Returning Player - New Charater

[anamaul]

<p>Hello EQ'ers,</p><p>Long time away (about 4 years) and after having enough of WoW over the last 4 years, getting bored with it and feeling like i'm throwing away money, i decided to take EQ back up with a friend.</p><p>I am an old EQ1 vet and i used to play an Enchanter and a Bard (God i loved the weaving of songs - it was something i was good at and was always welcomed to groups for my knowledge of the class)</p><p>Now.  Before i left i was playing a Necro into her 3rd season amonst a few other lowbies that i was trying out.</p><p>Playing Wow i started with a Priest and then moved on to a Feral Druid and Warlock (for those that are familiar/play the game)</p><p>I used to traditionally favour caster classes (hence the Necro) but i have recently moved towards the melee classes.  I also started a Bruisier, a Dirge and a Brigand. </p><p>As for what kind of class i'd like to see myself playing here are some points to consider in offering my classes to try:</p><p><strong><em>Finesse</em></strong> - Id like something that's not stand there and hit 4 buttons.  Think of my past classes in EQ1 (Bard and Enchanter) My ideal class would be a role that (when played well) will get me on peoples friends list and invited out to kill stuff again and again.</p><p><strong><em>CC and/or Utility</em></strong> - I simply love being the quiet one that can make or break an encounter, keeping everything running smooth.  My main in EQ1 was the Enchanter and the thrill of guiding the encounters made me feel great.  I dont need to be the centre of attention nor the one that tops DPS etc.  I am very much a team-orientated player.</p><p><strong><em>Latency</em></strong> - Please keep in mind that i live in Australia (the backside end of the world) with usually subpar internet connectivity (as considered by most of my American friends)  My latency is usually around 300-500ms which was fine for when i was playing WoW, but considerably slower than my American's 50-150 equivilent. (to my knowledge a swash or similar class may not be too latency-friendly in this kind of choice where position and timing is key)</p><p>and finally;  <strong><em>Universality</em></strong> - A mix of group roles would be super.  A DPS/healer/buff class or a Tank/off tank/debuff class or something of that nature would suit me great.  I would love to play a class that can fill more than one role in a group and one that can retro-actively adapt for different situations as the group needs it or for certain tasks that are asked of me.  Please keep in mind that i would like a class that isn't an outcast or usually overlooked.  I need to play a class that i get invited out in so i can prove to people i am compatent and make a name for myself to get me re-invited later on and/or invited to a guild that'll have me for my playing ability.  No one likes being left out in the cold.  I also realise that different classes will be different supply and demand depending mostly of server as well as level range, just keep your mind open to this fact.</p><p>I am open to people's opinions to either a caster or melee orientated class, and offering me options for both would be great.  I realise that the class that i inevitably pick will be the one i roll, try, test and evaluate on my own, however there are tons of people out there that have played a lot if not all the classes and have valuable knowledge to offer me. </p><p>Proffesion talk here would be appreciated also.  What kinds of skill would synergise with the classes your going to be offering?</p><p>A lot of information? Yes. Asking a bit much? Perhaps.  But when i start a class i usually stick to it and invest a lot of time into them.  I have been vaccinated for that disease a lot of people get "<em>More-toon-itis"</em> so i usually only have one or two characters that i levels at a time - My main thats in for the long haul with aspirations of raiding and a solo-friendly alt for when the grind gets to wear a bit thin or that 12th wipe in a dungeon has put a dampener of your main for a little while.</p><p>My 25 Necro will most probably facilitate that "release" character to take a break on, so on i go with the search for my ultimate main class.</p><p>Thanks for reading my essay and look forward to constructive crit and opinions.</p>

[Gorpier]

<p>I'd say look into a paladin.  They can tank, and from what I understand, are quite good at dps as well.  They can even heal (though there is not a 'healing spec'  for them.  Its just "oh crud"  heals) in a pinch.  Depending on the aa's you take, they've got pretty versitile buffs as well.  At least, that's what I found.  I'm recently returned as well, but it doesn't seem to have changed in the time I've been away.  I also hear that Shadow Knights are both fun and do great tank/dps work, though I have no experience with them.</p>

