Othmir Shaman Merc is having an identity crisis

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Yinla, Dec 12, 2020.

  1. Yinla Ye Ol' Dragon

    It casts cleric heals and buffs, but has a bow equipped!

    Where is my Focus?!?!
  2. Fanra https://everquest.fanra.info

    I have no idea what you mean, whether you are joking or serious.

    If you mean the Contract of the Othmir mercenary, there are no shaman mercenaries. The only possible mercenaries a character may own are Healer (Cleric), Tank (Warrior), Melee (Rogue), Caster (Wizard).

    If your Contract of the Othmir mercenary is a Healer and has a bow equipped, then it is a minor item/graphic bug. Unless they are actually shooting arrows and doing damage to mobs, then it is a very interesting bug.
  3. Yinla Ye Ol' Dragon

    I am amused but also on the wind up today. Some would say I woke up with the devil inside me.

    Group just found it strange today that the Otter was waving its bow around (none of the merc classes should use a bow), the way he was going he was going to have someones eye out.He was also critisised for only having on bracer (I asume this should have been a shield of some kind). But not only that he had a lime green belt! I wonder what the graphics guys are on sometimes. :rolleyes:

    Slow would have been more helpful than heals though, merc healage was garbage may have been as we were in the water.

    But we really need shaman mercs :)
  4. Wildre New Member

    I just got the Othmir Shaman merc also. It is weird because it prompts for a cleric merc but when you unsuspend the merc it says Othmir Shaman. Haven't really used him yet but its looking like he is basically a cleric then?
  5. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    Merc Healers are all Clerics presently.
  6. OlavSkullcrusher Augur

    I always thought that the mercs being limited to 4 classes (WAR/ROG/CLR/WIZ) was very limiting. Especially that the healer spells being cleric only means actual clerics don't add to a group with a healer merc to the same extent that a druid or shaman would. At least DPS always stacks.

    Although, do the caster dps mercs still do completely weak damage compared to the melee dps mercs? I haven't tried one in a couple of years, since I parsed my caster dps merc doing less than half the melee dps merc, even with the same amount spent on AA and same merc gear.
  7. Nolrog Augur

    I completely disagree with this. I would drop two healer mercs in favor of one PC cleric. They add a tremendous amount to a group well over a merc.
    Skuz likes this.
  8. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    100%

    Mercs get no "oh crap" buttons like divine arbitration, epic clicky, no stun proc or heal proc buffs and are overall not as good as a half-decent player, but they're just about okay in out of era content.
    Accipiter likes this.
  9. OlavSkullcrusher Augur

    I'm saying that healer merc + cleric is somewhat duplicative (having the same buffs, mainly), while healer merc + shaman or druid is less so. In a game where buffing people with long-duration buffs in other groups is a thing, with MGBs in the guild lobby are the norm, that may seem like a small thing. But in terms of what you have in the group at the moment, having two different healer classes present would be better than two of the same class, and I'd argue that it should be that way.
  10. OlavSkullcrusher Augur

    To further what I was thinking, rather than edit, perhaps the issue is having clerics being so superior at healing to shaman and druids, with all of the abilities mentioned. To put it along the lines of what Nolrog said, would someone drop two healer mercs in favor of one real player shaman or one druid the way that he would drop two healer mercs for one real player cleric? Being happy to drop one of the mercs for either a shaman or a druid player, or both mercs for a shaman and a druid isn't the same thing.

    I suppose the functionality of mercs in EQ is just inherently too limited for shaman or druid mercs simply because those classes do so much more than healing, which is the EQ plan for class balance between the healers. Clerics are much better healers and can wear plate to take hits better, shaman and druids add other utility, adps through buffs, and damage.

    If a healer merc is going to just heal, and not do any damage or cast debuffs, then cleric is the way to go. Maybe that is what I am really concerned with here. Mercs are boring in how little of their base class abilities that they actually have. I just thought a shaman or druid merc would be a nice change of pace, if nothing else.

    Edit: Oh, I do want to know if caster dps mercs are still pathetic. ;)
  11. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    If I am doing current era stuff I use 2 healer mercs + tank merc since I don't have a tank to box of my own, it's not very good that way though as all 3 are kinda weak in current era.

    You ideally only want 1 of the tank or healer as a merc.
  12. Chaosflux Augur

    If you have a real cleric you (if cant fill group) use a dps merc?

    Like I mean the 1 cleric isn't going to have issue keeping the group up so can the cleric merc, pop a dps merc and carry on. They don't need to have synergy with cleric mercs, same can be said for Shaman, its highly inefficient to keep a cleric merc in the group if you have a shaman, an even halfway passable shaman or druid isn't going to have an issue healing a group AND dpsing so its much wiser to drop the cleric merc and pop a dps merc if you need to fill group slots.

    Yeh 2 of the priests overlap alittle better, but if you have a real priest class in group the merc is almost unilaterally unnecessary and more dps from the dps merc is going to help accomplish goals aljttle more effectively, so its kind of an odd argument to make.
  13. Yteran Lorekeeper

    I find that a real tank, geared out entirely in non-prestige gear, really benefits from shaman hots (specifically the slow line that applies a hot to target's target) when using a cleric mercenary.

    I also always had much better luck with cleric mercs by blocking their complete heal. Used to a die a lot before I did that.
  14. Zarkdon Augur

    My box cleric I dont know how to play and just have macros for heals and AAs, that I mouse over to and pray are the right ones, out heals a max geared, max AAed healer merc.

    Mercs are so bad they encourage boxing not dissuade its use.

    If you could have a merc tank actually tank, a healer merc actually heal, and a melee merc do some sort of real DPS I think the number of people that boxed would drop drastically. And nobody I've ever met cared at all if they suspend a merc for a player, unless the 6th player to join isn't a healer and the only merc they do have is the healer variety.
    Skuz likes this.
  15. Yinla Ye Ol' Dragon

    While it maybe duplicate, I've been in a group with a cleric and a merc healer and the cleric let the merc heal and had a whale of a time nuking the undead in TOFS. His DPS was great and far better than a DPS merc would have been, we also had back up heals for when we got a named. With spikey damage a healer merc doesn't always cut the mustard. :)
  16. Accipiter Old Timer


    Later on be sure to block the "Promised" line. Maybe HoTs, too. The merc cleric doesn't (I think) cast anything while the 18 seconds are ticking down on Promised...
  17. Accipiter Old Timer


    That's what I did when I was leveling a cleric. I'd nuke with the cleric and spot heal when needed and main heal on named.
    Yinla likes this.