Returning player here, after 8 years away. I was a raid shaman for about 2 years back in the day.. it was before the game went FTP. I was a decent raid healer, but apparently not quite good enough. Eventually it got to the point where I couldn't keep up, so I quit the game in shame. The issue back then, was if I missed a single cure on one of the raid members, the raid would wipe. Now, it was requested that people be responsible first and foremost for their own cures, but of course I was often told that it was "my job". Once in a while I would miss one of my own, as I tried to keep the MT alive. Raids are tough, and sometimes they wipe.. especially while learning of course. Now after coming back, the game looks to be much easier than it used to be. Just the interface lets you click to cure without using an add-on. I'm seeing more and better group cure spells. And as I said, the game looks to have been made easier overall (but you tell me, I"m new). I'm looking for feedback.. is the game still "Miss one cure on one of 20 people and the raid wipes" crazy like it used to be? And if so, is it easier to deal with? I always tell myself that I won't ever heal again.. that I'm not cut out for it.. but then i used my level 100 boost to make a defiler. I"m a healer, through and through. Should I just avoid the tougher instances and also not raid? I also play a decent bard/illy. Thanks!
There are still some fights like that and there always will be. It be could be a missed cure, a tank swap, dps check, or missing a mez. There's something for everyone. Play a class you like and are comfortable with first, then find a group you have fun raiding or grouping with. Some raid forces are more hardcore and less forgiving than others.
yes the harder raid content fights have a cure or die mechanic... some curse cures some regular cures.. but if you are just coming back.. it is unlikely you would see that for some time...
Morrdredd: You are right there... I'm way more casual these days.. I'm married to a wonderful woman and don't want to screw that up. I may never raid again anyway.. not to mention, that back in the day it took me like 3 months just to get my fabled..and another 3 months to get my epic. Now I'm seeing all this epic 2 and ascension stuff.. and none of my week old characters can even speak dragon yet or any of the prerequisites. I play maybe 3 hours per day, 7 days a week. I suspect that I'll never raid again before the game goes dead. On top of that, I'm an alt-o-holic and can never work on less than 3 characters at a time, ever. How are heroic instances? Fun? I've only done advanced solo so far.. and those are fairly face-roll, after I read-up on any difficult mechanics. Thanks
Heroic instances can be hard to get into initially, as you need resolve, and while mastercrafted may get you there, you will lack the potency to be effective in a group in pure mastercrafted. Once you get to ascension level 5 and can start a) casting ascensions and b) getting the epic 2.0 questline gear, the heroic instances are not bad, and the solos will have already taught you most of the tricks as long as you aren't just one-shotting your way through them. So for KA heroics anyway expect 1-2 months warm-up. Gives you time to level ascension and run key quests and do sig line.
as a Returning bard with defiler mate love your bard they can carry you through these zones..., the only cure or die mechanic is in the least popular zone (spectral market theres also no reason to do this more than once.. ever... gdiaf zone) where mobs have 10x the hp nessary and first 2 bosses dont have any real effects to justify it, (its even worse on expert), 4th boss has a cure curse or group wipe mechanic, - ritual chamber for your first time will throw you around untill you (and your groups) hp increases (used to deny people under 2.5 million.. now 10m hp are common lol) you need anti fear for shrouded temple (trash only) and forgotten spires (4th boss) ONLY . .dont wear these things full time... you need anti STUN for Dalnir zones (gooblins do an aoe nox stun thats annoying as hell) again.. dont bother wearing this adorn outside of them... only ONE boss in the entire expansion aoe auto attacks .. thats stronghold last boss, everything else is a brusier and requires 15 more accuracy to hit, (up from 5) so thats a thing... also in this expansion Everyone is a DPS, with a subjob (like tanking or healing) so keep that in mind i also reccomend being an elementalist as their abilities cast the fastest, etherealist a close second.. thaum is right out bad, and geomancer is not for healers. combos with your friend will take you far- very very far... also since your just starting back welcome back to EQ.. in your AA's find "Enhanced vigor" take 8/8 of that.. now find your dragon AA' and look down the "hp line" for the ward. take 10 points in that. while your at it get the death prevent too... pristege you should be right side untill your crit bonus reaches 4195(or 4300ish so temps effect you nicely) - but isnce your a defiler.. i highly reccomend a hybrid spec for wraithwall but take the right side potency = crit bonus conversion first. once you get the gear / tithe to drop the right side conversion. then you can go left side and be elite.
Fairin: thanks much for the positive constructive feedback. I will paste your response in my personal notes. Maybe I will get to play my beloved healer classes eventually after all.
The summer event gives you several ways to catch up fast. I highly recommend doing it. It takes like 10 minutes a week and will help you get to where you want to be. http://eq2.eqtraders.com/articles/article_page.php?article=q315&menustr=060000000000
Why is Thaum bad IYO? The casting speed? I know my Warden friend actually likes Geomancer, however me not being a healer I can't comment on it. I went with etherealist. As a paladin I already debuff for the damage type and I like having the nukes. To OP, you will end up trying all of the Ascension classes anyway while leveling them, just find the one that fits how you play the game.
they cast realllly slow almost as slow as geo - making combos harder, thaum lacks aoe (encounter only doesnt really count) and its other effects like healing you are kinda moot geo's cast the slowest, and their one ability terene requires a specific gear set, and you to be stifled for 45 seconds for it to be any good at all. as a tank or healer you dont wanna sit there for 3 or 4 seconds casting a spell and have someone rip off you / someone die while casting it. it is my opinon but its more like thaum and geo are there for people that want to support etherealist / elementalist to do damage and not the other way around. for the numbers its simpler to explain it... everyone likes DPS.. everyone likes to parse high and if you explain it with numbers people might understand it better but lets just dive right into it... you got 4 abilities that do the same damage.(wildfire/levinbolt/septicstrike/stonehammer) lets pretend its 10 million elementalists will cast it in 2. doing 500m dps, etherealists will cast it in 2.5 400mdps thaumaturges will cast it in 3 333mdps geomancers will cast it in 3.5 285mdps since they all do the same damage.. their DPS is much much different! - now they may COMBO for more damage but getting that combo takes either constant communication. autistic attention. or bot precision. now consider their casting times compared to the length of time you have to land a combo strike... or get multiple casts in on your celestial gate proc... and you start to see a common thread. while the numbers presented are in laymans terms they are fairly accurate with each similiar ability doing similiar damage. the outstanding ones are scorched earth / ethershadow / mudslide / tainted mutation, which can either be average or really great compared, but tainted mutation will always do a set ammount of "dps" to a boss and unless its a raid mob that dps is very minimal at best. AND you only get to use it once..... my mate is a defiler shes an elementalist, im a troub im an etherealist. i give her ethermancy for scorched earth, she gives me brittle for ethershadow. as the 2 "highest dps" ascensions this works out really really well giving each other a 0 dps spell to combo with theirs every time all the time.
