Now that we have mercs...

[Bloxr Fatso]

Now that there are cleric mercs (who rez, buff, and heal) and warrior mercs (who tank), it may be time to rethink some boxing options.

I used to box a rogue (when my top-end raid-geared shaman could tank a lot).

Then I switched to a Paladin box because the shaman couldn't tank much anymore.

Then I retired for a couple years and neither one has great gear anymore. My warrior merc can tank better than my paladin. My cleric can buff better than my paladin (and can rez better... and my shaman can rez now...).

Basically what I've noticed that boxing has reverted back to what it was years ago... the best combo now seems to be a monk/shaman for dps/slowing/utility. If the monk has the cleric then you can rez out of pretty much any situation post-FD... and can pull singles pretty much any time.

What do people think... is it worth starting over on the secondary box? How hard is equipping a monk now adays? Leather seems pretty common and you can just buy archaic leather gear in the Void or basically free in bazaar.

[Ughbash]

[Valdemar]

The wife and I are thinking of returning to EQ after quite some time away. We did Vanguard for a year and truly enjoyed it - in spite of the bugs - but until they finish the class revamps and fix all the existing bugs and missing content, we're done. So, thinking 'bout EQ again.

Mercs do change things. I imagine some people who can afford to use mercs regularly/constantly will probably be changing their box around. We had 3 accounts, with a Bard/Shaman as the base and then we could box in a DRU, NEC, ENC, PAL, or MAG as we liked. Of those, the DRU and the NEC got almost all the play time. So, if we return, adding a merc as a 4th will change the dynamic considerably.

Couple of questions...

Do mercs come in all classes?

How 'spensive are they?

EDIT: Sorry, I just saw Bigcat Daddy-o thread on Mercs.

Regards,
Valdemar

[Ughbash]

[Bloxr Fatso]

[Ughbash]

[Bloxr Fatso]

Ok... so I've decided to go with the rogue since you say they can pull... my rogue is already 70 with close to 200aa so that's a long way from the level 16 monk I started last night or the 65 necro I created a couple months ago (who has no aa's).

My rogue also has the original VP darkness dagger "Nightfall" and Fabled Serrated Bone Dirk for dooming darkness snares... She has locustlure for slows (though my shaman will be slowing...), has OT hammer, Dusty Soriz Pouch for pulling, 2 ancient prismatics, along with skills (like pick lock) maxed.

Thanks for the tips.

[Ughbash]

[Kruzar]

Since I play a Rogue... I am a little confused on this whole Rogue's being super pullers. Fadelure is a fun toy, but it is in no way comparable to other classes when it comes to pulling. I am not saying that there are not times that a Rogue can pull a mob into camp, but I don't see us do the job day in and day out. Our ability to single out things is very limited, with or without Fadelure.

If I was to make a new toon for pulling purposes... it would be a monk or a bard....period.

But back to the original topic... Loving the Mercs... I use them a lot, and they have added a whole extra level to what I am able to do with my previous duo of Rogue and Shammy. I am primarily working on older content, and have not bumped up higher than the beginning mercs, but so far there have not been hardly any problems. The cleric has no issues keeping my rogue alive when I am just out doing stuff with the merc as long as I don't grab a bunch of mobs. And of course the buffs and rez on demand are pretty nice as well.

[Ughbash]

[Kriyn Nutzforcatnip]

Yeah, the ability for rogues to pull really depends on having the right tools up, and is more of a specialty and not something you can do constantly. I'm talking about splitting mobs in large packs more so then just pulling singles in general. I normally only pull with the rogue if it's a named or a mob I need in a tight area. Escape is very useful for these types of situations. In order to be used efficiantly it's best to have the snare aa, but if the mob resists then it's another 30min for Escape to pop back up, if you have the aa to reduce the timer. I haven't received Fadeulre(sp) yet since I'm not 85, but plan on trying it out once I do.

[Keltsete]

[HawklordXegony]

[Unmei]

Enchanters are kick ass pullers if you know how to do it. I'm an amateur compared to some, and I routinely do things that would have me napping if a monk were doing them. We have a wide selection of tools that can be used to pick apart clumps of mobs, several ways to selectively remove aggro, and lots of tools to take care of whatever is still coming when we get back to camp. And when all else fails, we can always throw our charmed pet in the way while we get things under control. Add in the fact that most of an enchanter's DPS stays in camp even when he runs away to pull (pet, Mana Resurgence, buffs, DoT) - which is definitely -not- the case with a rogue, monk or bard - and you have a pretty fierce pulling class.

On the other hand, we're limited by level caps - a level 81 enchanter really -can't- be as good as a level 85 one in new content because a lot of abilities are just locked out - and we really require constant attention. It's definitely a nontrivial endeavor and probably not something you'll want to box, but the results can be mighty impressive.

[Valdemar]

Seems like the thread has diverted to a "who is the best puller" thread, or perhaps "Who needs a puller?" thread. On that topic, I have two words...

SHM + BRD.

Unfortunately, this is a LOW DPS combo, so the consideration then turns to which class can you add to bring more bang. A Merc WAR seems to address part of that issue. Frankly, my advice would be to forget about using the ROG as a puller (Fadelure is not available 'til level 80!) and start up a BRD. If you and your wife duo, then one of you could box the ROG for DPS. That would solve you DPS issue and you wouldn't have to retire your ROG. Unmei's suuggestion of an ENC is also a good one, SHM + ROG + ENC + Mercs.

Thanks to everyone for the Merc info.

Regards,
Valdemar

[Valdemar]

[Anyelle]

Ive been 3boxing a Pal/Shm/Necro for the last 6 months or so. Since these healer mercs came out I focus a LOT less on healing with the shaman and moreso on DPS.

Currently been farming crystallos to polish up some lacking spots on the shaman and necro and have had no problem with 2 healer mercs. The dps from shm and necro is plenty and the pal can hold aggro without problems. I chose necro for the 3rd box mainly for pulls but also for DPS. with the right AAs Ive seen a massive gain in dps from when I first made the character.

Had I known what I do now about EQ back in 2000 when I made my paladin I would have rolled a shadowknight only because it would make like a bit easier as I would have a puller who could take a hit instead of hoping I dont get a quad 3k. But this set up I have with 2 merc healers and I can do pretty much any and all group content.

Currently Pal is 85 4.1k/23.4k, necro is 81 with max dot AA for the level and shaman has most all healing AA and a few dot AA.