Most solid duo for Kunark and Velious

[ArkhamCifre]

n00b alert! what is JBB?

[Phallax]

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

n00b alert! what is JBB?

jaundiced bone bracer -

http://lucy.allakhazam.com/item.html?id=4532

[Weekapaug]

I guess what concerns me the most are summoning mobs and the number of casters mobs to be found in Kunark and Velious. I never dealt with all of that during those eras outside of groups, so interested in what people experienced with all of that in particular.

I'm going to hazard a guess that a shammy/monk duo would probably handle summoning mobs than one that includes robed casters, but that's just a guess. Those of you who who played shammys and mages during live kunark and velious, how did you do with summoning mobs in particualr? Casters?

[Cogwell]

MAG/SHM: High DPS, No Snare, No CC, No Pulling ability.
substitute CLR: less DPS but some Pulling ability and rezes.

NEC/SHM: Slightly lower DPS than the above, but with snare, CC, and Pulling. If pet tanking, the pet is slightly less sturdy. Works best when Fear kiting.

RNG/SHM: Decent DPS, extra utility in snare, various ranger abilities.
substitute CLR for less DPS, add rezes. Both characters use mail, which can be a downside.

SK/SHM: Moderate DPS but the ability to be full functional in any location, and the ability to take down tough mobs the easiest of all combos.
-preluclin, you dont really want to substitute CLR for SHM here as the SK simply can't kick out enough dmg to make it worthwhile.
-substitute WAR for slightly more damage and tanking, less pulling ability, no snare.
-substitute PAL for more buffing, less DPS, moderate pulling ability, stuns instead of snare.

MNK/SHM: Decent DPS, pulling ability, no snare. MNK can mitigate well but can only produce threat through damage, and therefore SHM will have aggro a lot.
substitute CLR for less DPS and rezes.

WAR/CLR: Moderate DPS, decent starter group to build around. No Snare, CC. Relatively boring. Can Substitute DRU for CLR for added DPS, ports, snares, invis but less heals, no rezes.

SHM + any DPS can be effective but not as effective as those above.

Various combos with ENC can be effective, including CLR/ENC, DRU/ENC, PAL/ENC, but are higher risk and harder to pull off.

Various combos that include aggro or fear kiting with a NEC, DRU, or WIZ in addition to any other DPS can be effective but not as much as those above. They need space to operate which leaves out dungeons, primarily.

In essence - there is no *Best*. Each has pros and cons. Have fun!

[Hiragawa]

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

In essence - there is no *Best*. Each has pros and cons. Have fun!

Yeah, this is the most important thing. You guys could even keep going with your Warrior/Cleric Duo (just bear in mind, total lack of dps is going to make things VERY slow, even with your cleric 'dpsing')

You said you were thinking of shaman as one of your choices. As various folks have said, you can pair a Shaman with just about anything. I prefer Shaman/Monk over Shaman/SK myself.. especially if you get your Shammy to worship Innoruuk.

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=170

The end result from the full chain is that snare clicky for Inny Shamans and Clerics. So it solves the 'no snare' issue with the monk.

[Hiragawa]

/look left
/look right

Mage =/= Shaman

They're both totally different classes, with very different abilities and play styles. I'm not really sure how you're planning to compare them by 'dps' o.o

[Weekapaug]

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

/look left
/look right

Mage =/= Shaman

They're both totally different classes, with very different abilities and play styles. I'm not really sure how you're planning to compare them by 'dps' o.o

And that's why there's no need for a pissing match, beyond keeping the conversation civil, of course.

My question about the "best" duo comes from a standpoint of practicality, not breaking records or outputting the best dps alone necessarily. Any group, duo, trio, or solo for that matter, has to deal with getting to and from a dungeon, has to get safely to the camp/spawn within the dungeon, has to deal with breaking it properly, has to deal with those times when things get out of control with multiple mobs, casting/summoning mobs, etc. It's more a question of what duo best deals with all of it reliably than anything else, for us.

Thank you again for the input. I look forward to hearing more.

[Skope]

The guy gloating about mages being amazing has clearly never played a mage in kunark or velious, and most certainly didn't read the forums back on live. They were littered with people complaining about utility, DPS, and the overall fun-factor that quickly disappeared after classic for the much beloved class. I saw my friend play it for years and played his mage myself and can't help but to agree. It really does turn completely one-dimensional and the fun factor is leeched from the class.

Kunark and Velious bring us summoning mobs, and many of them are casters. Not a big deal right? Well, it is, because these tend to be the mobs that drop the great loot we all know and love. The only class that can solo these efficiently (or solo them at all really) is the shaman. This brings you the single rule to shaman solo/duos: If it can be slowed, it will die. Of course we're talking about duo here, so any sort of DPS (whether melee or DoT/DD) helps. Shammies aren't known for the speed at which they can drop a mob, but rather how efficiently and where/what that mob is. And this "WOW" factor that you see for mages in classic is really diminished during kunark/velious, and quickly replaced by shaman, bards, enchanters, and to a smaller extent necros as well.

If you're looking for efficiency and utility, with some speed leveling and killing involved i'd go druid/necro. Their DoTs don't bump heads and the druid snare/root/regen and necro DoTs/fear can quickly kill multiple mobs very, very quickly without taking too much time or mana.

Honestly, there's a lot of combinations out there that are very viable, it's just a matter of what you're looking for and how it is that you play them. One of my worries is that too many people will make shammies without a true love for the class and not quite know how to use them. I've seen way too many shamans with pearl kedge totems sitting in solb groups as the secondary healer. It just pisses me off...

[Hiragawa]

Skope has some great points. I think the only reason I didn't suggest Druid/Necro duos and the like is because I love duoing in tight dungeons and stuff. It just has that... Tabletop feel to it :P

I've always loved Swarm Kiting on my Bard, or Quad Kiting on my Druid (Or just kiting those giant red mobs on my necro) but that's always my "I don't want to be bothered today I'm gonna go solo!" thing.

Shaman are beastly, and I'll once again echo the 'If it can be slowed, it will die'.

Tsk Tsk... All this advocacy from me for Shaman, and there one of the few classes I can't stand playing. :P

[nalkin]

Skope, I am curious, was this with or without the epic pet? I heard mages were really bad without the epic pet, but once they had the epic pet they were one of the top DPS again. I never played a mage past level 12 in classic myself, nor did I play much kunark or velious.