My thoughts on the templar

[sabrexlan]

<DIV>Level 54 Templar here finding less and less reason to play. My background is from years playing a cleric and enchanter in EQ1 but I have also played healers in most of the online games. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>My view on the state of Templars.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <UL> <LI>Templars up to the druid changes were probably the best healer for healing, but you had to love proc heals and you probably were best healing plate tanks who were taking hits. Post these new changes healing a MT in a group the Templar with reactives will still have an easier task. Healing anyone else its pretty frustrating.</LI> <LI>Direct heals are still a joke in terms of having that nasty gap in the icon refreshes and EQ2 must be the only game where you cast you best direct heal on yourself, spend 8sec doing it and only heal for 25% of your HPs. I am starting to dislike more and more the sillyness of having a faster/larger/more mana efficient heal when 4 grey mobs are whacking on you than directly casting a heal. I used to LOVE the old EQ1 cleric with direct heals of differing amounts and mana, proc style debuffs/buffs, HOTs and AA based heals. That was a healer with CHOICES and TATICS and FUN. Playing a templar (and most other healers in EQ2) is simply spamming 4 buttons, and mostly letting the computer choose the next to press (ie its the one not recycling). In EQ1 you could even react to circumstances with fast stuns. Who thinks a stun on with a 6sec cast can be a tatical choice? Its simply a long recycle mob dps reducer which at best can be included in a icon spam cycle before one of the mega long cast group reactives. In think back to EQ1 when you would be holding your breath as to whether the complete heal at 10s cast time would make it or not, about timing when to cast what spells, "do I hang on and balance a bigger heal on the MT against having only 1 blue bubble left and still 3 mobs alive, or throwing in that HOT on the enchanter". These days its perhaps a little preparative reactive casting then either an icon spam fest or apologising again to the mage who doesnt understand why with 4 blue bubbles I still had to wait 6 secs and watch him die becasue all the icons where in recycle.</LI> <LI>Playing a templar and relying on reactive and proc based healing is for me NOT very satisfying. Its abit like taking the computer out for a spin and being its facilitator to enable IT to display its prowness at limiting my options and performing heals in the designers intended sequence and frequency.</LI> <LI>Everyone has spoken on the lack of a templars ability outside healing back unless you have had to kill a mob by nuking 18 or 20 times using exactly the same sequence HO, nuke, nuke, wait or reactive, HO, nuke, nuke.... while watching most other classes kill in 3 casts or hits its VERY VERY frustrating.</LI></UL> <P>The CU might have fixed the mathematics of mobs versus players, DoF might have delivered some great quests and art, but the underlying game mechanics is more repetitive, constraining, frustrating and boring which reaches its pinancle in the designed to bot templar class. I think its time for a break especially with raiding broken and to pick up my WoW priest who currently twice as much fun as the templar.</P> <P> </P> <P> </P>

[Gcha]

<P>/bow</P> <P>Welcome to the world of the Frankenstein cleric ... made up from spare parts and contrived trick spells.</P>

[dwor]

Great Post  5 stars! 

[Cowdenic]

<P>I will have you know soloing goes nothing like that for Temps.</P> <P>it goes debuff, debuff, HO, Smite, Strike, Dot, HO, Smite, Strike, Reactive x8 until a blue solo mob dies.</P>

[sabrexlan]

<P>I used to melee and throw dots in the "death by 1000 nukes" sequence for solo blue mobs but quickly realised the loss of dps from melee and dots was worth the fewer interupts from having the mez component on smite run the full length. </P> <P>Its a sad joke that for templars we have the dilemma of having yet longer fight durations for some relief of the crazy interupts coming from plate. What other nuker has to stand toe to toe with the mob for the entire fight?</P> <P>Mit debuffs of 300 or so seem a waste of mana when some hybrid classes debuff for 1000, again I would have thought for classes to be complimentary you would have the big debuffs on the non melee classes and not the dps classes.</P><p>Message Edited by sabrexlanys on <span class=date_text>10-19-2005</span> <span class=time_text>12:09 AM</span>

[Andu]

<P>Thanks. I quit the game a couple of weeks ago as the game had become very boring after LU13. I couldn't articulate why though, I just knew it had. However, your post sums it up very nicely.</P> <P>It's not that we cannot do anything - we heal as well as anyone and can solo ok (if at a snails pace) - its just that it is so boring. And when Kendricke, Radar etc. all trot out the same old lines about wanting to see "hard data" and "evidence" you just cannot provide it. You cannot parse fun.</P> <P>If you are in a solid guild surrounded by friends, well of course this doesnt matter. You will continue to have fun and you probably cannot understand where all the "whiners" are coming from. However, LU13 did make Templar's dull to play and whilst community spirit can overcome all, when you look at the basics playing a Templar is (a) very easy and (b) very dull.</P>

[Supernova17]

<div></div><span><blockquote><hr>Anduri wrote:<p>I quit the game a couple of weeks ago</p><hr></blockquote><span></span>/sarcasmAnd you still post about a game you no longer care about!/end sarcasmGoodbye! <span>:smileywink:</span></span><div></div>

[Sinnester]

