Do bears suck?

[Siqk]

It seems that bears are the most unpopular in the game. I have rolled mage and bird both up to 15 but i want to try bear. is it good? i dont want to waste my time

[mrpredalien]

Lol dude. It all depends on your style. If you like tanking, then defly go for bear.
But personnally, I dont recommend it to you, because I know u.

[Siqk]

lol how u kno i wont like xD

[Zerious]

The skills of bears are meant for quick 1v1 melee kills and tanking. Consider what build your going to follow (dexbear, intbear, full dex, etc.) as each one has it's pros and cons in both pvp and pve.

[Ladylove]

Lol dude. It all depends on your style. If you like tanking, then defly go for bear.
But personnally, I dont recommend it to you, because I know u.

Oh my God... I clicked on that mudkipz link... MAKE IT GO AWAY

[Unruly]

Ladylove... You made me curious.. And so i clicked on the link too.. Help anyone?

[Zeus]

Ladylove... You made me curious.. And so i clicked on the link too.. Help anyone?

WHATEVER YOU DO!: DO NOT HIT THE X BUTTON IF YOU ARE ON A MAC! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT OUT OF THE PROGRAM WITHOUT SHUTTING DOWN YOUR COMPUTER! I BELIEVE THE SAME GOES FOR WINDOWS TOO! Not to sure about you linux users though.
If you are on windows what you do to exit out of that is open task manager via CTRL ALT DELETE, find that program and hit end task
If you are on mac, open up activity monitor, go to programs and force quit that browser you are using.

Dell Tech Support At Your Service

-Takes off Indian Accent and Resumes normal Accent-

[Physiologic]

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[Refriedchicken]

Eh.

I never use my bear for anything but merchanting.

You'll get kicked with elite gear over a mage with flickering blade and a christmas shield, because of the fact they're not NECESSARY like a Mage on Gurg, or a Bird on OL/Keeper, and most bears over-stomp, pushing bosses out of room causing reset, and that gives us ALL a bad rap.

PvP is eh on bear. Not great, not TERRIBLE, but definitely underpowered.

Although, they will more than likely do a rebalance.

[CanonicalKoi]

Good tank bears are wonderful beings. They can make life so much easier for birds and mages. Sadly, they seem to be few and far between lately. Most of my top five have either cut back on play-time while they wait for the next level cap or got bored and switched to mage or bird. I've tried tanking, really enjoyed it, but looking at it from a bird perspective, I sucked badly. Good luck if you give it a try!

[mrpredalien]

"PURE NUKE. DO NOT GO TO www.mudkipz.ws"
Just so you know guys, I said do "NOT" go to mudkipz LOL.

[Ptoast]

Oh come on! You know very well most people will click on it anyway. Curiosity gets the better of everyone. But that's why you put it there, huh? Lucky for me I'm on my touch so no Flash for me.

[GoofyYno]

I am impatient and love to charge in first, so for my second character I started to play a bear. I quit playing it because you are way too reliant on others. without a good mage to heal I was either dying or spamming pots. And I was so weak I couldn't kill anyone very easily. so I needed more than ever to wait for a good team- which as almost impossible. most lower level mages (I'm at 25 now) don't heal enough, and most groups don't wait long enough for me to tank first. I start to play a paladin.

[StompArtist]

I am impatient and love to charge in first, so for my second character I started to play a bear. I quit playing it because you are way too reliant on others. without a good mage to heal I was either dying or spamming pots. And I was so weak I couldn't kill anyone very easily. so I needed more than ever to wait for a good team- which as almost impossible. most lower level mages (I'm at 25 now) don't heal enough, and most groups don't wait long enough for me to tank first. I start to play a paladin.

I stopped playing my bear for pretty much the same reasons (except for relying on others to heal me... what kind of tank are you? lol). I think a good fix for that would be to make the taunt skill "stronger".

