Here We Go Again.....

[Deathrydar]

So.....long time EQ player here. I was there in 1999, where I mained a Shadow Knight as well as a Cleric and also leveled up a Bard to around 58 or so. I quit around Lost Dungeons of Norrath.

I am happy to be in all of your presence again!

I was also with this project ten years ago back at the "beta launch", as I understand it is being described currently. I helped with some of the pathing and loot over in the FP/NRO/EC/WC/Oasis area. I was in one of the first guilds created on this server, Rusty Broad Swords, then joined some good peeps in Bregan D'Aerth.

In Project 1999, I leveled a Cleric to level 25, before I died in Lavastorm and lost my body due to not being able to log back on. Then I started a Bard again, and got him to level 22 or so before I quit,

Long story short, I stopped playing due to time constraints. I was married to another woman at the time, and she was NOT understanding of me playing this game (or any game for that matter). I have since, remarried, and my current wife is pretty cool about all of this, but that only resolves one of my issues.

So, down to my entire reason for this thread:

I have a full time job, a house to take care of and a wife that enjoys spending time with me. I do not have a ton of time, but I do have some. I will be able to play about 3-4 hours on Tuesdays, 3-4 hours on Thursdays and a good deal during one of the weekend days, possibly two if my wife is doing other things during the weekend.

I love grouping and meeting/helping others, but I also understand that the time I have will not allow me to do much in this game. I just want to be able to play again. I never really played a "solo" class or a true DPS class, as my experience with soloing in EverQuest has always been a miserable encounter. Even though I leveled a bard up back in the day to a high level, I was never able to kite more than one or two MOBS at a time. My Shadow Knight and Cleric couldn't solo worth a damn.

So now comes the new MMORPG reality for me.....I want to choose a class that can group, but also has the ability to solo when I can only log on for an hour (I know, doesn't everyone?). I understand that I am going to be left behind again (level-wise) and will be a lower level than the majority of the population will be, so I will need to be able to log on and play the game when the lower level zones become empty.

So, I am reaching out to the community for some input and opinions. I have pretty much locked down the classes to the following. As far as my knowledge of EQ and my experience, these are the four classes that can solo effectively, meet my criteria for playing, and are also effective somewhat in groups, but, as EQ has done so successfully, there are pros and cons to each:

1. Druid

PROS:
Easy to solo
Get buffs, and I love being able to run by and buff other players.

CONS:
Not really needed/wanted by groups
Boring. I remember when I tried to level one up, I remember sitting around and letting DoTs tick while hoping to God that root didn't break so the MOB didn't tear me apart. Usually, it did break and I would get massacred.
Will be an overpopulated class, perhaps the most overpopulated class.

2. Necromancer

PROS:
I was always told one of the best solo classes.

CONS:
Looks boring to send your pet in and just have it kill stuff while you cast the occasional DoT.
Also, I have never played a caster class. I heard Research is hardcore difficult.
Will most likely be an overpopulated class.

3. Monk

PROS:
I never did a DPS class before, even in all of the other MMORPGs I played after EQ.
Have a lot of utility that makes soloing a viable option.
Always wanted in groups.

CONS:
Will be an overpopulated class.
The weight thing....ugh

4. Bard

PROS:
I know this class. I played it in EQ and in Project 1999. This may become a con though.
Needed/wanted in groups.

CONS:
I can never seem to get the soloing aspect of this class down.

If you are going to put your comments on this to assist me, please take into account my goals for this game:

1. I want to be able to play when I log on.
2. I like helping others. Whether that be a simple buff to a fellow player, or helping someone kill a MoB or get an item.
3. F-U-N
4. Meet good peeps

I really appreciate anyone taking the time to read this post, and I appreciate any and all responses. Have a great day!

[AbstractVision]

If you want to solo and group and you're also worried about being bored. Sounds like you want to play enchanter 100%

Can promise you will never be bored.

You will be highly desired for groups.

