Recently started- Is an SK for me?

[Athri]

<DIV>Hey guys.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've been playing about a month now, and my class has been bouncing around a lot as I try to find the "right" one. I've tried a necro, fury, swashbuckler, bruiser, dirge and wizard all up to their low 20's, but none of them were for me. After reading the SK forums and talking to a few of them it seems that, before actually having played them, they might be where I finally stay.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That being said, there are a few questions that I want to ask to know for sure. I've looked around some, but haven't found all the answers that I'm searching for. Keep in mind that this is coming from somebody who played EQ for 4 years and had precisely two characters, one of which was my bazaar mule. I'm looking for the class that I can play until I no longer feel like playing the game at all.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1). Small group ability. I don't like large guilds or large raids, so I don't care a lot if we can't compete at the upper eschelons of the game. However, I need to be able to work well in a small group of casual players that may not have top end gear. In EQ1 my beastlord was able to do this perfectly, as I could tank well enough, do decent damage and heal myself enough to keep standing the majority of the time. A real healer was needed for some things, but most laid-back group content I was able to be self-sufficient. On the outside an SK seems alright for this, as they seem to have good damage output, high defense and a large variety of lifetaps to stay afloat. This gives me the feeling that I'd be more than able to be effective in small (3-6) man groups of friends.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2). Some soloability. Sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with other people and would instead like to stick to myself and go explore some new places, get halfway decent XP and perhaps some decent loot. Is an SK adept at this? Once again, it would seem so on the outside with damage, healing and an emergency FD for when things go really wrong. Also, harmtouch does a ridiculous amount of damage on first glance, and I'd think that that would give me the power to burn down a named monster or two for some loot. Nothing bugs me more than seeing a named monster sitting there and not be able to kill it. I don't expect to kill even-con ^^^'s, but I'd like to be able to kill 'em when they're low-blue or green and slay a few named that aren't ^^^'s. Any chance?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3). Utility. I recognize that perhaps no class will have the utility that some of the EQ1 classes had, especially my beastlord or a bard, but I'd like to have some. Basically I'd rather not depend on everyone else for something. Do SK's get any form of utility in any part of the game? Examples I'd list are invis, good group buffs, evac, stuff of that nature.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thank you for reading my long-winded questions. I hope to hear back soon from someone, and in the meantime I'm off to get my SK to level 10. Thanks a lot in advance :smileyhappy:</DIV>

[mikeyswizz]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Athrias wrote:<BR> <DIV>Hey guys.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've been playing about a month now, and my class has been bouncing around a lot as I try to find the "right" one. I've tried a necro, fury, swashbuckler, bruiser, dirge and wizard all up to their low 20's, but none of them were for me. After reading the SK forums and talking to a few of them it seems that, before actually having played them, they might be where I finally stay.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That being said, there are a few questions that I want to ask to know for sure. I've looked around some, but haven't found all the answers that I'm searching for. Keep in mind that this is coming from somebody who played EQ for 4 years and had precisely two characters, one of which was my bazaar mule. I'm looking for the class that I can play until I no longer feel like playing the game at all.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1). Small group ability. I don't like large guilds or large raids, so I don't care a lot if we can't compete at the upper eschelons of the game. However, I need to be able to work well in a small group of casual players that may not have top end gear. In EQ1 my beastlord was able to do this perfectly, as I could tank well enough, do decent damage and heal myself enough to keep standing the majority of the time. A real healer was needed for some things, but most laid-back group content I was able to be self-sufficient. On the outside an SK seems alright for this, as they seem to have good damage output, high defense and a large variety of lifetaps to stay afloat. This gives me the feeling that I'd be more than able to be effective in small (3-6) man groups of friends.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000>Yes, perfectly.  As a SK in normal group setting you can tank just as good as any other tank. With me tanking we are even able to do some group specific things with a healer. I use my lifetaps and we get by just fine.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2). Some soloability. Sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with other people and would instead like to stick to myself and go explore some new places, get halfway decent XP and perhaps some decent loot. Is an SK adept at this? Once again, it would seem so on the outside with damage, healing and an emergency FD for when things go really wrong. Also, harmtouch does a ridiculous amount of damage on first glance, and I'd think that that would give me the power to burn down a named monster or two for some loot. Nothing bugs me more than seeing a named monster sitting there and not be able to kill it. I don't expect to kill even-con ^^^'s, but I'd like to be able to kill 'em when they're low-blue or green and slay a few named that aren't ^^^'s. Any chance?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000>You can solo. As with most games soloing gets tougher the higher lvl you get. At 70 i can solo 66-67 ^^^ Heroics (non-nameds) relatively easy. Obviously some mobs are tougher then others.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3). Utility. I recognize that perhaps no class will have the utility that some of the EQ1 classes had, especially my beastlord or a bard, but I'd like to have some. Basically I'd rather not depend on everyone else for something. Do SK's get any form of utility in any part of the game? Examples I'd list are invis, good group buffs, evac, stuff of that nature.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000>We have evac, we can FD anyone in our group (great for saving a mage if they steal aggro, or the priest if it looks like a wipe) And some decent group buffs.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thank you for reading my long-winded questions. I hope to hear back soon from someone, and in the meantime I'm off to get my SK to level 10. Thanks a lot in advance :smileyhappy:</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>