[anamaul]

<p>Thanks for the reply.</p><p>That one option i wasn't particularly looking into but i will roll one and try it out as soon as my updating has finished (holy crud that's a lot of content i have missed out on- taking forever to update)</p><p>I also thought i might add in that i play on Befallen if that's of any use to people from my server.  It was a "shot in the dark" as to choice so i am open to change servers for one that might better suit a raiding inclined person.  I have no commitments to this particular server for any reason...</p><p>Anyone else to thow some ideas out?  Any opinions of a caster type class as well as melee?</p><p>Keep them comments coming,</p><p>Thanks in Advance.</p>

[Paladin776]

<p>I'll second the Paladin idea, but then again, I'm rather biased.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>On the other hand, of all the characers I've played, when it comes to being heroic, I'd have to say my Illusionist is pretty much tops.  If I'm on the ball, my Illy can take an "Oh, cr*p" moment and turn it around.  One night in Crushbone, our monk overpulled a bit, and the four mobs we got were working us over very good and pretty much wiped the group, except for me and the dirge. I kept the remaining 3 mobs locked down for the about 10 minutes it took for the dirge to rez the warden, the warden to rez the others, and then to get powered back up and back into the fight.  Not bad for someone who had pretty much played only tanks and healers, and had never really had much success with any caster type, let alone one that takes so much concentration to play well.</p>

[Kigneer]

<p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><strong><em>Finesse</em></strong> - Id like something that's not stand there and hit 4 buttons.  Think of my past classes in EQ1 (Bard and Enchanter) My ideal class would be a role that (when played well) will get me on peoples friends list and invited out to kill stuff again and again.</p><p><strong><em>CC and/or Utility</em></strong> - I simply love being the quiet one that can make or break an encounter, keeping everything running smooth.  My main in EQ1 was the Enchanter and the thrill of guiding the encounters made me feel great.  I dont need to be the centre of attention nor the one that tops DPS etc.  I am very much a team-orientated player.</p></blockquote><p>Paladin. Your fingers will get a workout for all the buttons you'll need to be pushing, and when to push them (get used to categorizing them early, as there's AoEs/melee/spells/heals+resurrect/and taunts).</p><p>Paladins rarely get credit for what they do (from the big heal that saved him or the MT as the healer's spells are over-time and not for spikes; to the quiet behind-the-scenes backup they offer). They just do, and often groups wonder why what had worked, and why even with "ideal" players, it didn't run as smoothly.</p>

[Edith]

<p>I'd try an enchanter for a casty type.  They are very popular in groups and raids <em>and </em>can solo effectively.  It would definitely be worth trying one out based on your description of what you are looking for.</p>

[Kahlef]

<p>Hm. From what you are saying one of the enchanter classes fit the bill, in my opinion. Either illusionist or coercer can save a party from total wipe if they are paying attention to what they are doing. Plus they have buffs that other classes love (power regen, increased DPS, etc.)</p><p>Also from what I heard (my coercer is still low level, so can't confirm that) they are a hard class to master. But once you do it you will be very, very powerful.</p>

[anamaul]

<p><cite>Kahlef wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Hm. From what you are saying one of the enchanter classes fit the bill, in my opinion. Either illusionist or coercer can save a party from total wipe if they are paying attention to what they are doing. Plus they have buffs that other classes love (power regen, increased DPS, etc.)</p><p>Also from what I heard (my coercer is still low level, so can't confirm that) they are a hard class to master. But once you do it you will be very, very powerful.</p></blockquote><p>That sounds interesting.  Hard to master seems to be intreguing me quite a bit.</p><p>Whats the main differences between the two sub classes other than opposing factions?  Can you elaborate on it a bit?</p><p>@<span ><strong>Ykiphia1 [</strong></span><strong><span >I'd try an enchanter for a casty type.  They are very popular in groups and raids <em>and </em>can solo effectively.  It would definitely be worth trying one out based on your description of what you are looking for.]</span></strong></p><p>Some solo ability will obviously help witht the grind ahead of me so it'll definetly be one that i'll try and see if i like sooner rather than later, and there are a few people favouring the pally too so that'll have to get a road test so-to-speak as well...</p>

