Hey folks. So I've been playing MMOs for like a decade now. Wanted to try out Lineage II to see how I liked it. I've traditionally played DPS classes... either casters or melee. As such I've been eying the Gladiator, Sorcerer and Necro classes. Necro is more of an afterthought because I Loved my necro from DII ages ago haha, but I digress.
If anyone has any thoughts on what a good choice would be I'd love to hear 'em. I would consider myself a pretty heavy MMO vet, so I can handle just about anything (skillwise).
If you want a caster choose Spell Howler (Dark Elf).
For melee, Destroyer (Orc) for damage dealing or Paladin (Human) for defense. Considering melee you should also have a look at Temple Knight (Elf), Shillien Knight (Dark Elf, nice combination of skills) and Dark Avenger (Human, that fights with a nice panther by his side).
Have a look in NEW PLAYER GUIDE ---> GAME GUIDES. Very nice guides about melee classes there.
I can guarantee this is the best MMORPG in the market (I am a veteran of UO - 7 years, tried WoW and GW plus several others not worth mentioning...:)).
Thanks for the response. I will definitely check it out. Is the Dark Elf caster just hands down the best DPS? Any general opinions on the fun factor of playing melee versus ranged in this game? (I've found many games where one style of play vastly outshines another... just a thought.)
When it comes to melee I'm more of a "warrior type" than a "rogue type" if that helps to narrow down the choices a bit haha. Not that I dislike roguish play, but I generally find I enjoy a bit more "in your face" mitigation based melee DPS than avoidance based.
That said I'm really not looking to play a tank though. I've always been a DPS'er at heart.
Thanks again for any feedback. It can be a bit daunting trying to sort through all the combinations when looking at it for the first time haha.
*Edit: I was just looking at the dark elf stuff... do shillien knights use 2handers or 1hander+shield or duel wield or what generally? And is my assumption that the blade dancers seem like more of a buff class correct? I'm sorta looking for duel wield / 2hand weapon users as far as melee goes, but the blade dancer's description doesn't make it sound like a DPS class primarily.
When it comes to melee I'm more of a "warrior type" than a "rogue type" if that helps to narrow down the choices a bit haha. Not that I dislike roguish play, but I generally find I enjoy a bit more "in your face" mitigation based melee DPS than avoidance based.
That said I'm really not looking to play a tank though. I've always been a DPS'er at heart.
Thanks again for any feedback. It can be a bit daunting trying to sort through all the combinations when looking at it for the first time haha.
I would like to throw out the option of Orc Monk/Tyrant. You can't get much more "In your face" then that....
Here's another quick question... when looking at like Gladiator versus Warlord... it says warlords are better at one-versus-many where as Gladiator excels in one-versus-one.
So I guess the question is... how much of both of those are there in this game? I don't really have a feel yet if pulls are generally a mob or two, or like 6+ guys as in some games.
Not sure if I really even want to play either of those haha, but just trying to get a feel. I'm actually kinda leaning towards maybe a destroyer, monk, Shillien knight, Spell Howler, or Sorcerer now.
For just raw DPS is Spell Howler or Sorcerer best?
Shillien knight really sounds intriguing to me... but I definitely want to play either a duel wielding or 2hander melee class (excluding monk)... and I can't tell if Shillien is that or not based on the descriptions on this site.
**Edit: Just out of curiosity what class is the dark elf who's featured in a lot of the videos and the background for this site? He looks really sweet, but if it's a blade dancer I dunno if I'm so inclined to play a buffing class. (I assume the elf he's fighting is a temple knight?)
Hey folks. So I've been playing MMOs for like a decade now. Wanted to try out Lineage II to see how I liked it. I've traditionally played DPS classes... either casters or melee. As such I've been eying the Gladiator, Sorcerer and Necro classes. Necro is more of an afterthought because I Loved my necro from DII ages ago haha, but I digress.
If anyone has any thoughts on what a good choice would be I'd love to hear 'em. I would consider myself a pretty heavy MMO vet, so I can handle just about anything (skillwise).
Thanks for the thoughts. Enjoy.
Necro in L2 is usually played *nothing* like the Necro in D2. Usually people play them as if they were 'pure nukers'. (Sorceress in D2) Although if you really wanted to 'break the mold' so to speak, you could play one in a manner fairly close to a Golem only using Necro in D2. FoTM players will look at you funny though. =D
(You never have more than one summon in L2, so skelly Necro play is unavailable...)
Nukers in L2 have one main drawback. MP regen. (unlike D2 MP pots are not common items. What few elixers there are, are very expensive to use, as well as being unspammable.) The instant herb drops help, but in the end the 'best' nukers are ones with the most ability to regen MP. Thus the 'pecking order' for nukers usually comes down to [Spellhowler/Necro] then [Sorcerer] and finally [Spellsinger]. Sorcerers actually have a bit less ability than spellsingers in MP regen. (BtM L1 versus Clarity), but Sorcs have higher INT/Damage and thus better efficiency in MP use. Casting speed is the other main nuker stat, and in order of power just reverse the above ranking. (Although cast speed is usually more of a PvP stat than a needed PvE one.)
