http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/threa ... 817090&p=2
(SONY has) redone the trial of the isle. Same scenery, different mobs, different quests, different items. Oh and one big thing. Everyone starts off with the final class they want to be.
No more starting as a fighter then going to warrior then to Shadowknight.
You pick shadowknight from the beginning, get specific spells/combat arts, and armor/weapons for that class. Granted the armor/weapons arent the greatest but it does help get a good feel for that class somewhat.
These changes are currently on test, but it will be going live with in a week or so.
All classes reviewed! (one persons Test Server impressions)
http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/ ... e.id=44499
I started playing EQ2 right before the class changes went on to the test server.
I am also waiting for the pvp servers so I didnt really know what to do until
then. So I figured I would try this new class system on the test server. This
would also help me figure out which class would suit me best on the pvp server
as well. Below is my opinion (like it really matters lol) of the classes. I
havent gotten to them all but I will be back to edit the post as I complete the
list. Also because I am new to this particular MMO, I have no bias towards any
class and have not heard about what classes have been nerfed or buffed. This
is meant to serve as mainly an opinion trying to portray what a new player to
EQ2 might think. This also is just taking characters from level 1 to level 6-8
on the newly created islands.
Scout Classes
Swashbuckler- I picked a dwarf for this class so obviously ran on the Qeynos
Island. Even with a stealth attack I found it difficult to solo this class
effectively. I realized at level 3 I could buy a second dagger to duel wield
with. After that it was much much easier. Also I did not realize that we
started off with poisons that you could put on your daggers. It would have
been nice to have some sort of tip to let me know about the poison. This would
be something I am sure a lot of new players would miss. Also having a second
dagger to start with would make it a much more playable class when you start.
It would also give the person playing a better feel for their class.
Troubadour- I played a Halfling for this class so played on Qeynos Island.
This was another class that I think having a 2nd wpn. would really help to
start off with. I did the first few quests and I was still level 2 when I had
to kill the level 3 spiders. I had several deaths fighting the spiders so I
decided to farm deer to get to level 3. I hit level 3 and still had a
difficult time killing even level mobs. So I bought another dagger and things
went great. It still took awhile to kill even level mobs but I never came
close to dying.
Ranger- I played as a Woodelf so also on Qeynos Island. This is the only
class that I played so far that I am really baffled with. Again you start off
with a poison in your charm slot but again it would be nice if you got a hint
or tip to apply the poison to your wpns. Now speaking of this poison it is
Godlike at levels1-8. It has a 25% chance to proc, but if it does proc it
blasts for 22 points of damage and 22 every 6 seconds after. The other poisons
that scouts get hit for around 6-8 initially and 6-8 after that. Hitting for
22 made it extremely easy to kill higher level mobs. The problem I had is that
when the poison didnt proc I died very fast. At level 5 I was fighting the
treants (spelling??) who were also level 5. On two occassions I didnt get the
proc and I died while the treants had over 70% health. So playing this class
was almost like gambling. You were either going to kill very fast or die very
fast. My opinion would be to lower the damage on the poison and maybe your
skills like defense and parry would rise, then you might not die so fast.
Brigand- Havent played this class yet but it will be on Freeport side.
Dirge- Another class I havent played and will be on Freeport side as well.
Assasin- Played a Barbarian on Freeport side. This was by far the most fun I
had with any scout class. You start the game with two daggers equipt and that
in itself made it far easier to play. I had no deaths at all, just a fun class
that from the beggining makes you feel like an assasin. My only gripe was that
at level 3 you get a spell called double shot which is a range spell. However
you have no bow with you. It just seemed odd to me and I heard other people
saying it was strange as well. Its not a big deal to have to buy a bow but it
almost feels like you shouldnt have to. I know it sounds lame but at least I
wasnt alone hehe.
Fighter Classes
Berserker- Have not played but will play on Qeynos side.
Bruiser- Have not played but will play on Freeport side
Paladin- I played as a dwarf, so I played on Qeynos Island. This class caught
me off guard to be honest. I think of all the classes I have played this is
the easiest to solo. The 2 point heal really helps when you use your first
special attack. Sorry I cannot remember the name of that spell but it is very
nice. The same mobs I had a tough time with as other classes I could easily
handle with the pally. It didnt matter if I went offensive or defensive I was
able to kill very easily. Even mobs above my level and with the occasional add
I could handle.