[Paladin776]

<p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Kahlef wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Hm. From what you are saying one of the enchanter classes fit the bill, in my opinion. Either illusionist or coercer can save a party from total wipe if they are paying attention to what they are doing. Plus they have buffs that other classes love (power regen, increased DPS, etc.)</p><p>Also from what I heard (my coercer is still low level, so can't confirm that) they are a hard class to master. But once you do it you will be very, very powerful.</p></blockquote><p>That sounds interesting.  Hard to master seems to be intreguing me quite a bit.</p><p>Whats the main differences between the two sub classes other than opposing factions?  Can you elaborate on it a bit?</p><p>@<span><strong>Ykiphia1 [</strong></span><strong><span>I'd try an enchanter for a casty type.  They are very popular in groups and raids <em>and </em>can solo effectively.  It would definitely be worth trying one out based on your description of what you are looking for.]</span></strong></p><p>Some solo ability will obviously help witht the grind ahead of me so it'll definetly be one that i'll try and see if i like sooner rather than later, and there are a few people favouring the pally too so that'll have to get a road test so-to-speak as well...</p></blockquote><p>If you go the Illusionist route, the number one thing that will help your soloing out is keeping your Persona spell (your pet) at Expert (I think that's the new name for Adept 3) or better, if you possibly can. For the Coercer, the spell you want to pay attention to is your Charm.  To make those cheaper, harvest every node you can find, keeping the rare soft metal for your spell upgrades. What I've generally done is the first soft metal rare I get goes to the appropriate tier pet spell for my Illy.  If you craft and are a Sage, you can make it yourself.  If not, you could probably find an accomodating player to craft it for you.</p>

[anamaul]

<p>I just read through the Coercer and Illusionist forums and have ead othing good about finding groups for raids with either class.  More and more encounters after the Old World are becoming CC immune, has SoE lost the plot?  It's not helping me decide on a class to play with a lot of negativity about the roles.  I agree with most peoples post right across the forums that mention that people should play what they enjoy or words to that effect, but what is there to enjoy when your left sitting on the seat? Not to mention after such a long haul and gear grind...</p><p>I have read that SK's are the flavour atm as they are quite OP as things stand (which can and probably change in some near future update) combined with people suggesting Paladins, perhaps a crusader character would be a better choice int he long run?</p><p>Having a low level Necromancer i naturally went over to that class forum and had a read around and i read much of the same deal.  A lot of it is subjective but a general bias that SK's are a better long term choice over Necro's. </p><p>I played a Bard in EQ mainly because of the complexity of twisting songs and the HUGELY variable role i could play.  I read up about Dirges and Troub's on their forums and found just about every man and his dog would rather roll a Dirge then the other and with a fix coming soon (i didnt check the post dates maybe it's already been and gone) to the so-called "aggro problems" they (meaning the Troubs) will be even less desired...</p><p>Is it just me or is there a lot of hating being preached and little playing and enjoying the classes?</p><p>Can someone list me what their "usual" (i use that term loosley btw) group class composision is?</p><p>Making my mind up over what class to pick (short of picking something fun purely to play with the friend i've introduced to the game and duo with him) is made more and more difficult...</p><p>/end rant</p><p>Any more comments? I am learning a lot from all your input and the forums in general, lots of reading while my game finishes updating....</p><p>(edited for clarity)</p>

[Saihung23]

