Best duo partner for us necros

[Salizarr]

Hey all,

I would like to hear from you guys, which of the above classes you consider to be the best duo partner for us necros.

Why is that?

The reason for me to be asking this is I got a RL friend who wants to play EQ and we intend to play together a lot. His interests are only on the above classes.

I personally told him to make a shamman.

Thanks!
Sal

[Tanaril]

Tell him to make a BST - convince him!!

Seriously, great char to duo with...the 2 best pets in the game buffed to the doggies, they (BST) can tank while you Dot (they also good for nicking the aggro).

The 2 best solo classes (apart from a Bard) joining together make for an awsome combo.

But if you had to choose from the limited choice i would go for the shammy aswell :blink:

[wyntyr]

Shaman without a doubt. DoT's stack, slows, regen, SoW, buffs, no mana worries ever. What's not to like?

[Shadowthorne Darkbane]

Aye i voted Shaman as Well. Just make him an Ogre for the No Stuns from the front atribute. Extra strength and Hp is great too And hey you'll both be evil.

Shadowthorne Darkbane
56 Human Defiler of Innoruuk
Clan of Chaotic Killers
Sol Ro

[Tumi]

I voted Shaman from the choices you gave, but if you have never paired up with another necromancer, you are missing out.

Tumi

[Skulmar]

heh, you left off Clerics. What better team than 'Life & Death'?

[splurticus]

I two-box a druid with a necro and I find that combo works pretty well.

It's nice having regen and a HP buff up on you and your pet at all times. Also, SoW or SoE is always nice, even if you have a horse or RS3.

Druid heals can keep your pet alive in some situations where it would otherwise get smashed.

Druid thorns provide a nice dmg shield for your pet.

Druid nukes can finish some MOBs quickly if things don't go as planned.

Druid snare is less resistable and longer lasting than necro darkness line.

Druid DOTs all stack with necro DOTs as far as I know.

Druid animal-only spells such as fear, charm, and MR-reduction can be handy in some situations.

Harmony can assist in single-pulling those non-undead MOBs.

Wolf form can address your racial faction issues in some cases.

Teleporting is a nice convenience.

Anyway, just a few things I have found beneficial with this class combo. If I had to choose a different class to pair with a necro... shaman, enchanter, or bard would probably be my first choices. Any of these are superior to a druid in certain situations. I don't have any experience with beastlords, but from what I hear they would also be a good partner. Magician is also okay, for pet tanking and summoned weapons, but I would definitely go with druid over magician. Same with cleric... their healing abilities are great for pet tanking or refilling your lich HP losses, and they can assist with fear kiting, but a druid would be a better partner.

[xeether]

I hear shaman all the time but I have a different approach.

Paladin.

I two box with my 65 Paladin and it's just awesome. We so strictly undead, and once I slow the mob he eats them up with slay undead 3. He's geared up really good including a sword that procs a heal over time with bane undead damage. I could never pull aggro from him, even when I blow my mana pool. On top of that I can heal myself as a paladin. with the mob slowed it's pathetically easy. Not to mention I can pally buff myself and my pet. I'm always over 3khp and my pet is a machine.

I haven't tried the others up there, but I also think perhaps a Beastlord would be a good partner. An added pet for fear/aggro kiting and beasty crack to stack with Lich would be handy. Not to mention all the baby buffs.

[drewz21]

I second what Splurt said. I duo with my wife's druid and we are a great combo together for all that was mentioned.

Aside from porting, one of the best things is harmony for single pulling.

She and I take turns aggro kiting or pet tanking as she can keep my pet alive.

Good hunting.
Jos.

[Fizzleplink]

The one drawback to a beastlord as partner: their pet's procs will often divert agro onto the pet. Not as good for kiting as a shaman's puppy, but it does better in melee.

I'm biased, but I chose shaman as a partner as well. In addition to the stuff noted above: Shaman can debuff fire, cold, poison, magic... all in one very low-agro cast; if they have Malo, all the better. On the rare occasion you need disease debuffed, they have that, too.

I've noticed that with shaman, it's a toss-up who gets and keeps agro through dots. If the shaman bothers to slow what we're kiting, they usually get it. Druids don't seem to have the same issue when they just dot. Maybe I just found some slacker druids, tho.

I've never really minded not having ports. Even way back when running across Antonica was the only other way to go, I'd often beat the guys who just sat there 20 mins shouting for a port. Now? As long as I can Gate and have SoW potions, I'm content.

