Solo Melee class

[Jimjam]

I think Paul raises a good point.

If you are unwilling to group up in the 20s, or are in an unrest group, then it is unfair to expect to loot goblin ears.

Question:

If you aren't spending thousands of plat on MQs/items and aren't doing raidforce stuff (so no epics, no sky quest items, no cloaks of flames or fungis) then how do monk/ranger compare for soloing?

[paulgiamatti]

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

while their base mitigation / avoidance AC may be slightly higher than a ranger

It's actually significantly higher. Rangers have an absolutely miserable defense cap, so when we're talking about overall damage mitigation, monk and ranger are probably a lot closer than you're imagining. Monk DPS is significantly higher, which means the mob dies faster - that combined with their vastly superior defense skills means they sustain significantly less damage per fight. Also take into consideration that iksars have innate regen which stacks with fungal regrowth, and mend being about an 8-minute cooldown.

And all of that's 100% consistent. A slow proc isn't guaranteed. Buffs also require upkeep, which is more downtime to mem and cast, and more downtime to recover mana. The monk just keeps on rolling, with maybe a short sit break here and there.

[Jimjam]

While we are brainstorming, another tick in the monks favour, is if you are into a high clickrate gameplay monks are better at battle bandaging (it does not stack well with spells at all) and can juggle 2handers/off hand much more effectively.

[MikeXG]

Wow I did not expect to wake check my post and be on page 4! hot damn.

I appreciate all of the replies and I think everyone is making some good points, especially with the slow proc, I actually have a swarm caller waiting in the wings for level 46 (i think that is when it procs).

Just to be clear - I did ask about farming and end game. But Despite having played since original launch date on live I think I've made it to 60 once.... Sad I know. So yes, I want to have the end goal of 60 and being able to farm, but the journey there and making money along the way to buy said 30k epics for example is also a factor in my decision. Right now I have my 31 ranger and 33 SK and both seem fairly even in terms of overall power. The Ranger pumps way more dps but the SK isn't a scrub in this department (woodsman staff and noct blade respectively).

The fact that the epic is actually obtainable for someone without the guild to back him up is appealing. farming 30k for an epic is doable and that is certainly a huge win for the ranger.

Fear kiting is obviously the way to go for melee solo (main is bard and I fear kited a ton on him, in addition to all of the other goodies a bard can do). I think from a leveling standpoint ranger wins between SK and Ranger for fear kiting simply because all mobs gives XP and animals, despite having bad loot and coin, cost way less to snare and fear - not to mention the higher dmg output for faster killing. BUT killing nameds and farming harder mobs that are not animals later on obviously the SK would win that fear kite.

It is a tough choice as I enjoy both very much and that is ultimately what it comes down to. and both, although melee is horrible at solo, seem capable to do it, one way or another.

So I alter the original question: Between SK and Ranger which would be easier to get to 50? How about 60? Primarily solo. Which is easier to gear (easier could be self obtained gear or cheaper gear)

And lets assume no fungi but 20-25kish worth of gear each. Saving for the fungi right now and whichever I pick gets it pretty much.


Thanks again everyone!

[paulgiamatti]

Tranquil Staff's stun proc also mitigates a ton of damage, which is why it's sort of the ultimate solo weapon. When a monk kills a mob in 30 seconds, a few 12-second stuns means they take zero damage.

[Tenlaar]

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

Also take into consideration that iksars have innate regen which stacks with fungal regrowth

At higher levels rangers can give themselves 12 hp/tic regen through spells, which actually puts them at a higher regen rate than an iksar.

[Jimjam]

Ranger and SK are both easy to get to 50, so I'd focus on other factors to make your decision.

Velious added a tonne of solo options to Ranger by adding panic animal (22) and lowering the level required to cast sow (30).

Sk has always been a fun melee soloer with fear kite options (especially vs undead) as well as straight up tank and spanking. Feign death and lifetaps makes it a forgiving class; perfect if you are a little rusty.

This is a 18 year old emu; Most of us have grown up and run businesses, have jobs or have house spouse responsibilities, etc so guilds aren't as demanding as they were on live.

I was without guild for years, but when I decided to guild up I got my Swiftwind within a couple of days on my rather under-levelled ranger. Maybe I was lucky, but I'm sure you could have a similar story and save yourself 30k plat... or whatever a Swiftwind costs once you hit level 46-50ish.

SK epic has a pretty rare fear drop off rarer minibosses. Definitely more of a bottleneck than both halves of the ranger epic combined!

Monk is pretty easy epic if you are still interested in that class. Another you can just pay for MQ to if you prefer.

[Danth]

If you're on a 25K budget things like fungis or cloak of flames or t-staffs are out of the question. Which brings us back to Monk....it's a fine class, but not for 20K. Some folks have been using expensive gear for so long I suspect they've forgotten what it's like to be low-end. A Monk with maybe a Peacebringer, a FBSS for haste, no epic, and no regen makes for a really lousy soloist. Either the Ranger or the Shadow Knight will fare better than the Monk would on the budget discussed. The Monk becomes a really attractive option if you plan to play through to the high end (north temple veeshan or equivalent) since the class benefits so strongly from that top-end gear.

Danth

[paulgiamatti]

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

At higher levels rangers can give themselves 12 hp/tic regen through spells, which actually puts them at a higher regen rate than an iksar.

Yep, although it is quite a bit of upkeep. Chloroplast only lasts about 20 minutes and depletes a lot of mana. I think I'm at 32 hp/tick on my ranger with Fungal Regrowth, Chloroplast, and Skin like Nature. Iksar innate regen is comparable to Chloroplast when sitting - it's 11 more hp per tick than standard innate regen sitting, 9 more feigning death, and 8 more standing. That's pretty significant. I feel bad for human monks.

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

If you're on a 25K budget things like fungis or cloak of flames or t-staffs are out of the question. Which brings us back to Monk....it's a fine class, but not for 20K. Some folks have been using expensive gear for so long I suspect they've forgotten what it's like to be low-end. A Monk with maybe a Peacebringer, a FBSS for haste, no epic, and no regen makes for a really lousy soloist. Either the Ranger or the Shadow Knight will fare better than the Monk would on the budget discussed. The Monk becomes a really attractive option if you plan to play through to the high end (north temple veeshan or equivalent) since the class benefits so strongly from that top-end gear.

I disagree - you could roll a monk with absolutely nothing except a fungi tunic and do extremely well, assuming you can afford just the fungi. They have naturally high AC as long as you stay under the weight limit - just equip a bunch of cheap stuff like Wu's and fill in the upgrades as you go. Fists by themselves are decent, and monk weapons are pretty cheap. You can't use your epic until level 51 anyway. I guess haste would be your only other concern, and you could grab SCHW for real cheap, or pay a little more for Sash of the Dragonborn or something.

[MikeXG]

Love the monk class but it is really between sk and ranger as ive done monk several times before (yea iksar fte, also my sk is an iksar. Figured the downtime was worth thr lack of plate