Good Trio?

[CoffeeBreath]

Me, my wife, and our mutual friend are all starting characters. All fairly new players, and the friend is so new he's installing for the first time as I write this post.

Me and wife have managed to duo our way up to mid 30's as wood elf ranger and druid.
We're leaning away from being elves or starting in that area.

What would be a good class trio for us? I'm thinking along the lines of healer tank dps, but i don't want my wife and friend to end up being bored to death as a cleric or something. Any ideas are appreciated.

[Obrae]

Tons of great trio out there.

Enchanter is awesome to play and have low chance of getting boring.
Could easily go like cleric monk enchanter. or cleric enchanter wizard or cleric enchanter magician. (these trio could get you into aoe group later on)

But if you think cleric is too boring. Shaman/Enchanter/(anything) would work well.

Back in the days i have a druid/necro combo that worked very well could add a rogue to it. All depends on what style of play you plan in the long run.

[Redstars]

mage mage and mage is a sick trio honestly

[Rhambuk]

necro mage enc, you could do any camp ever.

Shaman, monk, <anything> could do whatever really

bard wizard mage for fast leveling ae swarm kiting outdoor

[CoffeeBreath]

Looking for something that can do content mostly. I want something that can walk into a dungeon at 3 am when nobody is around to join us and still start killing stuff. mage mage mage sounds sick and all but probably not for us. Enchanter is what i've been pushing for. enchanter tank and healer. but i feel like we're gonna not have much dps this way. You said Shaman/Enchanter/(anything) work well, that sounds like the beginnings of what I want. Sounds pretty perfect really. Don't a lot of shaman/chanter spells overlap though? haste and slow and stuff.

And what should our third member be in this hypothetical trio? something that can keep aggro certainly, preferably more meaty than a monk, but we need dps from it too...

[cyryllis]

enchanter (for crowd control, haste, clarity, charm dps, etc)

+

Monk / SK

+

Cleric/ Shaman

You will have a super easy time leveling, can handle dungeons no problem, and can practically add any other lfg classes to group if you want to. I'd lean toward cleric personally for healer as later on a shaman will not be able to keep up with heals

[Zubek]

enchanter (for crowd control, haste, clarity, charm dps, etc)

+

Monk / SK

+

Cleric/ Shaman

You will have a super easy time leveling, can handle dungeons no problem, and can practically add any other lfg classes to group if you want to. I'd lean toward cleric personally for healer as later on a shaman will not be able to keep up with heals

Well said.
Enchanter, SK, Shaman is a really really good trio, though replacing shaman with cleric will net better heals, but shaman is just so much fun :)

[rgostic]

Enchanter Cleric Mage

Shaman SK Rogue

Enchanter Shaman Monk

Bard Wizard Enchanter

Enchanter Cleric SK

Just make sure one of you picks Enchanter

[Splorf22]

enc/enc/enc

[Lune]

Looking for something that can do content mostly. I want something that can walk into a dungeon at 3 am when nobody is around to join us and still start killing stuff. mage mage mage sounds sick and all but probably not for us. Enchanter is what i've been pushing for. enchanter tank and healer. but i feel like we're gonna not have much dps this way. You said Shaman/Enchanter/(anything) work well, that sounds like the beginnings of what I want. Sounds pretty perfect really. Don't a lot of shaman/chanter spells overlap though? haste and slow and stuff.

And what should our third member be in this hypothetical trio? something that can keep aggro certainly, preferably more meaty than a monk, but we need dps from it too...

1. Cleric - Druid - Enchanter: This combo is both very powerful and very convenient. Outdoors, you have two different charmers. Indoors, you have the best/second best duo in the game + a third wheel who can run support, evac, etc. While leveling, the druid can port you guys around wherever you want to go and provide other utility. The three of you decide you want to go do droga? Port to dreadlands and do droga. Bored of droga and want to do SolB? Port to lavastorm. Want to bring your epic'd rogue and SK friend to group with you in Permafrost? Have the druid pick them up.

Pros:
-Very effective chanter/cleric synergy lets you level anywhere efficiently.
-Druid brings a ton of convenience that will let you see the world much more easily.
-These classes form the core of a group that you can fill in flexible options.

Cons:
-Chanter/cleric synergy doesn't become godlike until higher levels.
-Requires the chanter to be a fairly competent player.

Keep in mind enchanter charm can bring more dps than any other addition, and outdoors and in certain dungeons the druid can charm too, as well as pull with harmony + enchanter fear, and snare while two different charmed pets beat on it.

If you want less responsibility for the enchanter, and less dependence on charm, then you might replace the druid with a Necromancer, Mage, or Monk, and replace the cleric with a shaman. Also note that monks need gear to be effective, unlike a caster.

The reason I don't list Paladins, Shadow knights, and Warriors is a combination of gear dependence and the fact that adding even a single melee completely changes the dynamic of the group. If your enchanter knows how to charm, you don't need a melee. If your enchanter doesn't know how to charm, you need dps, not a paladin/sk. A monk is a sufficient compromise of tankability and dps. Root can fill in the agro gaps.

[Picks]

Enchanter, Cleric, Monk
Enchanter, Cleric, Warrior
Enchanter, Shaman, Monk
Shaman, Mage, Monk

[Autotune]

Shaman, monk, cleric
shaman, monk, necro
cleric, necro, enchanter
cleric, monk, enchanter
shaman, necro, cleric
necro, enchanter, shaman
necro, necro, necro
shaman, shaman, shaman

[CoffeeBreath]

we need a shaman, enchanter, whatever trio that starts semi close to eachother, and won't have problems being kos in a mutual area. ideas?

