Team selection help

[Captive2]

I need some advice putting together my next team. I’d like to do an “evil” team based in either Neriak or Freeport. This is what I’ve come up with so far:

Shadowknight
Defiler
Inquisitor

Beyond that I’m really struggling. I’ve gotten used to an illusionist/troubadour pair from my current group. With their stacking power regen buffs, it’s almost impossible for me to run out of mana. It’s hard to imagine going back to a single power regen buff – so I’m really leaning toward both a coercer and a bard. Besides, that’s a ton of buffs that make the whole team better.

I already have a troubadour, so my original plan was a dirge. It’s my understanding that dirges are generally better for melee types. I’m not sure an SK is more of a caster or a physical tank. I guess that since my team will be “evil”, it’s going to have to be a dirge as I don’t think troubadours can be evil.

So if I go with a coercer and a dirge, I’ve got a 6th spot that’s going to have to be my main DPS. I originally planned on a warlock, but with a dirge, I suppose that class should be a melee type. I don’t know anything at all about brigands or assassins, but either one seems to be designed as a melee DPS class. I even wondered about a bruiser; in an offensive stance, do they provide viable DPS?

I’m wondering if something like this makes sense:

Shadowknight
Defiler
Inquisitor
Dirge
Coercer
Brigand

I’ve also kicked around the idea of getting rid of the coercer. If I do go with a dirge and want a melee-heavy group, maybe it makes sense to swap out the coercer for an assassin or bruiser. I don’t like the idea of stealth-based attacks, as they don’t seem terribly sustainable – so an assassin may not be a great multi-boxing class.

I just want a team with a shadowknight tank whose foundation makes sense together. Any advice you can provide would be very much appreciated.

[Noxxy]

Shadowknight Defiler Inquisitor Dirge Coercer Brigand
- As you already have a troub, the group you suggested will be fine
- when you get to 80, just swap out the dirge for the trouby - this way you get both bards, just make sure they are on the same accnt


...as I don’t think troubadours can be evil.
- bards can be good or bad


I’ve also kicked around the idea of getting rid of the coercer. If I do go with a dirge and want a melee-heavy group, maybe it makes sense to swap out the coercer for an assassin or bruiser.
- dropping CC to get extra dps???
- umm, NO

Stay with the brig if you wish to go melee - avoid the assn like the plague as the positional and attacks from stealth will drive you crazy. I have numerous posts on here already re why not to go predators. If you wish to go brawlers fine, but I think you will find a rogue brings much more to a team in both dps and utility

If you didn't wish to go melee, slot in the 'lock - with the end goal of eventually swapping out the dirge at 80 and replacing with the troub - but of course, if the trouby isn't bad, you won't end up with an all bad team

[Twiz]

I need some advice putting together my next team. I’d like to do an “evil” team based in either Neriak or Freeport. This is what I’ve come up with so far:

Shadowknight
Defiler
Inquisitor

Beyond that I’m really struggling. I’ve gotten used to an illusionist/troubadour pair from my current group. With their stacking power regen buffs, it’s almost impossible for me to run out of mana. It’s hard to imagine going back to a single power regen buff – so I’m really leaning toward both a coercer and a bard. Besides, that’s a ton of buffs that make the whole team better.

I already have a troubadour, so my original plan was a dirge. It’s my understanding that dirges are generally better for melee types. I’m not sure an SK is more of a caster or a physical tank. I guess that since my team will be “evil”, it’s going to have to be a dirge as I don’t think troubadours can be evil.

So if I go with a coercer and a dirge, I’ve got a 6th spot that’s going to have to be my main DPS. I originally planned on a warlock, but with a dirge, I suppose that class should be a melee type. I don’t know anything at all about brigands or assassins, but either one seems to be designed as a melee DPS class. I even wondered about a bruiser; in an offensive stance, do they provide viable DPS?

I’m wondering if something like this makes sense:

Shadowknight
Defiler
Inquisitor
Dirge
Coercer
Brigand

I’ve also kicked around the idea of getting rid of the coercer. If I do go with a dirge and want a melee-heavy group, maybe it makes sense to swap out the coercer for an assassin or bruiser. I don’t like the idea of stealth-based attacks, as they don’t seem terribly sustainable – so an assassin may not be a great multi-boxing class.

I just want a team with a shadowknight tank whose foundation makes sense together. Any advice you can provide would be very much appreciated.

This is my EXACT team, except I use a Swash instead of Brig. I read somewhere that Brig for caster group, Swash for melee group due to their debuff spells and AA lines.

I'll echo Noxxy; stay away from Predators. The positional attacks, while doable, will get frustrating very quickly and you'll lose efficiency; it's simpler to just go with a different class.

[Sazed]

You guys don't find two healers slow you down? I see if is very common among boxed groups, I do have the option for two healers with my current group but i never go with it.

SK+Troub is a solid start for any group, troubs can be evil so that should not be an issue. I love my coercer for my boxed group, I would never replace him. They bring alot to the table, DPS buff, hate transfer, Coercive Healing (AA), Manaward(AA) and do very nice dps. They have two mana regens...one is always up, the other is a temp buff that needs to be recasted. Both of these regens can be enhanced by putting AAs into them. I use a templar for my group and Coercive Healing increases his ward Repent, and adds an additional reactive to his group and single target spell. Would work the same for an inquis since you want to play evil, although im not sure that they get a ward spell. I find manaward a nice save spell since I only run with one healer but it uses all your power so I only use it as a last resort.

The last 3 spots in the group should be filled with either 2 healers and 1 dps or the other way arround. Inquis/Defiler would work fine, although the defiler class does not do much in the way of dps and the inquis is more suited for melee toons. Maybe a defiler/fury with the fury speced for dps, druid group heals cant be beat for getting boxed toons health back up after an AOE attack. There are lots of good combos to chose from, find one that works for you and stick with it.

