Question for you Pally Lovers! Which Duo Partner?

[talbert]

<DIV>My girlfriend and I are coming over from WoW. She's a Paladin freak! As in there's no choice when deciding what class she's going to play <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That being said..and without knowing too much about EQ2, I'm guessing a Paladins biggest downfall is DPS so I figure I'd roll a DPS class to play side by side with her. What in your opinions would make the best top 3 duo partners.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Keep in mind that we:</DIV> <DIV>1) Aren't interested in raiding</DIV> <DIV>2) Don't care about PVP</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>We simply want to explore the game content together, quest, and group when necessary (or feel like it) for the more difficult encounters/quest. So let's have it....what class by your side would enable you to both survive and explore with the most efficiency?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks in adavce.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>EDIT: I did just search and found a buffet of possibilities that people have tried:</DIV> <DIV>Pally/Fury seems to be good</DIV> <DIV>Pally/Assassin</DIV> <DIV>Pally/Mage</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Any thoughts? Also I'm not sure if anything in the game has changed in the last few months to make any of these older posts irrelevant. I know how these games are always trying to balance and modify classes some. </DIV><p>Message Edited by talbert on <span class=date_text>10-27-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:19 PM</span>

[SpyrerTheFirst]

<P>Paladin/Warlock is a fun combination =)</P> <P>i definately would suggest some sort of mage or a ranger.</P> <P>it is easier to have a ranged class and a tanking class together, i Duo a bit with a ranger with my lvl 70 pally and it is always quick and moderately brutal =)</P>

[hawsecav19d]

<DIV>Pally/Fury combo allows for the best overall package you can fight any even or blue heroics in game till t7 and you will have the backbone of a group at all times that you can trust all you need is add some dps classes and gtg. Fury if speced and geared right do decent dps as well better than any other healer class.</DIV>

[talbert]

<P>Was considering a Ranger/Swash or Illusionist.</P> <P>How do feel about those classes fighting by your side? Pros/Cons?</P>

[Wulfborne]

Paladin and monk/bruiser really kicks butt. I duo'd the entire claymore line with a monk all the way up to AoAx2 part. As long as they spec for max dps, and the paladin goes defensive all the way (for the yellow ^^^ named's), a paladin can keep themselves alive (even monk can heal a little) long enough for the monk to burn down the mob.Was great fun.~Sir Hawke Holyblayde, Hero of Maj'Dul<div></div>

[coochic]

<DIV>  I've done some duo'ing with a swashy. They are a great class, really good DPS higher than most people think if you can play the class. They have some good utility. The smuggle will come in handy in your exploring. From what you are looking to do in EQ 2 i'd say this is the best fit for you. Just my opinion though. </DIV><p>Message Edited by coochic on <span class=date_text>10-28-2006</span> <span class=time_text>01:43 AM</span>

[lavasoul]

<DIV>Pallies are very flexible and would make a good Duo partner with any class.</DIV><p>Message Edited by lavasoul on <span class=date_text>10-28-2006</span> <span class=time_text>01:18 AM</span>

[EvilIguana9]

In my experience, you will do best with a dps class of some sort.  Warlocks are especially awesome with Paladins, but really anyone high on dps will do great.  Paladins are low on DPS, but high on defense and competant healers for quite a lot of content.  Thus a mage or scout + paladin duo will be able to take on pretty much any content that doesn't absolutely require a full group.  So basically we're talking easily taking the average yellow heroic encounter, and a lot of the nameds you will run into.  There is, of course, some stuff you won't be able to duo at an appropriate level; raid mobs, endgame dungeon instances, high end dungeon end bosses, etc.  But quite frankly, you probably won't really run into much anything like that until way later in the game.  This much, however, I can guarentee: There is no faster, more interesting, or more rewarding way to level up than a good pally/dps duo.  If you two keep your gear and spells up to date and play well you'll be owning stuff that most people need 3-5 friends to help with.  <div></div>

[MeridianR]

Brigand / Necro are probably the best in my time duoing....though as stated any real high dps class with the right gear and upgrades will work fine.If you wanted (or had to) go the healer / tank route I will go Paladin / Druid (either one, they are both great healers.....and if played right, both kick [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn] dps)What I would stay away from:Paladin / Templar - unless you want to bore all non undead mobs to deathPaladin / Mystic - see abovePretty much other then those you can duo with just about anyone, and with enough practice do the same thing full groups do.<div></div>

[Jal]

Pally/Necro is a good combo, Necro can top up heal, rez hand out hearts and do good DPS and can FD if everything goes south and recover the group.Put amends on the mage pet and agro is never usually a problem plus its lifetap heals help. Did alot of the claymore line duo'ed with a pally and it was great.

