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Guide on Classes to Duo With by Kethia

Started by Jaeren, January 03, 2004, 07:42:01 AM

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Purrpaws

A brief update on the situation with 2 boxing a bard. It's certainly a fair bit easier now that there is a melody command and audio triggers to notify when there is a missed note but it can still be a hassle. The melody command has its weaknesses because it doesn't start off at the last song it fizzled, rather it will start up at the beginning. So unless you make 4 different melody commands and pay attention to the last missed song there are going to be songs that get played more than others.

Certainly though it is far less maintenance than it used to be. I love the regen (mana and hit points), extra haste, damage shield, crowd control possibilities and run speed. Another aspect of a bard with at least some AA's is that with fading memories it is usually easy to drop aggro on the bard if there is trouble, so that there is only one character to worry about getting to safety.


Khauruk

Unless it was fixed recently, there is an AA that's bugged for bards, such that if you buy only the first level of the AA (the fewer fizzle one...), you will never miss a note again. I'll take a look on eqdiva sometime to try and confirm.
TURNCOAT!!!!!

Fightclubx

would like to add to druid class that during the 50's I solo'd my druid in Podisease charming rats and I never bothered to even kite them just hasted one pet and had him tank down a few then when he got low on hp's I rooted and rotted them down... now had I been using my beastlord then it woulda been great just send both pets in and do the pet/cleric thing also with slow's a charmed rat woulda lasted forever.


I think duo'ing/boxing with a druid/beast through the 50's would be better then at almost any other level (if you choose the right spots to play np)

however doing this style of play would mean that druid would require alot more focus since charm wears off alot.


I really wish I had started my beastlord at same time as druid, but druid is old and bst's didnt exist then, but at least I had a super way to PL my beast when I finally started him =D time geared+ druid makes for sick PL

Timberghost

A popular combination is Beast + Ranger.  They have high DPS on /Autofire AFK, can track, SoE, group invisi etc.  At higher levels, they are also good melee DPS too.

zezashetan

Someone explain to me why you want to dual in another class. Two-box isn't that great exp for the most part. You don't start getting group benefits for group until you have 3 members in your group. Bst can solo in the right zones and the right gear up to 65. Even then past 51 you want to have a full group where you can get the max dps for the max exp per hour.

But for the most part! You are a beastlord, go solo and act like one!


I am Zezashetan Warder, because I will not survive without my pet and in return my pet does not survive without me. We are one! Therefore I will share his name, and he will share mine!

                                               Zezashetan Warder of Zek

Petts

Quote from: zezashetan on February 01, 2007, 10:45:07 AM

But for the most part! You are a beastlord, go solo and act like one!

in response ... with a duo partner you can explore more content and complete higher level content than solo.
i made my beast because at the time my main was a rogue ... a class the depends on a group/tank to be at
their best.
My 75 beast and 74 druid are duo'ing in Direwinds against mobs that hit for 1200 ... i tank them and my druid
snares, dots and heals me. i have not taken the pet tanking path, my warder is my dps.

in closing, adding a duo character can open up so much more of the content in the game without having to
wait for a group that wants to go explore.

sicshift

great post  :-) ive been fumbling the idea of 2 boxin (i must be crazy to dump more cash into this thing  :? ) but im curious if anyone has any updated thoughts on the original post after 2 years?

Khauruk

#22
Guide oughta update the role of wizards now, post-TSS.

Pros:
Ports
Insane super-sick dps
Easy-peasy Bot-ability
Ghetto root CC
Tradeskill farming (AEs anyone?)
Snare
Succour pulling tricks
Kite overpulls (depending on what you're killing)
Timed invis at 68(?)

Cons:
None, now /w TSS

Agro's no longer a concern - just nuke the last 50% down or so, using the rest of the time in ooc regen.  At top ends, instant nukes make huge mega dps.  Never ending mana dumps, huge dps.  Kings of group dps.
TURNCOAT!!!!!

Khauruk

Quote from: sicshift on February 26, 2007, 05:58:26 PMbut im curious if anyone has any updated thoughts on the original post after 2 years?

I'm not looking to do a whole big thing, but here's my simplified thoughts on the optimal 2box classes:

For a 2 box, I'm leaning towards the purest of casters, for the amount of time they spend in ooc mana regen.  That would be cleric and wizard - you'll get the most bang for buck regarding mana use on these classes, since they don't need to start casting while the mob is just coming into camp.  Example - Cleric starts Promised Renewal, CH, HoT, whatever...and is still in ooc regen.  A druid would need to start debuffing the mob and casting fast heals the whole length of the fight.  This varies by content, but the cleric has an edge in mana use here.  A mage will send pets in right away, and come out of ooc regen whereas a wizard can wait until 70% and start burning the mob down w/ big nukes.

