The Healer's Guide to World Domination

Iceforge

Can't get enough of FH
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
1,861
Copied this from my old JPF-guild-webby and it was copy-pasted into there by Windys, dunno exact source/creator, but here it goes:

Also known as: How you too can make an uber healer that farms Umbroods and Armsmen.

dedicated to Snikvit



Chapter 1. Da Numbers.

A) What race should I be?

Well, most people assume Dwarf is the way to go, but really, the way to go is Norse. The shortest Norse possible, that will allow you to blend in with the the average Midgard group, and even the average Alb Saracen or Hib Celt. More on this later in the Cheating Chapter.

B) How should I spend my 30 stat points?

Well, if you're smart, you'll go throw them into Strength and Constitution. Why not Piety, you ask? Cause Piety is for sissies.

It's pretty inconsequential how you spend those points, really. I've got points in Quickness and Dexterity (it was my first character, give me a break) and I'm overpowered, so that just proves these points don't matter.

But it's a game of inches so hedge your bet by buying up Strength and Constitution.

C) How do I spec?

23 Mending (gives you two insta-heals)
30 Augmentation (gives you celerity, resists, Str/Con buff, Damage Shield, and Decent buffs)
38 Pacification (gives you 4 insta-CC, and yellow mana regen)

D) Why not spec higher in Aug?

Because Augmentation sucks. World Domination is about CONTROL, iron-fisted, ass-kicking, make them break their keyboards in frustration CONTROL.

Chapter 2: Levelling Up

So now you have a short, Norse Seer standing in Aegirhamn. Don't start in Fort Atla, it's a Kobold slum nowadays with Wee Wolves around every corner prowling and feasting on the unwary.

Betya think World Domination starts now, eh?

WRONG!

The next five levels will be some of the toughest ever, throw every point you get into Augmentation, and expect to die anyway.

So you hit 5th season, and now you're a Healer, World Domination starts now, right?

WRONG!

World Domination won't start for another 45 levels, for now you have to get by.

A) How do I get by?

Basically whore yourself out for groups. No one said the road to World Domination is pretty. You'll learn how to manage aggro, CC, and spot bad groups very quickly. If you can't then you're not cut out for World Domination anyway.

B) Should I craft?

Oh yes. Become an Armorcrafter. If you're an overachiever, get yourself a Tailor bot as well. If you're not, then suck up to a Tailor, you'll need him later. I also suggest skilling up a spellcrafter, just to 500ish or so. More on this in the Equipment chapter.

C) Okay, I'm level 50, and have my epic armor, what do I do now?

Salvage every piece of that armor except the Hauberk. You'll need the money.


Addendum to Chapter 1:
38 Pac is of course a fixed number. NO HIGHER, NO LOWER. More Mend is simply not cost effective, since you get no appreciable bonuses until well after Mend 30, whereas Aug pays out for almost every point you spend beyond 20. REMEMBER NEOPHYTE WORLD DOMINATORS, this is not about helping your group out so much as about crushing your enemies. If you're going to Dominate the World, you must first think: ME ME ME.


Chapter 3: How to Spend Your Realm Skill Points

Realm Skill Points are a tricksy matter, it's very difficult to say what order to buy them in. So we'll just jump in and say what you SHOULD have.

A) Augmented Constitution 1. Costs one points, and gives you 6 points of Constitution. Dwarves will no longer laugh at how easily you get the sniffles after a long night camping the AG in Odin's

B) Toughness 1. Costs one point as well, and in conjunction with AugCon1 will give you a 3% bonus to your over all hit points. Now, this is important because Toughness kicks in AFTER you've buffed yourself. So stacking two Con buffs (base and spec) will show a huge increase. Hit points are huge, you won't be dazzling enemies with your footwork, you'll be outlasting them. You should be able to fuel the insecurities of Skalds and Thanes by trotting out your hit points (don't mention you're double buffed).

C) Purge. The RA so great I wish I could buy it twice. Purge is ESSENTIAL TO WORLD DOMINATION. We'll mention the many uses of Purge in the Cheating chapter, just go buy it now.

D)
Perfect Recovery. Yes, I know, it's a very unselfish RA to buy since it's not usable on yourself (dammit). But we'll discuss how this RA is a key to World Domination in the chapter on how to dominate your friends for fun and profit.

E) Wild Healing. I suggest you eventually get level 2, but start with level 1, because normally you don't even have the chance to crit on a heal. Why buy a crit heal spell? Because you can crit heal and insta and laugh at all those Healers who spent a bajillion points to get 100% insta heals. Wild Healing 2 seems to give a better than 10% chance to crit, so don't go above 2.

F) Mastery of the Arcane. Don't get this until you have points to burn, then go ahead and get it. I mean, why not?

G) Mastery of Healing. It helps your insta heals, get at least level 1.

H) Mastery of Concentration. GET THIS. Remember, world domination is about CONTROL. Being able to cast spells while under attack is as good as having a third insta heal and a fifth insta CC!!!!

I)
Battery of Healing. Yeah...right, that doesn't work on you, fergit it.



And NO, HIGH MEND is BAD. You can always trick other people to going high mend.


Chapter 4: In Which We Discuss Equipment.

Now equipment is the third most important thing for a Healer in the World Domination business. It comes after Psychology and Cheating, which will be covered later.

While levelling up, you should have ALSO been skilling up your Armorcrafting. Get up to hinging levels and start hinging, don't bother crafting for profit. There is none. Make hinges, skill to legendary levels.

This is where your Tailor bot of friend/slave comes in.

YOU NEED MP GEAR. Everything you have should be MP. 100% quality armor, you're spending money on youself, no skimping! Remember you will not be meleeing down your enemies, you'll be outlasting them.

Befriend a Weaponcrafter, buy an MP level 51 Shield (should be relatively cheap) and buy yourself TWO MP Hammers.

Yes, two hammers, this will be explained in the Tactics chapter. Get an MP Hammer, and an MP Arcanium Spiked Hammer. I've shown Klaush a couple times that PLAYERCRAFTED Hammer > Legion Hammer.

You're probably thinking you'll need a MP Arcanium Spiked Great Hammer now. Wrong. Get a 99% Duskwood staff, 16.5 DPS, and swings like the seasons change. You won't be using it much of course.

Now, there's some nice quest jewelry out there. Get it. You should have spent level 49 questing.

Dark Souls gives you the Ring of Spun Silk and a Cloak. Salvage the Hauberk and Helm, you NEED the money. Why Salvage the Helm, it's overcharged and MP, you might ask? because it's not alchemized.

The Bracer Quest gives you your Bracers: get the health bracer (forget the name) and the Left Axe Bracer. Yes, Left Axe, even with the nerfs. It's got some fabulous resists on it.

Ancestral Secrets, do that until you get the Resist Necklace.

Lost Maps Quest, get the Glacier jewel. There's a couple other nice jewels out there, so you have room for fudging, of course.

That leaves you with open Belt and Ring slot. You can buy DF to squeeze in there, not too big a deal.

Now, here's where your little spellcrafter comes in. (remember him?) You can spellcraft your own equipment as long as you don't overcharge, and for some of the smaller gems you can craft 99% gems to take to the legendary spellcrafter you've befriended and convinced to make the gems for your armor.

DON'T ASK THE SPELLCRAFTER WHAT TO PUT ON YOUR ARMOR. Let's face it, if he knew what he was doing, he'd be dominating the world. TELL HIM EXACTLY WHICH GEMS YOU NEED, and he better be legendary. Because you'll be overcharging about 4 items by 3-4 points, which is no big deal as long as your spellcrafter is Legendary and you have 99% gems. Overcharge your shield, gloves, boots and sleeves, because they're the cheapest to replace, in the rare occasion that things blow up.

DO NOT SPELLCRAFT YOUR HAMMER.

If you' have a sense of humor put more melee resists on you shield. That was it will actually be doing something other than giving you an additional slot for your spellcrafting.

MAXX EVERYTHING YOU CAN.

You MUST max your Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Piety, Hit Points, Resists, and Aug.

Yes those stats must be maxxed. Yes your Hit points must be maxxed. Yes EVERY resist must be maxxed. With all MP gear, and Quest jewelry it's very easy (with overcharging of course).

Augmentation is a funny thing. By maxxing your Aug you can squeeze a few more points of dex, con, and str when you buff. That's +11 to Aug, but it only helps when you're buffing, so if you want, make some 99% chain gloves, and have your spellcrafting friend Overcharge them with +7.

You can then pull the gloves on when you buff and then take them off when you're done. Leave them undyed so you don't forget to take them off.

Now, everything is MP, overcharged, and don't forget enchanting. Time to Alchemize.

I used to be a big proponent of putting DDs on every single piece, but I'm starting to lean towards getting Ablative procs on every single piece of armor. Been hearing good things about it. SangerMark3.0 MP armor will be all ablative.

On your shield, put a Lifedrain charge.

On your Hammers put a Dot Proc, some junior World Dominators will wonder if this will counter act out insta mezz, but very rarely does it come up. DoT procs will do more damage over time than a DD, though, so get it.


Chapter 5: How to Dominate Your Friends for Fun and Profit.

Now we come to the psychology of the World Dominator.

As a neophyte levelling up, you should have been building the foundations for your Domination.

In groups you should take charge, you're the healer after all, you have the power of life and death. YOU SHOULD BE IN CHARGE, let your friends get used to it. Start training them early and often. Give more buffs to the tank who protects you. Accidently drop buffs on the Shadowblade who thinks he's a tank. By teaching them in small ways early on to do as you say, you prevent Gross Displays of Domination later.

Be generous. Give people things for free or below cost, and LET THEM KNOW you're cutting them a big break.

If you let them pay for it, they consider things even and stop paying. If you give it to them for free or as a favor, you place them in your debt, and a person who feels indebted to you pays forever!

Perfect Recovery is a wonderful way of putting someone in your debt. I have been offered a blowjob for a Perfect Recovery, and Hoturi better never do that again. Galroth has posted a song glorifying PR. You get a friend forever when you PR.

Don't forget your caster realm mates! No one is more used to laying face down during a skirmish and losing RPs than a cloth caster. Rezz them early and earn their undying gratitude!

Dispensing Purities is NOT a way to get gratitude, though, they'll just think you're a buff dispenser, and keep poking you in the belly.

Buff solo Stealthers. They love to solo, but not all of them have buffthralls. Give them buffs when you see them, and chances are they'll remember and give YOU scouting reports, thereby creating the illusion of omniscience. Don't tell anyone where you got the info, just use it.

I can not stress enough how important putting everyone in your debt is to World Domination.


Chapter 6: The Look, precurser to the cheating chapter

Healers mustn't look like Healers. That's part of the reason you shouldn't be a Dwarf.

Now that you have your armor, go out and dye it black. A little color is alright, but not too much and not too bright, a Rust or Blue is preferrable.

Never turn your torch on, and when you select your face, don't get one with the braids on the mustache. That's just silly.

Don't use guild emblems, not on your shield or your cloak.

Wear a HOODED CLOAK. You must cover up your hair, or your non-spiky hair will be a dead giveaway.

You are creating the illusion of being the every-man, you see. A Celt, a Saracen, it just has to stand up to cursory examination, as most groups zooming by at Speed 5 will only have time to see what they expect.

Part of this illusion is having nerves of steel. Act like you belong there, and most people won't even question you.

Guilty people run, and motion catches the eye.

I've often been stalking prey and had a full group of Mids run right up to me prepared to kill me because they'd seen a saracen. Alternatively, I've killed more than a few Albs on the road and watched their friends run right by as they called for help. I suppose they figured it was a friendly duel.


Chapter 7: Knowing All.

I won't screw around with you. Knowing All is hard work, it is an illusion that requires a lot of preparation and work.

Starting at about level 48, neophyte World Dominators MUST begin exploring. First get yourself a map. Then run all over that map until you know every nook and cranny.

Go alone, wouldn't do to have ANYONE see you when you don't KNOW ALL.

You'll die to Monsters. That's GOOD. It means you'll remember where not to go next time.

You'll die to Guards. That's GOOD. It means you've just learned a guard route and to avoid it.

You'll die to Albs and Hibs. That's GOOD, on two levels. First, they'll remember you later on in lie as that stupid Healer who was running solo, by then you'll be prepared to destroy them. Secondly, you'll learn their travel routes and hunting spots, which is important for ambushing and killing them later in life.

When you die to any of these, LAUGH. Laugh long and hard, because SOON they'll ALL PAY! When an Alb Monster kills you, blame the Albs for living in such a crappy country, get mad at them. When a Hib guard kills you, blame the Hibs, if they didn't own these keeps you wouldn't be killed by roving guards, GET MAD AT THEM!

Take notes on the world, remember the monsters and guard routes, and KNOW THE DAMN KEEP NAMES. Nothing is more magical to Joe Midgard than when you know the difference between Boldiam and Berkstead.

Take the lead, have everyone AF on you. IF YOU GET LOST DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE LOST. If you need to turn around make long gentle U-turns so no one notices. Do not stop in place, if you need to consult the map, hold it up by the screen while you steer and try not to hit aggro, or better yet, run into guards and look at the map while they're fighting.

Infallibility is KEY to World Domination! Don't ever seem to be lost, and if something strange happens, blow it off as business as usual, "Yeah, I need coin, that's why we ran through that Guard route."

You will die A LOT, you will take experience deaths A LOT. But the slavish devotion and blind faith of your friends and countrymen will be well worth it.

Remember, you're investing in WORLD DOMINATION here, it's worth a little blood and tears.
 

Iceforge

Can't get enough of FH
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
1,861
Chapter 8: Tactics

Ahh, here we get down to the meat of it.

Here's where we discuss Gross Displays of Domination.

Levelling up, a green monster posed a threat to life and limb. In every shadow lurked a monster capable of rending you in two.

NO LONGER!!!

You are now a lean mean death dealing machine capable of soloing your way through the depths of Darkness Falls to gank children on the Alb-side.

DON"T GET COCKY!

You may be a bad ass now, but it counts completely on you being in CONTROL. Iron-Fisted CONTROL. That means most often being the ambusher, not the ambushed. That means skulking and hiding, but now it's not with fear, it's with confidence and a predatory hunger!

Ambush! I can't stress this enough, AMBUSH.

REMEMBER TO S.K.I.P. Surprise Keeps It Perfect.

When you jump the other guy, whether it be in group combat or one verse one, the other guy is rattled, he wasn't mentally prepared. I've seen Alerion Knights run, because they weren't ready for a fight.

This is where the pre-planning and exploration pays off. Ambushes require that you know the terrain, better even than the natives. It means knowing the best ambush spost that will avoid guard, monster and player aggro. Usually a good ambush spot will provide cover and altitude. No one looks up. Use that against them but putting yourself on a high hill or slope. Your ambush point should have a clear view of the road while still being concealed. There are plenty of places like that at every frontier keep.

Now, most folks leaving the frontier will be at hastener speed or more. Minstrels and Bards are just gone, unless you have a speedthrall with you. Everyone else, though, with your higher run speed, and sprint will be easy pickings.

A) You pull out from behind your hiding spot and start pursuing them, you'll catch up to them a bit down the road, which is good, because it maintains the secrecy of your hiding spot.

B) Once you're in range, use /face to bring yourself to an immediate halt and begin casting. Stun is a good one to lead off with, then immediately cast celerity and jump in to melee. You'll get a good two or three hits in before they come out of stun.

C) Now, we must discuss how Healers do damage. You have no styles, you do minimal hammer damage. What you DO have is a damage add, and damage shield. Half of Gross Displays of Domination is smashing your face into the other guy's fist and making your Damage Shield hurt him. Keep your timer buffs fresh! Time is crucial to Domination.

D) Make sure you keep Haste debuffing your opponent, too, it's been known to throw off their reactive styles and since you'll be fighting them FOR A VERY LONG WHILE, it will add up, over all they'll probably miss out on 2-3 attacks because of you.

E) Move around. You'll be surprised how many people don't know how to use /stick and /face. By sliding to the side, and strafing in circle around him, you negate his ability to block, parry and hit with regularity.

F) Be aware of what realm rank your opponent is. Knowing the difference between Gryphon Knight and Myrmidon is HUGE. It's the difference between Ignore Pain and not.

G) Keep track of time. You opened up with a stun, so in one minute, you can stun again! Trust me, the fight will go that long. You have to know when your immunity timers are up, get an egg-timer if you have to. Trust me, the other guy is NOT watching his immunity timer, and that's half of the illusion of being able to remezz and chain stun.

H) Don't forget you have endurance. When fighting casters, you have to stay in close. They'll quickcast, usually a root or stun. You purge, and they'll be sprinting away, well you can sprint, too! Also, use sprint to get casting distance between a melee opponent and yourself. Run right through them, and hit sprint, when you have enough distance, hit /face and immediately cast. You'll usually be able to get off even a slow spell like Root.

I) Instas are your ace in the hole. Don't wait too long to insta heal, since you're not going to insta heal for 100% anyway. A sudden damage spike will put you on your ass. Alternatively, most people will wait until the last minute to use IP or insta heals. It's not overkill if you wait insta-stun them just as they get to a sliver of life.

J) Insta mezz can be used as either an escape mechanism or a means of healing yourself. Insta-mezz, run, turn and heal yourself to full. Or insta mezz run, sprint, and escape.

K)
You have two instas, don't be surprised when they're resisted the first time, and DON'T count on them going off, they're low level spells and will be resisted VERY often.

L) Multiple Opponents: When jumped by two people run away. When Jumping two people, gauge your opponents very carefully. One MUST be mezzed down for the full fight, preferrably the toughest one. Kill the squishy one, and then Dominate the survivor. For instance, when jumping a caster and armsman, mezz the armsman and kill the caster first.

M) Runing away. When running away, start off in a straight line, then slowly curve. Usually people chasing you will go in a straight line, and you'll be free and clear, or the guy who's following you won't relay the correct directions and will send your pursuers in the wrong direction.

N) Resting. You know the terrain, so knowing a safe place should be very easy, go there after a fight and rest up. Take your time. Read a book. Use the restroom. Have dinner. Wait until the heat dies down, and your instas are back up. Then go kill again.


Chapter 9: The Tactics of Discrimination

Let's talk about opponents and allies.

First Opponents:

You have to be able to identify them on the fly, as the tactics change according to your opponent.

Armsmen are the guys in shiny plate, very easy to confuse with Paladins. They are divided into two groups: the dead men with polearms, and the badasses with shields. A smart Armsman will have enough shield to block and stun you, be careful of those ones.

Albion casters they have robes, stick and kill them, make sure your purge is up. If they root, mezz them. You WILL have problems with Theurgists, they're all air theurgists, and will spam chain stunning pets, so you can't let them have the opportunity. I can't tell a Wizard from a Cabalist from a Sorceror though, because they all just throw their hands in the air and run in circles. Watch out if they have pets, though, not worth fighting two people.

IMPORTANT: Learn what MoC looks like! When you are fighting a caster and a white swirl goes up around them, IMMEDIATELY drop combat and insta mezz. Then count to 20, cast celerity and kill them.

Friars: Friars are just plain cheaters. No two ways about it. They pretend to be casters better than you pretend to be a Saracen, and when you've moved in for the kill, they bust out their ninja staff styles. A Friar will do more damage, and FASTER than an Armsman, on top of that, they have Ignore Pain. Running away form them is difficult because they have more endurance than you, and can use their insta-taunt to break runspeed. When fighting Friar, mezz and leave. If you see one on the road, mezz and leave. whatever you do, mezz them, it annoys them, and frankly that's all we have against them.

Mercenaries: Two weapons means our damage shield hits them twice as fast. Mercenaries are squishy, and if they throw dirt at you, laugh, because, you're not even styling, what's a fumble gonna do to you? HA!

Clerics: Usually put up a good fight, and usually have two insta heals of their own. It's not really worth the agony to fight them, and CERTAINLY not worth fighting a grey cleric, just too much pain for about 20 RPs.

Scouts: I feel sorry for archer classes sometimes, not so sorry I wouldn't kill a Scout, though. Watch out for the shield slam, a favorite tactic seems to be to shield slam, then crit shot you and point blank. Wait for them to draw their bow, then purge and insta stun them. Then beat the crap out of them.

Infiltrators: It's nearly impossible to pick a fight with an Infil. You usually have to just suck it up. However, when they attack, purge, insta mezz, and fix yourself up, before stunning them and kicking their ass.

Minstrels: With Minstrels we come up against two problems, they can generally pick the fight (stealth and speed) and they can bring pets (pets are the devil). Usually, however, you can melee them down. Really, if they don't bring a pet, they're pretty sorry, watch out for that insta-stun and Ignore Pain!

Necromancers: A pet class, sort of, too much hassle for us to fight, so as they run by, mezz the pet. If the Necro isn't paying attention he'll snap the tether with the pet and be an easy kill. If he is paying attention, well, he'll be very annoyed for a minute.

Bards: That speed thing again, but other than that you can beat the ever-loving crap out of them, they have Ignore Pain, but usually that just means twice the arse-whuppin.

Druids: They're a hard fight, but beatable, gotta watch that pet, though, he negates your CC ability, by keeping you in combat the entire time, hard to nail them both down. Most Druids do less damage than you will, though.

Wardens: here's where you break out the MP Hammer. The MP Spiked Hammer is simply too slow, and a Warden will destroy you in a very slow, agonizing fashion. Break out the faster Hammer and give them a surprise.

Hib Casters: If it has an underhill pet, AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Those underhills will not only snare you (keeping you from being able to stay on the caster) but nuke you in tandem with their boss. It's like fighting two people at the same time, so if you get the jump, mezz the pet, and get on the caster, but chances are you will not finish the caster in time. Yes, the World Dominating Healer does that LITTLE damage when our opponent refuses to cooperate and throw themselves on our damage shield. I think Hibernia has more casters than that, but I'm not sure what they are. Watch out for that white swirl of MoC though! It means PBAE and that will three shot you!

Blademaster: Two weapons mean twice as much damage from the damage shield, awww yeah!

Ranger: They can run away with their speed burst, so save a mezz for em

Nightshade: Usually Keens and Elves, which mean they suck. Low strength is low damage, and low constitution is low hit points. I'm not sure what the Celts will be like, but let's just say I've been Perfed by an Elf for 90.

CLASSES TO AVOID FIGHTING AT ALL COSTS: Mezz, insta stun, run away, get away, don't fight em: Paladins, Heroes, and Champions.

Do not believe the hype and misinformation put out there by our enemies about Paladins. They are your worst enemy...WORST. Paladins have a bunch of chants, their heal chant alone will heal almost as much as your hammer does. Their endurance chant means they will be styling the entire fight, which means our tactic of wearing the opponent down is negated, and sprinting away is useless. They usually spec high in shield, which means they will block the hell out of you, then they have Faith Heal and Ignore Pain. Totally not worth fighting them.

Heroes have their stag form, which means they have Ignore Pain and an extra heal. Ignore Pain fights are close as is, the Stag Form just makes it not worth it. They hit hard, and if they're smart they speced high in shield, and will break that out later on in the fight when they run out of endurance. So really, with the extra heal, and blocking ability, don't bother.

Champions are the friggin DEVIL. They are the hardest hitting tank in the game solo. Seriously. A Berserker buffed is fearsome, but then again, so are Healers. A champion throws so much junk at you in the first few minutes then hits you with a truck while you're wondering where all those extra icons on the top of your screen came from. Don't fight em.
 

Oro

Fledgling Freddie
Joined
Mar 3, 2004
Messages
691
This has been around for ages, I think it first appeared on VN.

Still good though :)
 

Iceforge

Can't get enough of FH
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
1,861
Chapter 10: The Tactics of Discrimination in Your Own Realm

As a future World Dominator you will often group with and come into conflict with your own realm mates.

When out and about, another Healer is absolutely essential. Let's face it, you're not very good at healing, and the more people show up to the fight, the less effective CC is. You SHOULD have another healer, this one mend spec'd to back you up. Be gracious, and tell any shield toters to protect the Mend Healer. You'll be leading everyone around, casting the first obviously Healer spells, and will be kiting the most tanks, meanwhile the Mend Healer will be hard at work making YOU look good. No one remembers who healed them, they remember who LED them. You'll also be able to beat all hell out of any other Healer in a duel, because most Healers think their hammer is just to give them another spellcrafting slot.

Runemasters and Spiritmasters are gonna die, it happens, don't feel too bad about it. When fighting then, open with the insta stun and close distance, then purge their root and they're done.

Shammies are good for backing up your buffs on your allies, and the tanks seem to like them. In battle, though, you'll kick their ass. Can't sprint away from a guy who doesn't need endurance.

The Vikings: Unbuffed most of them pretty much suck, so you're pretty safe dueling them, especially the Savages and Berserkers. Watch out for occasional damage spikes, but otherwise, easy fights. If you want to make a Berserker cry, insta mezz them when they vendo. Then take the time to heal up and rebuff.

The only problems you will find in duels are with Thanes and Warriors. Usually those two classes have high shield and will negate a lot of your damage, don't forget to strafe and move!

Shadowblades are the squishiest things I've ever come across. I really think they need some help. Purge, insta stun fix yourself, beat the hell out of them. Pitiful.

Hunters are tricky, they have the pet, which is always bad, and stealth which means they start hitting you for a couple hundred from range. Couple that with Ignore Pain and you have to play if VERY carefully when fighting them.

As the BOSS, you should not be afraid to tell people when their specs don't compliment yours. This is most necessary when letting Thanes and Warriors into your group. Ask them first what their shield spec is, if they reply that they're two-hander kick them out of the group.

If you're feeling nice, offer to help them farm the Glacier for a respec stone. Don't let them back into the group, though.

Remember to designate the person who will block for you or your pet Mend Healer. If that person forgets to block for you, simply forget to heal for them.

Bonedancers are a funny class. I would not recommend fighting them, but if you HAVE to, make sure you're in a wide open area. When the duel starts, insta mezz the BD, and then cast an AE mezz on the pets. Then Celerity, Single Target Stun the BD, and hope you melee him down before the pets come out of it. With the lifetaps that usually won't happen. Bonedancers count as a group when fighting one on one, remember that.

As for throwing them in groups...well normally I'd say don't. But if you HAVE to, make sure they understand their job is to find and annoy the enemy Cleric or Druid, and set his pets on a caster, basically, spread out and annoy people, because that's all they're good for.

When grouping with Skalds, try to remember they have very low self esteem right now. For the most part it's warranted, but, really, when fighting them, use an insta heal to make it at least look close. When in groups, let them know how good a job they are doing, and point out the kill spam they get, heck make up kill spam, and then wonder why they didn't see it.

Do NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES group with more than 4 stealthers, or Eir forbid, an ALL stealther group. Nothing worse than suddenly being alone when the bad guys come over the rise, and then hearing seven apologies as you run back out to the frontier. Watch out about grouping with Shadowblades too, they don't seem to understand that they're supposed to stand and die so YOU can get away.



Chapter 13: Cheating and Dirty Tricks

A Healer is blessed in that we are our own buffbot, and yet no one can accuse us of having buffbots. However, when you're just a mid-level Aug Healer, sometimes those blue and green buffs just aren't enough.

A) You kept your Healer Epic Hauberk, right? Well it has an AF buff charge on it. USE IT. It stacks with our baseline AF Buff, and provides about 10% more absorption. I hear too many times that people have capped AF, NO YOU DON'T. Mythic has already said the AF numbers are a low priority bug, and will not be fixed anytime soon, but ARE bugged. You can have better than 647 AF, YOU WILL have better than that.

B) Cloaks, I use a playercrafted overcharged cloak, and if you can get your hands on one, you should too. My cloak has an important charge on it, 47th level Haste Charges. Yellow Haste, beats all heck out of green. DO IT. Even if you have to get mittens and have them alchemized, Do it.

C) Remember those annoying Dommel's Seals necklaces that drop in DF? Really easy to get them, and YOU SHOULD. It's very easy in battle or duels, to slap the new necklace on, drop out of combat and blast your opponent with a 49th level DoT charge. Then back into combat and cycle the necklace back out. It's crucial for keeping Paladins and their damn heal chants manageable, and a nasty surprise for close fights.

D)
Bounty potions, ya got nothing better to spend BPs on, so why not? I try to carry a couple Mana Totems, a couple Endurance Totems, and a Heal Totem. The Endurance Totems will help you get away in clutch situations, an extra burst of endurance is always good. The Heal potion is self explanatory.

E) There are trees in every frontier that have less substance to them than appears at first glance. Friendly trees, that will embrace and hide you from your enemies. I even know of a few trees so hollow I can sit down in them and remain hidden. Trees for the Neophyte World Dominator are the poor man's stealth. It's not like you're going to kill someone from inside the tree, but they sure help when a group of humorless Albs go running by. DON'T RUN, stay calm, and trust in the tree to hide you.

F) Everyone wants to help out, so they'll always turn to look for the /yell for help. Fools! Use /yell to get your opponent's attention, it's great for keeping someone from running away.

G) Be a woman. Let's face it, the majority of folks who play this game are men. A /blush, a /kiss from a female toon will often distract them long enough for you to get the upper hand. Female Norse are IDEALLY suited for World Domination!

H) Lag is your friend, pay attention to the lag beast, he will warn you of enemies. I usually know enemies are at the MG even before we hit it, simply because of lag.

I)
Strafing and moving through your opponent is fair game. Do it, occasionally you'll lose an attack, but you weren't hitting for much anyway.

J)
Know the frontier and have good faction. There are a number of mobs that keep track of who is on their naughty and nice list, Ellyll's and Vendo are just two of them. When you befriend them, you enlist allies into your cause, allies that give exp deaths. Plus it's always nice to be able to hide where it's safe and sally out when you're rested.

K) When giving exp deaths, mezz the support first, and make sure it sticks. No AEs, because you don't want the monsters angry at you. Then stun the tanks or kite them while the monsters destroy them.

L) Kill Greys. After a hard day killing yellow cons, killing greys is your reward. Greys are no longer worth 1RP, they are totally worth it, for relaxation purposes alone, and the PMs you get afterwards are just icing to allow you to relive the moment again and again. (hello, Patience!)

M) Killing people is an end in and of itself. Don't kill people for the uber RPs, kill them for the sheer joy and music it brings to your heart. If someone is foolish enough to run back out after you've killed them, DO IT AGAIN! It's fun! Try different methods! Experiment! Who cares that they're not worth anything?

N) You are not alone, remember you are not the only predator out there. Some fool is always sitting in a place you've rested and buffed a million times before thinking he's found the greatest place ever, and no one would think to look here. Check your old hiding spots, best way to get accused of radar!

O) Running, don't be afraid to DoT with the necklace and run, then turn and melee, then run and DoT, etc. You are not a one dimensional tank. You are not your MP Arcanium Spiked Hammer.

P) The Healer Gank: Healers are the best CC class in this game. CC is the most infuriating spell group in this game. therefore, Healers can be the most infuriating class in this game. When fighting a pure melee or a class with severe range restrictions, you can always use the Healer Gank. Insta stun them to get them to hold still for the Castable Mezz. Run to the limit of sight, where they cans till see you. They will be pissed when a minute later their mezz breaks and will come running straight for you. Spam Root until they come into range and it casts. Generally they will not get into range to do anything to disrupt your spell. Then run to the limit of sight, where they can still see you. Mezz immunity timer will fade just as the Root breaks. Mezz them as they run in. Hopefully by this time stun immunity will have faded and you'll have that in case of a resist. When you can get the chain going...it's VERY fun. Good for use on Friars, Heroes, Paladins, and Infiltrators too darn dumb to stealth. Just imagine you hear the curses and screams of frustration



I know, World Domination sounds like a lot of work. IT IS, but if you find that a bit too daunting....perhaps you should spec high Mend?
 

Iceforge

Can't get enough of FH
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
1,861
Note:

I did not make this, i have to tell once again.

Chapter 11 and 12 is missing on the copy i have access to, please post them if your have those laying around.

And this was writen before ToA, a good while back, i think even before Beserker nerf came, so abit out of date, but still very funny :)
 

Iceforge

Can't get enough of FH
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
1,861
Oro said:
This has been around for ages, I think it first appeared on VN.

Still good though :)

Nerf you, posting so quick i didn't post all before i was done :)

I saw your Guide for cabalists to get groups and remembered this one from old guild webby :) Very fun guide tbh :D
EDIT: your guide is very fun i mean, not going to compliment this in more than 1 post...
 

Pogel

Fledgling Freddie
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
91
Yep, it can be found in its home on the VN Seer boards (used to be sticky, but all the stickys on that board have come unstuck).

Btw, don't use this as a guide to build a healer - the effect of ToA has made it even less viable. The guy who wrote it is mostly Pac/Mend these days.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom