New 80 Mystic with Oh, So Many Questions [Archive]

View Full Version : New 80 Mystic with Oh, So Many Questions

Quezovercoatl

05-18-2009, 08:51 PM

Hi all,I came back to EQ2 a couple months ago and decided to start a Mystic. I have always admired the shaman class in EQ1 and wanted to play around with it in this game. Around level 30 or so, I dug in to the forums here and found some information that made me respec to a Melee build and I have really enjoyed it ever since.About a week ago, I hit 80. As I was levelling 70+ I started hanging on to healing gear that I came across. Now I have a pretty rudimentary set assembled, and still haven't used it. I recently got a Mirror of Reflected Achievements put together and now I have the prime opportunity to learn the healing side of this class. I am in a small guild (4 or 5 of us, and I am the 2nd to 80) and don't really plan on raiding but I would like to see some of the dungeons.Now, I played a Cleric in EQ1 for about 5 years so I do have some history of healing. I also know that, back then at least, we held the concept of a "combat cleric" in extrememly low regard. Maybe times have changed. Maybe Mystic DPS is good enough to take up a DPS / Off-heal position in a normal group. Maybe these dungeons don't actually require an ideal group to win. Either way, I would like to learn more about healing.Phew! That was a long introduction.To the meat of the issue: Where can I go to have questions answered without pestering a bunch of people on these forums? Is there a dedicated Mystic website out there anywhere that I simply can't find? These forums are OK, but searching through all the dross is time consuming and painful. Then, too, a lot of the information can potentially be severly out-of-date and I wouldn't even know it, not having a full patch history in my head.I need to know healing-based things like what kind of builds people prefer, what kind of stats do they stack on their gear (+crit? +healing? +reuse? how much of these?) Do they use 1H + Shield? 2H? Why do I keep seeing cloth armor with Strength and +Defense on it?OK, I don't really need to know that last one, but I do wonder sometimes...Anyway, sorry for the long-windedness. Any help would be appreciated.(Kohan, Oasis Server, 80 Mystic, 53 Armorer, 139 AA and climbing fast)

Greggthegrmreapr

05-19-2009, 02:20 AM

First thing you need to know. EQ2 shaman are not EQ1 Shaman. The sooner you get that, the easier it will be for you.Now the question is, do you want to be primarly a DPS class, or healing class, cause there are AA setups and gear setups you can get for each. You can do both, but it is costly, and time consuming. I was a melee spec mystic back when it first came about, and it was fun but you lose a lot of your healing potential. I went defiler for a few years when my guild exiled (I play on PvP) and then came back mystic for a short time before going back to defiler again. Aside from these forums there is <a href="http://www.eq2flames.com">www.eq2flames.com</a> lots of class info on the forums there, if you can swim through all the BS. No real shaman sites that I am aware of besides eq2 wiki.I know many of us that cruise these forums are willing to help. I know I get PM's sometimes asking for advise on PvP and melee speccing (not nearly as much as I used to.)

Lemilla

05-19-2009, 04:39 AM

To get answers to your questions without too much pestering, there are 2 good places to ask. One is right here, and the other is in the worldwide mystic channel, permafrost.allmystics.For a healing mystic, what you want most of your gear is, in order of importance:Base Heal amount, anything you can get your hands on (shoulders from the TSO viod shard set)+Heal, up to around 800 to 1100, depending on your base heal amount and spell qualityHeal CritBenevolent Alacrity and Benevolent RecoveryManawell (2 items with that will pretty much give you all the power you need)WisdomOf course, mitigation, resists, health and power are usefull.As for weapons, you want to get your rattle (<a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Cudgel_of_Obviation_(Fabled)" target="_blank">http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Cudgel_of...iation_(Fabled)</a>), and a decent shield or symbol in your secondary slot.As for being a battlepriest. If you're doing content that is very easy, or when you're in a group with another healer, you can do it. Mystics don't get much that really helps with healing from their AA, so you healing won't really suffer from running around in a DPS spec. The difference is really in your equipment, and if you use your offense or healing stance (final abilities from the shadow AA tree).Most common AA choices for mystics:Strenght + Wisdom, with Agility for the Heal Crit (all healing)Strenght + Agility, with Stamina for the double attack (all dps)But as long as you stay away from the Int line you'll be fine.In the mystic tree, most mystics take the buffs they find usefull from the buffs line, including ancestry, and the combat arts. With leftover points, they either go for the Rez line, or the Cure line.