[lordme]

I have bear, bird and elf. Now adays i end up playing with bird and elf. Havent touch my bear much after the nerf update. In ao2 days, my bear was the savior, would pull the mobs so my team elf and birds can aoe them. I would stomp away mobs attacking my team's elf and birds. Now... Before i can pull the mobs, they all died, and def for elf and birds high enough to kill mobs before they actually take down the birds and elf. And we can take out all the vl bosses without any bear. Two to three blasters in your group with well coordinated move can take out keeper before his first shield up. Sad end for tank...

[StompArtist]

I have bear, bird and elf. Now adays i end up playing with bird and elf. Havent touch my bear much after the nerf update. In ao2 days, my bear was the savior, would pull the mobs so my team elf and birds can aoe them. I would stomp away mobs attacking my team's elf and birds. Now... Before i can pull the mobs, they all died, and def for elf and birds high enough to kill mobs before they actually take down the birds and elf. And we can take out all the vl bosses without any bear. Two to three blasters in your group with well coordinated move can take out keeper before his first shield up. Sad end for tank...

Yeah it gets old fast to watch Mr Bear running towards an enemy and the enemies dies before he can hit it then proceed to the next. LOL Makes Mr Bear feel like the "slow" cousin. :P

[Lesrider]

Perhaps bears need a skill that speeds up their pace? (DD anyone?)

[Ptoast]

I am kind of surprised that there is no skill that speeds up walk speed/attack speed. It would be nice to see playing as a bear more rewarding. When Ive played with bears who aren't stomp happy and gather groups and tank properly, I was surprised how much easier my job as a bird was. It seemed like it would be fun, too.

[FluffNStuff]

Bears are great at level 35 because when Cinco was wielding his Nerf Bat, he had a swing and a miss in those levels. (Not the most recent Nerf, one that took place a LONG time ago). Rumor has it (rumor starter being Cinco) he will fix the two hand weapons in AO3, and when that happens, we can all bring the bear back!

[Lesrider]

They still need to be able to move faster.

Actually, I logged in yesterday to use some free plat on some face changes, and I noticed right away how slooooow the characters move. DD has a speed stat that you can invest in so you move around faster. And you really feel the difference.

I love running into a speed orb in Ao3, but I would never waste gold on a speed elixir. Why not have either a speed stat or speed skill to invest in? The toons seem unnaturally slow.

[Ptoast]

Hey Fluff, do Berserker!
Come on...girls think sexy.

[CanonicalKoi]

Perhaps bears need a skill that speeds up their pace? (DD anyone?)

Or perhaps some bears need to learn how to lead the way. I've played with more than a few lately that stand in front of the doorway, wait for the bird(s) to go in. Then they wait for the mage(s) to go in and finally find their way into the room. Hey, I'm more than happy to let the meat shield go first. Really. Go in there, grab aggro (taunt is there for a reason guys--you've got the good armor), beckon the room into a nice tight bunch, thorn wall, bird self-combo/mage lightning and boom! Room's clear quickly and it's all down to a good bear making a quick, safe clear possible. I love playing with a good bear.

[FluffNStuff]

Or perhaps some bears need to learn how to lead the way. I've played with more than a few lately that stand in front of the doorway, wait for the bird(s) to go in. Then they wait for the mage(s) to go in and finally find their way into the room. Hey, I'm more than happy to let the meat shield go first. Really. Go in there, grab aggro (taunt is there for a reason guys--you've got the good armor), beckon the room into a nice tight bunch, thorn wall, bird self-combo/mage lightning and boom! Room's clear quickly and it's all down to a good bear making a quick, safe clear possible. I love playing with a good bear.

I was playing two devices, and noticed that on 'your' device, you are always in front, so it looks like you are leading.

[FluffNStuff]

Hey Fluff, do Berserker!
Come on...girls think sexy.

Well if girls think sexy, how i can refuse?

My Stomp on you is like a truck, Berserker!
Would you like to be slash struck, Berserker!
My Hammer hits you like a rock, Berserker!

Growl!

[Ptoast]

Lol, god I love Clerks.

[SamTheDog]

I haven't bothered playing AO3 much lately. PUG's weren't worth the hassle, but I still am almost to 50 with my bear. AO3 sucks for the bear. What's been more fun is leveling my new bear. Newbs appreciate a good tank and since the nerf, if I can't find a group I can solo the swamps. Maybe with the next rebalance, the devs will make the mobs go all 'zerg' on the mages and birds. Heh heh, that'd serve them right.

