Done at 29....What was the final nail in the coffin?

I've decided to quit my 29 coercer and move on to a new characters in hopes of enjoying some gameplay. Aside from the 3 minute single target Breeze timer (which was really only made worse by uneducated groups insisting on Breeze for all 6 members), 3 minute Haste and weird Mez/stun behavior....the absolute final nail was the most surprising.

During the Christmas break (about 1 week of 8 hours a day). I was LFG for 29 hours total. 29! I was being passed up for 2nd healers (when the damage I could mitigate would negate the need for a 2nd healer), 2nd tanks (useless IMO, very many inefficient), and who knows what else. I just couldn't take it anymore. I started a bard and am very happy so far. 2 days in, at level 15 and things are progressing smoothly. Groups like me for haste and mana regen (imagine that) not to mention the Scout HOs and pure damage I can deal now.

Take this as a good warning. Find friends. Find a guild. Groups will become your life and if you LFG as long as I have to...you'll go INSANE!

You must have really strong reputation to be LFG longer then 1 hour ....
Tank-Healer-CrackDealer - pretty much standart sequence of building group

If its a reputation issue I could certainly understand that. But I really don't think that's what it is....how would all the Qeynos goodies know of this supposed bad reputation in their /who lfg all?

Like I said, the LFG thing was just the final nail. I don't see anyone really clammoring for an enchanter. 2nd healer? DPS? Right on.

I am level 29 Coercer on Crushbone. I get invited alot to RoV. I am now getting invites to EL as well even at 29. I can go into Runneyeye and /ooc LFG and get a group within 15 mins normally. Why? Maybe it is the fact that people that have grouped with me once have seen that I understand Crowd Control and I get repeat invites. I should. I played a Chanter on Mith Marr for 5 years. I have a guild right now that is trying to recruit me away from my guildies that I have known for over 2 years and have played DOAC and SWG with. Not bragging. I am just saying that there are plenty of groups that love a Coercer for the right reasons.

It is seldom that I keep more than 2 people covered with Breeze at a time in my groups. If I get a begger for it I gently remind them that it is not always needed. After about 4 pulls with a group I usually know which people actually need Breeze and those that do not.

Our mezzes suck. At level 29 I have only a single mezz and the most I can control with that is 4 mobs at a time. But if I use my stuns properly I can mitigate alot of damage in a fight and save a lot of power for the healer. Most in the group have no idea when I stun since they do not have graphics up high enough to see effects. I always position myself to see past the fight and can mezz an add many times before it hits the first member it aggros on.

Playing a Coercer is not hard if you just haste and breeze the group. Playing a GOOD Coercer takes alot of work and concentration.

With that all said, if you do not like the class, then move on and find one that you do. I think that if you decide to be a tank now, that you will be a better tank for have played a Coercer and you understand aggro, power, and haste needs and benifits. I wish you only the best and should you play on Crushbone I will be happy to group with someone who understands the tough job a Coercer has.


Regards,

Gammelt Trae, aka The Ancient One
29 Coercer, 27 Provisioner, Crushbone
Proud Member of the Shattered Souls


Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool.


"If sometimes you feel insignificant, useless, offended and depressed, always remember that you were once the fastest and most victorious sperm in your group"

Our mezzes don't really suck imho. At least not what they can do for relative power of the game. Quite a few groups if they get two orange ^^ at a time and only have one healer would have to evac. We make fighting that battle possible.

We still have an amazing amount of power in relation to the game world. Too many remember the rock star days of EQ1 though and want that back.

Anyways Gammelt is correct. Having a good reputation and playing well to make the group that much more effective is wonderful. I would almost say that while so many classes when added to a group are just that an addition, but when enchanters are added, they work as a group effective multiplier. That is if played well.

wow great post!

at current i'm level 14 enchanter and having a great time with it. having to constantly educate people how to properly play to my strenghts is a minor annoyance. but hey i'm only level 14 and most people i group with are not very experienced yet. i found it beneficial to always start the groups.. not hard being the leader.. just have an idea of where you'll be going and what you'll be killing once the group forms. i'm rarely LFG

this is my third toon.. the first is a mystic. fun but limited. my second was a bard, really enjoy playing him, he's lvl 15. i started the enchanter after i grouped with one and saw how much of an asset they are to a group. (we were hunting giants in TS) and got aggro'd by some nasty wolves. this guy was on and it totally saved us.) a great class.. and not too many out there.

i have a feeling it'll get better once more people figure out what exactly it is that we do.

and yes being a member of a guild is a huge bonus.

I love my coercer, currently lvl 42 on Unrest.