If your looking for straight up melee DPS, then Gladiator (duals) or Destroyer (2H Sword/blunt) are your best choices. Gladiator gets a few more skills to play with, while the Destro has more HP/durability. Arguably, a Orc Monk/Tyrant is more of a DD (dagger) class in terms of skill usage although it's more of a warrior in it's defense/duability. (I'd consider it a rogue variant in your definition.)
A bladedancer is actually a pretty good melee fighter, but the need to 'dance' every two minutes to maintain their DPS does make them play differently. If anything though, they are less buffers than they are melee chars with 'active skills' that affect the whole party.
Here's another quick question... when looking at like Gladiator versus Warlord... it says warlords are better at one-versus-many where as Gladiator excels in one-versus-one.
So I guess the question is... how much of both of those are there in this game? I don't really have a feel yet if pulls are generally a mob or two, or like 6+ guys as in some games.
Not sure if I really even want to play either of those haha, but just trying to get a feel. I'm actually kinda leaning towards maybe a destroyer, monk, Shillien knight, Spell Howler, or Sorcerer now.
For just raw DPS is Spell Howler or Sorcerer best?
Shillien knight really sounds intriguing to me... but I definitely want to play either a duel wielding or 2hander melee class (excluding monk)... and I can't tell if Shillien is that or not based on the descriptions on this site.
**Edit: Just out of curiosity what class is the dark elf who's featured in a lot of the videos and the background for this site? He looks really sweet, but if it's a blade dancer I dunno if I'm so inclined to play a buffing class. (I assume the elf he's fighting is a temple knight?)
Gladiator vs Warlord
Gladiator skills/weapon are single target focused and Warlord is multiple targets. However, AOE is much harder to accomplish solo or manage in a general party and thus warlords are fairly rare. Setting up a AOE party w/Warlord is a very good way to level fast/cheap but due to the extra people (buffers/AOE'rs) needed it's hard to set up a AOE party if you don't have a dedicated group on a regular basis. (All the FoTM classes are solo+buffer classes and as such AOE is even more rare now than in the past.)
In general however, too many mobs = downtime or Death in L2. The main issue being HP and HP regen. A polearm makes it easier to handle when it happens, but without a buffer/healer your not going to make many pulls before your in dire need of healing. (A single stun could get you killed as well if you try and solo AOE.) Thus in general, people want as few mobs attacking as possible. Most characters can handle an extra add as long as it's not constant, or you have a good tank/healer combo in a party. (In which case having the mobs all beat on one char is more desired than just keeping the attaacking mobs number down.)
As for nuker DPS, Spellhowler is a bit better than a Sorcerer. Although the difference isn't all that huge. SH has a few more spells that make it more preferred though. (SH = more single target nukes, Sorc = more AOE spells + Self buffs)
Shillien Knight is a tank, thus 1H + Shield is the best gear for them. Potentially you could go with a 2H sword, but you would lose a lot of defense on what is a low HP/easy to stun race. (You'd need to make much greater use of the expensive cubics to make this work if you did go that route though.)
As for the dark elf/elf illustrations...you'll soon see that any artwork (and most the class descriptions) have little to do with the actual gameplay/characters themselves. Yeah it looks cool, but it really doesn't mean anything. So the DE isn't anyone in particular, nor does it's weapon have anything to do with it's class in-game when it comes down to it. You'd be better of spending some time at the Monster Derby track watching the people in the arena if you want to see what the various race/class combos are. (Although you probably won't see all of them at any one time.)
What king of gameplay you are looking for? Solo? Group? PvP? PVE? your preferences may have a heavy impact on your character of choice... Spellhowlers are very good class high DPS, good MP management and all but if you are a Group PvE kind of person there is a chance you'll be frustrated. They usually XP alone or in duos, except for raids and some high level mobs.
Warlords are just the other way arround, very fun to play in groups, level pretty fast and reasonably cheap, but won't be much looked for if one wanna mass PvP, like sieges (for that the nukers are nice but you might wanna double check the archers before discarding them :))
Thanks a ton for the feedback so far folks. The more I read the more I think I'll make a spell howler if I go for a nuker.
Not sure that that's what I want to do yet for sure though. In terms of melees... which is the best DPS theoretically? I've narrowed it a bit, but not much so far. I read a couple posts about people complaining about their higher level gladiators... (I think most were wishing they had destroyers, but I don't know any real reasons right now.)