Besides bard, enchanter is best solo in classic.

[Deathrydar]

If you want to solo and group and you're also worried about being bored. Sounds like you want to play enchanter 100%

Can promise you will never be bored.

You will be highly desired for groups.

Besides bard, enchanter is best solo in classic.

Thank you for replying. I am not too worried about being the "best" solo character. Just looking to be viable in both the solo and group environments.

[Wurl]

About your class list:
1. Druids are great in groups up until higher levels until clerics outshine the other healers. You will very much be able to both group and solo as one.
2. Well-played necromancers contribute a lot to groups! The ones you saw just sending in their pets were bad/azy group mates :).

Also: Shaman, Enchanter, and Magician can all solo and are desirable in groups too :). Shaman in particular sounds like a good choice for you, with powerful buffs and good solo-ability. Ultimately, there are a lot of choices that meet your requirements, and this is really going to come down to you playing what sounds fun to you.

[Deathrydar]

About your class list:
1. Druids are great in groups up until higher levels until clerics outshine the other healers. You will very much be able to both group and solo as one.
2. Well-played necromancers contribute a lot to groups! The ones you saw just sending in their pets were bad/azy group mates :).

Also: Shaman, Enchanter, and Magician can all solo and are desirable in groups too :). Shaman in particular sounds like a good choice for you, with powerful buffs and good solo-ability. Ultimately, there are a lot of choices that meet your requirements, and this is really going to come down to you playing what sounds fun to you.

Thank you! I never played a Shaman, but the races available to play all have Experience penalties, no? regardless, I have heard (although it could be incorrect) that Shammies solo well later on, and early on it is very difficult to solo.

I can grind thru some levels, if that is what it takes. But if it is like 30 levels or so of pure non-ability to solo, then I would have an issue.

[soronil]

Besides bard, enchanter is best solo in classic.

I mean... define best?

Leveling up, on a new server your CHA is not 200. if you are trying to mez solo, you're going to die a lot.

I feel like enchanter has capabilities to do great things, but it's also very risky, not the most consistent. relies on there being something to charm. Gets better later in the game as you get your CHA up.

For a very casual "log on for an hour and get some exp" enchanter is probably not the one I would pick.

[bwe]

Necro, druid, or mage for a more casual log on for an hour class?

[Deathrydar]

For a very casual "log on for an hour and get some exp" enchanter is probably not the one I would pick.

May I please have your opinion on this?

[Maker_Mayhem]

I think it’s because for a brand new server, enchanters essentially will not be the solo powerhouse that they are on blue. Classic EQ items are limited in the amount of cha / int items you can reasonably get as a solo / casual player. I.e. you won’t be getting an SMR day 2 or a tranix crown by the end of the first weekend like some players may. This means your overall charisma / int will be relatively low resulting in more charm breaks and less overall mana to recharm, let alone control the tide of battle with roots, stuns and charm breaks.

[Deathrydar]

Necro, druid, or mage for a more casual log on for an hour class?

I didn't think about mage. I will consider that. Thank you!

[Maker_Mayhem]

Honestly mage is often referred to as the “king of classic” for a reason. They aren’t the utility powerhouse other casters can be with CC, transport or pulling, but what they do, they do very well and excel with DPS. In a group, you will speed up the kill time by a large margin (especially in classic where there be many a melee with their tarnished weapons). While solo, they can do very well against on level targets and literally eat the lower level mobs you wish to farm.

Mages honestly are powerful all the way through Velious. The problem is, the monsters get increasingly difficult. And most every high profile solo target in Kunark/Velious requires a slow in order to solo it efficiently/safely. Not saying it cannot be done otherwise, but mobs hit much harder post classic.

[BlackBellamy]

Well the first thing you're going to have to do as an enchanter is find something to charm. That can take no time or it can ruin your whole short play session.

