Noob zerker/sk help

Acidian80 · 11-22-2006, 02:29 AM

Sorry to bother you pro sk's about this but I realy need help deciding, been sitting here for 2 days now testing all the classes and tried diffrent races, checked lots of forums in the newbie zone, the class forums, screenshots of players, checked eq2players for dmg tops and so on and so forth, and Ive narrowed it down to 2 classes SMILEY

(yes, I know, I have issues, sigh, just like to play the right class when I start playing a game like this, one does spend alot of hours playing these chars SMILEY

Berserker or Death Knight. One seems to be more team oriented the other more solo capable. I love to solo, and probably do more soloing than teaming, but I would like to know that a team would want me if I needed a team for something. I also like swinging a big 2h axe in an enemies face more than casting spells on them (sk seems more like 1h sword/shield class to me), but again I do enjoy soloing. Also Im playing on a pvp server, and shadowknight seems alot more capable in solo pvp than a berserker.Any pointers to help my descision would be invaluable SMILEY

Tarkin-Wretch · 11-22-2006, 03:13 AM

im not sure why you would get the impression that sk's were more 1h/shield. i never use that unless im tanking and even then i try to use a 2hander when i can get away with it. both are good classes in both pve and pvp although i think a zerk might find a group a bit easier. the spell casting is a fact though. 80% of our dmg comes from spells so you will be doing alot of casting, and getting interupted by the way. its better than it was before but its still common. on the bright side though, with the mitigation changes you should expect better dmg than before. zerk also have a handful of useful interupts making them more effective against caster class like the sk. i never had the pleasure of fighting a zerk on nagafen but i dueled them on mistmoore when i used to play an sk over there and they were rough. hard to get spells off. a problem the zerk will not have since they are all combat arts. if none of that has convinced you, then it may just end up being preference because i think they are both equally strong in pvp.

Antryg Mistrose · 11-22-2006, 03:30 AM

Tarkin-Wretched wrote: "i never use that unless im tanking and even then i try to use a 2hander when i can get away with it."What is it with SK's tanking with a 2 hander? Shield Bash line is our biggest taunt and has a knockdown/stun. Shields do btw help your defense too.A crusader tanking with a 2 hander had better explain why to the priest, if they don't want to get kicked or have the priest leave the group. It makes the priest's job a lot harder, fullstop.Yeah, yeah I have uber gear, I tanked Tarinex in offensive stance with a 1 hander & symbol ..... blah, blah.Frankly I don't believe a word of it.Where SK do miss out compared to berserkers is the ability to dual wield, but we do have some other nice tricks. Warriors btw when tanking will also normally use a shield (or buckler), but they don't sacrifice a taunt when they don't (but again they had better have a good story or will be /lfg right quick - priests are generally harder to come by than tanks, at least on my server/timezone)

Message Edited by Antryg Mistrose on 11-21-2006 10:35 PM

Acidian80 · 11-22-2006, 03:47 AM

Thanks for the replies. Yeah if Im tanking Id go 1h sword and shield on the berserker aswell SMILEY

I just think he ment that he would go 2h if the situation allowed for it. Ill try the sk a little more, but it seems to come down to if I want to solo more with my class or if I want to team more.

Tarkin-Wretch · 11-22-2006, 03:48 AM

well sometimes i have 2 healers in my group and they are friends so its not always about the most efficient way of playing, its about fun. i have more fun in off stance with a 2hander sorry. i like my jacked up INT and DIS skill. if i wanted to play a tank i would have rolled a guardian. i like the fact that i can tank but given the choice id rather not unless the real tank is a [Removed for Content], then i have to take control and get it done. like i said, when i can get away with it i will. if im getting pounded and the healer(s) are struggling, i WILL do my part and go def stance with shield. im not going to ruin other peoples fun for the sake of my own. you may have misunderstood me and others when you read us talking about tanking in off stance with 2handers.

back on topic. in the end i think it comes down to enjoyment of the class, not just whether they solo well or group better. those are factors to enjoying the class but donot dictate it entirely, at least not for me. ive tried the zerk but im an SK thru and thru. yea id like to be wanted in groups like the zerk, and have their tanking and taunting power, but a zerk is not an sk so ill take what i have cuz i enjoy the class and its concept. if you decide on the zerk though, you may get discouraged up until lvl 50. thats when they really start to shine imo. my friend tried it twice on diff servers and it was a struggle to keep him playing it at the earlier levels, which is funny cuz i always thought he was better than me at tanking and dps when he would complain about the zerk.

Message Edited by Tarkin-Wretched on 11-21-2006 05:54 PM

Arieneth · 11-22-2006, 04:08 AM

hurray for my text getting deleted when i hit submit. too lazy to retype it all so i'll go with SK's rule.

Message Edited by Venymous on 11-21-2006 03:14 PM

Incur · 11-22-2006, 05:00 AM

As a small point with the changes..

All defensive skills are compared against the mobs offensive skills..

BAR BLOCK!
Which you only get with shield, which is one of the reasons why sheilds are now more usefull than ever..

Oh and SK's are now more than ever capable of doing everything a zerker does to a group, we bring more in terms of buffs (imho) and hell, do you want to be screaming your rage into your enemies face, slamming a two hander into them and summoning there own fallen allies to come back and strike back against those they loved!

Or.. slam you two hander into there face?

Norrsken · 11-22-2006, 07:28 PM

Tarkin-Wretched wrote:
im not sure why you would get the impression that sk's were more 1h/shield. i never use that unless im tanking and even then i try to use a 2hander when i can get away with it. both are good classes in both pve and pvp although i think a zerk might find a group a bit easier. the spell casting is a fact though. 80% of our dmg comes from spells so you will be doing alot of casting, and getting interupted by the way. its better than it was before but its still common. on the bright side though, with the mitigation changes you should expect better dmg than before. zerk also have a handful of useful interupts making them more effective against caster class like the sk. i never had the pleasure of fighting a zerk on nagafen but i dueled them on mistmoore when i used to play an sk over there and they were rough. hard to get spells off. a problem the zerk will not have since they are all combat arts. if none of that has convinced you, then it may just end up being preference because i think they are both equally strong in pvp.

zerk vs sk, the sk wins. use a kb to win some time, toss blessing up and use your two other lifetaps. Or FD to drop their target to win some time, and get the blessing up. You will end the figth with 90-100% health, and 50% power. They will be very dead. Thats the story of every encounter I ahve ever had with zerkers on my naggy sk.

Eluzay · 11-22-2006, 09:14 PM

as for the 1h vs 2h ... I am all about board and sword... 2h is nice enough I guess, but the shield bash, combined with the extra stats combined with the extra avoidance from the shield way makes up for the melee damage gained.From time to time when not tanking I will bust out my 2h but it does not parce me much more dps

Makaeleb · 11-22-2006, 09:46 PM

"Berserker or Death Knight. One seems to be more team oriented the other more solo capable. I love to solo, and probably do more soloing than teaming, but I would like to know that a team would want me if I needed a team for something. I also like swinging a big 2h axe in an enemies face more than casting spells on them (sk seems more like 1h sword/shield class to me), but again I do enjoy soloing. Also Im playing on a pvp server, and shadowknight seems alot more capable in solo pvp than a berserker."

I have a 68 zerk and a up and coming 45 SK. I can say this I absolutely LOVE soloing with my SK! My zerk can and does easily solo some content especially multiple targets.... but with no lifetaps some things are not doable for him. I have yet to mt in a group setting with my sk(can be quite honest I am a little nervous about it) but both toons solo fine the edge way in favor of the sk.

With my zerk and SK I use sword and board and 2handers(dual wield with the zerk from time to time as well) it really depends on the situation. I would say keep leveling both sooner or later you will get a feel for which suits you more(but if your serious about soloing sk imo is the way to go)

Acidian80 · 11-23-2006, 02:03 AM

Thanks for the response all. I have both of them at lvl 12 now, and I think Ill keep going on my sk. I do think the berserker will be better closer to end game, for getting teams. My final thoughts though are that if I ever get an end level raiding guild, theres going to be a guardian MT anyway, so its not going to matter that much in that sense, and when it comes to grouping with smaller parties, the berserker might be a little better, but I dont think the sk is such a bad tank that he cant tank at all SMILEY

I also think that Tarkin is right, I think that playing berserker might be the more "right" class to play, but I feel like playing the sk more, and even if the berserker shines after lvl 50, thats still 50 levels (in the beginning of the game, there was only 50 levels) of time to play. Anyway, thanks again for all the info SMILEY

Norrsken · 11-23-2006, 06:00 AM

Actually, with what the SKs were given in EoF, we may be ahead of, or at least on par with the zerker in the raid tanking dept. Some of the more loud zerkers think so at least, when they go on about how they've been nerfed to uselessness... Bah. SMILEY