As far as melee goes I think I'm pretty much looking at gladiators, destroyers, blade dancers and monks at this point. So I guess a followup question other than which is the highest DPS would be, which offers the most to a group (which is going to be easiest to get groups, etc.)
On a side, one of my old WoW mains was a hunter that I loved. I read something about how archer groups were kinda FotM right now, but how do archery classes compare with nukers in terms of DPS / group appeal?
As always, thanks :) If you haven't gotten the gist of it yet, I'm a pretty methodical person haha. Generally like to plan things out far in advance. I find it works out best in the long run by far to do the research up front rather than making a poor decision and regretting it at level 40 or 50 when it's a bit late hehe.
What king of gameplay you are looking for? Solo? Group? PvP? PVE? your preferences may have a heavy impact on your character of choice... Spellhowlers are very good class high DPS, good MP management and all but if you are a Group PvE kind of person there is a chance you'll be frustrated. They usually XP alone or in duos, except for raids and some high level mobs.
Warlords are just the other way arround, very fun to play in groups, level pretty fast and reasonably cheap, but won't be much looked for if one wanna mass PvP, like sieges (for that the nukers are nice but you might wanna double check the archers before discarding them :))
Okay, so honestly I want a pretty well rounded character for my first toon. I like everything. I was a VERY heavy raider for many years in past games, and I absolutely love it. At the same time, I find PVP offers by far the greatest thrill and skill check.
As far as general levelling purposes goes, I think I'm a bit more of a solo or small group player. I love partying and such, but I just find I get annoyed if I'm forced to always look for groups. I want to be able to play by myself (especially since I don't really even know anyone right now haha) and not waste away hours just trying to get a group to even do anything.
So anyway, I definitely want a class I can solo with. But I do enjoy grouping when available... so I don't want to be totally useless to parties.
As far as raiding / PVP and such... I sort of spoke to it, but I'd like to be able to do both with some effectiveness... not necessarily the best at one over the other, but at least decent and useful for both.
And ya, I was sort of realizing I shouldn't rule out archery classes just yet hehe.
At end game, a full buffed archer party is currently the best mass PvP formation hands down. If that is waht you want, go archer, get in a good clan and be happy. Archers are also an ok class to lvl cost wise once they hit BGrade (D a C grade are insane, ppl usually use a dagger rather than a bow on this lvls). Also thera a plenty of "soloable" mobs for archers, as long as they have proper buffs (as any other class), if you find a friendly pp or wc you are good to go.
SH and Necro are also good choices, just dont expect many non-raid parties for PvE, they usually tag along with SEs and level very fast.
For 1x1 arena type pvp Gladis seems to be the best melee now (also end of game), but by the time you get an end game Gladiator this might have changed already... Personaly I like destroyers better, they have been a very good melee class for a long time, were even better before the nerf
BDs are support class, they are very versatile in PvE, dish decent dameage, depending on the situation can do the tanks role and is always wanted in any kind of party for the dances and auxiliary damage. In PvP they also fit in any party but your primary task will be to stay alive to keep the dances up for the true DDs, after this, if possible, assist the DDs with extra damage or debuffs, medusa or arrest... Their damage won't get even close to the main DDs but won't be irrelevant.
At end game, a full buffed archer party is currently the best mass PvP formation hands down. If that is waht you want, go archer, get in a good clan and be happy.
For 1x1 arena type pvp Gladis seems to be the best melee now (also end of game), but by the time you get an end game Gladiator this might have changed already... Personaly I like destroyers better, they have been a very good melee class for a long time, were even better before the nerf
BDs are support class, they are very versatile in PvE, dish decent dameage, depending on the situation can do the tanks role and is always wanted in any kind of party for the dances and auxiliary damage. In PvP they also fit in any party but your primary task will be to stay alive to keep the dances up for the true DDs, after this, if possible, assist the DDs with extra damage or debuffs, medusa or arrest... Their damage won't get even close to the main DDs but won't be irrelevant.
Thanks for the feedback. It seems like BDs aren't really what I want. When you talk about the main DDs... what classes are those?
Also, what's up with monks? Are they tanks or DPS or support?
I definitely want to be a primary DD class of some sort, I'm just trying to figure out if I want to fill that role in a melee, archer, or nuker position.
Are there any classes that wear heavier armor and duel wield? It seems like most of the melee classes I see are either tanks, or are gladiators or monks or some such that doesn't use heavier armor.
I'm not familiar yet enough with the archers to know if there's even more than one option... but if so what's the best archer these days?
Here's a set-up of a regular high-level pvp and/or siege and/or raid party:
Warcryer (WC): party buffer
Bishop (Bish): main healer to keep people alive
BladeDancer (BD): offensive "bard"
SworDSinger (SdS or SwS): defensive "bard"
Warlock: Summoner with 1 very usefull buff at 56 (Queen Cat's skill)
3 Hawkeyes (HE): Archer, these are the ranged dps of that party.
If you're missing anything (such as warlock or sds), replace them with additional hawkeyes.