For your lifestyle I would recommend shaman. It's similar to what I had on TZ back in the day when I played one. You'll always get a group because everyone loves your buffs. You can pair up with a monk and grind exp like crazy. It's like this crazy damage machine you just follow around and haste once in a while. When you solo you have a great toolset to deal with stuff as you like, it's not like you're stuck kiting, or having the pet do all the work. Early on you're not squishy and can melee and take hits, later you have your dog and a large selection of damage spells. Shaman soloing only gets stronger, some say it's the strongest soloer at 60. Travel is fast, you're always speeding aroud and levitating to the next camp. Also Alchemy gives you a steady income, I sold so many SoW potions I can't even remember.

The only downside I can think of is that if you're used to soloing, your group experience might be a little boring. You're there for the long and short term buffs only, and all mana left over for backup healing. If you go oom for any other reason you won't be asked back.

[Deathrydar]

SO I am going to add Mage and Shaman to my consideration list. Thank you so much everyone!

[Maker_Mayhem]

However my suggestion would be in favor of a bard, druid or cleric for your particular situation.

Cleric would be the most desirable for any group. While they are limited in the realm of solo play, if you camp in a dungeon and log in and only have one hour...you can rest assured that the hour will not be spent LFG 90% of the time. Plus, as you are leveling if you focus on undead dungeons (befallen,unrest lower guk dead side) you can effectively fill the role of DPS vs the undead with your wards should a group have a cleric but need to fill a dps role.

Druids can spend down time or short spurts porting or soloing and likewise bards have the ability to charm solo and Bard kite later (4 AE mob limit at launch).

[drdrakes]

If you're short on time Druid is a great pick because of ports. And you will never regret having a Druid leveled up no matter what other classes you enjoy.

[Danth]

So.....long time EQ player here.

Haven't seen you in awhile, hope things have been alright for you.

I'll just provide my thoughts on all the different classes for classic era:

Warrior: Trying to solo while wearing banded and wielding at best a combine weapon is not my idea of fun, and probably not yours either. Fine and in-demand for groups of course.

Paladin: Can sort of solo by healing itself but it's slow. Can be tolerable once you get to higher level and especially vs undead with a ghoulbane (in 2009 I made some levels around 40ish solo'ing spectres) but you got to get there first, and that's not necessarily fun if you're solo. Decent in grouping, tanks are usually in-demand sufficiently that the XP penalty doesn't hurt too bad.

Shadow Knight: You know the class, no need to elaborate.

Monk: If you didn't like trying to solo an SK, you'll hate it on the Monk too. Much of this community has an overinflated sense of monk soloability owing to fungus tunics and cheap twink weapons with absurd ratios. Trying to solo wearing maybe raw silk and wish fists for weapons is kind of doable but it doesn't make for a fun time. At least the SK above has fear and snare. Monks are universally welcome in groups, even (post-kunark) iksar monks because community is largely oblivious to their significant experience penalty.

Ranger: No animal fear in classic, no SoW until level 39, bows suck as always, and low AC armor means solo is....lets say it tries the patience. Tiny heals mean you have to cast them a billion times to heal up too. Doable in theory but you'd need more patience than I have. XP penalty hurts them the most in groups because they aren't usually sought as tanks and numerous other classes deal comparable damage. Not terrible, but not as good as its proponents claim.

Bard: Theoretically strong but burdened with clunky mechanics. Love-it-or-hate-it class.

Rogue: Worst solo class in the game. Welcome in groups. Low responsibility.

Cleric: You know this one, no need to elaborate.

Druid: Decently versatile play style for a caster, but still a caster. Good solo, not usually sought for groups but they still get groups slots, mainly when a group needs a healer and there's no Cleric to be found (not uncommon). Almost undoubtedly the best alt class, with huge utility even from middle levels.

Shaman: Caster that can play like a quasi-melee if the player so wishes thanks mainly to slow spells, with even Walking Sleep in the mid teens being good enough (for the level) to tank with if you like it. Still a caster and hindered in the old world by a lack of good pre-planar weapons, so most Shamans act more caster-like. Welcome in groups. Might be worth a look.

