Enchanter, Necro or Mage?

[megman87]

Hello all, so I am just starting here and trying to decide which class I should play as. My friends have already chosen the healers, tanks and dps class's and begun leveling so I am already behind by about 20-30 levels =/. So I figured I would go with a class that they don't have while also considering the fact that I will be solo leveling quite a bit more then I originally thought. However, I do prefer to group but looks like I will be pug grouping mainly, at least until I am around level 40 and catch up heh.

I don't really remember much about EQ to be honest, I only played for 3 or 4 months back when the game came out, and I don't even think I made it to level 50 either. I do remember that Necro's and Mage's were pretty amazing at solo leveling, but I don't remember how much they offer to the group? What is it exactly that those 2 class's can do for groups, and do groups every want / look for them?

As for Enchanter, I really don't know much about them at all. Only that they get mana regen and they can sleep stuff. So pretty much wondering the same thing. How well can an Enchanter solo? How often will they get groups and/or needed for them?

I am basically just looking for a class that will let me solo level if needed (without having terrible down time and being inefficient) while at the same time being a class that can throw LFG on and not have to wait very long to get a group.

What would you all suggest? Any advice or opinions on what I should do?

Thanks for taking the time to read this page of text!

[Reiker]

Hello all, so I am just starting here and trying to decide which class I should play as. My friends have already chosen the healers, tanks and dps class's and begun leveling so I am already behind by about 20-30 levels =/. So I figured I would go with a class that they don't have while also considering the fact that I will be solo leveling quite a bit more then I originally thought. However, I do prefer to group but looks like I will be pug grouping mainly, at least until I am around level 40 and catch up heh.

I don't really remember much about EQ to be honest, I only played for 3 or 4 months back when the game came out, and I don't even think I made it to level 50 either. I do remember that Necro's and Mage's were pretty amazing at solo leveling, but I don't remember how much they offer to the group? What is it exactly that those 2 class's can do for groups, and do groups every want / look for them?

As for Enchanter, I really don't know much about them at all. Only that they get mana regen and they can sleep stuff. So pretty much wondering the same thing. How well can an Enchanter solo? How often will they get groups and/or needed for them?

I am basically just looking for a class that will let me solo level if needed (without having terrible down time and being inefficient) while at the same time being a class that can throw LFG on and not have to wait very long to get a group.

What would you all suggest? Any advice or opinions on what I should do?

Thanks for taking the time to read this page of text!

Question 1: What do a magician or necromancer offer to a group? Are they wanted?

Answer: They offer DPS. Magicians are the best DPS in the game until 50. Their nukes are powerful, and while not as powerful as a mage, their pets more than make up for it. They have very little utility besides nuking and having their pet attack stuff. Necromancers also deal damage through their pet, but also mostly through dots, which aren't as effective as mobs die quicker (ie. while in a group). They're arguably just as good as mages vs. undead content however, as the undead nukes are extremely efficient. Necromancers also make up in utility, as they have excellent mana regen if you're lacking an enchanter, they can lull undead, transfer hp and mana, and more. You shouldn't have a whole lot of trouble finding groups with these classes, as they make a group kill mobs faster which = more exp.

Question 2: How well can an enchanter solo? Are they wanted in groups?

Enchanters become the best soloers in the game later on, but aren't nearly as strong as a mage or necro early on. You need charisma to make charm (your primary soloing tool) work, and the first few charms aren't very good to begin with. At lower levels, you'll be using a really weak, uncontrollable pet. Unfortunately, it's at the lower levels that you also won't really be wanted in a group. Besides a tank and heals, groups mostly just want dps, dps, and more dps. Most people aren't intelligent enough to work with an enchanter which negates the fact that you can mez. At 29 however, you gain clarity, and will have absolutely no trouble finding groups. And then later on with a high charisma rating and end-game charm, you'll be able to solo stuff that necros and mages only dream about.

Addendum: Ultimately, what class you choose is up to you. I don't want to deter you from any choice. However, if you're going to be struggling with EQ being unfamiliar to you, you may not want to compound that with the hardship of being a beginner enchanter. You need the balls to wait a little longer for groups, and then put up with idiots who can kill you with their mistakes while there's nothing you can do about it. If you stick with an enchanter, however, they are greatly rewarding at the high end.

You'll have an easier time with a magician or necromancer at all stages of the game. Magician will be slightly more wanted by others as you progress, as their dps potential is usually a bit higher than a necromancer's. However in the end it depends on which playstyle you enjoy the most.

