I've got a brand new Guardian alt, and a few basic questions

[Nolomite]

<DIV>I normally solo or duo, but I had a blast in a pickup group last weekend & would like to do more. I figure that making a Guardian will get me some positive attention among the LFG set, and it fits my personality. But 99% of what I know about Guardians is via their reputation, so I figure I should skip over that and seek some truths here.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Questions:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are Guardians viable soloers at all? I intend to play in groups, but I've got to level him by soloing at least to some extent.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What class your favorite duo partner? More than anything else I run duo with a friend, and I'll need to pair the Guardian up with one of his chars.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Should I expect people to be polite to me, or should I expect them to be dismissive of the tank role? (I don't have much experience in p/u groups)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Is it my proper place to be the group leader/rule maker for the groups - as in 'you do this and not that'? I see this as part of the Guardian role, but I am curious about whether my opinion is in the majority or the minority. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Prior to level 35 (or so) are there any particular CA's that I'll need to raise beyond Adept I ?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I went with Queynos/Human - any trouble with that? Is there something I'm missing out on with some other choices? I'm still on the Island so starting over isn't a big deal. I wouldn't mind re-rolling and picking a more creative name....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'll hold onto the rest of my questions for now - thanks in advance for sharing!</DIV>

[Berek_IronAxe]

<FONT color=#3333cc></FONT><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Nolomite wrote:<BR> <DIV>I normally solo or duo, but I had a blast in a pickup group last weekend & would like to do more. I figure that making a Guardian will get me some positive attention among the LFG set, and it fits my personality. But 99% of what I know about Guardians is via their reputation, so I figure I should skip over that and seek some truths here.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Questions:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are Guardians viable soloers at all? I intend to play in groups, but I've got to level him by soloing at least to some extent.</DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#333399></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#333399>Guardians can solo but it is slow.  We do not have the DPS of a Zerker or other Fighter classes.  We are mainly a Defensive Shield for the group. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What class your favorite duo partner? More than anything else I run duo with a friend, and I'll need to pair the Guardian up with one of his chars.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#3333cc>A good DPS Healer(Fury -my favorite) is always the best duo partner but to get the biggest bang for the buck - a Trio:  Healer (I prefer Templar/InQ or Fury) and some DPS of your choice - I like them all.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Should I expect people to be polite to me, or should I expect them to be dismissive of the tank role? (I don't have much experience in p/u groups)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#3333cc>I never know people to be anything toward the toon - if the person driving the Toon is a greedy Jerk then yes they get grumpy and get ready to be booted.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Is it my proper place to be the group leader/rule maker for the groups - as in 'you do this and not that'? I see this as part of the Guardian role, but I am curious about whether my opinion is in the majority or the minority.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#3333ff>Usually the most knowledgable in the Grp is the leader.  But I personally default to the tank if I am running one of my Alts unless of course he/she is a complete idiot, if that is the case I will give them time to pull there head out, give some suggestions, before I leave the grp.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Prior to level 35 (or so) are there any particular CA's that I'll need to raise beyond Adept I ?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#3333cc>The most important thing in any Teir -Taunts.  A Guardian's Grp lives and dies by his/her ability to control Aggro.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I went with Queynos/Human - any trouble with that? Is there something I'm missing out on with some other choices? I'm still on the Island so starting over isn't a big deal. I wouldn't mind re-rolling and picking a more creative name....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#3333cc>Race does not matter.  You will find some races are better suited for Fighter classes early on but in the end it just doesnt matter.  Gear will make up the difference.  In the case of a Human - well rounded so you should have no problems in the earlier levels.  Play what you like.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#3333cc></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>I'll hold onto the rest of my questions for now - thanks in advance for sharing!</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>Welcome to the Brotherhood.  See you on the Battlefield.