[Thromia]

hehe, i think most of us are thinking about what char would most benefit the necro (and that would prolly be the shammy) but really it's up to your friend and what he's most interested in doing, right? :)

[NeSikWay]

I mostly partner with a Mage, but that's not to say thats the best, I also duo with a cleric and an Enc, all of which are really great combo's. In dungeons often it can be the BST/Nec combo which can really send the DPS through the roof, and So can a mage/nec combo. So I say its depends on how you play, but there are a LOT of good choices for us. :)

[Kompressor]

SHAM/BST Great combo, duo'd with both heheh, if yer friend likes pet classes, then ya BST.. to duo with u, if he wants a specialist or something, sham....

Both would be pretty damn good tho :D

[Antilight]

Yeah, but Pallies and BST aren't on the list. So, if his friends made up his mind it needs to be those four, then I'd have to jump on the Shaman wagon. Even though we get an undead slow, shamans get to slow everything else AND undead (barring resists and whatnot).



Antilight :ph34r:

[Jebasiz]

Your a necro..anything is good, we don't need help with jacksh**

[Doomfir]

I started a shaman to duo with my necro mainly because of the high heals, buffs, malo, and slows. He also can do quite a bit of dmg along the same line as we can. He has a pet and what he lacks we complement on the other side.

Druids have no slows so subpar when it comes to live indoor zones. Only thing a druid is really good at is kiting in outdoor zones and PL lowby charectors. Not that their dots suck.. they don't.. but there is nothing in a druid you cant find in another necro and I would rather have another necro than a druid.

Paladins have no live slows so also subpar to a shammy except to tank which our pets can do more than efficiently enough.

If it wasnt a shammy I would rather another necro than any of the other classes you mentioned.

[Salizarr]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone! Keep 'em coming plz :)

Ok, the only reason for Bst/pallies and other melees aren't listed there is because my friend doesn't really like meleeing.

Jeb, i know we are powerful and all, but my friend wants to play with me and i do enjoy some company, so that's why i made this poll.

Doom, duoing with another necro sounds fun. Never done it tho.

I also thought of shaman being the best duo to resist debuffs, heals, slows and shammy buffs.
Shammies can add a lot to us necros, but what can we add to them? Snare?

Thanks again!

Sal

[Josettee]

My vote would be what your friend most enjoys. I have tried to make alternate toons to help advance others or my guild and my heart is not in it. I end up just playing the my Nec. The beauty with a Nec since your solo, you can team with anyone and there is something good going to come out of it.

[Drakkel]

Your a necro..anything is good, we don't need help with jacksh**
Well said Jeb ;)
If your friend already played EQ and has some exp with a class, let him play that one, if he's just starting, manipulate him as you see fit lol

[Whispers Quietly]

I was finally Sucked in, without voting. Jeb Is right, What class do you want to PL?

My drood farmer is 55, all solo lvls. My Necro, main is 51, all Solo LvL's. I once in awhile play with a SK. My rule is; Sit Down, Don't do nothing, You'll get XP. If I get real Bored I'll use them as my pet as well as there pet.
Duoing is a fine concept, But in my world It doesn't really work. One day I'll group, But not as long as I can help it, 2 years now, no groupage.....
Downside is no raid splits, uber armors to roll on. You see I also miss out on those Items... So Duoing, I don't know if it's right or wrong...

[Thromia]

Originally posted by Whispers Quietly@Mar 12 2004, 01:52 AM
I was finally Sucked in, without voting. Jeb Is right, What class do you want to PL?
<snip> So Duoing, I don't know if it's right or wrong...
The original poster of this thread was asking what character his friend should play because he wants to be able to play together with him (or her). I don't think the context was strictly about PL'ing per se because it was explained that the friend was new to EQ and they just wanted to find a class the friend liked that would also best compliment the necro.

[Whispers Quietly]

Ooooh, Thromia; You got one on me. Your good, Oh Your real good. Have a good Day? Dude, your pills are still in the cupboard, You know the ones you left them in.

[Salizarr]

Please guys, i wouldn't like to see this thread moved to Inferno Talk where all the flame are tossed around.

I don't want to PL anyone. I will be helping him through his first levels just so he gets the hang of the game, terms and so forth, but i will not PL him.

We just want to play together. He has narrowed down the classes he is interested in playing, that's why i made this poll, to find out from other necros what is the class that is best duo to us immortal overpowering necros.

