I know asking for opinions on any trio can lead to never ending subjective responses, so I'll frame my request a little different. I'm planning a shaman, pally, ranger. I've never played ranger before. Aside from obvious shortcomings like no port, etc, can I get some feedback on combat issues I may run into? Like, if you see major issues with the group combo due to this common type of caster, or that type of situation. I'm trying to do a few classes I'd enjoy but also not a carbon copy of many other trios. Thx in advance
Yeah doesnt sound like a bad trio at all, ranger will add snare and the dps that is lacking in the shm/pal duo. Tracking is also huge. I run pal/shm/dru which works, but again is a little slow on the dps side. Gotta break out all the dots to make it efficient. I dont think you will miss the ports too much with pok around. Make sure you get your halfling gate caps for the pal and ranger.
Hey Sketchy. What cap is that? Halfling only? Thx for feedback guys. I never look for perfection, just like to make sure there's no glaring deficiency I'm missing
Anyone can click from inventory, its an amazing get out of jail free card. You will need to create a lvl 1 halfling to do the turnin depending on your classes though. Rechargeable via vendor charge mechanics. Getting the alligator skin is a pain and will take time. http://wiki.project1999.com/Leatherfoot_Raiders Its going to be a busy trio, but if you like the classes a lot its going to be worth it! Pal/Shm are two of my favorites.
I don't like the idea of playing two melee classes and you won't be able to fully utilize either of them without one being your main focus. Swap the pal or rng for a caster, either of them can tank up to 60 np.
Lenas makes a good point, two hybrids will be busy, positioning can be finicky with 2 melee. Shamans are an especially active class. Still worth a try though, if you dont like the trio you can always swap something else in later.
Could always go Shm/Pal/BRD and just have the bard singing hp/mana song for passive healing or Chords/Bellow for tougher mobs or small groups
Pal/Shm is a very sturdy combo, can tank just about anywhere in the game. Pal is a great aggro tank, stuns are very solid aggro holders. You can get away with a massive burst DPS (Wiz, Mage) or heavy melee DPS (rogue, monk) without worrying about aggro switching. Monk/Shm and Pal/Shm are fantastic duo combos, I would think Pal/Shm/Mnk would make for fantastic pulling/tanking ability and good DPS.
Thought about monk as well. I like the options but I'd tried to like the monk class a few times before but never liked it enough. I love pally tanking, Rez, and pacify. And shaman slows make everything so much easier.
Some people don't mind two melees, some do. I would first give Paladin/Shaman/Ranger a shot. It will be busy positioning two melee, while also healing/slowing/cann'ing on the shaman. However, that trio is solid with snares, small damage shields, dps, indoor and outdoor pulling, etc. If you decide it is too busy, but still want an unusual trio, replace the Ranger with a Wizard. You still get snare, you add teleports and pure DPS that can easily be managed with a hotkey. You'll also be loved in raids later as the wizard.
Yeah wizard would also be a solid choice. Depends on your play style and what you are drawn to. Wizard would be better DPS for raids (especially in Kunark) while ranger would give you more consistent dps for your trio. Ransom is right if you plan on raiding all guilds could always use moar wizards!
You cant go wrong with pal/sham/anything. Ranger will work very very well. You will adapt to double melee quickly. The convenience of track is just so good at times, especially ranger track. A hasted melee will also work well with the shaman where as a wiz will be fairly bottlenecked by mana without any form of regen, but wiz would still work fine none the less.
So the normal disclaimer: play it if it makes you happy! My thoughts: I dislike two melee, and I don't love having too many "hybrid" classes (aside from the melee hybrids, I consider shaman, necros, and Druids to be shades of "hybrid" - they are very utility heavy and have some mixture of another class's "core") in a setup for a few reasons. I won't talk you out of it, but what others have said above is pretty true - shaman are a bit more intensive than they initially lead on. And having no evac and your rezzer as your tank will lead to a few more one-man-CRs than you have probably thought of. I liked my paladin back on AK and Shaman is by far my favorite class (never played ranger) but to me it's a boxing trio that would not seem optimal. Not that you have to do optimal, of course! My recommendation based on my style: Ask yourself which melee class in that mix you most want to play and let the other go. If it's ranger then I highly recommend getting a cleric in there somehow, whether you have to drop the shaman or otherwise. If paladin then the shaman can work out but I would strongly suggest a wizard; a Mage if you want to try your hand at a trio with no snare! All of that to say there is no wrong answer. Taking the harder path can be way more fun. Enjoy whatever you play!
When I was a pally tank, I didn't worry too much about not having snare because I could root fleeing mobs. My favorite combo was pal/enc/dru but shaman is a great substitution for the enc.
Boxing more than one melee is going to take more work than just 3 boxing (which already takes a lot of work) If you're fine with that, it's a good trio with solid DPS and potentially lots of pros. Seems like you already know the pro's and con's. Personally, I'd rather just send a pet in or nuke here and there on my third box but i'm lazy like that. Play what you want and have fun! There aren't a lot of Rangers/Pallys so you've got that going for ya.
Thanks for all the info guys. Yeah, some days boxing "busy" is fun, some..not so much. It's tough. It's not like other games...and that's why I like the struggle. Other games, just try another, try another, try another...time lost is nothing. But we all know the importance in EQ, of getting it right before investing too much time. I 4 boxed on Mac AK a bst, dru, enc, clr. That was weird to some, but I didn't care. Had lots of cool stuff Ahhhh, the struggle continues. I'll take all your advice and use it to help me decide. Wiz does sound interesting. Never gave a wiz a true effort.
On AK I boxed Bst, cle, mage, dr00dz. I loved it, but my bst was maxed out and tanked stuff with his eyes closed. I miss AK Bumbum. Here I do Mage, dr00d, bst and switch in a cleric for the dr00d sometimes. May switch back to the Bumbum when Luclin or PoP is around but that's a while away. Sadly bst are missing several useful spells, gear, and weapons until Luclin
Haha. I remember you! You helped me out there quite a bit. I saw you a bit here and there...PoJ enforcers etc.
I am boxing Pally Druid Bard. Pally has always been my main going back to original EQ. Druid is heal/snare/etc, Bard can fill in a bit of most everything else you are missing. Works fairly well so far (never made it past level 55 last time around on eqmac). But after playing this game off and on for so long, min/maxing isn't the point anymore, its the challenge, so do what is most fun to play.