[drewcapu]

They still need to be able to move faster.

Actually, I logged in yesterday to use some free plat on some face changes, and I noticed right away how slooooow the characters move. DD has a speed stat that you can invest in so you move around faster. And you really feel the difference.

I love running into a speed orb in Ao3, but I would never waste gold on a speed elixir. Why not have either a speed stat or speed skill to invest in? The toons seem unnaturally slow.

A couple weeks ago I was thinking about suggesting a speed attribute (one that is automatically upgraded at each level. No need to allocate points).

Mostly to have mobs also increase in speed as the campaign difficulty increases.

That would discourage low levels from leeching in campaigns they have no business to join into.

Then I thought, well, then upper levels will have a much easier time rushing lower levels (like swamps).

I'm not sure that would be a good side-effect.

That is, unless such a speed attribute maxes out at a certain level for particular campaigns so that you cannot out run mobs at a ridiculous speed if you went back to Forest Haven.

[CanonicalKoi]

I haven't bothered playing AO3 much lately. PUG's weren't worth the hassle, but I still am almost to 50 with my bear. AO3 sucks for the bear. What's been more fun is leveling my new bear. Newbs appreciate a good tank and since the nerf, if I can't find a group I can solo the swamps. Maybe with the next rebalance, the devs will make the mobs go all 'zerg' on the mages and birds. Heh heh, that'd serve them right.

Um.....never played AO3 as a mage prior to the nerf, did you? AO3 was the reason I switched to bear in the first place. Mages were targeted on sight and one-shot before throwing any spells at all. Bears were happily screaming "Rush!" and off they'd go, leaving the mages and birds dead and with no way to catch back up without having to clear the mobs the bears couldn't/wouldn't be bothered to. They were dark times, my friend. I finished leveling my tank to 50 after the nerf and was amazed--I was using almost no pots at all. In comparison with my bird, I'm sucking pots almost constantly. Bears may kill slower, but they have a lot of advantages, too. And a good one is a prize.

And now, Fluff, I have a strange desire...no, *need* to have you tank for me. (fans self vigorously--checks bird's friend list and adds Fluff's nom de games) ;)

[Lesrider]

Canon, before the ao3 nerf, I played my bear mostly. And I certainly did not leave the mages and birds to die. Neither did my friend-bears running with me (in those days, it was best to have 1-2 bears per party, 2 birds, 1 Mage/pally). A good bear would pave the way for the birds and mages, not run ahead and leave them behind. After all, we did NEED them then. I think people are more likely to run ahead nowadays, because it's so much easier and deaths are a whole lot less frequent.
I miss pre-1.5 ao3, even if it did mean I played my Mage less often.

Edit: In fact, I remember when the mobs would run in after us into the Gurg room and if we didn't get rid of them, they'd kill the mages. So the bears would beckon them into the corner so they'd run away. And if the only Mage died, we'd go back to get the Mage (assuming he wasn't so awful that he'd die 15 times and we'd give up). Nowadays, the Mage can just rush back on her own.
Ah, the good old days when strategy actually meant something.

[CanonicalKoi]

Oh, no Les! I really didn't mean to imply there weren't any good bears--there were! I played with some fantastic guys that had your back and watched over their team like Papa Bears (or Mama Bears, as the case may be). It was partially running into rushers and mainly getting tired of the one-shot/run all the way thru the map/get screamed at for being slow/REZ ME YOU *$^#%%! shuffle that I got tired of. Made my tank, got to 48, tried bird and...well. Birds are all that. ;)

[Macloc]

I have a recently raised lvl 50 bear and I love to tank for people. I am new to the whole mmorpg life so at first I didn't know my role in the groups and would suffer their criticism. But now i'v been at it for a while and have got the hang of it. The problem I have seen lately is that people don't want to wait for the tank and rush and die, well to bad for them, lol! I think that bears are very much an integral part of the game and have no regrets for spending countless hours getting him lvled. The whole speed issue is pointless as I can run as fast as everyone else and if you all stick together the lvls fly quickly!