Lineage 2 is mostly a ranged game. Not only because range as a general rule is good, but also because the damage of ranged attack is way disproportioned. A high-level HE will crit for over 3k with good buffs, while a same-level tyrant with the same good buffs will do 600-700 damage crits. And he'll have to get within melee range to do those 600-700, which he probably won't since the HE will have him knocked out good before that.
As far as nukers go, if you intend to pvp effectively, Necromancer is your best option. With transfer pain on, it transfers half the damage you take to your summon, and you already have more hp/cp than other nukers, so you end up surviving maybe like 2.5 times longer than other nukers. You also get a few one-hit kills such as anchor (1 minute paralyse, while it takes you maybe 10 secs to kill someone) and one in your high 70s that disables all physical and magic skills.
For PvE, spellhowler is slightly more efficient, but both classes use the same spell (death spike) to level up, they both get body to mind to transfer hp into mp, and they both get corpse life drain to steal hp from corpses. The advantage the SH gains is in a passive to regen mp (slightly) faster while standing, which translates maybe in 1-2 extra nukes per hour.
One thing to note, is that dual-boxing in this game is perfectly legal (unless you get help from a 3rd party software), so a combo that a lot of people use to solo really well is Shillien Elder + Necromancer. The SE gets empower (boosts magic.atk) and can transfer it's mp to an other player. This translates into non-stop PvEing and is probably the fastest way of leveling up.
Archer classes are basically insane DPS-ers, but only at the higher levels... from what I've read they probably aren't what you are looking for. They involve a LOT of kiting, and a lot of money wasting soul shots which you may not be able to afford if this is your first character (some people make enough, others don't).
Spell Howler is the best Nuker in terms of single target DPS and mana management, and sound like the class you want. Necro's are insane DPS as well, but again you'll be spending as much as you earn on the items for their spells.
As for melee, from what I gather you want to be able to tear through mobs and take the hits. You want to DD and still be able to take the hits without running off spamming heal pots.
The obvious choice in my eyes is a Gladiator. Dual handed swords, attack skills and high CON will set you up nicely.
Don't overlook the Orcs, but their playstyle is very different to Glad's (and I've never played one, so I can't really advise you).
As for heavy + duals, that's the standard equip for both gladiators and bladedancers.
At level 78, gladiators get a really great skill which makes them masters of the olympiad, but outside the olympiad they're still a bit weaker than archers.
Bladedancers are pretty decent dps classes that get some offensive dances that stack over buffs, so they're very appreciated in parties.
Warlords usually go with heavy armour + polearm which are really tricky, because you can end up hurting friends in pvp. (you can't damage your own alliance, but if 2-3 alliances band up together, you can hurt your friendly alliances). They're great in pole parties (pve), but that's about it. Support classes will love leveling up with you, but when it comes to sieges or pvp they'll ditch you to be in the elite archer parties instead.
Destroyers go with heavy armour and I think currently two-handed swords (their favoured weapons varied a lot during the years due to patch changes). Destroyers are barely above average for a good part of the fight, until they go down in hp and can activate a few of their near-death skills and then become a really powerfull dps-dealer.
Dwarves use heavy armours and blunts and are mostly good due to their adena-making advantages. BountyHunters get more materials off monsters by spoiling them, while Warsmiths can craft items.
Gladiator uses heavy armor and Dual Swords. Whoever told you they use light armor is delusional.
Monks are kind of hibrid but they are more a DPS than a tank. They are one of the less played class I think. they do tons of damage but are expensive since they rely on their high atack speed.
Main DDs are the archers and nuker (for ranged) or daggers/destroyers/monks/gladis for melee. All of them are food for PvE and your daily arena/gank/small scale PvP, it all depends on the conditions, terrain, etc. Large scale PvP is another story. Depending on the server you are it may be hard to find clans with structure to support a competitive melee siege party, so you might wanna check your server foruns and ask.
Overall Ranged will do more damage than Melee, unless under certain conditions, like in the Olimpyad.
Nukers have a high DPS but can be killed easy by an archer with end game buffs (like 2/3 shots, sometimes oneshot)
I seriously appreciate the responses. It's a huge help when trying to sort this all out. I think I may end up playing 2 toons to 20 or something and seeing which I like more to begin with.
It's definitely sounding like I would really enjoy a Spell Howler, and it seems to make the most sense over the other casters simply in terms of minimal reagent costs and such. I very well may consider duel boxing in the future... but I've got a month until my new job starts and it'll be a while after the paychecks start coming before I can afford to get a decent duel box setup going.
Also given archer reagent costs and such, it seems the Spell Howler would be the best ranged DPS toon for a new account.
