24 replies to this topic

[Lilly32]

Still cant figure out a class I like and have tried Engineer, Ranger, Warrior, and Guardian.  I have kinda stayed away from the cloth casters as these have been deemed the hardest to play by most people, especially mesmers and elementalists.  But just returned after a break to get moved into a new house and settled into a new job and thinking about starting up again.  This time I want to try a cloth caster.  In other MMOs those have always been my main classes so I figure I might enjoy them here as well.  

Which one of the three is the easiest to play?  I dont care if they are late bloomers and dont get really powerful until 30-40 I just find classes that are more relaxing the most fun to play.  One reason I didnt like PvP in WoW with some classes was you were forced to use 40-50 keybinds if you wanted to be good, like my Warlock.  Seriously playing with that many abilities isnt fun.  Thats work, take that shit elsewhere.  Also for farming at 80 which would be the best at and for groups which of the 3 do people usually like having around?

[jthamind]

i definitely wouldn't say elementalist, unless you just want to sit back at 1,200 range with a staff and throw fireballs, which isn't very effective. an ele usually takes some effort to get max output, especially if you wanna go D/D. a Necro with S/D, staff and Epidemic seems pretty easy, though. i can't really speak on mesmer, never played one.

Edited by jthamind, 31 January 2013 - 02:05 AM.

[HawkofStorms]

Definitely necro.  Very keyboard rolly compared to the other 2 (having to constantly dodge and combo with ele, and having to keep track of illusions with mesmer).

[Gerroh]

Mesmer greatsword is brainless. Keeping track of illusions isn't very hard.
Elementalist is easy for brainless staff work, but as mentioned before, close-up elementalist is where the real power's at, and it's not easy to do. I'd say it's even a little bit overpowered.
It's difficult for me to scale nec, probably because it's what I play the most, and thus everything just comes naturally to me. However, I can tell you that at least 90% of the nec players out there are completely retarded, so maybe it is difficult.

Edited by Gerroh, 31 January 2013 - 02:26 AM.

[Running4Cover]

I'd definitely agree with HawkofStorms; you can be decent at Necro without giving it too much time or attention.

Mesmers probably require the highest degree of management of any class to actually be decent, and they're also one of the slowest to level in my experience.  Gerroh mentioned that their gs build is brainless, and this is vaguely true; you can play a gs mes without much thought, but you'll pretty be useless to teammates and slow to kill things if you're not giving it much thought.

Eles are super-squishy, and the good ones tend to be major risk-takers... this makes for a lot of trial and error, and a steep learning curve.

With a Necro, you have the highest possible starting health, you have an extremely simple class skill that equates to even more health, you have some super brainless builds (straight minions, etc), as well as some complex and powerful ones, and a pretty smooth curve.

...I'm generally more of a leather class player, but I think Necro is super easy compared to the other two, although they all pay off once you cross a certain threshold (but who wants to hit 50 only to realize you hate your toon?)

Edited by Running4Cover, 31 January 2013 - 02:39 AM.

[Lilly32]

Trying a Mesmer now and I dont get illusions.  Tried GS and Staff and when I use an Illusion I see 0s pop up.  Is that their damage?  Doesnt seem too powerful hitting for 0 lol.  Might just go Necro.  I did enjoy my Necro in EQ, my Bonedancer in DAoC, and my Warlock in WoW so maybe I will like that class.  Also I assume eventually they will get around to making minions do more than just stare at mobs?

Edited by Lilly32, 31 January 2013 - 02:43 AM.

[Khlaw]

Mesmer starts out really weak, but by your mid-30's or low 40's it becomes a cakewalk.  
Elementalist can be really overwhelming to start with all of its abilities, but becomes really easy once you get the hang of it.
Necro starts out solid, and stays that way.  It's not always the fastest single-target killer, and minion AI can be a bit weak (I run wells and corruptions on mine).

I guess, if you're looking to avoid frustration early on, necro is a solid class, and stays that way.  I haven't found any of the professions to be overly difficult or weak, but I will say I actually found the adventurer classes (except ranger) to require more caution while playing than any of the scholars or soldiers.

Ease and difficulty are often a factor of weapon selection.  For example, sword/pistol is a high damage mesmer spec, but can be a lot more challenging than GS or even staff, since the class benefits a lot from being at range.

FWIW, I spent a while playing all of my 80's yesterday, after almost exclusively playing my guardian at that level, and fell back in love with my necro.

Edited by Khlaw, 31 January 2013 - 03:00 AM.

[Afyael]

Lilly32, on 31 January 2013 - 02:42 AM, said:

Trying a Mesmer now and I dont get illusions.  Tried GS and Staff and when I use an Illusion I see 0s pop up.  Is that their damage?  Doesnt seem too powerful hitting for 0 lol.  Might just go Necro.  I did enjoy my Necro in EQ, my Bonedancer in DAoC, and my Warlock in WoW so maybe I will like that class.  Also I assume eventually they will get around to making minions do more than just stare at mobs?

Clones do 0 damage, they are meant to be distractions, not damage dealers. The purple translucent guys are illusions, they usually do a burst of damage every few seconds but are much more fragile than clones (usually die in 1 hit whilst clones can take 2-3).

[GuanglaiKangyi]

Mesmer looks like it should be hard but it isn't really.  You have respectable defensive options (much more so than a thief, who is in medium armor), you are typically at range (which by default is easier than being in melee) and you are constantly spawning clones to deal damage and take aggro off you.  Most clone skills recharge quickly and it's not like you can control their AI or anything, so they tend to be very fire-and-forget.  Shattering sounds like one of those "Oh no now I gotta balance out clone damage and shattering" deals but it really just boils down to:

Can I make more clones?
Yes --> shatter
No --> don't

then

Is the boss about to wipe out all my clones with an AOE?
Yes --> shatter
No --> don't

For the most part, though, other than shattering to keep them cycling or getting some use out of them before they die to a big AOE, it's not that complicated.  Keep in mind that if the boss is punching your clones to death with single-target attacks that aren't AOE, this is good.  Clones being punched = players not being punched.

Also, if you are feeling extra lazy, you can just set up your traits so your clones inflict conditions on death, so you don't even need to shatter.

[Heart Collector]

Mesmer is tough up until its 30s when it gets stronger, and in its 40s (I'm 47 on my Mes) it just shreds up mobs like nobody's business. By then one should have a decent grasp of how the class works too. I found Ele more complex (only played till 25 though) due to its attunements, and the little I played Necro made me feel that it was a solid class (just not really my style).

[Fenice_86]

Necro easiest (highest HP pool + additional HP pool)
Mesmer (after lvl 40 when you can get "infinite" clones on dodge)
Ele hardest (as other guys above said if you are not going to spam #1 Fire Staff at 1200 range)

[Raagar Deathclaw]

I'd definitely go with necro, scepter/dagg conditions is easy to get the hang of and from there you can improve on it to get some really great results, imo minions are aggrandized hunks of meat but i do see ppl who use them, my main is a necro and i love it and i'd be happy to answer any questions my char name is Raagar Deathclaw and i'm on once a day at least usually

[Elysen]

Gerroh, on 31 January 2013 - 02:25 AM, said:

Mesmer greatsword is brainless..

And also incredibly ineffective. Any Mesmer using GS as their primary weapon brings shame to Mesmers everwhere. 1h Sword deals the same damage as max-range GS (auto attacks) in one-third of the time. Like for most, GS is just the ranged alternative when kissing an enemies ass is far too dangerous.

But I digress, this isn't the Mesmer forum.

Edited by Xephenon, 01 February 2013 - 01:52 AM.

[Lilly32]

Deleted my Mesmer didnt like it at all just felt odd.  Leveling a Necro now and its a lot of fun.  Even did some SPvP to see how I liked the class in PvP and had a lot of fun.  Just wondering when I hit 80 are Necros good farmers or can only Warriors/Guardians farm stuff? Every post I read about "Whos the best farmer at 80?" always says Warrior/Guardian.

[matsif]

necro mark/well build.  all of it is aoe, and all you have to do is sit back and hit 2-3-4-5-7-8-9 and stuff melts away.  if you want you can make it more complicated, but really it's not much more difficult than that.  necro also gets highest base hp of light armor (and more base hp than all other classes outside of warrior, they are tied) and death shroud gives you a second hp bar on top of that.

[whodini]

Mesmer is my first and my main. I farm around Orr all the time. Was like alot of people. Frustrated with eating ground until I figured which direction I went with my traits. I consider Mesmer a class that is highly dependent on traits for to survive. Hang in there with your Mesmer. It's worth it

[whodini]

Mesmer with chaos armor using combo fields can be done at close range.  When u feel too much damage there are skills like phase retreat or cloak.  That's when it becomes easy.  I've used prestige and veil in pvp.  Gets me behind enemy lines with no one knowing I'm there. So Mesmer can do close range

[Evans]

The question seems pretty straightforward, what is the easiest cloth profession to play.

Obviously the only real answer is necromancer. Apart from death shroud, which is yet another survival mechanic the necromancer has, the profession has nothing special or complicated going for it. It's easy, sturdy and effective.

That doesn't mean it's the best, it's the easiest. That said it is quite a good profession too.

Elementalists have element swapping and are as durable as a wet noodle, and mesmer have illusions and shattering, as well as a bunch of situational utility skills. Neither come close to being as easy as an necromancer.

[Khlaw]

Lilly32, on 01 February 2013 - 04:43 AM, said:

Deleted my Mesmer didnt like it at all just felt odd.  Leveling a Necro now and its a lot of fun.  Even did some SPvP to see how I liked the class in PvP and had a lot of fun.  Just wondering when I hit 80 are Necros good farmers or can only Warriors/Guardians farm stuff? Every post I read about "Whos the best farmer at 80?" always says Warrior/Guardian.

Necro rules at farming.  Go with a wells build and staff, and you will be dropping so much AoE that you'll fill the screen with sparkles.  You'll also be fairly indestructible.

[Dabrixmgp]

I just started a Mesmer and they seem like a fun class to play.  Im playing dual swords and sometimes sword/pistol and its pretty cool.  Not high enough to tell if I will like the class or not since everyone says they arent good till 40 but seems like a fun class.  Only problem is I have heard you will be the worst farming class in the game at 80 so I guess enjoy being poor.

[Bloggi]

If you want to farm with a necro, just make sure you party up with a few others. Back in the days when I still used to sit in Orr with my necro, the experience was rather painful unless partied up. By itself the necro does not do enough burst damage to get credit for the kill when there's a tonne of other people zerging the mobs. Wells are nice AOE (not terribly high damage) but on a fairly long cooldown as well.

[Heart Collector]

Dabrixmgp, on 04 February 2013 - 12:18 AM, said:

I just started a Mesmer and they seem like a fun class to play.  Im playing dual swords and sometimes sword/pistol and its pretty cool.  Not high enough to tell if I will like the class or not since everyone says they arent good till 40 but seems like a fun class.  Only problem is I have heard you will be the worst farming class in the game at 80 so I guess enjoy being poor.

Keep a staff handy, it's one of those "must have" weapons that will get you out of the toughest situations (like the Shortbow on the Thief). I'm not at 80 yet but I don't know how efficient a farmer I'll be, even though I'm confident I'll still be very powerful. My buddy is leveling a warrior to boot so we'll be duo farming like nobody's business

[Lilly32]

Bloggi, on 04 February 2013 - 02:55 AM, said:

If you want to farm with a necro, just make sure you party up with a few others. Back in the days when I still used to sit in Orr with my necro, the experience was rather painful unless partied up. By itself the necro does not do enough burst damage to get credit for the kill when there's a tonne of other people zerging the mobs. Wells are nice AOE (not terribly high damage) but on a fairly long cooldown as well.

I thought you only had to tag mobs to get kill credit, as in one point of damage would work.

[Bloggi]

Lilly32, on 05 February 2013 - 06:38 PM, said:

I thought you only had to tag mobs to get kill credit, as in one point of damage would work.

Well I could be wrong, but months ago when farming Orr with my necro, I read somewhere that approx 2K damage needs to be dealt to a mob (either as a group or as an individual when solo) before getting credit for the kill. Out of those you are credited for a kill, only some of them will drop loot. Challenge is that the mobs used to go down in 2 seconds due to a massive zerg standing over the mob spawn point swinging swords and laying down traps and such. Trying to deal 2K damage in that short span of time is pretty difficult. As a group of 5 it would be easily manageable assuming everyone is cooperative and goes to the same spot. But it'd be frustrating trying to solo that as a necro with few means of achieving such a burst...auto-attacks in Lich form would do it, but it's still a 30 second duration transform on a 3 minute cooldown.

This was the old days of course, the way the mobs spawn in that area these days is entirely different. I went through the same Penitent Path area with another toon much later just to check it out. At one point there were almost too few people there and the mobs just played pinball with me after stability ran out, doing the usual pulls and knockdowns. I'd be checking it out again sometime soon since it appears they have spiced things up a bit and changed the way the mobs attack. But for now there's just not enough hours in a day and I hate farming with a passion. I traded some time for a dungeon run yesterday and didn't even get to complete the dailies, a first in history for me since the day of headstart.

[Running4Cover]

For clarity on the mob-tagging; you must personally deal at least 1 damage to the mob, and your party (when farming, often just you) must deal damage over a certain percentage threshold to the mob in question.  Not sure where the exact breakdown lies.