<p>A DPS/healer/buff class or tank/off tank/debuff class.</p><p>Tough bill.  The first one I will ignore for now.</p><p>The second...I would suggest either a Brigand or Swashie. Both are not just your click target and spam powers type classes.  There will be a learning curve if you haven't played regularly with char's that use back attacks and stuns.</p><p>They have good dubuffs and good utility.  They offer more than just DPS.  Stealth, Evacuate, and tracking are underestimated out of game.  In game they are great to have and can increase the amount you get done in a gaming session by negating the need to hunt for NPC's, run around aggro mobs, and evac'ing when needed for fights or ease of travel.</p><p>Add in poisons and you have yourself a well rounded set of classes.  They can both be pseudotanks.</p><p>For the first one...DPS/Healer/Buff....the only one I can think of is a fury or maybe a mystic...neither of which I have much experience in.</p><p>If I were to suggest my favorite...it would be a ranger...but that doesn't suit what you are looking for really.</p><p>Good Luck :)</p><p>***Edited***  One thing I have to say really...is that there is no way to get a true feel for any class until around level 25+.</p><p>You really start to get the first class defining skills in the mid to late 20's.  Rangers for example...if you play a ranger to level 20, you may not believe they get enough ranged skills, but by the late 20's you really start to feel like a ranger and not a "scout" or "predator".</p>

[Gamer1965]

You may also want to check out the class forums on the EQ2Flames (dot) com website (we can't officially link the site here)... To help 'round out' your info on the classes. The information on that site is much more raid oriented, but should provide another avenue that you can use...

[Edith]

<p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I just read through the Coercer and Illusionist forums and have ead othing good about finding groups for raids with either class.  More and more encounters after the Old World are becoming CC immune, has SoE lost the plot?  It's not helping me decide on a class to play with a lot of negativity about the roles.  I agree with most peoples post right across the forums that mention that people should play what they enjoy or words to that effect, but what is there to enjoy when your left sitting on the seat? Not to mention after such a long haul and gear grind... </p><p>Is it just me or is there a lot of hating being preached and little playing and enjoying the classes?</p><p>Can someone list me what their "usual" (i use that term loosley btw) group class composision is?</p><p>Making my mind up over what class to pick (short of picking something fun purely to play with the friend i've introduced to the game and duo with him) is made more and more difficult...</p><p>/end rant</p><p>Any more comments? I am learning a lot from all your input and the forums in general, lots of reading while my game finishes updating....</p></blockquote><p>Forums should definitely be taken with a grain of salt.  Rarely, do people post to say how much they love a class, instead they bring their complaints.  Enchanters griping about not finding groups and raids is just silly.  Level chat is regularly spammed with folks looking for 'chanters, bards, and healers.  They are necessary for successful raids and great for groups.</p><p>Now there are some classes that are often left out of raids.  Summoners, brawlers, and furies have a tough time finding spots.  There are some exceptional players who hold their own, but they are the exception.  Provided you don't roll one of those classes, a good player ought to be able to find groups and in time, raids. </p><p>Keep in mind that not only does each class have its pros and cons, but those change over time with tweaks to classes and expansions.  I recommend that you try a couple out and see which has a feel you like and then go to town.</p>

[Bakual]

