Hi, I used to play everquest 1, and I've decided to give EQ2 a try. Originally I was looking for a non rogueish melee DPS class, perhaps similar to the beast1ord (why did they censor that??) or monk in everquest 1. As far as I can tell from what I've read, this doesnt exist... the fighters are only good for tanking. If I'm wrong please correct me. Because of that, I've decided I would like to play a melee/healer character. I've narrowed it down to the inquisitor, mystic, and paladin. However, being so new to the game I could really use some help deciding. Originally I thought I would want to be a paladin, but from what I' understand they have terrible dps and healing and are best used just for main tanking. What I'm looking for is someone that can do a mixture of decent melee dps and decent heals, which leads me to believe a mystic or inquisitor would be the best choice. My question is this; in your opinion, what would be the best Melee/healer hybrid for mainly playing in a duo with my friend (unsure of the class). Does the mystic or inquisitor fair better in melee after aa's? And is the paladins damage and healing truly that bad? Thanks for taking the time to read my really long post, hah.
I think if you're looking for a healing/dps hybrid, you may be a bit disappointed with the melee-spec healers in the long run, though they're great fun up until near the end. They do pretty nice damage solo early on, but they tend to drop off a lot at the end, and aren't really more damaging than fighters. I wouldn't say any of em outdamage paladins, for example, though they certainly outheal paladins. On the other hand, they're great classes to solo with, so not a bad idea for getting the hang of the game with. But if your emphasis is on dps, you're really best off going with a mage or non-bard scout.
Welcome to EQ2! Despite having heals, paladins are fighters, not healers; unless you want to tank pally may not be the right class for you. In addition to mystic and inquisitor, wardens also have a melee spec. All three require AAs to convert to a melee orientation but wardens require the least. I have both an inquisitor and a mystic and I find no substantial difference in their melee capacity. Each has little perks and abilities that I miss when I play the other. You can always try both and see which appeals to you more. Edit: Chath makes an important point. Melee specs are excellent for solo/duo play but they do not convert healers into true dps classes. Healers get invited to groups to heal and are simply not able to take the place of a real damage class. P.S. There is a stickied thread in the general section regarding The-Class-Which-May-Not-Be-Named if you are curious
Thanks all for the quick replies. I know that I won't be doing crazy dps, I just wanted to be proficient in it enough to solo effectively and have a little fun. In end game raiding/groups I plan on focusing on healing, and maybe squeezing in some hits on the mobs if I can without hindering the group. I just didnt want to pick someone that is only heal heal heal, I like to have a little variety to keep it interesting.
Revanx22 wrote: In that case, one of the melee-healers would work pretty well for you. I'd go inquisitor or mystic. Both are strong endgame classes, and solo really well due to the melee spec.
Welcome to Eq2! As others have said, healers can do some damage but not a whole lot. Inquisitors and Mystic do about the same damage in the end. I have an 80 Mystic and only a lowbie Inquisitor so I can only really comment on one. Mystics do decent damage while still being one of the better healers in the game. My Mystic currently is in a heal-spec while still having AAs in the battle priest and str lines and does very well. Take a look at the stickied Mystic Primer on their main page here to get a good ides of what they can do. Good luck with whatever you pick!
