Guide to the Solo Enchanter

Collice's Guide to the Solo (or not so solo) Enchanter

Note: This is a work in progress. I do not claim to know everything about the enchanter class, I am merely writing this info as I feel like doing so in order to help fellow enchanters who might not already know this information (some of which is common knowledge). I appreciate any comments / suggestions / corrections / additions to the information that I give in this guide.

I'll update this guide as I have time and I plan to eventually cover the following:

Soloing (good zones, pets, etc)
Map screenshots to show where good pets are located
AA explanations/recommendations
Gear recommendations
Epic quest tips/links
Other helpful links related to enchanters
Guide to illusions ( <3 )

Other possible categories for the future:
Grouping
Raiding
Farming
(Suggestions welcome)

Soloing:

This is the main focus of my guide; how, where, when, and why to solo as an enchanter. Keep in mind that this guide begins at level 51, as this is the level that I started my enchanter on Mayong (thus, I have no experience in sub-51 enchanter).

Basic rules of thumb for charming:

1) Always tash your pet.

Any time you are going to charm, it is imperative that you tash it first. Since charm is magic based, and has a resist check every single tick, there are lots of chances for a break in a 7.5minute duration spell (75 chances, actually) so the worse your pets MR is the better the chance that he will remain charmed as long as possible.

2) Never stay near your pet.

A hasted, dual wielding pet does wonderful dps on an enemy mob, but in an instant he could break charm and proceed to do that same dps to you. Sitting and medding right next to your pet might be convenient, but a max damage quad or two will teach you quickly that your pet really doesnt like you enough to hang out near him. Stay max distance so if you get a break you can recharm as it runs towards you. When fighting just move away once your pet gets agro, and when medding tell him to "guard" and get several yards away for safety.

3) Expect charm breaks, they will happen, often.

As noted above, you should already be max distance (or at least a considerable distance) from your pet. Runspeed AAs, SoW pots, LON familiars/visages (ie. Spiroc Roostmaster, Aviak Rook, Aspect of the Eagle) etc. are your best friends here as they help you gain extra distance when you turn and run from your pet to re-charm without getting hit. In the event of a charm break, run in the opposite direction until you are at max casting distance, stop, and cast charm as your pet runs toward you. Turn and face the opposite direction from your pet so that if you get a resist you can immediately take off running again before you get smacked in the face.

4) Hasted pets who can dual wield (when given two weapons) are your best friends.

There are several pets throughout Norrath who can wear two weapons if you give them to them. Generally I carry around a bag of daggers (purchased for 2plat each from the spell research vendors near small bank in PoK) or a few sets of mage summoned gear (haste mask, 2 weps, and a belt per set). Open a trade with your pet, put in 2 weps (and a mask/belt if you have them) and hit trade. If your pet is flagged as dual-wield'able he will now have the graphic of your two traded weapons. This is the most crucial thing for a charmed pet, as it literally doubles his DPS. NPCs who do not dual wield swing with one delay and can double attack. Like players, though, when they are able to dual wield and you give them two weapons you basically activate their second delay; however, unlike players they have no penalty for using a weapon in the offhand. In a nutshell an NPC who dual wields swings two primary delays for double DPS and can double attack on both swings (thus leading to "quads"). Toss a haste buff on your pet and he is officially doing somewhere around 3.4 times the damage that he does in "regular" npc form. Here's the math:

Say a mob does 1 dps:

Make him dual wield, doubling dps: 1x2=2dps
Add 70% haste: 2dps+(0.7)(2dps)=3.4dps

5) Slow your enemy, mez any adds.

Enchanter slows cap out at 70% attack speed slow (only 5% weaker than Shaman slows). Remember how your pet is doing 3.4x normal dps? Now make your enemy only do 0.3x normal dps and all the suddon your pet is doing 11.3 times more dps than the mob you're fighting - basically what that translates to is that, on average, you can kill 11.3 mobs before your pet dies by doing nothing but hasting your pet, giving him 2 weps, and slowing your enemies. (More on how to make that number larger, later). This assumes that the mob is fully slowable.
Also, keep those adds mez'd. Even slowed they are still putting out red numbers. It's worth it to spend a couple hundred mana to lock him down until mob number 1 is dead. This is a no brainer.

6) Always keep a rune on yourself, just in case.

