Resting During Combat?

[Grandune]

I don't have much experience with EverQuest beyond the first few levels, but I recently started a Shadow Knight and I've been thinking about also trying out a Bard or a Shaman. As I understand it, Clerics eventually reach a point where they become ineffective in melee and start spending most of the time resting to regain mana while the rest of the group fights, then they cast a few heals and sit down again. It sounds like more of a passive playstyle than I would like, and without much variety. So do Shamans end up doing the same thing, or would I be better off with a Bard?

[Crede]

Not one of those 4 classes mentioned are good at meleeing. If melee is what you primarily want to do, you're best off with a Rogue > War/Monk > Ranger.

Otherwise, based on what you said, Bard may be a good fit. They can do a little bit of everything, and are the most active class in this game as you are constantly twisting songs with the most finesse required. I recommend you read this class selection guide, you can sort by certain fields and it gives a nice description of each class.

https://wiki.project1999.com/Loraen%...election_Guide

[Nagoya]

Classes with most downtime / medding time = Cleric, Druid, Wizard... Shadow Knights and Rangers when they have to med they have to med.

Classes with lowest downtime / medtime = Bard, Enchanter, Monk, Necromancer... they have mechanics to keep going

All things being said tho, classic EQ is a game with a much slower pace than most other / modern MMOs.

But for an "active" playstyle with little downtime I would recommend either a Monk or a Bard [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Cen]

On my cleric I use a macro to be able to attack mobs in 1 millisecond while sitting never stopping mana regen, but on my shaman I'm too busy for that [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[loramin]

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

Clerics eventually reach a point where they become ineffective in melee and start spending most of the time resting to regain mana ... do Shamans end up doing the same thing, or would I be better off with a Bard?

First off, you have to distinguish between grouping and soloing. Both Shaman and Bards can group, but (unlike many classes) they're also fully capable of soloing. When you're soloing with any class you are definitely not just going to be sitting there.

Even in groups though, Shaman don't just sit there, because they're only "crap we can't find a healer" healers. Most groups want a full time healer (ideally a cleric), and want the shaman to focus on slowing, controlling their pet, buffing, and maybe sometimes backup healing.

And then on top of all that, no matter what they're doing Shaman never sit for very long, because they have Cannibalize. If you're playing a Shaman properly you only sit for long enough to get one tick's worth of mana, then you stand up and cast Cannibalize to get mana much faster (unless you're really low on health or something).

[Grandune]

Thanks for the info. I know that this game has a slower pace than modern MMOs, and I actually prefer the slower pace. It's just that the downtime that Clerics are supposed to have sounds pretty extreme. I didn't want to become too invested in playing a Shaman, only to find out later that they have more downtime than I thought.

[Doctor Jeff]

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

Thanks for the info. I know that this game has a slower pace than modern MMOs, and I actually prefer the slower pace. It's just that the downtime that Clerics are supposed to have sounds pretty extreme. I didn't want to become too invested in playing a Shaman, only to find out later that they have more downtime than I thought.

If you play your sham properly there is 0 downtime unless you take a break

[drelk001]

I would highly suggest Enchanter.

Not a whole lot of downtime due to Crack.

They can solo like a boss Which is pretty active and extremely useful in groups, with crowd control and buffing and charm pets, It usually keeps the group moving right along. It's extremely active and feel very rewarding.

[loramin]

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

I wish we would stop saying certain classes cannot solo. Every single class in the game can solo to 45. Some better than others, some faster, some slower. Grouping is the way to play this game, I suggest only solo play if you can’t find/make a group.

I think "can't solo" is just short-hand for "well you can solo with this class, but it will take FOREVER without twinking, much longer than grouping." So while the latter might be more accurate, the former is easier and shorter to writ in a forum [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

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

If you play your sham properly there is 0 downtime unless you take a break

I have to disagree. I mean once you get 60 and Torpor, of course, and if you have a Fungi as you level up then you'll probably not have that much downtime ... but either way you're going to have some.

DoTs kill at speed X, but the mana you need to recast them comes back at speed 2X (or whatever factor; probably more but I'm too lazy to math). Similarly, whatever melee damage you and your pet do, the mob is going to do X damage to you in 10 seconds, and the mana to heal that X damage is going to take longer than 10 seconds to get back.

So maybe you played your Shaman differently than I did (a mix of root/rotting, pet tanking, and face tanking), but I just don't see how a Shaman, especially an untwinked one, can avoid downtime entirely from 1 to 60.

[Raavak]

I played an SK for a long time on Live and when I was actively pulling/tanking for a group I tried not to cast faster than I was regening mana. Basically, I cast enough to lock aggro and maybe snare (you had to snare on Live or would start a train). I only had downtime when I solo'd because I would fearkite and cast lots of DOTs. I imagine Paladin would be roughly the same. Just a thought.