<p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I just read through the Coercer and Illusionist forums and have ead othing good about finding groups for raids with either class.  More and more encounters after the Old World are becoming CC immune, has SoE lost the plot?  It's not helping me decide on a class to play with a lot of negativity about the roles.  I agree with most peoples post right across the forums that mention that people should play what they enjoy or words to that effect, but what is there to enjoy when your left sitting on the seat? Not to mention after such a long haul and gear grind...</p></blockquote><p>Hehe, number 1 rule in MMORPGs: Don't believe the forums. Enchanters and Bards are currently probably the most wanted classes in raids. That may (hopefully) change soon but at the moment it is. Every group in a raid likes to have one of each. They bring very much to a group as well. Manaregen and damageprocs help a lot. The CC isn't that important in this game, it was much more important back in EQ1. So the CC immune thing of some (by far not all!) mobs isn't that big of a deal. It's mostly because some enchanters went and soloed some TSO group zones (which were not the easy ones), meaning the charm/mezz could trivialize a whole zone. It made them overpowered and it was fixed, and now they still complain about it <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Btw: Enchanters still ARE overpowered. A well played enchanter can lead a DPS parse without big problems and still offer a lot of utility to the group. Coercers also got one of the best Mythical Epic out there. And still they complain... Go figure <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>So I doubt you will not find a group as an enchanter <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>What you need to know about enchanters is that they are very fast casters, many spells with short casttimes and small damage applied. So you're pressing buttons very fast. Since you enjoyed a bard in EQ1 that probably fits you <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Bards are a bit different in EQ2 than they were in EQ1. So there's no song weaving here, but you still have to choose if you want to play the mana song or the agro buff. I believe it's restricted by the 5 concentration slots you have how many songs you can "play". But you still can chat while playing all the songs, which is a great improvement over EQ1 <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[anamaul]

<p><cite>Dylara@Crushbone wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>If you go the Illusionist route, the number one thing that will help your soloing out is keeping your Persona spell (your pet) at Expert (I think that's the new name for Adept 3) or better, if you possibly can. For the Coercer, the spell you want to pay attention to is your Charm.  To make those cheaper, harvest every node you can find, keeping the rare soft metal for your spell upgrades. What I've generally done is the first soft metal rare I get goes to the appropriate tier pet spell for my Illy.  If you craft and are a Sage, you can make it yourself.  If not, you could probably find an accomodating player to craft it for you.</p></blockquote><p>This is a class i am at the very least going to make and level to the 30's-ish to get a feel for the class before i decide if i want to keep at it, but what are the differences between the two enchanters?  I have read the class description (which mind you is so loose and vague that it's rather useless) and some of the forums but i dont fully understand how they differ other than faction.  Could someone elaborate for me?  Charms vs Persona ? Playstyle differences? etc...</p><p>It would clarify a lot of things for me, cheers.</p>

[Bakual]

<p>I don't play enchanters myself but generally speaking: the two subclasses (here: coercer and illusionist) that connect to the same class (here: enchanter) are very similar. The difference usually are minor. To give you an idea: For bards it would be that a dirge is more focussed on melee buffs and a troubadour more on caster buffs. For summoners the difference is mainly that conjurors are better at AE damage (and have the stronger tankpet) and necromancers are better at single target damage (and have better survivality).</p><p>The main difference will be which kind of pet they use, one is charmed (and can break, but is stronger) and one is an exact copy of the illu.</p><p>You also can switch between the subclasses by doing a lengthy quest. If you don't like one subclass you could switch at any point later on if you like.</p>

[Gamer1965]

<p>Here is a general snippet about the differences between Illy and Coercer, PRE-Mythical...</p><p><span style="color: #ffcc00;">Both classes use stun, daze, stifle, root, and mez with minor differences.  Coercer's will have up to 4 stuns (the 4th stun is a combo daze/stifle) vs. the Illy's 3, while the Illy will have 1 more mez (but that can be cast while moving).  Overall, crowd control is relatively even.   Main issue is that there are quite a few pugs, guild groups, those familiar with chanters, etc. that like to move through low-mid-high level content relatively quickly, so most time both chanters will STUN more than mez as the mezzes prevent most AE dps, so killing slows down with mezzing.  Mez is usually used in most cases to lockdown adds.  </span></p><p><span style="color: #ffcc00;">Power feeding - Coercer generally has an advantage overall as there is a whole AA tree dedicated to just that <img src="../images/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" /></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffcc00;">End-game, things get a little more dicey for Coercer as usually there is mainly 1 to a raid (stuck in MT group), whereas there will be more Illusionists who are able to go in most other groups.   Obviously, smaller, more casual raiding guilds may not min/max as much as the more dedicated guilds, so ymmv...  <img src="../images/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" /></span></p>