You never know when you're going to get a charm break, get an add, or any other sort of random event you might not have seen coming, so we enchanters get a little something to help supplement our terrible mitigation: runes.
Starting at level 61 you get "Arcane Rune" which has no reagent cost and absorbs 1500 damage before dissapating. From that point on you will continue to get upgrades to the "freebie" rune as you level. Eldritch Rune (AA) is also wonderful. This acts as a great "oh-crap" button as it is instant, costs no mana, and doesnt set off your recovery time. Eldritch and Arcane do not stack, however, and eldritch has a 7minute cooldown (so it really is best used as an "oh crap" button. Lastly, the enchanter epic 1.5/2.0 have a mana-free quick casting rune that does stack with eldritch/arcane(and its upgrades). If you have your 1.5/2.0 remember to cast your spell version rune first since your runes are eaten in the order they were casted (so you want that arcane to go first because you can recast it whenever, whereas once that epic rune is eaten up you have to wait the full cooldown before you can recast that one.) Also note that in some situations you can "Rune-tank" for your pet so that he can hit the mobs in the back, negating all AC, and kill them faster. This relieves downtime due to low pet health, etc. but is not recommended for all situations.

Where to charm

Level 51-52

Gear: You start out with a full set of Flawed Defiant, and it will last you until you are of level to get Elaborate Defiant (honestly, I would recommend sticking with the flawed until you can wear Elegant Defiant as your gear is nearly irrelevant for your grinding ability). Upgrade as you see fit.

Zone: Plane of Innovation

Pet: Pick a robot, cast Tashania on it, then charm it with Allure. There is no pet in PoI that can dual wield, but you shouldn't have a hard time getting one level here with a mediocre pet. Remember to keep it tash'd and hasted, and slow every opponent. Help your pet out if necessary by dotting/nuking and you'll be 52 in no time.

Level 52-56

Gear: Same as above

Zone: Crypt of Nadox

Pet: Pick a troll near the lava entrance from Gunthak. Invis yourself at the entrance and swim through the lava and up the wall on the left. Remember to bring some weapons because these trolls can dual wield -- Pull with tash, charm him, then put a dagger (or whatever weapons you brought) on your cursor and click your pet with it. This opens a trade window with 4 slots -- put in 2 weapons at the same time and click trade. The weapons should appear on your troll's hands and he is now dual wielding. Toss him a haste and you're good to go. Either pull with tash or slow and sick your pet on your enemies. The trolls dont summon so pet breaks should be simple to handle, just kite them around until you're max distance (root/mez if necessary) and recharm.

Level 56-62

Gear: Same as above (upgrade to elaborate defiant at 58 if desired)

Zone: Crypt of Nadox

Pet: It's time to go a little deeper into Nadox -- go to the area with the lower level Luggalds and find one that can be single-pulled or a 2pack that wont pose too much of a threat of more adds (just mez them both and proceed to tash/charm/give weps/haste/slow etc). With your luggald pet you're good to go until 62.

Level 62-64

You're on your own for this level range, either stay in Nadox to solo (slow exp at this point) or find a group. When I was going through these levels I didn't find any decent zone with charmable mobs (level 57 or lower) that were worth their weight in salt.

Suggestions welcomed here!

Level 64-70 **Best for AA**

Gear: Same as above, elaborate defiant at least recommended unless you are comfortable with charming by this point.

Zone: Drunder, Fortress of Zek aka: Plane of Tactics

Required spell upgrades: Pacification (62), Arcane Rune (61), Bliss (64), Command of Druzzil (64).
Recommended spell upgrades: Dreary Deeds (65), Speed of Vallon (62), Insanity (64), Voice of Quellious (65), Greater Fetter (61), Howl of Tashan (61).

Pet: Upon zoning in, invis yourself and run down the hallway until you see the pit. Turn right, run through the opening that you see and into that hallway. Follow the hallway all the way downstairs until you see the room with tables in it. Run through the table room and continue straight ahead until you see two "Diaku Plan Keeper"s on the right. Run all the way into the corner nearest the left plan keeper if you are facing them (they are not in agro range from there). Use Pacification on the plan keeper that is farthest away from there, and pull the nearest plan keeper with tash. Rune-tank the keeper until you get him charmed. Chill in that corner until you get him hasted and give him two weapons, then sneak out of the corner and to the right and clear the entire room one mob at a time. Welcome to good exp, your plan keeper has about 3 times the hp of every other mob in the basement and can even kill the named mobs that spawn there if you slow them. Leave the second plan keeper alive (they have a fairly long respawn timer) in case you have an accidental pet death you are not without a good pet.

