Is a fully party of 6 very advantageous before the very highest levels?
  • The only real advantage to having a full group, pre-endgame is for the pure overkill factor - pull rooms and walk away with the loot (BUT that does not mean you 'know' your character classes as brains are not required).
  • To 'really' enjoy the game (i.e., at a slower pace and having to think about what you are doing, proper pulling, rip and aggro management, how/what/where/when to buff, how to use CAs, HOs, etc.) then I would whole-heartedly suggest only going with 3 characters - tank, healer, DPS - assuming you give it an honest shot, you WILL know a fair amount about how to play your choosen classes plus how to play EQ2.


...and maybe a full group isn't that important.
  • A full group is extremely important at the end-game for speed and improved ability to successfully clear dungeons
  • Can 3 chars do most of the end game dungeons (RoK) - most certainly yes
  • Can 3 chars do most of the end game dungeons (TSO) - most certainly no

...so maybe a team of 4 would be perfectly fine. That's where I'd like to get some advice.
  • A group of 4 is, IMHO, the hardest group to pick. But I would suggest MT, MH, DPS1, DPS2/CC. DPS1 for you, as looking over your spiel suggests you prefer casters, would be a mage or a warlock. DPS2/CC would be an illusionist as you wish to go 'good'.
  • Why not go with MT, MH, OH, DPS? Healing over-kill for a small group. You will not realise the extra benefit of having a 4th char as it is healing focused (i.e., you may still kill too slowly due to poor DPS)
  • Why not go with a bard instead of DPS1, DPS2/CC? Again, looking at your spiel, you appear to favour casters. Casters are squishy. I know that if I had a group of four I would perhaps be pulling more mobs than I could handle (as I feel I 'should' be able to handle 'uber' amounts). If I did happen to pull too many mobs, toss a CC, pick'n'choose the appropriate mob (healer first or lowest con whatever the situation) and go from there at a pace of your choosing (due to the CC).
  • Are you sure you won't put a bard in the group of 4? Positive. Bards are excellent to have in a group - but given your stated preferences, for a group of 4, a CC may provide you with more options.


If I do go with a full team, what would be a good mix of classes? I know that EQ2 doesn't benefit from class stacking, so I'd want a diverse group that adds synergies.
  • I always run with the following group composition - 1 Tank, 2 Healers, 3 DPS (where DPS inc. utility and CC)
  • To break this suggested group composition down further;
    • Tank is always a heavy (plate) tank
    • MH is always a shaman - wards, I win
    • OH can be any other type of healer (if you want extra healing Templar, more DPS fury/melee spec warden, etc., depends on what you are doing)
    • DPS1 - as opposed to yourself, no matter the MMPG I always go melee, so I would slot in a rogue here - you may prefer a mage instead
      • A note on melee classes - do not create a predator class for multi-boxing purposes. Too many attacks from stealth and a variety of positions.
    • DPS2/Utility - bard, which in your case would be the troubador
    • DPS3/CC - in your case the illusionist


When multi-boxing, do you use heroic opportunities?
  • All the time - 'free' damage / buffs
  • Two ways to use;
    • For a particular class (say a rogue), place the starter and the required spell all in the same macro - 1 press and the HO goes off
    • Across classes (the way I use it), associate the the HO symbols with key presses. For example, I know if the HO is flashing the chalice to progress I hit num-pad 3 which is a mini-heal.
    • Just takes a little practise and time


I would create a "good" team first - so classes like shadowknights and assassins...
  • As per above, predators (assassins) are very difficult to multi-box
  • Am I stating that from experience, Yes, I do have several assassins, but I can honestly say, I have to be like a monkey sitting on a bag of chisels to get them to parse high DPS due to positionals and stealthed attacks


1 tank - probably go with a guardian, as with a full party of 6 it seems like DPS can come from other places.
  • Excellent choice, as would be a Paladin


1 healer....another option would be 2 healers - perhaps a fury and a warden.
  • 1 healer - No, many deaths await you in the end game and HoTs, no matter how frantically spammed, will not cut the cake in a multi-boxing team venturing into TSO
  • ...fury and a warden - No, too much overlap - both druids. You would be far better off teaming a shaman with either one.


3 mages - not really sure what to do here.
  • As per above, if you create a 6-man team, you will want to go deep TSO. You will need the extra healing. Lose a mage.


1 scout - If I go with a mage-heavy team, then my damage is caster-based. With that in mind, it sounds like the troubador is the way to go...
  • Yes, good choice

I think melee-based scouts would be tricky to manage
  • No, quite the opposite in fact


With all that in mind, here's one thought for a team of 6.
  • MT - Guardian - yep
  • OH - warden - yep
  • MH - ?
  • DPS1 - Conjurer OR wizard
  • DPS2/Utility - Troubador - yep
  • DPS3/CC - Illusionist - yep


My general strategy would be...
  • If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, even with a caster group, get the MT to pull the target back within melee range of your team. It all helps.


My healer would hopefully focus almost entirely on the tank - if I pull agro with a caster I'll be in a bit of trouble.
  • Not at all due to your healer casting via implied target.
  • Healer will not be using /target MT. It will be using /assist MT.
  • /target MT, the healer is 'locked' onto the MT. All heals will go to the MT even though the healer will still attack the MTs target.
  • /assist MT, the healer is free to heal whichever group member the mob, which the MT has targetted, is currently attacking
  • But what if an add comes along and takes a bite out of my non-tanking class? - group heal / instas, by which time your MT will have regathered the aggro (via AOE or changing targets)


The troubador wouldn't likely go into range - he would stay back simply as a buffer/debuffer.
  • Pure shame - you'd be surprised how much DPS you are giving up


I'm getting excited about getting back into the game again.
  • Then I wish you a sincere - Welcome Back!