BDs sound kinda fun, but I don't think it's something I want to do immediately. Glads are sounding like a pretty good match to me so far... but I'd love to hear a bit about the Orcs. Both Destroyers and Monks still intrigue me quite a bit. I'm sort of curious how they compare to each other. Which is higher DPS and which is more tanky? I would imagine monks would be a bit more buff oriented than a destroyer, but I could be wrong... that's just my guess.
I know it may not seem like I'm getting anywhere haha... but just pairing it down to SH and a melee something to try is a good step. I hope I could get a decent feel for both by level 20 so I could better decide which I want.
I think if someone could give me a good summary of the Orc melees, and possibly compare / contrast them to the Glads I would be able to make the decision amongst them.
It's kinda funny really haha. I was just thinking back on this whole thread... it seems like most of what was said here could very easily be written into the actual class descriptions rather than the vague usually very non-descript class summaries on the website lawl. Although I suppose maybe not all newcomers care to plan this much, and the vague descriptions are all they want : /
my .02 cents, hopefully it'll help even further in deciding your class. (i dont know nothing about archers/nukers/mages.)
i've both a lvl66 gladiator and a lvl65 destroyer (i'm forever a melee fan).
firstly, welcome to Lineage 2, probably the best MMO out there right now. also i didnt see any1 mention the fact that L2 is a totally different game than WoW. this game has one of the, if not the worst grind you can encounter. in order to achieve end game, you have to be dedicated to your toon, hence, time have to be spent to reach higher levels.
lastly, in L2, range > melee. that doesnt mean that you cant do anything while playing a melee toon. EVERY class in L2 has advantages and disadvantages, but as said by many, nukers/archers seem to be the flavor for many.
that aside lets get down to the classes:
gladiator, heavy armor, dual swords user. gets better and better, the higher they go. end game gladiators (duelists) are a nightmare to deal with in pvp and mass pvp, they are a fun class to play, and they get many skills to mess around with, even though they are a melee class, they rely on MP/mana/energy to be really worth their while, as you need to charge yourself in order to maximize your potential and use your skills, some people might get turned off that they have to stop charge, charge, charge, attack, use skill, stop, charge charge, etc. (this doesnt bother me once you get the hang of it, and it becomes second nature). Once you hit 78, MP issues go down dramatically. gladiators just got a major boost in this latest update (called Interlude). when playing a gladiator, you rely more on your crits and your specials than your regular swings. each regular swing might seem weak, but their attack speed and their specials balances that out. their single skill called Triple Sonic Slash is by the far the highest damage dealing active skill in the game, if it crits on a robe/light wearing armor, its pretty much gg for them. pVE wise, gladiators are one of the fastest classes to level with, specially if you can dual box with a Shillen Elder (a dark elf healer/buffer toon) or a Prophet (human buffer/healer). PVP wise, as stated, 1v1 are a menace. in mass PvP, if the other party is not paying attention, an end game gladiator will cause havoc to your healers/nukers, light/robe armor wearers. its not a class that only requires you to push f1, f2 and you win. again, gladiators are a fun class, but get better as you go along. also, one of the best physical looking classes in-game with their great animations while performing their skills (not sure if that matters to you).
Destroyers, lean mean big f'n green machine. they are exactly what their name is. in PVE, there is nothing greater than a destroyer. the orc > all when it comes to grinding/leveling in PVE. they are the fastest class in game to get to higher levels. they also get the most weapon masteries: sword, blunt, 2 Handed Sword (their specialty) and Pole. Their p.atk is the highest compared to all melee (this depends where exactly their HP is, i'll get to that in a minute). even though they are very powerful, they are slow. the biggest difference between a destroyer and other melee is their Low-HP skills, they become GOD like when their HP drops to 30% or lower. They get a skill called Zealot (increase in speed, crit rate, run/walk speed, attack speed), and another skill called Frenzy (p.atk hits the moon). if you can activate these two when your HP drops, your P.Atk hits the sky, and you can drop mobs (and people) faster than they can respawn, to the point that you'll be standing there alone waiting for mobs to spawn again. This will sound awesome to a new player, but you've to remember that your HP needs to be near dieing in order for these skills to activate, other thing to learn about destroyers to be effective is to know how to drop your HP in order to use those skills, how to use what weapon in what scenario. In PVP, a destroyer if already in zealot/frenzy mode, can one/two shot many other classes, but at the same time, the other has to know exactly when the destroyer activates their skill, a smart person facing the destroyer can use their most powerful skill just when the destroyer goes into berserker mode, and if it lands, it becomes risky. this doesnt mean that you'll end up kissing the floor all the time whenever you use those skills, its all about learning your class/timing/skill/etc. one thing to consider is that a destroyer at lvl40 is pretty much the same at lvl75. i'm talking strictly skills, ofcourse the HP, the MP, the p.atk and everything else increases as you get higher but you dont get that many different skills as the gladiator does. bottom line, if you like to be in the thick of things, like the head-on brutal melee, go destroyer. your slowness is equaled out by your high HP, and your ridiculous p.atk. overall, a very fun toon to bash things with.
but as mentioned before, i'll say it again, every class has its advantages and disadvantages.
if i've said anything wrong, others, please do correct me.
