Crow vs. Stag

by Unknown

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Xavius2009-04-07 14:56:06
QUOTE (Ilaveuse @ Apr 7 2009, 02:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hmmmm... what would you say is useless in Crow? I can think of a couple things... Trickster, for one.

Decoy, disease, trickster, deathmask, regurgitate, eyepeck, spew, and spy, if you're going by the traditional sense of "useless." Of course, each of those skills do have a use. I'm sure I've used all of them in at least two different situations. Their uses are very limited all the same, especially when compared to their nearest Stag equivalent.

Do it the other way. What's good in Crow? Bonenose and Spiderweb top the list, but both are situational. The Stag ones offer a wider range of options. You basically get one for every situation. Next is Crowform. Crowform is better than Stagform, but it's not a night-and-day difference. The big difference there is swoop. Swoop really and truly sucks for an instakill, but it is an acceptable normal attack if you can get a decent setup for it. "Better than Gore" is not the same as feasible. Next would be Nestcall. This is a very good skill. Now compare it to that Stag totem and cry. Then there's Rebirth. The passive, no-setup afflictions are nice, but they don't tick often enough or with afflictions scary enough to save you.
Narsrim2009-04-07 15:14:47
I'm going against the grain. I think Crow is better than Stag with the exception of Stagstomp.

QUOTE (Narsrim's favorite Crow skills)
Cloak - Poison resistance is -hot- bashing because a lot of creatures have poison (garghouls, mitrans, scorpions, parasites, blobs, etc). Undead influencing is likewise super useful. Free flight if you aren't a faeling, which I never was.

Perch - Awesome ability! Twirl Cudgel + Perch is damn near hexagram/geyser/etc immunity

Birdseye - I found a lot of use jumping people when I could scry them without setting off aethersight.

Squall - This used to break prismatic barrier!!! It worked as one of the few counters to Serpent whoring.

Spiderweb - Very useful.

Regurgitate - Again useful. I liked using this bashing.

Trickster - Again useful. Dreamweaver Sleep lock + Sap + Crotamine food = win. And it's classy.

Scavenger - Super useful! Hoist someone, cubix, and drop them off in a preset demesne on Astral. They're screwed!

Bonenose - Useful.

Nestreturn - Useful.

Eyepeck - I found this useful in group/choke.

Darkbirth - Never have to pray + passive afflictions = win.

Spy - Always fun to drop this in a room where Xavius and Yeralih are plotting in trees and listen in on their conversations. It works on all elevations!

Carrion Stench/Spew - Useful. Passive afflictions are always a plus.

Disease - Nice if sapped.

Crowform - Swoop is an awesome skill. I've seen this used quite well for Runists in a sap lock since they can supersling double mana draining runes.



Ashteru2009-04-07 15:29:27
Well, you said that you think that Crow is better than Stag, but then you only talked about the crowskills. I'd like to hear your oppinion on those. Because, of course, regurgitate is nice since it works together with healthpotion, but, compared to Medbag, which cures a lot more wounds and doesn't need/use balance, it pales. Likewise, the facepaints, while possibly helping during PvP, are a lot less useful for bashing when compared to Stags. And if you have a sleeplock and sap, it's still more viable to kill with swoop, since that poison will be shrugged 66% of the time, and after three swoops, it's a guaranteed kill, which take about 12 seconds, like 3 tries of trickster do. (But that's debateable) DarkRebirth is sweet, hands down. Eyepeck isn't all that great, if someone is choked you are better off doing damage or cudgeling than eyepecking. Blindness doesn't hinder at all, and cudgel does more bleeding, damage and doesn't cost power. Spy is a nice flavor skill, yes. I see how you would use birdseye and scavenger together, but how many people that aren't narsrim would/can do that? Since you get a message that you will be hoisted, and again, large size would negate it. Best bet would be just to wait to get hoisted and then web, for a concussion and a nice start to kill the druid.
Xenthos2009-04-07 15:33:00
I remember how much Squall breaking Serpent used to frustrate you. tongue.gif

Also, Ash: Crow cloak stops the web trick from knocking you out of the sky. I got Laysus once using that. He didn't understand why I wasn't falling after he webbed me.
Ashteru2009-04-07 15:37:18
Oh really? Sweet. ...so you keep on flying while webbed? Kind of weird. Negates the webbing, yeah, but if you have someone hoisted, you can't attack them, so technically, they still get a headstart. Does paralysis or the like knock you down, then?
Xenthos2009-04-07 15:46:51
You can attack people you have hoisted...

And things that actually sprawl you will still "instadump" you on the ground (no falling, concussion, levitation, or anything. Just get sprawled, look, and you're on ground elevation). Which is, apparently, not a bug-- who knows.
Ashteru2009-04-07 15:58:52
What? That was changed then, because when I tried it out, you couldn't. Just release it. *shrug*

And are you sure that that's not a bug..?
Xenthos2009-04-07 16:02:22
QUOTE (Ashteru @ Apr 7 2009, 11:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
What? That was changed then, because when I tried it out, you couldn't. Just release it. *shrug*

And are you sure that that's not a bug..?

