Cannot decide on class

[b_rob242]

Hey there,
I'm returning to P99 after a years-long break. I'm restarting on Green, and I'm considering really pushing myself to group more.
I played a solo Necro mostly before.
I really don't know group mechanics much, so I don't know what to play. I keep thinking about either druid or cleric. I have a level 4 HIE CLR that I've just been soloing outside Felwithe. I am a bit apprehensive because I perceive others will assume I know what I'm doing in my class. Probably a silly assumption, but it's there, nonetheless.
I don't have a guild, but I hear <Castle> may fit my play style.
That's about it for now.
Newish player, new class and no guild as of yet.

[magnetaress]

Clerics r ez keep going until ur 20. If it doesn't fit try druid. Or ench. U don't have to be g-dlike and charm.

Mage is probably the 2cnd most ez and grp friendly nexto cleric.

There's going to be groups that are full of tryhards that pull difficult camps Just outside their lvl range and fight until they're at 2% hp. Just ignore them. And gate out if they're being dumb.

[Jimjam]

Loads of terrible players despite a quarter century of practice. No one will care if you don’t play perfectly.

Lots of players are bossy know it alls and will happily provide coaching whether you solicit it or not.

What server are you on?

[b_rob242]

...
What server are you on?

JimJam, I'm on Green as of now. I just play my Necro on blue. Slogging through 54 there. But I want to start fresh on Green since the lower zones seem more active there.

[b_rob242]

I appreciate the positive feedback. This helps a bit.

[Encroaching Death]

I'd say play around with a Druid.

They have multiple different play styles so you can learn a little bit of everything. Root rotting, charming, fear kiting, quad kiting, etc.

Then find out what play style you enjoy the most and play the class that fits with that play style.

[b_rob242]

I'd say play around with a Druid.

They have multiple different play styles so you can learn a little bit of everything. Root rotting, charming, fear kiting, quad kiting, etc.

Then find out what play style you enjoy the most and play the class that fits with that play style.

Cool! All that stuff sounds familiar since I played Necro just without being evil. LOL
I have a druid on blue I've been working on. He's only level 5 currently. I may see how things pan out between that and the cleric. Thanks!

[svelto]

Cool! All that stuff sounds familiar since I played Necro just without being evil. LOL
I have a druid on blue I've been working on. He's only level 5 currently. I may see how things pan out between that and the cleric. Thanks!

If grouping is important to you, I would suggest Cleric, but I suggest this with a little trepidation. As Jimjam said, lot's of bossy players, and over the years of playing different games, I've come to the conclusion that when things go south, often times the healer is pegged as the reason. Sort of the low hanging fruit when it comes time to play the blame game.

My cleric is an alt and only level 35ish, and I can't say I've encountered that mind set here. But my cleric is seldom played, so who knows.

[b_rob242]

Looking through my roster on blue, apparently I got a cleric to 15 at some point. I don't remember much of that leveling experience. She's a HFL CLR in Qeynos. Maybe BB leveling. I do remember the Shining Star of Light quest (https://wiki.project1999.com/Shining_Star_of_Light), though.

[Toxigen]

Don't bother with a druid. They're largely shunned from groups. Its unfortunate but reality. If you're hell-bent on it, learn the ways of animal charming and find cool people to duo / trio with (you can pick them up and bring them to your charming spots).

Cleric is great, and you can do a lot more than just sit until someone needs a heal. Later on you can look for enchanters to duo with for very rewarding experience.

It really depends on what you want to excel at...and what your capacity as a player is. It sounds like you're leaning towards that support kind of role, though...so I'll break down your options:

If you're into min/max and playing at 100%, then enchanter or bard is your choice. You'll be expected to be on your game nearly all the time with either of these two.

If you're feeling bit more casual, that cleric is perfect. Shaman is a bit more well-rounded option.

Don't be afraid to group on that necro either! Head to Karnor's Castle. Keep your group flowing with heals, twitches, CC, etc.

[Encroaching Death]

Yeah, there are going to be a few factors on how to decide which class you wanna play:

1) Do you want to solo, group, mix of both...also, do you want to be useful for raiding?

2) If grouping, what role interests you? Tanking, DPS, Support, Crowd Control, Healing?

3) What playstyle do you enjoy the most? This kind of comes with experience. You just need to play each class.

4) Looks are important. You are going to be looking at your character a lot. Flexing with the fashion motivates you to play a certain class.