Yea, it seems only veteral MMO players actually do alot of research before they start playing a new game. Guess that is why I'm still here. Although some aspects of the game suck, I came in knowing what most of those were - so I only see what I knew before I logged in (barring a very few things).
Nukers: At high levels all nukers are good in PvP. It's the PvE aspects that really separate them. L2 isn't like other MMOs that are "group-based", it seems to be designed with the thought that 90% of all players will solo their way to high levels (only support classes and some tanks seek groups often in D/C/B/A grade).
In that respect, Sorceror and SpellSinger got the shaft. Sorceror has BtM one which is about as good as SpellSinger mana regeneration spell AFAICT, but most pawn it off as useless and never use it (their loss, your gain - if you choose to go that route). They also get no overhit nuke to level faster, and nuke with only one element from 40 to 80. SpellSingers 6 levels higher than me are still 3 shotting the mobs I'm 1 shotting with CDL or 2 shotting with Death Spike, so mana problems arise unless you have a recharger with you.
The Necro is also a 1-element nuker (Dark Attack), but it's so versatile and lends itself to so many different playstyles [and has so many imba skills] that it leave the Sorceror so far behind it's not even funny. Sorceror become very mean when they get Fire Vortex, in PvP - but a 61 necro can probably beat an S grade Sorceror 50% of the time with their Fear/Silence/Anchor/Cursed Man [Stun]/Transfer Pain/Death Spike/Vampiric Claw/<insert other imba PvP skills here>. SpellHowlers get Silence, but their cast speed is slower than yours and if you aren't slow to get yours off you stand a good chance to interrupt them - their Silence will probably land if they get it off, however, cause their M.Atk is really good with Empower [and Zerk 2]. SpellSingers will probably drop you 70% of the time because they quite frankly can outcast you so much. High level buffed SPS I've seen screenshots of them sporting 1900+ cast speed - you cannot outnuke them.
Necro > all due to imba skills and stun ability (Cursed Man) in PvP. But PvE is close between Necro and SH due to SH not having to rely on one element/having Overhit nuke, similar MP regen capabilities, and both classes being able to reduce costs with Curse Death Link. I still give it to the Necro due to its versatility and the choice of choosing a summoner-type playstyle for good XP gain, which other nukers cannot do.
I personally think Necro, Summoners, and tank classes are the only classes that will not bore you to death after leveling them to mid-60s. So many classes are tunnel-envisioned that it isn't even funny.
If you play a nuker, level an SE (or EE as a few other chose) with it, or life will be hard. Buffs only last 20 minutes in Lineage 2.
Thanks a bunch folks. I'm thinking I'm going to start with a glad and see how I'm enjoying that. It seems like it would be one of the easiest levelling routes given no duel boxing.
Probably will hold off on the SH or Necro until I can get another comp to duel box on.
Doesn't seem like many folks speak much about Monks. There a particular reason they aren't played very often?
Just another thought, what's wrong with playing on Bartz? If not there any suggestions where? Euro servers are by far the most populous, but they have rather high pings in comparison.
All the other servers say low population, and Low pop servers can be annoying I find... it is an MMO, I'd like there to actually be other people around haha.
Nothing wrong with bartz but it is crowded. Lionna is good ppl and competition is pretty high. Ero servers are bad if you are not in the time zone. Sieges will be at strange hours of the morning/night.
Thanks for the feedback. I sorta just randomly chose Lionna haha. I'm just wary of servers that say low pop from other games where "low pop" = "no pop" ... but it sounds like that isn't quite the case here.
I just don't want to end up on a dead server. That's no fun for anyone really :(
Welcome to Lionna then, Shaitin. Send me a PM in game some time (names in my sig).
If you are interested in RP at all, swing by www.l2rpa.org (http://www.l2rpa.org) and register. There's a number of RP clans that are looking for people new to the game, in case you're looking for company and help.
Cool, thanks for the advice. I'll check out the site, and you may hear from me sometime in game :P
On a random side note... what's up with crafting profs or secondary skills like fishing in this game? I see a fishing trainer in town, but I'm curious if that's a more "optional" thing or if everyone kinda has to do it. I'm a bit curious about crafting professions in general really, the game intro stuff hasn't really said anything about it yet.
Also, on another aside... when do gladiators get duel wielding? Well I suppose I should say, can warriors duel wield or will I be stuck using a shield until I actually train up to Glad?
