Pet Questions for a 3 Box

[SpeedySteve]

Heys guys,
I'm returning to EQ after a while, and I'm thinking about starting a bard-mage-necro 3 box. I've done plenty of "catch-up" reading, but I do have a few questions, particularly pertaining to mage pets:

Can the fire pet proc the bard's arcane arietta with his spells?
Can the fire pet proc the necro's reluctant benevolence with his spells?

What is the highest aggro pet? Air? Fire?
Could the fire pet hold aggro for a bard just by flinging spells from a distance while the bard is up close?
How effective are mage pets at holding aggro in general?
Could any hold aggro while a T5 wiz merc is on burn mode?

Beyond that, how would a well group-geared bard with a shield stack up to an EM8 air pet in tanking ability in terms of pure damage mitigation and avoidance? I know that air pets have a nice stun, but I'm looking beyond that for the moment, as I could theoretically have the bard tank while the mage pet is stunning.

At the moment, I'm thinking about an ideal team of bard (tank), mage with fire pet, necro with rogue pet, cleric merc, wiz merc, and wiz merc to maximize reluctant benevolence procs. That would (hopefully) keep the bard alive while also giving the mage nearly unlimited mana for RS's with the AA mod rod. Thoughts?

If the fire pet can't proc AA and RB, then it probably wouldn't be worth having the bard tank, and I'd just go with air pet.

[Mendoros07]

Funny enough I box a Mage and Necro (and chanter so not a bard). Anyhow the mage pet is the way to go. I routinely box in SS using said combo. The pet tanks... obviously and then I use 3 healer mercs. I normally use air pet but at times I've found some damage spikes that a named could cause. But there are ways to really get yourself set up.. anticipating, having another boxed pet fully buffed and aa'ed, using AA's, Stance buffs, using your RS pet to grab some agro etc. The air pet, at least using 2 agro weapons, EM8, has no issue holding agro from my necro unless he goes balls out with spire/robe etc. I've had no issues using the earth pet as well, just always prefer to use the air... if I have the healing of 3 mercs that is. It seems you are pushing towards a DPS merc setup... like I've described above I use mercs just for healing.

The necro's reluctant benevolence AA has to be probably one of the best abilities in the game -- period. I've never seen it proc off any of my pets but that is again since I use air and earth -- might be different with fire if it's actually casting DD's and not roots or stuns. It really makes the difference when I keep seeing multiple heals for 14-16K go off so often for the whole group -- really helps with the healing in general.

BTW in my opinion a necro/mage combo is simply beautiful -- they play off each other in so many ways -- necro's arsenal of so many different pets that as a mage you can take advantage of Clash of Many line sooo often and of course the pulling

Since I don't use a bard and rarely have I grouped with one, I don't know the specifics of how their songs affect our pets... other than overhaste etc.

[Tweelis]

Not answering your question directly but something you need to keep in mind is our 86 air pet will cast the proc stun spell but unless the mobs are even con or lower it won't land and therefor will not decrease the incomming damage. I have no idea if this is a bug or intended but unless/until this gets changed the air pet will take more damage than the earth pet when tanking yellow and red con's.

[SpeedySteve]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I'm thinking that Clash of Many on this setup would be awesome...Necro Pets+Bard Pets+Bard Aura+Talendor's+Arcane Arietta each nuke+Reluctant Benevolence

And if anyone could test the fire pet, I'd be curious to hear about the results.

But yeah, I am definitely hoping to maximize DPS on this setup. I figured reluctant benevolence would be good synergy with arcane arietta (apparently it can proc off each proc of AA!), mage, and wiz mercs, particularly. I think the choice of whether or not to let bard tank depends largely upon whether the air pet could stun the mob. If not, I imagine the bard would tank just as well if pets (fire?) hold aggro, and I could even fade bard aggro off to an RS or necro pet after a damage spike. And having the bard's personal DPS contribution can't hurt.

There does seem to be a current debate in another thread, though, as to whether air pet can, in fact, stun mobs over level 90. Any resolution on this?

[Conjurous]

I would never use Fire pet (he can't tank for crap either) in your scenario and i probably wouldn't use bard to tank either just to pull. For places where mobs are yellow con or higher i'd go with earth, he tanks far better than air and better against multiple mobs too.

I 3 box atm, Mage (raid geared), chanter (full T4 grp gear) and a new bst L84 atm. I am going with 2 healer mercs atm and been thinking of having a wizzie merc as last merc to improve dps. Works well. There aren't many things or missions i cannot do cept for AE heavy named cus mercs suck healing whole grps.

Best bet is to have bard pull, pet takes over in camp and plays DPS / slow / snare songs. I wouldn't let bard tank unless he is very well geared and AA'd.

[Sillaen]

The fire pet's ability to tank ceases post lvl 50. Of course it does hold aggro very well with the spells it casts, but what good is holding aggro if it can't survive. I'd go with air pet personally. If you must go with earth and not concerned with runners, I'd turn /pet no cast on as the earth pet does tend to get other pets around it dead quickly from proximity aggro.

[SpeedySteve]

I think my hope behind fire pet was not that it could tank, but that (in addition to proccing, AA, RB, etc) it could actually hold aggro really well for a tanking bard, since Bard will always be placed above fire pet on the hate list if he is in melee range while the fire pet flings spells from a distance.

But you guys are probably right that it's not worth having bard tank anyway.

[Nylrem0fTest]

Umm... drop a cleric merc and add a tank merc, and your combo rocks. 2 cleric mercs EASILY keep a 90 j5 tank merc healed against any named i've come across in SS or MC, and I am sure would tank better than a group geared bard.

My poorly geared/2.5k AA cleric can molo T4 trash with her tank merc(still long fight compared to mag, but meh). If you have not tried a tank merc since they were revamped, you should...

[dorfillya]

I think Nylrem might have the best idea of all. Bard could melee then if he wanted also. Tank merc, cleric merc x 2, bard slow and mez and pulling, mage and necro dps, you could handle any group content in this game.

[Judcap]

When did they revamp tank mercs? I am 85 and have a T5 tank merc and never use him in our group because they were not so good awhile back and I'm to cheap to buy a new healer. Are they a viable option for a tank now over a Mage air or earth pet?