[Wallzak]

<P>Here's my perspective, on Nek server people seem to be rolling a lot of DPS classes which means there are a lot of nights we're sitting around waiting to pounce on the first Tank and Healer to declare LFG (I assume this is the same across the servers).</P> <P>That said, if you go Paly and Healer, you will always be popular if you decide to throw a group together.  My personal recommendation would be a Fury, I believe they have an INT buff, and they do scarey healer dps as they get older.  With this combo, you can easily grab one or more dps and rule the zone.</P> <P>If you want to go with a true dps class, I would suggest a Warlock (I play one, they can be a lot of fun, although the cast timers can get annoying).  With Amends... you can't go wrong with agro control.  They also have a Power regen that works.</P> <P>Monks... I love Monks... they give the most consistant decent DPS out there, they can take a beating, and with Feign death they can get you quickly into places that other classes cannot.</P> <P>If you're going other dps, I would suggest finding something that can give you power, necro's heart and ??</P>

[Mantell]

<P>>>Conjuror.<<</P> <P>A friend and I duo-ed until I was about level 30 when I first started the game.</P> <P>Amends goes on the scout pet to tap its hate, and the Paladin will never lose aggro..</P> <P>When it hits the fan the conj. can usually get away because the mob stops to kill the pet. Then the Paladin can revive and you can summon her back to you. Nice in dungeons. </P> <P>And you have those power shards to hand out, which are nice for long fights.</P> <P>If you run into something that kills the Paladin too quickly, have the conjuror tank it with the fighter pet while the Pally wards the pet and does DPS. Don't try to heal the pet though, it has too many hitpoints and not enough mitigation.</P> <P>Probably this would work with a Necro too, maybe even better because the Necro can feign and rez. But you have to start a Necro in Freeport and the Pally in Qeynos and it would be hard to get them together at low levels.</P> <P> </P>

[Diern]

Get her too role a Shadowknight, we are paladins too you know.. just evil ones and far sexier <span>:smileyvery-happy:</span>We have more DPS, and a fury , necromancer or brigand are all good duo choices.<div></div>

[khufure]

<div><blockquote><hr>Diernes wrote:Get her too role a Shadowknight, we are paladins too you know.. just evil ones and far sexier <span>:smileyvery-happy:</span>We have more DPS, and a fury , necromancer or brigand are all good duo choices.<div></div><hr></blockquote>Agreed on duo choices.  But I think amends makes Pal more in line than SK.  SK will spend a lot of power keeping aggro.Fury - less dps but more survivability.  Can be in the same city.Necro - Necro is great dps, and has some nice utility (feign death, raise dead) to increase survivability.  But you don't get these tills till ~40s.Brigand - Debuff the mob like you will not believe.  DPS is great.  Brigands are awesome.Swashbuckler - Good version of the Brigand.  You can be in the same city.</div>

[Diern]

I run these duo's al the time, agro isnt a problem, its only when you get into big groups it can be. But as a SK you should be spamming damage to keep agro anyway, its how we do it. Sk agro has got alot better recently<div></div>

[Katr]

hubby and I are rolling a pally/swashy combo. 

[Boli32]

Paladin / Wizard Combo.Not gonna go into how each but actually stacks well together but its a lovely little combo. Paladins to Wizards are a root that just will never break or fair even Vs groups of mobs. and we get enough dps boost from wizards and our taunts plus agro transfer means they never have to worry about getting agro.

[Bladewind]

