Druids-Solo..

[BubbleCDR]

I realise you've all heard of a soloing druid.
Do any of you play them because im thinking of making one for my main on hib. But i was speaking to a level 50 druid and he said it might be hard for you to find groups at higher levels so i dont recomend it. Is that true?...

Thx

 

[Anu]

Weeeeeeeell.. This is my POV.

People in PvE groups EXPECT a druid to BUFF and HEAL, Maybe the occasional Root.

If u Specced for Solo Druid Maybe u choose to have low Nurture then ppl will moan that ur buff's are crap. Or low-ish Regrowth ppl will complain than ur letting them die cos i can't heal for enuff HP's.

I've even heard that ppl think Druid's Specced High in Nature are gimped, because like i said groups expect u to be a Healer/buffer

My Druid is specced

40 Regrowth
35 Nurture
9 Nature

I can Solo Yellow mobs on that spec no probs

Speccing in Nature (which is basically the spec to use and easier for soloing) Lets u take on higher cons mobs.. Oranges due to better DoT's

I have thought of making a rg/nature druid on my 2nd acct just for fun ;p and cos i can pick Celt this time instead of the Insta target Firbolg type

 

[inuyasha]

hehe

Never mind, solo druids rock =)

BUT...i advice you to heal to 40 if you wanna level fast, case they are not that fast soloers

 

[BubbleCDR]

k thx

 

[Dodgy Geeza]

I was a buffer/healer druid until we were given respec...
I respec'd on Gorre as 44 nature...just for a laugh, well that was until I found that I could solo lvl 50 invaders...almost any class, I was lvl 47.
I could solo orange Dulls at innes with ease...and with the help of a blue con ranger we were duoing red bears.
Since respec I've hit 50, my final template is
18 Nurture - Get the +36 Str/Con buff
24 Regrowth - both instant heals, and 25% rez - I heal for 468, which is large enough for me, since I prefer the lvl 47 baseline heal - for 320ish
44 Nature Affinity - Get the 2nd highest DoT, and top dmg shield and insta roots.
I have no problems with grps, even tho some ppl notice the slightly lower buffs. TBH with that +36str/con and my base +50 str, +items I'm almost capped.
My Emp is still my main stat - at 218, I have as much power as any other druid - and can heal for as long.
What I'm trying to say is that you can get by in a grp, but have a lot of fun soloing too...
In duels with Hibbies I would say I'm above average...I'm not saying I win them all - but I would say at least 3/4 of them...considering some classes won't even duel a nature druid thats ok I think =)
Good luck - and have fun!

DG

 

[inuyasha]

hehe

Me and my friend roac more or less wiped a full team of albs the other day, only accompanied by my rl mates level 22 bard

Natur and solo druids pwn all

My chanter dont really have any chanse against one

 

[Qte Eth]

i can say it quite straight - if are going to go solo make ns, if want to be nice tank make champ or hero,if want to be support make regro-nurt druid,if u want to choose haard way and solo _most_ of time well battle druid is calling for you,but youll regret.definately

 

[inuyasha]

qte

Battle druids can pwn...
most

Can kill you
me
the next door tank
the next door armsmaster
the next door....you name it

Solo druids (after 40) rox for rvr, either its in a group or actually solo =) I have seen one druid take down a stealther, a paladin and a armsmaster more or less at the same time

 

[spankya]

Yeah nature regrowth druids are good for solo, but still I think they are pretty bad to be honest. Ok for soloing exp they rock apparently, but for groups they arent very good at all. Several times recently I have been in RvR groups with the usual classes, tanks, mages, bard, warden and druids, but nature spec ones.... Well we stand at DL and get buffed.... look at my hps and wonder why I am not even on 2k hps, rather than 2.2k hps with good buffs and then find I cant have haste buff or something coz the druid buffed the living crap out of pet and is ooc. Ok.... feeling unloved and slighter weaker than usual we go to emain.... tanks get stuck in, bard is as usual running around trying to avoid the 6 tanks and 5 infils on his/her ass, warden is trying to heal a bit and so I turn to the druid.... there he is... dotting every1 in sight(dot>mez apparently so dot all mezzed people) and sending his green con pet after a tank...

So please tell me how this is good for groups please? The main healing class in hibernia suddenly decides to give up healing, give out crap buffs and take it upon him/herself to kill people rather than looking after the group..

Nature druid normally dont have very good heals or insta heals, crap buffs, insta root (wish druids would realise mez > root and mez>dot), a nice dot (must admit that druids do get nice dots) and a green con pet which doesnt do much in rvr(although is good for solo exping).

So after this long post... my opinion is... if u want to solo in rvr and exp alot, make a nature spec druid. If u want to be a group druid then screw nature

 

[Kobold]

agree with spanky. It's a bit annoying when the druid in group buff you for aless than you're lvl 20 druid alt could have done...and you don't even notice the heals, and crap resses. So if you're a nature druid don't expect to group cause u suck at it. Sure you do ok soloing, but try to solo in emain or odins those days without speed....I bet you don't last long. You're choise though.