[Splorf22]

I think maybe I need to stop writing guides! Now everyone plays my classes hehehe

[CoffeeBreath]

thinking of downgrading the fun shaman to a cleric (which I will bite the bullet on and play) so that we can have the same starting area, because I can't figure anything else out.

[CoffeeBreath]

what are the disadvantages/advantages of playing warrior/cleric/enchanter as opposed to sk/shaman/ench ?

[CoffeeBreath]

we seem to have decided on this, warrior cleric chanter. any tips on what to outfit the warrior with? our funds are limited, but we do have SOME money.

[Lune]

what are the disadvantages/advantages of playing warrior/cleric/enchanter as opposed to sk/shaman/ench ?

The SK has better agro and utility, at the cost of lower dps and a larger drain on XP.

A shaman and cleric are both fully capable of keeping up your trio and supporting the enchanter in various ways. An enchanter who is charming and CCing heavily might not hava mana for slows, so a shaman can help in that regard. A cleric brings helpful resurrections later on, and complete heal is unmatched 50+. (Good luck getting your shaman torpor)

we seem to have decided on this, warrior cleric chanter. any tips on what to outfit the warrior with? our funds are limited, but we do have SOME money.

First buys should be a cheap weapon and a pair of 5/55 rings. Sword of Skyfire, Rod of Lamentation, staff of battle, jarsath trident, stuff like that. Later on you can pick up some proccing weapons for agro and do some research on gear.

[Calabee]

paladin shadowknight ranger, because you will have 120 % xp penalty till velious

[Autotune]

we seem to have decided on this, warrior cleric chanter. any tips on what to outfit the warrior with? our funds are limited, but we do have SOME money.

well you got 1 fun class out of 3.

your warrior will be pretty much useless when that enchanter starts charming like a boss as well.

Clerics can be fun, but they usually don't have a fun job in that style trio.

[Lord_Snow]

Rogue necro druid, sham would be better than druid but you three could travel everywhere. This of course would be a fear kiting group and restricted to outdoors mostly. I've been doin the nec druid rogue combo and it works like a charm.

[DrKvothe]

Shaman, enchanter, bard.

[radditsu]

I am experimenting with a SK/CLR/ENC on another server. I will get back to you once I have more data. I never have used an enchanter in a meaningful role besides buffbot.

[Wudan]

start as Iksars and go

shaman, monk, sk/necro. The starting area is ba far the bets in game and playing Iksar is FUN! I guarantee you are gonna love it. Sure there are stronger trio set ups, but playing the strongest set up does not equal the most fun. You guys can do all the fun Iksar class armor quests and dont fortget Iksars are BOSS!

[radditsu]

Shm monk sk/necro seems like a ton of overlap...

[falkun]

As others have said, adding a melee to the trio really changes the dynamic, and warriors are about as boring as melee go.

Cleric gets a bit more exciting stunning, nuking undead, and pulling with lull.
ENC is a super busy class.
Warrior is auto-attack, crits, and learning the best tricks with taunt and bashing (especially if non-slam race).

Swap out the cleric with a druid or sham for more things to do, while still fulfilling the priest roll.

Swap out the warrior with a PAL/SK/bard for more to do. The bard can actually avoid melee, especially as he gains levels, and is super busy all the time.

As for meeting up, I wouldn't worry so much about evil/good, but more about where. Qeynos (ERU, HUM, BAR), Commonlands (HLF, DEF, HUM, TRL, OGR), or Faydark (GNM, DWF, HEF, WEF, HIE). Or you could just ask a higher level porter to help you get to your friends upon character creation (which isn't so bad as long as spell vendors are nearby for your class).

IMO, Blackburrow, Steamfont, and Crushbone are all much better newbie zones than EC. The newbie buffs in EC are overrated.

As for gear sticking with the warrior, Sword of Skyfire and Jarsath Trident are good weapons for ~100p each. 5/55 rings are standard for almost every class. Then I'd target a set of banded, bronze, or crafted as you can afford it. Work on a CHA set for the ENC as the next most gear-dependent class, and the cleric will be the least gear dependent.

[benjay]

Mage Enchanter Necro all the way, super easy leveling, nobody has to be good at there classes to get to 60 in a relatively short space of time and when you do start improving they can pretty much take any camp in the game

if you want something that is built to level or do amazing feats
shaman enchanter bard
enchanter mage druid
mage mage mage
even something as silly as bard enchanter mage can work really well

but if you want the old standard trio which works really well in all situations
warrior cleric enchanter
sk shaman bard
paladin sham mage

[webrunner5]

Make sure the Enchanter charms. That is their real power in a group. But you need 200 or more Charisma to do it well. Between the Warrior and a charmed pet you will have pretty good DPS. And if mobs are undead the Cleric has some darn good stuff to help with that.

Only bad thing about the Warrior versus having a Monk is pulling. Warriors are pretty good at pulling say 2 mobs but not more. The Monk can pull a lot better and have a lot more DPS. And they can take hits better than you think. With slow on a mob from the Enchanter a Wizard can almost tank lol. I know the Enchanter can pull or even the Cleric, but they really need to be sitting on their butts to regen mana. And a Enchanter with a charmed pet is busy enough trust me to not have to pull.

But the Warrior will work out. You have picked the Holy Trinity in EQ. That is called that for a good reason.

