New player question

Ugmar

Ugmar

Dalayan Adventurer
Hi all. I originally posted a little bit back about thoughts on a 4 toon progression group. Unfortunately my friend ended up bailing before install. Now I'm curious about my options for solo.

I would like to develop a toon/ box combo that has group and raid value and is able to at minimum pull in decent exp as a solo / box.

I don't really want my main to be something there are 500 of running around either. I'd also prefer not to main either cleric or necro, that's what I mained in live. By main I mean focusing my energy on their quests / gear etc... while the other toon largely gets by on scraps.

Currently I am considering a ranger/cleric (open to any healer, but cleric seems more ideal for getting me into groups / raids) combo with my strong emphasis on the ranger. I'd prefer to group when it's available and I have at least an hour and I think this can be a solid group core. I love having track, invis, and movement speed buffs. Seems like it would be decent for duo exp when that's my only option. Concerned about the time sink on ammunition (either crafting or pure pp cost) and an inability to handle named mobs, also curious about how many rangers there are and ranger raid value.

Monk / healer - seems to be better dps and better solo. Since I understand that there are monks around every corner I am avoiding this duo. That's the same logic that prevents a healer tank combo from being very appealing to me.

Bard / healer - sounds like a lot of fun. Main reasons I'm steering clear are 1 - bards sound over played, 2 - terrible duo dps until late game bard gear and so an inability to do much during about half my play sessions.

Bstlord / Healer - honestly this is the only other combo that seems really appealing to me. My biggest concern is that bstlord sounds like it's in a rough place. It sounds like it went through an overhaul but I can't tell if it's in a great spot as a class once you are in higher tiers.

I welcome any thoughts, suggestions, or just pointing out where I'm wrong. I'm going off of what information I have found on the wiki / forums.

While I do care a lot about the long term viability for raiding, my time is limited enough that the leveling process is a consideration as well.

Thanks for your time.

Ugmar
 
Bard/Druid or BST/Druid would probably be up your alley. I do not believe Bards are currently overplayed and their DPS ain't bad if you get some decent procc'ing weapons. The claw thing from OG is a great bard offhand with the magic damage and proc. BSTs are kinda crummy to gear but you can hit with barefists and still do ok on exp mobs. I recommend druid as the choice healer because DS and ports are superb when you really just want to play on your own. You can exp at 65 with those combos but you'll want to ooc for 65 gearing opportunities right away and stay hungry.

Classic advice is to go paladin/cleric as you can form your own exp groups and just annihilate entry level 65 on your lonesome, plus cleric is the best bet to get into 65 exp situations with randoms. cleric heals + double rez cannot be overstated for beginners. But that advice is less fun overall and you'll want to roll something else once you can bankroll the twinking anyway.

Have fun! Don't think about raiding at character creation unless you have a hot and ready guild telling you to.
 
It's kinda wrong to go by how many of X class you see online in the game. A huge majority of the people on this game at this point in time don't stick to one character, and often have 2-3+ extra toons that could be online at any given time.

Rangers are pretty versatile in things you can do with them. They can shoot, melee, and actually mitigate a ton, if not the most, damage of any class with their stances and abilities later on. Kiting does get a little sketchy towards the later levels with summoning mobs and stuff like that so you'd be at the mercy of face tanking a lot of the stuff, but they are super valuable to a raid setting as they can bow and do damage even while moving, etc.

If I were starting new I'd probably go with a War/Druid combo. Warriors are tanky and do enough dps to keep things moving, whereas druids are probably the ultimate questing class as they can heal, buff, port, track, and do some damage if all the above aren't needed.

Monks ARE tanky very late in the game but until then, they really get wailed on and wouldn't be a huge asset to duo with. Just my two cents, but in the end play whatever is enjoyable to play. Every class struggles in some aspect whether it's in the beginning or the end.
 
Ranger/cleric - rangers are one of the most desired end game raid dps classes as they can put out consistent dps as well as burst. It takes them a long time to get there however, and they are very dependent on what bow they have. In a duo situation they will be either kiting and carrying the cleric or have a lot of their damage reduced if they are tanking. They can be quite tanky with /s 4, but they lose their offhand attack. Arrows are a pain, but monks/rogues end up with bags full of swap bane equipment; at least rangers can just buy theirs. The problem with any duo with a cleric is most guilds will want the cleric more and the dps will be the one dragged for scraps.

Monk/healer - High consistent raid dps, burst only through clickies. Dps growth is more smooth then ranger, but still gets big jumps with gloves/boots. I leveled and went up through tiers with my monk, and while it can be squishy with just fists (your best dps) if you put in weapons you get a noticeable tanking boost, and can switch to /s 3 for even more. I've used all three healers, though druid not as much. Shaman is nice early game for buffs, big mana recharge. Early on cleric heals are bigger then you need (to get the most out of them you will have to let the monk get low), but end game give you the most power. Druids have big utility but smaller, slower heals which work better with a tank duo, but are not unworkable.

Bard/healer - my first box, the bard despite being plate is squishier then the monk in early tiers, songs get interrupted in melee unless you are in the appropriate stance. DPS is pretty low until end game with blademaster tome and cmal 4.3 sword.

Beastlord/healer - much less played, but the top beastlords put out as much dps as actual dps classes, they just require much more micro for the dps rotation (still nothing compared to most modern mmo's), but have versatility and can solo a lot of stuff much less duo.
 
