Necro or Mage? Hmmmm?
BlueAcid98
also like that fact that magicians are well-liked everywhere (unlike Necros)
and also can summon alot of things (including food). Anyone playing either one
of these classes have some feedback for me? Pros and Cons for each class would
be much appreciated. Thanks!
BoobTooob
solo-playing landscape...up until about level 28 or 30, that is. After that,
it's all downhill.
Necromancers' lifedrain spells lose their use in combat and become more
wasteful of mana than worthwhile (you won't even be meleeing to justify the
health recovery, anyway!). Pets, assuming you can research the spells (which to
date no one has ever done for the pets between levels 24 and 44), are weak and
pitiful, often becoming train-pulling magnets in dungeons or other tightly
enclosed zones. And what about Necros in groups? Since you're practically
forced to group at these high levels, you'd think the Necromancer would have a
lot to offer in this arena. Not so. Our DoT spells are buggy, often stealing
the kill from the entire group and doling out NO experience or loot to anyone
(even the necro). Hence, most groups forbid necro DoT use. Our pets are
outlawed in dungeons for their train-pulling incompetance -- and believe me,
dungeons are where it's at during the high levels. So what are we left with? A
useless, pseudo-DD spell line called "Life Drain," which does pitiful damage
and costs nearly a quarter of our mana bar to use per cast.
Meanwhile, every class in the game capable of using spells is doing more
Direct-Damage. Even clerics, the prime HEALERS of Norrath, do more damage than
the Necromancers, supposed 'masters' of suffering and pain. Oh, and I forgot to
mention one little thing: Shamans do EVERYTHING Necromancers do, only far, far
better. Starting at level 34, they get a wolf pet -- the finest pet in the
game. They also get more powerful DoT spells than Necromancers, and up to 4
stackable ones, just like we Necros do. Shamans also get better DD spells and
utility spells, not to mention the infamous Spirit of Wolf spell. So what's
left for the necromancer? A lifetime of mediocrity. Have fun. =)
In case you can't tell: yes, I am bitter. I am fairly jaded after having spent
months playing what I would discover only too late to be a worthless, dead-end
class. Don't follow in my footsteps. Do not repeat the mistakes I and every
other necro in Norrath have made. Don't play a necro.
Jeff K.
<19990624094040...@ng-fo1.aol.com>...
I have a level 14 magician and so far I love him. He's very independent,
being able to summon food, bandages, weapons (not great weapons, but I
rarely melee anyway), and dimensional pockets whenever he needs them. I've
been very happy with my pets so far, although they do take a watchful eye to
keep them in check. (Whichever class you choose, make a button for the "/pet
sit down" command!). Magicians are weaker in the damage spell department
than wizards, especially starting at level 12. They get new direct damage
and area damage spells about every other circle, which means they suffer
through 4 levels of "damage" lag for about half their career. In most
situations the pets make up for it, though, since they can deal out damage
and absorb hits without using any extra mana. Before someone else chimes in,
yes, pets are a problem in dungeons, but you can still find ways to make
yourself useful - though not as useful as a wizard. In the great outdoors,
however, I firmly believe that magicians are the equal of wizards, and
possibly even better in many cases. I certainly believe they are more
flexible, even if they lack the raw power of a wizard. Magicians are also
nice because they have the best damage shields in the game, and you can help
others out by supplying food, bandages, or dimensional pockets if they're in
need.
I played a human necromancer for a very short time. I got tired of my lousy
faction - I wasn't even able to buy my own gate spell. I had to wait for a
friendly cleric to buy it for me. It takes a certain kind of person to play
a non-dark elf necromancer, and I discovered I am not that kind of person.
Some people really enjoy that kind of challenge, but I don't. It was kind of
fun searching out the necro guild in Qeynos, though. :)
I have little information about how either class fares at higher levels. The
high level magicians I've met have no complaints, and I've never met a high
level necromancer. Now that magician pets cast spells, I believe their pets
have a slight edge over necro pets. They lack the necromancer's DOT spells,
some of which are pretty nasty and also slow the target for a brief period.