[Aaron]

I think maybe I need to stop writing guides! Now everyone plays my classes hehehe

Server can never have enough warriors and enchanters IMO.

Too many shamans running around already though.

[Crede]

your warrior will be pretty much useless when that enchanter starts charming like a boss as well.

If you are fighting a mob that summons, with no tanking class, and your pet happens to break at the same time, you could instantly get squashed as a chanter. I haven't read everybody's posts in depth, but in my opinion if a chanter is going to be in the group charming, you want a primary tank because charm can be extremely unlucky at the worst possible times.

Solid choice with Warrior/Ench/Cleric. Can pretty much do anything you want. I think I would take an SK or Pally over them though, just because of the different abilities they offer. Also a monk could definitely work as a tank class.

Also, not sure what races you selected, but having a gnome war/chanter/cleric would be pretty awesome. Same with DE.

[Aaron]

Solid choice with Warrior/Ench/Cleric. Can pretty much do anything you want. I think I would take an SK or Pally over them though, just because of the different abilities they offer. Also a monk could definitely work as a tank class.


Agree. SK for the snare is worth it to me. Gives you the ability to fear/kite if you desired as well. Even a Ranger is not a bad idea. They tank well enough, CC, SoW, small heals, etc.

Cleric + Enchanter + Ranger/SK would be my vote.

Maybe not the best min/max, but gives you a lot of options.

[HippoNipple]

we need a shaman, enchanter, whatever trio that starts semi close to eachother, and won't have problems being kos in a mutual area. ideas?

This may have been answered already but troll/ogre for shaman and DE aren't that far away from each other. The hide skill for enchanter comes in handy for charm breaks but the Charisma for a high elf is hard to pass up as well.

[Archalen]

Shaman, monk, cleric
shaman, monk, necro
cleric, necro, enchanter
cleric, monk, enchanter
shaman, necro, cleric
necro, enchanter, shaman
necro, necro, necro
shaman, shaman, shaman

I would not personally do any of these because there is no porter.

[Mandalore93]

Chanter, shaman, and bard. Conquer the world.

[Splorf22]

Also a lot of it depends on whether or not you want to raid in the future. For example, Enchanter, Shaman, and Necromancer will level up extremely fast (shaman slow tanks with necro/enchanter heals while two tashed/maloed charmed pets beat the fuck out of the mob from behind) but raid guilds aren't going to be all that interested in your trio. On the other hand, if you play Cleric, Warrior, and Enchanter . . . .

[Holey]

Depenind on levels
Shaman Monk Enchanter LOL :D

or higher levels Shaman Rogue Rogue LOL

[Babayaaga]

Me, my wife, and our mutual friend are all starting characters. All fairly new players, and the friend is so new he's installing for the first time as I write this post.

Me and wife have managed to duo our way up to mid 30's as wood elf ranger and druid.
We're leaning away from being elves or starting in that area.

What would be a good class trio for us? I'm thinking along the lines of healer tank dps, but i don't want my wife and friend to end up being bored to death as a cleric or something. Any ideas are appreciated.

Chanter, Mage, Cleric

The only thing you don't have covered is ports, but your druid can cover that :)

[baalzy]

This may have been answered already but troll/ogre for shaman and DE aren't that far away from each other. The hide skill for enchanter comes in handy for charm breaks but the Charisma for a high elf is hard to pass up as well.

This is personal preference and probably less important with a trio where someone is likely to be a high-str class, but I'd never do high elf enchanter. Much rather have a Human, 5 less Cha 20 more str, and who cares about int? This is from mainly a solo-ers standpoint where I've gotten really sick of my gnomes low str and how quickly I become overweight even just from coins.

As for the trio you can make just about anything work and work well. However, since you said you want to be able to go in and kill something big then <tank>/Enc/Clr is going to be the thing to do. You'd probably be able to do Ragefire with this (to be fair I don't know if a donals is required). Warrior would probably fit the tank-bill best for this goal because it will give you the greatest efficiency. Higher DPS to kill the mob faster and more HP for better CH efficiency. It will have a bit more trouble as you level up because of not holding agro quite as well but with a good enchanter it's not going to matter much. You'll also eventually have the Cleric later to clean up any mistakes you make.

As for starting near each other. Ogre/Human/Dark Elf (War,Enc,Clr) will all start close to each other, banking won't be an issue (enchanter can bank anywhere) and DE Cleric can quest a snare clicky (it's not a big snare, but it will still help in dungeons).

http://wiki.project1999.com/Regent_Symbol_of_Innoruuk (currently broken but I imagine will be fixed soon)

Bonus: You'd have access to Ogre cultural smithing (Rallos Zek Ogre gear is pretty good for warriors), Jewel Crafting (or human cultural smithing, which is also pretty darn good) and Dark Elf cultural Smithing (also good plate for DE Clerics)

[lecompte]

Ranger, Shaman, Enchanter

Ranger has great agro keeping abilities, snare, does solid dps and can tank slowed mobs like a champ. Shaman has pretty ineffectual heals until Torpor but it is worth waiting for. Enchanter is DPS/CC. Spend the time getting an ideal pet, it is worth it.

[Aaron]

Ranger, Shaman, Enchanter

Ranger has great agro keeping abilities, snare, does solid dps and can tank slowed mobs like a champ. Shaman has pretty ineffectual heals until Torpor but it is worth waiting for. Enchanter is DPS/CC. Spend the time getting an ideal pet, it is worth it.

Why shaman over cleric? Cleric has better heals, HP buffs, and rezzes.

Enchanter can slow, and tash.

