a charm upgrade.  I have not bought into any of that yet, but I've heard that it does seem to reduce charm breaks.</P> <P>I'll get to putting points there eventually.</P>

[TheSpin]

<DIV>I have 5/5 in the charm aa and only adept 3 charm.  My charm is very reliable in my opinion.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think the AA are well worth it.</DIV>

[Trepan]

<div><blockquote><hr>ugramu wrote:Now i dont know how well a coercer (solo) can do against heroics ^^^, but i bet it involves roots/mezz/stun etc. Which means a fight will last forever? so might aswell wrap up a few players to take heroics down and save you alot of time lol (imo). Ive heard coercers do well against heroics, but fights last forever... (sounds very boring to me).<div></div><hr></blockquote>Hee.Taking down a ^^^ heroic, having burned through three pets during the fight (killing two of them yourself 'cause they just... wouldn't... listen...), standing over the dead body of your target with < 10% health (yet, oddly, still at 50% power) is a triumph that defies the label "boring". Sure I wouldn't want to spend my entire time playing doing that, but its nice to be able to tell the rest of your group "Don't worry, if y'all go down I'll let you know what I looted!".What a rush!</div>

[TaleraRis]

Speaking of EQ1 folks, for those who played, I've just started a baby coercer and I'm trying to decide if I want to level her more or my 18 illusionist. I was an enchanter for 6 years in EQ1, mostly a crowd control specialist in groups, but I loved to charm where and when I could. The coercer is still a baby, just off the island, but already she's feeling much more like my old Melisande back on Luclin. Since I loved the EQ1 class so much, would coercer fit me better in EQ2 or illusionist? <div></div>

[TheSpin]

<P>If you want to charm at all, you need to play the coercer.</P> <P>I'm new to the class myself but so far I haven't had this much fun playing any toon in eq2 yet.</P> <P>As far as mezzing mobs illusionist has small advantage but crowd control in eq2 is not at all like in eq1.  A good group gets by fine in eq2 without any crowd control while in eq1 it was a must in any good group.  Coercers are better at stuns than illusionists I believe.  I like stuns better in many ways because you don't have to worry about any mez breaking, it just keeps your target from doing damage.  </P> <P>Charms, when used appropriately, can be an excellent form of crowd control.  You can charm something without worrying about it breaking due to DoTs and if you upgrade your charm and take aa to improve it I've found it very reliable.</P> <P>I would suggest looking at a list of spells for each class and comparing them.  They are fairly similar but with some pretty important differences.</P>

[TwistedFaith]

I wouldnt say the class is difficult to play, it takes awhile to get used to solo'ing and you have to be totally aware of whats going on, with multiple mobs mezzed across various groups it can be quite hectic.The most frustrating part for me is grouping with players who have never grouped with a mezzer before. Luckily I mainly group with guilides, but even then you'd be surprised how many people blindly cast their spells/CA's.So yeah mezzing can be frustrating, but our stuns are just insanely powerful on heroic mobs and can totally [Removed for Content] a encounter, love em.

[Norrsken]

<cite>TwistedFaith wrote:</cite><blockquote>I wouldnt say the class is difficult to play, it takes awhile to get used to solo'ing and you have to be totally aware of whats going on, with multiple mobs mezzed across various groups it can be quite hectic. The most frustrating part for me is grouping with players who have never grouped with a mezzer before. Luckily I mainly group with guilides, but even then you'd be surprised how many people blindly cast their spells/CA's. So yeah mezzing can be frustrating, but our stuns are just insanely powerful on heroic mobs and can totally [Removed for Content] a encounter, love em.</blockquote>

[Norrsken]

<cite>TwistedFaith wrote:</cite><blockquote>I wouldnt say the class is difficult to play, it takes awhile to get used to solo'ing and you have to be totally aware of whats going on, with multiple mobs mezzed across various groups it can be quite hectic. The most frustrating part for me is grouping with players who have never grouped with a mezzer before. Luckily I mainly group with guilides, but even then you'd be surprised how many people blindly cast their spells/CA's. So yeah mezzing can be frustrating, but our stuns are just insanely powerful on heroic mobs and can totally [Removed for Content] a encounter, love em.</blockquote> Well. The first time the group wipes, and you singlehandedly deals with the four or so heroics that killed them, they tend to be amazed. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> (Half of them will roll a coercer themselves and die a hundred times before reaching 10, and give up. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> ) Seen it quite a few times as a coercer. (They usually add me to friends and ask for pointers, and then say they gave up. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Mioawara]