[anamaul]

<p><cite>Mindor@Permafrost wrote:</cite></p><blockquote>You may also want to check out the class forums on the EQ2Flames (dot) com website (we can't officially link the site here)... To help 'round out' your info on the classes. The information on that site is much more raid oriented, but should provide another avenue that you can use...</blockquote><p>I posted a copy of this thread starting post on that website and thus far not so many people interested in commenting over the 18 views it's had.  I'll give it a few more days and see if anyone has replied to my thread.</p><p>I have however gone throught the class forums and done more reading there and have found that there is a lot of conflicting information with this forum... Much of that i will put down to each persons individual experiences across different servers as well as, perhaps, a different style of community.</p><p>There seems to be more people mentioning that over all the more asked for classes when forming pugs ingame seems to be calling for Bards, Enchanters, plate Tanks and Healers.  From a MMO point of view that seems to be a similar fact across most of the different games as DPS can be filled over a lot more classes than utility, healing of tanking which tend to be slightly more refined roles.</p><p>So far i have made a short list of classes that have some interest to  me as the follows:</p><p>Echanters - Swaying towards the Coercer mostly due to the fact i used to charm kite on my Bard in EQ and remember the fun of breaks and in some cases deaths, so that fact i am already happy to accept.</p><p>Bards - Still deciding on which to choose and t very well may come down to leveling both and seeing the difference of perhaps leveling one and betraying at some point...</p><p>Crusaders - I hear a lot about Shadowknights and less about Paladins albiet there is also take about heftier cost involved with SK's since they are dime a dozen and naturally the economy will reflect that when it comes to gear and spells.</p><p>or;</p><p>Healer - Templar or warden for a healing character.  Yes this choice is kind of outside the requirements for the class i was asking about but in any MMO that i have played over the years, there is yet one that i am to find that would not accept a compatent healer in their group and my first main in WoW was a healing Priest.  The role isn't new to me and it's still a viable option for me as a character that i would enjoy to raid with.</p><p>More reading and bit more testing would probably help me decide what toon to play, but i have an awful long list to test out if that was my method of eliminating classes to find the one i want to play.</p><p>As i mentioned at the first post, i usually pick one class that i invest just about all of my time and effort so i want to be sure it's one that i'll be likely to stick with for the long haul and beyond into raiding.</p>

[Edith]

<p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>So far i have made a short list of classes that have some interest to  me as the follows:</p><p>Echanters - Swaying towards the Coercer mostly due to the fact i used to charm kite on my Bard in EQ and remember the fun of breaks and in some cases deaths, so that fact i am already happy to accept.</p><p><span style="color: #99cc00;">I had great fun duoing my defiler with my husband's coercer;  finding a good pet, sweating, and swearing, trying to survive the charm breaks, etc.  It really sounds as if you'd have a good time leveling up a coercer.  One caveat, however, the play-style is not as dynamic in raids as in solo or group play.  I suppose that could be said of any class, though, as roles are more narrowly defined in a raid. </span></p><p>Bards - Still deciding on which to choose and t very well may come down to leveling both and seeing the difference of perhaps leveling one and betraying at some point...</p><p>Crusaders - I hear a lot about Shadowknights and less about Paladins albiet there is also take about heftier cost involved with SK's since they are dime a dozen and naturally the economy will reflect that when it comes to gear and spells.</p><p>or;</p><p>Healer - Templar or warden for a healing character.  Yes this choice is kind of outside the requirements for the class i was asking about but in any MMO that i have played over the years, there is yet one that i am to find that would not accept a compatent healer in their group and my first main in WoW was a healing Priest.  The role isn't new to me and it's still a viable option for me as a character that i would enjoy to raid with.</p><p><span style="color: #99cc00;">Wardens are more versatile but templars are in far higher demand in raids.  I am a bit biased when it comes to healers, though, as I have a mystic, inquisitor, templar and defiler but no druids whatsoever.  Personally, I can't get in to them but they are heavily played classes.</span></p><p>More reading and bit more testing would probably help me decide what toon to play, but i have an awful long list to test out if that was my method of eliminating classes to find the one i want to play.</p><p>As i mentioned at the first post, i usually pick one class that i invest just about all of my time and effort so i want to be sure it's one that i'll be likely to stick with for the long haul and beyond into raiding.</p></blockquote>