The necro's lifetap spells are pretty nice, and in conjunction with their
health sharing spells can be used to heal party members (though only
slightly). On the other hand, magicians can easily get good at bandaging and
heal party members up to half health after a fight without expending any
extra mana.
I hope this helped.
Jeff K.
Nystramo on Cazic-Thule
Malvolin
worst thing to being an Erudite Necro.
Jeff K. wrote in message <7ktfa0$pm7
Desdinova
>(Whichever class you choose, make a button for the "/pet
>sit down" command!).
Here's a suggestion which someone pointed out to me once and
which I've used ever since.
Don't use /pet sit down.
Use /pet guard here.
Why?
You're medding. You've told your pet to sit down. A battle
starts nearby. Either something thwacks you (activating your pet) or
you decide to help (/pet attack) and forget to tell your pet /pet
follow me first.
Your pet rushes into the fray. The MOB starts running. Your
pet follows. The MOB dies. Your pet returns to his previous mode of
existence: sitting. Right where he's at. Right over the prostrate
corpse of whatever he just killed. Possibly far away from you.
Possibly right in the path of something more unpleasant that will kill
him and then come looking for you.
With /pet guard here, the same thing happens (i.e. the pet
stays in one place and doesn't move unless attacked or told
otherwise), with the notable exception that after the pet greases
whatever he's been chasing, he will return to the spot you told him to
guard.
Desdinova
Humble Erudite Conjurer of the 4th Circle
Innoruuk
Jeff K.
Desdinova wrote in message <377254f7...@news.rcn.com>...
>"Jeff K." <jk...@worldnet.att.net> sez:
>
>>(Whichever class you choose, make a button for the "/pet
>>sit down" command!).
>
> Here's a suggestion which someone pointed out to me once and
>which I've used ever since.
>
> Don't use /pet sit down.
>
> Use /pet guard here.
Hmm.... I like it! I will change my button as soon as I play again.Thanks
for the tip!
ka...@wwwaif.net
<on the pros of the woefully underrated magician class>
>
>I have a level 14 magician and so far I love him. He's very independent,
>being able to summon food, bandages, weapons (not great weapons, but I
>rarely melee anyway), and dimensional pockets whenever he needs them. I've
>been very happy with my pets so far, although they do take a watchful eye to
>keep them in check. (Whichever class you choose, make a button for the "/pet
>sit down" command!).
Ditto with my - finally! - lvl 21 magician - she just gets more fun to play
all the time. I don't have much experience with other classes, but from what I
can see, the magician may well be the most 'independent' (read: solo-able) of
all the classes, with the possible exception of necromancers.
Summon food, summon drink, summon heatstone (which I finally got from a kindly
travelling Erudite - yay!), summon this, summon that ... stuff like this may
seem mundane compared to the Awesome Power of the Wizard <tm>, but I admit it
does make you feel smug when you're deep in the Karanas and everyone else is
/auctioning for provisions. Of course, it also gives you the chance to be
helpful.
The pets are pretty darned useful too - like a built-in tank that (usually)
listens to instructions, doesn't argue with you about where to go and never
demands a share of the loot. Their new spellcasting ability definitely makes
a difference. I wish I knew what damage my little guy was doing when I see
that 'stumbles as the earth shook' or 'was slashed by ice' message, but
considering that they can also hit, kick and bash, when you add up cumulative
damage, they're definitely worth at least twice their weight in mana
investment.
On the /pet commanding front: I've found that even if I forget to tell my pet
to follow me, he usually tags along anyway, and if a lion decides to chew on
me while I'm medding, he takes care of the problem. Then again, at the moment
I'm outdoors - inside dungeons or in strange territory, I'd definitely use
follow to make sure I can keep a close eye on him.