[Nolomite]

<P>Terrific responses Berek - thank you.</P> <P>For soloing, I'm anticipating that she'll resemble my Defiler - Defiler's wards/heals make them REALLY hard to kill, but conversely they take their own sweet time to kill things. I grabbed her Master Is of the couple of damage spells she's got, just to help level, and I'll probably sink the GP into a couple of Guardian attack spells for the same reason. That's in addition to the taunts, rather than instead of the taunts.</P> <P>I'm an extremely polite group-player, so as long as that's returned to me in some small fashion I'm happy. I just don't want to be treated like a schmuck by the DPS crowd, like some of them do with healers. Sounds like it won't be a problem. </P> <P>Thanks again!</P> <P> </P>

[mochl]

<div><blockquote><hr>Nolomite wrote:<div>Questions:</div> <div> </div> <div>Are Guardians viable soloers at all? I intend to play in groups, but I've got to level him by soloing at least to some extent.<font color="#ff6600">I can mow mobs down like grass. For the mobs to be worth my while they need to be yellow or lower and no greater than one up arrow. Orange mobs i can take down but you dont see many of those at 70. I can solo heroics depending on the class the mob is. If its a caster mob its dead as long as its blue, green or grey. Some of them get lucky from time to time but i can hold my own. I'm raid speced and not hurting for masters and adept 3's so it is a very different experience than a legendary adept 1 guardian will experience.</font></div> <div> </div> <div>What class your favorite duo partner? More than anything else I run duo with a friend, and I'll need to pair the Guardian up with one of his chars. <font color="#ff6600">DPS classes are fun to duo with. I even grouped with another Guardian when Deserts of Flame came out, we did very well together. Wardens and Furies are very good to duo with, great healing and very decent dps.</font></div> <div> </div> <div>Should I expect people to be polite to me, or should I expect them to be dismissive of the tank role? (I don't have much experience in p/u groups) <font color="#ff6600">If you're good at being a tank, youre a hero. If you arent great at it, people are going to stay away from you. I think, almost more than any other role in the group, the tanks are the most remembered and celebrated. Everyone in the group does their job, everyone contributes but as a tank I think youll find that you receive accolades before anyone else (just make sure to return every single compliment that you get).</font></div> <div> </div> <div>Is it my proper place to be the group leader/rule maker for the groups - as in 'you do this and not that'? I see this as part of the Guardian role, but I am curious about whether my opinion is in the majority or the minority. <font color="#ff6600">I've always thought of tanks as leaders. A good tank is a good leader, they often go hand in hand. You CAN be a good tank without leading, people can tell you where to go and what to pull and how to do it. A great tank though is a tank that leads. </font> </div> <div> </div> <div>Prior to level 35 (or so) are there any particular CA's that I'll need to raise beyond Adept I ? <font color="#ff6600">Always make sure your taunts and buffs are at least adept 3 or higher. Technically you might not have to worry too much about levels 1-35 as you should be able to level fairly quickly but no matter what level you are, taunts and buffs are what make you a Guardian. </font></div> <div> </div> <div>I went with Queynos/Human - any trouble with that? Is there something I'm missing out on with some other choices? I'm still on the Island so starting over isn't a big deal. I wouldn't mind re-rolling and picking a more creative name.... <font color="#ff6600">In the end when you're sitting at level 70 with 50 AA's youre going to be close to almost any other race with similar gear. Ogres and Barbarians will have a slight HP advantage but nothing to scream about. There is a psychological reason for picking a larger race, people look up to you. It's the same in the real world to an extent, people GENERALLY look up to taller people for leadership. Children look to adults and shorter people often look up to taller people. I was in a group on an alt playing around with a barbarian healer, the tank that was in the group was a dwarf paladin. We had someone leave and when we filled the spot the guy looked at me and said "is the barabarian the tank? need to know who to put my buffs on". If two tanks are in a group with exact stats and levels, one being a human and the other an ogre the odds are the group is going with the ogre to be the tank. I've seen this several times and im sure others have as well. So yeah, ignore what women tell you... size does matter, even if it is in people's minds.  :p </font></div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div>I'll hold onto the rest of my questions for now - thanks in advance for sharing!</div><hr></blockquote>Hope you enjoy your Guardian!</div>

