I have a SK I'm working on and I have been debating whether or not to add a healer as a box to him. This is TLP so i don't have access to healer mercs. I'm not really interested in raiding so this is for a very casual (lazy) player that is only looking for exploring new areas and maybe taking on a few bosses for quest/loot items. What would be best for him? I have read tons on this and have many characters over 90, but the game from 1-50 old school is something else entirely. Should I not bother and just go the solo route? Would it be better to invest the healer cash on my SK instead? My SK is already well geared or as much as I can do with the limited items available. Any ideas what will be most efficient and least amount of stress or alt/tab management? I just don't want to hit the wall at 45+ and regret I didn't make a healer partner for him.
Mokai, I have experienced the "not starting a box" when I should have situation. It really slows things down as you catch the other toon up. If you have a second all access account, I would start it like yesterday. There will be some negative feedback I am sure for boxing on a TLP server but, I would ignore it and play "your way." Invite others and let them know you are boxing a healer. Progress and have fun. Jumping ahead to what would likely be your next question, what priest class should I play? I have played all three healers and each have their own pros and cons. Cleric obvious is the supreme healer. He is able to handle all healing situations with only utility as a drawback. Druids and shamans are very similar in that they provide utility in different ways but offer less healing. Taking into account the TLP server and no mercenary options later, I would go either Druid or shaman. The Druid has similar healing and crowd control options but ports which should be very valuable for many expansions to come. The shaman has good healing as well but can slow which is pretty huge. After playing all three, I have been really attached to my Druid after learning some of his abilities better. Druids with their debuffs can work pretty similarly as slows. They have better DDs than the other two healers. Even though the Druid does not have HOTs, they do get AA lines which have HOTs to help with initial mob engagement. The porting and tracking really sets them apart from the shaman helping you travel and hunt in different leagues than the rest. Best regards, Rykard
Druid bonus: at high level, their group Black Wolf buff boosts the spell half of pro shadowknighting like whoa, for 3.5 minutes out of every 7.
TLPs will get black wolf some time around 2020. On real servers, SK+dru is pro, but TLPs are going to die before any of those abilities unlock.
Much better than Brohg's post Druid bonus: synergy with plant-bane debuffs and shadowknight plant-bane dots of win in like.....30 more levels! Edit: damn your sarcasm sharpshooting Illa. Fastest in the west
I would totally roll a shammy with an SK. They are an unbelievable duo!! I guess a cleric would work too... I almost rolled another character to play with my little cleric right now but decided against it as it would take away from my main focus of keeping the group alive. In a group situation you could easily use the shammy as a back-up healer and debuffer which would be easier for you at the higher end.
---------------- (**As an aside...Brohg you made me laugh so hard I spilled some of my fabulous blueberry and cream waffles on my keyboard****LOL at the stalwarts that have indeed been through thick and thin with Norrath and cringe everytime the TLP populace is mentioned...the look on the loyalist's faces at the prospect of having 'our kind' flood into their server anytime, but especially 'soon' ----- good stuff here Brohg, really good stuff!) OP, go with what makes you have the most fun. Are you really comfortable boxing and also dealing with other players attitude about it? If so, do it so you won't regret not having your healer later down the road. Most people are playing EQ mainly for two things: the PEOPLE, and the FUN. Otherwise why would anyone be in a 16+ year old MMO? Have FUN! P.S. * I vote a magnificent Shaman all day all the way!
If you want to move camps frequently, the druid with the porting can't be beat (and evacs for bad situations, also). Other than that, you can make a good argument for all three. Tat
As someone who boxes a sk/cleric on ragefire I can say that at level 20ish it's an incredible combo, but I do kind of wish I had a Druid. Ports, soe, DS, and heals make it worth while. My Cleric is pretty Battle Cleric ready though, so the sk/cleric combo works out really well.
