Need help deciding what to duo with my friend.

[Pogslammer]

Hello, I'm Pogslammer! :)

So after reminiscing with my friend for awhile about EQ we decided to give project 1999 a go! He decided really early on that he was going to play a Shaman. I however cannot decide what I wanna do. I'm torn between Warrior, ShadowKnight, Monk. I originally played a Warrior so they hold a special part in my heart <3, but I was always extremely jealous of SK's and Monk's for different reasons (mainly cause they had more buttons to push). So my questions are what works best with a shaman, and if we do end up really enjoying the game again and raiding what would be best for larger scale grouping? Thinking about all of this is making my mind explode so I'm asking for outside opinions! Any advice is and will be appreciated. We will be starting today around 3pm ish so I gotta have my mind made up by then.

[Bonderd]

Monk is usually the class best suited to duo with a shaman. You dont know how usefull feign death is until you play another clas that does noy have it( sk's get it much later on)

[Elements]

Any of those 3 will work fine. The fd pullers will let you break tougher camps. The SK will have the lowest kill rate. The monk has much more utility in a duo than a warrior but warrior shaman would level just fine if you have your hear set on the war. Wars are also probably the most gear dependant class in the game where as your monk will get along a bit easier without twink gear at the start.

[Autotune]

of those 3, monk is the best choice.

It is known.

[Pyrion]

Generally monk is a bit overpowered at the moment. That's why there are so many of them. And my only melee is a monk as well of course :)
That being said, play whatever you like. With a shaman you can't really go wrong, i think every class in eq harmonizes well with a shaman.

[Lagaidh]

I agree that paired with a shaman, any of those melee will be fine.

My wife plays a druid and I am a paladin. We've gotten to L53 under our own devices =)

Not fast mind you, but we'll get there.

[Cuktus]

Monk is the normal pick for duo with a shaman. That being said, SK can be alotta fun with a Shaman. Your duo willn't come to power till later in life, around lvl 30. But once SK has FD, shaman has a pet, its pretty awesome. Really opens up alot of options. And imho, SK is alot more fun to plan then a monk. But as it has been said, pick whatever, melee+shaman= #winning

[Swish]

SK is alot more fun to plan then a monk.

Probably a minority view but I definitely agree - just be patient for L30 and SKs really come into their own :)

[Pogslammer]

Thank you for all the great replies! I was honestly looking to step away from warrior because Monks and SK's both seemed like a lot more fun. SK's always seemed really broken to me. I had no idea Monks were so good, especially paired with a shaman.

[Pogslammer]

My friend wants me to go monk so that's what I'm gonna play. How big of a difference is iksar compared to human? We're starting on opposite ends of the world but I'm a huge fan of min maxing

[Slave]

Iksar monks have a 144% experience penalty instead of the Human monk 120% penalty.
They attack slightly slower with fists.
They have better AC and regeneration.
Faction and starting location is generally not a big issue to experienced players.
Iksars are generally worth the extra penalties, especially in a duo, especially in the Monk and Necromancer departments.

[Splorf22]

Keep in mind that monk/shaman is actually not that great at lower levels. The reason it is so strong at higher levels is 1) with shaman slow the mobs do so little damage that dps is all that matters and 2) both classes have very easy epics.

So at L50 for example the monk is dual wielding 9/16+15/25 with 230+ offense/weapon skills compared to the warrior with 10/21+10/21 and fewer double attacks, fewer dual wields, more misses etc, so the monk probably does 50% more damage. Now by 60 warrior/shaman is actually quite solid, because the warrior's skill checks have caught up with the monk as well as getting triple attack. So if the warrior has some decent VP weapons (say 11/18 Feverblade+18/30 Katana of Endurance) then suddenly dps wise things are quite close. Of course by then your xp rate doesn't matter :D

[Aule]

if you plan on duoing big times (indoors) think about your friends shaman race/deity combo aswell to be able to obtain this item:
http://wiki.project1999.org/index.php/Regent_Symbol_of_Innoruuk

aka Troll shaman following Innoruuk

[Pogslammer]

Yeah he is rolling a troll shaman. I decided to go Iksar Monk, I think its going to be the better choice. I'm just having a hard time reaching the commonlands area to meet up with him lol

[Pogslammer]

Thank you all again, I forgot how awesome the EQ community is! :)

[Glasken]

While there may be some issues getting spells for the shaman, spending levels 9-24 in Kurns Tower will be an exceptional blast. Your exp will fly, you'll have a chance at some good loot to use or sell later (Solists Icy Wand, Iksar Berserker Club), and its a zone with iksar monk shackle quest items. It will also help you learn the basics of dungeon crawling and pulling.

I am biased, it's my favorite newbie zone in the game and every single one of my characters spends levels 8(9)-24 in there. You will also collect more bone chips than you'll know what to do with. Sell them, have the troll turn them in for faction ect...

Spend 24-30 at the giant fort in Warsliks Woods and from there the world is your playground.


If you are interested in this path, PM me and I'll see about getting your shaman some spells and invis pots to hold you over.


-Glasken

[curtischoy]

OT boat to oasis, to north ro, to EC. If you run along the zone walls you should be ok.

[nothsa]

if the monk is iskar he can easyly buy any spells for the shaman in town.

[Elements]

Keep in mind that monk/shaman is actually not that great at lower levels. The reason it is so strong at higher levels is 1) with shaman slow the mobs do so little damage that dps is all that matters and 2) both classes have very easy epics.

So at L50 for example the monk is dual wielding 9/16+15/25 with 230+ offense/weapon skills compared to the warrior with 10/21+10/21 and fewer double attacks, fewer dual wields, more misses etc, so the monk probably does 50% more damage. Now by 60 warrior/shaman is actually quite solid, because the warrior's skill checks have caught up with the monk as well as getting triple attack. So if the warrior has some decent VP weapons (say 11/18 Feverblade+18/30 Katana of Endurance) then suddenly dps wise things are quite close. Of course by then your xp rate doesn't matter :D

Why would the warrior use 10/21 10/21 when he could use 10/18 25/40? Sure its not 9/16 main hand but you can let him zerk.

[Pogslammer]

That sounds like fun Glasken!

I ended up dying multiple times trying to get to commonlands so I decided to level in the FoB for a bit. Even though I'm dying to get to my buddy. I think I might stay till 17ish.