Help for new Paladin

[Athae]

<DIV>Hello.  I recently started playing EQ2, but have played other MMO games (WoW and AC20 in the past.  I'm strongly leaning towards a Paladin as my first charater because I always enjoy melee classes the most and generally prefer tanks.  I also like to be able to solo well for times when I don't want or have time to group.  My decision was basically between a Paladin or Zerker, but felt that the ability to ward and heal would give me more utility and reduce solo frustration due to healing ability as I learn to play my first character.  I have learned quite a bit since starting last week, but I still have a few questions that I was hoping more experienced players could help answer.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1) Any comments on my choice of Paladin versus Zerker based on my description above?  I would love to hear from someone who has tried both classes, but any comments are welcome.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2) I want to try a tradeskill, but really unclear on which would be most beneficial for a Paladin who wanted to be self sufficient, help others later, and maybe could make a little money on occasion.  As I understand it, Alchemist is the class that would make skill improvements for Paladins, so I was trying to decide between an Alchemist, Armorer, or Weaponsmith. Any advice?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3) Is it helpful to join a guild early or play into the 20-30's and get the hang of the game and guild reputations first? </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for any help!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>P.S> I'm on the Faydark server. </DIV>

[Oakbr]

<P>My thoughts, which are 100% guarranteed to be worth at least as much as you pay to read them:</P> <P> </P> <P>1)  Pally vs Zerker--dunno, never tried a Zerker.  I hear they do better DPS, but have no heals.</P> <P>2)  Guilds--don't really seem to make much difference prior to end game, if then.  I chose to leave the guild I'd been with since EQ1, and haven't looked back.  I'm primarily a solo player, and can do without the "guild drama" that seems to happen from time to time.  IF you're good at whatever class you play, finding groups isn't much of a problem.  I reject groups many times a night, just because I'd rather do something else--yet, if I want a group for something, I can find/start one easily.</P> <P>3)  Tradeskills:  My Troll Pally went the provisioner route.  Plenty of coin to be made there, and now stat food should increase potential profits even more.</P>

[SanJ]

<P>Paladins are an excellent class for solo play.  Not only do you have the ability to tank your own mobs well, but should you become injured, you may heal yourself at level 22 (blessed aid on 5 second recast timer).  You also get Lay on Hands which heals for a significant amount more in case of those near death experiences or when grouped to keep a player standing that has an add or stray mob.  Paladin wards are quite nice with the ability to not only boost your personal stats, but stats of group members as you venture down that avenue.</P> <P>I love being a member of my current guild.  I waited until the mid 20's to join and I'm certainly glad I did.  A good guild will be able to help you as much and often more times then you'll return the favor.  Certain mobs and quests will require that you group to complete an obstacle.  Belonging to a guild means that you have instant access to a chat channel to ask for assistance.  I enjoy helping other players as much as completing my own feats, so being guildied for me has added a whole new aspect to the game.  Take your time and notice the individuals you group with.  Do you click well with certain players?  Accomplish tasks easier?  Have the same personality?  That might be a guild for you to research for potential membership at some point.  My guild has helped me many times over and I would like to think I've returned the favor numerous times.  The brotherhood of a good guild is something that shouldn't be overlooked.</P> <P>I earned most of my coin early in-game thanks to crafting.  My thoughts were similar to yours regarding a self-sustaining paladin.  I decided to travel the path of the jeweler for a couple of reasons. 1. was interesting to me, 2. it's that secondary armor that is often overlooked but everyone needs and I could make my own, 3. i figured many other players would be armorsmiths based on my SWG days.  </P> <P>One of the hotest professions going today is Provisioner.  It's easy to harvest your own goods, interdependency or the need to learn the new crafting books is less significant, everyone that is "power" leveling NEEDS food/drink, the latest patch now offers stat modifiers on top of the regen capabilities that food/drink offers, it's a consumable which means frequent purchases, it is very profitable!  However, most professions have a few items that are the bread and butter of the profession that will earn coin, so make your choice based on what sounds interesting.  As a 38 jeweler, I have a difficult time crafting better goods then loot drops, so if I had a chance to /respec and keep level 38 it would be provisioner or armorsmith for me <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P>Thanks,</P> <P>Kalen</P>

[Nurta]