Bards even at higher tiers are incredibly annoying to duo with due to having to choose between less spell interruptions or sitting in their DPS stance. It's certainly possible for doing quest BS and short spurts but considering how desirable bards are for groups you're better off finding someone who can tank better and going that route. They also take hits pretty poorly compared to other melee options. You would honestly probably be better off playing the bard solo and getting a nice drum off adepts if you really wanted to play one.
 
Thanks for all the replies / information.

The bstlord option is highly appealing. First I can be an ogre, second it doesn't sound like a class that is overplayed, third it sounds like a class I could solo on (or box a second toon).

For a boxed set-up can the bstlord and / or the pet tank named / quest mobs? An obvious box is the druid for DS / heals /ports / tracking. The cleric seems like an option with more healing but far less utility, was wondering about a boxed enchanter but seems like it could be lacking in survivability against single tough mobs (not to mention it feels like 2 micro heavy toons).

A Sk/ Healer is moderately appealing, but it sounds like new tanks often don't have a place in raids / groups due to the sheer number of geared and available tanks.

How often can I find exp groups at low / mid levels? How often can I find dungeon groups at that level?
 
Druid would be strong for leveling, they are strong by themselves before max level with their pet and animal charm. Ports only start losing appeal when you have a lot of gate clickies, and even then they are still nice. Track is amazing when you are new, and stays convenient. Evac is great. Of the two beastlords I know, usually they box another dps or tank, but the only healer I've seen one duo with has been a druid. I've heard leveling with the beastlord is pretty easy, but have never done it.

In terms of grouping, it is rare to find someone your level lfg under 65. If you are looking to do a particular adept you can OOC and find someone with a toon at that level or who will box one of the community toons. At 65 most groups are made in guilds, or are 'leeching' (sitting afk while a duo farms cash).
 
I personally like clerics over druids due to how much better they are at healing throughout the game. They also require much less work throughout play and I'm fairly lazy.

SoD has a lot of options of getting around without ports, although most require work (faction grinding), making druid ports a bit less critical. Druids really shine in late game with their runic 2. This will let them do a large amount of EA damage that lets farming, when duoing, much quicker. Not sure you will ever get to this point however.

Most things are fairly balanced and have pros and cons. Leveling up to 65 is also pretty easy. You might just want to jump into the game and level some stuff to get a feel for the game over all. Most people on the server will help you out if they know you're new to the game. Don't be afraid to ask questions in OOC (it's server wide) in game.
 
As someone who has mained a beastlord a long time, they are quite viable to do xp and clear named/quest mobs. While leveling, the pet is very handy for off-tanking. And if you don't feel like boxing, bst is pretty good solo with pet, slow, and heals. As for healer, either use the druid for the utility, or cleric for the better heals. Either will work really well. I am unsure how it is now, but when I last played full time, I was often stuck soloing as people didn't want bst in their xp groups.

Sk/healer is a great combo, and a bunch of fun. But as you already stated, finding a group/raid for your tank is hard these days, as it seems everyone and their brother, sister, and mother have access to a retired T9+ tank already.

Bards are great solo-ists from early levels. Their ability to tank as part of a duo is limited, until you get well into the upper tiers (by my experience at least). As others have said, even though they wear plate, they are quite squishy.

Ranger/healer and Monk/healer are very common combos from what I recall. But that is because of how useful the toons are for raids.
 
I will say the main thing that I don't like from my Ranger/Cleric combo is the melee DPS. My kill per minute is pretty damn low. I would assume only a rogue or knight would have it worse (melee wise). Rangers are pretty damn good at soloing however.
 
Great feedback from everyone. Thank you all.

I'm really thinking that a bstlord / cleric is how I'm going to lean. While I want the bstlord to be my main (first priority for quests / drops) I do enjoy playing a cleric and I hope that will help push the bstlord into groups / raids.

Leaning towards ogre for bstlord as he can have a gorilla pet and that's awesome, plus stamina reduction on stances. Was thinking the cleric as a dwarf solely cause dwarves are awesome.
 
As someone who picked cleric to be the secondary part of my duo, get your keys and entrance flags on your cleric first.

Clerics end up being more of a Sancho Panda to your Don Coyote than a Robin to your Batman.

*edit*
Also if you want to really power game it you make an erudite or gnome cleric and put points in stam and agi
 
put the most int into your cleric as you can, very little stats matter in the end game since they are very abundant but maxing int to get maximum crit for spells is harder. gnome cleric with int is much easier to do.
 
So white rabbit pet just requires holy Grail references.

Interesting points on the cleric.

I don't expect to be able to get super far into raiding as my time is limited. I just didn't want to set myself up for frustration if I end up making it that far.

Definitely appreciate all of the insights.

I suspect my little two box setup will largely just get to explore a new world / and maybe make it to 65+
 
Thanks for the offer of assistance. I'm still not yet in the game.

I tried installing it once but something got messed up (think it sent the install to my SSD on accident). Wiped everything and starting over later today.

In addition my little boy decided to come a few weeks early so that's derailed my time to get anything else going.

Hopefully see you in game while he naps his day away.
 
Just a general thank you to the community for the pleasant interactions I have had.

Great people helped me find my way to cess pits and set me up with some starting gear.

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions in OOC and helped me understand the systems.

Big thanks to the GM's who took time to spawn and chat with me!

Hope you all have had a pleasant holiday and a happy new year.
 
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