If you feel like doing away with the evil thing you have the perfect setup with the Illy/troub. IMO that combo is the best in the game once you max out AA. If you have access to get the Illy mythed then you never need to worry about power again. The troub can give upbeat tempo to the Illy, the Illy can give IA to the troub and TC to the other lucky caster in your group.

I will list my group below. I have tried many different setups and this is what works best for me. I am not saying its the best, its just what I like.

Pally
Templar
Illy
Coercer
Dirge
Troub

[Captive2]

Interesting thoughts. I should have listed my current group; it may have shed some light on what I’m looking for. My current team is a Guardian, Warden, Mystic, Troubadour, Conjuror, and Illusionist. It’s probably not the ideal setup, but I’m really enjoying it. I’m currently level 68/69, with about 135 AAs.

Once I get tired of this group (level 80, 200 AAs, epics (mythicals will be out of reach), maybe some shard armor, etc.) I want to start a different group. I’ve been thinking about this lately, just as a fun train of thought. Since my current team is good, I thought I’d try a Freeport-based team just so I can experience the zones and quests on that side of the fence.

I was thinking I’d like to try 6 characters I haven’t already played. That’s tougher than I expected it to be, because it seems that the kind of group I enjoy really lends itself to the illusionist / troubadour pairing. I’m totally with you on that combo; I was just looking at possible Freeport-based equivalents.

I honestly don’t know much about the classes I haven’t already played. I know plate-based clerics are all about reactive heals, chain-based clerics use wards, and leather-wearing healers use heals-over-time. I know dirges are better with melee classes, while troubadours enhance casters. Just generalities, basically – nothing really detailed or based on experience.

I understand your point on dual-healers; most of the time I don’t require that much healing, but when I go after epic targets it’s often a necessity. I hope eventually to be able to do shard runs, so that double-healer setup seemed necessary. From everything I’ve read, TSO dungeons are a lot tougher, and that’s supposedly where dual-healers allows for a little greater margin for error.

I really like the idea of the SK tank (I also want to play a monk tank at some point, even though it seems people don’t often use them as tanks). So starting with a shadowknight tank, I thought I’d try a defiler / inquisitor combo for healing. I’m not sold on either of those – I just thought they would be a fun change of pace. I’m not opposed to a fury – that would bump up my DPS significantly. I just want to make sure that I can keep up with healing a tank that’s not as hardy as the guardian. It sounds as though the fury’s healing is probably the weakest of the 6 healer options – but again that may not actually be true.

I am not sure what coercers bring to the table, but I figure they must be relatively analogous to illusionists. Most people suggest that a full group of six always include an enchanter – either a coercer or an illusionist. So I figured I would include the coercer.

I love bards, and figured I’d try a dirge as I’ve already played a troubadour. I realize the SK is partly melee and partly magic, so it’s maybe not a perfect fit. Because dirges are more melee based, I figured I’d round out the sixth spot with a melee dps class – which I know NOTHING about. It looks like assassins are largely positional (and I never use stealth-based attacks with my troubadour so I’d be foolish to anticipate using them with the assassin). So I’m left with the brigand, possibly a bruiser, or maybe the swashbuckler (although I didn’t think swashbucklers could be based in Freeport).

So that’s how I ended up with the idea of this group:

Shadowknight
Inquisitor
Defiler (possibly fury here)
Dirge
Coercer
Brigand / bruiser / swashbuckler

With only one “pure” melee character in there, I have to consider the option of swapping it out for a warlock and then swapping the dirge for a troubadour. I’d still have a group with only one character I’ve already played, and it might be a stronger group:

Shadowknight
Inquisitor
Defiler (possibly fury here)
Troubadour
Coercer
Warlock

One last note; it’s clear that I need to learn more about what classes are allowable under good or evil. I thought coercers were evil only, and that you couldn’t even group one with a good class like a paladin. From your post below, that’s clearly not correct.

I guess this is a big part of the fun of the game, especially with multi-boxing - trying to figure out optimal groupings, and learning how characters support and synergize with each other. Please keep the comments coming; I enjoy these boards (I got started here when I was 5-boxing WoW, but have put that game on hiatus).

[Sazed]

Good/evil toons can group togther, there is no issues there.

Evil/neutral toons are- SK,Bruiser,Zerker, Guard, Assassin, Brig, Troub, Dirge, Coercer, Necro, Wizard, Warlock, Inquis, Defiler, Fury.

If you do decide to go with a fury I would pair him with the defiler over the inquis. Can group ward then use the druids heals to catch up. You would be pairing the best single target healer in the game with one of the better group healers in the game. But you have a similar setup now so maybe you wanted to try another path.

I melee with my tank and dirge, any more then that for me would be too much and would lower the effectiveness of my other toons. That is the main reason I go with a caster heavy group, I seldom melee at all on my troub.

Your SK will get an end line ability in his EoF AA tree called Reaver or Reaving, it adds a lifetap effect to all your spells. Add that and the group and single target taps the SKs already get and they can heal themselves some to help lessen the load on your healer. SK also get a ton of "save" spells that will make you imune or far less able to be damaged for 10-15 seconds. Most of these are AA abilities, I know there are 3 that I can think of without looking it up. At 80 they also get bloodletter which is very useful and brings the number of saves up to 4.

TSO missions are not bad at all, you should try running them with your current setup. You cant get the shard missions until lvl 75 but you can run the zones anytime past lvl 50 for XP, AA and loot. I would start with the everfrost zones and see how you do. The real key to doing TSO zones is to have your tank geared as good as possible.

You are correct with everything you said about the way each healer does his heals. At 80 templars get a ward in addition to their two reactives, im not sure if an inquis does or not.