OgreGaming.com

Like usual, you should likely read the previous guides I have written, as each one helps in different areas.

Link to AoM - Guide to Winning
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=175

Link to ToV - Guide to Winning
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=57

Okay, onto KA!

First thing first. Go do the adventure signature quest line on every single one of your toons you plan on using. No really, go do it now. You may as well stop reading because nothing else matters at all at this stage. Right now, the greenmist weapon you get from this quest is EXTREMELY powerful. So far it's looking to be the best option until Epic 2.0's (it's still pretty early, but the proc is that good).
Once you are done the sig line, make sure you complete 30 quests in Obulus Frontier AND complete the ToT sig line quest. It gives you a secondary with 20 resolve and a great DPS proc. Again.... until this is done, there's no reason to continue on.

I HIGHLY recommend reading about Ogre Quest Helper --> viewtopic.php?f=13&t=333
It will greatly help with questing.

When you finish the quest sig line, you also get access to Ascension classes.
To level ascension, you need to hail an NPC every, single, day. And if you want to level every single ascension class (4 of them) to max level (10), you need to do this every day for A YEAR!
As you can imagine, this needed a script.
https://wiki.ogregaming.com/eq2/index.p ... nDailyTask

AA Spec: Prestige
Right side.
I know, you're thinking.. but for what class?
Unless you have a very very specific reason for going left side spec'd, go right side. Because of the potency->CB conversion of right side, you will gain about 1k crit bonus. This is going to be way more damage than anything on the left side.
Now... There are some classes who will be stubborn about this, including me. Just remember, 1k cb is going to add massive amounts to everything. Your DPS will be higher, your wards will be for more.
Guardian - Left side spec is AMAZING for defense. I still haven't changed over but I likely should.
Defiler - If you're a DPS defiler (hahaha) then right side may be okay. But I'll likely just change to right side and deal with missing wraith wall for now

Resolve:
Each zone has a resolve value. If you are under this value, you lose 1% outgoing damage per 1 point you are under. For example if you are 50 points under the resolve value, you will do 50% damage. You also take the same amount of extra damage, but that doesn't seem to matter nearly as much as having your outgoing damage destroyed.

I recommend getting your resolve to the value of the zone you are working on. This is priority #1.


Combat Mitigation
Mobs now have Combat Mitigation. Basically a new stat that reduces all incoming damage from all sources. Combat Mitigation debuffs were added to almost every debuff in the game. So you debuffing should be extremely important. I say should, because I have not done any testing at all to ensure it's working properly and/or doing much.


It's too early yet for me to really have an opinion on gear, other than to say MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH RESOLVE.
I have only run 1 heroic instance once, so I don't really have any comments on heroic zones yet either. I'll add more to this as I play more in the expansion.

The heroic names and mobs have a stupid amount of HP, I mean 20 - 30 mins + for a name kill is just silly, takes ages to do a zone now. loads on server asking for replacements as it just takes that long and most just cant be arsed and just got fed up, and prolly just had to go. Anyway takes too long imo.

K.........

yorkie wrote:The heroic names and mobs have a stupid amount of HP, I mean 20 - 30 mins + for a name kill is just silly, takes ages to do a zone now. loads on server asking for replacements as it just takes that long and most just cant be arsed and just got fed up, and prolly just had to go. Anyway takes too long imo.

K.........

I personally believe the heroics are tuned around people being level 10 ascension, or at least ascension 5. Right now no one is there, so no one has many ascension abilities. Add on top the amount of bugs with using ascension scrolls to level, so people either lose their scrolls or save them, leaving most people at level 1 ascension.
I also believe they are tuned for people having adept or higher ascension abilities, but you can't get there unless you spend DBC... (lol).

I personally am just doing what I can and waiting for them to change the ascension system (supposed to be 12/13/2016), then I can start leveling them and see how "powerful" these ascension abilities and see how it helps overall DPS on named.

Likewise, epics will start to be worked on on 12/13/2016... If the rumours are true, they will be massive increases.

Updated original post with 'AA Spec' information.

Just to clarify/agree with what Kannkor says above..

Combat mitigation is a bitch. How bad is it?

150M DPS in the guild hall translates to 15M DPS in KA.
Your group doing 1.5B DPS on multiple magmas? Destroying ToT mobs in 10 seconds? Be prepared for 35 minute fights in KA, because even after debuffs, you're lucky to break 150M DPS as a group.
Even when you're fully "ascended" and you can push 6B DPS in the guild hall, you'll be lucky to see 400-500M DPS in KA zones.

Why?

Most of the KA trash/T1 start with 6000 Combat Mit, and you get to debuff.. oh, 20 at a time? If you're lucky you can pull the entire mob down 800-900 Mit? Which still is reducing 80-90% of your "training dummy" damage down to plinks.

T2 mobs sit around 7000, and T3 mobs go above 8000 Combat Mitigation. Yes there are 'Pre-KA" ways to debuff, but they pale in comparison to the ascension stacking debuffs.

I spent weeks trying to avoid doing the sigline, partially because I hate questing, and partially since running a group around will get you /reported, and running individuals around makes SO much longer... I spent way more plat & time than I'd care to admit, and made huge parse improvements in the Guildhall, or in old-world mobs, but .... that ain't $#!+ in KA.

Without ascension spells, you're going to fail DPS checks that exist in most of the zones, even the first tier zones. Even after loads of POT/AB gear, even after respec'ing, until you have the new spells, you're going to whiff. It's not fair, but it's the reality.