Enchanter: Solo's better the more they level, but it's always a high-strung sort of life. Not a class for someone who wants to be laid back. Squishy and even the best of them die a fair amount. Welcome in groups.

Necromancer: Lazy man's enchanter, it gives up some potential solo power in favor of much convenience. Not reliant on charm pets. They can get groups but tend to be a little under-rated since so many of them mainly solo.

Magician: Strong class in classic, but gets proportionally weaker with each expansion (hence their lack of population on Blue). Velious especially is rather unkind to them. Slightly one-dimensional. Welcome in most groups regardless of expansion.

Wizard: Groups like a mage with no pet, solo's like a Druid with no SoW or Harmony. Some folks like the class but they're the minority.

---------------------------------------------------------

Hoping you stick around and make 50 this time around. As P99's decade-long history has shown, you'll have plenty of time--no rush.

Danth

[Deathrydar]

Haven't seen you in awhile, hope things have been alright for you.

I'll just provide my thoughts on all the different classes for classic era:

Warrior: Trying to solo while wearing banded and wielding at best a combine weapon is not my idea of fun, and probably not yours either. Fine and in-demand for groups of course.

Paladin: Can sort of solo by healing itself but it's slow. Can be tolerable once you get to higher level and especially vs undead with a ghoulbane (in 2009 I made some levels around 40ish solo'ing spectres) but you got to get there first, and that's not necessarily fun if you're solo. Decent in grouping, tanks are usually in-demand sufficiently that the XP penalty doesn't hurt too bad.

Shadow Knight: You know the class, no need to elaborate.

Monk: If you didn't like trying to solo an SK, you'll hate it on the Monk too. Much of this community has an overinflated sense of monk soloability owing to fungus tunics and cheap twink weapons with absurd ratios. Trying to solo wearing maybe raw silk and wish fists for weapons is kind of doable but it doesn't make for a fun time. At least the SK above has fear and snare. Monks are universally welcome in groups, even (post-kunark) iksar monks because community is largely oblivious to their significant experience penalty.

Ranger: No animal fear in classic, no SoW until level 39, bows suck as always, and low AC armor means solo is....lets say it tries the patience. Tiny heals mean you have to cast them a billion times to heal up too. Doable in theory but you'd need more patience than I have. XP penalty hurts them the most in groups because they aren't usually sought as tanks and numerous other classes deal comparable damage. Not terrible, but not as good as its proponents claim.

Bard: Theoretically strong but burdened with clunky mechanics. Love-it-or-hate-it class.

Rogue: Worst solo class in the game. Welcome in groups. Low responsibility.

Cleric: You know this one, no need to elaborate.

Druid: Decently versatile play style for a caster, but still a caster. Good solo, not usually sought for groups but they still get groups slots, mainly when a group needs a healer and there's no Cleric to be found (not uncommon). Almost undoubtedly the best alt class, with huge utility even from middle levels.

Shaman: Caster that can play like a quasi-melee if the player so wishes thanks mainly to slow spells, with even Walking Sleep in the mid teens being good enough (for the level) to tank with if you like it. Still a caster and hindered in the old world by a lack of good pre-planar weapons, so most Shamans act more caster-like. Welcome in groups. Might be worth a look.

Enchanter: Solo's better the more they level, but it's always a high-strung sort of life. Not a class for someone who wants to be laid back. Squishy and even the best of them die a fair amount. Welcome in groups.

Necromancer: Lazy man's enchanter, it gives up some potential solo power in favor of much convenience. Not reliant on charm pets. They can get groups but tend to be a little under-rated since so many of them mainly solo.

Magician: Strong class in classic, but gets proportionally weaker with each expansion (hence their lack of population on Blue). Velious especially is rather unkind to them. Slightly one-dimensional. Welcome in most groups regardless of expansion.

Wizard: Groups like a mage with no pet, solo's like a Druid with no SoW or Harmony. Some folks like the class but they're the minority.

