Any Solo/Duo Troubs out there can share some of their knowledge please?

[PurpleWarri]

<p>I know everyone says Troubs are a group oriented class, and I've read a lot of the posts on this forum so have an idea how negatively certain individuals view this class, but I'd still like to try one. <img src="/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p> I would have to be mainly soloing or duoing for the first 30 levels or so (My wife already has a Healer, I read 'that' guide! <img src="/smilies/ed515dbff23a0ee3241dcc0a601c9ed6.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />&nbsp<img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> so want to know how viable that is. </p><p> What general strategies, equipment or AA choices would help me get a Troub up to the level where everyone slows down a bit and starts to group more? (Groups are a bit thin on the ground below 30, I've noticed, unless they're tackling something like SH, CB, etc.). </p><p>Someone must have soloed a Troub recently and have a real idea of whether this is feasible, please?</p>

[Sylvrin]

<p>Welcome to a very fun and underappreciated class!</p><p>My main character that was created in December of 2004 is a Troubador who has been through all the changes this class has seen.  I started duoing early on with a warden who is still my main adventuring partner after 2 and a half years.   With a good healer at your side you can duo most anything that is within reasonable con level since your buffs will compliment the healer as well as yourself.  Most of the buffs you will use are group buffs, but there is one that is essential for you to keep up even in groups and that is your Daelis' song, which is a self buff that makes you considerably more able to dish out damage.  </p><p>While duoing is pretty easy, especially with a healer, soloing is a quite bit harder.  It can be done, but you'll have to stick primarily to solo mobs that con white, blue or green and the occassional green heroic that is not grouped with friends.  </p><p>If you  are able to get really good gear, at the very least legendary and preferably fabled, then your chances of surviving will increase by quite a lot.   My Trouby has some very nice gear and does well on her own much of the time now, but she wasn't always so independent when she was coming up.   You'll want to try to get yourself gear that has procs to boost your damage output, or gear that increases your health regeneration.  Power regen usually isn't an issue for you because no matter what situation you find yourself in, whether solo, duo, group, or raid, you will almost always have your power regen song going and you also have a song that takes your enemy's health and converts it to power for you.</p><p>One tip, unless your AA line requires something else, always use dual wield weapons, mobs die faster and you survive.  If, however, your AA requires a one hander, then ALWAYS wear the best round shield you can get your hands on.  Your damage output will drop by quite a bit when not dual wielding, but you'll be safer behind a good shield.</p><p>Unfortunately you no longer have much in the way of crowd control, the one thing that really affected me when they nerfed our charm song was having to re-adjust to dealing with larger groups.  Fortunately my warden sidekick took over in that department with his awesome rooting ability.    One strategy that we both got very good at was the root-and-shoot tactic.  Basically we use this on named mobs that we feel might be too much to handle at close range.  He keeps the mob rooted while I use my best longbow with the best arrows in my quiver.  Always use the best arrows for your level which you can buy from the broker or from your local woodworker and now you can compare their stats so that makes it easier to decide which to buy.   </p><p>Lullaby and Reverie still do well at sleeping critters if you find yourself in a real bind.  But our charm song just doesn't last long enough to depend on and lands you with an angry mob in a matter of seconds.  I only use it as a last ditch effort to save the day and let a healer get a heal spell off.  Other than that many of the changes to our class, especially the most recent changes, have been a bit of a help.  Dps has increased a little so things die faster and that is always good!    </p><p>I took most of my AA's in wisdom and intelligence lines, but if you really want to solo then I would suggest strength as a good aa line and stamina for any extra aa points you might have.</p>

[Spider]

<cite>PurpleWarrior wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I know everyone says Troubs are a group oriented class, and I've read a lot of the posts on this forum so have an idea how negatively certain individuals view this class, but I'd still like to try one. <img src="/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p> I would have to be mainly soloing or duoing for the first 30 levels or so (My wife already has a Healer, I read 'that' guide! <img src="/smilies/ed515dbff23a0ee3241dcc0a601c9ed6.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> so want to know how viable that is. </p><p> What general strategies, equipment or AA choices would help me get a Troub up to the level where everyone slows down a bit and starts to group more? (Groups are a bit thin on the ground below 30, I've noticed, unless they're tackling something like SH, CB, etc.). </p><p>Someone must have soloed a Troub recently and have a real idea of whether this is feasible, please?</p></blockquote><p>solo takes a lot of work but can be fun and rewarding once ur into the 20's </p><p>keep in mind get good gear str and int are vital  </p><p>secondly in a duo a troub / healer like a fury or warden is a lethal combo  ESSPECIALY int eh lower and mid levels  ive been able to duo with a fury or warden a great many things that normal took a full group  so good armor adept3 or better spells and u should be great </p>

