New, Looking for advice

[Fergalstack]

Hi all,

Myself and a group of friends are going to be starting on p99 and playing together. A couple of us (me included) are familiar with Everquest while a couple are coming in for the first time from WoW, SWTOR ect... We're talking about getting our group comp down and healer/support is falling to me.

My question regards Druids. Can they effectively fill the role of Healer/Support throughout the game? I enjoy versatility in Everquest so Cleric isn't really speaking to me. I'd play a Shaman but we're starting on Faydwer. While digging into this I'm seeing a significant amount on hate thrown in the Druid's direction, especially in regards to grouping.

Can it be done?

Thank you in advance.

[Audeamus]

Clerics are the best for healing. Because you are going into this with others, I'd especially recommend having a cleric because, in relishing each level, you'll want to have a class that gets the best heals earliest, and had the best mana to heal ratio. Sadly, you are right about it not being as versatile as other classes. A group will tend to want the healer to be focused on healing. It doesn't have to be that way for a Cleric though. You can be a battle cleric and solo if you want to take that direction, but because groups want healers, you will not hear as much about this track. Versatility is possible, but in 1999, you'll have to decide on an approach and make choices that have consequences.

I am new myself, so you might want to take what I say with a heavy grain of salt. My main "group" sort of Cleric is 17. My "battle" Cleric is 12. I have a Paladin that is 12 too. I imagine that some would predict that my "battle" Cleric will become uninteresting at some point, but I'm enjoying them all for now.

All this said, I think you'll want a Druid for ports and healing regardless of getting a Cleric. I think that if you don't get a Cleric, you might want one or two Paladins to work with the Druid for back up / emergency heals.

A lot depends on the dynamics of what your group want.

[Danth]

At high levels, Clerics are the only true main healing class in this game. Druids are the third best healer class. Up to level 39 Druids aren't too much worse off than Clerics are, and until level 60 Shamans only have a marginal edge due to faster mana recovery rates. Druids can get the job done if they have to, for the most part, but past the low 40's they start to struggle to keep up. This means Druids need more support from their group than a Cleric would. If you can be sure of having outside mana regeneration available as well as a quick and aggressive slower that would help a great deal. Druids also tend to like having someone else around who can take some of the healing load off--a Necromancer, a Paladin, even a Bard.

Long story short, you can make the Druid work provided the group's willing to operate within its limitations. The class isn't an optimal healer, but it's not without its own advantages. Spirit of Wolf, teleports for self and group, and the general utility of the class is indeed quite nice. It solo's vastly better than a Cleric--handy for those days when your group isn't online. There's good reason the Druid's the most popular class on P1999. It's important that you enjoy the class you pick, so if you like the Druid then play it--even if it means a loss of some healing power. A Druid who plays is a much better healer than a Cleric who never logs on because he dislikes his character.

Danth

[EdTuBrutus]

How many of you are there and what are your goals?

At 60 a Shaman is healer and Control. Before 60, a Shaman is Control which, if talented is also enough to cover healing indirectly. The only healer in Everquest is a Cleric. A druid cannot heal in groups, in general, if you want to achieve anything.

If you only have a Druid as Healer, then you will find it very, very difficult unless the rest of your group is Iksar Monks and any race Necros. Druids can't really provide Control either, in most situations. If you're starting on Faydwer, it sounds like you will be pretty limited, if you are not using any Control class found there (i.e. Bards, Enchanters or Necros).

You really need to provide more info, Druids don't work cos their healing just isn't proper healing once you get to 50. Basically there are 4 thinks you need in EQ - the ability to absorb damage, the ability to deal damage, the ability to heal and Control. Druids do none of these at higher levels.

[Yttrium]

Don't get too hung up on starter zones unless you only plan on playing the first 10-15 levels. The last thing you want to do is level a class to 40 and think "Gee I hate this guy, but I saved a couple hours travel time making him instead of what I really wanted." There is advantage to playing on the same "team" (good, evil, iksar) but you can get around that as well.

Barbarian shaman will do fine in Fay if you can find a charity port at level 1. Pool money at levels 5 and 9 to port back for spells. Alternatively get your friends to head to Qeynos area. Some great newbie quests there and you should have all the class trainers / merchants you need nearby.

[Raev]

Originally Posted by Fergalstack [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

My question regards Druids. Can they effectively fill the role of Healer/Support throughout the game?

Not easily. Imagine you have a typical 1 minute fight vs a Krup Knight who can put out 60 dps.

• Cleric: 400 mana (Complete heal on a 4500 HP warrior/knight)
• Shaman: 625 mana (Turgur's Insects + 1.5x Superior Healing + Regrowth)
• Druid: 1500 mana (6x Superior Healing + Regrowth of the Grove)

Considering the extra mana that the Shaman gets from the regen/canni cycle, they are pretty comparable to clerics, while Druids are a huge 4x less efficient. So generally a Druid will need to be in a favorable situation in order to main heal a group: you'll need a Bard or Enchanter for mana regen, an Enchanter or Shaman for slow, a beefy Velious geared tank, etc.

It gets a bit better at 60 with POTG, Mask of the Hunter, clicky regen BPs, and perhaps a Robe of the Spring but Druids weren't really fixed until Luclin, when they get Tunare's Renewal, a slightly weaker form of Complete Heal and lots of AAs and focus items.

Originally Posted by Fergalstack [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I enjoy versatility in Everquest so Cleric isn't really speaking to me.

