Are Druids Useless for Groups and Raids?

[Atmas]

To the OP: Play what you want to play. What is the point of going through 60 levels on a class you don't enjoy?

Druids can solo well and people in game aren't as picky about group members as it sounds based on the forums. Not that people aren't selective when there is one spot and 3 people lfg but really you don't need to worry about it so much.

When it gets to raid time people need DPS and patch heals. Lastly the game, not the players, decides what loot drops.

[Handull]

Some good points were made.

Play what you want, but here is what I like about a high end druid (56 currently)

-Once you hit 46 and get a lumi staff you can solo to 49 super fast. From 49 to 60 you can solo quickly without much gear at all.
-you can port around all you want, without having to find a porter
-camping most gear is pretty easy
-While you aren't the 'best' for a min/max super group, you can duo/trio really well with other classes (duo'ed with a war in the basement of KC the other day, trio'ed with a monk+tank in HS, etc)

You can do a lot on raids:
-No shaman? you can cover melee str buffs
-Do some back up healing once in a while to help out
-Necro wants to litch more? hit him with skin+regen
-Clerics need to save mana? you can give melees, offtanks, and chanters hp/ac/regen buff all in one
-Things get out of hand? throw down some quick roots for CC and snares to start kiting and grab agro fast
-Want to pull? Go for it! With harmo and sow/wolf you can fairly easily pull hate and fear (but expect to die before you wipe your raid)
-hate/fear/sky are also outdoor zones, so you get to use all your spells, including the mana regen ones that you can't use in high level dungeons like seb
-Want to dps like a champ? charm a rat or ape (hate/fear) and you can easily become the exp group
-need to deal with real life for a sec? nuke away until oom and the raid can go on and no one will really miss you too much

I've been doing all of these things and its super fun, imo

if you try it out and don't find it fun, then try something else. i rolled a monk alt cause i really enjoy pulling, though in some situations knowing what and how to pull is more important than what class you play. have fun.

[Hamahakki]

Druids are far from useless but in general they aren't one of the better classes for exp grouping.

Druids are a versatile class with lots of strengths, the main ones are:

- Druids are early bloomers; they are quite strong below about level 35. Thorns especially are very powerful at lower levels. From 35-60, shamans, clerics and melee classes improve a lot more than druids do.
- Druids are so versatile there is always SOMETHING you can do. You aren't the best at healing, dps, or CC but you can do it. Any group can put a druid to good use, unlike say an enchanter which is not very useful in a group that already has an enchanter.
- Porting is a legitimately strong exp group ability. Putting together your own group is easier for a druid than most other classes because you can pick people up. Some classes might do more damage in the 6th group spot than a druid, but that doesn't matter if the group never gets off the ground. Evac is a useful ability too. Some dungeons require ports (hole, HS).
- In areas where charming is possible, your DPS can be extremely high.

- You can always solo, druids are great at it.

[Snaggles]

Groups are traditional and unorthodox. Some odd combos are done to spice up the game or out of necessity. If people aren't dying an exp/loot is flowing the druids role isn't important. You will get plenty of them because healers are less plentiful than dps (and Nature's Touch is badass in Velious).

Raids are different. You have a couple roles as does everyone else. You wont deviate from the leaders plan. No raid will be without a shaman or a cleric will be saving mana, lol. People will get prime buffs from all and many guilds will symbol everyone on final encounters. A druid will be healing/buffing and the only nukes that will get thrown will be occasional debuffs. Anything else (even charming) is a distraction and waste of mana.

Your heals benefit the raid more than your damage because dps and usually offtanks won't be getting cleric heals. On anything but blue cons you will never keep up with melees in dps (even Rangers) let alone the rogues and monks. Wizards dps because they are designed to.

Your experience/guild may vary but this seems the general standard for any raid that isn't trivial. Your role isn't less important because your babysitting rogues...they can't always stay alive by themselves.

[usedtobejubaloftorv]

While I'm finding that my druid isn't considered very desirable for groups, once I get in the group tends to appreciate the broad range of value-add a druid can bring to most groups. In the long run I expect my main competition for groups will be wizards, in the evacer/snarer/nuker role, rather than competing with cleric and shaman.

Also in outdoors zones, outdoor dungeon zones in particular, you simply can't beat a druid puller - harmony trivializes pulling in those situations, not even a well-skilled monk has it so easy, and track helps immensely with timing pulls as well.

[pickled_heretic]

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

This statement seems contradictory. It starts by assuming that a tank, healer, and enchanter/bard are always available, but then the last three spots are based on who is LFG. In the real world, enchanter/bards, clerics, and not even tanks are always readily available. That's where the druid shines. In most circumstances, they can effectively take the role of healer, CCer, or DPSer. And when all else fails, they can aggro kite.

They may not always be desired in a group but are often welcomed in the absence of alternatives.

if a group doesn't have a cleric 50+, a bard or enchanter 50+, or a tank 50+, the group will rarely form in the first place. that's why they call it the holy trinity, and the holy trinity covers every base that the druid dabbles in. a druid does NOT replace a cleric in the absence of a cleric, nobody does.

druids have some use in raids but honestly everyone and their mom has a 50+ druid alt so you will be competing for drops with a lot of people. there are more HALFLING druids than there are people playing any other single class regardless of race.

[Tamiah2011]

they good for buffs, that about all intill they get superior heals

[pickled_heretic]

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

Anything else (even charming) is a distraction and waste of mana.

this is nonsense btw. charming is the best dps in the game if you can get it organized at a raid level. and is a great way for druids to contribute to a raid.

[Snaggles]

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

While I'm finding that my druid isn't considered very desirable for groups, once I get in the group tends to appreciate the broad range of value-add a druid can bring to most groups. In the long run I expect my main competition for groups will be wizards, in the evacer/snarer/nuker role, rather than competing with cleric and shaman.

Also in outdoors zones, outdoor dungeon zones in particular, you simply can't beat a druid puller - harmony trivializes pulling in those situations, not even a well-skilled monk has it so easy, and track helps immensely with timing pulls as well.

Keep the faith. Few classes can bind somewhere, port and solo, then gate back to see if a group has opened up. Hell, most others can't even solo efficiently.

As for outdoor pulling harmony is amazing but the ranger can do everything you can. Luckily they are loathed for the dreaded exp penalty.

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

this is nonsense btw. charming is the best dps in the game if you can get it organized at a raid level. and is a great way for druids to contribute to a raid.

Yea I know. Also, raid locations are overflowing with accessible animals to charm for final encounters, huh? Maybe some guilds strategize their Inny kill around a tethered Rev Rat but most dont. It better kamikaze itself too because when the hasted buffed rat gibs the Druid in seconds during the last fight those rogues better start bandaging.

I stand corrected with an implausible rather than an impossible.

[pickled_heretic]

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

Yea I know. Also, raid locations are overflowing with accessible animals to charm for final encounters, huh? Maybe some guilds strategize their Inny kill around a tethered Rev Rat but most dont. It better kamikaze itself too because when the hasted buffed rat gibs the Druid in seconds during the last fight those rogues better start bandaging.

I stand corrected with an implausible rather than an impossible.

confirmed for never raiding in velious.