Class choice

[Turbofish2050]

First toon on server, no plat or gear. Should i go cleric or druid. I'm looking to meet some people and be social but wouldn't mind the occasional solo "alone" play. Thanks.

[Jmcwrestling]

Clerics rock even with no gear.
My first toon was a naked Erudite Cleric and never had issues with mana. You'll be wanted in every group and able to duo with enchanters and necros for amazing xp. You'll also find yourself being extremely useful on raids if you ever decide that is your thing.

Druids , while having never played one , offer a lot of good benefits to new players in the form of versatility , solo ability, and porting for Plat. You'll might have a harder time at upper levels getting groups but far from impossible. Druids are very useful in all situations except the raid scene where they are slightly less useful.
Druids can do some dope stuff in PoM too which is something to consider

[loramin]

Cleric is the clear winner for grouping, and Druid is the clear winner for soloing. Clerics can solo, if they stick to Undead (I think Swish got up to the 50s by only soloing his cleric) ... but mostly they can't. Druids can group, but they are inferior healers and not optimal DPS, so they are one of the less desired classes (be prepared to often have to start groups yourself).

In terms of thinking about other future characters, if you level a Druid up it can make money porting, and can farm gear for your other characters. If you level a Cleric it can make money rezzing (though not as reliably as a Druid), and you can get gear by grouping in places like Seb that a Druid can't solo ... but again that's not as reliable (you can't control which camps are free, who needs a cleric, etc.). On the plus side if you keep the character on a separate account and have a RL friend that plays you can use it to rez all your other characters.

Personally I'd recommend trying them both out if you have the time. If not, it sounds like Cleric would be best for "meet[ing] some people and being social", while still at least having the option to solo, slowly, when you can't get a group.

[Nagoya]

Druids look like hobos with sticks.
Clerics rock full plates and shiny stuff.

I stripped my 53 halfling druid cause she looks better naked than with her gear on. The only other option is Wolf Form but no /sit animation and drops everytime you zone.

The only real quest in the long run is fashion quest. Play a Cleric. Erudites, Gnomes, Dark Elves, High Elves... Clerics also have another clear advantage over druids on race selection.

All that being said, levelling a druid is very smooth and they can really do everything and are super fun to play, but somehow only you seem to know that, everyone else is convinced that you are "a crappy healer mixed with a crappy wizard and probably useless indoor." In reality while Harmony and SoW are indeed arguably the two best druid spells and work only outdoor, druids still pack great DD (look them up, they are really not far from magician DD) and two strong DOTs, together with indirect damage of the damage shield, druids CAN play a dps role in a group. They have correct healing if you include Skin like and Regen, awesome ghetto CC with fast casting roots and snare, and all the utility that make them "fun" (levitate, camo, enduring breath, sow, strength buff, see invisibility, infravision, resist buffs, charm animal, fear animal, summon food & drinks)... Cherry on the Sundae, everybody is talking about "making plats with teleports" but that's beyond the point: being able to TP yourself everywhere all the time non stop, banking anytime in your hometown (so you can loot like a warrior, with STR buff and TPs honestly go ahead loot that FS all you want) is insanely fun! you can even go in Oggok buy A Ship in a a Bottle (best item in game) with Wolf Form! cause they're too dumb to realize you're not a real dog! All animals are randomly friendly to you, you never die from a random bear mauling you while you went to the toilet. Druids are truly a wonderful duo partner and group member. They can also quad-kite and solo lvl 1-60 if they have to. But that's missing a lot of p99 fun I think hehe. Also talking only about spells would be an insult to some of the super fun & strong skills the druid has: forage and track. While forage can provide an endless source of Water, Roots and Berries for you and your friends to consume, it is also great for littering the whole camp around you with little bags of crap and is super fun to macro and perma use. Track on the other hand is no "cute trick" and is absolutely bonkers crazy OP; when you play a non-track character you feel literally blind once used to it. Track tells you where everything and everyone is and how to get to them, at all times, and is the ultimate way to travel safe, way above all forms of invisibility and shenanigans hehe.

However.

Fashion Quest bro. Druids look like crap you will hate yourself.

Play a Cleric :p

Druid is also the most played class on the server and are rampant.
All evenly ugly, running around begging for you to let them port you for donations and ninja casting sow on you just to be nice, ghetto PLing noobs fishing for compliments. Terrible people! ;)

(If you really really have to play a Druid, at least play a race that can't play a Cleric: Wood Elf or Half Elf... Wood Elf Druid is the single most played race/class combo on the server, but Half Elf Druid might at least be slightly original and get you some free fashion quest point in the long run... Good luck!)

[Swish]

You might burn out as a cleric, druids offer a more diverse experience.

Also you can port people for plat, meaning if you do change your mind you'll have a bankroll.

Clerics don't really make money. So many pocket cleric rezzes these days people rarely donate for one unless its in a really awkward spot.

Mark me down as a druid voter.

[Phenyo]

Druid is a great starter class with solo, grouping (to a degree) and plat making potential.

Eventually you'll wish you were a shaman though.