Hey everyone i'm new to the L2 world and (still haven't finished installing, i've run into some speed bumps) was searching around for the first class I want to try out and i've decided on either BD or Bishop.
Any tips on how to play either or both of these classes? (Which is 'better' in your opinion?)
BD is an assist fighter/support, their dances last for 2 minutes and cost more with each dance/song (songs from sws) that is already up.
Those dances are great and a BD is a must in most parties for the increased critical power, attack speed, cast speed, magic attack and I've got no particular knowldge about end game dances.
Bishop is a healer and ressurecter, it keeps your party alive in heavy pve and pvp and it's the ultimate healer and has the best ressurect short of bres scroll.
Maybe you can lookup some Bishop/BD threads, not sure if they are archived or not.
I can't say any of them is better since both are needed in most clans/parties.
BD is a support class with pretty **** good damage and at high lvl one of the best solo classes.... although you won't need solo since every high end party needs a BD. they start getting their good dances at the 50's and do get some fairly good PVP skills although their main roll is to keep up dances so the rest of the party can kill more efficiently
bish is the main healer in L2 and is fairly neglected in parties at the lower lvls but essential for all high end PVP and some of the best xp spots in game
they have very few buffs but can use a combat stance to turn into a fairly average nuker (about the same as EE and SE) for soloing or use holy based attacks to take out undead mobs
We've started a guide giving an "in a nutshell" explaination for each of the classes. It's just a start so far and doesn't have a lot of information posted within, but it may help a bit.
Regardless of what class char you choose it would behoove you to find a clan (preferably at or before level 16) and join their academy. If they use Ventrilo or TeamSpeak then be active and get to know people. This game is 100% about your own interactions with people in game. With a good solid clan and a core of friendly players, you will definitely find yourself a step ahead of the rest.
Welcome to Lineage2, NextDoor. It is a great game but part of what makes it great is that it is different. One of the biggest differences is that it is harder, very little instant gratification (compared to other games) but far more reward for accomplishing difficult long term goals. Not everyone likes it that way. I do.
I have not played a BD so I cannot speak to the pleasures of that kind of dancing. However, I am familiar with playing a bishop. My main character is one, now a Cardinal, and I have played it for about 4 1/2 years now. I am having as much fun playing now as I ever have during those years and not a lot of people say that.
Playing a bishop is not as 'easy' as other classes, nor is it as quick. My first subclass was a spellhowler and if I had played that first I could never have managed the slower pace of a healer. If you play a bishop you will find that parties love you but that you cannot always find a party. You will find that most mobs are hard for you to kill but that some you slaughter. You will find that you have far more skills than many classes but that you will use some of them rarely, depending on your style. You will find that a lot of people are quite misinformed about your capabilities and have strong (uninformed) opinions about how you can play.
For example, I still chuckle at the memory of soloing in the Forest of the Dead in my mid 60s when another player came up to me and told me that bishops cannot solo. I told him this was my normal solo spot and that I had already soloed most of several levels there, but it upset him because he clearly wanted me to stop soloing, since he believed that bishops cannot solo.
Another time I was in a high level catacomb and had just slept a 4x Hit Point mob which had aggroed me. A griefer, wanting to cause me harm for his amusement, woke the mob and said " Oh Noes!" in the anticipation that the mob would kill me. I cast one spell which reduced the mob to 1 hp and another which killed it, all in under half a second. The griefer used a 'blessed escape scroll' to instantly leave, thinking that I was about to do the same to them.
People will need you for raids and parties in difficult places, but you will be alone at times too. As you get to higher levels you will acquire skills which allow you to effectively hunt in a few areas, ones with undead mobs. While you cannot hunt everywhere you will be able to hunt somewhere.
You will also, as a bishop, perhaps take pleasure in being a rare class. There will probably be two dozen spellhowlers and dagger carriers for each bishop you meet, and three dozen archers.
For example, I still chuckle at the memory of soloing in the Forest of the Dead in my mid 60s when another player came up to me and told me that bishops cannot solo. I told him this was my normal solo spot and that I had already soloed most of several levels there, but it upset him because he clearly wanted me to stop soloing, since he believed that bishops cannot solo
Ahaha! I really don't like people like that! But thanks a lot for all of the info! If I do happen to see you i'll be sure to give you a shout!
I agree with everything you have said and now I really want to make my bishop!
I've never played a BD before, but I've got an A-grade sws. What I can tell you, is that while you can get by with soloing, it is best to get a group. With that said, it is also very easy for you to get a group. If you want to play a support class though, there is no doubt BD is a good choice.
Bishops are the best healers in L2. It can be difficult to solo(but possible), but it is again best to be in a party.
Here are some general advantages/disadvantages to support classes
Pros: Good in a party, satisfying to play (eh, this is just my opinion), good for mass pvp
Cons: Can be very inactive(unless you are a sws, bd, or bish), bad for 1v1 pvp
Anyways, that is just some general stuff on support classes. The pure buffers like prophets, shilien elders, and elven elders are usually boxed. Thus, I don't suggest you make one of those.
BTW, this is my first post in the forums. I've played casually for about 7 months and I'm on Bartz.