I have been thinking of a new 2 box combo, well new to me anyway, and I just want some opinions on it.
I was thinking of grouping my 76 mage and 77 wiz together, and running both wizard mercs. Without any real healing going on, I intend for this to be a kite group. Also, if a friend of mine is online, I can add a 78 druid to this group. I don't know if the druid would run a merc or not.
Any opinions are welcome, and please elaborate on the pros and cons of this duo/trio. Thanks =)
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As someone who's had a Druid main since 2000, I would recommend against it.
The thing is, where you CAN kite, it will be awesome. The problem you'll run into... there won't be that many great places to kite.
If you're just looking for a combo that will be used to grind AA's, and you're confident you'll find enough hunting grounds so that you don't log in and find you have nowhere to go, then it will work fine. If you want a combo that will have some good flexibility, and be able to go most anywhere, there are better combos out there.
With a tank and cleric merc, the Mage/Wiz combo would work fine.
Come to think of it, once VoA comes out, you'll be able to have two mercs per char (not at the same time, but can switch between them). So yeah, I guess your idea is fine, will be limited til VoA, but then you'll have lots more options.
Tat
The thing is, where you CAN kite, it will be awesome. The problem you'll run into... there won't be that many great places to kite.
If you're just looking for a combo that will be used to grind AA's, and you're confident you'll find enough hunting grounds so that you don't log in and find you have nowhere to go, then it will work fine. If you want a combo that will have some good flexibility, and be able to go most anywhere, there are better combos out there.
With a tank and cleric merc, the Mage/Wiz combo would work fine.
Come to think of it, once VoA comes out, you'll be able to have two mercs per char (not at the same time, but can switch between them). So yeah, I guess your idea is fine, will be limited til VoA, but then you'll have lots more options.
Tat
Tatanka Wolfdancer, 115 Wood Elf Druid, 9 x 300+ Master Artisan, 7 maxed trophies (dang research! :)
Michone, 115 Troll Shadowknight
Anaceup Mysleeves, 115 Erudite Mage, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
Snookims Whinslow, 112 Erudite Enchanter, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
<Inisfree>, Tunare (Seventh Hammer!)
Michone, 115 Troll Shadowknight
Anaceup Mysleeves, 115 Erudite Mage, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
Snookims Whinslow, 112 Erudite Enchanter, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
<Inisfree>, Tunare (Seventh Hammer!)
Kiting is good xp but I would not want to try kiting in a 2box situation. I can't even think of how to be efficient at this... If you have adecent pet focus you should consider getting a cleric and wiz merc and go the more traditional method of pet tanking. High end mages with EM8 or better, couple thousand aa's are capable of moloing T4 named.
Speaking from the Druid point of view, I can pair up with just about any class for good experience. Although kiting is one way of fighting, with the wizard nuke power added to the druid nukes & stuns, snaring, rooting, supplying a damage shield then blasting away at a mob with druid healing and maybe adding a healing merc would be my chosen method, especially in situations where kiting room was slim. I'm not as up on what mages do but I've heard chatter in General channel that suggest mages are now a great solo class so whatever their strengths are would be great.
Back to the 2-box situation - again, not being as conversant with mages, I can't really speak to that.
Back to the 2-box situation - again, not being as conversant with mages, I can't really speak to that.
Terrillian Mistfyre
Owner/Operator of The Redhead Express
Intellectually honest, not politically correct
Owner/Operator of The Redhead Express
Intellectually honest, not politically correct
With viable kiting zones (or areas in zones) your combo could be killer.
As a necro that is a bit lower in level (70) I've got some places...
I don't think you'll need the mercs at all though, except in the pocket to burn down bosses? Or looking at it another way... is the kiting efficiency increased with the mercs enough to justify them being there?
As a sidenote (rather than derail):
but, reading other posts (on necro forums) there is at least a sliver of the community that feels kiting is nonviable post level 80 and that root rotting is the tactic of choice. As a necro... that is not appealling to me. Maybe the druid nation feels otherwise?
Also curious if Alla posters agree with that line of thinking anyways (kiting = nonviable)?
Edited, Sep 27th 2011 6:00pm by snailish
As a necro that is a bit lower in level (70) I've got some places...
I don't think you'll need the mercs at all though, except in the pocket to burn down bosses? Or looking at it another way... is the kiting efficiency increased with the mercs enough to justify them being there?
