New Spells on Test

[Tonzafun IndyJok]

Druids had just become completely useless in an experience group until now. I mean what can a druid do that other class can't.  The other classes have more benefit in a group then a druid. I was told once by Air, because I was frustrated as Dop. Druid's solo, that's what they do.
Yeah druids are great at soloing. Try to solo for 53 levels and see how much fun a druid is. Try to get your druid gear with out buying it all and have it given to you. Try bring used for nothing but a taxi. Try being asked to port a bunch of people around to go to some Kewl dungeon then not get invited to go. That happened to me so many times that I now hate my druid. I have a pretty useful 52-druid mule now because of it. Now I know we have some GREAT druid's in our guild but I know they are just as frustrated as I am, they just have more determination than I do. Hehehe. Hell maybe I just never figured out how to be a good druid and I really suck as a druid but you guy's are just to nice to tell me that I suck. No wait, what am I thinking? You guys are the first to tell me I suck, never mind.
That comment about a Cleric being over looked for a Druid has got to be one of the most amusing things I have head in a long, long time.
And Air don't forget those sweet cleric buffs. Druid buffs? BAH! They are ok when you cant get those sweet cleric buff's and a druid will still only get a group when there is no Cleric around but at least we will get considered again. I hope I haven't upset any of our Druids and they may or may not agree with me but this is just how I felt as a druid. I wanted to be included but was always over looked, it doesn't matter if it was because I sucked as a druid or there were just other classes that were more attractive to the groups.  I was left out of way too much of the game because I could never get in a group. It was not being included in guild groups that really hurt.
Now I have Tonz, he is going to places that I have never been before, and the game is fun again.
If any of our Druids want or need a group you tell me and we will get in a group. I know how it is.
I'm sorry, this wasn't meant to be a rant!  Hahaha.

LET ME ADD THIS IS JUST HOW I FELT AS A DRUID! Not what I believe.

[Carellron]

/boggle
Didn't know an Orge's vocabulary was that extensive.....Saif, what have we said about giving the Orge "Gift of Intelligence"?  Bad chanter bad :D

[Johnray]

I agree with Tonz 101%!  

I played a druid to level 39 and then got sick of waiting an hour or more to get a group - in freaking Dreadlands!  It was so frustrating that I quit playing EQ altogether for a month or so.  Like Tonz, I think my druid makes a nice mule, and I'm glad I have him for those things.  

The idea that clerics will now be overlooked for a druid is laughable.  I say that from a melee and from a druid perspective.  If I'm fighting in a group, I'll take a cleric over a druid for healing anyday.

I'm not sure I understand the idea that clerics should have more soloing ability either.   By definition a cleric is a group character.  I back that up with quotes directly from Allakahzam's website.

These are quotes straight from the cleric class description page:

"This is the most popular class in Everquest.  Not for people trying to play them, but for people trying to group with them.  Clerics rarely have difficulty finding a group.  If you play a Cleric you will have lots of friends, since a Cleric is an absolute must for a well balanced party."

"Clerics are able to wear full plate armor, giving them a level of protection unmatched by other spell casters. "

"This is a class for the person who likes to socialize and wants to be welcomed wherever he goes. "

In my opinion, and that's just it, an opinion - giving Clerics more solo ability is a bit like giving a monk more casting ability.  Just weird!

[Gelf Winterfell]

Rumour has it that VI is going to try to give all classes the ability to solo and to have a place in groups. I am sure we are still going to see many things get changed once these new additions go live. One thing is for sure, EQ will never be the same. I am hoping this is a good thing.

I am looking forward to the day I can say to the cleric, "Go ahead and melee, I'll spot heal for a little bit" LOL

I will still always want a cleric in any group I am in. Can't beat a heal that is still 3 times as good as the one they have in mind for druids and shamans. Also our buffs pale to cleric's ability to buff HP/ AC.

One thing I would like to see is taking away the need for clerics to use peridots for their buff spells. I have never agreed with the need for componets for buffs.

