Thread: Skirmish soldier

I would like to ask other ministrels what skirmish soldiers you use

I actually rotate between a Protector and a Bannerguard depending on the size of the group I'm in. In small groups, Protectors can actually make an admirable substitute for a Guardian (I remember once doing Assaulting the Ringwraith's Lair with another Minstrel and a Runekeeper, and they were impressed how survivable my protector was). But in larger groups where you don't want to annoy your Guardian/Warden, I switch out to my Bannerguard (and do not use her threat-generating skill)

Ok I made a warrior and was wondering if it was the right choice unfortunately I almost have him maxed out

I used a protector while leveling my mini. It was great to keep the mobs off of me. Its a good choice for any light armor class.

At 75, I leveled an herbalist to max level to use in skirm raids for the extra healing.

My minstrel has a protector for soloing and an herbalist for large group skirmishes.

It may seem odd for a healer to have a healer as a soldier. However, I've optimized my herbalist for group power replenishment rather than morale -- that way I can concentrate on healing (which I do far better than any herbalist) while pretty much ignoring any power issues. Another factor in favor of the herbalist is that in many group skirmish boss fights, all soldiers except herbalists are often dismissed in order to control pulls. Offensive soldiers are notorious for running off on their own, which can wreak havoc on a raid leader's carefully planned approach to a fight.

A fully developed protector can contest with a top-end guardian on threat generation, though cannot hold a candle to a guardian in survivability. As a solo skirmish companion, the protector makes a nice meat-shield, but I have to play a more balanced minstrel. Alternatively, I am finding that I can handle most skimishes just as well when accompanied by my herbalist; in a full dps build, I kill very quickly and leave the power and morale to my herbalist.

Originally Posted by corym

Ok I made a warrior and was wondering if it was the right choice unfortunately I almost have him maxed out

Warriors are awesome with minis. Our 3-4 target AEs with their AEs are a perfect match. A guardian might be able to keep 1 of the 3 targets off of you, but you would kill much slower.

The name of the game is to kill them all before they kill you, A warrior is the best choice for this.

Herbalist no question. With my ability to dish out far more damage than any skirm soldier and heal myself, the additional healing and power restore of an Herbalist makes solo skirms faster and group skirms easier to heal.

i had a protector at lower lvls, but it had a hard time keeping up with me at lvl 75, make a sage and makes skirms go by faster imo

The most honest answer is it doesn't matter.

Since I only dps my Minstrel, I prefer to use a Herbalist.. makes it much easier to do T3 solo skirmishes... and helps to heal groups.

Herbalist.

Between my self-heals and the soldiers heals, I find it very difficult to die. The power restore is also very helpful. The aoe nature of many of our attack skills allows us to hold aggro very well. In groups, it also helps heal, allowing me to focus on anthems more since I trait yellow.

For skirm raids I use herbalist. For solo skirms I use warrior for max dps. Love to group up mobs in one spot and nuke them down with aoe.

Herbalist
Tanks better than a protector and means I can concentrate on dps.

Solo T1 skirmishes: Warrior to plough through quickly.

In all other cases probably a Herbalist especially for skirmish raids.

A question regarding the Protector...

How do you all manage that most irritating creature who runs so far out ahead of you that they draw aggro before you are ready for the fight?

I slot the Protector on my Mini on the advice of many folk but absolutely hate it.

Sid is lvl 43 and I don't solo, I generally run in a duo group with a Guardian.

I have seen other Minis having the same problem of rogue Protectors so why should I keep it and if I change out what would be a good substitute?

When soloing I use an herbalist so I can do all the dps. It works quite well for me.

Originally Posted by HeyDoMerryDew

A question regarding the Protector...

How do you all manage that most irritating creature who runs so far out ahead of you that they draw aggro before you are ready for the fight?

I slot the Protector on my Mini on the advice of many folk but absolutely hate it.

Sid is lvl 43 and I don't solo, I generally run in a duo group with a Guardian.

I have seen other Minis having the same problem of rogue Protectors so why should I keep it and if I change out what would be a good substitute?

If you're rolling with a Guardian then a Protector doesn't make sense for you. You already have a tank there to draw aggro, one that's much better than any skirmish soldier would be. Try a soldier that complements your duo. So if you're going DPS, you might want an herbalist to toss out heals. If the Guardian already has an herbalist, try out an Archer for some single target DPS.

Personally I wouldn't use a Protector with a Mini. Mini attacks don't have inductions, so it's not a big deal if you take the occasional crack on the jaw. You're better off with some extra damage or healing.

Thank you Wiedman for your answer, it helps me make up my mind.

I'm surprised no one has said sage, for a red heavy mini the sage's tact dmg debuff and high dps lets you burn through mobs even more quickly. Plus they stay behind you out of the way.

I, too, use a sage for my mini.

I have an archer with my mini but I made that choice long ago before I had even tried a sage. However, the sage is about perfect for a minstrel. You're going to be smashing the mobs with AoE and single target between the two of you and nothing lasts long.

A warrior is probably a decent choice as well although I've never been fans of them at all.

I had a warrior but at level 75 I changed to sage and havent looked back. Loads of fun.

I used a max level herbalist from level 50 to 75. Most useful choice for groups, people tend to prefer if you can bring one extra healer. For solo skirmish i find the herbalist good as well. Mostly because you can go full out burst-dmg without having to worry about power or morale running low. I never really had any problems doing any solo skirm traited red, warspeech and using a herbalist.

Also been looking into leveling a sage. Seems like the best choice at higher levels when you get good enough gear to take some dmg. The extra tactical mastery will probably make the instance go pretty fast.

I tried warrior before but didn't really like it. It kept drawing aggroing and running into things. It died a lot and in the end i had to solo everything anyway. In terms of dps the minstrel is superior any skirmish solider, so kinda pointless wasting your powers on healing. To be fair i haven't tried a max leveled warrior yet, maybe they become better?

I have tried:
The bannerguard: Didn't hold aggro that well and not very high on DPS.

Protector: Held aggro, but took a while to finish skirmishes and I am not that patient.

Warrior: Good DPS but always ran ahead and pulled early and had to be directed too often.


I ended up using the Sage for solo skirmishes. The AOE Tactical and debuffs are awesome. The roots come in when needed to let you heal up.(I am thinking of the dannenglor skirmish with the fire boss encounter) Overall the best skirmisher I have used. I have never had any problem with finishing any of the skirmishes with her. When I raid up I usually ask whether I am healing. If I am then I bring my herbalist along to make sure things go smoothly.

-E

You really don't need any soldier.

I use an Archer with my Mini.

I duo with a Guardian and his soldier is an herbalist because he solo skirms but I keep catching the ranged aggro so I ranked up an archer of my own to remove the interruptions to my heals.