Returning to game - stick with mystic for mainly solo play?

[CalleumN]

<DIV>Hello</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am returning to EQII, after, well, basically never playing.  I bought the game upon launch, played a month, then left.  Now, I'm giving it another shot, after hearing so many rave reviews lately.  I'm searching for a class that fits my playstyle needs, and I'm  hoping some of you might have a spare moment to give me some advice.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>First, I play casually.  I'm on for 1-2 hours at a stretch, sometimes odd hours due to a life/wife/child/etc.  I play for fun.  I'm not interested in racing to 70, but rather in enjoying the game.  I like to quest, explore, and maximize my fun time.  Thus, I dislike downtime, excessive preparation, frequest dying.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Due to my odd hours, I probably solo 80% of my time in games.  However, I do enjoy grouping, when one is available.  But solo ability, and in particularity, solo utility and reduction of excessive downtime are prized.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When I started the game (way back when) I played an mystic up to 15, and enjoyed it.  But at that time, I was more able to group, whereas now, I will have to solo quite a bit more.  I hear mystics are not the best choice in this regard, which is why I am seeking advice.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Given my needs, how well do you think a mystic would suit me?  Would I be better off re-rolling?  I've tried some characters on the isle, and enjoying pretty much all of them.  Dirge, fury, conjurer, illusionist, tried them all and they are fun.  I'm pretty open, just so long as I can play a halfling, because, I hate to say it, but I love em <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anyway, any help would be appreciated.  Thanks for taking the time to respond!</DIV>

[paisan]

<P>If your only level 15 i would reroll as soloing as a mystic is listed in websters under the definition of tedium.</P> <P>If you like healing try out a fury as they solo very well and can still heal. Other mage classes do well also... necromancer/conjurer solo well for instance.</P>

[thedu]

Conjurer is your best bet. Soloing as a mystic is extremely tough. I'm not saying it's impossible but it can be exceedinlgy slow, and we cannot tackle what are termed ^^^ -- that is "triple up heroic" mobs.  Many quests require killing named mobs or similar that are ^^^, and is almost impossible for a Mystic until they are 10 levels below. <div></div>

[Banditman]

Solo'ing as a Mystic is something you are condemned to in the 3rd circle of Hell.Or so I heard.Conjuror or Necromancer are best for solo play, followed by Furies and Illusionists.<div></div>

[Karlen]

I have found soloing with a mystic quite acceptable.  With wards, you are generally not in any real danger fighting mobs that you can beat (ie non-heroic).  I generally try to fight individual solo mobs (solo "groups" are more difficult as most of our abilities are single target). One nice thing is that if you do want to group up with someone, just about any class can tank for you as you can protect them with wards (wizards make excellent tanks as they do enough damage that they are good at holding aggro).I generally focused on fighting mobs 3-4 levels higher than me -- in other word, go to Zek when you turn 26, EL when you turn 27, Feerrott when you are about 32.<div></div>

[Terq]

<P>I agree with the others.  The low levels generally go so fast, that your re-rolled alt would likley hit lv 30 before your Mystic would.  </P> <P>If you are predominantly solo, then yeah, a conjurer or a necro is likely your best bet. </P>

[Xanoth]

can't comment on mystics, im only on these boards as i have a 26 defiler rat that im considering betraying if i ever play him again...anyway, Dirges are kinda fun, wanted by groups, but mines 45 and i've ran out of solo steam, as it does involve kiting a lot (running around with the mob slowed) and gives me a head ache doing that every time i want to solo a heroic.my wifes a 70 fury, they solo quite well but are probably one of the worst healers for trying to solo heroics as they take more of a beating due to wearing light armour. but they are a fun class, but not as much healing utility as some other classes. but i love having fury buffs for my SK =]Illusionists solo pretty well, mines 69... but it does take patience, more than im happy to have and still consider it a "fun" option for soloing regularly. but its fun in short bursts. plenty of utility, good for small groups. only really suffer their negative side if your in a really compitant group thats not at risk of wiping on adds or something.for lack of down time though i think you'd probably be best with a mage type. with my illusionist to cut out down time i just kill my pet off and summon a new one with full health and power. its not that enjoyable to kill yourself if your a scout/tank to get a health/power boost <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />best advice i can offer though is to go with what you truely enjoy, not whats easiest. throughout my time in eq2 i've rolled classes that there "needed" by my current guild/raid or friends, or made tanks because i was sick of grouping with bad tanks. so a whole year went by before i even started on what is now my main.

