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Old 06-23-2019, 09:53 PM
migori migori is offline
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Default New to EverQuest, but not Tanking, so....

I have never played EverQuest, but I like tanking. Played one in World of Warcraft a while ago.
So, does anyone have a suggestion for a good class to start with?
I have read about paladin, warrior, and shadow knight, but I have no idea if one is a better or worse idea of if I am alone or in later game with others.
  #2  
Old 06-23-2019, 10:13 PM
Topgunben Topgunben is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by migori [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
I have never played EverQuest, but I like tanking. Played one in World of Warcraft a while ago.
So, does anyone have a suggestion for a good class to start with?
I have read about paladin, warrior, and shadow knight, but I have no idea if one is a better or worse idea of if I am alone or in later game with others.
You'd be best served to go SK. Warrior is a weak class until later levels or expensive gear. You won't be able to hold aggro as a warrior because your weapons will be bush league. Just about every class will be pulling aggro off of you until you get better gear.

SK gets disease cloud, which generates a ton of hate. I've grouped my twink monk with ALS SK's and have had a hard time pulling aggro off them while grouped in upper guk. Disease cloud is some of the best snap aggro out there, which is strange because it's a super weak spell.

Lastly, while monk isn't considered a tank, in my experience, monks will tank just as well up to a certain point/level.. Even in Karnors Castle the other day, we had a monk tanking LCY with no problem, plus damage output was better with monk.

Warriors are just a bad class in classic EQ, yes they are needed for end game raiding, and yes, with hundreds of thousands of PP in gear, they can be great DPS, but for the casual first time player trying to make his way through Norrath, every other class is going to be a much better option.
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  #3  
Old 06-23-2019, 10:24 PM
Halfcell Halfcell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Topgunben [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
You'd be best served to go SK. Warrior is a weak class until later levels or expensive gear....
I was so ready to hate this post and argue against it, but I wound up agreeing with you by the end. I would never roll an SK, but that is also because I have been playing EQ for the better part of 20 years and I know that if I want to tank on a new server, I roll a chanter first and then twink the balls out of my warrior later.

Starting from zero, no knowledge, no plat, and just knowing that you like to tank, SK is almost certainly the right call. They tank very well in all content before raids, they are far more versatile than warriors, and they are far more forgiving with regard to learning curve.

Just dont start as an Iksar SK, the XP penalty and the loneliness of starting in Kunark is too much for your first character. Later you may enjoy it, but as a first EQ experience I do not recommend it.
  #4  
Old 06-24-2019, 01:54 AM
Jimjam Jimjam is offline
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I've found troll SKs to start in a zone where the first few levels are well catered. If you hug the right wall you will find gradually higher level monsters until you get to a dungeon (guk). There are usually a few low level players levelling up here and your not too far from a levelling hot spot for the teens (oasis).

If you'd like less monstrous character and an even busier player environment try a human of Innorruuk in Freeport. A compromise between the two might be a dark elf. These two races start close to the common lands, a trade hub (so there are plenty of higher level players to help you or pass off handmedowns).
  #5  
Old 06-24-2019, 02:19 AM
elwing elwing is offline
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Warriors are the only real tanks when it comes to end raids, both paladin and sk have no defense disc at all. Also warrior do quite fine dps unlike the knights. But I would counsel not to start as a warrior, warrior is really gear dependant, with all the twinks around you'll be really agro challenged...
Sk and paladin tanks just has well, sk have slightly more dps due to higher offense and more offensive spell lineups but the difference is low and their overall dps is low, sk have more tools to pull and solo while paladin have more support tools for the group. Both class can easily tank in any group up to 40 with a plain set of banded and a 50p ec weapon... So your pick based on whether you like to pull/solo or heal the group...

In the end game, both paladin and sk have limited uses, both are low dps, can't tank much, sk can have great use in the pull team while pali have their 200hp buff and occasional patch heal
Last edited by elwing; 06-24-2019 at 02:30 AM..
  #6  
Old 06-24-2019, 11:29 AM
port9001 port9001 is offline
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Warrior - only tank that can tank endgame content, so if you're raiding and want to be the man in front of the dragon, you'll have to pick this class; only dual wielding tank if you like that; extremely gear dependent but I wouldn't let that stop you, that's part of the adventure

Paladin - holds aggro easily with low mana blind spell; can root and stun mobs for in camp crowd control; surprisingly decent heals that can keep a suboptimal group humming; lay on hands will save you and others all the time; lull is a decent if sometimes problematic way to break camps; good faction in most cities

Shadow Knight - holds aggro easily with low level DoT spell; can snare mobs which is handy for runners; gets both types of invis; feign death is awesome for splitting camps and never dying; faction issues but easily worked around