As a sidenote (rather than derail):
but, reading other posts (on necro forums) there is at least a sliver of the community that feels kiting is nonviable post level 80 and that root rotting is the tactic of choice. As a necro... that is not appealling to me. Maybe the druid nation feels otherwise?
Also curious if Alla posters agree with that line of thinking anyways (kiting = nonviable)?
Edited, Sep 27th 2011 6:00pm by snailish
kiting, root-rotting, whatever, the problem is, the mechanism they added years ago, which screws over kiters and root-rotters: summoning.
There are simply too many places I want to hunt, where the targets summon. Can't kite or root-rot efficiently in those cases.
As I said earlier, if you just want to hit a handful of good camps, and endlessly crank out AA's, that's fine. But if you want real flexibilty, you need to be able to tank.
Fortunately, with mercs, a kiting duo can get this done. So you do have the flexibility. I just think you'll find most of your play time won't be kiting with just the duo, it'll be with the mercs in a tanking setup.
Tat
There are simply too many places I want to hunt, where the targets summon. Can't kite or root-rot efficiently in those cases.
As I said earlier, if you just want to hit a handful of good camps, and endlessly crank out AA's, that's fine. But if you want real flexibilty, you need to be able to tank.
Fortunately, with mercs, a kiting duo can get this done. So you do have the flexibility. I just think you'll find most of your play time won't be kiting with just the duo, it'll be with the mercs in a tanking setup.
Tat
Tatanka Wolfdancer, 115 Wood Elf Druid, 9 x 300+ Master Artisan, 7 maxed trophies (dang research! :)
Michone, 115 Troll Shadowknight
Anaceup Mysleeves, 115 Erudite Mage, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
Snookims Whinslow, 112 Erudite Enchanter, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
<Inisfree>, Tunare (Seventh Hammer!)
Michone, 115 Troll Shadowknight
Anaceup Mysleeves, 115 Erudite Mage, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
Snookims Whinslow, 112 Erudite Enchanter, 2 x 300 Master Artisan
<Inisfree>, Tunare (Seventh Hammer!)
And now a word from the "Druid nation" (well, only one Druid *grins*)
I have no idea what the current "Druid-think" is on fighting strategy, not having read any Druid forums recently nor knowing any in-game, but, as a long-time soloer, root-rotting has been my method of choice. Now at a higher level with a tank merc I still use a version of root-rotting, but without the root. Unless there are other circumstances ie. needing to calm surrounding mobs before pulling in a stealth manner, I generally now pull with one of my DoTs, stand still for a second or two to allow my tank merc to gain aggro, then step back and keep merc healed until mob is about 50% health. I then start DoTting & nuking. I only use snare on runner-type mobs.
As for summoning - I realize a mob that could end me in one or two hits I don't want to get close to - with mobs that won't kill me with one summon I just step back after the summon as my tank is in there pounding away. This may happen a few times in a fight but I've never died while moloing a summoner; at worst I go to maybe 40% health and heal myself.
A side anecdote - I was duoing in BoT one day with an 80-something wizard. She said she "liked the mob summoning her" because it saved her from running over...lol. Again, the HUGE caveat with this is not dealing with a summoner that will kill you in one stroke.
All that being said - my play style and what I enjoy in game is different than many so ymmv. My "smelling the roses along the way" style makes me happy, but isn't the way a more hard-core gamer would approach things. Viva la difference!!
I have no idea what the current "Druid-think" is on fighting strategy, not having read any Druid forums recently nor knowing any in-game, but, as a long-time soloer, root-rotting has been my method of choice. Now at a higher level with a tank merc I still use a version of root-rotting, but without the root. Unless there are other circumstances ie. needing to calm surrounding mobs before pulling in a stealth manner, I generally now pull with one of my DoTs, stand still for a second or two to allow my tank merc to gain aggro, then step back and keep merc healed until mob is about 50% health. I then start DoTting & nuking. I only use snare on runner-type mobs.
As for summoning - I realize a mob that could end me in one or two hits I don't want to get close to - with mobs that won't kill me with one summon I just step back after the summon as my tank is in there pounding away. This may happen a few times in a fight but I've never died while moloing a summoner; at worst I go to maybe 40% health and heal myself.
A side anecdote - I was duoing in BoT one day with an 80-something wizard. She said she "liked the mob summoning her" because it saved her from running over...lol. Again, the HUGE caveat with this is not dealing with a summoner that will kill you in one stroke.
