Is playing a troub worth it?

[HollyW07]

<p>I have a lvl 25 trouby and right now I'm working on leveling my assassin, who just reached 26 last night. I've had a difficult time with my troub. I can't really solo with her because she just flat out doesn't do enough damage and by the time the mob is half dead I'm clicking revive. I'll admit I'm not the best player, and 25 is low level but I wanted to know...does it get better the higher you get in levels? </p><p>I've done alot of reading about trouby's here and there and alot of people say that they are one of the least played classes in the game because the class is so imbalanced. Does it not get more fun? I enjoy playing my troub when I have other people to play with. In fact, soloing generally has me quitting because I get bored with it so easily, but there are other classes to me, right now, that are alot more fun to play. </p>

[Novusod]

The Troubador is probably the toughest class in the game to solo with but it is grouping where the troubador really shines more than any other class in the game. The first 25 levels are mostly solo but after that good loot, xp, and quests are for groups. Put up your LFG flag and say into the chat channel you are lfg for giants or griffons in the Thundering steps. You will gain a level every 30 minutes in one of those groups. Then ask for a RoV group at 30 and Runny Eye group at 34. By the time you hit 70 you will you have better loot and better solo skills than the assassin and you be will in high demand for Raids. Overall the troubador is definately worth playing but it is not for everyone. Not everyone likes to group or take the time needed to learn how to solo on a troubador. But atleast try to grab a group before you call it quits on toubs because after all Everquest2 is a grouping game.

[tiki-jiki]

Soloing isnt bad for me. I am level 35, but have always just used treasured armor. If you can afford it get rare crafted dw weapons and an imbued bow, if you cannot afford it just get some imbued handcrafted weapons. Also get the damage proc adornments, these can be bought for less than 5 silver each at your level. Pull with your singing shot, it does good damage and the bow will usually proc. While the mob is running over, use the str/agi debuff. I usually do a heroic opportunity and hit it twice from the front, then cheap shot it, hit it from behind and nuke it.  It also helps if you go down the agility line. This gives you a poison proc, and the bump ability, which puts you in stealth so after you stun it you can use your flank attack, bump, then stealth attack. Most mobs of equal con should be about dead by now. Having an imbued bow is important, because when you hit and it procs, the mob will be in the yellow before it ever gets to you.

[SpiralDown]

Soloing is tough until you can mezz, but not impossiable.  Pick up groups is the way to go though.  Troubadors can make a PUG work, especially at lower levels.  Everyone is still learning at those levels and having deaggro, str/sta, power regen, ect... can really help out and take pressure off others.  Troubadors can smooth out the rough edges of a group and making the group better just by their pressence.  Also, the only time I have joined a group and been met by "Yay, we have a <i>such and such</i>" is with a troubador.  Can't remember ever having a bad group either, well there have been jerks, but overall.  Since everyone will do their jobs better with less effort needed, it makes for better experiences.

[Jeger_Wulf]

<p>They aren't imbalanced, but IMO definitely not as interesting to play overall - YYMV.</p><p>Mez  Once you get to 70 and have your mezzed mastered and a few AAs into it, Mez can be very useful in groups - in fact I enjoy it a lot. It is entirely useless in raids, though, and not too useful in groups until you get the last mez and have it mastered.</p><p>Charm Fairly useless spell. I use it sometime if we are right on the edge of getting wiped, but I can't say it has ever really turned the tide.</p><p>DPS I get tired of working so hard and accomplishing so little. I'm not tanking, I'm not healing, I'm not DPSing, I'm mostly just buffing.</p><p>> Also, the only time I have joined a group and been met by "Yay, we have a > <i>such and such</i>" is with a troubador. </p><p>You must never have played a tank or healer then.</p><p>> there are other classes to me, right now, that are alot more fun to play. </p><p>That's the bottom line, then. Apparently, you feel as I do, and it really doesn't get any better as you level. You pick up Mez, but your relative DPS seems to fade as you level. IMO you should focus on a class you enjoy more.</p>

[tiki-jiki]

I agree that if you do not find the class fun, find another class to play. I personally havent had any problems soloing, but I have played a lot of scout classes so I can solo them effectively.

[SpiralDown]

<cite>Jeger_Wulf wrote:</cite><blockquote>> Also, the only time I have joined a group and been met by "Yay, we have a <p> > <i>such and such</i>" is with a troubador. </p><p>You must never have played a tank or healer then.</p></blockquote>Yeah, screwed that up.  Meant to also say, if I join a group as a tank/healer and they say "yay we got..." I get a nervous feeling.  Maybe its unfair, but if a fuss is made over a key part of a group joining, then something is probably wrong.  In the end it comes down to whether you have fun with a class or not.  Kind of takes a certain type of person to play them.  You don't feel the effect you make on a group, which sucks, but you do make a big one.  Also, don't focus on how well you dps, it isn't why you're there.  Buffs, debuffs and cc is (talking about interupts more than mez and charm).  Keeping a mob debuffed, the group buffed and hitting interrupts will keep you busy as much as other classes are maxing their dps.