[Frogie305]

Shaman,Warrior,Rogue. I win

[derpcake]

2 guys and one girl seems best at getting everyone satisfied.

[lecompte]

Why shaman over cleric? Cleric has better heals, HP buffs, and rezzes.

Enchanter can slow, and tash.

Enchanter doesn't have the mana to keep his pet up, CC, haste and slow everything. Shaman is on slows and heals. Shaman has slow, dps, stat buffs, torpor and exponentially better mana regen than cleric thanks to canni. Clerics have a LOT of down time in smaller groups.

Edit: With the cleric you do get rezzes though. But... Meh... Who plans to fail? PLAN FOR SUCCESS!

[lecompte]

Shaman,Warrior,Rogue. I win

? Shaman can tank and rogue can BS so why is the warrior there? Might as well drop him for some... Iono... CC? Shaman/Enchanter/Rogue!

[Millburn]

Shaman, Enchanter, Monk is probably the most fun of the top tier combinations out there.

There's overlap with the Shaman and Enchanter but it's a GOOD overlap not one that detracts from your synergy. Shaman slows are far superior, lets the enchanter focus less on utility and more on control. It also is AMAZING having Shaman Malo + Chanter Tash for even more lock down on your charmed pets, it's seriously a FREAKING HUGE difference.

Earlier in this thread the OP was concerned about starting near each other. This combination also allows for this. Human monk, Human chanter, Barb Shaman. You're right there in Qeynos and Blackburrow.

The monk is solid dps, can tank when needed, and can pull what you need pulled. There's very very little this combination can not do.

[Archalen]

Ports are one of the easiest things to come by.

Blanket statements aren't helpful. Depends who you are / what guild you are in/ what time of day. I am in a pretty big guild, BDA, and still have trouble getting ports sometimes unless I say "this is chest someone come port me," but eventually people will realize and stop falling for it.

In all seriousness, I started this game with a porter friend, and without having easy access to a porter I would have lost so much time/ money in not having access to many camps across zones, and being new here you might have even more trouble.

I would seriously consider adding a character that can port if anybody is willing to play one.

[baalzy]

Enchanter doesn't have the mana to keep his pet up, CC, haste and slow everything. Shaman is on slows and heals. Shaman has slow, dps, stat buffs, torpor and exponentially better mana regen than cleric thanks to canni. Clerics have a LOT of down time in smaller groups.

Edit: With the cleric you do get rezzes though. But... Meh... Who plans to fail? PLAN FOR SUCCESS!

Eh, I trio'd for a while Enc, Clr, Paladin (me as Clr) and never had mana issues 35-40 in lguk/solb. The paladin took so little dmg and the mobs died so fast that just clarify was more than enough to keep my mana up. I ended up doing undead nukes some of the time cause I'd be at FM. I also was doing stuns for casters&runners. I will admit that the pally was twinked to the 9's though.

Fails will always happen, this is everquest where death comes swiftly, although it is relatively easy to get rezzes in most places these days from other clerics.

[webrunner5]

A Donals Breatplate Cleric and a Warrior can take down Ragefire. So think about that. Killer combo not counting a Chanter.

[webrunner5]

A porter is really not necessary. Enough plat will talk ANY porter to port. :D

[Frogie305]

A Donals Breatplate Cleric and a Warrior can take down Ragefire. So think about that. Killer combo not counting a Chanter.

Shaman+Warrior can do it to! No BP needed.

[webrunner5]

Shaman+Warrior can do it to! No BP needed.

Torpor Needed. :D

[Lune]

A porter is really not necessary. Enough plat will talk ANY porter to port. :D

True, but having a porter does have several important conveniences you may be underestimating:

1. These players are new-ish, and not exactly swimming in plat.

2. Having a porter will make it infinitely easier for them to explore the far corners of the world... Dalnir, Kaesora, Permafrost. That stuff is really fun to do with friends. When they are done, they can port out.

3. A porter is also extremely conducive to group construction. This premade core can literally say "Hmm, I feel like making a group to do the bottom of Splitpaw"

/who all 30 38 lfg

Druid picks them up and takes them to NK. This is a substantial quality of life improvement compared to getting stuck in the same old crowded zones, or trying to do new places without a guaranteed porter.

Druids also mesh excellently with enchanters, especially when leveling 1-50.

[Archalen]

A porter is really not necessary. Enough plat will talk ANY porter to port. :D

Assuming there is a porter around. OT hammer makes it easier but until then.

[Archalen]

True, but having a porter does have several important conveniences you may be underestimating:

1. These players are new-ish, and not exactly swimming in plat.

2. Having a porter will make it infinitely easier for them to explore the far corners of the world... Dalnir, Kaesora, Permafrost. That stuff is really fun to do with friends. When they are done, they can port out.

3. A porter is also extremely conducive to group construction. This premade core can literally say "Hmm, I feel like making a group to do the bottom of Splitpaw"

/who all 30 38 lfg

Druid picks them up and takes them to NK. This is a substantial quality of life improvement compared to getting stuck in the same old crowded zones, or trying to do new places without a guaranteed porter.

Druids also mesh excellently with enchanters, especially when leveling 1-50.

This in spades. Me and my druid friend leveled from 1-60 together so i know what i am talking about.

[Splorf22]

/who all 30 38 lfg

Sadly I could never get this to work :(

Also Enc/Druid/Melee does work, although it puts more pressure on the Enchanter who has to do slows and stuns as well as charm and CC. It's certainly possible though (especially with a lower-level pet).

