Ranger and the Mez

pust082

Hi all,

I have been out of MMO's for a while now because of lack of time, however I want to get back into the mix. I loved EQ and DAoC when i played.

That being said, I have a question. While I loved playing my Chanter on EQ i did not enjoy playing a Ranger there. Could anyone tell me how role of Rangers and Chanter classes have progressed in EQ2?

Rangers used to be a lame dps class on EQ. Groups prefered thieves for their damage output. My Chanter was alot of fun to play for me, but it was hard to find a group alot of times unless crowd control was a major issue.

I always liked the idea of playing a Ranger, but DAoC encompased the parts that i liked much better than EQ.. scouting, stealth, high damage bow skills and duel weilding weapons.

The Chanter class was a challenge for me in EQ. Alway fun to stop a group of mobs dead in their tracks and keep everyone buffed.

Tell me a bit about the two classes so i can try to get an idea of their new roles in a group and how well they can solo, so i can get an idea of what i want to play when i return!

Thanks!

CPmmo

Originally posted by pust082


Hi all,
I have been out of MMO's for a while now because of lack of time, however I want to get back into the mix. I loved EQ and DAoC when i played.
That being said, I have a question. While I loved playing my Chanter on EQ i did not enjoy playing a Ranger there. Could anyone tell me how role of Rangers and Chanter classes have progressed in EQ2?
Rangers used to be a lame dps class on EQ. Groups prefered thieves for their damage output. My Chanter was alot of fun to play for me, but it was hard to find a group alot of times unless crowd control was a major issue.
I always liked the idea of playing a Ranger, but DAoC encompased the parts that i liked much better than EQ.. scouting, stealth, high damage bow skills and duel weilding weapons.
The Chanter class was a challenge for me in EQ. Alway fun to stop a group of mobs dead in their tracks and keep everyone buffed.
Tell me a bit about the two classes so i can try to get an idea of their new roles in a group and how well they can solo, so i can get an idea of what i want to play when i return!
Thanks!

I haven't played to that high of a level yet. (Currently 41) but you described an EQ2 ranger right there.  You have stealth.  You have high output damage on your bow, and you duel wield or can use a small shield for melee.  You get a bid better utility then I remember on my Hibernia Ranger.  SInce we have a group speed buff as EQ2 rangers. 

Amatal

Rangers are the Qeynos (good side) representative of a pure dps no utility class from the scout group of classes. They can dish out some amazing ranged dps, often creating agro stealing problems for less capable tanks in your avearage PuGs. Howerver they lack any group utility whatsoever- they dont bring anything but raw dps to the table.
Soloing with rangers is tricky as it requires kiting and a lot of space to finish off the harder mobs. It can be done, but it requires some skill.
Also, note that rangers start getting their really "ranged' combat abilities after level 20, and about the time they arrive to level 30 they are really a ranged class- before that they are just a weird two weapon meleeing scout subtype.

Enchanters are probably the most difficult class to master, as their every combat requires some thought and very quick thinking. They are the only real crowd control classes in EQ2 (illusionists more then coercers), bring solid dps to the table (again illusionists a bit higher then coercers) and have the best power regeneration buffs in the game alongside bards (coercers more so then illys), making their utility a wanted asset for every group raid.
However crowd control was never an integral part of EQ2- making enchanters strongest side more of a soloing aid then an actual group needed tactic.
Coercer get the charm ability allowing them to make any NPC they encounter their pet, while Illusionists get a twin personae pet that is a copy of themselves casting various mezz/root/damage spells alongside you.

Both classes are considered dps.
Rangers have a higher dps output then the enchanters, but enchanters have much more utility to compensate.
Rangers can wear chain armor, enchanters only cloth.
Using AAs rangers can become one of the fastest moving classes in game never needing a mount (my ranger had his move speed at over 50% by the time he hit lvl 17)
Using AAs enchanters can become the fastest casting class in the game- allowing them to dish out insane amounts of spells in very short time (not good if you are anti-ability spamming)
Rangers can charm a temproary animal pet by using AAs (though the ability isnt all that great- the aniumal pet cant really hold the agro you dish out and only servs as an additional dps Dot most of the time)
Rangers get stealth at level 1, Enchanters get invisibility at level 15.
Rangers get tracking.
Enchanters are usually rare, making them more wanted for end game (especially coercers)

Both classes are fun to play, are fast paced and require some amount of skill to be able to solo properly.

Hope this helped a bit.

pust082

Thank you... it did help quite a bit. My only question now would be: besides the good/evil aspect, what is the difference between coercers and illusionists. I have always played good races or characters, but it was so hard fo me to find a group as a chanter in EQ that i would like the advantage of being the more wanted subclass of chanter(if there is any!)

 

Thanks again to those who posted. Your help is appreciated!

Amatal

Coercers are usually "more wanted" as they tend to be quite rare. They are also somewhat more challenging to play then the Illusionists as they dont have a steady pet, but have to figure out what mobs to charm in different zones, and how to use different charmed mobs properly.

Besides the glaring difference of pets, Illusionists have a vast array of mesmerisation spells, while coercers have more stun spells, coercers can manage their power pools a bit better, while Illusionists have a bit higher dps.

But again, the main difference is in the fighting style of pets- while Coercers can use their pets as tanks/melee dps (or ranged if they chose to charm a caster for example)- illusionist pets are better off staying next to you keeping the mob rooted and pumping it up with damage alongside yourself.
Also worth noting is the fact Illusionst's master 1 spells are more expensive to obtain then Coercer's seeing there is a bigger Illy playerbase that wants them.

Both classes tend to excell at soloing if you know how to play them properly (they are probably the best soloers in the game in the hands of a skilled player), but both require time and patience to learn how to play them.

The first character i ever created in EQ2 was an illusionist; and i deleted him by the time he was level 5, being quite clueless about how am i exactly supposed to play the class. My main abilities were one damage spell, one dot and one mezz that would break everytime i damaged the enemy, and if i used the dot i was unable to mezz the same enemy again.Other classes just seem more straightforward and newb friendly.
After circling through 7 more classes, getting them to lvls 20-30, i came back and made an illusionist wich is my main now and is a blast to play.

The key to playing an enchnter is playing it slowly, unlike wizards or rangers that can kill with a couple of well placed shots, enchanters have to drain the mob little by little while keeping them unable to react.
But when shit hits the fan, and you get 2 groups of adds while trying to solo that hard heroic, other classes will be lying face down in the mud while enchanters pick the encounter off one by one, not really combating the mobs- but their own power pool.

pust082

I am beginning to understand that the role of the chanter class is still the role i enjoyed in EQ1. Thanks very much Amatal for sharing your experience. im looking forward to getting back into Norrath and giving my Enchanter new life in EQ2.

If anyone else has a few words to share, or secrets to slip me... please keep this post going!