new to EQ2

Matthieas · 06-22-2009, 03:33 PM

Hey all, I am quite new to EQ2. I have played on and off since beta but never really got into it. The question i have is Illy or Wizard? What are the play styles of each? From what i have been reading Illys have nice DPS and a good CC ablity which is right up my ally for prefered play style. What does a raid encounter look like for a Illy? What makes the class fun? how sought after are they for raids? Thank you for your time and expertise SMILEY .

Mathieas

Gipper · 06-22-2009, 07:09 PM

I played a conjuror, fury, then monk. Loved each class then settled back on my conjuror. Then I made Illy. Wow! He kills really fast. His pet dies quicker, but after I learned about range and root and such, I can get the mob dead before myself usually. Also great when adds come, just mezz them and pick them off one at a time.

I soloed to around 75 mostly, then the groups started coming. Log in and get tells wanting you to go here and there, so I learned how to group. Folks love your buffs.

As far as raiding, I've been casually raiding since last summer so not an expert like some of the more hardcore folks out there. I can tell you, we have 3 illusionists in our raidforce. So very sought after for raiding. Raidleader runs a coercer in MT group and an illy in each of the 3 others.

The class is fun, I think, because you can kill things so fast. When I get on my conjuror now, the cast time seems so slow motion. And let an add come and I may even end up dead.

In endgame raids, mezzing isn't needed too much. Make sure to master all of them and get illuminate on your Illy AA page to make sure they stick when you do need them(still doesn't always work). Mostly, Illies are needed on raids for mana regen, buffs, and dps.

MadGam · 06-23-2009, 12:11 PM

Nice post Gip I am a returning player as well. I was really undecided between an Illy or Necro but I think Im sticking with Illy. I use to love playing a Enc in EQ so I really enjoy the class.

I also see they added AA's to the game. What level should i start doing AA's and how many per so many lvl? Is there a general rule of thumb or no?

Andu · 06-23-2009, 02:20 PM

MadGamer wrote:

Nice post Gip I am a returning player as well. I was really undecided between an Illy or Necro but I think Im sticking with Illy. I use to love playing a Enc in EQ so I really enjoy the class.
I also see they added AA's to the game. What level should i start doing AA's and how many per so many lvl? Is there a general rule of thumb or no?

AA's start at level 10. They are a royal pain to grind at high level so be sure to get as much AA xp as you can while levelling ... do quests, kill named mobs etc. Basically, don't be tempted to skip content too quickly at low level as getting to level 80 with only 70 AA will just mean hours of boring AA grinding ahead of you on greyed out content.

If you get to level 70 with 120 AA or so you are doing well, get to 80 with 150 and everything will be fine.

To answer the OP, an illusionist and wizard have extremely similar playstyles. Illusionists are basically wizards with a little less DPS and buffs in compensation. The buffs mainly define the class as that is what is wanted primarily in groups and raids. However, you should also ensure you throw out the most damage you can, Illy's are still excellent DPS and one that is doing poor DPS is considered a bad one.

Don't get hung up on the mezzing and crowd control though. Yes, both Enchanters excel at this but EQ2 has been designed to virtually never require it and many groups will get annoyed at you if you mezz very much. It's mainly used in the oh s**t situations while grouping, while raiding it is almost non-existant. Most EQ1 Enchanters are sorely disappointed with the lack of crowd control required.

Hammersmasher · 06-23-2009, 04:00 PM

I've played both a Wiz and an Illy in raids. I played the Wiz through most of T7 and RoK T8 raids, and have played the Illy almost exclusively since June/08.

It really depends on your preference as to which you enjoy playing more. With the illy, you have good dps, and stuns/stifles in group situations and dps/power regen in raid situations (groups I rarely do anything with power other than my gear proc'ing... unless you have a tank that intends on chain pulling the zone... and even then it's rare I worry about power regen).

Whereas the Wizard is flat out dps in both groups and raids.

My preference is the Illy. I find there's so much more I can do soloing/grouping than the Wiz. A favorite pasttime of mine is soloing Karnor's Castle (T SMILEY . Even though both can solo well in there, I find the illy has an advantage with some mobs especially with those that knockback.

If you intend on raiding, you'll find most guilds run with 1 wizard, but they'll run with multiple Illusionists. You can pretty much pick your guild playing the Illusionist... not so much with the Wizzie.

MadGam · 06-23-2009, 04:43 PM

Sorry but not sure how AA works in this game yet. Can i choose how much xp goes into AA? Or is it a on or off thing? So your saying to get about 12-15 AA's every 10 levels should be good. Thanks again for the replys.

Hammersmasher · 06-23-2009, 04:58 PM

Prior to lvl 80, you gain AA for first time named kills, new zone location discoveries, and completing quests. Once you hit 80, all your XP turns into AA.From what I understand, you can actually turn off regular XP and just gain AA, but that's primarily so you don't grey out zones prior to getting as much AA as possible before moving to the next zone (although you can still get AA for completing grey quests). I've never been a fan of the approach of stopping XP gain in favor of AA only, but do see it's merits.