The cleric spellbook is actually quite versatile: stun, lull, root, memory blur, etc. However, most people just heal and buff which is why the good clerics stand out so much.

[Pyrion]

We would need to know the other classes in your group to determine if druid is viable. Without a doubt druid is the weakest at keeping a group alive from all the priests. You wont see that problem in the early levels, but starting in the 30ties the difference gets wider and wider. If you have other nice support classes (especially bard, necro and chanter) you can make things work with a druid for a long time, but i would recommend playing the cleric in order to be save. You should still have a slower, probably an enchanter. Enchanter is very usefull for a lot of reasons so your group definately should have one.

[Animated0]

Clerics are also a lot more versatile than the average non-cleric might realize. Often times in groups I find myself as the main healer, the CC (through roots, pacify) and sometimes even the puller (if mana is right). Most of the time my nightly groups runs without an enchanter and relies on me to keep mobs split and rooted. This is a role that I play often (especially when I have a slower in the group).

[Sorn]

I've done both druid and cleric, but not shaman. Discussing druids healing in groups at higher levels:

Druids will keep up with clerics and shaman until 34 or 39, when clerics get superior healing + Complete Heal. We start falling behind but make up for it in versatility/utility as we have STR buffs, DS, regen, ports, evacs, etc. Clerics are also quite versatile, but on this server people view them as CH and rez bots, which is unfortunate. Druids are viewed as port bots, which is equally unfortunate.

Druids change a bit as healers once we get Regrowth and Chloroblast (our fast heal). We are good patch healers at this point. If you're with an enchanter, you get to heal them during charm breaks until the cleric's heals hit them. I've saved a couple of lives with Chloroblast [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Druids as main healers at higher levels DO NOT do well without mana regen. I've been grouping with friends from level 58-60, usually without a cleric. I'm commonly accompanied by a necro or two, sometimes an enchanter. Before 60, I required twitches from the necros after lots of pulls or many adds, on top of them mezzing, especially if the MT was a monk or something similar. If I had C2 I did not require twitches often, or only after refreshing regrowth of the grove, and I was able to charm the dogs in Chardok for extra DPS. If we wiped due to trains, we had to find a cleric to rez, or use an EE with necro rez. Outside of trains, I kept my group alive (save for the pullers, who kept going off into the distance and would get ice cometed to death - come on!) and generally >70% hp.

At 60, I have my own mana regen (+9 a tic) and don't need twitches at all. I have a big heal (Nature's Touch) as well as my fast heal (good for saving the enchanter after charm breaks), and I was able to keep a charm pet for extra DPS. I occasionally healed the shaman as well. With C2 and bard song, it's crazy. I can nuke, charm, and main heal at the same time. I also have succor, of course. Although the last time I cast that, the spell actually left me behind to die... :|

Clerics diverge from druids at higher levels. They cast less since their heals have more power, and in high level groups they cover healing and occasionally CC (druids do healing and DPS). They've also got a nice stun for casters, which I don't often see utilized for some reason...?? (I'm not sure why, I need to get my cleric to high levels to see what's going on.) And of course clerics get rez, which is great for post train recovery if you can get the bodies.

By the way, here are a few examples to show you what druids can do or not do with heals or in groups:
I've duoed Vessel Drozlin with an enchanter (healing the charm pet, I was in my high 50s)
Same enc, we required a cleric to trio the tangrin (the charm pet had 30k hp, I couldn't keep up)
Required a cleric to heal the monk tank when doing Ulump for the druid epic
Duoed corrupted brownie with a monk and did great
Duoed corrupted gorilla with a 45 monk (fear kiting!)
In CoM, I main healed, DPSed, helped pull with harmony
In Chardok I charmed a dog, main healed, succored in bad situations, and DPSed

Ignore the grouping druid hate on p99. It's nonsense. You can main heal as a druid for normal group/duo/trio sessions all the way to 60. Since you have a group of friends, you won't have to sit LFG for hours on end while people try to tell you to join DaP or go to bear pits. Learn efficient healing methods, learn to charm, learn to buff, learn to DPS, have a good mana pool, and you will be a good grouping druid.

[Raev]

Originally Posted by Sorn [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Ignore the grouping druid hate on p99. It's nonsense. You can main heal as a druid for normal group/duo/trio sessions all the way to 60.

I don't think your post is inconsistent with the rest of the thread, just more optimistic. Of course a Druid can main heal a high AC tank vs a bunch of barely dark blue sarnaks with a Bard and Enchanter providing huge mana regen and slow. With that kind of support a Ranger could do the same. But tougher scenarios give Druids trouble. For example, I can duo the Sebilite Protector and Tolapumj SHM/MNK and Xenevorash WAR/CLR. Druids would get smoked in either case. Most cases will be somewhere in between.

Don't get me wrong, I think Druids are a solid class. A HOT raid without a Druid will sorely miss group regrowth clickies, FR/CR circles (stacks with the White flower!), ATK/FR debuffs, and POTG. Druids can absolutely tear up key zones like POM and Kael with charm. Damage shields are hugely underestimated. Ports are convenient. Snare allows all sorts of pulling shenanigans and is really critical vs gating/ching caster NPCs that you can't root. I just think they play more of a support role than a healing role.

P.S. Never heal the enchanter on charm breaks. 400HP of Chloroblast will barely slow down a charmed pet quadding for 150+ and it won't prevent spell interrupts. A good cleric uses Stun, and a good Druid uses Snare to kite around a bit. If you have a good enchanter, all they need is a few seconds of not getting beat on to get off a Color Skew.