All that being said - my play style and what I enjoy in game is different than many so ymmv. My "smelling the roses along the way" style makes me happy, but isn't the way a more hard-core gamer would approach things. Viva la difference!!
Terrillian Mistfyre
Owner/Operator of The Redhead Express
Intellectually honest, not politically correct
Owner/Operator of The Redhead Express
Intellectually honest, not politically correct
tatankaseventh wrote:
kiting, root-rotting, whatever, the problem is, the mechanism they added years ago, which screws over kiters and root-rotters: summoning.
There are simply too many places I want to hunt, where the targets summon. Can't kite or root-rot efficiently in those cases...
Tat
There are simply too many places I want to hunt, where the targets summon. Can't kite or root-rot efficiently in those cases...
Tat
I agree.
Summoning was poorly implemented. Boss mobs... alright I suppose. Numerous trash... ridiculous.
The trash mobs that summon should be limited to one summon (if they have to at all). I'm even okay with them proccing some debuff (make them vary) if you let them tag you and/or you are somehow low on resists.
snailish wrote:
Summoning was poorly implemented. Boss mobs... alright I suppose. Numerous trash... ridiculous.
The trash mobs that summon should be limited to one summon (if they have to at all). I'm even okay with them proccing some debuff (make them vary) if you let them tag you and/or you are somehow low on resists.
The trash mobs that summon should be limited to one summon (if they have to at all). I'm even okay with them proccing some debuff (make them vary) if you let them tag you and/or you are somehow low on resists.
Agreed here, too. Even though I don't die by being summoned by trash mobs (I even find it humorous at times), it does get a bit tedious to constantly have to back up during a fight. I feel a bit like a ping-pong ball. I vote a trash mob can only summon once!! (Errrr...where do we vote?)
Terrillian Mistfyre
Owner/Operator of The Redhead Express
Intellectually honest, not politically correct
Owner/Operator of The Redhead Express
Intellectually honest, not politically correct
From the kiting/root rotting point of view, I think you have an option to level to 90 and get AA via this method. The problem is that you are limited to a small sampling of mobs/zones in order to do this. The problem comes that when you want to do something different, you can't because that something different requires a different type of hunting that your group is not equipped/experienced to handle.
With a mage and wizard, I would start trying to pet tank with your level 76 air pet. If you don't have all of the right defensive AA for your pet (and offensive second), then using a merc tank would work as well. A mage, healer merc, wizard, and dps merc would do well in 90% of the content from 76 to 85. Heck, at those levels, mages and pets were very strong and could do 90% of the content solo. Healer mercs made those levels easier for mercs. DPS mercs made it even easier.
You could even drop the merc healer and go with two DPS mercs with the pet tanking if you have all of the pet AA. Once again, mages were soloing at that level without much difficulty so burning down the mobs with an added wizard and two DPS mercs would just be gravy.
After 85, if you are jumping into HoT/UF content, mage pets didn't get as much of a boost. It was an indirect nerf. The pets got stronger due to the level increase, but they did not see comparitive boost as previously levels; therefore, pet tanks suffered some. On the flip side, the merc tank was boosted and appears to have performed adequately in HoT.
This is from my point of view from playing a bard, mage, wizard, 2 DPS mercs, and a healer merc while the pet tanks.
With a mage and wizard, I would start trying to pet tank with your level 76 air pet. If you don't have all of the right defensive AA for your pet (and offensive second), then using a merc tank would work as well. A mage, healer merc, wizard, and dps merc would do well in 90% of the content from 76 to 85. Heck, at those levels, mages and pets were very strong and could do 90% of the content solo. Healer mercs made those levels easier for mercs. DPS mercs made it even easier.
You could even drop the merc healer and go with two DPS mercs with the pet tanking if you have all of the pet AA. Once again, mages were soloing at that level without much difficulty so burning down the mobs with an added wizard and two DPS mercs would just be gravy.
After 85, if you are jumping into HoT/UF content, mage pets didn't get as much of a boost. It was an indirect nerf. The pets got stronger due to the level increase, but they did not see comparitive boost as previously levels; therefore, pet tanks suffered some. On the flip side, the merc tank was boosted and appears to have performed adequately in HoT.
This is from my point of view from playing a bard, mage, wizard, 2 DPS mercs, and a healer merc while the pet tanks.
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