[anamaul]

<p><cite>Ykiphia1 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Healer - Templar or warden for a healing character.  Yes this choice is kind of outside the requirements for the class i was asking about but in any MMO that i have played over the years, there is yet one that i am to find that would not accept a compatent healer in their group and my first main in WoW was a healing Priest.  The role isn't new to me and it's still a viable option for me as a character that i would enjoy to raid with.</p><p><span style="color: #99cc00;">Wardens are more versatile but templars are in far higher demand in raids.  I am a bit biased when it comes to healers, though, as I have a mystic, inquisitor, templar and defiler but no druids whatsoever.  Personally, I can't get in to them but they are heavily played classes.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">How do Shamans fair as healers compared to druids and clerics?  To my knowledge thet cast the equivilent to runes from EQ1? they put absorbing "shields" on players to prevent incomming damage rather than heal lost damage?  If i was to roll a healing character what i would be looking for is something that buffs and or debuffs not just healing.  I like being versatile, or at least as versitile as the class allows...</span></p></blockquote></blockquote>

[Edith]

<p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">How do Shamans fair as healers compared to druids and clerics?  To my knowledge thet cast the equivilent to runes from EQ1? they put absorbing "shields" on players to prevent incomming damage rather than heal lost damage?  If i was to roll a healing character what i would be looking for is something that buffs and or debuffs not just healing.  I like being versatile, or at least as versitile as the class allows...</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p>Shaman are excellent healers.  I did not play EQ1, but wards do indeed act as protective barriers that absorb damage.  I have seen reference to a number of differences between EQ1 and EQ2 healers so I would caution against making too many assumptions of parallels lest you become one of those templars who periodically posts regarding their disappointment that they are not true healers as they were in EQ1. </p><p>As far as buffs and debuffs go both cleric's and shaman have a passel full, with the shaman having a few more debuffs.  Both have important hit point buffs which are largely responsible for their raid desirability over druids, though for group content all of the healers are quite capable and druids can be situationally superior due to their ability to quickly top up health.</p><p>Personally, I especially enjoy the "battlepriest" route that is possible for inquisitors, mystics, and wardens.  It allows you to convert damage spells to combat arts, which, along with selections for 100% crit, double attack and the like, make solo and small group play a blast.  Furthermore, there is a special mirror of reflected achievements that can be used to store an AA profile for when you need to function in a straight healing capacity.  I find the versatility of play-styles this allows to be loads of fun <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Elding]

<p><cite>Kigneer wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>anamaul wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><strong><em>Finesse</em></strong> - Id like something that's not stand there and hit 4 buttons.  Think of my past classes in EQ1 (Bard and Enchanter) My ideal class would be a role that (when played well) will get me on peoples friends list and invited out to kill stuff again and again.</p><p><strong><em>CC and/or Utility</em></strong> - I simply love being the quiet one that can make or break an encounter, keeping everything running smooth.  My main in EQ1 was the Enchanter and the thrill of guiding the encounters made me feel great.  I dont need to be the centre of attention nor the one that tops DPS etc.  I am very much a team-orientated player.</p></blockquote><p>Paladin. Your fingers will get a workout for all the buttons you'll need to be pushing, and when to push them (get used to categorizing them early, as there's AoEs/melee/spells/heals+resurrect/and taunts).</p><p>Paladins rarely get credit for what they do (from the big heal that saved him or the MT as the healer's spells are over-time and not for spikes; to the quiet behind-the-scenes backup they offer). They just do, and often groups wonder why what had worked, and why even with "ideal" players, it didn't run as smoothly.</p></blockquote><p>I would say the same goes for an SK. Having been a pali that betrayed to SK for my guild, the buffs and debuffs that an SK brings to the RAID, and Group are easily overlooked. But the extra 5% dps/spell damage can make a world of difference. As an off-tank the SK is very versatile, being able to do reasonable DPS, but meaningfully assist the MT or even take over when MT is down.</p>