---------------------------------------------------------

Hoping you stick around and make 50 this time around. As P99's decade-long history has shown, you'll have plenty of time--no rush.

Danth

Hey man. Good to see ya again. I hope you're doing well. I can't believe that I am now considering playing a magician. I swore I would never go lighter than leather. Thanks for your detailed breakdown, my friend!

[Muggens]

Haven't seen you in awhile, hope things have been alright for you.

I'll just provide my thoughts on all the different classes for classic era:

Warrior: Trying to solo while wearing banded and wielding at best a combine weapon is not my idea of fun, and probably not yours either. Fine and in-demand for groups of course.

Paladin: Can sort of solo by healing itself but it's slow. Can be tolerable once you get to higher level and especially vs undead with a ghoulbane (in 2009 I made some levels around 40ish solo'ing spectres) but you got to get there first, and that's not necessarily fun if you're solo. Decent in grouping, tanks are usually in-demand sufficiently that the XP penalty doesn't hurt too bad.

Shadow Knight: You know the class, no need to elaborate.

Monk: If you didn't like trying to solo an SK, you'll hate it on the Monk too. Much of this community has an overinflated sense of monk soloability owing to fungus tunics and cheap twink weapons with absurd ratios. Trying to solo wearing maybe raw silk and wish fists for weapons is kind of doable but it doesn't make for a fun time. At least the SK above has fear and snare. Monks are universally welcome in groups, even (post-kunark) iksar monks because community is largely oblivious to their significant experience penalty.

Ranger: No animal fear in classic, no SoW until level 39, bows suck as always, and low AC armor means solo is....lets say it tries the patience. Tiny heals mean you have to cast them a billion times to heal up too. Doable in theory but you'd need more patience than I have. XP penalty hurts them the most in groups because they aren't usually sought as tanks and numerous other classes deal comparable damage. Not terrible, but not as good as its proponents claim.

Bard: Theoretically strong but burdened with clunky mechanics. Love-it-or-hate-it class.

Rogue: Worst solo class in the game. Welcome in groups. Low responsibility.

Cleric: You know this one, no need to elaborate.

Druid: Decently versatile play style for a caster, but still a caster. Good solo, not usually sought for groups but they still get groups slots, mainly when a group needs a healer and there's no Cleric to be found (not uncommon). Almost undoubtedly the best alt class, with huge utility even from middle levels.

Shaman: Caster that can play like a quasi-melee if the player so wishes thanks mainly to slow spells, with even Walking Sleep in the mid teens being good enough (for the level) to tank with if you like it. Still a caster and hindered in the old world by a lack of good pre-planar weapons, so most Shamans act more caster-like. Welcome in groups. Might be worth a look.

Enchanter: Solo's better the more they level, but it's always a high-strung sort of life. Not a class for someone who wants to be laid back. Squishy and even the best of them die a fair amount. Welcome in groups.

Necromancer: Lazy man's enchanter, it gives up some potential solo power in favor of much convenience. Not reliant on charm pets. They can get groups but tend to be a little under-rated since so many of them mainly solo.

Magician: Strong class in classic, but gets proportionally weaker with each expansion (hence their lack of population on Blue). Velious especially is rather unkind to them. Slightly one-dimensional. Welcome in most groups regardless of expansion.

Wizard: Groups like a mage with no pet, solo's like a Druid with no SoW or Harmony. Some folks like the class but they're the minority.

---------------------------------------------------------

Hoping you stick around and make 50 this time around. As P99's decade-long history has shown, you'll have plenty of time--no rush.

Danth

Thanks for doing this write-up. Posts like these are great for newcomers and the undeceided alike

[soronil]

Ranger: No animal fear in classic,

oof... I did not know this. I really was toying with the idea of an early Ranger, particularly with guise and rubicite in play.

The cons are obvious, exp penalty, master of none (group wise), but fear animals was a cool part of the kit I was looking forward too. That makes it much harder....

[Vidar]

Everyone talks about 'Best Solo Class'. Well what most people dont get is the best solo class at 60 max gear is diff from best solo class while lvling. Necro is the best solo class 1-60 in open areas and dungeons. Yes a bard can swarm kite but its hard to do that in dungeons. Yes Shamans and enchanters kick the most ass at 60. Yes wizards and druids can Quad kite. but, Necros can solo ANYWHERE and they can lvl fast as hell. they are very strong from start to finish. So if you want to wreck shit your whole life make a necro. And yes necros are still strong at 60.

[Danth]

My above post was directed towards Deathrydar specifically, so I skipped a couple of classes he's already much-familiar with. I'll add blurbs for 'em here:

Shadow Knight: Can solo "well" for a melee (who typically solo only poorly, if at all) using fear and snare, but with old world weapons and a 40% experience penalty it's still mediocre solo compared to numerous caster types. Same desirability in groups as the other tank types. Late-bloomer that gets critical utility (feign death, invisibility) rather late in life (level 30). Bring patience or pick something else.

Cleric: Notoriously slow solo, notoriously in-demand by most groups. If you want your guild of choice fawning over you, be a Cleric main. Main limitation is they stack poorly in regular groups so they sometimes do sit LFG for a bit if all present groups already have clerics. The moment a group needs a healer, though--you're in. Almost no-one will pick a Shaman or Druid as a healer if a Cleric is available.

Danth

[Verityn]

oof... I did not know this. I really was toying with the idea of an early Ranger, particularly with guise and rubicite in play.

The cons are obvious, exp penalty, master of none (group wise), but fear animals was a cool part of the kit I was looking forward too. That makes it much harder....

Maybe just keep it on the slow burner and slowly level it up to 50 before Kunark comes out. I know personally I'm going to be in awe every time I see a ranger past level 30. Although, their snare is pretty nice in dungeons since most of the druids prefer to solo. I prefer not to do dungeons like lguk and solb without someone who can snare.

[Aaramis]

Ranger: No animal fear in classic, no SoW until level 39, bows suck as always, and low AC armor means solo is....lets say it tries the patience. Tiny heals mean you have to cast them a billion times to heal up too. Doable in theory but you'd need more patience than I have. XP penalty hurts them the most in groups because they aren't usually sought as tanks and numerous other classes deal comparable damage. Not terrible, but not as good as its proponents claim.


I'll play devil's advocate here, as I've mained Ranger on live, here, and on the most recent live TLPs:

- yes, your heals suck. You won't be using them except to reduce downtime. Your main spells are going to be self-buffs such as the Skin line, Coat and Thorn spells, SoW, invis, levi, etc.
- you can track. That alone can be a huge boon when needed. Sure that Mage can nuke down Quillmane before you can, and steal the kill.... but they have to find the mob first.
You have tracking and SoW. You win.
- you have snare, root, and SoW at your disposal. Much like Druids, you're effectively immortal in outdoor zones.
- for vanilla EQ, a Ranger can tank just fine in a pinch. Once the twinks start rolling out in rubicite, with twin yaks, haste, and your Flame Lick and Snare lines of spells, you're essentially a slightly less durable Warrior but with 100 x better aggro control.
- you don't have "low AC" solo. In fact, chain + your self-buffs (Skin, Coat, etc.) puts you in a pretty good place. Later on, you'll be going more for crazy regen (Chloro + fungi) over AC, but that's much later on.
- you still have DD spells to augment your dps too, as well as DoTs which are essentially fire and forget spells. Pull with a DoT, melee weaving in DD spells, and you can be doing pretty awesome dps for vanilla. It gets better with later expansions too, with Sky cloak haste, epic slow + DoT, and so on. You become a pretty crazy dps machine.
- bow dps sucks right up until you get Trueshot disc. Then suddenly every stops talking.... for 2 min of glory, anyways. Then they go back to mocking you.