Skill Enhancement and Development

[akshtray]

i had a couple of questions regarding guardian skills. I am fairly new to playing tanking classes so please bear with me. While I am still lvl 18 I have noticed that few of my skills have already started to grey out. I have upgraded all my available spells to App. 2 from the local trainer. I was reading this article at the official site: http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=3&message.id=3799 which gives a general idea on the Skills I would want to use as a group oriented Guardian at high levels. However, for now I am just going to try and get most of my skills to App. 4 through my fellow guild members (sages). Also, can anyone give me advice on how to work with skills in your shortcut bars. Even at lvl 18 I have a huge number of skills arranged over 3-4 shortcut bars that I use in battle. As I keep getting more and more skills should I start weeding out my older skills from my bars? It seems like some skills like Taunt/Shout may be irreplacable but how does one decide which skills need to go from the bar? Thanks. Habeas <div></div>

[Oakwood]

<P>As you level, you will get upgrades to previous skills.  For example, you will get Anger which replaces Taunt at level 17.6, Shouting Cry replaces Shout at level 22.6, Forced Swing replaces Wild Swing at 15.6 and so forth.  They share the same timer, and you can only use one or the other.  When you get the upgrade skill, you can safely pull the old skill off of your hotbar.</P> <P>This thread has a list of skills, levels and what upgrades to what:  <A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=3&message.id=4789&jump=true" target=_blank>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=3&message.id=4789&jump=true</A>.  You probably want to click Thread Options on the top left, and select Float to Top so it is always easy to find.</P> <P>Some skills never get upgraded, and you will use them for life, even if they have been grey for 30 levels.  Hold the Line is the best example of this.  You get it at 15, and will still use it at 50.  It has no upgrade skill, so try to get it to adept III.  This thread has good suggestions for what should be upgraded to adept III, and what can be left as app IV:  <A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=3&message.id=4789&jump=true" target=_blank>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=3&message.id=4789&jump=true</A>.  Again, you will probably want to float this to make it easy to find.</P> <P>At level 27 I have 2 1/2 hotbars used, with seperate sets for the first bar, for soloing or grouping (All my taunts with whatever dps fits on the group set , all my dps stuff and the level 3 Taunt for HOs on the solo set).  Second and third bar are HO starter, ranged attack button, inc button, short duration buffs, and odd other bits like master rages, sentinal, etc.</P> <P>Remember, you can use skills straight out of your book.  Put Call of Overlord/Qeynos, soldiers stance, intervene etc on the first page of your book.  You don't need to hit them often, and rarely in combat.  Just open the book and click them when needed.</P>

[Banditman]

Nice tip about using the super low level Taunt when doing solo HO's.  I should have known that, I do it on my Mystic, but for some reason my brain was just hardwired.  Thanks.