[Loogi]

<p>First of all, welcome back. I have both an 80 Necro and a just recently leveled 80 coercer. After my coercer hit 80, my necro has been more or less shelved minus harvesting and gathering shinies. Being a coercer, generally I have no problems finding a group when not running with guildies. I even get the occansional tell from someone, hey wanna go here? and not have a clue who they are. They can be a bit of a pain to level at times but like most other classes here, get better with age.</p><p>If you stick on befallen, look me up and we can talk more.</p>

[anamaul]

<p><cite>Loogi@Befallen wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>First of all, welcome back. I have both an 80 Necro and a just recently leveled 80 coercer. After my coercer hit 80, my necro has been more or less shelved minus harvesting and gathering shinies. Being a coercer, generally I have no problems finding a group when not running with guildies. I even get the occansional tell from someone, hey wanna go here? and not have a clue who they are. They can be a bit of a pain to level at times but like most other classes here, get better with age.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Well that's always a nice thing.  I understand that most if not all classes dont really start to shine until at least level 20 when their sub class spells become available and you can begin to start getting a feel for the class.  I would also imagine that with the charm line of spells breaking at random times the class would be a challenge (keeping aware and on your toes) until your higher level spell where the charm is an illusion of the target (permanent/until it dies?)</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Correct me if i'm wrong</span></p><p>If you stick on befallen, look me up and we can talk more.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">Absolutely.  I was still deciding what server to pick to play on as i have no characters that i'm commited to as of yet.  I would imagine a higher populated server would yield more grouping/raiding options but with a stronger, and often high, economy.  Catch 22 i guess.  But for now i have some old friends on Befallen that i will catch up with and will definetly take that offer up if your keen on helping.</span></p></blockquote>

[Loogi]

<p>At 65 we get "possess essence" and for me, that replaced charm. No worries about pets breaking in fight and PE last till you die, the pet dies, or you zone out. I found for me that the coercer really took off in the late 20s early 30s, but that is my own opinion and your results may vary.</p><p>The guild I am in is very helpful, and there is a good mix of old/new players with 1 main, and some alts to everything in between. My offer is open to you.</p><p>Edit: Spelling</p>

[anamaul]

<p><cite>Loogi@Befallen wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>At 65 we get "possess essence" and for me, that replaced charm. No worries about pets breaking in fight and PE last till you die, the pet dies, or you zone out. I found for me that the coercer really took off in the late 20s early 30s, but that is my own opinion and your results may vary.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">From what i have read on the forums it looks to be a promising class for me.  I am also considering a SK as a solo/duo toon to play witha friend that i have introduced to the game.  My game should be all patched up when i get home tonight, so i will login and look for Loogi and hit you up.</span></p><p>The guild I am in is very helpful, and there is a good mix of old/new players with 1 main, and some alts to everything in between. My offer is open to you.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000;">I appreciate the offer.  In some games it hard to find good help, or bad help for that matter.  Great to see others still have interest in sharing their knowledge.</span></p></blockquote>

[Loogi]

<p>I do my best to help. I would not call my knowledge great. There are players on the forums and in game that make me look very newbish. Hit me up with a tell over the weekend while the bonus is on and we can go from there.</p>

[anamaul]

<p>Loogi has been really helpful.  Is there anyone else on Befallen that i could join ingame to help with both information about dungeons and tradeskills?</p><p>All help and comments are really appriciated.</p><p>Anamaul</p>