There's bugs with mez if you try to combine Enchanter and Coercer's spells. Otherwise no issues, can only use one single target mez at the time, since its on the same timer...

Stun and mez - you cannot mez stunned mob cos our stuns have power drain component which is doing dmg to the mob... Bug is with icon still being there, so just learn to time it right so that you don't mez mob that is still stunned.

Since I started fighting in Runnyeye at early 30s, groups are doing AE on groups bigger than 3 - some groups with wizard start AE nuking as soon as you have mobs without ^ or ^^. So don't worry cos you can't mez more than 3 or 4 mobs at the time, you don't have too, groups that big are easy enough and if you have tank that knows how to taunt, he almost won't get dmg...

Group Mez - yeah, I am calling it group mez, cos that's what it is - is really handy when you have big group as add. Look at it as group stun, and use it. If group of 2 ^ adds, it gives you time to finish off whatever you were doing (breezing, lol) and mez in peace (once its off!), if it is bigger group, chances are tank will AE taunt, which will break mez, but again, those mobs are easy enough so its not a big deal since they are not on casters or healers in the group.

Cancel your stun or group mez just before casting single target mez to avoid stacking issues - you can do it by clicking icon on the concentration window...

Breeze and haste - I am keeping a whole group breezed and hasted at all times, and it did became my 2nd nature, lol. Clerics are often using really good food so they need it less than some dps scouts, lol. I view it as my most efficient form of dps.

I am looking forward to the lvl 48 group clarity - and still no clue if it stacks with single target clarity. And I am also really looking forward to lvl 50 AE stun that we get. I miss having AE stuns, I miss using AE stun, mez, AE stun etc and keeping lots of mobs mezzed. But this is not EQ1, this is EQ2, and its different. I also miss camping same spots, since here either pulling is too long - or exp gets worst with time - still not sure if it really is, but lots of groups are complaining about camp penalties. But bottom line is, I love my coercer as much, if not more, as I loved my enchanter in EQ1.

For groups, I also had really hard time around level 30. I did get groups quite easy, but groups were really bad, like I am in Wailing Cave groups all over again... So I soloed a lot to get over that period. Since about lvl 35, I think 99% of groups I am in I can call solid, and I really have no issues finding groups - I often get 3 invites as soon as I shout.

Acka

Coercer on Unrest

I'm beginning to think this is more of a server thing. A lot of the folks on this server just don't "get it", especially on the good side. They all assume Breeze is a necessary buff because either:
A) They don't have food/water and aren't regen'ing out of battle
B) Assume they can use more specials in a given alotted time.

It was a rare occurance for me to be grouped with just one healer. Groups would always have at least two healers, fighting on average maybe a ^^ Orange mob with no real adds. Varsoons was a joke. Why use an enchanter? We're useful for the forge and that's if you're lucky to get into the "bottom" class group. I stopped grouping in Varsoons around 27. It was mostly just yellow at that point. Soloing in EL was faster experience.

I played an enchanter in EQLive and know the role well. Slows, stuns, mezzes, haste, breeze, situation awareness, and the value of communication. Maybe if I was on one of the more "mature" servers my experience would have been different.

Well well well. I feel youre frustration. I am a lvl 32, and, I spend a long time LFG some nights, but, I dont think it is cos i suck, because, i will also see alot of other players lfg that long as well.

Here's the thing, MAKE YOURE OWN GROUPS. So many times, I check all the LFG in all area's in the lvl range i want, and BAM, there is a beauty of a group right there, but, noone takes the time to try to put it together. Just the other day I did it and saw (all between 31-34) Paladin-warlock-wizzie-templar-assasin-and me chanter .

So bam, i threw that together, and off we went, yeah, alot of people like a 2nd healer, and, sometimes so do I, because, hey crap happens, things go wrong, or, the healer you got aint to good, lol, u never know. I like my job, i hate being a breeze ***** but, part of the job. But i guess I'm not gonna convince you to stick with it.

