That's the problem with the world today. They refuse to see the dignity that every person deserves, and thinks someone should have to earn kindness and good behavior. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless if they themselves even realize it. Until we get past our own ego and think that others must cater to us to create a good world, and begin to create one inside ourselves.. we'll to quote something I heard in a song in the 80s : "What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach... So, you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it! Well, he gets it! N' I don't like it any more than you men." *
It is. Guns and Roses audio sampled it at the beginning of the song Civil War. (Sorry aired in 1990, I was thinking late 80s, I was off by a few years.
I came back in April and had many of the same comments to make that you did originally, although my re-introduction to the game included actual in-game harassment because I was looking for groups rather than charming. Since I wasn't charming it was stated that I "failed." Charm changed dramatically as has been stated. It's just great if you want to do AA or experience grinding, farming some materials, or keeping yourself entertained if running around in circles kiting mobs doing reverse swarming is your idea of fun. A very good, logical case can be made for SoE developers trying to get rid of enchanters ever since they took over from Verant. So far it hasn't worked. We haven't had a good class representative, and I sat in a discussion forum where one developer announced in response a question that enchanters were over-powered and he knew because he'd played one and exploited them. Questions or suggestions tend to get side-tracked in the morass of other enchanter opinions about whether or not you're playing the game the way they think it should be as you have seen. It is hard to get groups, and not just for enchanters. For me it helped to have had a long history and place in the Emarr community and people who were happy to see me back, but that only takes you so far. As usual the reply is that someone is whining about not getting groups and should learn to charm better. I don't think that's the answer because charm does not serve a group well any more. I can get groups from just going LFG or even making up a group. I can get groups in the guild I'm in, but I got into that guild because I group well and take the initiative to try and work with others, even people I'm not particularly fond of. I think that part of my advice to continue trying is based on a discussion in an enchanter channel in a guild I was in years ago. One of our best enchanters, who knew the mechanics of the game inside and out, complained that he couldn't get groups. Yet the other enchanter and I were heading out for groups (both guild and non-guild) during the discussion. I think the reason is attitude, but not the attitude that was mentioned in another post. The difference what that he said he told people he didn't buff them if he wasn't a part of the group as it provided no incentive for them to invite him. He would do it for payment. The other enchanter an I had always, and still do, make it a point to buff people of all levels, any time and anywhere they're needed. I have been willing to go out into odd zones and buff people just because they asked, helped them out with whatever I could. A current guild member told me that she remembered me from a group in Morrell Thule server (before it merged into Emarr). I had gone out to BoT and buffed, then stuck around and helped break a camp, then joined them when there was room. Enchanters were a much more valued commodity back then, but be that as it may, I thought that it was rather odd that no one suggested that you buff people as a way of getting to know them. You may not be able to hit the high end game yet, but there's plenty of people on the way up and they'll be happy for a little help and they'll remember you when they're looking for group members. Or they'll be far more willing to group up when you ask them to do something specific because you frankly need their help. A lot of the groups that invite me are old-school players that know how to effectively team with enchanters, and they tend to have a lot to say about "good cc" and the "not so good." I don't worry very much about the equipment or experience of the group members, I'm an enchanter, I can make a group work better all the way around, improving dps, providing damage mitigation, bolster mana and endurance, help focus aggro or remove aggro. With the class weapon focus from RoF I can (and do) even make raid level healing parses. There's no class that I can't effectively group or duo with. Enchanters weren't expected to charm solo, the original mechanics of it gave the game a lot more balance, in my opinion. No tank? An enchanter could provide at least a temporary one that worked with a group or more accurately perhaps, a team. Charm was a method of crowd control. A mob was taking damage and doing damage instead of standing there looking dumb. What I think has happened in part is that the tanks, warriors in particular, got upset about mobs that were out dps'ing them. The holy DPS parse is way too important and doesn't measure a person's ability to play the game. I can think of more than one wizard that thought more about the parse and demanded auras that weren't going to help other group or raid members. I do get groups that aren't ideal when there's no augment to entice the tanks out or there's no real cc needed and try and get through some of the more difficult tasks. But I can make the group work, which is more challenging and a lot more fun to me than relying on the mechanics of the game to accomplish the same thing over and over while charming. I have also found that a lot of people who think that charming defines the enchanter have no clue as to what to do in a group other than buff, mez and nuke. They may have a DPS alt or bot, or even more than one that they do all the heavy work with. I have two accounts now, and working on leveling up a dps class for that reason. I don't much care for it, I play EQ for the social reasons. Yeah, SoE wants to make money, and the fact is that EQ is going to be around only so long as they do. It's far more player-driven than most of the others in its class. They have, however, offered options to the people that can't afford an on-line subscription, and for some who would rather buy plat than farm it to help those people play the game. But the bottom line is that I agree with you, the enchanter class needs better integration, and a big boost back into balance with other classes of the same level. If I had to define the major problem it's that SoE developers have forgotten the class aspects in their efforts to make certain classes happier whose players are far more united in what they expect of their class. It's not just you, there's a lot about the current situation to make people upset. Many of your complaints are justified. But there are ways to maximize what you can do under the circumstances to make it more fun for you and for others.
