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First things first: calm down, people  .
I've seen a number of concerns that Onyx and I have been posting less in recent weeks, and some have taken that as an indication that we are less involved with the site and the game. Not true  . After seeing all of the work Onyx has done on the site in recent days, those fears can be put to rest.
As for me, work and marriage have taken a toll on my free time, but so has EQII beta. I assure you, I'm no less enthused about this game than I was on the day Onyx asked me to work here with him.
Also, some have suggested that these beta journals are relatively useless, as those of us who are writing them are in the pockets of SOE. While I will absolutely agree that SOE has treated me well over the past few months, I'm not going to lie to you about the game just to make them happy... and my opinions about the game aren't going to be anything other than how I honestly feel about the game (I've been pretty honest about what I like/dislike about EQLive in the past, I believe). I'm a fan of the ideas behind EQII; if they are not implemented in a manner that makes for an enjoyable game, I can be honest about that.
Now, on to what you actually want to hear. I've been progressing with Hangard the cleric for the past few weeks. The game post level 9, as you might expect, is quite a bit different than what you see as a noob. Group tactics are far more important, and the role of the priest is far more defined than early on.
I'll keep this pretty simple and pretty much related only to what goes on in group combat. We all know by know that the game is packed with quests of varying scope and style. We know the world is pretty large, and it looks darn good. What is important is how the gameplay fits into that.
The first thing I noticed about the Cleric, as opposed to the general priest, is that melee combat is no longer a viable option in group situations. It just doesn't make sense. I can still hop in and add a bit of damage if I need to, but it's much easier, and much smarter, to stand outside the group keeping a watchful eye on those you are protecting. That sounds an awful lot like EQLive, but when you're facing 6 mobs at once, keeping an eye on the action is a little more difficult.
The role of the Cleric is still the same: you're the group's healer. The differences between how you heal when compared to a Shaman or Druid, however, are quite apparent. The Cleric gets a couple of direct heals (Minor Healing, Minor Archhealing) and a group heal spell (Minor Group Healing) up through level 14 (which is where I stop in today's journal). In addition, you share some of the other healing spells (Minor Regeneration, Minor Ward). In addition, there are some unique heal spells that have a chance of healing your target or party when they are attacked (Bestowal of Vitae, Soothing Sermon).
I've found that I can be most effective as a Cleric when I'm teamed with one of the other healing archetypes. The ward's of the Shaman work extremely well; they delay the damage taken by the tanks, and make the long cast times on my powerful heals much more manageable. When a caster (or myself) gets a bit too frisky early on in the fight, they do a great job of protecting the player from taking damage, and that let's me save my power and heals for the tanks, who will hopefully be taking most of the damage anyway.
I've also had no problem supporting a full group of six as the primary healer, so long as my tanks and scouts don't pull multiple encounters at once. From levels 10-20, aggro management becomes much more important. If my tank pulls a group of 6 and has to bring them a long distance, it's nearly impossible for me to survive the fight without the use of some of my "emergency" spells. As soon as I heal the tank that pulled, a few of the mobs separate from the pack and come after me. The more mobs there are, the more difficult it becomes.
One such "emergency" spell is Distract. It's on a 15 minute timer, so you won't be using it too often. It is an instant point blank area of effect Hate reduction spell, and it is vitally important in some of those big fights. Sometimes you've got to heal quickly, whether it creates aggro or not.
With a 6v6 encounter, I've got to let the tank get down to at least 50% before I hop into the healing action, and it's extremely hectic when I finally do. I typically start with Minor Healing (short cast time, short recast time, average healing power) and then follow with Minor Archhealing (longer cast time, longer recast time, more healing power). The standard ward and regeneration spells come in handy if I'm the only healer in the group; being able to quickly save a caster or scout with a Minor Ward and Regeneration is a life saver (and power saver) when you need those long recast spells for the tanks.
Managing your power pool is important, especially in 6v6 encounters. But equally important is managing your spell timers. A Minor Healing spell followed immediately by Minor Archhealing will leave you with several seconds where you cannot cast any direct heal spell... you're left with only Wards and Regens. Those have shorter recast times, and knowing when to mix them into the encounter is very important.
I've found that this makes combat a bit more intense than EQLive; the pace I believe is much quicker. Granted, I was a Ranger/Druid/Bard in EQLive, so a Cleric's role is a little different, but I'm definitely more active in EQII. I probably had to hit more keys while twisting as a bard, but it was obviously far more repetitive than what I'm speaking of here.
When combined with a Shaman, I am doubly effective. Their Wards prevent much of the initial damage from a long pull, and that allows the tank to build up more aggro. In effect, the presence of a different member of the same archetype boosts the effeciency of my own class. If this is a common theme throughout the game, then it will be a huge key to the archetype system's success. So far, I would definitely say it is.
Probably the biggest compliment I can pay to the combat in game so far is that it does indeed present the player with a multitude of choices. There are plenty of different ways to successfully complete an encounter, and those vary depending upon who is in your group. You can cruise through simple fights with the use of a few arts, and you can find yourself challenged in new ways by each of the group encounters. Basically, combat is fun.
The spell leveling system is something I'm becoming a big fan of, at least early on in the game. You may purchase spell upgrades (Apprentice II, Apprentice III, etc.) from crafters, and you will find many improvements being dropped from mobs throughout the game. I picked up several Adept I spells over the past few levels; major improvements.
Lately I've been spending a lot of time in Blackburrow, which is quite similar to what you remember from EQLive. Everything from the Gnolls down to the legendary trains... it's all here in a polished new package. It's been a lot of fun taking on a new style of content in a nostalgic setting. You'll find the expected range of Gnolls of differing types and levels, but you'll also find a lot of quest related mobs and loot drops. For instance, one room in the dungeon has a locked chest, and to open it, you must loot a randomly dropped rusty key that is carried by gnolls in the zone. You'll also find a lot of components to the Gnoll Mastery Quest, something new to EQII. Throughout the game you will be able to collect drops from various types of mobs (Gnolls, Golems, Orcs, etc.) that will aid you in the completion of Mastery Quests; quests that allow you to learn more about the mobs themselves, ultimately leading to special combat arts and spells that can be used against that particular type of mob. These quests and special attacks are another way you can differentiate your character from others of the same class or subclass. A caster with a Gnoll Mastery is obviously going to be a bit more effective in Blackburrow than one without it, for instance.
The death penalty is tough, and that's a good thing. When your group screws up, you do pay for it. The debt system is definitely punitive, but since you're never going backwards, it's not daunting. I really hate dying, and I think that's the way it should be.
Basically, the core systems that I've experienced thus far are working and working well. So what is not working? Well, primarily, Antonica. The massive zone is struggling with lag issues right now, and struggling mightily. I have intentionally avoided hunting in the zone as of late because response time is quite bad. Lag and clerics do not a happy couple make. Fortunately, I would imagine that is an issue that is far more easily addressed than a broken gameplay mechanic or poor implementation of a core game concept. I know it is something they have been working on quite a bit as of late; but it still remains a big problem.
Aside from that, I'm thoroughly pleased with what I am experiencing right now. The game is fun, and it's following closely with the design that has been described in recent months. There are lag issues with some of the larger zones, and some of the archetypes need polishing, but the game from 1-20 is quite good from the perspective of a priest.
I'll give you more info in my next journal covering levels 15-20.
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