Heal....
Nuke....
Snare, root...
Buff...
Debuff....
DoT....
Port/Evac...
Charm....


Pretty certain I am, that while we do be able to cast many varied spells, we do only get 8 spell slots like every other caster, priest and hybrid. But pray correct me, if uttering some secret druidic word doubles 8 to 16 or more. Perhaps that same word springs forth new wood elf arms too? That we may cast many spells at the same time.

I know such a word must exist for I have read sagas from clerics, wizards and shamans alike, that we druids do indeed can cast all spells at once. I have read from countless sources, druids do be able to blaze down our enemies while healing our allies.

Not only that, countless narratives from clerics does seem to indicate that druids can nuke like the best wizards in the game, not the half powered nukes that I am used to. Likewise wizards like Belgarath, Rastlin, even the Amrylin herself do speak of druids capable of healing as strong as any cleric.

Alas despite being a druid of 65 seasons with many advanced abilities, I am unable to perform such feats. So I prithee, allow me to join thy secret fellowship. Tell me the word that I may transform myself. Indeed, I do be tired of telling my friend, "Demmit Jim. I'm a druid, not an octopus."

With hope, the next time he sees me in Everquest, he will see me as an octopus!

Secret word is ....













d.u.c.k.

It is similar to the secret word that allows guild officers to:

Win every adventure.

Get all the best loot.

Instantly recieve all POP flags.

Get 200% XP bonuses even for just sitting around.

1. Ensnare
2. Savage Roots
3. Nuke
4. Debuff
5. Interrupt
6. Swap between DS/Regen
7. Nature's Infusion
8. Tunare's Renewal


Hotkeyed AA's:

Exodus
SotW
WotW
MGB


That's a pretty good "average" set-up for me. I believe it covers all the basics. If you have Ornate, you can set clickies to savage roots and regen, freeing at least on more slot. If I am main healer, I usually dump regen/DS on whoever else is with me (mage/another druid/shaman) and mem Chloroblast in it's place.

For adventures, I always have up my interrupt spell and occassionally drop my debuff in favor of a rain spell or DoT, depending on the situation. If not in an adventure group for exp, I'll drop the interrupt for VoT.

Once I have my group, I rarely have to swap out spells.

The secret word is "fun". Druids are fun!. At least I find mine to be so. I really enjoy doing things on the fly, seeing a need and filling it, being able to help in so many areas all at once.

http://forums.thedruidsgrove.org/images/avatars/swiss001.gif

Do any of us think it in any way odd that we swap out spells 1-3 times EACH fight?

Nope.

For me, the standard group lineup: nuke, heal, regen, snare, root, interrupt, dot, ds....but then 9 fades (remem), charm this, (remem), no shammy in group (remem wussy druid strength), port (remem), mots/moth/motf fades (remem)

I don't even think about it.

Hmm the only spells I never swap out are NI, Savage Roots and Ensnare the rest are pretty fluid depending on what I am doing and can switch several times during a fight depending whats going on. The one exception might be NR which I keep memed if I am using it, can't stand the long recast time.

I switch around dots and debuffs a lot and usually have a slot that alternates regen and ds.

I have hotkeys with woody. A hotkey that loads debuffs and a hotkey that loads dots.

I stilll use a firepot to succor when egress is gone. Spell slots slightly to precious for that 1 second difference in cast time :)

It is a lot of work, but it is hardly ever boring :) The real pain is in indoor zones you may have to limit swapping some because sitting aggro becomes an issue without the horse/lizard.

Heal....
Nuke....
Snare, root...
Buff...
Debuff....
DoT....
Port/Evac...
Charm....

You don't buff at the same time as you do the rest, other than DS.
You don't port at the same time as you do the rest.
You can make an easy item that lets you evac in 10 seconds without using a spell gem, and there is the insta evac.

That leaves
Heal, Nuke, Snare, Root, Debuff, DoT, Charm, and DS.