2 things...Chanters are still among the very best Solo classes. With a wiz merc and in a zone with charm pets, you can rip thru mobs so easily. And..some of the most common complaints must be coming from people simply not exploring this rather complex class (for eq standards) enough. Sometimes i read you will die a lot when you learn charming. Nonsense, nobody has to die these days when charm breaks. Use ward, Color shock and Unity and you are invincible (yes without raid gear as well, nothing to do with that). If you still die while charming 1 mob and sending it on another, it's up to you to become a decent player, and has nothing to do with the class. The other standard complaint is that Chanters do not offer enough to groups. If you do it right, our DPS is high even without a pet. Yes, high.. because we need nobody supporting us unlike for example melee classes. We support ourselves, for example with chaotic mezes. Even more so because of the adps boosts we can offer. We are used to this in other games, watered down releases with mostly kids that do not want to spend serious time in games. We are not really used to this in Everquest, and especially not after the whole game has been made so much more comfortable. Back then there was no mercs, and for us Chanters there was no Wards, auto-stunned and hasted Pets and tons of other goodies. The problem is the game is really old now, so it's harder to find groups etc. And that's why people get bored of the complaining, it's hard enuf for us others to get over Everquest slowly fading away, you don't need to add your little class wannabe problems.
Wrong..we got significant dps upgrades. We got superior protection, i can stand in the middle of 10 yellow mobs and AE without being worried these days. We have a mass blur clickie that would in theory allow the whole group to get away from these mobs. We have grp ivu to help stacking up both invis thingies onto the group, whichever is needed. We have big spell and now dot shields. And prolly some other things that i'm too lazy to dig up atm..what more do you want?
Not to mention enchanters starting at about 75ish can get VERY tanky. Roughly as good as a monk with the right gear set up. pair that with their stuns and you can lock a fight down to a trivial matter.
Correct me if I'm wrong - but Rangers, Berserkers, Monks, Wizards can't solo Tasks, Missions or Quests either - they need to group (OMG; in an MMO, how dare!) or get a workaround with either boxed toons or mercenaries. Plus, in most Heroic Adventures there are blue mobs that can be charmed. Not everything needs to be served on a silver plate. Grouping with an enchanter permanently since 5 years, I see the upgrades the class has been given over the last 2 expansions specifically, and I really fail to see a reason for "we need another boost, we need help, we miss xxxx".
i levelled a chanter to play with my mage when ftp went live. i used wizzie and enchanter until 65, when she could join my main for xp. it was a very fast duo levelling with a tank and healer merc. with the mage/chanter duo, i can use a healer and caster merc, which is even faster xp. the advantage of having a wizard box is that they are available on ftp accounts, but you would have to pay some money to make a mage on a free account. if you're thinking about starting a new toon anyway, why not make a free account and learn to box?
I too have just returned after some time with the free gold days (and stuck around for a while longer). My main since 1999 has been a chanter and I'm used to working in groups as cc but since returning I've not had any so I've reverted to charm solo. I returned at lvl 80, did a Bazzar raid and spent 20kpp to increase my mana/hp by about a third instantly! I then got a healer merc who was handy for ressing and buffs in particular but you need to have them in passive mode to make the charm method work! There are good spots still for soloing using the same methods of old and there are rarely any other players there to get in the way!! At your level the Greenhouse in Katta is probably the place to be, not only can you get exp from the snakes but there are 2 repeatable quests. After that the same method works with the crocs in Lopping Plains with the Clay quest. I've progressed to 83 doing this in only a few days of casual playing. Sure it would have been quicker in groups but thats not been an option so far. I'm now looking for other places to charm. Mech Fortress is not bad, Oceangreen I don't like as things keep appearing that you can't control and not found a nice spot in Hills of Shade yet. Open to any suggestions.
Go forth to Field of Scale. This is a good spot for you. I followed up with Feerrott, the Dream at 87.
I would like to thank everyone in this thread. So far, I believe I've made significant progress with my problem. I've found some of the suggested zones to be quite good, and some tactics to be effective. Someone, Ryokoryu, even made a video guide for me which was above and beyond what I expected. I will continue to bash on and pick things up as I go. It probably won't be anytime soon but eventually I should be level 100 and back to being competent. Only one person decided to be the opposite of helpful. You win that award Casidia. I came here and made a post asking for assistance in my situation as a returning, rusty player with a non-functioning understanding of how to play my class in the new environment. I acknowledged my downfalls, and made no excuses or attempts to hide that and cover them up. You made no input to solve the problem, but instead simply chose to state you are an amazing solo'er (congratulations on that, where I have failed), and hearty round-of-applause for the fact you are invincible and can't be killed while soloing (I did die in the scenario you described, so shame on me for being so laughable to you I defy the game). In closing, , sorry to bring you down with my petty understanding of the enchanter class and be such a drain on the community I wanted to come back to. Next time I'm asking questions, not complaining like you put it, I'll be sure not to force you to listen. Oh wait, no one did. Though in truth you most likely didn't read the post but threw up your 2 cents anyways, because you're opinion matters more than everyone else. If there is a reason this game is fading, it's people like you causing it with your negative, supremacist attitude. You are the reason people don't want to come back, without people coming back, the game isn't getting any healthier. So why verbally assault people with questions, and not help them get back into the game you want to see thrive so much that it keeps you up at night? Remember, you may be a great enchanter, but at the end of the day it doesn't mean anything, because you are a egotistical and childish person.
