want to lvl a support class and wondering wich class to choose , i wont raid just casual stuff illusionist : its cool that it has a pet (wand pets works?) , and colorfull spells , dislike that almost all the support is for "other" and not usable on myself , how truth is that? i guess i can use it on merc / pet dirge : i like to play melee too,mostly passive buffs with some timed buffs (CoB ect) , tons of drains health skills ,and rez, better solo? troubador : ppl say that has better dps than dirge? , looks like has mostly spells with some CA . charm , never played it but its fun? how different is dirge / troub gameplay wise? one has more melee the other more ranged (voice attacks?) , looks like troub has ton of green attacks , 1 powerfull blue tho just want a class to have fun solo and maybe someday do some grouping w/o being carried , i guess even undergeared i will feel usefull
Well, definitely as a support role you would probably have a better chance grouping with a bit less gear. I don't know much about illusionists, though I know at high levels they can be useful. Between dirge and troub, think of the dirge as someone who can support dps of melee types and also rez/clear rez sickness. Troubs give a big boost to casting groups. I'll leave any more info to folks who know more
Illy's (powerfeeds) are in short supply at endgame. Every group needs one. Some troubs are running powerfeed specs as well. Tanks & dps like dirges for the melee buffs. Caster like troubs for their buffs.
Let us not forget the importance of ascension abilities even to melee classes. A dirge supports traditional melee skills and a troubadour supports traditional caster activities but doesn't a troubadour add more to all classes use of ascensions? At least the ones that give spells like etherialist which may be the most popular ascension class.
You can cast buffs on yourself, but some aren't helpful for the class and there's a limit like there is for dirge/trouby. Yes, the petamorph wands work on your pet.