[StompArtist]

I have a recently raised lvl 50 bear and I love to tank for people. I am new to the whole mmorpg life so at first I didn't know my role in the groups and would suffer their criticism. But now i'v been at it for a while and have got the hang of it. The problem I have seen lately is that people don't want to wait for the tank and rush and die, well to bad for them, lol! I think that bears are very much an integral part of the game and have no regrets for spending countless hours getting him lvled. The whole speed issue is pointless as I can run as fast as everyone else and if you all stick together the lvls fly quickly!

That was my feeling until I made my first Bird... Now I have a STR mage and it's even worst. :( Sad really.

[[Lt] Shiny]

Entirely depends if you like spending lots of health potions in battle because you have to tank or just melee-ing.
StompArtist: keeping leveling your Paladin. They become really good at higher levels.

[Lesrider]

I have a recently raised lvl 50 bear and I love to tank for people. I am new to the whole mmorpg life so at first I didn't know my role in the groups and would suffer their criticism. But now i'v been at it for a while and have got the hang of it. The problem I have seen lately is that people don't want to wait for the tank and rush and die, well to bad for them, lol! I think that bears are very much an integral part of the game and have no regrets for spending countless hours getting him lvled. The whole speed issue is pointless as I can run as fast as everyone else and if you all stick together the lvls fly quickly!

You may be able to run as fast as everyone else, but birds and mages can hit from afar, so they can attack before you.
Bears need a way to start fighting at the same time, otherwise they just slow the group down.

[Macloc]

You may be able to run as fast as everyone else, but birds and mages can hit from afar, so they can attack before you.
Bears need a way to start fighting at the same time, otherwise they just slow the group down.

I know that they can as stated earlier and from my own experiences. I'v seen how the baddies die befor I can even get to them, but you can't get them all, and I usually target the hardest enemies 1st anyways and draw their aggro to me along with beckoning them in tight for a more concentrated attack. Tanks are also very good for positioning and pulling bosses back from resetting if you know what your doing. But also as stated before they can cause a resetting if they stomp to much and they are not positioned right. I would honestly have to say that being a bear requires more skill and strategy than any other build in the game, but untrained they are just bulls in a china cabinet! Lol

[Otukura]

I clicked on it... kill w/e brower you're using with terminal, pro exp, task manager... anything... then re open, and it should save your tabs... if you set it to.

[Angelicious]

nahh. they r okay

[Designalt]

In short yes bears suck! My paladin can tank as well as a bear and can deal far more.damage, heal the group do much more debuffs, is far more valuable to a group and uses less pots, I loved my bear before the reballence but he got left behind and is now pretty useless. If you want to tank make a paladin you will actually keep agro on you unlike a bear :(

[Ursanblessing]

i only created a bear, dont know how others work. Dont even know what skills other prof. have.
But i like the bear... easy auto attack, with some Stomps and Recon combo's to stay alive.

[lordme]

Maybe they should come out with a accessory like 'shoe'? To add running or walking speed. Anyway in most other games i played, the swing speed of weapon is not fixed, they are determined by how much dex you have, the higher the faster.

[Ptoast]

Ok, so I created a bear this weekend and played for a little bit. I'm only up to level 10. Ive had alot of fun. I'm constantly using taunt and leading into every room. I may be using stomp too much but I try to corner and wall if I can. I have noticed that when the group is small, I feel like my presence as a tank is benificial. When it's a full party though, not so much until we get to a boss. It does seem a bit easier because I have level 50 to fund him and by pots and gear. It probably wouldn't be the same if I had to buy pots myself. I'd never be able to buy gear! It still has been enjoyable, though. More so than my first bear I tried to make in V1.4.

Question though, how high should I put points into str and dex? Should I go pure str? How will my hit be with end game gear? It seems like I miss alot now, so should I put enough dex to get to 100% hit then the rest in str? Oh and my bear's name is Chuckfinnley. Add him if you would like or just say "Hi!" if you see him.