You pick up duel masteries at 40 (though you can use them at 40, just no better than other weapons).
For crafting, you have both common crafts (for everyone) and dwarven crafts (for artisans / warsmiths). Common craft recipes you can get from fishing itself, from the fishing trainer, or from clan halls.
Cool, thanks for the info. I suppose I can suffer through a shield until 40 haha. Just out of curiosity do destroyers get to use 2handers earlier than 40 or is that at 40 also?
And regarding duel wielding. I was looking at the blacksmith who had a bunch of different ways to like combine weapons. I'm not exactly sure what this is about, but it's a bit above my level yet. I was just noticing that when you combine them a lot of weapons say 2hand/duel which was confusing me.
You can start using dual swords at lvl 20. But the masteries, like someone just mentioned, don't come until lvl 40.
I know not many people have talked about the Tyrant class you've been asking about. I don't know a whole lot about them other then they use dual fisted weapons and have extremely fast attack speed. Lot's of HP's also.
Nothing wrong with bartz but it is crowded. Lionna is good ppl and competition is pretty high. Ero servers are bad if you are not in the time zone. Sieges will be at strange hours of the morning/night.
I've played on EQ1 Euro Server and US Servers. Even raided on both US/Euro servers at the same time (one raid at 6am, one at 6pm - very fun) and this is what I've gotten from playing with Euros and NA players.
NA players are alot more childish, rude, and despicable than Euro players.
No offense, but Euro players seem to "age" better than NA players. Bartz is full of griefers, egotistical savages, and hollier-than-though ebayers. Today was special, I seen a PP named "sdafsdafdfsa" and he was one of the rudest personalities I've ever encountered in an MMO. I guess he didn't know that PPs don't get Empower, cause when I buffed him he got ****** and said he can buff himself... /boggle
You have people KOS'ing other people for killing them in arena, crap like that.
It's just a totally different world playing with Euro players than NA players. They certainly fit more into the MMO personality spectrum than most of us :)
Monks. There a particular reason they aren't played very often?.
Monks (called Tyrant after 2nd class change) is a very good class if you want a pure dd. Compared to destroyers they have much more skills to play around with and with the right setup they attack extremly fast, fastest melee user in game. You seem to have made up your mind but if you are more curious about Tyrants ill make a bigger post next time.
I'm not fully made up yet. I've been enjoying this warrior/glad to be up until level 18 so far. I'll probably end up sticking with it... but I'm still considering an SH or Monk as an alternative. I might level one or both of those to 20 or 30 to see how they compare for personal style.
I really like the idea of a monk. I've wanted to play one in many a game, ever since I stopped playing SB really. So I'd love to hear an elaboration on them if you want to make one. It's the one class I'm interested in that I really haven't gotten much info on (comparatively).
Personal Style is nice, but you do know that you aren't a Gladiator/Tyrant/etc. until level 40?
Playstyle changes after you do second class change, so I dont' think leveling toons up to 20 and 30 is a good way to get a feel for those classes. Archers, for the most part, don't even use bows until C grade, for example.
NA players are alot more childish, rude, and despicable than Euro players.
Pardon the off topic interruption...
I think the game in general attracts a certain personality type. I often wonder what many of these folks are like in real life. Nerdy types emboldened by their mouse clicks? Or true Alpha Male types who talk the talk AND walk the walk. My guess is the former.
There are plenty of Europeans that are "childish, rude, and despicable" as well. I tend to agree with what Oriens said. But we have all sorts of people playing this game - it's just the obnoxious ones you notice the most.
Back on topic. Tyrants and Destroyers are some of the few classes that don't actually change playstyle at 40, because you chose your definite path at level 20. They just become better ^_^
I'd love to tell you more about Tyrants, but I haven't played mine since sometime in C3 and a lot has changed since then. But I assume they haven't become less fun - I loved my tyrant (but I changed server and created another type of toon).
Tyrants are known for their speed - both attack speed and running speed. They use various totems to boost different attributes at the cost of something else (except I think totem spirit bison, that only does good things - but this isn't till 68).
Gear wise, they use fist weapons and wear light armor - though heavy is prefered at D grade, possibly also C. But I prefer light from level 20, due to agile movement which increases running speed (which I like, don't hate :p) and less importantly accuracy - you already have good accuracy due to the fists (high accuracy and low crit rate).
I didn't realize Tyrants had totems. That's kinda cool, but raises the question of what they're invited to groups for. Like are they generally looked at as a DPS class or a buff class? People seem to be saying DPS throughout, so I'm hoping the totems are a bit more of a side note than one of their main features.
Otherwise I'm not sure if I would enjoy it quite so much. Thanks, cheers.
Tyrants are mainly a DPS class. They hit things very, very quickly which mitigates the fact that they aren't the hardest hitting classes in the game.