[Locust]

enc/enc/enc

[baalzy]

Seems like they already have a mid 30's druid available, get it to 39 and don't create any of the new characters on that account. Then the husband&wife can juggle logging into the druid to get them anywhere they need to go.

Still, Druid/Wiz/Wiz could be fun quad-kiting.

[Archalen]

I practically solo'd my necro 1-60 and I never once had trouble getting a port.

/who druid 34 50(60)
/who wiz 35 50(60)
then just send a polite tell for the ones that don't appear to be in xp zones for their level.

throw some plat for their effort and you're golden and if you're like me you'll use the same few porters to build a "partnership."

These people should have no problems with plat as they already have a mid 30s druid who can advertise ports for plat.

Can't believe I have to tell people how to get ports...

It's all well and good sometimes, but sometimes depending on time of day/ zone it's not easy to get a porter to you, especially if you have no rezzer and bind near the zone you are in. Your advice assumes that everything will work out the way it has for you, so it's worthless for some situations/ personalities; my advice takes into account all of these factors and not all players are sociable and want to bother people for ports. The only decent argument against having a porter (said by someone else) is to level the druid they already have.

[Malone88]

I think it's commonly agreed that the best trio has an enchanter in it.

So, given this, if I'm an enchanter (and I am), what other two classes do I want in my group?

1) I want stuns and the best healing class when my hasted pet breaks.
2) I want easy access to a rez when I die.
3) I want the best HP buffs I can get.
4) I want a good puller who can FD if things go wrong.
5) I want a tank who can hold agro when I slow a mob or when mez breaks.
6) I want a snaring class to stop runners and easier kills (rooted mobs keep fighting).

Also, much easier to find a port than a rez, IMO.

So, my trio is:

Enchanter/Cleric/SK

[radditsu]

Ton of port alts out there

[Xelris]

I think it's commonly agreed that the best trio has an enchanter in it.

So, given this, if I'm an enchanter (and I am), what other two classes do I want in my group?

1) I want stuns and the best healing class when my hasted pet breaks.
2) I want easy access to a rez when I die.
3) I want the best HP buffs I can get.
4) I want a good puller who can FD if things go wrong.
5) I want a tank who can hold agro when I slow a mob or when mez breaks.
6) I want a snaring class to stop runners and easier kills (rooted mobs keep fighting).

Also, much easier to find a port than a rez, IMO.

So, my trio is:

Enchanter/Cleric/SK

I might get disagreed with here, but in my experience as a main enchanter on live, you might want to try ENC - CLR - RNG.

Ensnare makes charming stupidly efficient and safe, and opens up all kinds of areas for fear kiting, which essentially sets mob dps to zero for large lengths of time and costs tiny amount of mana to accomplish.

The ranger is quite durable before 50 and does very respectable damage, can tank, and can assist with CC. The weakness comes at 50+ when you'll have to recruit a true tank to do higher-end stuff, but the ranger is still useful because of the before-mentioned utility and dps.

You'll lack ports. Unfortunate but hardly insurmountable, and a cleric will be much more needed later on than a druid. Otherwise this group is extremely solid.

Edit: Also, everyone can start in (nearly) the same area --->
Enchanter - High elf / Gnome
Cleric - High elf / Gnome / Dwarf
Ranger - Wood elf

[Aaron]

I think it's commonly agreed that the best trio has an enchanter in it.

So, given this, if I'm an enchanter (and I am), what other two classes do I want in my group?

1) I want stuns and the best healing class when my hasted pet breaks.
2) I want easy access to a rez when I die.
3) I want the best HP buffs I can get.
4) I want a good puller who can FD if things go wrong.
5) I want a tank who can hold agro when I slow a mob or when mez breaks.
6) I want a snaring class to stop runners and easier kills (rooted mobs keep fighting).

Also, much easier to find a port than a rez, IMO.

So, my trio is:

Enchanter/Cleric/SK

This guy knows what Im talkin about

[Malone88]

Edit: Also, everyone can start in (nearly) the same area --->
Enchanter - High elf / Gnome
Cleric - High elf / Gnome / Dwarf
Ranger - Wood elf

Cleric/Enchanter/SK can all start in Neriak ;)

I love rangers also and they can do as much (or more, like adding SoW) than SK.
Just worry about their flimsiness as a tank post-50.

[baalzy]

I think it's commonly agreed that the best trio has an enchanter in it.

So, given this, if I'm an enchanter (and I am), what other two classes do I want in my group?

1) I want stuns and the best healing class when my hasted pet breaks.
2) I want easy access to a rez when I die.
3) I want the best HP buffs I can get.
4) I want a good puller who can FD if things go wrong.
5) I want a tank who can hold agro when I slow a mob or when mez breaks.
6) I want a snaring class to stop runners and easier kills (rooted mobs keep fighting).

Also, much easier to find a port than a rez, IMO.

So, my trio is:

Enchanter/Cleric/SK

Just be aware that if mez breaks an SK is going to have a hard time pulling it off you if you want to be able to re-mez it (their main agro generation spells are DoTs).

[Teppler]

Necro/Shaman/Chanter best trio imo.

[Aaron]

Just be aware that if mez breaks an SK is going to have a hard time pulling it off you if you want to be able to re-mez it (their main agro generation spells are DoTs).

Cleric stun helps with this.

[August]

I think it's commonly agreed that the best trio has an enchanter in it.

So, given this, if I'm an enchanter (and I am), what other two classes do I want in my group?

