Best group tank?

[DeathsSilkyMist]

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

Yea they are great not only for the mana saving but also having a FD that can be chain casted until Death Peace at least as the regular FD spell has a horrible recast time.

That's right. Especially at levels 45-59, not having to wait for normal FD to pop back up is a godsend. And BE greaves are still useable if you are OOM for whatever reason.

[Ennewi]

Paladins do have fear undead. Between that and druid snare + animal fear, more than enough fear kiting options for that duo. Just have to know where to look.

Granted, regular fear is more ideal and SKs also get polished obsidian great axe but still, the option is there for both.

[Crede]

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

Paladins do have fear undead. Between that and druid snare + animal fear, more than enough fear kiting options for that duo. Just have to know where to look.

Granted, regular fear is more ideal and SKs also get polished obsidian great axe but still, the option is there for both.

I did a paladin/druid duo. It was fun looking for mobs for the Druid to charm but fell flat in the mid 40s as the Druid couldn’t keep up with heals on unslowed mobs. Sk will just be a much better complement being able to fear anything.

[greatdane]

If there isn't anyone who can snare, and the group is in a place where snare matters, SK is the best. This is particularly true in places like Sebilis where most mobs will have SoW because there's shaman mobs buffing everything through the walls and shit. Since an SK is probably using Clinging Darkness for aggro, it ensures all mobs are always snared, which is very useful. SKs are also able to get to most parts of any dungeon, so if replacing a tank and the replacement has to get there on their own, an SK usually has an easier time than a paladin. Pacifying your way to the bottom of Chardok isn't exactly practical. Any crit resist and you just die automatically.

If the healer isn't a cleric, paladin is the best because their buffs will be useful. It's especially good with a shaman healer since there's no redundancy between them. If there is a cleric in the group, paladin isn't anything special. Flash of Light is a shitty spell for tanking, and while stuns are good aggro, they cost too much mana and have longish cooldowns. It works, but it's nowhere near as clean as an SK who can just spam Clinging Darkness. The difference is especially significant in groups without an enchanter. In the earlier levels, paladins also face the issue of getting their first stun at level 30 and the next at 49.

Overall, SK is more flexible. Better mana sustain, provides snare, has both types of invis plus FD to travel to any group without assistance, and brings the situational ability to split problematic pulls if the puller isn't a monk. In some group setups, that can make the difference between being able to break a camp or not. There's almost never any situation where a paladin's class tools determine what a group can or cannot do, and the class is kind of bad without mana regen buffs.

[Snaggles]

I soloed a ranger and pally to 60 like 7 years ago with horrible gear and prior melee patches. My Ranger had no fungi and a woodsman staff until 57.

In the proposed Druid+tank duo, you always have snare. You can fear undead or animals. Outside the classic “dungeon crawl” which is fun but rarely exp efficient for a duo, most outdoor zones would be ripe for grinding blues. Animals in Oasis, Overthere, Emerald Jungle, Wakening Lands, Eastern Wastes, Western Wastes. Undead is a bit more sparse but dreadlands, burning wood, CoM and Lower Guk (sketchier fearing), trak’s teeth, Karnors, and some others.

The Druid can eventually pick up ES legs for click healing a tank at 11hp/sec (4.5x a fungi).

I only mentioned the ranger and cleric duo as those were my worst solo experiences. Getting both to 60 that way would teach both people how to pull, CC, and manage their resources. You be would have no restrictions regarding snare/fear or invising around live or undead.

Ultimately, I think the OP and their friend should pick the classes they feel most passionate about playing. Also, the ones they want at 60 since that is the goal. Outside some really bad duos, most have a viable path to 60, even if a different class would be much more efficient (like shaman instead of Druid).

[Jimjam]

/agree

The most viable path to 60 is the fun one.

[Ripqozko]

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

I did a paladin/druid duo. It was fun looking for mobs for the Druid to charm but fell flat in the mid 40s as the Druid couldn’t keep up with heals on unslowed mobs. Sk will just be a much better complement being able to fear anything.

both druid and pally can heal jsut fine with click legs or bp

[Gloomlord]

Given all the equipment and spells they get access to, Paladin is definitely the better knight and better group tank.

[kjs86z2]

at least if they do druid + SK they will have a port bot for when the druid player realizes their mistake and rolls a shaman

bonus points too the SK can help FD plvl the shaman

[Jimjam]

Originally Posted by kjs86z2 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

at least if they do druid + SK they will have a port bot for when the druid player realizes their mistake and rolls a shaman

bonus points too the SK can help FD plvl the shaman

This is a really good point. When I rerolled from dru + SK (+ enc) to dru + war (+ enc) the druid was kind enough to provide a lot of PL and help get me back into xp range. As such, dru / sk is a good team from the perspective they both let each other reroll - you are less locked in!