KoS AA analysis?

[TiaraJew]

I've been looking around for a comparison of the KoS lines, and haven't really found any.  I tried digging through the horrific FAQ and quickly gave up... so I was wondering what the community thought of the shaman AAs.  STR seems rather poor, with one depending on the (hella weak) pet getting hit, and others doing little bits of damage, etc... STA, INT, and WIS seem the best to me, as a duoer, for debuffing, adding some area dps, etc... just looking for some thoughts on the lines in general, thanks.<div></div>

[Ordate]

<DIV>There is a lot of info already out there but you are mis-reading the str line.  It is in fact one of the strongest lines that there is.  The ward, which Im assuming you read as the pet needing to get hit is when the pet attacks, same with the ae immunity for the group (pet is always ae immune).  Haste is a bonus on this line.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Int is another crowd pleaser mostly for the resists and the virulance is a nice little bonus.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Agi, some hate the dog and swear by the crit heals and hits.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The sta line has some amusing skills down it as well.  Give it a good look.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[TiaraJew]

Pfft, yeah, now that I look closer I see the flavor text doesn't match the effect listed on the STR ward proc.  That is definitely pretty nice then.Still, I'm looking for some more detailed thoughts on the lines--what their strengths are in actual gameplay rather than my theory, what works in spite of the death-prone puppy, etc.  I named mine "Speedbump" for a reason... though I suppose the end STR buff would help with that.WIS and STA still look like my ideal lines as a partner to a monk, but I'm not really sure how they work in practice.<div></div>

[Thatdumbg]

Off the top of my head, I'll look at the following setup for a monk duo:Agility line to max (with maxed ancestral authority and 5 points in ancestral spirits)Str line to aura of haste (which you max)And then bump either Phalanx or Leg Bite to Rank 8 depending on your choice of weapon.Basically park the pet somewhere around for the haste buff, which will complement both of your fighting. The monk's haste will be nice for your auto-attacking, which will do quite abit of damage.If you have EoF access without a full 50AA locked in the shaman tree, look at maxing agility with ancestral authority maxed, and then throw your points into the combat line there til that is capped.Granted I haven't tested any of this, but it should maximize your DPS capabilities.Your other options:STR line to the end, max aura of haste and warding.Wisdom line to ritualistic agression (which is maxed), with 5 points in Ritual.This focuses abit more on letting the pet DPS, I'm not sure which would come out on top, but I'm guessing with the class-specific AA, the combat line would be your way to go. In beta I was doing 550ish DPS on greens with a crap [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn] weapon and maxed agility/combat lines (using all adept 3's, I did about 250-300ish on the same mobs without those lines).<div></div>

[TiaraJew]

Thanks, that's what I was looking for.I'm extremely hesitant to take anything that requries the pet to dps.  I have a seriously hard time keeping the worthless thing alive fighting heroics, just because of tiny AEs or damage shields.  I almost wish the AGI line had the pet sac as one of its abilities just for the "HAHAHA, SCREW YOU YA CRUMMY DOG!" vibe the line would have. XD <div></div>

[Ordate]

<P>Ill post here since you have things going in 2 threads.</P> <P>The strength line will cure all problems with ae's (with a few notable exceptions.)  After that point all you have to do is worry about repostes.  They can be fully avoided by having the pet on the back of the mob.  Or once you get to know where you are fighting, for the most part, any place where a mob will generally not 1 shot the pet on a reposte it is fine to send him in regardless of flanking.  As for damage shield, the only mob that I am aware of that has killed kenny to a damage shield, is the basalisk in labs.  While he isn't a cannon and is deffinately glass, he can be a huge asset with all the various skills you can put on him.  Sadly we are pigeon-holed into making less creative builds by the fact that if you truely want to use him on a heroic level or raiding, you have to take str to the end.</P> <P>If you are dead set on not taking str line and using the pet heavily, try this build:</P> <P>agi 4,4,8,8,8</P> <P>sta 4, 8</P> <P>wis 4, 2</P> <P>What this gives you is a melee attack with a shield with debuffs, a flip to symbol for increased healing, crit heals maxed, 100% melee crit, chance to do the shaman version of going beserk.  And a flip out melee attack with a great spear at half strength.</P> <P>Personally, Im a dog fan, and while I get tempted at times to say screw it and go the agility line so I don't have to worry about him, the benefits I get from him are just too huge.</P> <P> </P>

[Mystiq]

Also any time you wanna mess around with an achievement spec without spending the cash to really do it, use this Shaman Achievement calculator found on <a href="http://keithratliff.com/eq2/staging/mystic.htm" target=_blank>this site</a>.I'm sure there will be something similar designed for the Mystic specific achievements soon.<div></div>