My thoughts on 1 Arcane slot shroud groups.

[stoolcannon]

On another note I ran it with an almost complete group of first timers at level last night. I learned a lot about leading a shroud at level with new players.

Important to tell the casters/divines to have:

GH
Deathward
Blur
FOM
Jump

Of the 5 we had FOM between a FvS, Cleric and 2 sorcs.

[Crann]

Just curious, why Deathward?

Kobold mini boss has Vorpal.

[Phidius]

My best runs were ones where the party leader just took the first 11 who applied.
...

What's really fun is when people join such an LFM, then proceed to insist that we need more DPS, another healer, blah blah blah.

[Quikster]

Whats even funnier is when somoene comes to the forums and brags about thier 42 arcane shroud completions followed by a statement along the lines of only 1 arcane is needed.

News flash! There is no specific class thats needed to run a timely normal shroud.

[Dozen_Black_Roses]

On another note I ran it with an almost complete group of first timers at level last night. I learned a lot about leading a shroud at level with new players.

Important to tell the casters/divines to have:

GH
Deathward
Blur
FOM
Jump

Of the 5 we had FOM between a FvS, Cleric and 2 sorcs.

Another good spell to carry is protection from evil/magic circle against evil to prevent the gnoll (if he's there) from greater commanding you. This is useful in alot of the epic quests as well.

[Therigar]

Not my server, but the observation could apply to my server as well.

Have to say that this is one of those things where your choice of character class has pigeon-holed you into specific roles and quests. The simple fact is that you are not needed. If, as is the case on Orien, most Shrouds are run on normal then you do not need even 1 arcane assuming you have a character with decent ranged damage for the crystal. You absolutely don't need an arcane for the portals and there isn't anything an arcane is buffing that can't be done without.

So, you made a character that isn't needed in the Shroud. Nobody made you do that, so don't get upset with the character you built because of it.

Best thing to do, make friends with two competent clerics. Plan on when you will run Shroud and meet every 3 days to do that. Then all you need to do is put up an LFM for 9 DPS characters.

But, more important, why are you wasting time in Shroud on a L20 sorcerer? Don't you have other things you could be doing? And, don't ever complete the Shroud runs you do. That way you are never on timer. If you are just farming ingredients then the more you are able to run the quest the more times you'll find a group to get in.

[Quikster]

Another good spell to carry is protection from evil/magic circle against evil to prevent the gnoll (if he's there) from greater commanding you. This is useful in alot of the epic quests as well.

Prayer, and keep it running

[Phidius]

Not my server, but the observation could apply to my server as well.

Have to say that this is one of those things where your choice of character class has pigeon-holed you into specific roles and quests. The simple fact is that you are not needed. If, as is the case on Orien, most Shrouds are run on normal then you do not need even 1 [insert class here] assuming you have a character with decent ranged damage for the crystal. You absolutely don't need an [insert class here] for the portals and there isn't anything an [insert class here] is buffing that can't be done without.

So, you made a character that isn't needed in the Shroud. Nobody made you do that, so don't get upset with the character you built because of it.

Best thing to do, make friends with two competent [insert class here]. Plan on when you will run Shroud and meet every 3 days to do that. Then all you need to do is put up an LFM for 9 [insert class here] characters.
...

Slight modification in red.

...
But, more important, why are you wasting time in Shroud on a L20 sorcerer? Don't you have other things you could be doing? And, don't ever complete the Shroud runs you do. That way you are never on timer. If you are just farming ingredients then the more you are able to run the quest the more times you'll find a group to get in.

There are much easier and faster ways to farm ingredients than running Shroud 1-4 over and over. Get the guaranteed large from part 5 and move on.

[Nahual]

Wait you take an arcane into shroud?! Nonesense!!!


Doesnt matter really.

best way is 11 melee 1 healing bard FTW!!! Everyone knows that!

[Sarisa]

Somewhat off topic, but...

Useful divine buffs:
True Seeing if a shaman manages to survive long enough to cast blur/displace on a portal. [Part 1 only]
Prayer for a +1 luck bonus to damage.
Recitation and Holy Aura for bonuses to saves [Part 2, 4, and 5].
Magic Circle Against Evil if the Gnoll miniboss shows up, prevents Greater Command [Part 2 and 5].
Deathward if the Kobold miniboss shows up, protects against his Vorpal [Part 2 and 5].
Freedom of Movement and Fire Resistance are givens.
Mass Aid for a +1 morale bonus to hit, if there is no bard in the party.

Some people like Stalwart Pact on the "squishies".

I have mixed feelings on Neutralize Poison. I feel people should be responsible for their own poison protection potions if they cannot fit a proof against poison into their equipment layout, but I also don't like people having a chance at being incapacitated between mass heals.

[jwdaniels]

Kobold mini boss has Vorpal.