<P>Kalen pretty much summed up my views of the paladin class.  But I will add that to me guilds are a very big piece of the game.  My guild was born from guildmates in EQ1 and we have an awesome thing going so far.  The "drama" that often invade guilds is most likely due to poor leadership, improper handling of sticky situations, slow reaction, or in many times a bad apple.  </P> <P>The really great thing about EQ2 is that guilds mean something here.  The concept of guild levels and rewards is just.... cool <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.  There are guilds out there that are special groups of people who will bend over backwards to help one another regardless of the situation.  The tight-knit bond will make for a well rounded raid force who knows eachother.  At least that is my philosophy and has been my experience.</P> <P>I love playing a paladin for so many reasons, but the biggest are the heals, wards, damage and Roleplay ability.  Knowing your role is crucial though and it will make your experience all the more enjoyable.  I have resigned to myself that I am just not meant to take damage like a guardian or a bezerker instead I am designed to help them take better damage and help keep my raid/group members alive in crucial moments until the healer can step in.  That doesn't mean that I can't MT at times, it just means I know my role.  I love being a utility tank and well rounded, this also makes soloing possible.</P> <P>Good luck <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P>

[Gnoishpa]

<P>Well, being that I dinged 17 last night, I won't pretend to offer much advice on the class selection/end game capabilities. I DO know that I can already solo better than my guardian roommate, and I can definately hold my own better than my mid-20's monk (another server).</P> <P>As far as the tradeskill advice, I considered this carefully before I selected Alchemist. I first narrowed it down to Woodworker (shields/clubs?), Weaponsmith (swords/hammers), Armorer (left side gear), Jeweler (right side gear) and Alchemist (spells/abilities).</P> <P>Given that my roommate decided to go the armorer route (and that he's a fighter also) it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to go alchemist. It's fairly given that roughly 2/3s of our DPS is via abilities, and keeping them always at App IV seemed a wiser choice than always having a great shield or sword; nevermind the fact that heals/wards/taunts are better too. I decided that I would just have to quest for weapons, shields and jewelry...and given what Kalen has said, it seems to be a decent choice.</P> <DIV>When we decide to make our scout twinks (jeweler and weaponsmith) things will be easier in the way of gear replacement. Then again, as long as I'm looking long term, I'll hopefully someday get my woodworker monk and my provisioner enchanter over to this server and everything will be taken care of...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>i would also like my 2 front teeth this christmas.</DIV>

[Athae]

<DIV>Thank you all for the excellent advice.  I will continue the path of Paladin and have decided to try Alchemist.  I like the idea of keeping my skills and spells as powerful as possible since I will likely not have much money as this is my first real character.  I will just quest for the best armor and weapons available. I will also wait and look to join a guild in late teens or twenties.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks!</DIV>

[paladinwa]

<DIV>As a paladin lvl 30, I am having a blast. I love this class. We can solo extremely well, and we are incredibly versatile in groups. I have been main tank many times, and group mates have been very happy. I am often serving as off-tank, doing dps, spot healing, and protecting other weaker group mates, and I have served as the ONLY healer some nights, with group mates saying, "who needs a healer?" (though don't get me wrong, for challenging situations, our heals will not be nearly enough - but for lower-key nights, you don't need to wait for those all-to-hard-to-find healers!)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have grouped with Zerks a number of times, and they can dish out more damage. So if you like that aspect, Zerks are great.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As for guilds, I love my guild, which I joined in mid-20's. My first guild I joined in mid-teens, and they were great folks, but I was too low level to really enjoy it. So I left, on good terms. I was then recruited by 3 other guilds. After giving it some thought, I chose a young guild where my level was near the level of the leaders,  and that has worked out great. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>My advice, if you like the people you have met in a guild, and they are recruiting you to join, check out how many are your level, how many are above you and below you. Depending upon your preferences, you may want a guild with more people above you (so they can help you out), or one where you are close in level to the leaders, so that you are involved in the guild's main activities, guild advancement, and helping out the more junior folks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As for tradskills, I chose Alch so I could upgrade my arts. And while that has been useful, I am not sure it was best. I retrospect, I think armorer or jeweler might have served me better (but see my caveat below). You might also consider provisioner. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think a KEY consideration here is where you plan to keep your tradeskill level compared to your adventuring level. As an alch, you want to keep your alch level close to your adventuring level, so you can keep your arts upgraded in a timely fashion, otherwise you might find it a waste.  As a provisioner, you can easily let your provisioner level fall somewhat behind your adventuring level and still find it useful, but you dont want it to fall too far behind.  As an armorer, I think you probably want to keep your tradeskill level higher than your adventuring level so you can wear your own armor as soon as you reach each new Tier. Jeweler and Weaponsmith would be useful if you keep your skill close to your adventuring level - the higher it is realative to your adventuring level, the better the chance you will be able use items you make.  And finally, if you dont plan to keep your tradeskills near your adventuring level, but still want something useful for yourself and that you can sell, bags, boxes and furniture might be reasonable choices.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Good luck!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>