5) How important is self-reliance to you? Do you need a class that has invis? Or some sort of survival mechanic like Feign Death? Some people like the option of going AFK safely and some classes have trouble doing that.

6) How expensive is the classes gear? Shaman are notorious for having pricey gear for example.

7) Is this your first character? Sometimes its easier to start a class that farms well so you can bankroll a class you really want to play.

8) Do you want to avoid having bad faction/evil characters?

9) Are you deadset on playing a specific race and need to know how well their racial bonuses help a class? Iksar Necros, for example.

10) Are you into Melee, Hybrids, Pure Casters, or Priest classes usually?

[yorumi]

I play healer a lot in MMOs. EQ is easy to heal. The key to playing healer in any game is to just keep learning. Get comfortable with one thing before adding another. Granted EQ is so easy that there's little to add on. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, just learn from them. Also don't immediately assume just because someone is upset it means you made a mistake, some people are just jackasses. If you're struggling to keep up with a group say so, worst they can do is kick you and then well you're a healer groups like healers so you'll find another. It seems scary at first but it's really not.

If you do want to heal I recommend avoiding druid, stick to the cleric. Druids are by far the worst priests. In many cases a paladin heals as well as a druid. Shaman makes up for it with all their buffs and debuffs.

Trust me you'll do fine on cleric.

[Toxigen]

If you do wind up sticking with the cleric, some tips:

Don't be that lazy cleric that sits there and does nothing but heal.

First and foremost: just because someone asks for a buff doesn't mean you should give it to them. Any enchanter, necro, or druid with a charm pet should get your best HP buff and thats about it. If your tank and/or puller is in rags and asks nicely, go ahead and break 'em off a little cleric buff love. To hell with everyone else.

Help with rooting mobs if your group mates are lacking. Its far more mana efficient than trying to heal multiple people getting beat on.

Use your stuns:

- This will be more important when you start grouping with enchanters (and necros / druids possibly) that have a charmed pet. You can make a macro to /target (their pets name) and then cast stun. As soon as you see that pet break and go rushing towards your mate, hammer that macro hotkey / bind. You'll save them from staining their undies time and time again...nobody likes a poopypant enchanter.

- See an annoying caster in the pull winding up a nuke and no bard / enc / necro to mez? Stun that pesky mfker. Yes you'll get aggro, its ok. Run that thing around a corner, out of LoS of your group, root it, and run back to your med spot. Your group mates will applaud you for your situational awareness.

Always keep DA on your bar. You never know when you need to cast that and high-tail it to a zone out. If the cleric lives, the group is saved (most people these days don't want anything but a 96% epic click but sometimes beggars cannot be choosers).

No real puller? No worries, a cleric can help split tough pulls with lull / calm / paci. Just keep in mind, you can be critical resisted. Try to calm the lowest level mobs in the room first.

Its usually more mana efficient to dispel a mob that has a strong damage shield on it than it is to heal multiple melee through it.

Try to never go below 50% mana when in a busy group just in case shit hits the fan. If you do, tell them you're at 20% (its ok to lie they can't tell how much mana you have) and they'll slow down.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole bunch of other useful tips but you'll get there. Just always keep DA (and divine barrier if you can), at least 1 stun, root, dispel (when applicable), and gate on your bar at all times. Happy cleric times are ahead.

[Jimjam]

Good advice above. Did anyone mention the courage line is a passable heal as well as a buff?

Only really works when the target doesn’t have a higher level version of the buff tho.

Ac buff the tank too imo. Spell ac caps separately to worn. It will help on the higher level mobs. Especially true if tank is a ranger.

[sajbert]

Avoid Druid for grouping even if it’s a great class otherwise. My grouping recomendations for an untwinked character:

Cleric is always good. Can typically group with higher level players. Not too gear dependent. Can root-nuke undead and split camps solo if you can’t find a group.

Enchanter is always welcome in groups, solo god and not too gear dependent either. Fairly difficult epic.

Bard can solo level and is usually welcome in groups. Fastest solo leveler in the game. Fairly difficult epic.

[b_rob242]

I really appreciate the advice. I really just want to try something different. I don't have intentions of raiding (at least not anytime soon). I want to visit group zones and dungeons I skipped as a solo Necro.

I know the Necro style, so as I could also re-roll and visit these places as a Necro, too. I think at the end of it all, I want to do the group thing.
You all have been super informative and helpful.

[Toxigen]

I really appreciate the advice. I really just want to try something different. I don't have intentions of raiding (at least not anytime soon). I want to visit group zones and dungeons I skipped as a solo Necro.

