Quick question

[InsaneG]

<p>Hello,</p><p> I'm still fairly low level and still learning the game (Made just a few char over lvl 10 so far, highest being lvl 1<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> and I currently have a lvl 11 coercer... I like it (even though it's really really hard to level).</p><p>Now my question is... I've read everywhere that at 23 soloing gets easier (oh... forgot to say, I solo 98% of the time... not a big fan of grouping) but the spell at 23 says it damages the mob when it hits a friendly with melee attacks.  </p><p>How is that usefull if everyone says to use a ranged pet and keep the mob rooted?</p><p>It'll never do any damage and you're stuck with slow leveling... no?</p>

[Gwynet]

I'm only 35 but so far I haven't had any problem just sending pets to tank... The spell did make things easier because of that. I'm guessing it will get harder later on, but yes, it's a very good point <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Signal9]

<cite>InsaneGuy wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Hello,</p><p> I'm still fairly low level and still learning the game (Made just a few char over lvl 10 so far, highest being lvl 1<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /> and I currently have a lvl 11 coercer... I like it (even though it's really really hard to level).</p><p>Now my question is... I've read everywhere that at 23 soloing gets easier (oh... forgot to say, I solo 98% of the time... not a big fan of grouping) but the spell at 23 says it damages the mob when it hits a friendly with melee attacks.  </p><p>How is that usefull if everyone says to use a ranged pet and keep the mob rooted?</p><p>It'll never do any damage and you're stuck with slow leveling... no?</p></blockquote><p>Basically, when you put that reactive on the mob, he will take damage whenever he damages anything in melee.  From this point in your career on, you cannot go toe to toe with a melee mob, and have good chances of living through the fight.  This spell allows you to accelerate the mob's death, hopefully to before yours.</p><p>This spell l ine really comes into it's own with melee charmed-pets, however.  You place the reactive, and then throw your thrall into the fray.  As the pet melees the mob, the mob melees back, activating the reactive, and in effect the mob kills himself.</p><p>Later you will get another reactive that does the same for spellcasts.  So much fun to watch a shaman heal himself to death <img src="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/images/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" /></p><p>With coercers, you have to think outside-the-box quite a bit, but it is ultimately effective.</p>

[InsaneG]

<p>So you're better off using a melee pet until you get the one that damage when mob casts a spell?</p><p>Or ... would it be a good strategy to root the mob, pound on it with a caster pet and put the damage spell on him when at low HP and let him pound on you to let him finish himself off?</p><p>Sorry maybe there's something I really don't understand in the process but I want to understand <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Signal9]

<p>You've basically got several options.</p><p>There's your basic root-rot.  Root the mob, Nuke until dead.  Variations include mezzing until all spell timers refresh, or nuke-DoT and stun-reroot when root fails.  This is what wiz/warlock are relegated to.</p><p>As coercers, we get a couple more options due to our spells.  The Pets, and the melee and spell reactives.</p><p>When soloing a standard solo mob, you may well tank the mob yourself.  With melee reactives on, it will die before you do, unless it's orange.  Or, you can root the mob, and let the pet deal with it.</p><p>Use of the reactives depends on the mob.  If it's a melee mob, put the melee reactive on it.  If it's a caster, put both on it (caster mobs will melee, and you can get procs from both spells.  Melee just don't cast anything).</p><p>We also get to use our pets.  you can look at your pet as an investment, and try to keep him alive using stuns/stifles/dazes to slow mob damage to him as he earns us xp, or you can properly <img src="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/images/smilies/908627bbe5e9f6a080977db8c365caff.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" /> view the pet as xp on the hoof.  when the pet gets low on hp, root the mob, dismiss pet, and kill the mortally wounded former ally.</p><p>As coercers, we do fairly light damage ourselves.  Much as Conj are built around their pet's strengths, and weaknesses, so are we (for soloing.  For groups, we're ok).  Using a charm pet (Ad3 or master charm is a HUGE help here both in damage done, and in longevity) is how we shine solo.</p><p>There are other posts on this forum that go into greater detail on this, and I'm probably a bit disjointed as I'm posting from work, and all the interruptions there.</p>

[Signal9]

<cite>InsaneGuy wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>So you're better off using a melee pet until you get the one that damage when mob casts a spell?</p><p>Or ... would it be a good strategy to root the mob, pound on it with a caster pet and put the damage spell on him when at low HP and let him pound on you to let him finish himself off?</p><p>Sorry maybe there's something I really don't understand in the process but I want to understand <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /></p></blockquote>Remember, our reactives go off when the MOB does something.  When the mob attacks, or when the mob casts.  No point in putting the spell reactive on a melee mob, as they cast nothing.  For casters, you want to use both melee, and spell reactives, as they will cast, then run in to melee.