Frankly I am playing lvl 40 coercer (rank 4 on server with total may be 6 enchanters above 40 4 coercers and 2 illusionist) - not that many folks in past 40s yet...
2 farming bot teams are 40 .... 1 of this team have bot-coercer... 1 coercer is lvl 46 or so ... Anyway what I want to say demand is a bit higher then supply.
Reputation btw mean a lot in such situation lol often ppl rather wait till I log instead of inviting competitors
True to be told -crack is luxury- group can rock and roll w/o it all you need is 1 (one) mage (lol even necro will do that) and 1 (one) priest. Key is Archane Chalice HO. Once your group learn how to trigger that - no more power issue ... ever. Mage start it (arcane augur) - prist continue (hammer) - mage (flame)+priest (chalice) to finish
Haste? spare me lol - melee dont even notice effect of it (Adept 1 Bravado)....
So what left? Well still ye'old good mez (heh try do draftling tower w/o mezer and you see what I mean). Good (and I mean it) DPS - I repeat DPS of coercer better then DPS most classes that "considers" as DPS - like rangers or monks (at least at low 40 it is a case). Ability to drain power - no matter how you slice it or dice once "Boss" OOP - fight just test of endurance (aka chaining Arcane Chalice) and oh well power regeneration outside of combat (I repeat this many time and want emphasize it - use Arcane Chalice - its fast its easy to learn how to do and its infinitive crack).
So buttom line - is coercer (or enchanter) is crucial for group? - well nah you get away w/o it. Is coercer significantly improve performance of group that justify adding coercer over any other class once group have tank and healer? - hell yes

I find when I'm looking for groups I end up grouping with the same people over and over, because of the reputation factor. A lot of people don't KNOW what an enchanter can really do, and I think that's the main problem. Once I group with a few people, they soon realize! Just for the record, I'm currently at level 30.

We can add alot to a group, and not just with mezzing, mezzing is great, don't get me wrong, but with the duration of these fights, a lot of the time it's unnessesary unless fighting tough mobs. We simply don't have the ability to take a chaotic 7 mob pull and lock it down, and that's ok. When stuff like that comes along, if a mob breaks free of the tank and goes after a caster, or priest, that's when I mez it, otherwise, it's ok. So what else can we do? We do awesome dps, like was mentioned, but we also have some really nice debuffs as well, namely arcane mitigation. Those are HUGE if you have a bard, or sorc, or whatever in your group, increase your groups dps a ton. We also have the nifty spell that keeps mobs from casting and drains power, which can be really useful for those pesky casters. There have been countless times when I've saved a group members life with a well timed stun.

Breeze..... ahhh, my entire existance revolves around it. haha. I've gotten really good at keeping the entire group breezed and hasted at the same time. I get a good rotation going, once I've hit each group member, I follow it with a haste. Now the fun thing is, as I start recasting breezes, those ones will appear below haste in my maintained spells window. That way if I forget who I was on, I can just check and see how many breezes there are below haste, and then I can pick up from there. The only time I fluctuate from this, is if we start pulling nasty pulls where I end up concentraing on mezzing. If I'm needed for mezzing, only those who really need breeze get it, usually healer(s) and the tank.

The only changes I would make to the class would be to eliminate the huge recast time on mez. Even if the duration was shortened. At least that way, we'd be able to get the 3-4 mobs locked down quickly, making it more worthwhile. Because like I said earlier, a lot of the times these fights are over by the time I can get three mobs mezzed. I'd also consider making breeze a group spell, ala haste.

"Breeze..... ahhh, my entire existance revolves around it. haha. I've gotten really good at keeping the entire group breezed and hasted at the same time"


That sounds like sooo much fun!

4 word for you
Learn use Arcane Challice

HOs are close to useless in pickup groups. It is very hard to make it work as it should. So unless you have guild groups or you are grouping with the same people that with time you get to know well, I wouldn't force it.

Acka

Jesus crist ... Arcane Challice EASIEST to execute HO and yet have best group effect no matter how you slice it or dice...
Mage Trigger Arcane Augur - Priest continue with Hammer spell - here we go ... its DONE. Augur-Hammer and group can back to normal routine. Yes you might need scout to flip suffocating breath that have similar tigger (augur-hammer) but that's all
Once you have active weel - progression rather trivial - mage cast flame (dot for coercers its either anguish or stupefy or cerberal spasm or torment depending on lvl) and priest finish HO with challice

What I mean, it is more often canceled than even started in most pickup groups...

Acka

If you time it right and coordinate with the priest, you can watch when they are starting to nuke and you can fire off the HO.

There are lots of "ifs" there. Yes it does work, I used the Mage/Priest HOs with my old steady group, and we were also on headsets so its ALOT easier. I would not even waste my time doing it with other pickup groups however. All they do is [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] about Breeze and Speed.

Lol just ignore em .... Keep triggering arcane augur if they keep asking for breeze keep saying that you cast it but they cancel it ....
I am a good teacher lol I was for a long time furious on pet casters but no more since I stop mez or stun any mob what are attacked by necro/conjurer pet - 2 options here
a) pet can tank for long enouth so MT will get to that mob eventurally .... hence no harm
b) mob kill pet, then kill necro or conjurer then you can mez it .... again no harm for group

Lol I like how you think Tan. I do the same thing for pets and their owners.