You ve gotten something wrong. The posting Casidia made, had less to nothing to do with you, but with some that are permanently complaining about everything in the Enchanter class. In fact - it was ME who posted, that im tired of all those complainers here, with arguments that are so what of false that it is a shame. So if you go on rampage, jump on me, not on Casi. Casi simply reacted to those that always jump on the train when somebody complains, no need to write down names here, because those are always the same. About your OP: still didnt change my opinion. Im tired of reading complaints. We are so what of boosted and overpowered that nothing in the game is a challenge, what is really sad. I could understand complaints about zone lag, about lacking and foul itemization, broken instances, broken collections, not working AAs and missing necessary merc AAs. I would even agree on the deep-sleep icon yada yada and the punt/root issue. But everything further like more DPS for us unbreakable charm pets less mesmerize resists buffing shiny bob and the gathered "Chanters need loving, influence, spells and skills to be wanted in groups" are just not wanted and never needed. Decide yourself, what you want to be treated like: a.) complainer and whiner b.) Enchanter
This is unhelpful to the conversation and just an ad hominem attack. Just because they complain and whine does not mean they are not competent of the class. If they disagree with you on buffs they think we need as well, doesn't make them any less competent. For instance, you think we are overpowered.. I think we are just right. I still think shiny bob could use buffs, because he's frankly worthless. *shrug* It wouldn't increase our power at all. We'd still have less output with shiny bob out than a charmed pet. Try to keep the attacks down to a minimum, it will get us further in helping those who are already feeling attacked.
You'll find that there are a few enchanters who have nothing good to say to or about anyone who doesn't believe Enchanters are godly or anyone who is really just having a tough time because they don't understand a portion of the game. You get used to ignoring them and listening instead to people worthwhile.
Complaining has nothing to do with incompetence. To say so, is your interpretation, and a false one. I did not name anyone incompetent, nor was there personal attack on anyone. All i wrote down was, that it is always THE SAME people who complain ABOUT THE SAME issues again and again. This has nothing to do with incompetence of them, why and how should it be that way? When a crowd of race drivers with equal cars do not deliver the same result under all circumstances, then those who cant drive as fast as the fastest are incompetent??????? Or for our world you would see those who complain about the same issues over and over again as incompetent? I do not. Again, i offer it here: Those, who have troubles with certain techniques, abilties or spells which are in my opinion working great, if not overpowered, are invited to join me up on AB, group with me, and i will joyfully try out what is not working for them. Im convinced, that most of these problems can be solved. And this has again nothing to woth incompetence. maybe just with the issue, that many people see a glass not half full, but half empty. I love the Enchanter class. I love to play an Enchanter. We might not be the most powerful, but for sure the most versatile class
I'm not interpreting. You said anyone who complains is not an enchanter. You have two choices, that's all you gave. Either you are complaining, or an enchanter. Sigh. Own up. so that no one thinks I have a false interpretation of whatever the hell I'm interpreting.. here is my list of things you can do. a) you can whine and complain b) you can be an enchanter c) you can whine and complain and still be an enchanter.
We seem to get this a lot from Camou. Here's one about his signature that continues to suggest that if you don't have max level and every last AA, you're not an Enchanter: In fact, I'll never be an Enchanter since I don't plan to max Spell Casting Subtlety since I actually want aggro sometimes.
Again, you are interpreting. You brought up the issue of incompetence, not me. About the choices i gave: There is only black and white. Grey is no part of any of them, but both can form grey. Grey is the path, not the result. Grey is where the weak end, and the strong start. It is not an option. There is only yes and no. In between lies perhaps, not an option, but result of those unable to chose. There is eat and be eaten.There is no half eaten. There is no other way. Thats nature. Discuss it with a lion, or a virus. Im sure they will give you another option somewhere in between, you can live with. There is life and death. Even though some are in between. Those who live, but are already dead. Those who are already dead, but still alive. But it never is an option, only a result. There is light and dark. Twilight is only a result of both. And it is always darkest, before the dawn. There is good and evil. There is no good in evil, whatever you say. Some see it so, it is nonsense. There is no evil in good. What is evil, is evil. There is no mixture of both. So c) is just a result, and not an option. For those on the way to become an enchanter. And for those that were on the way and gave up. And just to say it clear: No, this has nothing to do with incompetence.