So I'm told. They removed the sprawl from vapor hexes instead of making prone not insta-dump you (because vapor hexes made flying 100% impossible, no resistance, no nothin').

May have to check with a Blacktalon-- I know I can swing my weapons when I've hoisted someone, but if they can't use their cudgel, there's something strange going on with cudgel vs. warrior weapon checks.
Xavius2009-04-07 16:06:31
QUOTE (Xenthos @ Apr 7 2009, 11:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
So I'm told. They removed the sprawl from vapor hexes instead of making prone not insta-dump you (because vapor hexes made flying 100% impossible, no resistance, no nothin').

May have to check with a Blacktalon-- I know I can swing my weapons when I've hoisted someone, but if they can't use their cudgel, there's something strange going on with cudgel vs. warrior weapon checks.

Druids can too. The question is why you'd bother. Hoist is for moving to a demesne so you can fight at tree elevation. You can't hinder writhe, so you've got to move pretty quickly.

(Actually, hoist is for failing and getting killed after the hexagram knocks you into the group. Details, right?)
Ashteru2009-04-07 16:26:59
Very weird. Maybe it was changed or I just misremembered, eh.
Harkux2009-04-07 20:24:30
QUOTE (Ilaveuse @ Apr 7 2009, 02:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yeah, I could see medicine bag being useful on Astral or so... as a monk, I have level 7 health regen (garu, Harmony, Mercy), so I really don't need health potion. I regen... 2k health per tic, basically.



Health regen caps at level 3, no? :S Enchants and Harmony are only a small boost.
Xavius2009-04-08 01:21:28
QUOTE (Harkux @ Apr 7 2009, 03:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Health regen caps at level 3, no? :S Enchants and Harmony are only a small boost.

True regen caps at 3, but all sorts of things that heal on a tick are not regen. Plus, Harmony? That's not a small boost.
Unknown2009-04-08 03:17:34
QUOTE (Xavius @ Apr 8 2009, 09:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
True regen caps at 3, but all sorts of things that heal on a tick are not regen. Plus, Harmony? That's not a small boost.

Yup, I tested it somewhat. One body chant is 5% regen. That's more than one level of true health regen.
Unknown2009-04-08 03:19:07
Well, lots of info since I last checked...

What is the true 'kill' for druids? Shofangi don't seem to have a very reliable kill other than 'hit things lots hur hur' (which I in no way disapprove of...). But druids seem to lack a reliable kill method. You sure can't cudgel somebody to death... saplock is all well and good, but you're spending eq to keep them locked, right? And what would you actually DO to them if you weren't?

In regards to that, Swoops seems far more reliable than Gore.

So, in defense of Stag, the thing I keep really hearing is Medbag. Both seem like decent skills, I'm definitely not saying I think Stag sucks. So, why is Medbag so much better than a health potion?
Shiri2009-04-08 03:25:03
Because it...heals more than a health potion, heh. It's just raw health potionny goodness.
Xavius2009-04-08 03:26:33
QUOTE (Ilaveuse @ Apr 7 2009, 10:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well, lots of info since I last checked...

What is the true 'kill' for druids? Shofangi don't seem to have a very reliable kill other than 'hit things lots hur hur' (which I in no way disapprove of...). But druids seem to lack a reliable kill method. You sure can't cudgel somebody to death... saplock is all well and good, but you're spending eq to keep them locked, right? And what would you actually DO to them if you weren't?

In regards to that, Swoops seems far more reliable than Gore.

So, in defense of Stag, the thing I keep really hearing is Medbag. Both seem like decent skills, I'm definitely not saying I think Stag sucks. So, why is Medbag so much better than a health potion?

Saplock all the way, baby.
Gregori2009-04-08 03:35:26
When I touch my bag, I get about 1700+ health back. I love touching my bag. Sometimes I touch my bag just cause it reminds me of how good it feels when I really need it.
Unknown2009-04-08 03:52:07
Oh hush, Gregori, even though you make me laugh. happy.gif

Does Saplock kill? How?
Sylphas2009-04-08 03:57:41
QUOTE (Ilaveuse @ Apr 7 2009, 11:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Oh hush, Gregori, even though you make me laugh. happy.gif

Does Saplock kill? How?


If you can keep them locked, pretty much anything can kill them. Fit in a cudgel here and there, or let thorns do it, or have a friend beat them to death. If you can outdamage their regen and keep them locked, they'll die.
Xavius2009-04-08 03:59:22
QUOTE (Ilaveuse @ Apr 7 2009, 10:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Oh hush, Gregori, even though you make me laugh. happy.gif

Does Saplock kill? How?

Saplock kills because it's a very persistent aeon bolstered by bleeding. The bleeding slowly stacks up and the health starts ticking away. When they're desperate enough to start sipping, you cudgel and speed up the process.