I still wish they would give us druids more animal forms then the wolf one. Druids in the roleplaying sense in other games are masters of nature and can assume many forms due to this bond with the wild. I am going to send them a email with these ideas:

        Form of the Shark- Shark form with perma EB. Can only       be used in the water. Increase to swim speed.

       Form of the Eagle- Eagle form with the ability to fly upwards, instead of the constant floating down you get with levi spells. Increase to movement speed. This would be great for scouting out some zones.


I see an uncertain future ahead of us, and I look forward to whatever it might be =)


Gelf       54 Druid of Tunare
Vistroy  53 Monk (Still semi retired)

[Saiferus]

sorry care but i needed someone to talk to out here alone too long

[Airelyn]

Ok Druids don't get in a twist heh.  I do agree with you that Druids need to have more group advantages... I stated that in my post above.

But don't make these judgements like Clerics are the be all end all of classes for groups... cause you know what, we aren't anymore.  We haven't been for sometime.  Everyone acts like if you play a Cleric everything is good in a group and on raids.  Ok don't pass judgement until you play one 50+... first off I don't do pickup groups... why?  Cause I can't get em... I sit at lame_zone_01 for hours shouting 55 cleric LFG and nothing.  On regular raids... if your the main or secondary cleric your fine... if your in one of the other groups, forget about it... you sit there and do nothing and I mean nothing.

To quote Johnray

The idea that clerics will now be overlooked for a druid is laughable.

Laughable? Hon it already happens... I get overlooked alot for 60 druids.  Why take a 55 cleric when a 60 druid can heal just fine and has better buffs?  I guarantee Clerics will be overlooked more after these changes are implemented.

I'm not sure I understand the idea that clerics should have more soloing ability either. By definition a cleric is a group character.

Ok right now... we can't even kill friggin greens past the level of 53 and barely any before that.  I'm not saying we should be able to quad kite crap, but for god sakes let us be able to have a chance to survive against a blue.  Saying we shouldn't get soloing ablity is like saying you guys shouldn't get better heals to make you better in groups.  Doesn't it seem like a good trade-off?  You guys get more group ability while we get more solo ability?  I mean look at it this way... Cleric is one boring class.  Granted yes it is boring to solo for all your levels... but it is also boring to sit on your butt the entire evening.  Rarely do I get into an encounter where it gets exciting and heals are flying and we barely survive.  We sit and chat and then about every few minutes we stand up and cheal and sit back down, oh and throw a couple buffs out every hour or two... we really have no other options in groups.  Heh that is why most of my alts are all melee... at least i can get in on the action.  Maybe if they gave Clerics at least "some" ability to solo, we would have an option to do something else once and a while.

Oh and Tonz, I know where you are coming from... I remember how frustrated you were back in the day and I am glad you are happier nowadays.

Now I'm sorry if I sound harsh or something, but I feel like I am being laughed at here for having a opinion and that I am silly to feel this way... I said in my previous post... I AGREE with you druids getting more group ability... but if they are working so hard on balancing other classes, they need to balance Clerics and not just give us more annoying heals that alot of us won't use.  I mean Clerics have got very little when it comes to new stuff or balancing like the other classes... but the other healing classes have gotten the Healing penalty taken off and now given a form of complete heal.

Oh and BTW... I have leveled a Druid to 51 so I am quite aware of the trials and tribulations involved.  The grass is always greener on the other side... but play a cleric to high level and then tell me what ya think :)

P.S  Gelf... cool ideas :)

[Airelyn]

Now on to specifics...

Rich Waters (lead designer of eq) made a huge statement today regarding the Cleric class and it's upcoming changes.

To sum up... they are working on giving clerics solo ability and giving them things to make them more functional in general.  They are trying out Clerics Bash at level 25 (finally, we've been asking for this for a while) it will obviously cap out alot lower then melee, but will be a nice addition... also he released info on our new summoned hammer and yaulp combo... The summoned hammer is a unique weapon in that it has a VERY high proc frequency, doing 75-150 damage per proc.