It's also a good idea to keep in mind that your pets will get progessively
weaker as you move towards the next spell circle. Well, they're not really
getting weaker, but you're getting stronger, so it has the same effect. Make
sure you /consider every new pet to get an idea of how much punishment he'll
be able to take. Generally, I don't attack anything more than one '/con' level
above my pet - but again, that might be over-cautious.
Magicians are weaker in the damage spell department
>than wizards, especially starting at level 12. They get new direct damage
>and area damage spells about every other circle, which means they suffer
>through 4 levels of "damage" lag for about half their career. In most
>situations the pets make up for it, though, since they can deal out damage
>and absorb hits without using any extra mana. Before someone else chimes in,
>yes, pets are a problem in dungeons, but you can still find ways to make
>yourself useful - though not as useful as a wizard. In the great outdoors,
>however, I firmly believe that magicians are the equal of wizards, and
>possibly even better in many cases. I certainly believe they are more
>flexible, even if they lack the raw power of a wizard. Magicians are also
>nice because they have the best damage shields in the game, and you can help
>others out by supplying food, bandages, or dimensional pockets if they're in
>need.
The damage lag thing can be a bit of a drag, especially in the Awkward Period
right before a new DD-spell circle. At 15, I thought I was going to spend
the rest of my existence wandering the West Karana cornfields
getting slaughtered by scarecrows. But as soon as I hit 16 and got Shock of
Flame, I was able to solo 'em easy.
To me, the best part of being a magician is the ability to solo play, and I'm
tired of people suggesting that somehow this isn't proper for a 'massive
multi-player' game like EQ. It's not that I'm antisocial - I like talking to
other people hunting in the same areas, and I'll always help someone out if
they're in trouble, even if it's with a beast so high above my level that none
of my spells work. (Tip to wanna-be Samaritan mages: even if you can't cast on
the thing, your pet can hit it a few times, which can make a BIG difference to
whoever's getting beat.)
I enjoy doing my own thing, and my magician seems to be able to do that
without getting mired in mid-levels. I'm not sure whether other classes have
this ability and just don't use it because they've constantly told that
soloing at high levels is impossible, or whether it's a magician-only boon.
Either way, if you enjoy solo play, the magician is a great class. If you
prefer to group - well, magicians are two for the price of one, and an
all-round provider of basic necessities on top of it. The flexibility is a
great feature, and personally, I think it's worth the trade-off for
nuclear-damage-potential inherent of the wizard.
Then again, I may be just the *slightest* bit biased.
K
Ginko
<malv...@columbus.rr.com> wrote:
>That's the problem. I'll bet that being a Human Necro in Qeynos is the next
>worst thing to being an Erudite Necro.
The Qeynos necro has access to most merchants and the bank. The
Erudite necro can't do business with any of the merchants or bank (
all that those copper pieces get heavy) and all the NPC will kill (or
attempt to kill you) on sight (except city guards), even the palace
messenger.
You like necro and want a challenge, play one of these.
BTW any erudite necros get to qeynos and were you treated as well as a
qeynos necro or was it as bad as Erudian?
Jim Williams
We've been doing a lot of complaining about the difficulty in soloing in EQ.
But, you just said you think the magician solos well, and I've heard others
say it. I've heard that necros solo well... and I have a sneaking suspicion
that enchanters are going to turn out to be good solo artists (I'll let you
know when I get mine up a few levels...) Clerics can solo "okay", at least
mine can. So I guess the stuff about grouping being required or at least
encouraged isn't entirely true.
ka...@wwwaif.net wrote in message <7ktru1$254...@enews.newsguy.com>...
Marc Fuller
>
[snip]
>
> Your pet rushes into the fray. The MOB starts running. Your
> pet follows. The MOB dies. Your pet returns to his previous mode of
> existence: sitting. Right where he's at. Right over the prostrate
> corpse of whatever he just killed. Possibly far away from you.
> Possibly right in the path of something more unpleasant that will kill
> him and then come looking for you.