Post-TSS changes:
**Mage - lacking dps vs. wiz, can't pet pull anymore.
**Necro - not the dps kings anymore.  Still a good class, but it's faster xp agro kiting.  Doesn't make a very good BST-centric 2box unless you want to gimp the necro.
**Chanter - slightly less pointless, but you'll still only get a good addition to the group if the chanter's charming.
**Cleric vs. Druid debate - see the other thread regarding that.
**Ranger - still a good choice for casual players.  Takes very few AAs for good dps.  Not a good choice for long term bst-centric 2box, as the ranger will become puller/tank w/ more AAs/gear, and the BST will just be a slowbot/hard to manage dps.  If you want a ranger, do a ranger/shaman 2box.
**Shaman - Good 2box still - heals are great, Canni V, Good dps via Haste, Might, Champion, Panther, DoTs actually have time to work w/ 2box.  Nothing new added that I'm aware of lately.

Duos are an entirely different matter.  Just about anything can work w/ a duo, and be decent.
TURNCOAT!!!!!

nedoirah

Quote from: Ueauvan on March 06, 2005, 06:44:08 PM
hmm i might take umbridge at the ranger comment  :x

my main is a ranger with 720 aas 2088ac 11232 hps 8246 mana
my bst alt raid bot has 62 aas and sub 9k hps 1400 odd ac and 6k mana

the ranger can shoot with autofire a no brainer for duoing, after pulling harmo/snare whatever
the bst pet can taunt and tank, it can stun a rng has limited ability to stun and the bst slow dot heal leopard etc

or the ranger tanks with 61 unbuffed hp regen 74 ds and 300 odd dps without nukes and the bst slows and tries to do half that with him and pet  :wink:

dont assume all rangers are walking corpses, the old ones like me are likely to be a little difficult to kill  :-D

This list was made 3 years ago and in 05 SoE decided to make gear a little more common that used to be raid level content. I think this entire guide needs a revamp since the higher lvl content is changing rapidly.

Gunzak

I love my Beastlord / Druid combo.  I started boxing 69.1 missions and last Thursday I even boxed 69.1 Hard.  It took 3 hours to do because the only way to split mobs was to snare and have Druid zone out.  Still it was very easy with Beastlord tanking and slowing and Druid snaring, nuking and healing.  The mobs are level 73 and were great experience.  I didn't care about the chest loot but its just more bazaar plat.

I have also boxed named mobs in WoS (I can solo these) and MPG (Bilnd Hunter twice).  Blind Hunter droped 1 Glowing and 1 Greater as well as 2 earrings.

Beastlord has
Amilan
Vim
Spiritual Elightenment
Haste
Regrowth

Druid has
Spirit of Eagle
Skin buff
Damage shield
HoT
Lion/Mammoth Strength
Heals
Snares
Root
Port

One more benefit you might not know is that the Druid skin buffs stack with Orb of Duskmold which is a 700hp Cleric Symbol buff that is all/all.  Steeloak is 772 + 700hp clickie = 1472hp.  Steeloak also gives 9 mana regen.  Virtue is 1405 and Conviction is 1787.  If your Druid is 73 he can cast Direwood which is 965 + 700hp Orb = 1665hp.  I realise Conviction is slightly better and Tenacity is about 400hp better but the Druid buff also adds 9 mana regen.

Khauruk

With the recent changes to melee and spell push (dropped by 90%!), pure melees are much easier to box now.  So, there's some more worthwhile possibilities now for bst/melee.
TURNCOAT!!!!!

Purrpaws

There has also been a change to bards so that the melody command is basically foolproof

If a note is missed, the autotwist does not stop as it did originally. It just resumes where it stopped. It's quite good at maintaining a 4 song twist with zero maintance unless the bard needs to do something else such as pull or mez

What the bard brings to a 2 box is not as easy to discern because not so clear cut, but there's
- additional haste
- hp/mana regen
- damage shield
- slight bonus to attack
- ability to single pull camps, plate wearing mezzer
- a little bit of melee
- bards travel easily, not as nice as Call of Heroes or Port, but at least it's easy to move the bard

I'm just bard focused because I happen to have a high level bard along with my BL. I also have a druid, level 51 and mage, level 54 that I am considering instead, but I need to stop acting like I have all the time in the world and just pick one.

melee push is not even an issue

ramelorm

i 2 box BST// mage //  and it works out well for me.

BST pulls with drowsey, then i dot and send in mage pet to assist then use mage to NUKE it down with single macro button.

i also 4 box BST // mage // shaman // SK this is the ultimate in groups, i can RIPP thru most content and not worry about to much unless i over pull or get bad pull and some adds. This is little harder but can be done.

SK = pulls and holds aggro
BST = attacks from back with pet
mage = assist SK with pet and nukes
Shaman = slows and heals and /assist with pet

The key to sucessful boxing in single button  MACRO's!!!
EQ force multiplier.......BEASTLORDS, the other white meat

nedoirah

I was boxing a cleric with my bst and it worked out nicely. I recently added a mage to my team and with a secret little favorite camp of mine, I get tons of exp from db kills. My mage on average gets a level a day and my cleric is almost 80 now.

Of all the classes i've grouped with or boxed over the years, I have to say that a cleric is my favorite. Best heals and hp buffs. My bst is tough enough to tank content up to and including SHIP (extremely difficult) so a cleric is the best fit for me. I do agree though, us bsts are a near perfect fit almost every other class in the game cause we can do almost everything.