[Nolomite]

<DIV>Thanks for your responses, Mochlod.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I re-rolled her this morning, after finally thinking up a decent name - Griffawnduh. Naturally, I was messing with griffawns at the time (not with the Guardian) & quoting lines from Napoleon Dynamite with my friend, so it seems a natural fit. I set her up to look as much like LaFawnduh as possible. If only we got a pet, I could name him Kip.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'm looking forward to being a hero, and being the leader - I've been playing pretty steadily for some time now, and I'm ready to step up and lead the group, rather than just being a DPS machine-at-large. I'm also levelling a Dirge, and while she also fills a DPS role, it's more 'supportive' than assassin, warlock, bruiser, and the other DPSers I've got. Yah, I've got a bunch of different classes - it's a great way to enjoy the content that SOE serves up.</DIV>

[Nolomite]

<P>Checking back in with the the Guardians:</P> <P> </P> <P>This class is a blast! Sure, the damage output isn't great, but it's a lot better than I expected. It took a few dungeons for me to get the hang of being The Tank (caps intentional) but once I gained confidence in my skills people were quick to follow this particular leader. As a new tank, getting the hang of 'body pulling' to seperate mobs was the key...creep forward until the one you want first twitches, then drag the mob back into/behind the group. At first I tried to pull the mob back to the group then spin him around, but that took too much fine-tuning and put me too close to the other mobs.</P> <P>My duo-buddy started up a Templar to run with my Guard: he already had a levelled Fury, so the Druid-option was out. As a duo we don't level so well, but we can put together a pickup group like there is no tomorrow!</P> <P>I've been taking my time levelling her, as I have 5 other characters I also play (plus 3 others that just craft, these days) and that has been a great way to keep her equipment and skills well-equipped. And it sure felt nice to completely encase my tank in Feysteel the minute she dinged 32. I've got the clusters set aside to do it with Ebon at 42 - I've got to keep levelling that armorer!</P> <P>I've got a fairly high-level SK (formerly my main) and my duo buddy has a Zerker main, so I'm familiar with the other plate tanks - when I see one out 'in the field' my initial though is "they don't know what they're missing!"</P><p>Message Edited by Nolomite on <span class=date_text>09-21-2006</span> <span class=time_text>01:07 PM</span>

[Godelure]

Welcome to the guard-lover part of eq2 players <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Just one little advice to you: if you are familiar enough with keeping aggro, pulling just ONE encounter (not being Mr. Dungeonpuller) and leading your party through one of those dark mysterious dungeons, practice the "turn the mob(s)" part of your skill as a Guard over and over.It takes some time to master it, but if you are able to BP a bunch of mobs, position them in front of your group, jump over them to turn them by 180° and the DPSers just have to click autotattack, believe me, they will love you even more <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Oh and one short question: which is the AA way you are planning to go? As a group tank mitigation won't matter this much so you are in the comfortable situation to be able to use a pure DPS build. Get a buckler and a decent 1H weapon and your DPS will go through the roof with 76% double attack,

[Nolomite]

<DIV>I've had good luck with letting the group know my intentions - so they can get themselves to the side, usually - and pulling back to a specific spot where I don't need to turn the mob. Often I will stand in that spot and tell them 'Pulling to HERE' before I start my creep. After reading this forum I saw lots of people mention the pull-turn-jump-attack sequence, but there are a number of steps so there are a number of steps that can fail - not the least of which is having someone else hit the mob that I've BP'd before I have a change to attack it or taunt it. That happened too many times in Fallen Gate, so now I do 'my thing' and if they comply, they thrive. If they don't comply, they wither. I'll fool around with the multi-step method, but it'll take some seriously-unique situation to get me to use it for a rough mob. I get a fairly large amount of 'Nice pull!' comments, so I must be doing OK so far.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Planning on going down the STA line initially, then either STR or WIS. Probably STR, since I prefer the axe, but that shouldn't be the determining factor, I know. I'm lagging behind in my acquisition of Achievement Points, so the second line is nothing I need to worry about anytime soon.</DIV>

