Fighting in groups

First off I just want to say hello everyone, and I hope that anything I add helps someone in someway.

Group Dynamix
I am writting this because of all the crap groups that i have had lately. Not that it is because of other people playing with me, or myself. I believe it to be a lack of knowledge playing a role in a group. (This is a very basic break down of character classes)

Building a group:

What do you need to build a group. Well, that is simple. First thing is to look at what quest are you doing. Does the quest have runes that need Int., or Wis to open, locked doors and chests and traps. Simple questions like that to decide what character classes to bring along.

Now that you have an idea of what you are up against it is time to start gathering people for your group:

1: Tank

Fighter: Just as the name suggests, you are a fighting machine. Your goal is to take on the main assult on your group and to control the main targets movement. Diplomacy should not even be on your hotbar. Fighter has good armor and made to melee.

Barb: Another tank, but unlike a fighter a Barb has less armor, but more hp and able to melee with the best of them.

Paladin: Nice all around tank. What more can I say here, you can heal at lvl 4 and use the heaviest of armors.

2: Healer(many can fill this role, it just depends on what you have in your group)

Cleric: This is a no brainer(can heal everyone, WF take half healing +10% with healers friend)

Bard: Makes a good back up healer

Wizard/Sorc: Make good healers if you have Warforged

3: Support(This is where all the other classes shine)

Rogue: A must have in a group, finds secret doors, disarms traps and unlocks everyhing that the DM's let you unlock. Not to mention nice for ranged dmg or getting behind an enemy for a sneak attack(sneak attack is nice, i have lvl 5 rogue and currently my sneak attack is at 3d6). Whether or not you have a rouge determines how many healers you are gonna need. The rouge makes sure the rest of the party doesnt take damage and please no more combat rouges. You cant solo this game if you want to play a rouge know your role.

Ranger: A rangers forte' is right there in the name "RANGE". This is where having a ranger is imperative. Any damage your ranger can do as that gargantuan ogre comes charging towards you is damage you wont have to do when it gets there which means less damage to you and the rest of your party. Then comes another ranger area of expertise, searching. Anyone you can find that can help the rouge search is a good thing. Maybe you use them maybe not but when a rouge has a bad roll to find a trap its nice when the ranger picks up the slack. The ranger is a rouge short of being able to disable traps. A ranger is incredible support for a rouge due to being able to pull targets past the sneaking rouge to allow for a quick sneak attack. more to come.

Bard: Like I said already good for back-up heals, but also good buffs and croud controls. Bards are just the jack of all trades, master of none(sorry, can't remember where I herd that line)

4: Casters

Wizard: A great class to have around because they can open some of those pesky runes that require Int to open. There main job is blasting mobs of enemies or taking out that 1 bas ass boss. Also great at buffing up the group.

Sorc.: Like a Wizard, this class is made for blasting mobs and taking down that boss. Unlike Wizards they don't have the ammount of spells to choose from, but have many more SP's and cast faster than a Wizard.

Thank God that part is over, now down to why I am writting this. You are allowed 6 people in group. So you will need a tank, cleric, rogue. That is just kind of a givin for the start of a group. Now it is all up to you what to add next, prolly want another tank, a wizard or sorc, and a ranger or bard. Well, you have group so what next. How to use each of the classes in your group. Always send the rogue or ranger ahead a little of the group(in stealth) to find those traps and other suprises in the instance your in. Followed next by the tanks, then everyone else. When the fight breaks out if you are not made to fight( in other words have armor that is worth a crap, a.k.a medium or heavy) stay out of the action. Tanks start swinging, cleric you can melee(only if your heavy armored and don't forget your roll to keep everyone alive), rogue get behind the enemy and hit and move or stand back with the ranger and the cleric(if they stay back as they should and shoot). Next, let your wizzy or sorc. run up to the fight and burn them mob down or use whatever spells they feel nessesary to win(becareful telling casters what to do, they get upset easily. That is your standard fight and group set-up.

PLEASE FILL FREE TO UPDATE THIS AS NEEDED, I WILL BE ADDING TO IT SOON AND UPDATING THE FORMAT TO SHOW CASE EVERY ASPECT OF THE GROUP IN GREATER DETAIL. REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A NEWBIE GUIDE AND WILL ADVANCE AS I DO IN THE GAME.(currently I play 4 characters, 6 rogue, 4 cleric, 4 fighter, 4 wizzard)