Because the plan keepers are so much better than any other pet in tactics for soloing, you do not want to let him die. When your pets HP gets low, use invisibility to break his charm early, mez him, and cast memory blurs on him until you go out of combat (confirmed by seeing the rest-mode timer on your health bar). Wait a couple ticks and he will start to regen 10% hp per tick for a quick recovery time. Generally he's full hp before mez wears off and you can re-tash and re-charm risk free.

I personally locked at level 65 and did ~500 aa's in tactics (kills take 15-20seconds apiece and they reward 15-22% aa per kill). Enjoy.

Level 65-75 **Best for normal XP**

Note: this zone is recommended only to those very experienced with charming. Also, this zone requires a healer mercenary to solo comfortably (to heal your pet). I do most of my killing in here duo with my brother's SK and a healer mercenary to heal, but it is possible to solo.

Gear: Elegant defiant (once level 70) recommended, but once you get used to it anything will do.

Zone: Vxed

Pet(s): Note: regardless of what charm you have, inside Vxed only mobs level 64 and lower can be charmed.

The best pet doesn't come until you make it to the far north central end of the zone. However, there are several options to get you to your good pet, quickly. I prefer the hynid ravagers since they don't summon and don't run at bard speed, but anything level 64 or lower can get you there (just beware of stonemites/ukuns, they summon). Most mobs in Vxed can't dual wield until you get to the north end, but they double attack 1050 max hits, when hasted they make quick work of enemy mobs.

Once you make it to the north central area, you will see Beladu's. "an arisen beladu", "a weeping beladu mother" etc are your tickets to amazing exp in Vxed. Once you get to them (via mezzing+blurring your way through the zone, or killing to them) you get one tash'd/charmed, hasted, and give it two weapons and you have the best pet I've seen so far in the game. They swing on about a 1 second delay and quad 1050 damage hits. With someone else tanking so that your mob can be behind the enemy mob, he parses around 2k+ dps. (1050x4=4200dmg max round) Enemy mobs will die in 8-10seconds and at 65 they are 2% exp apiece. I did 65-70 here in about 4 hours with my SK brother and his cleric mercenary.

Keep in mind, this pet can kill you in 3-4 seconds so exercise EXTREME caution. Know that there will be a considerable amount of downtime when soloing, and you will be running from your pet a lot (since rune-tanking your beast of a pet is not an option in this zone, even with 18/28 combat agility/stability and a full set of defiant gear). I strongly recommend bringing a partner who can snare (sk, necro, druid, ranger, etc) when your pet breaks, and even more strongly recommend you have some sort of healer (mercenary, or player).
You have been warned.

Level 70+

Gear: as preferred.

Zone: Icefall

Pet: Any goblin of proper level for your level to charm. Until you're 72 the charmable ones (assuming you have the level 70 charm spell that works on creatures up to level 69) are found near the center of the zone. These can dual wield and have a max hit of 548 (can quad).
If you're level 75+ you can take a goblin from the far southeastern corner of the zone (they range from 70-74) and bring him back to the center of the zone and he kills them considerably faster for better solo exp (max hit of about 680, can quad). For all of the goblins, avoid the ones who are obviously casters ("goblin wizard" "goblin mage" "goblin shaman" etc.)

Level 72+ *recommend at least level 73* **requires a healer, recommend only doing this while grouped**

Gear: Elegant equivalent+

Zone: Valdeholm

Pet: "a Valdeholm citizen" or any other non-caster giant low enough level for your charm spell to work (nothing in the zone is charmable until you have level 72 "Coax" which allows you to charm up to level 72 mobs.
At level 75 your options broaden and you have a larger variety of pets. "a wraithguard elite" becomes charmable once you get your lvl75 charm and so far he's the best pet I've found in Vald. I strongly suggest you wait until level 73 to do this zone and have the AA "Beguiler's Directed Banishment" because in Vald you don't always have room to kite your pet, and BDB just makes pet breaks easier (and since so much of the zone is flagged immune to mez, its a good CC alternative as well).
Max hit 787, quads when given two weps.

Level 75-80

Zone: Katta Castrum

Pet: Any shissar (must have at least the level 75 charm spell to charm here). I think I did around 350aa and level 75-80 by charming one of the shissar rogue type mobs (something like "a shissar shadowslither" or at least close to that). As usual, toss him a summoned mask, 2 weps, and a haste and fight the elemental type mobs that /con "This creature appears relatively weak." Mercenary unnecessary, just rune-tank for your pet so he can do his 2300dmg backstabs and he quads 722's. If you like running you can speak with one of the NPCs near the entrance and say "round up" for a task for these mobs (about 18%aa per turnin at 75) and after you complete that task at least once you can say "project" and get another task regarding the elementals. Once you get the level 77 or 80 charm spell, you can use a the higher level shissars for quicker kills (just know that some of the mobs turn light blue around 78).