[megman87]

Thanks for clearing alot of that up! I think I am between Mage and Enchanter now heh. I am wondering though when you say a high charisma how much exactly are we talking, and what level is the end game charm?

I like the idea of Enchanter being an amazing class later on, and I am sure my friends have some extra money to help me out with some of that charisma gear. But being pretty much knew to the game again, maybe being an Enchanter might not be such a good idea heh, especially if groups wont even want me till about level 30. On top of soloing not being very good till I have the end game charm.

Mage seems like the easy way out, but I am wondering, what happens with Mages once they max out and other class's catch up? Are they not as good anymore, compared to when they were leveling?

[Nedala]

im playing a low lvl enchanter right now and i dont have any trouble to find groups. Also the most players are twinks and know how to play with an enchanter and do not to attack mezzed mobs. Also our dps in low lvl is not that bad. :)

[megman87]

Mez = Sleep?

[xshayla701]

I had never played EQ before this server and started with a mage. It's fun and a good idea if you are just getting started since you can solo. You have to know how to control your pet though. I do like the appeal that necros have with their abilities to solo undead camps (Lguk for example. great place for necros.) Sometimes I wish I had rolled a necro.

I would say do not be an enchanter if you don't know a little background to it. Good enchanters can keep multiple things mezzed, and sometimes this is necessary when the puller gets a bad pull (or just sucks.) You can make or break a group as an enchanter just like a cleric or tank or whatever else.

But basically I rolled a mag because my boyfriend said that's what I should play. I really enjoy it. Magicians are great starting chars. And hey, if you don't like it, it's not like you can't start over. You can use whatever int gear you get for your mage for your necro and enchanter too. Necros need +hp too because of their Lifespike (I think that's what it's called? Turns HP into mana iirc) and chanters need +cha. I would say you have to have somewhere close to 200 charisma once you get higher level and your charm actually works.

Hope I helped. Your friends would probably be willing to powerlevel you (druids and shamans are good for this.) Not sure what you meant by "what happens with Mages once they max out and other class's catch up? Are they not as good anymore, compared to when they were leveling?" From what I've heard, mages are overpowered now and when Kunark comes out they are about average with everyone else, that is until they get their epic and rule all again :) Don't know if that answered your question. But good luck in choosing your class!

[Zenlina]

In Regards to enc and mag, mag most powerful all through even at 50 comparable to enc in classic.

If you came to this game alot sooner when enc would be powerhouse since charm lasted basically full duration with over 220 CHA. But at the moment, the charm is very random and breaks much sooner even with max cha 255.

but that asside, you have two option at upper end, enc if u wanna sit around and wait in queue for Lguk stuff to open up and camp rare items for 9hours+ depending on luck, or mag if u wanna make quick pp from killing mobs for gem/fs dropping mobs.

On another note tho, i think the ratio of mag to enc on this server like 2:1 or more. Enc not a easy class to master, but if you are up for the challenge, go for it.

[Nedala]

Mez = Sleep?

Yeah...or freeze. And if someone attacks a mezzed mobs it will wake up.

[Nedala]

but that asside, you have two option at upper end, enc if u wanna sit around and wait in queue for Lguk stuff to open up and camp rare items for 9hours+ depending on luck, or mag if u wanna make quick pp from killing mobs for gem/fs dropping mobs.



In other words:

Enc if u wanna kill difficult nameds in interesting dungeons for awesome loot, or mage if you wanna kill boring easy mobs after mobs and farm your cash ;)

[Humwawa]

A necro is phenomenally resilient. We can live through almost anything, and we can kill almost anything. In some cases, killing a mark might require more work than another class, but it can most likely be done given enough time and work. If it's undead, it's dead. That's that.

An enchanter can kill targets a necro would spend a great deal of time on (say, King in Lower Guk) with seeming ease. The problem I find with enchanters is how horribly squirrelly resists can be - a crit resist Lull and you're dead, a charm break and AE stun/root/mez resists, you're dead. It can look like the easiest thing in the world, or the hardest thing in the world. Granted, my chanter's 45, so I'm not a master of the art, but this is what I've seen thus far.

Mages have pets, summon crap, and have nukes. They like to chain summon earth elementals on things. That's the sum of my limited mage knowledge.

[megman87]

It sounds like the charm and mez is pretty random even if you have the gear. I think I would be the kind of person that, if I was killing something for awhile and then my mez broke randomly and i died, I would prob rage and throw the computer out the window.

I think maybe I will just do Mage if that is the case lol.

And it looks like the main difference between Necro and Mage is that Necro has more DoTs and spells that he casts himself, where Mage relies more on their pet?