However, I have watched an a-grade tyrant **** near break the combat system because he was too fast. At several hundred points of damage per swing of his fist, there was very little that could stand up to him.
After 68, tyrants can rip most anything apart. Bison + Zealot is nothing to laugh at. I had a tyrant friend duel me. He just stood there until he was at 30% hp. Threw up bison and zealot and I was dead in like 2 sec.
The totems that tyrants have only affect them, not their party. My husband plays a grand khavatari (3rd class change tyrant) and he loves it. really fast damage and in your face. At level 78 they get a ranged "nuke" type skill that really hurts. I play a storm screamer (3rd class change SH) and they are loads of fun both PvE and PvP. At higher levels for a spell howler you'll want either a buff pet or make best friends with an SE.
Also, I think the Gladiators' "charge up" skills was mentioned somewhere in this thread? Tyrants have to charge up to use most of their skills, like Glads do. This is only for direct damage skills, not totems, and not all skills need to be charged up for. You'll pick up on this quickly, if you choose to make a monk :)
Sweet! Thanks for the feedback folks. I've heard several times that SH's are best levelled with a buffer, so I think I will hold off for a bit until I can get a halfway decent duel box setup going.
Tyrant definitely sounds intriguing though. I really love fist combat, generally speaking. Probably give it a try for a break from my glad when I want.
I've heard several times that SH's are best levelled with a buffer,
Well, after 40 at least. But they can do very well without one. as you start getting much higher you start noticing that you can't "two shot" mobs without at least empower 1 and a +3 weapon.
But heck, I levelled to 40 only on regular shots (blessed weren't in the game when I started) while 3 shotting mobs.
You don't need a halfway decent dual box setup. All you need to do is run anothr client, log in, buff, recharge, logout.
And do this every 20 minutes, it's like 3 minutes max downtime if your computer is reasonably fast. I don't usually have my buffer follow me, just sit her in a safe spot or on a bridge and run to her when I need. if you hunt in an area with herb drops, you shouldn't really be hurting for recharges *that often* as an SH. The main thing you will need, however, are the buffs.
Buffs are too imba in this game to go without for any long period of time. I waited too long to get my buff on. I could be 6-8 levels higher had I started the buffer with my main. Then again, I waste most of my time chatting. I've been getting 1 level a week and I need to stop slacking, Lol.
both of them are insane dmg(under proper conditions)
destroyer fully buffed, on frenzy is the biggest , meanest, and ugliest dmg dealer in game.(like twice the dmg archer on same bufs does, but needs to come in range for that.
tyrant on the other hand, does not hit that hard, but does it at insane speed, making ss usage insane in cost but the ones in front if him ,pop like baloons =)
If I was starting to play this game now and would for some odd reason choose to go melee, I would pick destro or tyrant. Currently I'm leveling an academy* twink orc raider and I'm loving it :) There's just something satisfying at swinging a huge sword and smashing your puny enemies with brutal force. Appearances aside, destroyers can be very fast to level and are insanely effective once you get Frenzy and learn to use it properly. They also have a wide variety of skills and weapons to use, since they get sword/blunt mastery, polearm mastery and two handed weapon mastery(stacks with sword/blunt mastery). I carry a cheap blunt weapon so I can use my stun attack, a polearm to smack multiple mobs and a two handed sword to really lay down the damage. I'm no expert when it comes to destroyers, but I can assure you that you wouldn't regret going the Green way.
That aside, as my signature says: SH ftw. Fast and cheap to level, fun to play and a nice variety of spells to use. Not to mention oneshotting mobs that are higher level than you are with curse death link, or two shotting them if you want to play it safe. SH can solo pretty well to around lvl 44 without need of buffs, except for magic haste potions unless you want to rely fully on herb drops. If you go SH, you will be the hardest hitting mage class, although necromancers can get pretty close too with curse death link.
As others have said, SH has the lowest casting speed of the nukers. That isn't really an issue except in pvp where cast speed is sort of more important than damage/nuke. SH has the best MP management with body to mind and clear mind passive skill, and with the highest m.atk of all the nukers, their life drain skills are most effective too. You can use body to mind until you're close to 0 HP, pop a corpse life drain/vampiric claw/healing potion and you're good to go. HP = MP for SH(this applies to necromancers too). This makes SH the best party/raid nuker as they don't need as much attention from the healer/recharger, with necros almost equal. A spellsinger will be sitting and begging for mana when the SH still has half MP left :)
Hope my little rant helps you choosing your class if you haven't chosen yet.. being bored at work causes long posts :)
*a lvl 5+ clan has an Academy for members below lvl 40. When these members hit lvl 40 and complete the class change quests, they contribute the clan with reputation points, which are mainly used for clan skills or increasing clan lvl.