Investing In A Druid Advice

[Maralius]

Hi all. I've been playing on P99 for a few months now, and I've really enjoyed my time here. The community has been nothing short of amazing, and it's been one of the best MMO experiences I've had in more than ten years!

With that said, I'd like to ask the community some advice on an issue that's been bugging me for awhile now, and it's been causing me to spin my wheels. When I started on the server I made a Druid to make some of that sweet porting cash to get myself started. Which I did. I continued to level my Druid and they are currently sitting at 46 with a Lumi staff ready to shoot up to the 50s.

The creeping problem in the back of my head is...if I should bother investing that much time and effort into a Druid. To hear it told, they are very rarely invited to groups, and I have personally soloed through everything from my late teens to 46, only taking about 4 levels of a break in HHK (for the memories).

On one hand, I have this idea that if I get my Druid to 60 they will have a much higher earning power, allowing me to better twink out an alt. But I wonder if the time investment to do that would be better spent just rolling an alt with a bit of port money and going from there.

My eventual goal is to raid very casually, (hopefully) have an epic, and group up for fun adventures and loot here and there, and solo farming money when none of that is available. I can definitely see the solo farming on a Druid, but the grouping not so much. And I honestly don't know if I mentally have it in me to solo through the 50s. I have heard the nightmare stories about how long it takes.

I've been eyeballing Necro as a potential alt to go with, as I kind of like the concept of twitching. I think it's neat to effectively be a healer...but for mana. I hear they are at least more group friendly than Druids. Either that or an Enchanter will fill the solo and group role, but honestly I am a bit of a newb to the game (I was very young back during the Velious days) so I feel as though the Enchanter might be a little over my head. Could always go with a Rogue too. What I played back in the day but...I highly doubt they could farm money effectively on their own even at 60.

So...what do you all think? Is it worth it to push a Druid to 60? Or would I be better served parking them in their high 40s and rolling on something that will be more capable of a well-rounded experience at 60?

Thanks in advance!

[I Felt Nostalgic]

2016 account but just started on P99 a few months ago?

[Sacer]

I think you should play what you want, but I do feel like druid and necro are a bit similar in the sense that they're not very popular in groups and not the strongest raiding class either. (someone ever heard "we can't raid xxx because we're lacking druids/necros"? no me either)

If you value raiding a lot may be roll something that bring more on the table like cleric or rogue, and you still have your druid for solo/duo activities.

[Jimjam]

I have heard "Did a necro manage to get FD off" after a raid wipe. Always particularly hilarious when they don't have any essence emeralds on them (necro Rez component).

Druids are important for raid logistics. You've almost capped out in that tree, but being able to succour too can be helpful.

Don't worry about getting invites to groups as a Druid; play to your strengths and form groups/head to non-pug areas.

One of the most important factors to 'success' in Everquest is networking. With a 60 Druid you'll be able to make a lot of friends. This plays into your epic ambitions; your Druid will easily get an epic at little cost.

As such, I'd say truck on with the Druid, but not to the exclusion to rolling an alt; having slots gives you more options for play. If your Druids favourite spots are open you can try working on your alt and vice versa.

[Lurgort/Sseri]

Play what you have fun with.

Also Necros make a great raiding class @ Sacer

* EEs and FD in case your raid wipes, rez a cleric, back in business.
* Coffins / Conjure Corpse if corpses are in inaccessible locations, like Isle 7 in PoSky on a full respawn.
* DAs / FD for raid pulls.
* Keep the cleric chain going with mana transfer.
* Lifetap tanking in a pinch on raid adds or easier but high reward raidmobs like PoFear golems.
* Charmpet DPS where possible.
* DMF, best levitate buff in the game and useful on certain fights, like Trakanon.

[elwing]

True on necro, that said druid provides:
- ports.
- potg.
- circles.
- quick heals.

They are really good in a raid despite not having the central role clr/war/mnk get...

[kjs86z]

Play both.

Get bored of one, swap to other.

Druids can group now in Chardok to 60.

[Qenarye]

Druids do great in grps and have the option to be strong dps'er with their charm animal.
Both DN and Chardok comes to mind.

[stowned]

2016 account but just started on P99 a few months ago?

To be fair, I started just over a year ago

[Maralius]

Thanks for all of the input. I appreciate it. And to be fair I did make my account and all in 2016... Got my Druid to the amazingly high level of 3 then didn't come back. I guess I should of said I haven't been playing seriously but for the past few months.

[Crede]

Keep the Druid, play your rogue. Loved on raids and in groups. And you’ll get epic easier too. But druid epic really is easy in velious now too.

Also, you’re talking about a slow solo leveling experience. Druids have 2 of the fastest methods to get to 60, charming and quadding. Anything in group content will be slower than that. Except maybe charm duo somewhere with enc/cleric or another Druid.

[Primordial Ooze]

I leveled my druid to 60 and used her to twink out my alts. That said, I like soloing and quad kiting so it wasn't exactly a chore. IMO farming > port cash by quite a bit. The only time I really invested time in porting for plat was in OT, where the mobs are poor and the hammer hill toons are rich and motivated.

IMO druids who think their best money comes from porting lack imagination. Spend your 50s quadding wyverns and then sentient armors. Hit 60 and solo haze panthers in WL and ice burrowers in WW for 1k drops. Invest in an OT hammer and if you feel like porting, port, but you'll have better uses for your time.

Unless you're playing a key class (even then, really), 50+ grouping is about who you know. Make friends, find a guild. Make your own groups - someone pointed out that Chardok and DN are good places for druid DPS.

If I have a day to play, I log on druid in the morning and make a couple kpp, then log in rogue, who has about 20k worth of gear on her, and merrily stab things with a group. The alts of a druid main lead charmed lives. :P

[loramin]

Unlike many here I started with a Shaman, and then made a druid as my first alt (that I got to 60). Now that I have a 60 Shaman and a 60 Druid, I regularly switch between the two for raids. Some nights we have three Shaman already, and our Clerics are begging for PotG. Other nights we're low on Shaman, or maybe we have some of both Druids and Shaman, but we need healers so I play my Shaman (Druids aren't bad healers, but Torpor > Nature's Touch).

But my point is that, in my (non-zerg) guild we don't always have one of every class at 60, and there are absolutely times (around half, though I don't measure it) where I choose to play my 60 Druid over my 60 Shaman.