Stance System

EQL replaces classic disciplines with a modern stance system.

What Are Stances?

In classic EverQuest, classes had "Disciplines" — timed abilities with cooldowns. EQL replaces these entirely with Stances, persistent modes that change how your character fights. Stances have no cooldown to activate but cost endurance while active. Only one stance can be active at a time.

The Five Core Stances

Stance	Effect	Available To	Best For
Balanced	Passive, no endurance cost. Standard melee.	All classes	Default stance for most situations
Offensive	+100% melee damage. Costs endurance.	All melee classes	Burst DPS phases. Charmed pet tanking.
Defensive	50% damage reduction. Costs endurance.	Warrior, Paladin, Shadow Knight	Tanking hard mobs and bosses
Striker	Skill attacks deal 5x damage. Costs endurance.	Warrior, Monk, Rogue, Berserker	Burst damage with special attacks
Berserker	Doubles attack speed. Berserker only. Costs endurance.	Berserker only	Extreme DPS glass cannon. Haste multiplies.

Stance Strategy by Combo

David's Combo (Bard/Paladin/Enchanter)

Defensive — Default. You have Paladin, so Defensive stance + plate = 50% damage reduction makes you an incredibly durable tank.
Offensive — Use when your charmed pet is tanking, or when fighting trivial content.
Balanced — Use for general soloing when endurance conservation matters.

Christy's Combo (Cleric/Necromancer/Wizard)

Balanced — Default. As a caster trio, melee stances are less relevant.
Defensive — Emergency survival if you draw aggro (Cleric in plate can survive).
Offensive — Only useful if you're using weapons (rare for pure casters).

🔑 Strategy Skill

EQL adds a Strategy skill that improves stance efficiency. Leveling this skill reduces endurance cost of your active stance. Train it early.

Ranged Stance

Coming post-launch for Berserker, Rogue, and Ranger. Details TBD on implementation and availability.

Stance Macro

# Defensive
/alt act 1
/g Defensive — TANKING

# Offensive  
/alt act 2
/g Offensive — BURN MODE

# Balanced
/alt act 3
/g Balanced — DEFAULT

Note: The actual AA slot numbers (1, 2, 3) may vary. Check your AA window on your character after creation and adjust accordingly.

Key Takeaways

Stances replace classic disciplines entirely — no more timed cooldown abilities
Only one stance active at a time
Endurance cost while active — use Balanced when not actively fighting
Paladin + Defensive = excellent tanking core for David's combo
Caster combo primarily uses Balanced stance