I have a Ranger on one account that i want to play. I'm around 55-60 with all these characters btw. On the other account i have a shaman and Beast. What would be the best combo plus mercs with these guys? I was thinking Ranger with Tank and Shaman with Melee DPS. Because if i use the Bst id have to have a healer merc and miss out on some DPS.
I didn't use mercs to level, but have used em some since at various levels. I feel like you can still take advantage of a tank merc [Journeyman Rk 1] until maybe up to 70ish? Possibly longer. I believe the healer merc is generally up to the task of keeping that tank merc alive if you are just exping. As for whether or not you want the Shaman or the Beast, that's gonna be up to you. I found that DPS mercs didn't even come close to the DPS you'd expect from a PC. Healer mercs aren't top tier, but they seem closer to a PC in power than the DPS mercs do. So that means if I was only 2 boxing, I would prioritize DPS and let a merc cover the healing. That would lead me to choose RNG/BST. The Beastlord + Warder will also offer you a decent tank [better than a tank merc] when that time comes. Keep in mind you aren't stuck with just using one type of merc, either. The combination that's best at 55 might not be at 75, and then 85, etc.
Ah i didn't know the warders were that good at tanking. I know when i get close to the mob with my bst it always get off the warder and attacks me instead. I know i could heal it with the shaman and his slows and buffs are better then the bst but, if the bst is better dps then the Shaman merc dps combo. I'll probably do that. I do remeber now that merc dps starts to suck after 60ish.
Play ranger + beastlord. The BL pet/warder will be the tank. Use healer and melee DPS mercs. You can even use the ranger as passive bow DPS later which is great for relaxed boxing. For a defensive playstyle you can choose the shaman over the beastlord but you will then have to use a tank merc instead the melee DPS maybe. Ranger is a medium tank (warrior/druid hybrid) and not that bad in it. Does tank better than a monk at lvl 55-80. Dunno about higher levels. Not that much if you invest merc AA points into Rising Fury. Its just part of the merc power balance and a must have.