*More to come in this section when I decide to level above 75*

Other Zones Suggested (I haven't tested all of these):

Loping Plains - [80+] - the wolf men are decent pets, 1% normal exp per 2 kills and easy solo (fully debuff and chain stun opponent). Goblins are alright as well.

Oceangreen Hills / Village - [77+] - charm a zombie or a skeleton and grind on whatever you are comfortable killing. These zones remind me of Katta due to the "relatively weak" /con mobs.

How to take an AFK break and keep your pet.

First step: Break your pet with invis.
Second Step: Mez and root your pet.
Third step: Use this macro immediately after mezzing your pet

(change the macro to reflect the position your mez is in on your spell bar, and adjust the /pause # to reflect whatever duration you want to use before recasting - # will vary with the amount of mesmerization mastery AA you have.)

/pause 500
/pause 50, /cast 1
/pause 500, /cast 1
/pause 50, /cast 1
/cast 1

What this does:

You mez your pet, then
Pause 50seconds
Casts Mez, then waits 5 seconds
Casts Mez (in case of resist), then pauses 50 seconds
Casts Mez then waits 5 seconds
Casts Mez (in case of resist)

So you get at least 3 mezzes worth of time to AFK for w/e you might need to do.

If you're daring and need a longer AFK:

/pause 500
/pause 500, /cast 1
/pause 500, /cast 1
/pause 500, /cast 1
/cast 1

This lets you mez your pet initially, then
Waits 50sec
Mezzes pet, waits 50sec
Mezzes pet, waits 50sec
Mezzes pet, waits 50sec
Mezzes pet

giving you 5 mezzes worth of time, but no fizzle or resist buffer, your choice :) enjoy.

Helpful Links:

Enchanter Spell List:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/spelllist.html?name=&type=enc&level=5...

Enchanter Epic 1.0 guide:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=781

Enchanter Epic 1.5 prequest guide:

http://zaipai.dlinkddns.com/sevenstars/forums/index.php?topic=88.0

or

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=3340

Enchanter Epic 1.5 guide:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=2945

Enchanter Epic 2.0 guide:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=3341

Important Enchanter AAs:

General:

Combat Agility and Combat Stability: Max these every time you level lock to AA. It's amazing how much more abuse you can take by having these, compared to being without them. At the very least get the first 3 ranks of each for 10% bonus avoid/mitigation.

Innate Run Speed: Capping this out virtually replaces the need for sow etc. Since you'll be running from a broken pet a lot (until you get BDB) this is one of the most important AAs (unless you have another means of keeping +runspeed on at all times).

Innate Regeneration: This isn't a "make you or break you" aa, but it sure is nice to have. Having extra regen is never a bad thing, and it adds up when combined with use of potions etc. to get you out of sticky situations.

Natural Durability: Extra health..enough said.

If you're level locked for some reason (guild, friends, w/e) and need an extra AA dump, innate resists and planar power are ultimately helpful but not extremely important for solo.

[I]Archetype:

Spell Casting Reinforcement: 30% longer buffs, this was the first thing I bought in archetype.

Spell Casting Mastery: 10% lower mana cost on all spells, the second thing I bought in archetype.

Quick Buff: Get this mainly for the fact that it decreases the cast time of your rune spells, very handy in tight situations.

Persistent Casting: Handy, but not mandatory (I suppose), gives you a chance to cast through stuns.

Mnemonic Retention: One of my favorite AAs, extra spell gem slots.

Mental Stamina: Extra mana, always nice.

Mental Clarity / Expansive Mind: Extra mana regen and a higher cap on regen from items, obviously helpful to a mana user.

Spell DPS aas (ie. spell casting fury, critical affliction, etc. etc.) are handy for raids/grouping but have very little effect on solo. This also goes for spell casting subtlety, nice to have if you're a grouper/raider, but worthless if you're more of a soloist.

[I]Class:

*Coming Soon*

Helpful LON Loots:

*Coming Soon*

Using A Mercenary to "Solo":

*Coming Soon*

Illusions!:

[I]*Coming Soon*[I]