1) I want stuns and the best healing class when my hasted pet breaks.
2) I want easy access to a rez when I die.
3) I want the best HP buffs I can get.
4) I want a good puller who can FD if things go wrong.
5) I want a tank who can hold agro when I slow a mob or when mez breaks.
6) I want a snaring class to stop runners and easier kills (rooted mobs keep fighting).

Also, much easier to find a port than a rez, IMO.

So, my trio is:

Enchanter/Cleric/SK

Hrmm, this point has merits, but I am incredibly lazy and like to concentrate, as an enchanter, on dps and control myself. I hate slowing as it takes my mana.

I'd argue to replace the cleric with a shaman, and here's why:

1) Malo - good god malo. I'll trade 'better heals' for 'my charm lasts longer' any day of the week. It's mana intensive and dangerous to recharm. My chance of dying goes down as you bring down the number of charm breaks I have to deal with

2) I already stun, and I don't need a clerics stun. PBAE stuns are the shit. If my mob breaks i should be runed/bedlamed (or the younger version of bedlam, been too long) and ideally my stun will be off before it chews through it. If I can't handle a mob thru that stun , well... maybe i shouldn't play enc.

3) slows. shaman slows make mobs a joke, and they require me to have one less spell necessary on my hotbar to free it up.

4) runspeed - SoW is king. This is mitigated by jboots, but, do you have 21k for you and your friends?

5) passive regen - if i'm doing my job right, passive regen will top me off - shaman shouldn't need to heal me all that much.


As to the SK - I'd prefer a monk, but that's solely from a DPS point of view. I understand how versatile SK are.

All that to say, I think the real choice is enc/enc/enc.

[theaetatus]

Just be aware that if mez breaks an SK is going to have a hard time pulling it off you if you want to be able to re-mez it (their main agro generation spells are DoTs).

Only one of the two main aggro spells for SK is a dot... Shadow Vortex is excellent aggro.

[Clark]

Slot 1: Warrior
Slot 2: Cleric
Slot 3: Enchanter
Slot 4: Shaman
Slot 5: Monk
Slot 6: Rogue/Bard/Magician/Any

[Teppler]

Slot 1: Warrior
Slot 2: Cleric
Slot 3: Enchanter
Slot 4: Shaman
Slot 5: Monk
Slot 6: Rogue/Bard/Magician/Any

Where's the Necro love in this thread??????????

Fear kiting, mez, fastest mana regen, nukes, charms that dps as good as monks.

[Clark]

:D I have a 60 Necromancer! Don't use it often though anymore.

They mana feeds are nice, but you could argue a second cleric for slot 6, or another Enchanter with a hasted/dual wield pet to out dps the Rogue even.

[sox7d]

shadowknight, paladin, ranger. whambo.

[Teppler]

When I say mana regen I mean the necro's own lich. Necros can use that to nuke with deflux or massive undead nukes on top of high level pets that DPS along the lines of monks with the hp of warriors. Has to make Mages and Wizzies cry that Necro's make better nukers than them. Or for slower, multiple battles there's the best DOT's in the game next to Shaman who are already in your group.

Granted some of that stuff are higher level but necro remains high utility even from a lower level.

[Malone88]

Hrmm, this point has merits, but I am incredibly lazy and like to concentrate, as an enchanter, on dps and control myself. I hate slowing as it takes my mana.

I'd argue to replace the cleric with a shaman, and here's why:

1) Malo - good god malo. I'll trade 'better heals' for 'my charm lasts longer' any day of the week. It's mana intensive and dangerous to recharm. My chance of dying goes down as you bring down the number of charm breaks I have to deal with

2) I already stun, and I don't need a clerics stun. PBAE stuns are the shit. If my mob breaks i should be runed/bedlamed (or the younger version of bedlam, been too long) and ideally my stun will be off before it chews through it. If I can't handle a mob thru that stun , well... maybe i shouldn't play enc.

3) slows. shaman slows make mobs a joke, and they require me to have one less spell necessary on my hotbar to free it up.

4) runspeed - SoW is king. This is mitigated by jboots, but, do you have 21k for you and your friends?

5) passive regen - if i'm doing my job right, passive regen will top me off - shaman shouldn't need to heal me all that much.


As to the SK - I'd prefer a monk, but that's solely from a DPS point of view. I understand how versatile SK are.

All that to say, I think the real choice is enc/enc/enc.

IMO, easy access to rez outweighs all this. One death with your group and serious time wasted finding a rez.
Tash vs Tash+Malo on re-charm is a nominal difference.
Most pre-50 mobs don't need to be slowed with cleric and good tank.
Can get SoW from "easy to find" druid who ports us ;)

Monk vs SK...So much time and mana wasted on rooting everything with monk tank.

Enc/Enc/Enc -- One of those players not up to snuff and group wipes consistently.
No margin for error without heals and same problem with rez.

SK Shadow Vortex ftw ;)

[Mandalore93]

Bard is a solid switch from sk. With a charmed mob dps won't be an issue and the shaman should be able to melee. Bard utility is just so great. mana will never be an issue and crowd control more than will probably be necessary unless you have a whole zone pulled on you.

[contemptor]

I practically solo'd my necro 1-60 and I never once had trouble getting a port.

/who druid 34 50(60)
/who wiz 35 50(60)
then just send a polite tell for the ones that don't appear to be in xp zones for their level.

throw some plat for their effort and you're golden and if you're like me you'll use the same few porters to build a "partnership."

These people should have no problems with plat as they already have a mid 30s druid who can advertise ports for plat.