>
> With /pet guard here, the same thing happens (i.e. the pet
> stays in one place and doesn't move unless attacked or told
> otherwise), with the notable exception that after the pet greases
> whatever he's been chasing, he will return to the spot you told him to
> guard.
>
> Desdinova
> Humble Erudite Conjurer of the 4th Circle
> Innoruuk
The trade-off is, that in any Guard mode, your pet will aggressively attack
*anything* that comes in range, is is something the pet might be able to kill.
This can get really annoying in places like Lavastorm, where a majority of the
critters will normally be happy to leave you alone, as long as you don't bug
them. It's pretty frustrating to have just finished off an particularly nasty
Imp, sit down, and hear
"Taunting Attacker, Master"
A lava basilisk begins to cast a spell.
Gobober is covered in a light layer of stone.
A lava basilisk bites Gobober for 30 points of damage.
Gobober has been slain by a lava basilisk.
a lava basilisk bites you for 24 points of damage.
You have been slain by a lava basilisk.
I've never used /pet guard here, after the first time it got me killed. I'd
rather just pay attention, and keep my pet under control. It takes a lot less
time and effor than walking back everytime I get killed.
Marc Fuller
Marc Fuller
>
> hmm..
> We've been doing a lot of complaining about the difficulty in soloing in EQ.
> But, you just said you think the magician solos well, and I've heard others
> say it. I've heard that necros solo well... and I have a sneaking suspicion
> that enchanters are going to turn out to be good solo artists (I'll let you
> know when I get mine up a few levels...) Clerics can solo "okay", at least
> mine can. So I guess the stuff about grouping being required or at least
> encouraged isn't entirely true.
>
It depends on what you hunt, and where. I've had no realy problems soloing as
either a Magician or a Druid, but I go out of my way to find zones where my
powers are most effective. At the moment, both of my characters are living
semi-permanently in Lavastorm, because both Magicians and Druids have damage
shields and the Ward Summoned line of spells. I can attack a Fire Elemental as
strong as I am, and blast it to flinders, even though a Crypt Mummy of the same
level normally leaves me out of mana, nearly killed, and diseased to boot.
Plus, there's no d*mn Giants in Lavastorm, just a few really big Elementals or
Imps. Unless I'm already nearly dead from the last fight, I can generally
manage to at least run to the zone if I do get attacked by something I can't
handle.
For the Druid, the strategy is to Root, Swarm, and run a fair distance away.
When I see it finally come flying over the hill, I put the Shield of Thistles
on, then melee and Expulse Summoned until it dies.
For the Magician, Fire Shield and Burnout on the pet, and when an Elemental gets
close, the first spell that hits it is Cancel Magic (which rips it's own Fire
Sheild away, and lets my pet hit it without getting baked.) Then Ward Summoned
until it dies. After the battle, I Cancel Magic on my own pet until it starts
to heal again.
Either way, I can kill even fairly strong Elementals and take minimal damage. I
couldn't do the same thing against Crocs or Mummies in Oasis, because my spells
don't give me any particular advantage against them. And there's the enourmous
crowds, and Sand Giants to deal with. I'd guess that other spellcasters can do
the same thing against monsters that they are particularly strong against.
Marc Fuller
mrwhi...@my-deja.com
attacking everything unless I tell it to or until
something attacks me first. I think Verant has
changed this. My invis air elemental was set to
"guard here" when I went out looking for giant
skeletons. When I got back a Cyclops was standing
on my invis pet. Eventually it wandered off with
my pet sitting the contentedly until the skeleton
got in range (he had hit me earlier) and then
went beserk on the thing. I'd be dead if the
elemental attacked the cyclops. I've used guard
here in Nejana and Guk. Similar response. He
doesn't twitch, even when something spawns right
next to him. Even non-invis elementals do this.
I'd suggest trying pet guard here again. Verant
has changed it. I'm very happy now...
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