I plan to 2 box on the Phinigel server on 2 PC's and my primary will 100% be a Mage, now to just find the optimal healer to go with that Mage. Could use you guys help o this since I am a novice to boxing.
For a tlp server mage I'm not too sure, but shaman I think? Buffs for you and the pet, slows, and can throw DoT's on mobs in between healing your pet.
Yeah I don't mean to suggest druid is a bad choice overall. Just the fire damage enhancer debuff isn't a factor for a while. Snare, ports, slows, ac buff, cheal, pacify, memblur, snare, spell haste, all these things are super useful so whichever priest you pick it going to earn their keep.
There is a bit more overlap with druids and mages than with the other priests with mages (due to the DS stacking issues). Shaman will add rooting, slow/haste, heal, DPS and other ADPS for the pet. Druid will add outdoor pacifiy, snare, rooting, track, porting, heal, DPS and later on ADPS for the mage and mitigation for the pet. Cleric will add all around pacify, mem blur, rooting, spell haste, best indoor puller (druid edges out on outdoors with snare), healing, DPS (on undead), melee mitigation for the pet. I have had friends do all 3 combinations and each is fun in their own way. Shaman may require the most maintenance of the 3 for a "box", but then again, that may not matter on Phinny server since each character is on its own machine anyway.
What worries me if I start on phiny with Mage and Shaman that the Shaman will be so high maintenance with non stop cani'ing and such, Seems Clerics buffs up, sits and heals when needed so most of my time would be on the Mage itself instead of cani'ing mana up and such as a Shaman.
If you don't want rez, then go druid for the invis, run speed and if course ports. It will be a while before POK so you can sell ports when you're bored.
In a straight up fight nothing beats two mags but if not that... We ran a Mag/Dru on LJ and it was great. Single pulls (harmony) were the key as well as everything else a Dru brings. No understating the ease of travel. This time it will be Mag/Mag as whatever is lost in other areas their is no substitute for quickly dead mobs. But then we dont group with others and the lifespan of the pair will be limited to getting established and moving into other classes when the gear and plat situation improves.
On phinny I would choose a druid for the snares and ports. Mobs don't summon for a long while and snare + flame lick + mage pet kiting means you can take down any snareable mob without using basically any mana if needed.
in a camp, a shaman would be a better choice for duo'ing. to get there, a druid makes it faster. If you do shaman I would suggest troll and follow inny, the inny snare necklace will certain help offset one of the glaring weak spots in that duo. http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=1254
You are probably not going to like what I say, but... It all comes down to slow. In the old content the shaman wins because of slow. However, when it comes to current content slow isn't as necessary. So shaman now, druid later. The only thing a cleric offers is resurrection.
I disagree. I have played all 3 combinations and the only one used regularly is the mage/clr combo. Of course this is on the highest end of the scale, but when crap hits the fan, my cleric > all. This is mostly due to the highest healing output with the least maintenance; so I can concentrate on other things.
IMO Druid: track + ports > better buffs, slow, Rez, or better healing. 30+ min travel times suck bad.
On Phinny I'd definitely think Shaman is the way to go. Haste + Slow = Win in early EQ. The cleric's healing power doesn't shine until many, many expansions later. Then I think you'd be crazy not to switch to a cleric. Their healing makes a mage pretty much unstoppable, and a shaman's slow/haste is worthless at that point of the game. But you're a long, long way from that.