One of my friends who I rolled on Camlann a bit was a nature/nurture dr00d....he owned pretty much, but when grouping I didn't even consider him as a healer lol that s000ked. But pvp a bit diff from rvr though.

 

[inuyasha]

hehe

They are not supposed to heal eternal

Their pet can take out a tank, they root your enemies and work as good tanks and might even have insteaheals ? Dunno what you want, but nature druids is among my first picks for odins =)

 

[Anu]

Like i said earlier.. I'm a Regrowth/Nurture Druid and i can fight yellow's and lose only 30-35% health.. but my big heal does for 600 so no DT PvE wise..

RvR..? Well i manage and have every little complaints. And people appreciate the Full hp Rez (being reduced to a 4sec castin 1.57 afaik)

 

[Dodgy Geeza]

/)ruidz Rule!

I play a support class but forgive me for being selfish
Ok tanks, so you ain't got 2.2k HP, and you hit for like 10 less damage...but I'm ok - my Str is almost cap, sure yours must be somewhere near... with +75 from items, +45 from lvls, +50 base line buffs and then druids, even if it is only +36.

My heals are fine, dunno about other Druids, but I find that the spec heals although large, are very mana hungry, and are 3 second cast...lot can happen to a caster in 3 seconds =/ baseline heals are fine, nice 2 sec cast, and more effecient - and like I said, have no problems with getting groups for XP or RvR.
I CAN multitask btw - I can go RvR - and keep an eye on grp bars, AND DoT enemies...
In PVE I help bring down mobs quicker by dotting them - seems some ppl think druids obsessed with dotting things... I do it if I have enough mana, and all my group healed...
I don't stand dotting, trying to make it stick while my grp is getting wiped out...
Its actually a very effective way to pull mobs - especially those that cast etc...
About mez > dot etc...
Well some classes actually have demez spell now... also purge...
If I hit a caster with Dot he might get 1 QC stun - but he's already almost dead...and stops him casting anymore.
My DoT hits for 118ish depending on resists...was more when we had both power relics

I did spend quite a bit of time researching and looking into my template, I knew I needed regrowth to 23 at least...because the instant heals are the druids most important thing... Number of lives they've saved I couldn't count... Excellent for RvR - specially the grp heal - it gives ur whole grp a massive boost...

Like I said earlier - I was a regrowth/nurture druid thru to lvl 47, so I imagine that it might be hard to get that far without the relevant skills earlier on...

BTW - I didn't say it would be easy - I said it was fun at lvl 50...coz I enjoy it a lot more than being a standing buffer/healer I did that for 47 levels - now I'm having some fun!

 

[Dodgy Geeza]

PS...I took so long to post, that I missed one =)

PS. How many 600Hp heals you get out of a tank of mana ?
If someone needed a 600Hp heal at the end of a round, then the healer should be sacked...?!
...and if you used a 600Hp heal whilst in PvE, I'm sure that you might draw aggro, like instants do.
Ok, you might be able to use it RvR - but if someone lost 600Hp so quickly - they probably be dead by the time you finished casting...
100% rez is nice...but ppl still rez sick - can't function properly until its gone anyways...by the time rez sickness has gone, ppl normally full Hp...
and everyone I know who has caster/healer - has MCL...

PPS. I can solo oranges and only down 10%...and no downtime whatsoever.
Problem with reds is that my DoT runs out too soon, and since I have no styles, I don't do enuf damage b4 its chewed thru my 1600hp.

 

[Shrye]

Ok, so you heal for 600, whereas your collegue next to you heals for 900+ -- if I wanted someone to DoT in my group, I'd invite a mana ment instead. At least they can stack two

... guess the next thing will be bards stopping to specc speed and good mezz, tanks that starts speccing shortbow and rangers speccing melee =] (oh, wait!)

Nah, seriously... If soloing is your end game, grats, nature druid is strong PvE/duels, but if it's RvR/PvE raids, you ought to reconsider and pick/play the class as it's designed for (it's no longer beta version, there's (hardly?) no unforeseen abilities left to discover, concerning the different classes.

That's my .02 € at least

 

[BubbleCDR]

Enchanter sounds the best.

Love the pet class.
Love the PBAOE
Hate the instan debuffs.
They just totally are a bag of crap.
So since they are the best pet class/PBAOE/no debuffs... it sounds great for me!!

 

[inuyasha]

heh

Pbaoe suxxor elite

Spec light

Mana also rock, but soooooooo boring until level 50 (and even then imoh)

dont put a skill in enchantment before level 50

and if you wonder ANYTHING, ask me

About mana ments:
They dont stack two
The second dot is in the mentalist baseline, while that mana spec of course is mana, so if you cast it (and it cost alot of mana since you dont have ment focus) it have little effectivity case of no spec and focus what so ever anyways Mana ments IS better at dotting, but they dont have shit hp or armor, they cant instantheal, heal, ress, root, group purge, have a pet (light spec can though) nor buff, and druids hurt more in melee as well...
If you dare compare the mentalist pet turn ra with group purge for group use, i kill ya

 

[arleen]

There's more than one way to play a druid

Well I am on my way to 49 now and I solo unearthed cave bears (49-59) quite easily, get complemented on my buffs and keep my group alive long enough to watch rp roll in in rvr before the other side decides to go all out to 'get that druid'.