<p>Yes it's hard. I like playing something that not everyone is playing though. I am returning to the game after a loooooong vacation from on line. Having a class that is not done to death is really neat. Any other class you will have half a dozen people piping up telling you about their level 70 and how he is spec'ed/ played and how you should do the same. You won't run into that with a Coercer much. We are that crazy bunch that other people can't decide if they pity or envy. </p><p>I think it's basically pity at lower levels and envy at upper levels. Anyway, yes it's hard. If your gonna be good at it, that will be a plus. If your not, roll up something else and be happy. As long as they don't screw up what I have I like the fact that we die allot and it takes a higher degree of skill to play us. I WANT people to know that I am a different sort of player. </p><p>Oh well. I am FAR from Uber. Only level 42. But I believe I get what we are and what we are not. We are a constant balancing act on a razors edge. On one side we die. On the other we kill pretty much anything that can be killed. In the course of a night both will happen. </p><p>Grouping is not as exciting as soloing. After having to manage entire encounters and groups of adds alone it's kinda cake to "just" CC and buff. Like a vacation. It's frustrating to have people break mezz. Course we can skip a beat or two remezzing you know. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> In other words let the dumb [Removed for Content] die. Let him feel some of the pain we have to deal with all the time. Heck, some places are so easy mezzing is not needed much. Stun and burn if they refuse to listien. It's not as good, but it ain't bad. Buff, debuff and stun. Also I would add, groups tend to [Removed for Content] at the guy doing the mezz breaks. I don't waste heartburn on it. Anyway, my 2 cents.</p><p> Mioawara 42 Coercer</p>

[Hanoverian]

I like my coercer, and I like my ranger too.  The original poster deleted his/her ranger because arrows were too expensive.....I don't understand that comment.  Rangers make their own arrows, for free.  It's a spell you get and a fairly low level (I forget which level).  If you get a quiver, you can really stock up your carryable (is that a word) inventory with arrows.  You should never have to purchase. 

[GastonPhoebus]

<p>I have to say I love my Coercer.... Of course I love my Monk and my Ranger and my Dirge and my.... well, you get the picture!</p><p>Anyhoo, as to the difficulty of the class, yeah, it can be hard to play but the difficulty early on is different than the difficulty in later levels. At first you have to figure out what to do, what the spells do, which pets work best AND how to handle adds, charm breaks, etc. Usually this means that gameplay is pretty slow as you work on gaining skills and, of course, you die a lot.... At higher levels you have the skills, you know the best pets (casters), you have a handle on your spells and at that point the difficulty comes from overreaching too much and having one thing go wrong! Usually ends pretty badly, heh....</p><p>The difficulty is worth it, though, as the Coercer class requires your attention at all times! This makes it exciting and rewarding.</p>

[Mioawara]

<p>For some reason I am not seeing how to post a new topic, but I am hoping for advice on a zone, so I am going to reply and hope for the best. </p><p>I am having a major prob with the D'Morte burial chamber. I would not care but I want the Mana Cloak spell badly. It's grey to green to me at this point but still causing me pain.</p><p>If I Charm, my pets dumb down to the point of dying before I can bail them out. It's nuts. I have a Master charm, but my pets still suck horribly. I went and grabbed a pet that was light blue and had a grey eat it's lunch. This is with me stunning, debuffing and nuking. It's not worth the little bit of damage they provide. I can burn these grey and green mobs down, but it's soooooo slow. The spawned ones behind the walls etc are Green, but being triples manage to kick my butt. Ended up having to run for my life several times. Anyone know a strat I am missing? I can get a group, but pulling a group to clear a [Removed for Content] ant zone rubs me the wrong way.</p><p>Mioawara</p><p>44 Coercer</p>

[Chog]

Charmed pets are reduced to no-arrow difficulty mobs. So sending them against a heroic encounter is certain death most of the time. The best bet is to find a caster type mob and charm it. Use the command /pet ranged so the pet will not run into melee range. Then select your target and root him. Send pet in to help kill the encounter faster.