Banditman

05-19-2009, 01:12 PM

Without really getting into specifics, here are some general observations about different AA lines. I'm trying to keep my personal feelings out and just give you the general idea here.Shaman TreeStrength Line: Generally considered a "healing" line. In some situations, Aura of Warding and Spiritual Foresight can be very valuable. In groups, this line may be somewhat less valuable since that type of content generally doesn't feature a lot of damage dealt to the entire group.Agility Line: Multi-purpose line. It contains a lot of our DPS gains, but it also contains a not unimportant boost to our heal crit as well. It's very hard to go wrong taking this line. If you are super hard pressed for AA it may be beneficial to use a mirror and either fully spec this line (for DPS) or partially spec it (for healing).Stamina Line: This is one of the lines that Mystics often disagree over. The Double Attack gains here are very nice for DPS. Some people like the full spec on this line for the cure benefits, others do not. It's really a question of situation.Wisdom Line: Another somewhat contentious line. The second ability, Ritual, is not as valuable as it might initially appear, since it only applies to health replenishment spells. Ritual of Alacrity is a very nice ability, nearly on par with the Troubador ability Jester's Cap.Intelligence Line: This is a casters line, and for Mystics, not super valuable. We don't do a lot of DPS with spells. However, some PvP Mystics will take this line just for Scourge, which apparently can be rather brutal in that particular playstyle.Mystic TreeCombat Arts: This is pretty much the bread and butter of our ability to deal damage. If you are looking for DPS, look no further. Take all of these to 5 and grab the end ability. If you are hard pressed for AA's, this is a good place to cut out for a "healing" spec. (use a mirror!)Augmentations: There are a LOT of nice things in this line, and a few clunkers. Generally, you simply choose what works with your particular style. Get Ancestry. For real.Immunities: This line has fallen into disfavor over the course of time and changes to it. Currently, the Wards only happen if something is cured, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of a Ward. It's not a super strong choice, unfortunately . . .Resurrections: This line isn't a great choice either. There really isn't much choosing between this tree and Immunities. It's just a place to blow your last AA's.Shadow TreeGeneral: Pretty much a "general" tree. Duh. Take what you like. It isn't gonna affect you much.Priest: A nice mix of DPS and Healing here. Litany of Combat is awful handy for DPS, though it is suspended while your healing stance is active. The boosts to your minor heal and mitigation buff are very nice for healing. Supplication of the Fallen is actually a pretty good group rez, and only costs one point.Shaman: This is largely a "healing" line. Ethereal Weaponry is really the only major DPS choice here for Mystics. All of the healing and buffing abilities are valuable. Choose well. Ancient Pedigree is a fairly dubious proposition.Mystic: A lot of choices here, but largely a healing line. Infusion of Spirit serves to largely negate the HP buffing differences between Mystics and Defilers. Spiritual Salvation is super valuable for helping with one of our major weak areas, group healing. The Healing Stance (Ritual of Protection) is incredibly nice.

Quezovercoatl

05-19-2009, 02:31 PM

Thanks for the replies, folks. This has given me some good information to chew on for a while. I can't wait to get home and evaluate my healing gear and buy some new pieces. I also appreciate the knowledge that a Melee Mystic is a possible viable option for a pick-up group in a dungeon. While I was aware the difference between EQ1 and EQ2 is vast, I was still leery of offering my services as such due to past knowledge of the combat-specced healer class.At 139AA, I still have half of Kunark to consume as well as all of Shadow Odyssey, so I don't think I will have any problem hitting the "high AA" mark in the near future. I was pretty comfortable with the melee trees, but my knowledge on the healing side of things was severely lacking. Thanks for all the help.Are there any interface mods you find useful / necessary? All I run with right now is a map mod. Also, is there a good place to go to parse combat log data to evaluate my performance or do I pretty much need to write a parser myself?(And please, Banditman, feel free to express your personal opinion on this too. Generalization is a good foundation, but experience fills in the cracks.)

Quezovercoatl

05-19-2009, 04:50 PM

Scratch the question about Parsers. I just discovered Advanced Combat Tracker instead of doing the work I am supposed to be doing.

Banditman

05-19-2009, 06:09 PM

ProfitUI is pretty much the gold standard for UI mods. I know there are others out there, but I haven't used them. Profit seems to provide everything I need and presents it in a very clean and useable fashion. The biggest advantage, from my perspective, is that Profit provides "Click to cure".Basically, you can continue to target the tank, and heal, but with click to cure, you can cure other members of your group (or raid!). Very handy.It also provides hot buttons (also for group or raid) that allow you to heal, ward and bolster without changing targets. If you're really, really determined, you can even create your own hot buttons on the UI.The thing about putting personal preference into it is that you introduce a lot of situational dynamics that aren't always valuable to someone still forming a playstyle.For instance, to me, the Cure AA's (STA) in the Shaman tree are [Removed for Content]' useless. I know Mystics who swear by them. The key is situation.My typical situation is filling in for our Defiler in the MT group. Our Warden is the primary source of cures for our MT group. In that situation, it's a complete waste of AA for me to dig down for that bonus. If I were in the OT group, it might be different. If I were in the Scout group as the only healer, it would definitely be different. If I were only doing group zones, again, different.You're right, it's experience that makes the difference. Yours. How you play, your typical situation, etc. Not mine. While I can joust ideas with someone in my situation, it's much tougher when the situations aren't matched.

Thunderthyze

05-28-2009, 05:20 PM

You got to 80 before you started asking questions? <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/385970365b8ed7503b4294502a458efa.gif" border="0" />

Banditman

05-29-2009, 10:28 AM

I dunno, I've managed to level up plenty of characters without really asking many questions. Personally, I like to do it that way so that I have my own experiences with the class, and not the experiences someone else thinks I should have.Certainly, if someone asks a question, I'll help, but I think that experience is often a better teacher than the typed word.