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Dynamic Duos: Healer +
Offensive Fighter

By Ralsu and
Dalmarus 

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style="font-style: italic;">November 6th, 2007



This
week, I continue Ralsu's
exploration of which combinations you think make the best duo. Ralsu
plays in duos quite a bit in Vanguard due to his hectic schedule, so he
has shared some of his opinions, too. I will divide them into a couple
of categories that I see as the basis for most duos involving a healer
and an offensive fighter and offer my take on them. I am focusing only
on healer/offensive fighter combos this time. If you don't understand a
term
or abbreviation I use here, please check our style="font-weight: bold;"
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&file=index&func=display&ceid=135&meid=109">Game
Terms 101.



The combination of healer + offensive fighter is not an uncommon one.
The
logic behind it stems from the fact that while an offensive fighter may
not have the armor class and / or hit points to soak up the amount of
damage a tank does, the increased DPS ensures shorter battles. A healer
may have to work a little harder in sustained battles paired with an
offensive fighter,  but the shortened duration of most battles
should give them an opportunity to be more than a heal bot as well.

Bloodmage as Healer

A duo
featuring a Blood Mage can be devastating indeed. Not only is a
well-played Blood Mage able to deal large amounts of damage, but the
use of Frenzied Symbiote on thier partner will increase this duo's DPS
even further. For other Symbiote ideas, check out our style="font-weight: bold;"
href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=654">Blood
Mage Guide to Symbiotes.



Pros:

• Blood Mage
  can create symbiotes to suit the needs of the duo
• May be the
  highest DPS output of the offensive fighter/healer duos
  
  

Cons:

• Blood Mages cannot take hits as well as Clerics, Disciples,
  or Shamans
  
• Blood Mage is harder to learn to play well than a pure
  healer

Cleric as Healer

While Clerics may currently be considered a bit over-powered, their
uesfulness to this duo cannot be denied. Not only can they keep their
offensive fighter of choice healed (obviously), but with their ability
to withstand more punishment than the other healers, they can handled
adds with little worry to the duo as well.



Pros:

• Clerics
  take hits better than any other healer
  
  
• Cleric
  Affinities add some versatility to the mix
  
  

Cons:

• Durability of the Cleric may create a false sense of
  security
  
• Cleric may be the most boring of the healers in Vanguard
  

Disciple as Healer

Having the ability to heal through multiple sources (energy and Jin)
while being able to contribute a moderate amount of DPS makes Disciples
an impressive choice when pairing them with an offensive fighter..



Pros:

• Heals can
  come from Jin and energy
  
  
• Feign Death
  ability for when things go wrong
  
  

Cons:

• Disciples cannot take hits as well as Clerics or Shamans
  with shields
  
• Learning to play a Disciple well may be difficult for some
  players

Shaman
as Healer

Shamans have a very diverse amount of skills dependant upon which
patron they chose to follow. Followers of Hayatet are able to add extra
DPS, followers of Rakurr are able to add DoTs, and followers of Tuurgin
are able to off-tank reasonably well. 



Pros:

• Shaman pet
  either adds damage or a security blanket
  
  
• Shaman can
  buff the offensive fighter for damage or nuke to add damage depending
  on choice of patron
  
  

Cons:

• Can be low on magical damage depending on Shaman's choice
  of patron
  
• Shamans cannot take hits as well as Clerics

src="http://media.tentonhammer.com/vanguard/gallery/albums/album35/Bard_paperdoll.jpg"
align="left">Bard as Offensive Fighter

The benefits of choosing a Bard are many. Bards give movement buffs in
the form of run speed, levitation, and underwater breathing. They can
craft songs to up resistances or increase damage. They have crowd
control skills, and they take hits fairly well.



Pros:

• Bard can
  customize songs to
  fit the enemy
  
  
• Crowd
  control
  
  

Cons:

• Lower melee damage potential than Ranger (and likely the
  lowest
  among all offensive fighters)
  
• Power of buffs may be diminished without a full group to
  benefit
  

Monk as Offensive Fighter

The Monk has potential for a lot of raw damage. Monks also enjoy
versatility in the three fighting styles (Dragon, Drunken, and
Harmonious). Check out the href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&file=index&func=display&ceid=350&meid=144">Monk
Class Guide for links to skills for each of the fighting
styles.
Most often, Monks are lauded for their ability to off-tank. This means
adds are not nearly as devastating to a duo.



Pros:

• Monk can
  heal himself
  
  
• High melee
  potential from Monk
  
  

Cons:

• May have difficulty maintaining aggro at times
  
• Lacks the versatility of the Bard
  

Ranger as Offensive Fighter

It was common knowledge during beta that style="font-style: italic;">Vanguard mastermind
Brad McQuaid
heavily favored the Ranger. In fact, his alter ego, Aradune, was a
Ranger. Knowing that, it should be no surprise that the Ranger can mete
out some serious pain. The Ranger can also stalk, making it easier to
drag tombstones.



Pros:

• Highest
  melee potential among
  offensive fighters
  
  
• Stalk to
  recover tombstones
  and scout
  
  

Cons:

• No way to deal with adds
  
• Lacks the versatility of the Bard
  

Rogue as Offensive Fighter

The Rogue is probably a misunderstood class in style="font-style: italic;">Vanguard. Played
correctly, it can
bring the pain, but many players lack the patience to master the
poisons. Rogues are the masters of stealth and stalking, so they are
terrific scouts and corpse retrievers.



 
Pros:

• Creative
  ways to deal damage
  with poisons
  
  
• Stalk to
  recover tombstones
  and scout
  
  

Cons:

• Few people know how to play a Rogue well
  
• Lacks the versatility of the Bard
  

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Now it's your turn.
Tell us which
duo is best!
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IN OUR POLL!

What is the key to making the most powerful healer + offensive fighter
combo?

• Choose Bloodmage as the healer
  
• Pick Cleric for the healer
• Disciple as healer
• Grab a Shaman as the healer
• Use a Bard for the offensive fighter
  
• Get a Monk for the offensive fighter
  
• Take the Ranger as the offensive fighter
  
• Select a Rogue for the offensive fighter
  

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