[TerabithianWhisperwi]

Whelp, my troubadour is only a couple levels behind you, but I am absolutely chewing through mobs. Let me offer a few things to think about.... 1). Int makes a pretty wild difference in the early levels. You might want to consider your int, followed by your str as stats to focus on. 2). Pull with your shriek, unless it's a caster. Many will tell you to pull with your archery shot, but, the damage is fantastically better, and you'll want it to refresh during the combat. 3). Make sure you understand how to chain your heroic opportunities together. The very first bard achievement ability makes us soooo much more lethal, being able to get off a heroic opportunity with almost every combat art. I typically pull with shriek, then HO with cheapshot and positional attack and a combat art, then I HO again with mental debuff and that attack that can hit twice, then I HO again with another debuff and my shriek, which has just refreshed. There are many many variations to this, but the point is to  continually set off your heroic opportunities. 4). Conning is different for us! lol. Greens are good. Blues are okay even or with arrows down. An arrow up could be tricky. Whites are tricky, just be careful of adds, as you'll only be able to handle one white at a time. Yellows are off limits, unless they are solo and have an arrow down, in which case they are very much like a white. 5). understand that that VAST majority of tips on this forum are given by high-level players. those tips are helpful later on, but not very helpful at level 25 or lower. and lastly, your equipment is very important, so always shoot for the best you can. (above spell upgrades). If you're not a jeweler, there are tons on (try /who all jeweler in game to get a list) and when you harvest a rare loam make sure to get your songs to Adept 3. (nukes, attacks, stat buffs, others....in that order). again, these are just suggestions, and not to be taken as my attempt to "lay down the law"...these are just things I've noticed through my experience so far.

[Und3rt0w]

<p>I guess it depends on what you plan on doing.  I've found it relatively hard to find a group with my Trouby at lower lvls (I'm at 53 now and it's still can be hard) - mind you my main is a Fury so maybe that's a poor indication, but it's hard none-the-less.</p><p>This is a double edge sword for a Trouby since IMO they are woefully inadequate at soloing.  Troubs don't really have high enough DPS to burn things quickly, and also don't have enough mit to withstand a lot of damage.  Once you get a mez at 50, you can start playing a bit more strategically, but it's uphill until then.   If you don't feel like trolling for groups or sometimes have the urge to just log in and take things at your own pace, a Troub is a VERY challenging class to play as.</p><p>On the flip side, at higher lvls, I think people begin to understand how important Troub. group buffs can be to a group's overall success.  Your dps should be decent (but not great) but just your presence (coupled with Ad3's and Masters) will make a BIG difference in the group.  Power regen is very nice on long fights...caster buffs are huge when the group has some casters to take advantage...really we get too many buffs since we can only cast 5 that require concentration slots, but at least you have options depending upon what the group is constructed of.</p><p>Raiding is another avenue for Troubs to get in the action and since we're a fairly rare breed, there are some opportunities. </p>

[HollyW07]

<p>Thank you everyone for your input, it's very much appreciated. I still have not entirely made up my mind about whether to shelve the character or give her another try but it has given me a few things to think on.</p><p> One of the problems is that my trouby was created when the game first came out and I got her up into the 20's and then didn't play for a very long time. Now there are expansions and AA's but I haven't played her enough since then to get any AA points, so she's sadly lacking in that area, unlike my assassin who has probably about 20 AA points already at 26. (Gotta love discovery exp!) So I suppose that leaves me with running around trying to discover rare artifacts or zipping around the zone from place to place for discovery exp so I can get a few AA points under her belt. </p><p>Might not be such a bad idea. That's one of my most favorite things to do <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </p>

[tiki-jiki]

I was in the same boat as you, my troub was level 36 but i quit playing a long time ago. When i came back, i just deleted it and started over so i can get aa points easier. As far as pulling, i still recommend pulling with Singing Shot over Shriek.

[loveybutt]

<cite>tiki-jiki wrote:</cite><blockquote>I was in the same boat as you, my troub was level 36 but i quit playing a long time ago. When i came back, i just deleted it and started over so i can get aa points easier. As far as pulling, i still recommend pulling with Singing Shot over Shriek. </blockquote><p> i had a lot of fun leveling my troub up to lvl 70 soloing, duoing, and in groups. after i got to 70 it was kinda blah so i rolled some others and lvld em to 70..i just recently started playing my troub again and I must say after a break, its actually fun again... but yeah i dont know what id do without my mezz, so its hard to remember what it was like in the early levels..</p><p> oh and the quote here was just for a comment on singing shot over shriek: for pve, i use shriek over stifle (of course after getting max range so theres plenty of time to get stifle off), in pvp, if i get the jump i'd open with shriek (since its really important to do your big damage as much as possible), then stifle; if i manage to last long enough in pvp and get my mezz off, i'll break mezz with stifle instead of streak though..</p>

[HollyW07]

I was talking to a couple of people in my guild about my troub. We're a lvl 60 casual raid guild and they said that a troub is about the only class they are lacking in raids so I'm thinking I will keep my troub around for a while longer and see what happens.

[Jeger_Wulf]

<p>That's why a lot of people play their troubs. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Good luck and hope you enjoy him.</p>

[HollyW07]

Her. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> And thanks! Though right now I am very focused on my assassin. It's hard for me to concentrate on two characters at once. I tend to skip around alot and not get very much accomplished.