I know the Necro style, so as I could also re-roll and visit these places as a Necro, too. I think at the end of it all, I want to do the group thing.
You all have been super informative and helpful.

Necros are amazing group members. They're the grease that keeps everything rolling smoothly. Lazy necros get a bad rap because they sit there like a mage and send their pets in.

The upside is you could solo a bit, far more effectively, while waiting on a group.

Remember: 95% of xp groups can be healed with nothing more than a bard and necro.

[Encroaching Death]

If you do wind up sticking with the cleric, some tips:

Don't be that lazy cleric that sits there and does nothing but heal.

First and foremost: just because someone asks for a buff doesn't mean you should give it to them. Any enchanter, necro, or druid with a charm pet should get your best HP buff and thats about it. If your tank and/or puller is in rags and asks nicely, go ahead and break 'em off a little cleric buff love. To hell with everyone else.

Help with rooting mobs if your group mates are lacking. Its far more mana efficient than trying to heal multiple people getting beat on.

Use your stuns:

- This will be more important when you start grouping with enchanters (and necros / druids possibly) that have a charmed pet. You can make a macro to /target (their pets name) and then cast stun. As soon as you see that pet break and go rushing towards your mate, hammer that macro hotkey / bind. You'll save them from staining their undies time and time again...nobody likes a poopypant enchanter.

- See an annoying caster in the pull winding up a nuke and no bard / enc / necro to mez? Stun that pesky mfker. Yes you'll get aggro, its ok. Run that thing around a corner, out of LoS of your group, root it, and run back to your med spot. Your group mates will applaud you for your situational awareness.

Always keep DA on your bar. You never know when you need to cast that and high-tail it to a zone out. If the cleric lives, the group is saved (most people these days don't want anything but a 96% epic click but sometimes beggars cannot be choosers).

No real puller? No worries, a cleric can help split tough pulls with lull / calm / paci. Just keep in mind, you can be critical resisted. Try to calm the lowest level mobs in the room first.

Its usually more mana efficient to dispel a mob that has a strong damage shield on it than it is to heal multiple melee through it.

Try to never go below 50% mana when in a busy group just in case shit hits the fan. If you do, tell them you're at 20% (its ok to lie they can't tell how much mana you have) and they'll slow down.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole bunch of other useful tips but you'll get there. Just always keep DA (and divine barrier if you can), at least 1 stun, root, dispel (when applicable), and gate on your bar at all times. Happy cleric times are ahead.

This makes me wanna play a Cleric.

[Toxigen]

This makes me wanna play a Cleric.

Its really not that fun unless you play cleric like this:

https://i.imgur.com/eoc1TNq.jpg

[Trelaboon]

If you’re wanting to focus mostly on grouping, I can’t think of a worse class to play than a Druid. They have their place in some groups, but overall, they’re about the least desired group class in the game. They have some really fun solo potential, and several different ways to level solo, but absolutely wouldn’t want to play one if my goal was to experience group content. A Necro would be a better group mate than a Druid in nearly every possible scenario.

[Encroaching Death]

I recommended Druid only because you can make money and Druids have a wide array of playstyles, so if you aren't familiar with other classes, playing a Druid will give you plenty of experience in tons of different play styles, with the exception of melee.

[Cen]

You were a necromancer, so if you dont want to solo again, be cool in groups and also have a completely different playstyle, may I offer you THE HOLIEST KNIGHT THAT ONE CAN BE!?

[Elizondo]

Druids are awesome

Easiest solo to 60

If you got the stones you can solo to 60 in Kedge and it's always empty

[yorumi]

Druids are awesome

Easiest solo to 60

If you got the stones you can solo to 60 in Kedge and it's always empty

Keep in mind the reason people in this thread are so against druid is because the OP specifically said he wants to group more and experience that part of the game. Sure druid is great solo but that exactly what the OP said he didn't want to do.

[b_rob242]

I played IKS SHD up to 38 before my long break. I don't know zones well enough to pull. At least not yet. LOL

[b_rob242]

Clerics r ez keep going until ur 20.


So I went the cleric route. Rolled a DEF CLR named Krish on Green. I will be on around 22:30 EST most nights. She's already to level three and the super awesome community of helpful players has already doted upon me.