Can't believe I have to tell people how to get ports...
If you want the absolute most efficient "trio", for killing a particular mob, druid may be a poor choice. If you want a group in a particular spot in a particular zone that never stops killing, wizard may be a poor choice. But if you want a trio that is streamlined, keeps moving, and can start up as soon as you log on, it can be nice. Honestly, you are a bit ignorant for thinking otherwise. The OP sounds like they would lean more towards my initial statement, given their aspirations. Not to mention the time you save a bit later down the road being able to track and/or port/evac out of a sticky situation, rather than dying or capping and running back.

And before you mention it, yes, being a druid (at a higher than average skill level), that did 1-3 man groups 99% of the time from 1 to 60, I am biased. But I would probably put my duo XP I did on my way to 60 in the top 5-10% of people leveling at that time. I've definitely killed some challenging mobs as well in duo and occasional trios. Maybe not as efficient as clicking torpor repeatedly with a tank, but if you don't suck it's pretty doable.

Your advice is to solely play a port class in the off chances that you may not be able to find a port when you want to get to a dungeon quickly or at an odd hour. In that case, I don't know why everyone doesn't just play a port class.

None of what you said makes any sense to me, it's absolutely ridiculous to me to base your group make-up around being able to port at odd hours or instantly.
You are misunderstanding. Archalen was not suggesting that porting at odd hours or instantly is the only reason to have a porting class in your party, just as a major benefit. He is simply pressing the manner because people are arguing against it for ignorant reasons or just not understanding. Having a high efficiency group with little time wasted is very beneficial. Honestly, when I started playing there was more of a benefit to having a porter due to the lesser and lower level server population. Though it absolutely still has it's benefits.

[Archalen]

Your advice is to solely play a port class in the off chances that you may not be able to find a port when you want to get to a dungeon quickly or at an odd hour. In that case, I don't know why everyone doesn't just play a port class.

None of what you said makes any sense to me, it's absolutely ridiculous to me to base your group make-up around being able to port at odd hours or instantly.

If nobody wants to play a port class then it's settled. And judging by the comments I would say they are leaning towards not bothering with one. But if one of three people is willing to play one, then I am saying to take advantage of that.

I know how life is with a porter by your side- it's a different playing experience. You have quicker access to even hard to reach zones; you don't have to sit around waiting for a port, or a porter to run to you. This can open up possibilities that you wouldn't bother to explore without an easy port at hand. As someone mentioned, you might lean towards playing the same zones over and over; if you want variety, this could create a stale experience. I could go on and on.

And about your advice on "building a partnership." It's easier to cultivate and maintain these kind of relationship when you play a lot and see the same people online over and over again. For a group of players who are casual it's more difficult to maintain relationships.

[Archalen]

Lol, hi Contemptor.

[Xelris]

Everything else aside you should totally try Mag - Mag - Mag. I've always wanted to.

And there was at least one server that brought down AoW with nothing but level 60 mages shitting out pets.

[contemptor]

Everything else aside you should totally try Mag - Mag - Mag. I've always wanted to.

And there was at least one server that brought down AoW with nothing but level 60 mages shitting out pets.
Mages change significantly in terms of their small-group usefulness once they get the epic pet. Unfortunately that is not very common on this server.

[Zubek]

Hrmm, this point has merits, but I am incredibly lazy and like to concentrate, as an enchanter, on dps and control myself. I hate slowing as it takes my mana.

I'd argue to replace the cleric with a shaman, and here's why:

1) Malo - good god malo. I'll trade 'better heals' for 'my charm lasts longer' any day of the week. It's mana intensive and dangerous to recharm. My chance of dying goes down as you bring down the number of charm breaks I have to deal with

2) I already stun, and I don't need a clerics stun. PBAE stuns are the shit. If my mob breaks i should be runed/bedlamed (or the younger version of bedlam, been too long) and ideally my stun will be off before it chews through it. If I can't handle a mob thru that stun , well... maybe i shouldn't play enc.

3) slows. shaman slows make mobs a joke, and they require me to have one less spell necessary on my hotbar to free it up.

4) runspeed - SoW is king. This is mitigated by jboots, but, do you have 21k for you and your friends?

5) passive regen - if i'm doing my job right, passive regen will top me off - shaman shouldn't need to heal me all that much.


As to the SK - I'd prefer a monk, but that's solely from a DPS point of view. I understand how versatile SK are.

All that to say, I think the real choice is enc/enc/enc.

All very good points, if you replace the SK with a Pally you'll get the missing cleric buffs(albeit lower level) and eventually a rez. Plus Pally snap agro is king.

[Aaron]

If Paladins had any sort of snare, I would agree with you. But snare is just so important.

[Zubek]

If Paladins had any sort of snare, I would agree with you. But snare is just so important.

Root?
Pally is my main and I root all the time.

[Aaron]

I've played Paladin and Ranger. Having to root a mob and tank the last 20% of his health vs hitting him in the back for the last 20% makes a noticeable difference.

[August]

IMO, easy access to rez outweighs all this. One death with your group and serious time wasted finding a rez.
Tash vs Tash+Malo on re-charm is a nominal difference.
Most pre-50 mobs don't need to be slowed with cleric and good tank.
Can get SoW from "easy to find" druid who ports us ;)

Monk vs SK...So much time and mana wasted on rooting everything with monk tank.

Enc/Enc/Enc -- One of those players not up to snuff and group wipes consistently.
No margin for error without heals and same problem with rez.

