Duo Suggestions

[Minnxy]

Hello everyone. I did some searching, but couldn't really find any good sources for recommendations on good duo professions.

A fellow froob and I are planning on getting back into AO again after many years away, and are looking for some recommendations on effective duo professions. I plan on being the healer/support/DPS person in the duo, with the other likely a tank class (enforcer or soldier). However, previously I played an adv and so I am looking to try something new. I am open to the idea of a doc, but I would really like to be able to throw in some decent DPS support -- and I never really could get into MA's. So my question is (excluding adv, doc or MA) are there any viable support classes that could do a bit of healing, average DPS and perhaps even a bit of support to round out our duo?

My initial thoughts were trader or fixer, how would this match up with an enforcer or soldier (remember, we're froobs)?

Thanks for the input.

[lordran]

Agent FP doc? or MP with healpet?

[Sweede]

Most of the time when i dual log 2 chars to do missions i go for soldier and doctor, okey dmg from soldier and heals from the doc up to ch works nicely.

[Idahoh]

Sold+trader

Trader can heal, but not enough to heal an enforcer. Soldiers reflects will help trader keeping soldier alive.
Trader can do nice DPS and make soldiers do more dps.
Traders can calm and solve tricky situations :P

Considering you exclude main healing profs, that's the best duo i see.

PS : Traders are harder to learn as a profession than MA or Adv. If you plan to play solo from time to time, you'll probably be disapointed, compared to your old Adv experience.

[Phyxrphyxr]

I go fixer/soldier or fixer/enforcer.

The fixer offers long and short term hots, area roots, and a good deal of damage.
They also speed up getting anywhere with run speed (with evades) buffs and grid access.
They can also evac you both to the grid should things start to go horribly pear shaped.

Last but not least, when your enf/sold friend isn't around the fixer is an excellent all round solo profession.

[Matammyr]

As froobs, the further you progress, the less and less your ability to exist as a duo will be possible if one of you is not a doc (or a dedicated healing advy, and even that has limitiations). The ability for an MA, MP, trader, fixer, agent in FP doc, to be an effective healer in the later levels is so diminished it is impossible to do any pvm for meaningful XP as a duo.

[Phyxrphyxr]

Originally Posted by Matammyr As froobs, the further you progress, the less and less your ability to exist as a duo will be possible if one of you is not a doc (or a dedicated healing advy, and even that has limitiations). The ability for an MA, MP, trader, fixer, agent in FP doc, to be an effective healer in the later levels is so diminished it is impossible to do any pvm for meaningful XP as a duo.

I'd have to disagree with that, at least without being more specific about the level range. I see no reason why an enf/fix combo cannot level well together, certainly to tl5, and I only hesitate to say further because I lack specific froob experience past that point. The health and protection afforded by the enf combined with the hots roots and snares from the fixer ensure excellent survivability. Couple that with high damage damage output from the pair and you have a rocking combo.
Personally I would go atrox on the fixer for this kind of role. The intelligence penalties don't affect fixers so much as many of their must-have nanos are level locked and so having a high int and nano skills to cast them early is not a consideration, whilst the health stamina and strength give good bonuses and help with armour choices.

TL6 = lvl 190

[Matammyr]

I'm a TL6 froob enfo. No froob fixer can sufficiently heal me in any situation where XP would be better than, say, 2500-3000 mob kills per level, which is just absurd.

[Minnxy]

Thank you for all the feedback, it has been really helpful.

What if the other person of the duo is not constrained to either an enforcer or soldier? Or I guess more to the point, the question should be is a tank class really that critical on RK when running team missions, mob camps or dungeons? Could we perhaps be viable as a fixer - trader combo, utilizing the snares and roots for mob control, while having decent DPS and the support of both direct trader heals and fixer HoT? I'm just trying to find something more creative and versatile other than the typical pure tank + pure healer combo.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Dors_Venabili]

fixer/advy is a nice option too

[Idahoh]

Haven't seen how low level fixer do for long so all i can give is what i thought back in the days : Fixers are good with enough money to get him GA.
Without GA, they seem a bit too soft too make a duo with a trader, and vice versa.
If you really want it and have some money, got for it, else i advise you to reconsider or wait for experimented fixer feedback

If not a tank, you need a tough guy, either sold, adv, ma, something that doesn't die easily, just to have time to react when things going bad (or fighting a team mission boss). A dead calmer is a bad calmer, same as rooters or docs, someone has to take the hits

[Phyxrphyxr]

Ah, grid armour. The icing on the froob fixer cake.
Rather expensive icing it has to be said, both in creds and in the IP you have to spend on an otherwise useless Matter Creation nano-line.

But, it is a wonderful thing. Read up about it ...

here and especially here.

... and if it appeals, when you have the nano skills to cast it send me a PM on these forums and I'll arrange a meet so I can give you a GA 1 nano for free. (You'll have to be on RK2 I'm afraid).
I was playing a froob fixer a few months ago and had the good fortune to find a GA1 ID in a mission. I never did get round to using it so I'll trun it into a nano and let someone else make use of it.

[patrick187]

If one person is definitely going to be a tank class, then enforcer/doc.

If you want to think of tanking/healing outside the box, then pistol crat and bow MP. Mezz for adds, awesome DD potential, XP buffs, and CI/CM to get twinked later. The charm pet, crat-bot and angry meatball together, plus two folks using ranged weapons is decent DPS, and you can lock down adds easily.

Handling adds and burning down big mobs are the two biggest challenges a duo faces. Lots of ways to do that.

[Matammyr]

Originally Posted by Minnxy Thank you for all the feedback, it has been really helpful. What if the other person of the duo is not constrained to either an enforcer or soldier? Or I guess more to the point, the question should be is a tank class really that critical on RK when running team missions, mob camps or dungeons? Could we perhaps be viable as a fixer - trader combo, utilizing the snares and roots for mob control, while having decent DPS and the support of both direct trader heals and fixer HoT? I'm just trying to find something more creative and versatile other than the typical pure tank + pure healer combo. Thanks again for all the help!

The other person does not have to be a class with an aggro management toolset. You're going to have to resort to slightly more unorthodox methods for dealing with group mobs, like you just mentioned, but it's workable. So long as the non-healer can do enough damage, especially the ability to launch several damage specials at once, you'll be fine.

[Sweede]

I have tried using my fixer with soldier and well the fixer hots are far from enough when taking on the boss at the end of the team mission, hell my hots are not enough to keep my T1 armor dressed fixer alive for long either.

Depending on the boss the fight can be very long so tms won't last trough the entire fight and well my docs dots + init debuff + good heals are very nice.

But i guess if you are not interested in being able to take on mobs way above you most profs with at least some healing will work.

[Heptagram]

Originally Posted by Minnxy Could we perhaps be viable as a fixer - trader combo

(Froob) traders do little damage. An enf will do 2x or maybe even more damage than a trader, given somewhat equal twinking level and player skill.

[eroz_c]

I guess you didn't explicitly specify if you're going to remain froobs. This would be a nice thing to know when making the suggestions, so care to elaborate?

[Minnxy]

Yes, we plan to remain froobs.

EDIT: Haven't given much thought to max level, but I suppose we plan to eventually get to 200.

[Matammyr]

How far do you plan to level?

[Jenshey]

Doctor / soldier.
Advy / MA
MP or trader or NT/ Doc