In fact I find it a complement that they tend to go for me first and find it interesting how fast the group goes down once I am out of the picture.

I heal usually with my mid-spec heal for 335 which leaves enough mana to handle a 4 pull of fins. banshees, etc.. although I usually have to boost with an MCL if one of them is an uber. In a tough situation I can group heal about 5 times (again mid spec heal) before I go low...but by then I am usually fending off the mobs and don't have to worry about healing cause the reserve healers are now focused on me..

Whats the secret to this..easy I am a balanced druid. I shall finish at spec 36 nature 26 nurture 30 regrowth.

Healers are one class in the game that can function quite well at 60% spec in the various skills.

Ok before you say it, I heard it all......'you are just a jack of all trades...you wont be good at anything'...well...

First off I have always kept my empathy maxed. Currently I have mine capped at 207 (that includes augmented acuity2). Thats the first ingredient to being a successfull druid.

I always try and get a weapon with a proc, also helpfull for a class with no weapon skill. Although having no skill in weapons automatically gives you an equivalent to 50% training in both blunt and blades. That means I alwyas switch weapon to whatever the mob is vulnerable to. I also have mastery of blocking RA.

Self buffed I got stats I would be proud of if I was a tank. I take a lot of killing even without using my insta heals. My 1500 hp's mean I restore most tanks (and everyone else) to full health on an insta heal. (Its your hp's that insta uses...not theirs)

I dot for 100 a tick and root (single and aoe) with 90% success rate. In fact, my roots have saved people in some instances better than any healing could have done. My insta root has stopped more than 1 stealther in his tracks too.. I also hurt with my damage add and damage shield. It can be quite funny to be hitting on a purple siabra and see I am only doing 2 dmg with my cathbad's blade (lvl40 epic reward..nice proc for a druid) but my damage add is doing 25.

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Edit. I forgot about my pet...Lassie just savaged me.. I got the lvl 32 pet...yes I know its green...but how many lvl 37 pets can stand against a lvl 50 mob while you go make a cup of tea ? The pet's aoe stun now seems to work for longer than a micro-second and it bubbles away merrily while in combat. Once on the trail of a stealther it it relentless and merciless and gives you the group bonus once you start whacking away too. I forgive my pet for taking a massive max 1% xp from me because he is soo usefull.

ps. for all you ...'keep the pet on passive ffs' people out there..that aoe stun can be really effective on baf pulls..

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For healing, as I said, I use my mid range heals. I keep my best heal for strict emergencies only. I do a 530'ish heal wth that one. I only use it however, if I am out of instas (still on timer and no other choice) because it hurts my mana pool. Having said that I work on one basis...its not the size of your heal that counts, its what you do with it.....far better to have 8 people sitting down with 10% health at the end of an epic battle than a druid going OOM half way through.

One of the best parts of being a druid is of course the way we can be so self-sacrificing for everyone else..we just hit the insta-death buttons (oops I mean insta heal) when it becomes all too much for the tanks and mages to handle, guaranteeing that every one else for 20 miles around will be totally ignored by the mobs..until you are dead that is... but by then your compatriots will have gathered their composure again and be able to start looking for a rez for you..

I play a druid and an enchanter. All I would say is that the enchanter levels faster but the druid takes more skill to be accomplished and an asset to his relam mates, has more dimension to the character, is infinitely more fun to play and more rewarding in satisfaction level on the odd occassion when you know you got it right.

Ooops the question was about soloing....I ramble a lot..sorry..I solo extensively in the Cursed Forest area...usually until I get a 'do you want a fins group?' shout....hmm must be the only druid online..he he.

btw I am always available for a 'do you want a knights group?' shout too you know..

 

[Dodgy Geeza]

=)

Nice post...
Your spec'd more nature than anything else - so you are a nature druid...even tho you have kept your skills around the same lvl.
Have to agree with almost everything you say.
People seem to think that if you are nature druid, you are useless in a grp - you could ask anyone who knows me in game, my main job is to keep the group alive...
[I too have max Emp - 218 at lvl 50, Acuity 3, Serenity 2, MCL, Dex 2, Master of Blocking, Str, etc...]
I've never had any complaints in this area, and am happy to insta kill myself - and have done it hundreds of times, in an attempt to save my group.
I didn't see any benefit in having the greatest buffs, and missing out on some of our other (fun) abilities such as rooting and dots...
Pet is great to solo with - but you are right, in RvR it rocks...
Once that pet is on a caster, or a stealther for that matter - he's as good as dead... it keeps him busy and he's unable to cast as you dot him and smash his face to pieces with your dmg add =)
And as for buffing the pet - he'll be lucky to get any unless there are 2 druids in the grp...
TBH I've asked people how much dmg he does buffed/unbuffed and it ain't a lot of difference...his job is to distract your opponent, and if he does some damage too - then thats a bonus =)
Think we've done this to death now...
But its been fun - thanks all.

DG