Guardian- I played as a gnome on the Freeport side. I picked a gnome
basically because I thought it might be the most difficult of all the races.
In every MMO that I have played race has never really mattered as much as the
skill of the player. A lot of people will disagree with that but thats just my
2 cents. Anyhow even with my tiny little gnome I had a very easy time getting
into this class. I had no deaths and was able to kill with relative ease. You
get what you expect when you play this class. A nice well balanced tank.
Monk- I played as a Woodelf on the Qeynos side. This class was fairly easy to
get into. It came with 2 wpns which made for easy killing early on. As I got
a little bit higher level I did have to use a lot of heroics to survive. It
was a fun class with just the right amount of difficulty.
Shadowknight- I played as an Ogre obviously on Freeport side. This is another
great class to get started with. The killing didnt seem to fast or to slow.
Just like the paladin death was never a concern. A great tank class that
offered a little bit something different.
Mage Classes
Warlock- Have not played this class but will play on Qeynos side.
Illusionist- I played as an Erudite on the Qeynos side. This class was my
most difficult class to level. I had absolutely no chance of killing the
spiders while I was level 2. So I had to farm again for experience, which
again a new player could be bothered by this. To kill things up until level 5
was nothing but chain casting. I was just spamming my direct damage all the
time and watching my timer very closely. It seemed as if I missed 1 cast I was
dead. However at level 5 I believe you get a root spell. This helped out
tons. I was able to kill things much more easily and sometimes could handle
multiple mobs. Regaurdless it is a very challenging class to play if you want
to solo on the island.
Necromancer- I played as a Darkelf on the Freeport side. This was the most
fun I had playing as a caster. It was very easy to solo multiple mobs. My pet
rarely lost aggro and it rarely took a lot of damage. At the early levels I
might say its overpowered a bit, but its better than taking multiple deaths.
Wizard- I havent played one yet but will play on Freeport side.
Coercer- I played as a Halfelf on the Freeport Isle. Almost everything I said
about the Illusionist could be said here. You have to spam your direct damage
spell to stay alive. Sometimes as much as 10-12 times in a fight. It just
seems like to much. If you dont however you will die. Not a class I would
want to play if I were just starting out in the world.
Conjurer- Another one I havent played yet but will do so on the Qeynos side.
Priest Classes
Templar- I played as a Halfelf on Qeynos side. Here we go again with the
spiders at level 2 hehe. I think I am starting to see a pattern. Anyhow I
obviously could not take down a higher level mob, so I had to grind to level 3
so I could do the quests. At level 3 I was able to take down the spiders. I
had to use a full heal to do so but at least I could do it. It was actually
kind of funny because I had people cheering on the spiders thinking I was going
to die. These same people later complimented me saying they didnt know how I
killed them. So it is basically what I would expect out of a healer type of
class. Long long battles but it is possible to survive.
Warden- I played as an Iksar on the Freeport side. This was a pretty fun
class to play overall. I liked the damage shield you got early on as it was a
life saver. I did have to spam my dd fire spell a lot but it wasnt tedious
like some of the other classes. I had no deaths and no problems killing the
higher level mobs. Very fun class to play.
Defiler- Havent played yet but will play on the Freeport side.
Inquisitor- I played as a Troll on the Freeport Island. This was just an
average class to play at least for me. Death was never really an issue but you
have to love to spam your spells to live. I had no trouble killing higher
level mobs it just took forever. It seems like it could be a fun class if the
gameplay picked up just a bit. It brought back memories of playing EQ 1
several years ago hehe.
Fury- I played as a Kerra on the Qeynos side. This is a class that I spent a
lot of time dying at the spiders again. Even level mobs were ok to deal with,
but I had a hard time with multiple/linked mobs or mobs higher level than me.
I didnt really take a lot of notes on this class for some reason so I will try
another one to give some better information.
Mystic- I havent played one yet but will do so on Qeynos Island.
I know I have a few more classes to try, but I wanted to make sure I could
remember as much as I could so I posted this early. Again this is in no way
shape or form a guide. This is just first impressions to the new classes
coming from a relatively new EQ2 player. So feel free to flame away or laugh
at me because I have no life lol. Any other feedback would be great because I
know I didnt go into depth on a lot of the classes. I was just more going for
how a newbie might look at these classes if he were trying the game out for the
first time.