[Athri]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> mikeyswizz wrote:<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Athrias wrote:<BR> <DIV>Hey guys.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've been playing about a month now, and my class has been bouncing around a lot as I try to find the "right" one. I've tried a necro, fury, swashbuckler, bruiser, dirge and wizard all up to their low 20's, but none of them were for me. After reading the SK forums and talking to a few of them it seems that, before actually having played them, they might be where I finally stay.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That being said, there are a few questions that I want to ask to know for sure. I've looked around some, but haven't found all the answers that I'm searching for. Keep in mind that this is coming from somebody who played EQ for 4 years and had precisely two characters, one of which was my bazaar mule. I'm looking for the class that I can play until I no longer feel like playing the game at all.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1). Small group ability. I don't like large guilds or large raids, so I don't care a lot if we can't compete at the upper eschelons of the game. However, I need to be able to work well in a small group of casual players that may not have top end gear. In EQ1 my beastlord was able to do this perfectly, as I could tank well enough, do decent damage and heal myself enough to keep standing the majority of the time. A real healer was needed for some things, but most laid-back group content I was able to be self-sufficient. On the outside an SK seems alright for this, as they seem to have good damage output, high defense and a large variety of lifetaps to stay afloat. This gives me the feeling that I'd be more than able to be effective in small (3-6) man groups of friends.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000>Yes, perfectly.  As a SK in normal group setting you can tank just as good as any other tank. With me tanking we are even able to do some group specific things with a healer. I use my lifetaps and we get by just fine.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2). Some soloability. Sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with other people and would instead like to stick to myself and go explore some new places, get halfway decent XP and perhaps some decent loot. Is an SK adept at this? Once again, it would seem so on the outside with damage, healing and an emergency FD for when things go really wrong. Also, harmtouch does a ridiculous amount of damage on first glance, and I'd think that that would give me the power to burn down a named monster or two for some loot. Nothing bugs me more than seeing a named monster sitting there and not be able to kill it. I don't expect to kill even-con ^^^'s, but I'd like to be able to kill 'em when they're low-blue or green and slay a few named that aren't ^^^'s. Any chance?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000>You can solo. As with most games soloing gets tougher the higher lvl you get. At 70 i can solo 66-67 ^^^ Heroics (non-nameds) relatively easy. Obviously some mobs are tougher then others.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3). Utility. I recognize that perhaps no class will have the utility that some of the EQ1 classes had, especially my beastlord or a bard, but I'd like to have some. Basically I'd rather not depend on everyone else for something. Do SK's get any form of utility in any part of the game? Examples I'd list are invis, good group buffs, evac, stuff of that nature.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000>We have evac, we can FD anyone in our group (great for saving a mage if they steal aggro, or the priest if it looks like a wipe) And some decent group buffs.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thank you for reading my long-winded questions. I hope to hear back soon from someone, and in the meantime I'm off to get my SK to level 10. Thanks a lot in advance :smileyhappy:</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>That's favorable news indeed. Thanks for the reply!</P> <P>Anyone else?</P>

