Hey all: Lvl 65 Barb Shaman just came back. Played EQ thrugh LOY I think...maybe one or two after that, I forget. When I left he was entirely decked out and at the time was at level cap and working through AA. After logging in I have found TONS of changes and quite honestly feel a bit overwhelmed. Any Shaman out there feel like helping out an OLD School NEWB! Couple of immediate questions: 1. Is the canni dance still part of the Shaman technique? 2. When I logged back in almost all my gear was gone with the exception of my bound items like black fur boots and spear of fate...but all my other goodies for the most part are gone So what gear should I be attempting to acquire at my level. 3. Are shaman still the buff kings? Guessing we still fill the same role in raids, buff back up heal and crowd control when it all goes to pot. 4. Any new spells out that have majorly changed how we play? 5. Lastly, can Shaman still solo? I know in the past we supposedly stunk at it but I did quite well for years soloing...I still prefer to solo when not raiding so are Shaman still viable in that role? If so any good spots? I do want to thank all the Shaman out there in advance for taking the time to read and possibly answer this post... Shakasa Dreamspynner Former Co-Founder of Valiant Souls - Vazaelle Server
Welcome back! Don't forget to check the Crucible (crucible.samanna.net) for info. It's not as active as it used to be, but a few old-timers still frequent the boards and can answer questions. Check the Medicine Cabinet, the Reference Desk tab, and the Shaman wiki first. To answer your questions: 1. No. If you ask me, every Shaman should know how to do the dance. But the Cannibalization AA has really gotten some nice upgrades over the years and is now our primary method for mana regeneration. I'm not aware of too many Shaman who still have the spell Canni perma-memmed. The spell Canni has gotten standard upgrades over the years, but has lost a great deal of its utility in the face of major advances in HP and mana pools. I suppose spell Canni and the upgrades it needs to bring it in line with modern EQ is a whole other thread. 2. You can get Defiant gear pretty cheaply in the Bazaar. It drops relatively frequently as you're out in the world killing. There are also some NPC's in the Plane of Knowledge that sell halfway decent gear that you can use until you get better stuff. Check in with Franklin Teek (NPC, PoK near the Guild Hall entry) for easy kill quests you can do in the level-appropriate hot zones. He will give you non-visible gear as a reward for these repeatable quests. 3. I suppose so. A couple years ago, our modern Focus line was changed to a "Unity" buff. When you cast it, it puts four buffs on the player, including the most recent incarnations of Focus, Foresight, Mammoth, and Stamina. This is one of the nicest things we've gotten -- raid buffing is now no longer tedious. In terms of our role in raids, we are now used as main healers for melee DPS groups and backup healers on warriors and knights. Crowd control is handled by Enchanters and Bards (and kiters to a lesser degree). 4. Off the top of my head, I'd point to the Intervention line (a fast-cast group emergency heal) and the Recourse line (a group heal with three components) as probably the biggest. If you want specific info, look up Antecedent's Intervention and Gotikan's Recourse. The Counterbias line of slows is also very important. In terms of super important new AAs, look up Call of the Wild and Spiritual Channeling. For tons of AA information, look up www.eqaasearch.org, a site started by one of my old guildmates. There is a curve on AA xp now if you're below a certain number of AAs (sorry, I don't have specifics handy). This will help you gain power and abilities quickly. 5. Shaman were never bad at soloing. Our solo capabilities are still excellent. Virulent Paralysis has been nicely upgraded over the years and has gotten a line of Hastened AAs to support it. We also now have Paralytic Spores, another AA knockback root, along with a large arsenal of DoTs. We have a new line of DoTs that last for two ticks and deal a high amount of damage. They're an important part of a solo spell set, IMO. Make sure you're using DoTs that don't have a DD on the front end ... off the top of my head, I'm thinking you might have Bane, Ultor, Saryrn, maybe Anathema. I'd actually have to think about a good spot for root-rotting at 65 and get back to you ... it's been too many years, heh. You can shoot me a cross-server tell any time ... ;tell luclin.Tordail. I'll be happy to help, though if I don't answer right away it's cause I'm raiding.
Tordail, thanks for the input mate. Great info and I will definitely add your info to my list when I log in tonight.
You're welcome! Plane of Fire tables make a good solo spot for you at 65. I'm sure the hot zones will have good solo spots too.
