Just want to introduce myself...

[Druidike]

My name is David and I have a level 71 Druid with 101 AA's on the Luclin <Veeshan> Server. I found this site trying to find out about AA's and what to put them in as a Healer with DD/DoT back up abilities for solo'ing. So yeah... I think Ive found home lol.

[Cromagnon]

Welcome, sounds like your druid is on his way, IMO 71+ is when they really begin to come into their own. If you want any particular suggestions, feel free to ask, whether its AA, items, spellsets, or tactics/hunting areas, and I'm sure myself or someone else will answer (but give us a little more info about what your asking for in particular).

Happy Holidays,
Crom

[Druidike]

well for instance, what should my spell set be at 71 for solo'ing? Whats the best set up? I think i have my healing set up sorta right but just for info. purposes, whats the best for healing spellset?

[Brohg]

Healing set evolves a bunch as you go up, because there are a lot of new healing tools at high levels for druids. When you get Reptile, that gets a slot. When you get Adrenaline, that gets a slot. When you get Survival, that gets a slot. When you get Promised heal, that gets a slot. You'll definitely need both of the Mnemonic Retention AA for that spell set.

The basics of a support setup are one maybe two damage spells, whatever's most efficient. At level 71 that's probably Solstice Strike, but will be Winter's Flame at 73. Nature's Blazing Wrath (lv75) is the other dps spell I see druids still using a lot while in support role. Two, maybe three if it's a slow killing group, Atk debuffs, starting with Hand of Ro and Sun's Corona (upgrade to Hoar Frost at 74), adding Fixation of Ro if practical. Pretty much all the rest of the slots are heal spells. Reptile, Moonshadow, Chlorotrope. Adrenaline when you get to 75. Survival at 78. Promised at 82. Yes, that's six healing tools when you get all the way up there. Moonshadow is probably the most replaceable of them in normal exp groups, if you need Spore Spiral or Harmony or a cure up. Karana's Renewal is usable for efficiency's sake for a long time, but is solidly obsolete in my opinion (just too slow) by level 80. Being a good druid healer is all about using the tools that are there. Reptile tank before you see the mob, get atk debuffs in, use the efficient heals as much as possible. If you try to just Chloro and med like you're a cleric, you will fall behind and look like you suck... because you will.

Soloing can mean two things, either kiting or charming. Charming is WAY more efficient and powerful for gaining exp, but your options for what content to do are limited, since it basically has to be animals. Hauling around a shm for their animal-ifying spell is not, as the British would say, "on". Glamour of Tunare, Ensnare (Entrap AA), Nature's Beckon, self invis (camo AA), one nuke for finishing the mobs (Winter's Flame again), lots of skill. A if you're really feeling your oats. It makes better exp, but more challenging timing to break charm at the right time for full exp.

Kiting takes about infinitely more mana and is way slower, but you can do it anywhere, like if you need to for loot or quests or whatnot. Ensnare, best dots, best nuke.

[Bolodox]

Root/Rotting is also another alternative to soloing and one I prefer over the other two. Just load up 1 heal, snare, root and use the remaining slots for DoTs. I also will swap out some DoTs with nukes in order to kill faster. Invest in our root AAs and you will see less breaks due to DD spells. With ooc regen, this method will bring in steady experience.

[Druidike]

Very helpful.... thank you. im making very good use of Reptile now lol.

[Brohg]

[Tanom]

I agree with Brogh .... root rotting is much slower lol, nuke kiting will get you kill much faster and charm kiting even more so. I do use root rotting, but only when pressed to like Steam Factory or other small quarter zones.

[Bolodox]

If you say so Brogh. I find it amusing you consider yourself an expert in all matters on this board. I am a Druid, with Druid being the keyword there, that prefers the nice even "slow kite" as an alternative to running in circles or however other Druids kite.

As I said in my first post here, I do swap out DoTs for nukes to kill much faster, with the only difference from kiting being I am not running, casting, running, casting, running, casting. Get the picture? Maybe I should of used the term root/rot/nuke in the first place. I have maxxed our root AAs, and rarely does my root break when nuking. That was also a suggestion to the OP. He wanted to see what other Druids do, and I shared that.

I don't know many Druids that use Suns Corona, Hand of Ro would be all you need when soloing. There is absolutely no reason to use Suns Corona while soloing, as was the OP's question. It is a waste of a spell slot that could have a nuke or DoT instead, whether you kite or root/rot/nuke.

I would imagine a Shaman soloing would be far different then a Druid, so I would not presume to tell them how to go about their business, or make arrogant replies to other Shamans on their board.

[Bruddarr]

In my opinion, nuke kiting doesn't become a good option until 76+, where the nuke and dot cast times were cut. I remember nuke kiting in TBS days for the hand aug and it was painfully slow and boring lol. Then again, root/rotting can be slow as well, it all depends on what zone though I guess.

[snakebane]

Root Rotting is only slower if you limit yourself to one mob at a time if you only use your top three dot's and keep them on 4 or 5 mobs it actually goes much faster. Of course you have to pay attention because root breaks can really ruin your day lol. That's why i always snare and then park the mobs as a little added insurance.

[Sorkin]

I find way too many instances when I *want* to break root on a mob with a nuke to ever buy those root enhancing AAs. Particularly when pulling indoors or when mobs are too close to harmony. Vinelash the group, then use a level 3 nuke or stormstrike to break root on 1 mob and bring it to group. Then either keep the rest vinelashed or egress depending on the situation. That or when you want a mob following you so it's not beating on someone else, u need that root gone quick.

Personally I generally nuke kite. Dots are fine, but you do need at least 3 mobs at a time otherwise you are just supplementing nuking with some dots. Which is fine too if you have the spell slots. In a group dots are useless though, so what I did was concentrate on nuke AAs first, since i could use them soloing or grouping, and that made the nukes a better choice. I also find that the global spell cooldown time is enough to stay ahead of a snared mob that's following me, and with 1 at a time, there's a lot more room for error. Plus you don't have to worry about ensnare/entrap wearing off before you've dotted all the mobs down.

Reverse charm kiting works fine too, but it's more dangerous and takes some more skill/timing. Plus as mentioned above, it's gotta be animals, and there have to be plenty around so the places you can do it are limited.

Elaborate defiant is dirt cheap in the baz these days. Gear up on that stuff and you should be good.

[Bolodox]

I use many different spell line-ups depending on the situation. Every Druid has his or her way of doing things, there is no set way. Each Druid is an individual and as such, does things a little different from the next Druid.

Anyways, back to the original question. My suggestion for AAs would be as follows:

These AAs benefit both healing and damage:
Spell Casting Subtlety - This AA is beneficial for us, whether its for healing or doing damage
Spell Casting Mastery- Another AA that benefits both healing and damage
Mnemonic Retention- Will give you another spell slot

Healing AAs:
Healing Adept Line- Will increase your healing power
Healing Gift Line- Will give you the chance to crit (double your heal)
Radiant Cure- Used all the time in any setting
Call of the Wild- Useful in many situations

DD/DoT AAs:
Entrap/Ensnare- Will free up a spell slot
Critical Affliction Line- Increases our DoT damage
Spell Casting Fury Line- Increases our DD damage
Storm Strike- Instant mana free nuke
Enhanced Root (optional depending on your play style)- Makes our root harder to break when DD spells are used

There are many more AAs you should get eventually, but the ones I have listed are the best bang for the buck for now, and should keep you busy for a while. Again, these are my suggestions, and other Druids may or may not agree, which is ok.