Melee Class Help

[Millertime1485]

Hello all,



I'm trying to get into this game and I'm really looking for a melee to play. I've read everything saying melee is far more gear dependent but sitting and waiting for mana is a real bore. I have a 15 rogue but I'm starting to consider another melee class that could provide some of the rogue fun and a little more solo. Is a Ranger a viable option (not being top tier for anything obviously) or should I just stick it out with the rogue and wait for groups.

Ultimately I'm just looking for a class that doesn't focus on mana as much, can do some decent dps in a group but also go it alone if need be.

[Tyrgrim]

Yes, your option is pretty mutch Iksar monk. Melee will be a pain either way if your new. But at least with monk you have a chance to escape death.

Well thats my opinion.

[Legidias]

Monk is easily the best melee to solo with (especially without gear).

Iksar monk has much more regen and you can fight quicker (but with some xp penalty).

If you manage to just get 2 wu's sticks or a wu's staff (about 50-100p each) you're honestly set for a long time.

[Millertime1485]

thanks for the quick replies guess it's time to take a hard look at monks

[Bardp1999]

Feign Death is a real god send. Monk and Shadow Knight are my 2 favorite melee classes by a large margin

[sounion]

roll human monk. their night vision alone is worth the price of slower regen.

[Tethler]

roll human monk. their night vision alone is worth the price of slower regen.

lol

[Pyrion]

If you don't want to play casters because of medding time, there is another option:

Bard.

Easily the fastest soloer in game, but you need to be aware that the playing style is really really active. Also it's a complicated class, unlike monk. But a bard can solo a lot more stuff than a monk can and bards are not very gear dependant.

[kjs86z]

Monk really is your only answer if you have limited platinum, need to solo, and don't want a mana bar.

EQ is supposed to be a social game. Your rogue will be more effective in groups on a budget. Epic is 30k save all your shekels for this one purchase and you're superbly effective in groups. /assist the tank and mindlessly backstab your way to 60 while you acquire more shekels for your first alt.

[aaezil]

Why would you pay for one of the easiest epics in the game lol? Just do the quest.

[DinoTriz2]

Monk, and to a lesser degree, Shadowknight can sort of solo.

Iksar HP regen will really help the experience, but it's still going to suck.

Hell, soloing sucks with casters too. My Necro spent so much time in Kelethin that I actually know where I'm going in that city now.

[lctucker2999]

Shadow Knights can solo fairly well and safely with FD, fear kiting, and a pet that might be able to buy you an extra second or 2 if you need to create some extra space to get a FD off. But their melee damage output is pretty abysmal and you'll most likely lose straight up face tanking assuming you have average gear for your level. You would need to stack a bunch of dots and/or fear kite in order to win, and then you're back to the original issue of having to med to refill your mana bar. But they're still fun, relatively safe and capable of grouping or soloing.

[mgb64029]

Troll shadowknight > Iksar shadowknight

[Legidias]

Human shadowknight >>>> others because they have to choose to be evil whereas the other races inherently are

[mgb64029]

You could say the same about gnomes and Erudites, Troll just better than all other races. Troll is the master race.

[bigjeff100]

Erudite <<< Proper armor on them is damn beautiful

[Legidias]

SK erudites are inhereently evil as they grew up in an evil city. Gnomes are evil cyborgs. Hence, Humans still reign supreme.

[elwing]

Sk solo pretty well, with low downtime... But being fairly low dps it's still long despite low downtimes... I actually soloed most of my 50-60 experience...

[SewingMachine]

Hello all,



I'm trying to get into this game and I'm really looking for a melee to play. I've read everything saying melee is far more gear dependent but sitting and waiting for mana is a real bore. I have a 15 rogue but I'm starting to consider another melee class that could provide some of the rogue fun and a little more solo. Is a Ranger a viable option (not being top tier for anything obviously) or should I just stick it out with the rogue and wait for groups.

