My wife plays a 66 druid. I am playing a 66 Beastie.
The druid and the beastlord have to stay, we both love our characters. I just renewed my old 2nd account, so I will be boxing one other character.
I'm really torn between Bard and Enchanter. I have a 70 Enchanter on the 2nd account already, and a 45 Bard. I don't mind gearing and leveling the bard up at all. We would like to do be able to do all the 1 group content possible, with 2 cleric mercs and 1 tank merc of course.
I really like the Enchanter haste/cast and forget type mezzes/buffs/debuffs.
But the Bard offers most everything the Enchanter does even if a little less, and more dps at the cost being more active on the two box with melee positioning etc.
Am I missing something obvious here? I really am torn between a bard or enchanter for the 3rd option. I don't particular care about how 'easy' another class is to box, I'd just like a maximum 3rd option to compliment druid and beastlord.
If another class would do this even better let me know - just two rules.
1) Can not be a 'tank' class. No way, no how. (Unless the tank merc just will not cut it at all for 1 group content at higher levels w 2 cleric mercs and a druid healing and enchanter/beast/or bard slows.
2) Druid and Beastlord have to stay, will be using 3 mercs when needed.
Thanks!
Since you already have an enchanter ready to go, try it and see how you like it. It's far less effort than building up another toon. Bards are nice, but require a lot of attention to play well. As a box, they're rarely used to their potential.
Another good complement to your restrictions would be a Mage.
I would recommend an SK box over a tank merc, any day.
Barring that, either enc or bard will be a good addition, and would be my recommendation. Try the enc first, and see how it goes. If you don't like it, at least you didn't waste any time levelling it up to learn that.
Quote from: Khauruk on May 26, 2009, 06:37:14 PM
I would recommend an SK box over a tank merc, any day.
Barring that, either enc or bard will be a good addition, and would be my recommendation. Try the enc first, and see how it goes. If you don't like it, at least you didn't waste any time levelling it up to learn that.
QFT
Well, I kinda already know how the 70 Enchanter plays, I leveled it myself lol.
I've been playing since release, but just caming back after a couple years absense and so much has changed.
Compared to the old leveling rates, leveling my bard out to 70 is a breeze. It's so easy to level nowadays it's redonkulous.
Will take the tips into consideration, it takes so much gearing to get a tank up to par is the only reason I hate to do the SK route. Not to mention , the Beastlord and Druid are mana hungry alot, it's nice to have regen and pullin or cc abilities of the bard or enchanter.
A tank should be the first toon geared up in your set, but it is nowhere near as crazy to gear one nowadays as it used to be. Crafted armor is cheap again, and is a very nice start, and there are several easy places to start on a set of AC augs (Vald, RSS, Dreadspire). Most of the good augs that you'll want to camp for your bst will be good augs for your SK as well.
Not saying it's the best way, but gearing a tank is easier than it's ever been.
Plus there are drops like elegant goshenite an the lower versions, defiant gear, sod questable and progression gear, sof groupable and progression gear and augs tss armor quests etc. It goes on and on. There TBS faction, cultural etc.
A poorly geared sk can make up alot with innate LT aa's and a bunch of ac augs.
Plus with group geared sks hitting 4500-almost 5kac and 30k hp unbuffed you will be able to take on any content with sk/beast/druid and acouple mercs. Once you get a few levels and start putsing around in sof/sod expansions you will appreciate the sk more and you will pick up alot of gear for all three toons.
I have a shm and a bard on my second account. Both come in handy at different times. I really like the bard. Since I can tank Korafax nameds, the bard and beast can do about any thing I want em to just boxing two accounts.
Quote from: Umok on May 26, 2009, 04:48:29 PM
Am I missing something obvious here? I really am torn between a bard or enchanter for the 3rd option. I don't particular care about how 'easy' another class is to box, I'd just like a maximum 3rd option to compliment druid and beastlord.
If another class would do this even better let me know - just two rules.
1) Can not be a 'tank' class. No way, no how. (Unless the tank merc just will not cut it at all for 1 group content at higher levels w 2 cleric mercs and a druid healing and enchanter/beast/or bard slows.
2) Druid and Beastlord have to stay, will be using 3 mercs when needed.