<P>I'll list the combos I have experience with along with a few comments.  Aside from the ability to do damage, you want utility in your partner.  Utility skills that a paladin lacks that come in handy are:  track (any scout), group invis (brigand, swash, fury), evac (any scout, warden, wizard), and feign death (monk has group FD, necro and shadowknight can FD you).</P> <P>Paladin/Healer - Due to the lack of utility in clerics and shamans, and the fact that a paladin has some healing, the only healer type I would recommend duoing with would be a druid.  Wardens offer slightly more defensive bonuses while furies offer a bit of extra damage.  Wardens evac, furies group invis.  Both can rez you.  DPS is still low overall, but you are very safe.  If your partner really wants to play a cleric or shaman, the evil versions (inquisitor and defiler) offer a bit more dps and some nice dps buffs to give you.  The good versions have defensive buffs and abilities to debuff enemy attack abilities.  While these are nice, they make fights drag on forever if you do not have anyone else in the group doing dps.  All healers offer very nice group buffs for resists and tanking ability.</P> <P>Paladin/Warrior - While I think a paladin and guardian could compliment each other and make a defensive powerhouse, the fights would be pretty darn slow.  On the other hand, a berzerker offers group buffs (berzerk increases haste and dps, and they have a str buff) that will increase the paladin's dps, and they bring considerable dps of their own to the table.  You may not get utility from this combo (no track, group invis, or evac), but you can beat the snot out of stuff and don't have to worry if your partner gains aggro.  You'll also both be competing for for loot drops since you wear the same armor and use similar weapons/shields.</P> <P>Paladin/SK - I have limited experience with this, but now that reactives stack with wards this can be a very interesting combo.  I don't know SKs well enough, but I have heard people have fun with it.  If you are a roleplayer, this combo offers a chance for a very interesting back story <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  I think the fights would be slower but the nice thing is that the SK can take lumps just as well as you can, so aggro going back and forth is a non issue.  You'll also both be competing for for loot drops since you wear the same armor and use similar weapons/shields.</P> <P>Paladin/Brawler - Good DPS and great survivability.  Bruisers have a self heal and FD - that makes them very survivable.  Monks have a heal that is similar to lay on hands (and can be cast on others), solo FD, and group FD (handy to save you both).  Since they are tanks, brawlers can take lumps about as well as you can if they happen to gain aggro.  The cons to this combo would be no track, no group invis, no evac, and minimal group buffs (monks buff haste and bruisers buff dps).</P> <P>Paladin/Rogue - Wonderful combo.  Very high dps.  Brigands offer massive debuffs and swashbucklers offer extra aoe with medium debuffs.  The array of debuffs means they will allow you to do noticably more dps than normal.  Other benefits from both classes include track, evac, and group invis - utility galore. Both classes have a fair amount of tanking ability, so they are pretty survivable in the event of aggro issues or the paladin falling.  The only downside is that they offer very little in the way of group buffs (only 15% run speed).  </P> <P>Paladin/Predator - Staggering DPS.  You trade some utility for the massive damage.  These guys still have evac and track, but no group invis.  Also, their defensive stances are weaker, so while they can take some punishment, they will fall much quicker than a rogue.  Debuffs that help a paladin are minimal, and group buffs are once again only to run speed (15%).  Assassins focus on single target damage from close up and behiind, while rangers do a good chunk of their damage from afar and have a bit more aoe ability.</P> <P>Paladin/Bard - Buffs galore!  Low dps.  This is another case where sure and steady wins the race.  Fights will be slow but safe.  A bard makes you do everything you normally do better.  Unfortunately, bards themselves do pretty low dps.  You will get track and evac, but not group invis.  Becasue of a few specific abilities, I would recommend a dirge over a troubadour - stoneskin (gives you a % chance to take zero damage from incoming attacks), limited heals, and the ability to rez.  While troubadours do offer melee buffs, their specialty buffs are more suited to casters.  Another con from my personal experience is that bards are pretty frustrating to solo on (due to low dps).</P> <P>Paladin/Sorcerer - Amends, sigil, and your array of aoe atatcks allow you to hold aggro for a warlock with relative ease.  The aoe punishment that they inflict upon an encounter is insane.  Wizards are focused more on single target damage, and they do it very well.  Sorcerers also have the ability to invis any party member one at a time (as do all mages).  They offer some decent group buffs including resists (warlocks noxious resists and wizards elemental resist) and a damage proc.  Wizards have evac.  The big downside is that they have less tools to regulate their aggro, so things can get dicey quickly.  With only a robe to protect them, gaining aggro on heroics often means death.</P> <P>Paladin/Summoner - I have little experience with this combo, but someone above wrote a nice bit to give you an idea.</P> <P>Paladin/Enchanter - While the buffs they offer are nice and the coercer charm ability can be very useful, I think that the aoe-dependence of a paladin really clashes with the mez abilities of a chanter.  This combo is doable, but one of the players has to seriously curtail their abilities to make it work.</P> <P> </P> <P>Those are my observations.  I would personally go with a brigand or swashbuckler for a few reasons - all of the utility makes getting around and getting out of sticky situations easier.  Also, you won't be competing for loot in most cases.  Rogues are fun to solo as well, so your partner won't be stuck lfg if you can't play for some reason.  My seocnd choice would be a zerker because thta combo just sounds fun.  You lose utility, but you really get to just get in the bad guys' faces.  Thirdly, I'd take a sorcerer.  You have to be careful due to how fragile they are, but watching mobs get blasted away is good times.  </P> <P>Also, sorry that I used the old subclass nomenclature.  Here's a little guide:  warrior = guardian/zerker, brawler = bruiser/monk, rogue = brigand/swash, predator = ranger/assassin, bard = dirge/troub, sorcerer = wiard/warlock, summoner = necromancer/conujror, and enchanter = coercer/illusionist.</P> <P>edit - oops, i wrote with you being the pally and your gf still choosing.  all the info still applies <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P>Message Edited by Bladewind on <SPAN class=date_text>11-02-2006</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>08:39 AM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by Bladewind on <span class=date_text>11-02-2006</span> <span class=time_text>08:53 AM</span>

[Antryg Mistrose]

Pally / Illusionist works VERY well - A paladin self healing (i.e. not paired with a priest) chews through power Illusionist also provides a safety net for when things go bad - adds etc, and has decent dps. I dual boxed a Paladin/Illusionist for a dozen or so levels, before betraying to SK  ( too many paladins in my guild) SK in a duo runs out of life, Paladin runs out of power. Other alternatives are bards (lesser power buffs) - might suit YOUR play style more, or coercer. Or as others have mentioned - a full on dps class, and rely on taking the mobs down quickly. I do NOT recommned a low dps priest like templar, unless you want to group rather than duo <div></div>

[Illustrious]

<DIV>As a monk i duo with a pally up to the end of T5 when he left game, was a pretty good combo for versatility. Im sure there better combos but we used to do ok.</DIV>