Thanks again!

Sal

[Fizzleplink]

Ya know, the more I think of it, the more I come back with "shaman" (with beastlord as close 2nd) as a good choice for your friend.

He wants to play healer? He can play healer.
He wasnts to play root 'n' rot? He can play root 'n' rot.
He wants to play tank? He can play tank.
He wants to play with pets? He can play with pets.
Hell, he can even charm animals at 29 (and 34!)

I can't think of a better class to introduce somebody to everything EQ has to offer.

[Jebasiz]

I guess shaman would be second to having another necro. You're really really gonna take an exp dive in later levels when the shaman is tossing 2 dots while your stacking 5, I dunno...if someone I know was just starting out and wanted to play with me, I'd want them to be a necro, hand down gear, you know exactly where they can and should hunt, what quests are doable and usefull when... It's just so much easier to answer questions new people have about the game when they're playing the class you know the most about. I have a ranger alt, but if someone asked me a question about them...I'd probably give them the dumbest look I could find and tell them to look it up. I guess I just like simplicity. I know what other classes do, and what they're most proficient at, but....I don't know what gear they want, and where they can hunt etc....only they really do, for sure anyway.

[nap]

I voted shammy because that is exactly what I am after atm. Just started my necro a couple of weeks ago as a good compliment to my 65 shammy.

Along with everything said sofar about why your friend should go with a shammy I agree... debuffs, everything is slowable, dots are stackable & very respectable dps, buffs, regens (pets & necro), heals (especially quiesence... 300 hps every tick for 5 or 6 ticks with buff extension AAs for like no mana) & the pet.

Until I started a necro I honestly didn't think much of the shammy pet's dps but PL'n my necro (ungrouped) at 41 my shammy brings up his 44 pet (49 pet unhasted no weaps steals xp) & when I haste & focus both scooby & goner & give goner two weaps my shammy pulls mobs with malos (debuff) to camp (KC ruins atm) & lets mob attack him so scooby auto-attacks mob & I switch to necro, send in pet & then darkness & venom mob which usually gives me agro. I kite the mob around as the pets & dots kill. Now it goes fast & if I don't throw in at least one nuke (the L39 one from thurg cleric guild... can't member which it is atm) there is a 50-50 chance I lose the xp to too much dps from shammy pet. So I now just focus scooby & no haste & I always get xp. But the whole point being that I didn't think the shammy pet had the kind of DPS that could steal xp when I have my hasted necro pet & dots killing mob at the same time. Things may be different with higher level pets but at this level it seems there isn't a whole lot of dps diff between the shammy & necro pet.

If there is a much bigger gap in the higher levels with pet dps then I would maybe lean towards the beasty... but it's still hard to give up the superior buffs, debuffs, regens & heals.

What I am not sher of yet is how I am going to 2-box the shammy & necro in the planes other than root-rot which is sucky & boring. I am thinking perhaps pull with necro (darkness) or shammy (malos - debuff) & root before mob gets to camp... get shammy to lay on his dots & re-root... then back to necro to stack his dots which should more than grab agro (I hope) & start to kite the mob when root breaks sending in the troops (er pets).

I think shammy dots plus pet should do more DPS than BST pet alone. The only other benefit I can see from the BST is BST crack but I don't see any mana probs with a necro that duo'd with a shammy (25hp/tick regen).

Sorry for the long post.

[Jebasiz]

Pull with necro...kite with necro, sic pet with necro, if/when you get a chance...use the shaman for dotting and pet when you kite (as the necro) close to the shaman to cast anything on the mob. In dungeons, pending gear...I'd probably have the shaman quienscence tank mobs, while necro sits back and dots/lifetaps...although I'm not convinced shaman can out tank necros once a mob is slowed...atleast if the shaman dies, this way you can rez him...and you don't have that option if the necro dies.

[Salizarr]

Hey all!

Friend decided to go with shammy and he's 16 atm and enjoying it :)

I helped him with the basics in FoB and Kurns and he's kicking some bandit a** in Paludal atm.

Thank you all for the insights!

Sal

[Tomandny]

Shaman slows and my pet begins to murder it. Meanwhile we are DoTting the hell out of it. Neither one of us are ever OOM and combined we have about every necessary Utility to (in absolute worst case scenario) escape.

Of course, Necro wasn't a choice :rolleyes: