starting class choice help

[lia yia]

I would like a class that has not much positioning or a complex rotation. I am turn off with pgl(pug) because of this. I am looking at lnc,thm, or arc. I for one like simple rotations.

[FreelanceWizard]

Well, LNC is a positional attacker (mostly rear -- a lot less complex than PGL), so that's out for you. ARC is ranged DPS and isn't positional, and I believe it's a priority queue rotation (I haven't played it enough to be 100% positive on its style). THM is rather different; it's based on draining, then refilling, your MP pool by changing the elemental spells use you and, at higher levels, trying to get free casts of big spells by casting lower level versions of them.

[Nova]

I played an Archer up to level 31 and I found the learning curve pretty smooth. I'm not sure what priority queue rotation is. But the rotation I used for my Archer was pretty simple, though I did have an issue with out-DPSing the tanks on occasion. The THM I only played to level 16, I had a bumpy start with them but once I got into the correct rhythm with them they became a lot easier. I agree with what FreelanceWizard said. The LNC I played to level 2 so I can't help you there.

[FreelanceWizard]

A "priority queue" is a type of rotation that's based on using abilities in a specific order if the ability is up or wouldn't overwrite its own effect. As you go down the list, if the ability is down or its effect is already applied, you go to the next one. It's kind of a more situational approach to a normal rotation. Historically, I've seen it used most by DoT classes and short duration buff/limited trigger buff classes with lots of different cooldowns -- Death Knights (WoW), Jedi Shadows/Sith Assassins (TOR), Necromancers (EQ and EQ2), etc.

 

So, hypothetically, you might have a queue that looks like...

Poison Arrow

Blood Letter

Straight Arrow IF buffed from Heavy Shot

Heavy Shot

 

And so you'd go down the list, using Poison Arrow if the mob isn't poisoned, moving on Blood Letter if it still is and Blood Letter is up, then to Straight Arrow if it has the buff from Heavy Shot, or Heavy Shot if nothing else applies.

 

I don't know if that's the best way to play Archer, but since it seemed to me that they have so many debuffs and abilities with varying cooldowns, that's how I was approaching it. I may be wrong, however -- I didn't play the class very high.

[Nova]

A "priority queue" is a type of rotation that's based on using abilities in a specific order if the ability is up or wouldn't overwrite its own effect. As you go down the list, if the ability is down or its effect is already applied, you go to the next one. It's kind of a more situational approach to a normal rotation. Historically, I've seen it used most by DoT classes and short duration buff/limited trigger buff classes -- Death Knights (WoW), Jedi Shadows/Sith Assassins (TOR), Necromancers (EQ and EQ2), etc.

 

So, hypothetically, you might have a queue that looks like...

Poison Arrow

Blood Letter

Straight Arrow IF buffed from Heavy Shot

Heavy Shot

 

And so you'd go down the list, using Poison Arrow if the mob isn't poisoned, moving on Blood Letter if it still is and Blood Letter is up, then to Straight Arrow if it has the buff from Heavy Shot, or Heavy Shot if nothing else applies.

 

Ah thank you very much. In that case I would say the ARC is priority queue rotation.

[Ildur]

I'll assume you want to be a Damage Dealer. Marauder, from what little I saw up to level 14, wasn't very complex and required no movement at all. I tried Archer for a bit, but I found it an extremely dull and uninteresting class. I didn't have to move much, however, and I'm not sure if kitting is required for them.

Quite a shame, because I like archers in most games.

 

I also played a Thaumaturge, but I couldn't decide if it was a kitting class (the story-line missions seem to suggest that it is) or a face-tanking class: sometimes I just killed things more efficiently if I spammed Fire on them. Other times, the mobs hitted hard and I was better off running away. I also had to get Cure as soon as possible, because it's a damn handy spell, specially for those pesky solo quests.

During instances, though, I barely moved as a Thaumaturge. You just fling fireballs at the enemy until you run out of mana, at which point you use Transfuse (or whatever the skill is called) and reapply the electric dot and use ice based attacks until your MP regens. It's a very fast regeneration and it's actually kind of fun and well designed. A burst damage dealer, I guess you could call it.

[Xeon]

Problem with marauder is that it counts as a tank not a DD, Sure you can probably get into a group as DD if you find people outside of DF. However marauders are expected to tank. So if you end up with a group as a marauder with a Gladiator or something, you'll just compete for agro as marauders got mostly skills that generate enmity. 

 

Every character is complex in its own way, THM needs to bind for example and they problably have their own rotations with fire and ice or what it is. So i would suggest try them rather than asking for what is easy. By simply leveling, if you follow the combo patterns that the skills say you'll probably do fine. Besides its easy enough to learn.

 

-Xeon

[FreelanceWizard]

Ooh, don't play a MRD if you want to be DPS. They're a tank -- specifically, a high HP tank. Their DPS is a little better than Gladiators and around that of Conjurers. People think they're DPS because of that big axe they carry, but they're tanks, through and through. And tanks always have to deal with positioning due to AoE attacks.

[Nox]

Yeah, as Freelance pointed out, Lancer is a positional class. Not all of what they do is behind, some is flanking, but its positional and situational, I found. Some skills you only use if something else is happening. Like... I only stunned an enemy if A) I was getting my ass kicked (almost never) B) I was getting mobbed (rarely) or C) They were a boss mob. 

 

Anyway. If you don't like positional, tanking, or complex rotations... You're going to have to go with a ranged class, obviously. I'm not sure what "complex" is to you, but Thaum and Archer are pretty easy to learn. Thaum takes some getting used to (as people before me have said) and Archer is just like any other ranged dps class I've ever played. I wish we knew more about Arcanist, so we could maybe point you at that.

[lia yia]

seems like I will go with THM.I wish I know more about arcanist