11-22-2006, 02:29 AM	#1
Acidian80 Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4	Sorry to bother you pro sk's about this but I realy need help deciding, been sitting here for 2 days now testing all the classes and tried diffrent races, checked lots of forums in the newbie zone, the class forums, screenshots of players, checked eq2players for dmg tops and so on and so forth, and Ive narrowed it down to 2 classes (yes, I know, I have issues, sigh, just like to play the right class when I start playing a game like this, one does spend alot of hours playing these chars Berserker or Death Knight. One seems to be more team oriented the other more solo capable. I love to solo, and probably do more soloing than teaming, but I would like to know that a team would want me if I needed a team for something. I also like swinging a big 2h axe in an enemies face more than casting spells on them (sk seems more like 1h sword/shield class to me), but again I do enjoy soloing. Also Im playing on a pvp server, and shadowknight seems alot more capable in solo pvp than a berserker.Any pointers to help my descision would be invaluable

11-22-2006, 03:30 AM	#3
Antryg Mistrose Loremaster Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 893	Tarkin-Wretched wrote: "i never use that unless im tanking and even then i try to use a 2hander when i can get away with it."What is it with SK's tanking with a 2 hander? Shield Bash line is our biggest taunt and has a knockdown/stun. Shields do btw help your defense too.A crusader tanking with a 2 hander had better explain why to the priest, if they don't want to get kicked or have the priest leave the group. It makes the priest's job a lot harder, fullstop.Yeah, yeah I have uber gear, I tanked Tarinex in offensive stance with a 1 hander & symbol ..... blah, blah.Frankly I don't believe a word of it.Where SK do miss out compared to berserkers is the ability to dual wield, but we do have some other nice tricks. Warriors btw when tanking will also normally use a shield (or buckler), but they don't sacrifice a taunt when they don't (but again they had better have a good story or will be /lfg right quick - priests are generally harder to come by than tanks, at least on my server/timezone) Message Edited by Antryg Mistrose on 11-21-2006 10:35 PM __________________ Illusionist//Paladin/Dirge/Templar Jeweler/Sage/Alchemist/Prov

11-22-2006, 03:47 AM	#4
Acidian80 Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4	Thanks for the replies. Yeah if Im tanking Id go 1h sword and shield on the berserker aswell I just think he ment that he would go 2h if the situation allowed for it. Ill try the sk a little more, but it seems to come down to if I want to solo more with my class or if I want to team more.

11-22-2006, 05:00 AM	#7
Incur General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 82	As a small point with the changes.. All defensive skills are compared against the mobs offensive skills.. BAR BLOCK! Which you only get with shield, which is one of the reasons why sheilds are now more usefull than ever.. Oh and SK's are now more than ever capable of doing everything a zerker does to a group, we bring more in terms of buffs (imho) and hell, do you want to be screaming your rage into your enemies face, slamming a two hander into them and summoning there own fallen allies to come back and strike back against those they loved! Or.. slam you two hander into there face? __________________ Elderboy of House Rea'Morda

11-22-2006, 07:28 PM	#8
Norrsken Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,450	Tarkin-Wretched wrote: im not sure why you would get the impression that sk's were more 1h/shield. i never use that unless im tanking and even then i try to use a 2hander when i can get away with it. both are good classes in both pve and pvp although i think a zerk might find a group a bit easier. the spell casting is a fact though. 80% of our dmg comes from spells so you will be doing alot of casting, and getting interupted by the way. its better than it was before but its still common. on the bright side though, with the mitigation changes you should expect better dmg than before. zerk also have a handful of useful interupts making them more effective against caster class like the sk. i never had the pleasure of fighting a zerk on nagafen but i dueled them on mistmoore when i used to play an sk over there and they were rough. hard to get spells off. a problem the zerk will not have since they are all combat arts. if none of that has convinced you, then it may just end up being preference because i think they are both equally strong in pvp. zerk vs sk, the sk wins. use a kb to win some time, toss blessing up and use your two other lifetaps. Or FD to drop their target to win some time, and get the blessing up. You will end the figth with 90-100% health, and 50% power. They will be very dead. Thats the story of every encounter I ahve ever had with zerkers on my naggy sk. __________________

11-22-2006, 03:13 AM	#2
Tarkin-Wretch Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 132	im not sure why you would get the impression that sk's were more 1h/shield. i never use that unless im tanking and even then i try to use a 2hander when i can get away with it. both are good classes in both pve and pvp although i think a zerk might find a group a bit easier. the spell casting is a fact though. 80% of our dmg comes from spells so you will be doing alot of casting, and getting interupted by the way. its better than it was before but its still common. on the bright side though, with the mitigation changes you should expect better dmg than before. zerk also have a handful of useful interupts making them more effective against caster class like the sk. i never had the pleasure of fighting a zerk on nagafen but i dueled them on mistmoore when i used to play an sk over there and they were rough. hard to get spells off. a problem the zerk will not have since they are all combat arts. if none of that has convinced you, then it may just end up being preference because i think they are both equally strong in pvp.