[Humwawa]

A necro never relies on their summoned pet. It is a dot with HP. They can also charm the undead, and necro charm is far more stable, not necessarily in terms of duration, but in terms of tools you have to recover from breaks - FD'ing your broken charm while the pet is Lulled, for example.

A necro has many ways to survive any situation. Feign Death, Invulnerability, Lifetap and Lifebond, Root, Rune, Mez (until late Kunark, anyway).

A necro is not a pet class. It's a versatile class. Even summoning mobs, unfearable mobs, are marks for a necro, provided you have enough room and enough gear.

A mage relies entirely on the pet they're using. It is what defines them.

[xshayla701]

^^ I second Humwawa

So true, Necros are very versatile. Mages without their pets are like, lesser wizards. There are 4 different pets but still, pets are what magicians are all about because their pets are so powerful. Oh, and modrods for raids :P It's a really fun class though imo, I always thought soloing was fun and some days preferred it over grouping. But you can do that with necros too, and if you are looking for versatility, go for necro. Still great for soloing since DoTs are more efficient (right?) and they have all their ways of getting out of stuff, like Hum said. They have some form of mana regen too (I'm pretty sure, I don't know much about necros though.)

Just depends. Try both out if you can't decide, you'll stick to the one you enjoy more.

[Humwawa]

Yep, I never even mentioned Lichform.. the best mana regen in the game!

It comes at a price... =)

[Chodan]

I've found that farming lguk for me as an enchanter is not nearly as easy as a necro. Granted, their charms break (from what I've seen) a bit more frequently than ours do, but they stay FD during their charm...meaning even if it breaks, they just lose a little bit of mana redoing the fight.

However, if our charm breaks (specially in lguk since you cant root park the mob you're fighting cause ghouls root too), you better be quick with your color series stuns and mez, the first, color stun and twirl the second (gives you enough time to recharm).

It's pretty hectic. And if there's one resist, your 70% hasted pet+his buddy will murder your 900hp in about 4 seconds.

But, with that said, I'm still at full exp at level 50 after dying countless times. Thing is, Lguk has been buggy lately if you're a pet class it seems. Pets/mobs falling through floors as well as mobs dropping slightly through the floor? It causes you to get the "you cannot see your target" error even though the mob is directly in front of you.

Necros can do anything an enchanter can, almost, in Lguk and have a much higher survivability rate.

Cheers!

Yes, I have necro envy. This is only in Lguk though.

[PhelanKA]

Necromancer gets a mez spell too don't forget: Screaming Terror.

EDIT:

Also, I should warn you... If you play a Necromancer it will be hard to play another class again. Everything is so easy as a Necromancer compared to anything else.

[astarothel]

If you never played a lot of classic, or EQ a lot in general I probably wouldn't suggest enchanter as your first class. They take a bucket of gear to deck out for charm properly, and playing a finesse class with quirks both on live and P99 isn't a great option for many newer players.

[guineapig]

Question 1: What do a magician or necromancer offer to a group? Are they wanted?

Answer: They offer DPS. Magicians are the best DPS in the game until 50.

I have found that monks and rogues regularly out DPS mages.
Mage DPS is dependent on the pet tanking because of the awesome damage shields. Otherwise the mage has to do a great deal of nuking in order to out dps a rogue or monk, but they can never keep up the pace because of the limited mana pool.

I have been in raid groups with 2 mages and a necro (hoping to get exp on an alt), only to find that the group with 2 monks and a rogue are getting exp every kill. This was not a 1 off thing, this happens every raid.

[guineapig]

The problem I find with enchanters is how horribly squirrelly resists can be - a crit resist Lull and you're dead, a charm break and AE stun/root/mez resists, you're dead. It can look like the easiest thing in the world, or the hardest thing in the world.

Couldn't have put it better myself. Even when you are an awesome enchanter, you still depend so much on luck of the roll it's not even funny. Thankfully we can double rune (rune + berserker) ourselves which helps us compensate with resists but still.

[Yoite]

At miss i miss playing an enc. Being able to do so much, but it comes with great risk of dieing. and you die a lot if your try a lot. However with my necro, i can try all kinds of crazy shit all the time and die much much much less. Dieing isnt just the exp loss, its getting back to your corpse/camp, re-breaking it, etc etc. I like being able to FD and try again quickly.

Since your sorta new to the game, i would go with mage prob as they are straight forward and easy yet powerful. If you find them too boring you might try a necro, less dps more tricks. The last i would suggest trying is the enc. least dps, the most tricks, but also the highest risk for death, with or without a group.