Animist

AVAILABLE ON: Eden, Blackthorn, Live

Animists do not seek to control nature, for they know that nature will always be beyond the grasp of mortal beings. They might plant, tend, cut or burn it, but as soon as their backs are turned, nature has already reclaimed it. Thus do animists not control the creations of nature they summon forth, focusing instead on working around their chaotic nature.

Animists are mechanically unique in that, they can summon several* mushroom pets (colloquially referred to as “shrooms”) at once, the majority of which they cannot directly control, hence why they are classified as “turrets.” In addition to these turrets, Animists also gain a more traditional controllable pet, however this is pet is immobile**. This can make Animist a challenging class to master but also one that feels very satisfying when played well.

*max. 6 turrets on Eden, 10 on Blackthorn

**Can move on Eden and Blackthorn, not on Live or Uthgard

Animists’ primary functions are area denial and battlefield control. Due to also being a pet class which requires time to set up, it is imperative that any aspiring Animist player learns to quickly develop an overview of the battlefield. At this point, it becomes all about positioning. You must be able to summon your turrets without interruption, bearing in mind that they generally have longer cast times. You must therefore be far enough back that you can finish your summoning spells but not so far back that your turrets will be ineffective. Remember, your turrets are also spell-casters and thus they also have cast times, rendering their effective window somewhat narrow. The support of other classes, such as Bards casting amnesia spells, will greatly help you in being able to place your turrets where they are most effective.

PvE:

The two most popular skill lines for levelling are Creeping and Verdant.

If you are playing solo, go Creeping. If you are in a group with a second Animist, go Verdant.

Creeping is fairly simple. Find a safe spot where your turrets will not attack any enemies you do not intend them to, then pull enemies towards your mushrooms, kiting them in a circle until your mushrooms draw aggro. The same principle applies when playing in a group, with the tank being in charge of pulling and gathering aggro. From here on, it’s just a matter of healing or replenishing mushrooms as they expire and managing your power.

Verdant requires a more active participation by the Animist, for a more traditional pet-centered playstyle. Rather than summoning a field of turrets, you’ll now be focusing on your primary pet. The Verdant main pet is much more durable than the others, so it will act as a tank, while the you cast absorbtion spells on it, reducing the damage it takes. Absorbton spells won’t last long, so in between them, try and cast as many point-blank area-of-effect spells as possible to do damage. Stop to reapply absorbtion spells as needed.

RvR:

Reducing the enemy’s ability to push through your frontline by deploying Tangler turrets to root (reduce movement speed by 99% until enemy in place is a strong opener for most engagements. This will also allow other damage dealers to more easily assist in focusing enemy players with both de-buffing and damage, taking out threats one-by-one.

When defending a keep or tower, you can switch your Tangler turrets out for more offensive ones, making clever use of line-of-sight to catch the enemy unaware when a gate or section of wall is destroyed, thus halting their advance.

If you have managed to successfully deploy your turrets to your desire, it is time to go on the offence. Another unique mechanic of Animists which set them apart from other spell-casters, is that the most damaging spells take the form of wisps, which have to physically travel across the battlefield until they reach their target (who can reposition during this travel time), at which point they explode, dealing damage. Due to this travel time, it is possible to queue up high burst damage by sending out several wisps in succession and then, when the first wisp is about to hit its target, switching to life-drain spells. This will cause the wisps to detonate simultaneously as the life-drain spells finish casting. This will put high pressure on the enemy healers, causing them to have to focus their attention on a single individual and most likely use one or more high value spells with long cooldowns.

Character planners:

Eden: https://eden-daoc.net/charplan?c=Animist

Blackthorn: https://blackthorn-daoc.com/class/Animist

Live: https://daoc.gg/charplanner/overview#c=ANIMIST

Suggested starting stat point distribution:

15 Dexterity / 10 Intelligence

Suggested class skills:

50 Arboreal, 19 Creeping, 7 Verdant (Highest damage)

50 Creeping, 19 Arboreal, 7 Verdant (Offensive utility & heal)

50 Verdant, 19 either, 7 either (Defensive utility)

Suggested realm skills:

Long Wind 1