help im new and dont know what to play

[Felicity]

hi all my name is felicity im new to the game just finished installing and getting things working.

i however do not know what to play what is good bad gear terrible ect. i like melee mostly and was thinking of making a ranger depending on if they are good damage with bows and able to use them in groups perhaps even able to pl a bit as a side bonus.

i am up for suggestions on melee and hybrid type classes i dont want to die too much if i can help it id like to be able to progress in the game find a group a guild and have fun im not an elitist so i dont have to be the best but just want something that i can enjoy.

[eqravenprince]

Bard or Monk would be my recommendation. Both are melee and good at powerleveling others. I personally play Monk cause I like having feign death as a way to go afk at any moment. Neither require amazing gear to be effective. Paladin would be my 3rd choice and Ranger last. Neither solo as well as Bard or Monk and neither powerlevel as well as Bard or Monk and more gear dependent as well. If you eliminate being able to powerlevel from your needs, then Rogues are the kings of melee dps, but cannot solo, groups love them though.

[bum3]

Rangers bow dmg is pretty bad on p99. You won't be using it as primary dps. Monk is good dps and cheap gear. Also solo's fairly well. Bard isn't melee dps. You can kite the piss out of stuff though and are wanted in groups.

[Yttrium]

Monk is easy to learn, cheap, and good survival.
Paladin is more gear dependent but beloved at low / mid tiers for leveling.
Shadow knight is similar to a paladin but evil, if you are into that sort of thing.
Rogue is a good easy melee too, but has virtually no ability to solo or PL.

[SoekiWiz]

Better question instead of slinging blind recommendations...

What do you imagine you'd like to do? The categories are basically going to be:

Tank / Healer/ Support / DD. There are some hybrids, and some classes that can do multiple things. Instead of getting into all that, why don't you tell us what you'd like to do and how you want to play?

Then the peanut gallery of nerds (self inclusive) will shower you with recommendations :p

[kotton05]

Best advice is to make a toon that's less gear dependent as your first toon. Play him up then gear a more gear oriented toon. I rolled monk first and had a hard struggle getting plat. Just my 2c, chanter or necro are great for starting.

[Cen]

I'm still struggling as well. I don't like doing damage so much as support, heals, and tanking. Moreso healing and support. I been bouncing around alts trying to figure it out. Wish you luck with the same.

[Pyrion]

I think druid or mage are nice starter options. Both are not very hard to play, both are good solo and both can contribute to groups pretty well (although at later levels both may struggle for groups). Both wont need much gear.

If it has to be a melee, i would recommend monk because it's the least gear dependant one and with pretty cheap good starter gear.

[Jimjam]

Most gear really isn't that important; stats like stamina, dex, agility, int, wisdom do little to help you at low level. Str is good as you can carry more, hp lets you survive bad situations for longer.

If you are taking hits you want to load up on AC, but it quickly hits the point of diminishing returns at lower level. Honestly, you'll earn sufficient AC as you level up if you visit the right locations (guk for monks, najena for large races, unrest/mistmoore for anything else).

If you are hitting things you probably want some fast weapons with moderate DMG as this allows you to circumvent the DMG caps at lower level.

To get a decent weapon you'll have to buy one. Spend your first few levels killing decaying skeletons and spiderlings (i.e. what you would be fighting anyway). You can sell your bone chips /spiderling silks for 10pp per stack of 20 to other players. East Commonlands is the biggest trading hotspot, as such I recommend killing decaying skeletons in North Ro, 1 zone away. Aim for a 1 hander with a ratio close to 1:2.

For a hitty class, after weapons, haste is your next priority. Literally just save all your money for this, spend the bare minimum of spells, food, drink, bandages, ammo. Your looted armour will suffice. Silver chitin hand wraps are probably your best bang/buck option.

For casters, gear is really not important. The biggest limit to your effectiveness is your spell selection and mana regeneration, and that comes down to trying to keep your ass sitting on the ground as each 6 second tick turns over so you can meditate. You'll be able to afford your most important spells if you remember to loot a little as you level up.

As you grow more powerful you may stockpile some platinum. Some nice to have things are cloudy potions (vendor bought instant cast invis), potions of unlife awareness (player bought invis undead potions) and blood of the wolf potions (a run speed buff). Many players also like to pay someone to quest them some Journey mans boots. These are a slower option than the potions, but will take up less inventory space.

By the 40s stamina and intelligence / wisdom become more powerful and are stats more worth pursuing. In the 50s the value of AC skyrockets. At these levels you can start joining in on Kael arena groups and Halls of Testing raids in Temple of Veeshan and earn your equipment that way. If you are a melee class it may be worth visiting Plane of Sky for a new haste item, letting you liquidate your old one for more plat.