[Humuhumunukunukuapua]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Athrias wrote:<BR> <DIV>Hey guys.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've been playing about a month now, and my class has been bouncing around a lot as I try to find the "right" one. I've tried a necro, fury, swashbuckler, bruiser, dirge and wizard all up to their low 20's, but none of them were for me. After reading the SK forums and talking to a few of them it seems that, before actually having played them, they might be where I finally stay.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That being said, there are a few questions that I want to ask to know for sure. I've looked around some, but haven't found all the answers that I'm searching for. Keep in mind that this is coming from somebody who played EQ for 4 years and had precisely two characters, one of which was my bazaar mule. I'm looking for the class that I can play until I no longer feel like playing the game at all.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1). Small group ability. I don't like large guilds or large raids, so I don't care a lot if we can't compete at the upper eschelons of the game. However, I need to be able to work well in a small group of casual players that may not have top end gear. In EQ1 my beastlord was able to do this perfectly, as I could tank well enough, do decent damage and heal myself enough to keep standing the majority of the time. A real healer was needed for some things, but most laid-back group content I was able to be self-sufficient. On the outside an SK seems alright for this, as they seem to have good damage output, high defense and a large variety of lifetaps to stay afloat. This gives me the feeling that I'd be more than able to be effective in small (3-6) man groups of friends.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#00cc00>Assuming that you are going after normal mob content, if a healer is in your group, then any tank is sufficient, though getting one on the higher end of the dps scale may be more preferable to clear mobs faster.  When configured so, and SK puts out dps at the higher range for tanks.  If there is no healer in your group, then things may get a little tricky (but exciting).  Lifetaps do save us from many wipes, but if you wanted to go a "safer" route, (my stomach is feeling nauseous at the thought of mentioning this) you should do some research on paladins (*runs to bathroom*).  Their heals and LOH ability may be more efficient healing-wise, and may keep the tank of a group up slightly longer for the rest of the group to take down the mobs before the group wipes.  An SK with lifetaps is viable, however, in groups without a healer (done it many times), but it really depends on what you are hunting, number of mobs in the encounter, level of the encounter, and the composition of the rest of the group.  For example, if the rest of your group is loaded with DPS, no problem, the encounter will be over before you get into the orange.  If you have someone to mezz or charm, even easier.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2). Some soloability. Sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with other people and would instead like to stick to myself and go explore some new places, get halfway decent XP and perhaps some decent loot. Is an SK adept at this? Once again, it would seem so on the outside with damage, healing and an emergency FD for when things go really wrong. Also, harmtouch does a ridiculous amount of damage on first glance, and I'd think that that would give me the power to burn down a named monster or two for some loot. Nothing bugs me more than seeing a named monster sitting there and not be able to kill it. I don't expect to kill even-con ^^^'s, but I'd like to be able to kill 'em when they're low-blue or green and slay a few named that aren't ^^^'s. Any chance?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#00cc00>For normal content, SKs solo fine.  Some classes (particularly DPS) have trouble with non-heroic group encounters, but an SK can normally take down yellow.  And once you </FONT><FONT color=#00cc00>get Tap Veins, it's over.  Nothing is better than purposefully wading into a group of mobs solo and letting your health get into the orange, before hitting tap veins and getting fully recharged while one or two mobs go down.  And if you proc a crit of tap veins?  That's something you never forget.  Heroic encounters are another story (as they should be), but we can take down heroic groups that are green, maybe higher depending on the type of mob, how lucky you are with the rolls, and burning down one of the bat with HT.  It should be noted that no class should be able to take on even con or higher heroics (stating otherwise is asking for a nerf) with normal armor.  For single ^^^s, with rare crafted armor and weapons, greens may be doable, maybe higher depending on the mob.  For example, I have an easier time with melee mobs when in defensive stance and with lifetaps.  It's still tough, but I come out on top without having to resort to HT.  If it's a caster, a little more challenging considering you cant continuously interrupt him, he's going to get one off, and it's going to hurt.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#00cc00></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#00cc00>Couple of points for some things you mentioned.  FD - 1 out of 5 times it's not going to work, so be prepared.  Also it's on a 5-minute timer (I think).  So you can't just keep running through a dungeon FD'ing every 10 feet and hope to make it all the way through in 10 minutes.  If you really want to explore solo through, be prepared to by totems of the chameleon, or consider a class with invis.  Evac - 3 second cast is an eternity when a group of mobs is beating the crap out of you.  If it's come down to that, be prepared to have it work 1 out of 3 times if you are in the red.  More often, it's used for transportation purposes.  HT - It is nice, but IMO, doesn't ever really "save" my neck.  If a fight is going to be that close, I know it in advance.  Against even con or higher mobs, it doesn't result in a for sure "one-shot", but it does take a healthy chunk out of their health (varies considerably) - just be sure to debuff them before using for best effect and save it till the end against healing mobs.  I use it primarily to a) help regain aggro, b) burn down mobs sooner for time purposes c) to end a duel in 2 seconds against a scout.  It's strong, but against a named, it will depend on what level it is for it to "turn the tide" in battle.  I've heard of huge HT numbers in T7, but that is my experience below.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3). Utility. I recognize that perhaps no class will have the utility that some of the EQ1 classes had, especially my beastlord or a bard, but I'd like to have some. Basically I'd rather not depend on everyone else for something. Do SK's get any form of utility in any part of the game? Examples I'd list are invis, good group buffs, evac, stuff of that nature.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#00cc00>No invis.  Normal group buffs (Str & Sta).  Despoiling mist is large mitigation debuff 1,000 I think at ad3.  Evac is okay (but see above).  FD can be used to save group members or put down that really annoying one on a pick up ("Sorry, wrong button.")</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thank you for reading my long-winded questions. I hope to hear back soon from someone, and in the meantime I'm off to get my SK to level 10. Thanks a lot in advance :smileyhappy:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#00cc00>Hope this helps.  Good luck with your decision.  </FONT></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>