Xalmat · 06-23-2009, 05:09 PM

You cannot turn off combat XP to earn Achievements. What actually happens is once you hit level 80, all combat XP is turned into Achievement experience.

MadGam · 06-23-2009, 05:26 PM

Ok I thought you could turn it off reg exp and transfer it to AA XP once after 10. So you cant control how much goes to AA or reg xp. Ok thought it was like EQ you could do either or.

Hammersmasher · 06-23-2009, 05:31 PM

I just read what I wrote, and it could be interpreted that my comment about turning off XP in favor of AA was referring to the time once you hit lvl 80. I should've phrased it in such a way that this applies only to pre-lvl 80.

In any case, get as many AA's as you're levelling so you don't have to grind grey quests once you hit max level. Quest, discover as many areas as possible, and kill as many unique names as possible while you're levelling.

There's a really useful post for zone discovery which I put to good use... check this out - 1057 zone discovery points.

Matthieas · 06-23-2009, 07:22 PM

Thank you all for the valuable information! This is precisely what i was hopeing to get out of the post. Thank you again for all your time and incite.

Mathieas

MadGam · 06-25-2009, 04:34 PM

Anyone know any good illusionist guides out there for a new player? I just feel very ovewhelmed by the amount of quests out there in Gfey. I just dont want to miss something that would of been beneficial for me. Is there any armor quests or anything I should be on the lookout in my teens.

I am enjoying my class very much though.

Hammersmasher · 06-25-2009, 06:57 PM

I don't know of any "illusionist specific" guides out there. Especially concerning lower level toons.

There's so many quests in each of the zones that you literally won't be able to finish every single quest in all similar level areas before it greys out for you (unless you lock your level). If you're in your teens, there's not only Gfay, but there's Antonica, commonlands, dark light woods, all the instances that stem off of them, plus others (I know I'm missing a number of them).

Dont' get overwhelmed with the quests you have, just finish what you want and either move to an equivalent tier zone or a higher zone if things are conning green to you.

Check eq2.wikia.com - there's a list of soloing quest lines there..

If you intend on levelling quickly through the content, then don't worry about any gear in the lower levels. Every piece of gear I have at lvl 80 I worked on AFTER I hit lvl 70.

06-22-2009, 03:33 PM	#1
Matthieas Augur Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 10	Hey all, I am quite new to EQ2. I have played on and off since beta but never really got into it. The question i have is Illy or Wizard? What are the play styles of each? From what i have been reading Illys have nice DPS and a good CC ablity which is right up my ally for prefered play style. What does a raid encounter look like for a Illy? What makes the class fun? how sought after are they for raids? Thank you for your time and expertise . Mathieas

06-22-2009, 07:09 PM	#2
Gipper Server: Antonia Bayle Guild: Mystic Alliance Rank: Mystic Council Lord Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 85	I played a conjuror, fury, then monk. Loved each class then settled back on my conjuror. Then I made Illy. Wow! He kills really fast. His pet dies quicker, but after I learned about range and root and such, I can get the mob dead before myself usually. Also great when adds come, just mezz them and pick them off one at a time. I soloed to around 75 mostly, then the groups started coming. Log in and get tells wanting you to go here and there, so I learned how to group. Folks love your buffs. As far as raiding, I've been casually raiding since last summer so not an expert like some of the more hardcore folks out there. I can tell you, we have 3 illusionists in our raidforce. So very sought after for raiding. Raidleader runs a coercer in MT group and an illy in each of the 3 others. The class is fun, I think, because you can kill things so fast. When I get on my conjuror now, the cast time seems so slow motion. And let an add come and I may even end up dead. In endgame raids, mezzing isn't needed too much. Make sure to master all of them and get illuminate on your Illy AA page to make sure they stick when you do need them(still doesn't always work). Mostly, Illies are needed on raids for mana regen, buffs, and dps. __________________

06-23-2009, 02:20 PM	#4
Andu General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 578	MadGamer wrote: Nice post Gip I am a returning player as well. I was really undecided between an Illy or Necro but I think Im sticking with Illy. I use to love playing a Enc in EQ so I really enjoy the class. I also see they added AA's to the game. What level should i start doing AA's and how many per so many lvl? Is there a general rule of thumb or no? AA's start at level 10. They are a royal pain to grind at high level so be sure to get as much AA xp as you can while levelling ... do quests, kill named mobs etc. Basically, don't be tempted to skip content too quickly at low level as getting to level 80 with only 70 AA will just mean hours of boring AA grinding ahead of you on greyed out content. If you get to level 70 with 120 AA or so you are doing well, get to 80 with 150 and everything will be fine. To answer the OP, an illusionist and wizard have extremely similar playstyles. Illusionists are basically wizards with a little less DPS and buffs in compensation. The buffs mainly define the class as that is what is wanted primarily in groups and raids. However, you should also ensure you throw out the most damage you can, Illy's are still excellent DPS and one that is doing poor DPS is considered a bad one. Don't get hung up on the mezzing and crowd control though. Yes, both Enchanters excel at this but EQ2 has been designed to virtually never require it and many groups will get annoyed at you if you mezz very much. It's mainly used in the oh s**t situations while grouping, while raiding it is almost non-existant. Most EQ1 Enchanters are sorely disappointed with the lack of crowd control required. __________________