In testing, clerics have been effective soloing the entrance to Charasis and Chardok, grouping in a number of high end dungeons, and even making reasonable experience as a two-cleric duo in Cazic-Thule.

For whole story:
http://eq.crgaming.com/viewarticle.asp?Article=4501

See this stuff makes me feel better... at least VI feels the same way as the Cleric community does on the future of our class to some extent.

[Johnray]

hehe.. I wasn't laughing at ya Air!  It just seems like Verant is having some Class Identity Crisises at the moment.

As a monk I'd love to be able to take on blues myself!  Admittedly I am among the gimpiest when it comes to armor and whatnot, but I find myself getting beat down regularly when soloing.  

And your right, I've never played a cleric.  I've often wished I had one in a group when the druid ran out of mana and couldn't heal me, but that's about the extent of my cleric knowledge.  The reason for that though, is that I enjoy soloing much and have always thought of a cleric as a grouping character exclusively.

So what I'm seeing now is that clerics are gonna be meleeing, druids are gonna be healing, pigs are gonna be flying, and my whole EQ world is falling apart!

Sigh....  I hope they give us monks some new spells soon...

[Airelyn]

Thing you have to understand also... this pretty much only affects the 56+ game and has little to do with lower then that IMO.

The thing is... the classes in this game need work and have needed work for a long time.  Some people are scared of change and think it is the end of everything when they make drastic changes.  Thing is... Clerics are still the main healers and always will be.  We aren't becoming melee and I don't think any of us would want that... but we are plate wearing spell junkies and we should start to act like it.  The idea behind the cleric is to be able to take a pounding, yet our defensive skills aren't much better then a wizards :)

All we are asking for is balance... just like every other class wants.  About the soloing thing?  Well your problem with soloing is as you said partially gear based... because Monks are pretty much one of the best soloing classes IMO :)

[Fizzgig]

ya don't know inability to solo till you've played a cleric....it's so bad that if a db attacks me when I don't have root up I don't even bother trying for the zone unless I'm right on it...I get out of harms way get a loc and wait for the CR to begin. least that way I know where I am......and I'm not complaining bout the druids gettin heals I never get groups anyhow lol no one wants to group with a lvl 52 cleric....actually after about lvl 45 no one wants to group with a cleric and I'm assuming this last's till at least 56 when you get the 96% rez that people don't want to pay/donate for.  or maybe lvl 60 where you get ageo if you can afford it.....cleric the class for people who like to chat VI is right you'll be popular cause you'll always be available to give advice/look stuff up do tradeskills(how do you think I got mine so high) cause if you get off your butt to do anything but heal or buff in a group assuming you get one people get cranky....at lvl 50ish I had some warrior give me advice on how to play a cleric cause I got up and nuked when I was fom and bored silly lol

[Airelyn]

/em cheers at Fizzgig

Tell it like it is sista!  =)

[Fizzgig]

yes maam boss lady :) just informing the masses as the the utter bordem we face on a daily basis playing cleric :) not that healing someone and getting agro's not fun...ooo or better yet standing still to heal and having the rest of the group take off running...how many times do you have to say 'if you run I can't heal you' before people pay attention lol

[chingerz]

It's sad that they need to fix the game in this way.  The fundamental problem not being addressed is that the perfect xp group at the highest levels is now a 2 person affair:  monk + shaman.

Rather than tackling the harder problem of altering zones and creating incentives for groupage, they wimp out and give in to player wishes by granting more solo skills.  It just makes things worse.

I have more to rant about, but I'm sleepy. Bye!

[Fizzgig]

well don't forget to finish your rant latter hun :p

[Aridor]

Hi Keepers, been a while. ;)

I can see were the changes to the druids and clerics are coming from (partially), but I really don't get it why shamen should get another heal spell.  Imo, they've got pretty good healing abilities already anyway, and if I remember correctly I didn't have any problems at all healing high lvl monks when I partnered up with them.
Guess, Ching is right on target when he says that VI should change the zones rather than granting the classes some additional spells/skills. Nothing against balancing the classes, but you can certainly overdo it.

/wave