Good first char to get 50+ with?

[VincentVolaju]

So I convinced a friend of mine to try out EQ since he never did back in the day, I told him Id be able to twink him a bit and hook him up with some nice stuff so he was like alright sure. He know's very little about EQ and was asking which class he should roll first, just to get one to 50+ and see most of the game / learn it. I told him EQ is really simple and he doesn't really "need" to make a char to learn the game because hell learn it on basically anything he chooses to play.

Anyway he still isn't so sure what to play, I suggested Mage or Necro maybe since he could solo easily and not have to rely on anyone, so hes considering those 2 but I thought Id ask you all for suggestions / opinions and see what you guys thought. Druid / Monk he doesn't want to play at all since thats what I play, and he basically just wants something that will get him groups while at the same time being able to solo just as efficiently if there are no groups around. His play time will be late night so most likely hell be soloing a good 50% of the time. And Ill be able to twink him pretty decently with whatever he chooses.

So with all that said, what are all your opinions / suggestions? Necro/Mage or something else?

[Kope]

1) Shaman - Armor, soloing ability and groups love em
2) Sk - Tanking, soloing, armor
3) Mage - Soloing + damage + not too complicated.

[VincentVolaju]

Are Mages ever really wanted in groups? I mean I know there good for soloing, but whats there group DPS like?

[Kope]

Are Mages ever really wanted in groups? I mean I know there good for soloing, but whats there group DPS like?

Pretty decent, not great. They have sustained DPS with the pet as well as some burst dps with nukes if they need to kill some mobs quickly. Not a bad class, but not incredibly desired in groups until late game.

[Kope]

Sidenote - Necros can solo incredibly well, yes, but again, I've never been in a group that said "damn, we need a necro right about now." but I have heard that for pretty muche very other class, even wiz.

[Loud]

cant go wrong with a mage.

[soup]

Sidenote - Necros can solo incredibly well, yes, but again, I've never been in a group that said "damn, we need a necro right about now." but I have heard that for pretty muche very other class, even wiz.

I'd fault that on the players, not the class. I have been in plenty of groups where a necro is THE perfect addition, but no one realizes it because they just don't know what a good necro brings to a group.

[Stormhowl]

Sidenote - Necros can solo incredibly well, yes, but again, I've never been in a group that said "damn, we need a necro right about now." but I have heard that for pretty muche very other class, even wiz.

You've never been in a group where the Cleric said something along the lines of "Damn, I wish I had a mana battery" in reference to a Necro? :P

Someone above said Shaman are great solo. I would really only argue that's true AFTER level 34. 1-24 is slow going, even with decent twink weapons, but your DoTs suck at any given level. Even at 24, your DoT catches up and you get Cannibalize which makes the mana efficiency issues less noticeable, but Shaman's don't really get strong until they have a pet at 34. That's when their ability to solo gets so much better.

However, from my experiences on live pre-Luclin, Shaman are very good for the group. Sustained DPS through pets, some of the best melee buffs in the game, backup heals, the best slows and (arguably) resist debuffs in the game.

If you're playing a Monk, you cannot go wrong with a Monk / Shaman combo though. If your friend can stand to get through the harshness of 1-34 on his Shaman, then it'll get so. Much. Better. So even if their solo life is a bit rough pre-34, they are a very solid class that's group friendly and they are excellent soloers that are much less squishy (Chain armor, slows, and heals) than any arcane caster in a dress. ;)

[soup]

As far as the topic at hand, I'd say shaman or necro.

If he's new, he's going to want to be able to do shit on his own and not rely on others 100% of the time. I didn't include mage because they seem kinda boring to me. Send pet, cast a nuke or two, ok you're done, but I suppose that's personal preference and mage is certainly worth considering.

The only problem with shaman is it doesn't have as much instant gratification. You don't become a powerhouse until 34+, whereas the necro is beastmode pretty much starting at level 1.

[Akim]

monk or necro

[Zarniwooop]

Pet classes are great in a group as their pets are probably stronger than any melee class in the game at equivalent level.

Possibly a small exaggeration and just a tinge of bitterness.

[Dr4z3r]

Tell him to play a druid to mid-levels, make some cash porting, and then decide.

It's not like he'll last to lvl 20 regardless.

[azeth]

Don't disrespect Magician's role in groups; their pet's can absorb damage better than any melee except tanks/monks, their DPS output with Pet alone (given the Pet always stays in melee range) is on par with most everyone but well equipped Rogues/Monks.

[Striiker]

I'd fault that on the players, not the class. I have been in plenty of groups where a necro is THE perfect addition, but no one realizes it because they just don't know what a good necro brings to a group.

I think this is often because players who play necros don't know how to play the class well. I have had the good fortune to group with well-played necros and was amazed at what they can add to the group. I have also grouped with crappy necros who limit themselves to /pet attack and DOT. I assume that these players have spent more time soloing and don't realize how to use the rest of their spells.

[Nirgon]

Druid. Offer power leveling services for money etc. Power level your friends you encourage to finally play etc.

[VincentVolaju]

So seems like most people are learning towards Necro or Mage and from what a lot of you are saying it looks like Necro's are better then Mages in a lot of ways.... Is there anything Mages have over Necros that might make them a better choice?

[Skope]

go necro. they're very easy to level, solo incredibly well and aren't very gear dependent (even less than mages). then there's the spell list...

The mage epic is awesome vincent, but that and CoTH are the only things that mages have to look forward to after 50. they are easier to level to 50, though, but post 50 the necro is a better choice.

[falkun]

You mention the mage epic as awesome, which I agree it is, but it's also one of the hardest epics in the game to obtain.

[Skope]

You mention the mage epic as awesome, which I agree it is, but it's also one of the hardest epics in the game to obtain.

want to buy a 53 mage with all the available pieces for the epic?

i guess im speaking relatively (relative to myself), but yes, it's the hardest epic in the game. i would still play my necro or shaman over my mage, even when i get the epic :/

[falkun]

I'm a broke bard skope, and if I did have any cash, I'd be trying to snag some dragon scales out of an open market that doesn't have any. Good luck unloading that mage though.

[Swish]

You mention the mage epic as awesome, which I agree it is, but it's also one of the hardest epics in the game to obtain.

Harder than a cleric epic?

[Skope]

i was kidding, haha. i'm probably keeping it and screwing around with the epic when they come out.

Swish, that depends... some servers had waiting lists for the bottleneck, whereas they'd have to try themselves to get ahold of innoruuk, isle 7 and the rest. i get what you're saying, though

[falkun]

I'm going to bet the cleric epic on this server will end up much like the LOIO portion of the HS key. It may not start with a waiting list, but it'll end up with one.

[Amelinda]

Are Mages ever really wanted in groups? I mean I know there good for soloing, but whats there group DPS like?

If you have a pretty twinked mage they are amazing in groups. A mage with a large enough mana pool can help you bust down a train in no time. Pet can offtank while the mage over-nukes an add. Enc + Mag or Nec + Mag duos are full of win.

Ignore anyone who says otherwise imo.