06-23-2009, 04:00 PM	#5
Hammersmasher Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 95	I've played both a Wiz and an Illy in raids. I played the Wiz through most of T7 and RoK T8 raids, and have played the Illy almost exclusively since June/08. It really depends on your preference as to which you enjoy playing more. With the illy, you have good dps, and stuns/stifles in group situations and dps/power regen in raid situations (groups I rarely do anything with power other than my gear proc'ing... unless you have a tank that intends on chain pulling the zone... and even then it's rare I worry about power regen). Whereas the Wizard is flat out dps in both groups and raids. My preference is the Illy. I find there's so much more I can do soloing/grouping than the Wiz. A favorite pasttime of mine is soloing Karnor's Castle (T. Even though both can solo well in there, I find the illy has an advantage with some mobs especially with those that knockback. If you intend on raiding, you'll find most guilds run with 1 wizard, but they'll run with multiple Illusionists. You can pretty much pick your guild playing the Illusionist... not so much with the Wizzie.

06-23-2009, 05:09 PM	#8
Xalmat EQ2Achieve.com Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 5,895	You cannot turn off combat XP to earn Achievements. What actually happens is once you hit level 80, all combat XP is turned into Achievement experience. __________________ EQ2Achieve - Your guide to all EverQuest II Achievements

06-23-2009, 12:11 PM	#3
MadGam General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 26	Nice post Gip I am a returning player as well. I was really undecided between an Illy or Necro but I think Im sticking with Illy. I use to love playing a Enc in EQ so I really enjoy the class. I also see they added AA's to the game. What level should i start doing AA's and how many per so many lvl? Is there a general rule of thumb or no?

06-23-2009, 04:43 PM	#6
MadGam General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 26	Sorry but not sure how AA works in this game yet. Can i choose how much xp goes into AA? Or is it a on or off thing? So your saying to get about 12-15 AA's every 10 levels should be good. Thanks again for the replys.

06-23-2009, 04:58 PM	#7
Hammersmasher Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 95	Prior to lvl 80, you gain AA for first time named kills, new zone location discoveries, and completing quests. Once you hit 80, all your XP turns into AA.From what I understand, you can actually turn off regular XP and just gain AA, but that's primarily so you don't grey out zones prior to getting as much AA as possible before moving to the next zone (although you can still get AA for completing grey quests). I've never been a fan of the approach of stopping XP gain in favor of AA only, but do see it's merits.

06-23-2009, 05:26 PM	#9
MadGam General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 26	Ok I thought you could turn it off reg exp and transfer it to AA XP once after 10. So you cant control how much goes to AA or reg xp. Ok thought it was like EQ you could do either or.

06-23-2009, 05:31 PM	#10
Hammersmasher Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 95	I just read what I wrote, and it could be interpreted that my comment about turning off XP in favor of AA was referring to the time once you hit lvl 80. I should've phrased it in such a way that this applies only to pre-lvl 80. In any case, get as many AA's as you're levelling so you don't have to grind grey quests once you hit max level. Quest, discover as many areas as possible, and kill as many unique names as possible while you're levelling. There's a really useful post for zone discovery which I put to good use... check this out - 1057 zone discovery points.

06-23-2009, 07:22 PM	#11
Matthieas Augur Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 10	Thank you all for the valuable information! This is precisely what i was hopeing to get out of the post. Thank you again for all your time and incite. Mathieas

06-25-2009, 04:34 PM	#12
MadGam General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 26	Anyone know any good illusionist guides out there for a new player? I just feel very ovewhelmed by the amount of quests out there in Gfey. I just dont want to miss something that would of been beneficial for me. Is there any armor quests or anything I should be on the lookout in my teens. I am enjoying my class very much though.

06-25-2009, 06:57 PM	#13
Hammersmasher Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 95	I don't know of any "illusionist specific" guides out there. Especially concerning lower level toons. There's so many quests in each of the zones that you literally won't be able to finish every single quest in all similar level areas before it greys out for you (unless you lock your level). If you're in your teens, there's not only Gfay, but there's Antonica, commonlands, dark light woods, all the instances that stem off of them, plus others (I know I'm missing a number of them). Dont' get overwhelmed with the quests you have, just finish what you want and either move to an equivalent tier zone or a higher zone if things are conning green to you. Check eq2.wikia.com - there's a list of soloing quest lines there.. If you intend on levelling quickly through the content, then don't worry about any gear in the lower levels. Every piece of gear I have at lvl 80 I worked on AFTER I hit lvl 70.