melee healers?

[Pilchar]

is it possible to make a healer that can solo and melee quite well? I know that wardens can change their strikes to melee, but what about shamans and inquistitors? and will they even be able to solo/melee relatively fast, or will it be nothing near to a better solo class?

[Sphiriah]

<cite>Pilchar wrote:</cite><blockquote>and will they even be able to solo/melee relatively fast, or will it be nothing near to a better solo class?</blockquote>So poetic...*ahem*Anyway, Inquisitors are basically battle clerics. they have 100% crit, double attack, haste and get many melee attacks via AA's.

[Pilchar]

Hehe, didn't even realize that I made it rhyme. <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />So Inqs are pretty formidable in the soloing and meleeing realms? I'm looking for a class that can solo most quests, but can still be useful in a group.  

[Norrsken]

<cite>Pilchar wrote:</cite><blockquote>Hehe, didn't even realize that I made it rhyme. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" />So Inqs are pretty formidable in the soloing and meleeing realms? I'm looking for a class that can solo most quests, but can still be useful in a group.   </blockquote>Yup, sounds like an inqy alright.

[Noaani]

<p>If you want a pure melee healer, the best class to go for would be inquisitor. Although other healers all have achievements that increase their melee potential, inquisitors by far have the best mix.</p><p>If spec'ed for it, inquisitors have 100% melee crit rate, 20% haste, 50% +DPS and 52% double attack, along with 7 melee combat arts (all with 100% crit chance), and are able to pump out a LOT of damage for a healer.</p><p>Also, inquisitors have the added advantage of plate armor, which while soloing using melee is an incredible advantage.</p><p>Mystics would come in second, as they are also able to get 100% crit rate, and change their attacks to combat arts, but lack the self buffing that an inquisitor is able to do. Wardens and defilers would be tied for third place. Wardens are able to change their attacks to melee, and are able to get a few more melee attacks through the druid AA tree, but are unabe to get 100% melee crit chance, and defilers are able to get 100% melee crit, but are not able to swap their spells for combat arts.</p><p>The other thing to take into consideration is weapon selection. Clerics are only able to use crushing weapons, while shamans are able to use crushing as well as some spears, and druids are able to use crushing as well as some swords. That said, if you went for a melee healer, the best weapon to use would be a blackscale maul (unless you have access to a Varksin Claw Club, which drops off a contested raid mob).</p><p>While other classes have some of what is needed to make a good melee healer, inquisitors have the best mix of AA choices and self buffs, with the added advantage of plate armor to take a few hits.</p><p>Edited to add: it takes 37 achievement points with an inquisitor to get to a good melee spec (20 points in the inquisitor tree to turn 4 spells into combat arts, and the rest going down the stamina line to maximise the 3rd ability to get 100% melee crit). Until you have these, inquisitors, like all heals, are all about spell casting.</p>

[Skywarrior]

<cite>Noaani wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>If you want a pure melee healer, the best class to go for would be inquisitor. Although other healers all have achievements that increase their melee potential, inquisitors by far have the best mix.</p><p>If spec'ed for it, inquisitors have 100% melee crit rate, 20% haste, 50% +DPS and 52% double attack, along with 7 melee combat arts (all with 100% crit chance), and are able to pump out a LOT of damage for a healer.</p><p>Also, inquisitors have the added advantage of plate armor, which while soloing using melee is an incredible advantage.</p><p>Mystics would come in second, as they are also able to get 100% crit rate, and change their attacks to combat arts, but lack the self buffing that an inquisitor is able to do. ...</p></blockquote><p>While Noaani is essentially correct in most of the facts, but there are some things you should know about mystics as a viable choice for a melee healer.  I did a lot of soloing on my way to 70 with my mystic and was very successful with him.  As an added benefit, the best mystic melee spec is also, arguably, the best raid and group spec for a mystic.  So you don't have to worry about being gimped as a healer just because you spec'd for damage.</p><p>As stated, mystics can spec for 100% melee crits.  They also  can group haste 16% plus self haste another 35 with Tribal Rage, 35% double attack, and 4 melee combat arts (with 100% crit).  They can buff their hp and sta, huge buffs to str (which increases melee damage).  Additionally, they can debuff an opponent so that they basically are weak kittens.  A mystic debuffing an epic x4 makes a noticable difference in a raid; it definitely helps on the tougher solo assignments as well.  Also, while a mystic wears chain instead of plate, I would argue that mystic wards trump the plate hands down.  I generally don't even worry about 'healing'.  Just throw a preward on and by the time it's gone, mob is dead or close enough.</p><p>I'm not trying to say mystics are better than inquistors.  Frankly, I don't know enough about inquisitors to make the comparison.  But I do know that the mystic makes a formidable melee healer and should not be dismissed off-hand as "second best".</p>

