Saturday 28 June 2003

Pic of the day: In the foreground Itlandsen the overly defensive paladin, keeping the monster's attention while a couple groupmates attack it, and others watch from a safe distance...

DAoC uber PvE classes

Definitions:
DAoC (Dark Age of Camelot): A medieval / magic massive multi- player online role playing game. Kinda like EverQuest but more militaristic and with more focus on developing your skill, less focus on items. Recruiting largely from former EQ players. You probably don't want to read this now if you did not know the game already, but perhaps you want to note it for future reference?

Uber (adjective): From German "über", meaning over or above. In American roughly meaning "super", something that is disproportionately good. Uber things "rule".

PvE: Play versus Environment. Fighting computer-generated monsters, as opposed to PvP, Player vs Player (duel, player killing), or RvR, Realm vs Realm (war). Some classes are better against player characters, others are better against monsters. This entry is all about fighting monsters.

***

This is my personal view. I have played this game more daily than weekly for the past year and a half, since about a month after it was released. I have played extensively in all 3 realms and also with the Shrouded Isles expansion. I have played most of the classes personally to some degree, and played together with the others and observed them in action. I have played on several servers including European ones and the cooperative server where players from all 3 realms can do PvE in all areas. True, others have played more than me and under different circumstances, and their opinion may vary. Still, here is my verdict.

Uber solo PvE: Deathsight Necromancer (Albion). This class is the ultimate "pet" class. The undead servant can both cast spells and fight up close; and the enemy cannot even see the necromancer as long as the pet lives, so there is no risk of aggression if you heal your pet during battle. The real balance-killer is a combination of spells in the Deathsight line of specialization: A ranged spell that converts enemy life energy into magic power, then a cheap close-up spell that drains life from the opponent to heal your pet. As long as you don't get surrounded, you can kill without pause: The magic you use to heal your pet can be replaced by your next victim, and both of the spells have the side effect of doing lots of damage to your enemy.

Uber group PvE: Chant Paladin (Albion). The paladin is the natural foundation of a group. With his plate armor he can withstand a lot of aggression, and with his heal chant, taunt shout and taunt moves he can draw attention away from his weaker team mates. Because his chants of healing, damage add and endurance regeneration work for the whole group, the presence of a paladin will make all other "tank" characters more effective in combat. Further, two or more paladins can stack their heal chants. With enough trained paladins able to twist their chants, it is even possible to do without healers at all: I have hunted in all-paladin groups and had a blast. And even with less, every paladin added means less load on the healer.

Runners-up, solo: Staff Friar (Albion). A friar that specializes in staff and enhancement can do enormous damage while surviving to heal himself. Unlike necromancers they may need a bit of downtime between fights, but they can attack every bit as high a monster as any class. I have seen a friar solo in the diamond loop, where you usually run a full group of level 45 characters. Just don't get involved in fighting a chain of opponents, for you lack the constant self-heal of a necromancer or paladin.

Enchantment enchanter (Hibernia). The top dog of pet classes until the Shrouded Isles appeared. As long as you pull only one enemy at a time, this class can chew its way through orange-con monsters, getting up to the maximum allowed experience points in each pull. Their pets are awesome tanks, but unlike necromancers the enchanters will get attacked if they heal too much too fast. The class was just upgraded again and is definitely a contender for the top spot.

Balanced Paladin (Albion). While group-friendly paladins specialize in chants, a more balanced approach lets you get close to 75% of your level in all of chants, weapon, shield and parry. This makes a formidable solo player. Due to the self heal, they may compete with necromancers and enchanters as harvest machines; but unlike pet classes they require a substantial investment in top notch armor and weapons to stay on the top.

Runners-up, group: Warden (Hibernia). Not the greatest of tanks, but can do. Not the greatest of healers, but can do. Is the greatest of pulsing bladeturn factories, though. Bladeturn completely protects you from the first physical attack that otherwise would have hit you. With two bubble boys at 6 second pulse, the whole group gets complete immunity every 3 seconds, which is pretty awesome. And they don't need to sit and meditate to do that, they can go out and about hitting stuff and even do a little bit of healing.

PBAE Enchanter or Spiritmaster: While these people are not the first to be added to a group, they make a huge difference. The point blanc area effect damage spells can nuke a whole group of monsters to kingdom come in a short while. Best used along with a power supply like a sorcerer or mentalist, though, so the nukers should effectively be counted as taking two places in a group. Keeping them alive is a challenge too. But things will be slow without them.

***

You will notice that my list has many Albion classes on them and very few from Midgard. I admit that this may reflect my own prejudice to some extent. But in all fairness, a list of the best RvR classes would look very different. Midgard seems more geared toward player killing, and especially outright warfare. Their strength is quick, decisive action, and their support classes are unmatched. The strength of Albion is in tenacity, with classes that bounce back during long fights. And long fights are the soul of play vs environment.