Thanks!
If your looking to complement, I would go Wizard/Mage. Wizzard would benefit from the Druid Debuff (ice/fire) increaseing chance for wizzy spells to land for max damage. And as long as Twincast doesn't get nerfed....They do insain DPS for short bursts which is what you do in group content. Mage provides same thing (Little less burst DPS for sustained DPS in pet) but you gain utility in the sense of Malo and DS/Pet Toys/off tank/CotH.
Other option that hasn't been considered is Necro. Gives you the ability to split mobs w/FD while providing greater DPS than a Bard or (boxed) chanty.
Reguardless, have fun and welcome back!
Thanks all for the replies, great information all the way around but I'm still confused as to whether make the 3rd box a tank, or go with other utility classes and depend on the merc tank lol!
Gives me ideas though, appreciate it.
With three boxes available, there is no wrong answer as long as pulling is covered.
A tank merc and two healer mercs will get you through almost anything as long as you have puller or CC. 2 healer mercs can handle the tank merc through any group named w/ some regularity.
Having an SK tank gives you the pulling, and gives you the tank, and gives you respectable dps nowadays. It makes some more gear camps, but once it's set up, it's more reliable than a tank merc might be in the next expansion (i.e. you're relying on SoE tuning mercs vs. their tuning of players).
Playstyle will also change some. Mercs are nicely fire and forget when you're using the tank ones. A friend of mine boxes bard and necro w/ a tank and healer merc. He just pulls, and puts autoattack on w/ the bard, and hits hotkey for dots on the necro. The SK will take more work than that, but will give you more control over the situation.
I wouldn't rely on rooting for CC (i.e. shammy) with a tank merc - I'm told they love to break root and pointlessly offtank mobs.
So yeah...there is no wrong answer.
Thank you Khaurak, you've been a tremendous help to a returning player along with the rest.
Sorry for the questions, I know you guys read them a 1000 times but it can be really confusing nowadays to seperate what the game was like in 2005, and what it's like now 2009 (not to mention alot less info nowadays, I guess that makes it more exciting).
I know the feeling - I've taken several extended breaks from the game. Even though I kept touch here, it was still crazy when I returned.
yeah it seems the player base has shrunk enough that the spoiler sites are getting hit hehe.
I can't imagine having to play catch up with all the shit in the last 2 expansions (just getting to 85 is a bear).
i level my chanter from 1-85 in 13 days play time. I now up to 600 aa with him. so I don't think leveling is a problem these days not like the month it took to do 10 level in the past..
But do you have boxes or friends who are assisting you? For some people (especially returning players) it's very hard to find a group.
Hi Umok,
I don't know if you are still reading this thread, but if you are I can confirm some of what the the above posters are saying. I 3-box myself and tried many combinations with a BST as my main. Since the realease of merc's I dumped my cleric for a druid and also run a wizard. This is the easiest setup for me to 3-box. I did try a SK in stead of wiz and got him to 80 and about 300aa but my teir 5 merc could out tank him easily. Gearing and leveling a tank is a major task, so i gave up on him. He was useful as a puller though.
While progressing through SOD with my bst,dru,wiz and my tank/healer/healer setup the thing that held me back the most was a puller. I typically had to rely on the schedule of one of my close Monk friends(thx Swami) to complete many of the tasks. Since you are only playing 2 chars at once I would go bard, your life will be so much easier. I have played a bard up too about 77 and if i didnt have to control all 3 chars I would get him back in the mix.
PS, I can kill named in Korafax pretty easily with this setup..my only issue is pulling certain areas.
You won't be able to do t5 nameds w/ only one healer merc and a tank merc though - 2 healer mercs are required.
Yes, I am still lurking around. I went with me two boxing my beastlord and a rogue. My wife plays the druid. It's nice dps and easy to control at the moment, I just auto attack with beast after slowing and cast dots, then switch to rogue for backstabbing.
I still wish I had a bard instead of a rogue, I may end up changing - not sure yet. Thanks for the info though.
I really think I am missing something on the rogue - just autoattack, mash backstab, and evade when necessary and pop a disc whenver they come up seems way too easy. I must be missing some abilities or overlooking something.
The tricky part will be when you start using your rogue to pull.