[potatotr0ll]

I was in a group the other night in PoF killing heroic scorpions. The group was between lvl 48-54 (i was the 54 Coercer). Good xp and very challenging and fun, because our tank an SK was standing in the pit of scorpions where they popped.  So basiclly we kept having 5 min+ long fights with no breaks.  The adds there were outrageous.  Once fight we slowly had 13 adds, all blue heroic to me (white and yellow heroic to others in group.  With Coercer (me) present we were able to pull off most those fights.  Its a big challenge to keep 4 or 5 heroic mobs mezzed while a 6th one is killed by group, and attempting to keep the group in power.  Our Devouring Thoughts line is awesome, cuz it doesnt break mezz, so I cast it every chance i got.  Plus transference and such yu can keep yourself in a enough power to juggle mezzing.  Coercer is definetly a very useful class, and one of the msot challenging ones out there.  If you arent a fast targetter and able to fast cast things, I woulnd't advise Coercer anyways.  I have my Coercer going down the AGI AA line for faster casting and such also.  Very helpful. Just though I would tell that little story.  Gives you a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you can keep the group from dying with chain mezzes.  Not to mention you can keep the battle lasting even longer with your power regens and such.  Hate gain buff is awesome (higher levels all you hear is "The MT needs coercer/dirge hate buff for raids).  Cerocer is a very sought after class to have in groups and raids at the high end.  So well worth it to play if yu like a challenge, versatility to be able to solo (even though grouping is where you outshine).  Of course it does take a bit to solo, our dmg is less than wardens and furies in most accounts, but they cant charm caster pets.

[Ji]

<p>Five minute charm? And your complaining? HEH !</p><p>As a chanter in EQ1 I would be lucky to get 2 mins without the mob beating me down!</p>

[whytakemine]

<cite>MioawaraDE wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>For some reason I am not seeing how to post a new topic, but I am hoping for advice on a zone, so I am going to reply and hope for the best. </p><p>I am having a major prob with the D'Morte burial chamber. I would not care but I want the Mana Cloak spell badly. It's grey to green to me at this point but still causing me pain.</p><p>If I Charm, my pets dumb down to the point of dying before I can bail them out. It's nuts. I have a Master charm, but my pets still suck horribly. I went and grabbed a pet that was light blue and had a grey eat it's lunch. This is with me stunning, debuffing and nuking. It's not worth the little bit of damage they provide. I can burn these grey and green mobs down, but it's soooooo slow. The spawned ones behind the walls etc are Green, but being triples manage to kick my butt. Ended up having to run for my life several times. Anyone know a strat I am missing? I can get a group, but pulling a group to clear a [Removed for Content] ant zone rubs me the wrong way.</p><p>Mioawara</p><p>44 Coercer</p></blockquote>Just find a sage, buy the rare, and have an adept 3 made.  It's not worth doing all those quests, especially since I think the reward is an appIV version of the spell.

[Mioawara]

Thanks man! I had not thought of that!

[Fasci]

Lots of good advice here; and I feel a little less crazy now for choosing this class. Well, maybe not less crazy, but at least in good company! <img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> I've made it to the upper 20's now; my mezz-and-run skills are reducing the number of dirtnaps I take. Also 5 AA's and an Ad.III into my charms helps a lot (still haven't found a master yet, but the Adept is fine for now). I really like that the class is forcing me to learn more about the game. I like to charm & solo a lot, so I really have to put effort into knowing how different mobs fight in order to choose pets wisely. Before I tried a coercer, I would just blast or hack at a mob and not really pay attention (much) to what they were doing. Now, I really pay attention to whether it's a caster, or healer, or tank; what kind of attack it generally uses, etc. It's really given me a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the game.

[Leadweight]

<p><cite>Sydias wrote:</cite><blockquote> A couple tips that got me through the lower levels: -Keep the mob you are attacking rooted.  Stand back a little ways otherwise, yes, you will take agro.</p><p>-Our mez gives you 2 chances to charm a mob before it ends.</p><p>-If your charm breaks, mez, stun or root everything before either recharming or killing them all 1 by 1.</p><p>Hope that helps a bit.</p><p></blockquote> </p><p>Words to live by</p>