11-22-2006, 03:48 AM	#5
Tarkin-Wretch Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 132	well sometimes i have 2 healers in my group and they are friends so its not always about the most efficient way of playing, its about fun. i have more fun in off stance with a 2hander sorry. i like my jacked up INT and DIS skill. if i wanted to play a tank i would have rolled a guardian. i like the fact that i can tank but given the choice id rather not unless the real tank is a [Removed for Content], then i have to take control and get it done. like i said, when i can get away with it i will. if im getting pounded and the healer(s) are struggling, i WILL do my part and go def stance with shield. im not going to ruin other peoples fun for the sake of my own. you may have misunderstood me and others when you read us talking about tanking in off stance with 2handers. back on topic. in the end i think it comes down to enjoyment of the class, not just whether they solo well or group better. those are factors to enjoying the class but donot dictate it entirely, at least not for me. ive tried the zerk but im an SK thru and thru. yea id like to be wanted in groups like the zerk, and have their tanking and taunting power, but a zerk is not an sk so ill take what i have cuz i enjoy the class and its concept. if you decide on the zerk though, you may get discouraged up until lvl 50. thats when they really start to shine imo. my friend tried it twice on diff servers and it was a struggle to keep him playing it at the earlier levels, which is funny cuz i always thought he was better than me at tanking and dps when he would complain about the zerk. Message Edited by Tarkin-Wretched on 11-21-2006 05:54 PM

11-22-2006, 04:08 AM	#6
Arieneth Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 177	hurray for my text getting deleted when i hit submit. too lazy to retype it all so i'll go with SK's rule. Message Edited by Venymous on 11-21-2006 03:14 PM

11-22-2006, 09:14 PM	#9
Eluzay Lord Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 432	as for the 1h vs 2h ... I am all about board and sword... 2h is nice enough I guess, but the shield bash, combined with the extra stats combined with the extra avoidance from the shield way makes up for the melee damage gained.From time to time when not tanking I will bust out my 2h but it does not parce me much more dps

11-22-2006, 09:46 PM	#10
Makaeleb Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 34	"Berserker or Death Knight. One seems to be more team oriented the other more solo capable. I love to solo, and probably do more soloing than teaming, but I would like to know that a team would want me if I needed a team for something. I also like swinging a big 2h axe in an enemies face more than casting spells on them (sk seems more like 1h sword/shield class to me), but again I do enjoy soloing. Also Im playing on a pvp server, and shadowknight seems alot more capable in solo pvp than a berserker." I have a 68 zerk and a up and coming 45 SK. I can say this I absolutely LOVE soloing with my SK! My zerk can and does easily solo some content especially multiple targets.... but with no lifetaps some things are not doable for him. I have yet to mt in a group setting with my sk(can be quite honest I am a little nervous about it) but both toons solo fine the edge way in favor of the sk. With my zerk and SK I use sword and board and 2handers(dual wield with the zerk from time to time as well) it really depends on the situation. I would say keep leveling both sooner or later you will get a feel for which suits you more(but if your serious about soloing sk imo is the way to go)

11-23-2006, 02:03 AM	#11
Acidian80 Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4	Thanks for the response all. I have both of them at lvl 12 now, and I think Ill keep going on my sk. I do think the berserker will be better closer to end game, for getting teams. My final thoughts though are that if I ever get an end level raiding guild, theres going to be a guardian MT anyway, so its not going to matter that much in that sense, and when it comes to grouping with smaller parties, the berserker might be a little better, but I dont think the sk is such a bad tank that he cant tank at all I also think that Tarkin is right, I think that playing berserker might be the more "right" class to play, but I feel like playing the sk more, and even if the berserker shines after lvl 50, thats still 50 levels (in the beginning of the game, there was only 50 levels) of time to play. Anyway, thanks again for all the info

11-23-2006, 06:00 AM	#12
Norrsken Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,450	Actually, with what the SKs were given in EoF, we may be ahead of, or at least on par with the zerker in the raid tanking dept. Some of the more loud zerkers think so at least, when they go on about how they've been nerfed to uselessness... Bah. __________________