[Ciarr]

<p>inquisitor are by far the closest to what you would consider melee healer, but I think a fair warning is in order, you are looking at locking your xp at level 10 and very painful questing for at least 20 levels to get there, it would certainly help to have a duo partner for that</p><p>there is also a serious lack of low level weapons which fits into battle cleric role (you need somthing with a huge min-max damage range and these are few even in T7)</p><p>in short, I am not trying to discourage you, but make sure that you are ready for AA grinding before you are a melee healer</p>

[Baccalarium]

<cite>Noaani wrote:</cite><blockquote>Mystics would come in second, as they are also able to get 100% crit rate, and change their attacks to combat arts, but lack the self buffing that an inquisitor is able to do. </blockquote>I'm not a melee spec mystic by any means, but mystics get huge amount of stength bufs including our bear form self buf.   But I really don't know how they stack against inq self bufs.

[Wyrmypops]

What I got from the OP, was why is this guy describing my Paladin? He just starts a fight warded, pops a HO that ends in a divine debuff, cracks off a couple of combat arts, pops a stun to give time to re-ward, another couple of combat arts, a stun perhaps to give time to heal, another debuffing HO, more combat arts, another stun and ward, rinse and repeat.

[tikasa]

I have fabled Mystic, Fury, Templar, Inquisitor...  ( yes I had too much time on my hands )  Comparing a Mystic to an Inquisitor in terms of melee is like comparing the melee abilities of a Swashbuckler against a Troub.   Not even close.  Both are specced max DPS both have the same weapon.   DPS is not close.   Inq more then doubles a Mystics DPS ... close to triple.

[Norrsken]

<cite>Ciarrai wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>inquisitor are by far the closest to what you would consider melee healer, but I think a fair warning is in order, you are looking at locking your xp at level 10 and very painful questing for at least 20 levels to get there, it would certainly help to have a duo partner for that</p><p>there is also a serious lack of low level weapons which fits into battle cleric role (you need somthing with a huge min-max damage range and these are few even in T7)</p><p>in short, I am not trying to discourage you, but make sure that you are ready for AA grinding before you are a melee healer</p></blockquote>well, if he turns off his xp he'll be done by about lvl 22. He can also make do with mastercrafted weapons.

[Effie]

<p>The following priest classes have AAs that turn all of their damage spells into melee attacks and can attain (with AAs) 75-100% melee crit rate.</p><ul><li>Mystic</li><li>Warden</li><li>Inquisitor</li></ul>

[Effie]

<cite>tikasa wrote:</cite><blockquote>I have fabled Mystic, Fury, Templar, Inquisitor...  ( yes I had too much time on my hands )  Comparing a Mystic to an Inquisitor in terms of melee is like comparing the melee abilities of a Swashbuckler against a Troub.   Not even close.  Both are specced max DPS both have the same weapon.   DPS is not close.   Inq more then doubles a Mystics DPS ... close to triple.</blockquote><p>Uhhh... what level are your characters?</p><p>Does your mystic have all their combat art AAs? Does he have Ancestral Authority maxed and does he have Tribal Rage?</p><p>Weapon Mastery and Enhance:Bolser give a huge boost in melee DPS. Add to that Dogdog's meager DPS and your mystic should be at least on par to your inquisitor in terms of DPS.</p>

[Kizee]

<cite>tikasa wrote:</cite><blockquote>I have fabled Mystic, Fury, Templar, Inquisitor...  ( yes I had too much time on my hands )  Comparing a Mystic to an Inquisitor in terms of melee is like comparing the melee abilities of a Swashbuckler against a Troub.   Not even close.  Both are specced max DPS both have the same weapon.   DPS is not close.   Inq more then doubles a Mystics DPS ... close to triple.</blockquote>Well.... a mysic in my guild consistantly pulls in about 1300-1500 dps. Somehow I don't think your Inq does 4500dps.