Ultimately I'm just looking for a class that doesn't focus on mana as much, can do some decent dps in a group but also go it alone if need be.

Really when thinking about a melee I would break it down to a couple of things.
A. Do you want to cast Spells ?
B. Do you want to Tank or DPS?

I would ask your self these questions then pick accordingly what do you want out of the game and what do you find fun. For me I have to play a class that has magic I find rogues/monk/war leveling very boring. I like looking forward to spells as well as the utility they bring.

I feel alot of people focus on end game but i feel like alot of your experience with your character will be leveling it up. So make sure thats fun for you. You like leveling up your rogue ? you like doing dps ? You like sneaking around ? If yes I would just keep playing him the gear will come.

[mgb64029]

Trolls can't be rogues, so that is not an acceptable option.

[Lune]

If the one-dimensionality and lack of solo ability of a rogue bothers you, roll a monk. It is the most powerful all-around melee class and has relatively good solo capability even at low-end gear levels. Only play a ranger or SK if you find the notion of being an overpowered dime-a-dozen steamroller dull and uninspiring. Rangers can be outrageously fun to twink but you will quit it around 45-50 unless you feel the calling. SK's can be a little slow-paced and again most people quit them around 50 when they notice the monk next to them mitigates damage almost as well as they do yet puts out 3x the DPS, and that most groups can get by just fine with a monk instead of you.

[elwing]

You are wrong on the mitigation... But not on the 1/3dps sadly...

[Lune]

You are wrong on the mitigation... But not on the 1/3dps sadly...

No I'm not. The small difference between knight and monk damage-taking abilities is not very meaningful in non-raid content. Monks are quite sturdy.

[jolanar]

Really when thinking about a melee I would break it down to a couple of things.
A. Do you want to cast Spells ?
B. Do you want to Tank or DPS?



I would add: C: Do you like pulling?

If you don't like pulling... do NOT play a monk.

[wagorf]

rogue or monk pretty much...

Monk cons.
-Group expect you to pull or know how to pull.
-Epic more expensive (if MQ) and harder to attain than rogue's.

Rogue cons
-Doesn't solo as good as monk, at 40+ or 50+ you ALMOST always need a group for steady xp

[r0xx0r]

bard by far is the best imho*, can go almost all the way to 60 with just instruments food/water and the songs along the way.

[mgb64029]

Why would you want to solo your way to 60 in an MMO?

[DMN]

Why would you want to solo your way to 60 in an MMO?


You don't always have a good group on lock, junior.

[fzzzt]

I suggest you give SK a try, they're not the top at anything, but they are super versatile.

[Millertime1485]

Just an update! I've decided to stick to the rogue for now just to get a feel for the game. I played around with the Monk and grouped with a few and their knowledge of zones/spawns and pulling is probably above my head at this point. That being said they were fun though.

I've been pretty fortunate so far finding groups no problem but there is some off times where it's pretty rough.

[mgb64029]

You don't always have a good group on lock, junior.

Maybe if you picked a class that was in more demand for a group you would not have any trouble finding one, boy.

[DMN]

Maybe if you picked a class that was in more demand for a group you would not have any trouble finding one, boy.

Let us talk again when you get a non-iksar character beyond level 20.

[Snaggles]

Pure melees are gear dependant (it’s all they have)
Hybrids are less so (ie spells = tricks)

You should play a bard.

[Legidias]

Rangers / SK / Pally is more gear dependent than a monk.

[Foxplay]

Why would you want to solo your way to 60 in an MMO?

A self imposed challenge can be fun and satisfying

[aeWinD]

Feign Death is a real god send. Monk and Shadow Knight are my 2 favorite melee classes by a large margin

I am about to launch the game for the first time in... 15 years? but I remember my level 60 paladin doing a good job soloing into the high teens / low 20's going into Oasis of Marr... I believe it was Lay Hands?? I hope I have that ability name correct.