Druids are one of the most versatile classes in EverQuest. While they cannot do any one thing as well as any corresponding "specialty" class (cleric, wizard), they can also fill the role of, or supplement, any of those classes in a group if needed. Though they are excellent soloers, a well played druid is also a welcome and essential part of almost any group. Because of this versatility, though, the druid needs to be aware of her or his group makeup at all times, and constantly monitor the battles, in order to maximize mana efficiency and damage to the enemy. Druids do become pure casters, and will no longer melee, starting around level 16.
There are three basic fighting situations in which a druid may find herself or himself, and three basic tactics that correspond to it:
1) kiting,
2) small group with tank,
3) full group.
Kiting
Kiting is an endeavor to be done solo (or sometimes with one partner). It becomes an effective tactic at level 14 when you get Spirit of Wolf. To kite, you basically SoW yourself, snare the enemy, cast a Direct Damage or Damage Over Time spell on it, run away a safe distance, and meditate until you think the enemy is close to you. At this point, you stand up, cast another damage spell, run away, and meditate some more. Repeat until the enemy is dead. (There are more extensive guides to kiting elsewhere.) This lets you take down enemies that con yellow or even low red to you, if done correctly. While kiting in the proper places can take you up to level 50 or beyond as a soloer, and do it perhaps more quickly than you could grouped, you need to keep in mind the ramifications of only knowing how to solo. A level 50 druid who only knows how to solo will be useless on a Plane of Fear run or a Lord Nagafen run.
Small Grouping (Grouping With A Tank Partner)
Small grouping can be done in many of the same places as kiting. Druids really shine in this respect. Small grouping does depend on being able to pull one enemy at a time, so it is hard to do in dungeons. You need to find yourself a tank (a warrior, shadowknight, or other melee class). Buff your tank with Skin Like Wood/Rock/etc. and Strength of Earth. Find a suitable creature and have your tank pull it. Now, cast Shield of Thistles/Barbs/etc. on your tank, and a DoT (Stinging Swarm, etc.) on the creature. Snare the enemy, and if you have the mana you can also try out a Flame Lick (which is an AC debuff) on it. At this point, sit back and meditate. Heal your tank if he gets below half life or so; if you have the mana, you can also add in a DD when the enemy gets below half life to speed it on its way to death. This is a VERY efficient way to get good experience, have the fun of grouping, and use all your spells to their maximum effectiveness.
Full Grouping
Large grouping is the most challenging of these tactics, but also potentially the most fun, and is your principal option at higher levels. Large grouping may make you a little less crucial to not dying than you would be in a small group, but it is more challenging in that you need to figure out how to best use your mana to help the group the most. For example, if your group has a damage caster (a wizard, magician, necromancer, etc.), the creature will often die too quickly to make your damage shields, DoTs, or even snares ideally effective, so you may need to take on the role of healer and/or secondary damage caster. If your group has several tanks all of whom take damage, then damage shielding one becomes impossible or at least unhelpful, so your focus shifts to snaring and debuffing the enemy and healing if one tank gets below half life, and maybe tossing in a nuke to speed things up. There are no hard and fast rules as to what you must do given any particular group makeup; it is up to you to watch the progress of the fight and figure out where your energies can be best used.
At higher levels you will have two additional roles in your group. First, if fighting casters, you will need to memorize both Whirling Wind and Dizzying Wind and use them to prevent the casters from healing themselves or hurting your tanks. As soon as you see them begin to cast, cast your wind spell, and you will interrupt their spell unless they resist. The reason you need both spells memorized is that each has a fairly long recast time, so you will need both memmed so that one will always be available to cast when the enemy begins to cast.
Also, you will be responsible for evacuating the group if necessary (unless there is a wizard in the group who can do it). Charge your group puller with telling you when to evac. If you see a big fight coming, you will need to keep evac in mind: save 300 mana to use for the evac; and don’t do anything that might make enemies jump on you (like healing a lot), because the evac has an 8-second cast time, and you don’t want to get interrupted while casting on it. Keep in mind that there are druids at the druid ring in East Karana (where your first evac spell goes) that will kill ogre and troll group members on sight.
These tactics may be employed virtually anywhere in Norrath, whether on crocodiles in Oasis, aviaks in South Karana, or lizards in Cazic-Thule. Choose your fighting zone, choose your tactic, choose your partners, and go to it. Tunare go with you.
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