[Epif]

<p>Well  you are right  troubs Are group based. but can solo  lots of stuff As long As its green or grey and under a ^^ con , but greys no exp lol srry </p><p> But in pvp  i kick [Removed for Content] soloin, with  no problem Cept when i run in to group of 3 or more then its a  bit hard i mean i have taken down a group of 4 at one time  SOLO but  defently takes skill  but first you need to get outta the low lvl crap and get to T7 and get you Gear maxed out. Dont know if your on pvp or not but  the hardest thing i find is  when the  players all group up and come after you  since they know you mainly solo . I have that alt ill kill some one 1v1 and then they will bring a  full group after me  or chase me 45 min  or till i kill them again.</p><p> but gear and spell  duel wield ftw  unless your Pve then Sword and A shield ftw </p><p>Champ Epif, 70 Troub  Nagafen</p>

[Guy De Alsace]

<p>I have a 64 Troub that I've soloed a lot with. I went with a sword and shield until T7 when one of the live updates gave a free AP respec and I thought I'd see how well I did with a dual wield. Well with a dual wield I took down mobs in less than half the time with far less damage to me. </p><p>My main is a Ranger who also used a sword and shield for a long time but, to be honest, round shields seem to be next to useless and offer so little protection you are better off with more damage - even solo.</p><p>I generally stick to mobs one level above mine and lower. My equipment is almost all mastercrafted with 2 bits of T6 fabled. However almost all my CA's and spells are Adept 3 or Master 1.</p><p>Biggest drawback I find is that groups rarely let you use your mezz or break it continually if you do use it. Frustrating. </p>

[Zygwen]

For most of my troubador's Soloing and Duoing I went with Stamina line. Max Skald's Defence and Fortissimo and you will be avoiding better than the dual wielders and doing comparable damage. My troub is 62 now and with the AA respect I went with Wis/Str lines in preperation for raids but I haven't adventured with him since then so I don't know how that has affected my survivability.

[Valshyra]

<p>I soloed until high 50s with a few groups here and there. Even without having the best gear you can do it farily easily.. get good weapons and dont skimp on your spells/CA's. I foudn if i coudl kill em faster, they wouldnt hit me as much<img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> I did the Wis/Sta line until i joined a Raiding guild, Sta for the extra boost to my dps. One thing that i  made sure was to try to keep my INT as my main focus, along with Agi. STR was up there too, but i  went INT, AGI, STR, STA in that order of importance. Everyone finds what works best for them, this is just what worked for me<img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </p><p>I used to think the mezz/charm spells sucked until i started playing with them one day...you can take on sooooo much more solo if you can master those and you can keep 2 mobs locked down for a long long time..mezz one, charm the  other, while its attacking a third mob your mezz will refresh.. mezz the charmed one (once charm wheres off)..  back to first mob.. redo mezz.. 2 mobs can be  kept this way until youve killed the 3rd one.. just make sure you dont break your own mezzes <img src="/smilies/47941865eb7bbc2a777305b46cc059a2.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. Anyways, took me a bit of toying with them and working with it before i got used to the system of our short mezz. </p><p>Welcome to the wonderful world of a Troubadour<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> (we arent just buff bots!!)</p>

[loveybutt]

<cite>Epif wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Well  you are right  troubs Are group based. but can solo  lots of stuff As long As its green or grey and under a ^^ con , but greys no exp lol srry </p><p> But in pvp  i kick [Removed for Content] soloin, with  no problem Cept when i run in to group of 3 or more then its a  bit hard i mean i have taken down a group of 4 at one time  SOLO but  defently takes skill  but first you need to get outta the low lvl crap and get to T7 and get you Gear maxed out. Dont know if your on pvp or not but  the hardest thing i find is  when the  players all group up and come after you  since they know you mainly solo . I have that alt ill kill some one 1v1 and then they will bring a  full group after me  or chase me 45 min  or till i kill them again.</p><p> but gear and spell  duel wield ftw  unless your Pve then Sword and A shield ftw </p><p>Champ Epif, 70 Troub  Nagafen</p></blockquote>Funny you couldnt take a green and grey duo w/o quiting after a couple tries <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> zing! And if ya read closer he wanted to know some stuff about lvln up so telling him to lvl up is..basically worthless. ANYWAY,  it's been along time since I've had my low lvl troub so not sure when ya get your mezz and charm. If ya do get em early in lvls, for solopurposes, those will be your bread and butter. Your fights will be long. Basically burst dps. Mezz>debuff>snare>stifle>burst melee dps then kite and burst your damage you can do from a distance. Mezz and repeart till dead.  Also when solo, I find running power regen AND health regen help. Health regen really helps since your fights will be long.  But yeah like mentioned before, you will do best on heroic encounters with single mobs then with groups. Back in the day it was more feasible but theyve severly nerfed our charm so it only lasts like 14 seconds or some crap. And with our sub-par dps, good chance you wont kill the other heroics in time.  With moderate gear and skill upgrades, and practcie, you should be able to solo a good number of 3 up greens, and the occasional 3 up blue. As for duo, not sure how much help i can be since i duo'd with a dirge (dont ask me why we thought troub/dirge would be a good duo).  It will of course take some practice with your duo partner to see how most fights go. For example, ya might find yourself not even tanking much of anything since the healer will be healing AND some healers, especially at the lower lvls, do better dps then a troub. As for AA's, in kos i really liked sta up to shield bash (its an extra knockback/stun) and bump from agility line (puts you into stealth, only time a bard gets that opportunity in fights really).  For Eof lines, i would recommend going down your shriek line to maxamize your dps. SO yeah, in conclusion, it will take a lot of practice to become decent with your troub, but when you do im sure you'll enjoy it. It is a fun class to play believe it or not, especially as you lvl up and get into more groups.