Edit: I wouldn't say either knight tank is better for group content. They both do their core job of being a big wall of plate that never loses aggro about the same. What they bring in addition to that is different flavors of utility that will be better or worse depending on the rest of the group.
Last edited by port9001; 06-24-2019 at 11:35 AM..
  #7  
Old 06-24-2019, 11:37 AM
Legidias Legidias is offline
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All the talk of tanking end game only applies to 0.001% of actual tanks. Most warriors wont even tank AoW or ST or city leaders. For most of the stuff you will tank, even in raids, you can get the gear requirements very easily. Full crustacean armor will let you tank HoT fine with some healers. Bumping it up to Thurg plate will just be icing on the cake for that, and you'll probably tank Kunark dragons just fine too.
  #8  
Old 06-24-2019, 11:50 AM
kjs86z kjs86z is offline
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As a first character, your only two choices really are SK or Paladin if you'd like to be the designated group tank. Deciding between the two comes down to what you think is cooler. I'd give the edge to SK as they solo a bit better and can Feign Death...but if you like the pally archetype better then by all means...its a great class.

Warrior is way too gear dependent. If you roll a SK / Pally and really fall in love with the game and are certain you want to be the best possible class for the super end game, then re-roll warrior later.

Coming from WoW...you have to understand that the pace of EQ is going to feel agonizingly-slow. I played vanilla through wotlk as a top end raider and hopped onto P99 never having played EQ before. It was quite the learning curve...but you couldn't pay me to go back to WoW now.

Just always keep the wiki open. Look up stuff like zone maps, guides, etc. Be social and don't be afraid to ask your group mates questions.
Last edited by kjs86z; 06-24-2019 at 11:52 AM..
  #9  
Old 06-24-2019, 11:50 AM
elwing elwing is offline
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The gear requirement is not about armor legidias warrior can tank in banded better than sk ot pali and crustacean and later thurg is cheap and enough for pretty much anything you would do in exp group, the issue is with good enough weapons and haste to hold agro... That or have to beg someone to root all your mobs
  #10  
Old 06-24-2019, 01:42 PM
Jimjam Jimjam is offline
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I did Jimjam as a warrior tank in only self found gear up to 60. It was fine. The chunk of the levels were in kunark era where monks still had access to many of their better weapons but warriors didn't. Indeed at this stage rogues would often wield their epic before 46.

Dps generally has the tools to dump excess aggro, or at least help the tank in ensuring they are focus of the mob's attention (root and tippy toe tank). That said, gearing was not super easy and required a lot of research to find weapons which were even passable. (Iksar berserker club, scimitar of ykesha and trochillic's skean I remember being important loots).

Times are different now; there are a plethora of cheap warrior items available and haste is much cheaper to acquire. Especially if, unlike me, you are willing to use the player market to source equipment.East Commonlands.

A new player can acquire decent plat by level 5 if they focus their XPing on decayed skeletons. They drop cloth armour, probably the worst armour in the game but enough to tide you over for the first few levels. More importantly they drop a lot of loot worth a few gold, and even cracked staves worth over 1pp. On top of this they drop bone chips; a stackable and highly desired spell and quest component. Each stack of 20 is worth somewhere between 5-20pp (depending on buyer). For the time being just use a rusty two handed weapon dropped by a skeleton. Possibly upgrade it to tarnished in a forge using sharpening stones. This will one hit kill those skellies!

My suggestion to an aspiring warrior is to use these loots and bone chips to fund your first weapon. A fist of Zek, Jarsath trident, sword of skyfire or green jade broad sword (listed in order of desirability) can all be negotiated down to 40pp (a realistic amount to accrue by the time the skeletons stop giving XP). You might even be able to get a good deal on a venomous axe of the velium brood. Basically a cheap one handed weapon with a 1:2ish ratio. Take the rest of your bone chips to turn in for XP at kaladim or bank them for your next purchase. Your weapon is good enough to keep aggro for now, if it isn't then you are probably grouped with a think that might tank better than you anyway.

Save your plat as you level, wear armour you find (raw hide, rhino hide, mesh; all of these are fine to start with. As will be ringmail and bronze armour as you level further). There are a couple of 'bang for buck' upgrades to save for. Platinum/velium Fire wedding rings will boost your Max hp significantly at low level (helping you survive emergencies). Even more important than these is haste which will improve your white damage, and hence threat generation. After you've got these, and your offhand weapon, you are then free to spend on other upgrades. Banded armour is a good start of you failed to find any bronze armour in the field.

TLDR: farm decaying skeletons for XP and gold/bone chips. Buy 1:2 ish dmg:delay weapon. Find XP/play elsewhere. buy haste, buy hp rings as you can afford them. Buy banded if needed. This will take you to 46. From here you can guild up and gear up on hate/growth plane armour rots and Kael arena/plate house groups or crystal chitin from velkator's labyrinth XPing. These will last you to 60 and carry you to Kael or skyshrine quest armour and in turn end game armour.

You don't need a cloak of flames, fungus tunic and swiftblade of Zek / blade of carnage to level a warrior (though it would help).
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