You also forgot interrupting.

Now, Debuffs outside of raids are not that smart of an idea: most mobs drop very quickly, and the mana/time/aggro to debuff a resist, AC or ATK probably isn't worth it. . .

Which leaves:
Heal, Nuke, Snare, Root, DoT, Charm, and DS.

Snare is aggro-dependant and takes 1 gem
Nuke is aggro and mana dependant and takes 1 gem
Heal is aggro and mana and takes 2 gems
DoT is aggro and mana and takes X gems
Root takes 1 to 2 gems, and you can get a good root clicky
DS takes a gem, or lots of swapping
Charm is mana dependant, only useful in some zones, and is attention-dependant, and takes a gem

That's 6 to 7 base gems, plus debuffs/DoTs/Interrupts, plus out of combat buff swapping..

What really restricts druids is mana and aggro (and total casting time sometimes). Spell gems are a relatively minor problem for the class.

Classes who have it worse spell-gem wise:
Enchanters (3 runes, root, mez, 2 PBAoEs, slow (x2!), charm, NDT-type spells, lull, mem blur, boggle)
Shamans (root (x2, fast cast and park), slow, malo, malosani, nuke (shaman nukes make knight DPS look good, but needed), dot x2 or more, avatar, 2 heals, torpor-line.
Necros also have it bad, spell gem wise.

Spell casting time is my enemy. Even if I have the mana and somehow dont attract overly amounts of agro (adds beating on me is nothing new and not something to stop me from casting needed spells, unless we are talking raid adds), casting time restricts me more then spell gems or anything else. I dont have a spell haste focus yet, but even with it I would imagine that casting time would still stop me more than anything else.

standard:
blank
regen
tr
ni
root
snare
fire debuff
fire nuke

afterdeath
coat:
mask
blank x6

seasons:
poseasons
blank x7

po 9:
po9
blank x7

bo 9:
bo9
blank x7

SoE:
flight of eagles
blank x7

ds:
bracken
blank x7

charmsolo:
glamour
command
petbuff
blank x5

cold:
blank x6
cold debuf
cold nuke

stun:
fury
blank x7

This pretty much enables me to use the /mem spellset command to go from any formation to any other, with little effort. someone on raid sends a tell requesting soe? sure. seasons? sure. we cut from air to fire for another raid? /mem cold.

mind, this has nothing to do with the point of this thread, and the point of the thread is not lost on me, i'm just sharing what helps me at least use my feet and toes to carry an extra spell or 5 in my back pocket with a few quick keystrokes.

I want to be that octopus (http://www.eqdreams.com/msgboard/thread.php?threadid=94&boardid=12&styleid=1&sid=6fdab76380228a3bb9b04a57bba3b1c3)

raid lineup

snare
root (always have those two memmed unless theres absolutely no possible use for them)
nuke
egress
debuff
pot9
NI
TR

people are always dying and sending tells for pot9, so that stays up. Egress well... im just a freak and like always having a cop out.

charm btw, unless you have a chanter, usually takes two slots, at least at first charming, for glamour of tunare.


death set:
snare
root
pot9
egress
brackencoat
mask of the stalker (i need forest bad lol)
NI
soe

usually ill try to channel pot9 on rez so i dont have to save up that HUGE amount of mana =P

I have four slots that almost never change:

Ensnare
Fast Root (the longer duration Savage Root is on my pants)
Egress (at 2.5 seconds, this is my get out of jail free card)
NI


My first slot is always a DD. That leaves 3 for swapping out: debuffs, buffs, charm, additional healing, spikes, transportation, additional nuking, AoEs, etc. I don't need them all up at the same time.

My setup for Raids / groups:

Chloroblast
Tunare's Infusion
Nature's Infusion
Karana's Renewal / Debuff (depending on MT HPs) / Pot9 (for battlerezzing buffing
Root
Snare
nuke / evac
nuke