SK Shadow Vortex ftw ;)

I wouldn't call tash vs tash+malo 'nominal' in the slightest. It totally depends on what level of mob you're charming versus your level, charisma, etc. I haven't 'leveled' an enchanter in about a year, and I can tell you that at 60, I prefer malo over almost any other buff that anyone can give me. My charms go from 'sometimes breaking right away' to 'lasts full duration almost every time'.

SoW only lasting 30 min from your port - i find run speed to be one of the highest indicators of survivability.

And i don't plan 'to fail' - concerning rez. If I played my whole life like that I wouldn't be where I am, so, different strokes for different folks.

To be honest I don't see the point of the 3rd char. Shm/Enc is enough for me. That's why i don't really care what 3rd slot is. But this guy wanted a trio, and what the group really needs is a puller, which I consider monk to be better at.

[Aaron]

And i don't plan 'to fail' - concerning rez. If I played my whole life like that I wouldn't be where I am, so, different strokes for different folks.

Where are you?

[pasi]

If the characters are 60/geared and we are specifically talking Kunark, War/Cler/Enc gives you the most room to operate.

There are better combinations for specific mobs/camps - sure, but nothing that is universally as good.

The only weakness is pulling - which isn't a huge deal in Kunark due to dungeon levels - almost everything can be reliably mezzed or pacified. Most of Kunark was designed around players leveling to 60 - not actually being 60.

[Malone88]

I wouldn't call tash vs tash+malo 'nominal' in the slightest. It totally depends on what level of mob you're charming versus your level, charisma, etc. I haven't 'leveled' an enchanter in about a year, and I can tell you that at 60, I prefer malo over almost any other buff that anyone can give me. My charms go from 'sometimes breaking right away' to 'lasts full duration almost every time'.

SoW only lasting 30 min from your port - i find run speed to be one of the highest indicators of survivability.

And i don't plan 'to fail' - concerning rez. If I played my whole life like that I wouldn't be where I am, so, different strokes for different folks.

To be honest I don't see the point of the 3rd char. Shm/Enc is enough for me. That's why i don't really care what 3rd slot is. But this guy wanted a trio, and what the group really needs is a puller, which I consider monk to be better at.

Well, I Do play an enchanter and level difference is BY FAR the most important part of charming. I'd rather have a solid plan in place for charm breaks than worry about getting max duration every time.

Don't think many dungeons are more than 30 mins from druid ring. Also, SoW pots are easy to get an affordable for travel needs if you can't get that SoW.

Failing is part of the game. Sorry I am not the perfect player like you. Being able to recover quickly from mistakes is an important part of making the experience more enjoyable for me.

Having a dedicated tank/puller is essential, especially holding aggro for mobs that summon.

[Malone88]

Where are you?
+1

[jijii]

Don't think I've seen this yet, but if you're not wanting to charm, then shaman/monk/rogue would be a lot of killing potential. All three casually obtainable epics which can be fun, too. Starting proximity doesn't have to be too bad either... Barbarian shaman and rogue and a human monk starting in qeynos = quick meetup in blackburrow. For a trio I honestly think leaving out a shaman is a bad move.

Now all that said, enchanters are really amazing so if you're comfortable with that I'd probably go... Shaman/enchanter/necro. Lot of dps, cc, utility. Necros bring a lot more to the table than ppl realize on the healing/cc/utility side.

I'm in the camp of don't add a Druid or wizard just for ports. You'll for sure be kicking yourself when your squad is capable of killing way less stuff and, if casual, you have two impossible epics. It's just not worth it. Give some guy 20pp for a port :)

[CoffeeBreath]

I didn't expect this many responses and suggestions. There is a lot of wisdom in these 10 pages. Anyway, -update- we've gone with Pally Cleric Enchanter and haven't really had a chance to test our group dynamic thoroughly as we are only level 6, but I see a ton of potential here. Ended up taking paladin over warrior on the advice of many many people, something about flash aggro with spells and flaming swords. Sounded legit.

[Tecmos Deception]

I didn't expect this many responses and suggestions. There is a lot of wisdom in these 10 pages. Anyway, -update- we've gone with Pally Cleric Enchanter and haven't really had a chance to test our group dynamic thoroughly as we are only level 6, but I see a ton of potential here. Ended up taking paladin over warrior on the advice of many many people, something about flash aggro with spells and flaming swords. Sounded legit.

That group will work just fine, all the way 1-60. You'll be able to trio almost anything that can conceivably be triod, you'll have potential to build to a bigger group whenever you feel like it, etc. Your DPS will be lacking if the enchanter isn't charming, however. But with 2 healers (and stunners/rooters) and extra HP from cleric buffs to keep the chanter alive when his pet turns on him, it's all good!

There's a shitload of CC ability in that group, lol. All 3 can stun, all 3 can root, all 3 can lull... haha :)

[Malone88]

I didn't expect this many responses and suggestions. There is a lot of wisdom in these 10 pages. Anyway, -update- we've gone with Pally Cleric Enchanter and haven't really had a chance to test our group dynamic thoroughly as we are only level 6, but I see a ton of potential here. Ended up taking paladin over warrior on the advice of many many people, something about flash aggro with spells and flaming swords. Sounded legit.

Excellent choice, indeed. I think you'll be happy with it!
Only "missing" element is a snarer, so you'll have to be judicious with
your roots and stuns...

Good luck!

[Lisset]

SK would probably be better than a pally though because eventually they do get the snare dot.

[baalzy]

I hope your cleric went DE! Then you could have snares covered.