[thedu]

<blockquote><hr>Zotar99 wrote:I have found soloing with a mystic quite acceptable.  With wards, you are generally not in any real danger fighting mobs that you can beat (ie non-heroic).  I generally try to fight individual solo mobs (solo "groups" are more difficult as most of our abilities are single target). <div></div><hr></blockquote> This is the general issue for me Zotar. I consider equitable soloing to mean being able to accomplish all content excluding epic encounters.  I have a Conjurer in the guild who can solo the nest by himself.  Except for the ^^^ I know I can do the same, except I won't be able to accomplish the actual purpose of the zone which is to defeat the named at the end.  There are no tools within the game that would allow me to accomplish this -- well possibly if I went with some of the other AA lines there is a possibility. But even without's AA's a Conjurer can accomplish almost anything solo except Epic's.  I deal with the disparity but it does grate at times.<div></div>

[Carryne]

I would like to recommend a Necro too.  I have a lvl 63 Mystic and a lvl 50 Necro and while the Mystic is fun in groups its very tedious to solo.  The Necro, on the other hand, is great fun both solo and in groups, especially at the higher levels.  You get a pet, lifetaps, minor heals, roots, feign death, fear, a rezz and invisibility which is useful for exploring areas.  The fact you have a pet makes it easier to forage too which is useful if you like to do a bit of tradeskilling as well.<div></div>

[TuranOf]

You might also consider one of the warrior classes to solo. I have both a 42 fury and 42 monk, and my monk is by far a faster and better soloer. With max level food/drink and totems, my monk has virtually nil downtime. I can take most green ^^^ heroics without much problem. I don't know how the other warriors compare, but with the monk's options of dps or defense stance and his ability to convert mana to mitigation or health to dps, he's great for either quickly mowing down regular mobs or steadily whittling away at heroics. <div></div>

[Shamantukk]

<P>I just started over again as a Mystic, who will probably be my main as time goes by, but . . .</P> <P>For the things you listed as priorities, it's Monk all the way. Go anywhere, do darn near anything anyone else can (in terms of killing stuffs), and look good doing it. I've been MMORPG'ing for a long time, and I've never seen better ease-of-play. The only drawback is that you'll never be the tank other fighter classes are, but, given your wishlist, it doesn't sound like raid-tanking is all that important to you anyway.</P> <P>One drawback: It's hard to move around in Norrath without tripping over a Monk every other step. :smileyhappy:</P>

[CalleumN]

<P>I wanted to provide everyone an update:</P> <P> </P> <P>I tried pretty much every class in the game on the isle, and in the T1 zones.  In the end, I went back to my mystic.  I've found he solos great, and most importantly, he gets in groups easily.  I'm having a blast with him.  I spent a lot of time catching him up on tradeskills, and harvesting for cash to improve his equipment.  Now, he is level 22 and doing well.  </P> <P> </P> <P>So here's a quick shout-out of praise for the mystic, an incredibly fun class with tons of group appeal and, in my newbie opinion, more solo ability than people give it credit.  </P>

[StarEquate]

<DIV>Ah soloing the mystic in your 20s.  my first main was a mystic and I thought he was the best soloing class around until i got to my low 30's then the battles become longer and longer.  At your level the mystic is still and adequate solo class but later it gets worse and im thinking 40+ its get much worse.  But by that time you should have no problem getting groups so you will still enjoy the game but know that the higher you get the slower your soloing ability will get</DIV>

[Banditman]

True words.All classes solo adequately before L25ish.It is between levels 25 and 35 that the real grind starts, and your solo experience slows down significantly.  By Level 40 you'll be crying.I'm not trying to talk you out of playing a Mystic, I obviously love mine, but I'd hate to see you get a lot of time invested in one only to realize it isn't going to be what you'd hoped as you continue to grow him.<div></div>