<P>My thoughts on playing my templar?</P> <P>Groupage - I still feel that most templars have a problem getting a group when you base the templar on heals/utility.  Most groups will take a fury/warden/inquisitor over a templar in a group setting just for the added dps.  We all know that faster dps equates to lvling faster.</P> <P>Raids - As far as I can see, each raid has the place for one templar.  It should still be in the main tank group since we cater to burst dmg on tanks.  Besides our single/group reactive, our Focused Benefaction benefits the MT group.  Of special interest is our Sanctuary spell.   </P> <P>Sanctuary - Furys love it (for reasons I can't say), tanks love it and of course I do also (its a shame that you can't freely talk about the benefits and uses of a spell to your fellow templars because you are afraid it will be nerfed).  I fully appreciated this spell last night when our Inquisitor was yelling that his expel stun spell wasn't clearing stun and my Sanctuary spell worked just fine.   I just wish it could have a shorter recast time so I could cast it 2X in one battle.  Sanctuary is the best thing we have going for us at the moment.   </P> <P>Aegis of Faith (<SPAN><EM>group mitigation vs magic, mental, devine 912 and wards same for 166<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> - </EM>I'm using this spell more often now.   It is really helping with epic mobs that cast magic/mental/devine.   Templars are one of the few classes that give these types of mitigation debuffs.  Too bad this spell only last for 30 seconds too.  What protection are we to use when a fight last longer then 30 seconds, or is SoE trying to tell us fights should be that short?</SPAN></P> <P><SPAN>Reverence - I'm precasting this spell now along with my reactives.  It works nicely on zerkers since they tend to use alot of mana during the first few seconds of a fight.</SPAN></P> <P><SPAN>Last but not least  is Greater Harmony and Pacify.  If I want instant aggro, I use this spell.  Its great for pulling while I am soloing (I have never had it mez or pacify the mob once).  Those of you who are not resisted after casting this spell.  Gratz.</SPAN></P> <P><SPAN>Things that need fixing - FIZZLES!!! and how many times do we need to ask.  Interrupts.   A slight dps increase which could be done with a simple self damage shield.  I'd really like to see the pacify/mez line become more useful or done away with.<BR></SPAN><SPAN><BR></P></SPAN> <P><SPAN></SPAN><BR> </P> <P> </P><p>Message Edited by Sinnester on <span class=date_text>10-19-2005</span> <span class=time_text>10:48 AM</span>

[BlaseBlase]

<span><blockquote><hr>Cowdenicus wrote:<p>I will have you know soloing goes nothing like that for Temps.</p> <p>it goes debuff, debuff, HO, Smite, Strike, Dot, HO, Smite, Strike, Reactive x8 until a blue solo mob dies.</p> <div></div><hr></blockquote> N00B.. it's Debuff, HO, <u>Strike</u>(hit it twice in case.. wait.. for when you get interrupted, and keep hitting it until you get it off), <u>Smite</u>(same clicky strat as Strike), Dot(unless your HO has repopped by then), HO... repeat ad nauseum... cry when you have to fight something that isn't undead... LOL, sorry anyways.  I love yer post, way too familiar with it.  Especially since LU13 <span>:smileyvery-happy:</span></span><div></div>

[SnowKnight]

<P>I prefer the smite before the strike, that way you get the pacify effect while your casting strike, unless you have melee on, or your dot gos off and if you cast it first you can get in another cast of smite while the ho thing refreshes....</P> <P>So this is my order :</P> <P>debuff, debuff, DOT (Faith), DOT ( Splitpaw one for extra dps a whole 33 every tick, its pretty sad isnt it <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> ) HO, Smite, Strike, Smite, DOT (Faith again), HO, Smite, Strike, Smite, Reactive x8 until a blue solo mob dies.</P> <DIV>/sarcasm off</DIV>

[Alectra]

<P>my thoughts of my templar lets see....when  I am grouped with guildies I throw my hot ,debuffs.watch tv...throw a heal watch tv ...throw in a baby nuke hoping I can get a kill shot with my pothetic nuke watch tv [Removed for Content]. Playing temp is some times boring hehe so I get to watch my tv shows lol.Got to have a sence of humor while playing a temp <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P> </P> <P>Alectra - 52 Templar </P>

[Andu]

<span><blockquote><hr>Supernova17 wrote:<div></div><span><blockquote><hr>Anduri wrote:<p>I quit the game a couple of weeks ago</p><hr></blockquote><span></span>/sarcasmAnd you still post about a game you no longer care about!/end sarcasmGoodbye! <span>:smileywink:</span></span><div></div><hr></blockquote>Thanks for that really mature reply. It was very helpful. Im sure it has raised the credibility bar you hold here from zero, to well um .. zero. I didn't say anywhere that I dont care about this game. I really miss playing with my friends and I would like to come back. I simply cannot bring myself to log into a game and play a class that will induce a coma in me in a matter of minutes through sheer boredom. So I keep lurking, hoping that SOE will do something about the obvious unhappiness in the Templar community. Im starting lose any sort of hope though.</span><div></div>

[Alectra]

<P>Anduri I think its pretty cool you post on web hoping soe will fix whats needs to be fixed...you played the class and you know what your talking about ..Some times I feel same way as you to quit but I am  trying to give soe benifit that hopefully they will fix what needs to be fixed cuz playing temp can get very boring.I hope soe does address what needs to be done so you can come back and have some fun.In mean time take care and still post waht you belive in for your class.....</P> <P> </P> <P>Alectra - 52 templar</P>