I'll follow this advice and level to 20 and go from there. :)

[Trelaboon]

Cleric is extremely easy. To the point of being boring at times. (Excluding raids, where you do a cleric chain, which is really fun). I wouldn’t worry about being unfamiliar with the game. You’re job will be to basically remain in one spot and just keep people alive. There are the occasional moments where it gets chaotic, but those are far outweighed by the times you sit there watching Netflix and throwing out the occasional CH.

[magnetaress]

Don't forget root. Calm. And atone. Can reset mobs )

[Snaggles]

Eventually soloing will get slow but the nice thing is a cleric plus one is basically a decent group :) . I’d do HK goblins in your mid 20’s and get to killing guards and sell the fine steel. It’s a decent way to make some platinum. Killing stuff that drops stuff you can readily sell nearby.

[Cen]

Just be warned that just because your a cleric don't mean you'll find groups automatically too ;D

On Green at least my mains a Cleric, and I always

A. suffered to find groups just as much as any class
B. when I was in a raiding guild I was really not needed as green and that guild had an extraordinary surplus of clerics. They preferred I bring monk instead, and I couldn't get the cleric to get into much content due to the massive amount of them showing up everywhere. Its very competitive being a cleric, which makes one of the easier epics on paper a lot harder on green since the lines of clerics go around the block


Its still a great class though, and I actually like when someone is looking for a rez and ill swap over to do it for them

[sajbert]

Yeah that’s a real issue with Cleric. Only one healer slot in a group and there’s usually clerics around. Playing on low pop hours can be an issue too with few groups around.

But, clerics CAN solo and duo. Not optimal to solo but it is doable, at least until lvl 50.

[Cen]

I soloed cleric mostly to 50 minus some highkeep time. My route was:

Blackburrow until snakes go green
WK bandits until they green
Scarecrows in WK until green. Great for clerics
6 min big skeleton in Rathe Mts
Highkeep from 31-34
Kithkor level 35 rotting knight who had 200 HP from him being yellow at 35 until blue at 50 (they patched him out on green so can't do him anymore)

[Toxigen]

cleric can just /who all +/-2 levels of their own and send a simple "hey wanna start a group / duo" to their class(es) of choice and boom, theres your xp session

or leave /lfg on and casual-camp an undead or something

either way, dont just sit in one spot hitting /ooc with "cleric lfg" every 10 mins, be proactive and make your own

[Toxigen]

B. when I was in a raiding guild I was really not needed as green and that guild had an extraordinary surplus of clerics. They preferred I bring monk instead, and I couldn't get the cleric to get into much content due to the massive amount of them showing up everywhere.



ive never heard of this...unless your guild wasn't competing for yelinak / aow / tunare / dain / KT / vulak (or any of the other unslowable mobs)

usually you gotta beg people to log in cleric bots

[Trelaboon]

Just be warned that just because your a cleric don't mean you'll find groups automatically too ;D

On Green at least my mains a Cleric, and I always

A. suffered to find groups just as much as any class
B. when I was in a raiding guild I was really not needed as green and that guild had an extraordinary surplus of clerics. They preferred I bring monk instead, and I couldn't get the cleric to get into much content due to the massive amount of them showing up everywhere. Its very competitive being a cleric, which makes one of the easier epics on paper a lot harder on green since the lines of clerics go around the block


Its still a great class though, and I actually like when someone is looking for a rez and ill swap over to do it for them

That’s surprising and I’m curious what guild, and what content you guys were doing, because I’ve never seen a surplus of Clerics in any raid environment. Clerics also can make a group basically out of thin air with any melee.

[Snaggles]

I don’t enjoy playing a cleric but have leveled one as it’s often the bottleneck to any adventure. Certainly we lack them over other dps and even knights at raids.

In general rolling a cleric is always a good idea in EQ. Bad at soloing and farming plat but if you have the time for grouping (even with one other person) people always need healing.

[Encroaching Death]

I don’t enjoy playing a cleric but have leveled one as it’s often the bottleneck to any adventure. Certainly we lack them over other dps and even knights at raids.

In general rolling a cleric is always a good idea in EQ. Bad at soloing and farming plat but if you have the time for grouping (even with one other person) people always need healing.

The sucky thing is though: If you have to log off - you destroy your group.

That guilt is hard to shake.

[Toxigen]

That guilt is hard to shake.

lol ya ok

[Encroaching Death]

lol ya ok

I can pretend to be empathetic

[magnetaress]

Yeah that’s a real issue with Cleric. Only one healer slot in a group and there’s usually clerics around. Playing on low pop hours can be an issue too with few groups around.