[Mentin]

<P>Regardless how you do place the mobs so the dps people have easy back access, do it consistently. The dps will usually start trying to second-guess you when you pull and try to move into position, so try to always do it the same way.</P> <P>That being said, the best positioning probably is having the mobs in front of group in the pull direction, with you on other side of the encounter. Two advantages to this:</P> <P>* The group can stand and watch the pull and will not have to turn to start dpsing</P> <P>* You will be closest to any remaining mobs including possible roamers, so any adds will hit you first</P>

[Godelure]

/agree with Mentin.Plus there are some other benefits of turning the mobs to your group:- you are able to watch your group and see possible adds coming from behind- you will see if everyone is doing his/her job or if the mage is watching TV, reading the newest book and leeching exp while you are working your a** off.- some mobs do have a small 'front cone', an AE in the front direction only (some of the beasts in Scornfeather's Roost) so if you turn them away from your group mates they won't get hit.- if you ever plan to tank in a raid setting (or are asked to because your tanking&leading skills are really great) it is essential to turn every single mob away from the raid!Don't get me wrong, I don't want to drive you in one static tanking direction; but in the early days of EQ2, being new to playing a Tank, I had the same discussion and after a few weeks I tried to turn the mobs.It was hard in the beginning but after I got used to it I never ever pulled the "normal" way.[Hint: place your taunts on some VERY convenient hotkeys like 1-3 so you can move with WASD, taunt while moving and jump (i.e. with space) with only one hand]

[Randell44]

<div></div>Some good all around advice for guardian.  Broken into segments.<font color="#00cc00">Solo:</font>  <font color="#009900"><font color="#00cc33">Get a good 2h  until you have the buckler line going for you.  OR should you choose another line keep a good 2h at all times.</font><font color="#00cc33"></font><font color="#00cc33">Don't ignore your offensive stance.</font><font color="#00cc33"></font><font color="#00cc33">Be aware that you can switch sword/shield and 2h out by placing these items on your hot bar.  There is only a 2 sec delay per switch in combat...thus shield slam...click 2h.....fight till shield slam is back up....click weapon..do a CA...click shield....shield slam....click 2h.</font><font color="#00cc33"></font><font color="#00cc33">Hex dolls, use them....love them.</font><font color="#00cc33"></font><font color="#00cc33">Bind wounds is a godsend.</font><font color="#99ff00"></font></font><font color="#ff0000">Grouped:  Your tactics will vary slightly by the group but "turning" mobs is always good.  Learning who can and who can't take aggro is also good.  Some mobs can be ingored if the person they attack can handle them just fine and intends to do so.</font><font color="#ff0000">Know how to "drop" aggro if you need to.  A crippled healable tank with no aggro is much better than a dead one.Know when to use def stance and when to use offensive stance.Know when you can "DPS" and when you should concentrate on tanking.</font><font color="#66ffff">Both:  MAX YOUR REGEN.  Seriously and especially if you want to be on a PVP server.  Regen will kill your downtime and increase your chance to survive out of combat ALOT.TOTEMS:  Again especially for pvp, but these overlap with regen except one.   WOLF TOTEM will allow you to run around solo at decent speeds.  Quality of life but still nice.Might want to use your bows longer range to pull and taunt them as they come in.  Body pulling has it's own complications.</font><div></div><font color="#66ffff">For PVP remember that hold the line can force you into combat.</font><p>Message Edited by Randell44 on <span class=date_text>09-23-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:57 AM</span>