Other Class Slows

[Lestumpette]

Hi all,

I'm recently playing EQ again and the game has changed a lot since i was last playing regularly. One aspect of the game I need some advice with is the slowing capabilities of other classes these days. When I last played the only serious alternative to a shaman was an enchanter. Beastlords were around when I stopped playing but not enough of them around at raid level to ever see them in action. I think Bards could always do some sort of slowing.

I duoed with a lvl 70 bard one evening this week (I was lvl 60) and all he said to me was "I have slows covered, you can dot". I didn't want to show my ignorance of the modern state of things so I didn't ask So here I am asking you guys ...

I get the feeling that Shaman are still the masters of slowing, especially with the latest additions to the repertoire, but I don't yet know this by experience.

My question is: what are the % slows and types of slow (i.e. magic based or disease-based .. or anything else-based for that matter) offered by other classes these days. It's hard for me to gauge how replacable we have become since the Luclin days I am familiar with. I recall that even though a chanter could slow if needed, there were many reasons they preferred not to slow if a shaman was present (easier CC being one of them). We are still the preferred slower right ? Can I shoulder aside the chanter or beastlord of the same level as me (61 now) and politely let them know I'm on the job ?

Lest

PS for Kryscha. I'm working on the connection problem as I type, see you soon.

[Katt]

These are the best class ones that spring to mind - it doesn't include all slows by any means. Bard AE slow, bard snare/slow, Shaman targetted AE, and no doubt plenty of class stuff are all missing from this, but it gives you an idea of class capabilities.

Necromancer slow: Level 38 Shackle of Spirit - 70% v undead (resist: magic -0, duration 3 mins 30 seconds)
Bard slow: Level 64 Requiem of Time - 55% slow (resist: magic -0, duration 1 min)
Enchanter slow: Level 69 Desolate Deeds - 70% slow (resist: magic -30, duration 1 min 30 seconds)
Enchanter slow: Level 57 Forlorn Deeds - 70% slow (resist: magic -0, duration 3 min 30 seconds)
Shaman slow(s): Level 70 Hungry Plague - 40% viral slow (resist: disease -50, duration 1 min)
Shaman slow(s): Level 69 Balance of Discord - 75% slow (resists: magic -60, duration 1 min 30 seconds)
Shaman slow(s): Level 61 Cloud of Grummus - 40% slow (resist: disease -0, duration 3 mins 30 seconds)
Shaman slow(s): Level 51 Turgur's Insects - 75% slow (resist: magic -0, duration 6 mins 30 seconds)
Beastlord slow: Level 70 Sha's Legacy - 65% slow (resist: magic -30, duration 1 min 30 seconds)

The main benefit for your group was that Bard slows cause almost no aggro, and if the bard was pulling then they could have the mob slowed as it hit your tank. It did mean that your bard was stuck in camp until the mob was dead or in flee mode, but with the current 'out of range' XP loss feature that was not neccessarilly a bad thing.

I think it's fair to say that you are spell-wise the best slower in any same-level group that you are in. Having said that though, the other classes all have spells which do the job, so if you see an opportunity to assist the group in other ways then you can do so without guilt.



Katt

Edit note: updated to correct bard slow duration (thank you Arkis)

[Zaviax]

We also have

Shaman slow(s): Level 65 Balance of Nihil - 75% slow (resists: magic -40, duration 1 min 30 seconds)

Only good use out of it once you get Discord is you can keep both slows up and alternate between them both to get by the long 6 second recast on both of them. Good for when you have swarms of mobs you need to get slowed quick, but very situational. (I only use it in some Plane of Time phases/fights)

[Unmei]

[arkis]

That level 64 bard slow is actually a 1 minute slow. There's another slow around 55 or 56 that's also a 1 minute slow (something like 35%). Bards also get lesser slows (with other components, like dot or snare, some are AE) at lower levels as well.

Since bards are often pulling if they are in a group, mobs usually arrive 55% slowed and the real slower has 30 seconds or more to stick a better slow.

[dsavereide]

[Finori]

[Lestumpette]

[Unmei]

[Macnair]

[Brohg]

VS has no range, it's Point Blank AE, meaning centered on you, no matter what you have targetted when it casts. Tigir's is targetted AE, meaning max of four monsters, that all have to be pretty much stacked on your actual target. If there are more than four mobs stacked up, it's random which it will try to effect.

(Lucy is a much better source for accurate information regarding spell effects) has a duration of 3.5 minutes, similar to the other non-flagship slows, the disease line.

only has a duration of three ticks, but what you seem to have missed is the autocast , which works like Ancestral Guard to reduce the damage you're taking (though not really as well as the AA). VS is a spell for "oh crap, there are unslowed adds trying to zerg our asses" spell. You pop it off, it's almost sure to land, mob damage overall is lowered some, and lowered on you a lot; you get 18sec to put real slows on the mobs or cc them.

VS is used infinitely more than Tigir.

On the core issue, bard slows do not replace shm slows, pretty much ever. On any non-trivial content, the difference in slows is measurable; you'd have to be nuts to rely on the bard effect. On trivial content, where you wouldn't cast slow regardless of whether or not the bard is there, then the bard's time is as much better spent adding damage as yours is. Bard slowing is a stopgap, and can help them survive pulling perhaps, but it's not the debuff to rely on for anything that's going to actually be tanked.

[Scowls]

[Zethrir]

[Unmei]

[Rifkin]

As a bard I hope I can clear up some confusion here. The best bard slow atm is essentially 55% (based on mod's) and has a 1 minute duration. Its great for pre-slowing on the pull and better than nothing if you don't have a real slowing class but anytime there's a real slower let them slow.

As for the mitigation it is just a bug with the display, once the bard reaches a brass mod of 2.4 or more the mitigation message does not show, even though the slow is still mitigated.

[Scowls]