But, clerics CAN solo and duo. Not optimal to solo but it is doable, at least until lvl 50.

Clerics can stun. Pull. Cc. Reset agro (even other ppls). They are almost as powerful as enchanters. And their buffs are solid. Cleric buffs tank. Druid buffs casters.

With a solid Cleric u should not really need heals.

[Stroboo]

cleric #1 most boring class, plenty powerful and whatnot but super boring, also does not stack in PUG grps at all...decently fun/playable in duo/trio though Sure they can root, they can stun, but if you do, and root breaks and interrupts your CH, who's fault is it? also necessity at raids as many have mentioned

I never had trouble finding grps on my druid, but you have to be willing to pull and pretty much always need potg. druid are amazing puller in outdoor places like unrest, MM, CoM, KC and great duo partner wherever there are animals to charm. stick to places druids shine and you will level fast. I really enjoyed the ramp in OT as a duo with a melee. really easy first class and great secondary class once you decide on a main.

nerco and mage are great first class choices as well as they don't take much gear to be effective in groups imo.

[magnetaress]

cleric #1 most boring class, plenty powerful and whatnot but super boring, also does not stack in PUG grps at all...decently fun/playable in duo/trio though Sure they can root, they can stun, but if you do, and root breaks and interrupts your CH, who's fault is it? also necessity at raids as many have mentioned

I never had trouble finding grps on my druid, but you have to be willing to pull and pretty much always need potg. druid are amazing puller in outdoor places like unrest, MM, CoM, KC and great duo partner wherever there are animals to charm. stick to places druids shine and you will level fast. I really enjoyed the ramp in OT as a duo with a melee. really easy first class and great secondary class once you decide on a main.

nerco and mage are great first class choices as well as they don't take much gear to be effective in groups imo.

Cleric is only boring when all you do is ch. Above post is silly.

Consider clickies. Atone. Lull. Root. Stun. And blind.

Hope this helps 🙏

[Stroboo]

Cleric is only boring when all you do is ch. Above post is silly.

Consider clickies. Atone. Lull. Root. Stun. And blind.

Hope this helps 🙏

if you do any of those things in a full 6person PUG you are not helping...

duo/trio sure, have at it and that is definitely the best way to cleric imo

[Encroaching Death]

if you do any of those things in a full 6person PUG you are not helping...

duo/trio sure, have at it and that is definitely the best way to cleric imo

Depends on the make up of the 6 man. And the situation.

Clerics absolutely root on occasion. If you're fighting mobs that complete heal or gate, a quick stun is helpful.

Both of those actions reduce the need for more healing, meaning they're helping.

[Stroboo]

Depends on the make up of the 6 man. And the situation.

Clerics absolutely root on occasion. If you're fighting mobs that complete heal or gate, a quick stun is helpful.

Both of those actions reduce the need for more healing, meaning they're helping.

so 95% of the time they are just healing? and i feel i am being generous with the 5% you referenced above, which i will argue with you about risk/reward of cleric rooting if you want, but I think you proved my point well enough...cleric are boring - powerful and needed as well, but also boring...

[Renault]

Clerics have an extremely diverse toolkit. Besides being the best healers, you also get root, lull, and mem blur - making you capable of pulling and CC in addition to healing. The only thing you can't do is kill a mob alone once you are like 50+ for xp. So if you want to group, it's amazing. If you want to solo it's terrible.

[Gustoo]

I don't think it is worth the effort to convince people that clerics are one of the most OP classes in the game. They are, but the fact that they can't single handedly decimate NPC's make them feel weak to certain players.

You can solo to 60 but only on undead and you gotta play like a wizard except with mad good CC.

[Jimjam]

Cleric has a strong position filling a few functions in AOE teams too.

[Snaggles]

Cleric is only boring when all you do is ch. Above post is silly.

Consider clickies. Atone. Lull. Root. Stun. And blind.

Hope this helps 🙏

It doesnt.

Atone clicky staff takes forever to cast and its blur chance is very low. I cant imagine a situation where people would be reliant on a cleric for parking, lulling, and blurring stuff.

Lull can be handy, more in less than ideal groups than a balanced one.

Stun occasionally I guess to stop a gater. Blind never unless you're tanking.

A bored and focused cleric is a good one. Lean into that role and dont screw around...just keep people from dropping and you will be adored by everyone. Any player who loves playing a cleric is a godsend to this game.

[magnetaress]

meebbe just use ur mana if its time sensative