I never knew that. Thank you.

[Zharfie]

Sorry to intrude on your server forums (as I'm from ghallanda)

Last two shroud groups I made on my cleric had 3 casters, 2 bards, 2 healers, and the rest were dps... I just took them as they came, both of them finished off harry in less than one round *easily*.

limiting to one caster is just silly... but then so are those 19-20 shrouds I've been seeing on ghallanda lately.

it's like a lot of people seem to think shroud could not be completed back when level cap was 16...

[jwdaniels]

I have mixed feelings on Neutralize Poison. I feel people should be responsible for their own poison protection potions if they cannot fit a proof against poison into their equipment layout, but I also don't like people having a chance at being incapacitated between mass heals.

If someone asks, the only two times you'd cast it are before mana-recovery situations anyway so it's not so bad.

[Therigar]

Slight modification in red.



There are much easier and faster ways to farm ingredients than running Shroud 1-4 over and over. Get the guaranteed large from part 5 and move on.

Yes, the mods are appropriate and accurate. And, yes, there probably are.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

The Shroud has been done with full parties of a single class....of just about everyclass in the game. Including Wizards.

It is my opinion that good players eventually transcend the thinking of perfect parties, and realise that a full group of any combo can complete anything.

In fact, just about everyquest has been soloed as well.
So if you are good enough to shortman or solo any quest, why do you need some specific party mix to get it done?

I've done ToD without a healer.

I've seen a near wipe on prt five of the Shroud get turned into a victory by my ranging Rgr with only 14HP left, a manaless cleric scroll healing a single tank......for about a third of Harry's HP......and we did it!

So, IMO. You should be able to take the first eleven of any class that hits your LFM and go complete the Shroud.


Oh, and then there is the fair play part of it. Ya see, someday your gonna want a caster in your groups....ands want a good one. That is well equiped and can stay alive. Well equipped with Green Steel for instance.

So....it's in your best interests to be nice to those guys. Take him in your Shroud run. Make him like you. Make sure he gets good GS gear. And then he's there for you when you need him. Say...in that Tower of Despair raid next week.

[Quikster]

Slight modification in red.



There are much easier and faster ways to farm ingredients than running Shroud 1-4 over and over. Get the guaranteed large from part 5 and move on.

The Shroud has been done with full parties of a single class....of just about everyclass in the game. Including Wizards.

It is my opinion that good players eventually transcend the thinking of perfect parties, and realise that a full group of any combo can complete anything.

In fact, just about everyquest has been soloed as well.
So if you are good enough to shortman or solo any quest, why do you need some specific party mix to get it done?

I've done ToD without a healer.

I've seen a near wipe on prt five of the Shroud get turned into a victory by my ranging Rgr with only 14HP left, a manaless cleric scroll healing a single tank......for about a third of Harry's HP......and we did it!

So, IMO. You should be able to take the first eleven of any class that hits your LFM and go complete the Shroud.


Oh, and then there is the fair play part of it. Ya see, someday your gonna want a caster in your groups....ands want a good one. That is well equiped and can stay alive. Well equipped with Green Steel for instance.

So....it's in your best interests to be nice to those guys. Take him in your Shroud run. Make him like you. Make sure he gets good GS gear. And then he's there for you when you need him. Say...in that Tower of Despair raid next week.

Have some rep

[stoopid_cowboy]

Ugh!
It's just the Shroud people! Take the first 11 and roll out!
Also, farming is for people in Iowa. Complete and get your large. If you need more ingreds, use the 3 days between shrouds to roll up another toon. Moar Shroud flagged toons = moar larges.

I guess I am just being grouchy, but after a couple hundred runs one realizes the best Shroud group is any group.

yuda

ps. get a puzzle sover! *facepalm*

[Thrudh]

1 good arcane is all that's needed and that's another DPS slot. I'll take 2 when running shrouds if 2 apply quickly enough which is usually the case.

So how much DPS does an average melee do in 1 round against Harry, and how much can an average caster do if he dumps ALL his SP into nuking Harry?

How much DPS do you lose (gain?) by bring 2 casters and 8 DPS insteaed of 1 caster and 9 DPS?

[voodoogroves]

The main problem is many arcanes dont know how to make their presence felt.

Yes.

So how much DPS does an average melee do in 1 round against Harry, and how much can an average caster do if he dumps ALL his SP into nuking Harry?

How much DPS do you lose (gain?) by bring 2 casters and 8 DPS insteaed of 1 caster and 9 DPS?

Yes.

1 good [INSERT CLASS HERE] is all that's needed

edit, Phidius-style .... ;-)

[BoBo2020]

I've ever done was all casters.

Pale Masters rock that raid (portals are susceptible to "free" negative energy blasts, marginal damage is instantly healed through multiple auras, 12 polar rays finish the fight).