[missing_peace]

<p>I have duoed from level 1 to 70 with a mystic.  It has turned out to be a very potent combo.</p><p>For a bard/healer duo, you need to spend your achievements on the stamina line.  A shield can make a massive difference in your survivability.  You also obtain the very important shield bash ability.  The downside is that good roundshields are extremely rare.  There are few treasured roundshields and almost no legendary shields.  It's a serious itemization problem.</p><p>You will also have to spend achievement points for mez and charm in the later levels.  With EoF, the resistability of these spells took a serious nerf.  The achievements are necessary for these to work consistantly (and blue cons still have an annoying resist rate.)  However, with enough practice it is no problem to take on multiple heroics at once.  You can mez mobs indefinately and keep adds under control until you are ready to deal with them.</p><p>So, what is the biggest weakness?  The low, low personal DPS.  Even with a great weapon and master spells your personal damage will be low.  So low that keeping aggro from a healer can be a problem.</p>

[Spider]

<p>personaly i find the people that claim they can only kill greens and greys rather entertaining </p><p>i kill green ^^^ heroic names on a regualr basis and have never had a problem killing anything even con ^^ or less  ever </p><p>as long as there not heroic i can take most groups up to yellow con </p><p>while some fights take some serious stratagy for the most part its fairly strait forward little fighting and a little kiting </p><p> ive personaly solo'd almost every named in steamfont while in the 40's with great ease ( except that dang dragon   </p>

[aelder~]

<p>One bit of advice as you level up.  Always go for the rewards that increase your (1) dps or (2)STA/hit points over anything power related.  In 70 levels, I have <b>never</b> run out of power in any situation other than raiding, and even then, you can manage it with less effort than other classes even when keeping full debuffs up all the time.  In terms of power, we are built to last--even if we are not constructed to close out a mob with the power pool we have at our disposal.</p>

[Spider]

aelder~ wrote: <blockquote><p>One bit of advice as you level up.  Always go for the rewards that increase your (1) dps or (2)STA/hit points over anything power related.  In 70 levels, I have <b>never</b> run out of power in any situation other than raiding, and even then, you can manage it with less effort than other classes even when keeping full debuffs up all the time.  In terms of power, we are built to last--even if we are not constructed to close out a mob with the power pool we have at our disposal.</p></blockquote><p> omg u aint kidding  </p><p>and if its vs another player and it comes down to power the other player is in for a RUDE awakining </p><p>w/o even running power regen  in fights reduced to mostly auto attack i jsut use 2 skills we ahve </p><p>the attack that does damage and give us power and the one that does damage and takes power from them lol </p>

[Pogopuschel]

What aelder wrote is true for PvE, what Spider wrote is (most likely, never tried) true for PvP.

[Kasar]

<cite>Spider wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>personaly i find the people that claim they can only kill greens and greys rather entertaining </p><p>i kill green ^^^ heroic names on a regualr basis and have never had a problem killing anything even con ^^ or less  ever </p><p>as long as there not heroic i can take most groups up to yellow con </p><p>while some fights take some serious stratagy for the most part its fairly strait forward little fighting and a little kiting </p><p> ive personaly solo'd almost every named in steamfont while in the 40's with great ease ( except that dang dragon    </p></blockquote> Once you hit 50, it'll get even easier.  With mez and the health and power regen, you can pause during most single-mob fights and med up as often as necessary.