4 classes for a group of friends

[trevellyan06]

what would be the best 4 classes for a group with 2 being some sort of melee?

[GardylooGubbins]

Cleric, Enchanter, Warrior, Bard?

[trevellyan06]

We were thinking maybe cleric, enchanter, warrior and rogue or maybe paladin instead of warrior.

[Toxigen]

basically you got it right

enc + cleric + tank + whatever your 4th wants to play, literally anything will work...you're going to destroy everywhere you go

do you have any sort of 4 man farming goals? is this just for xp? self found, mildly twinked, or uber twinked?

if you're just doing it to level then the answer is rogue...if you've got your sights set on tougher camps in your high 50s / 60 (juggs, king, etc)...then monk

[trevellyan06]

Would be nice to be able to do most dungeons and some good farms, not twinked 3 of us have zero experience in everquest and 1 hasn't played since like 2001. So pretty new to everything.

[Toxigen]

Would be nice to be able to do most dungeons and some good farms, not twinked 3 of us have zero experience in everquest and 1 hasn't played since like 2001. So pretty new to everything.

Very cool! My first EQ experience was here on p99 as well and had 3 friends to play with from level 1...but they were all EQ/P99 veterans.

Who is piloting the enchanter? Are they the type of player that will be attentive...more or less "quarterback" for the group? Just make sure they know they're getting into the highest skill cap class in the game with the greatest power potential.

Because of the no twinking, I would say cleric / enc / paladin (or SK) / rogue is your best bet. For these reasons:

- You guys are going to wipe. Having a rogue for corpse drags is so damn nice.

- Paladin / SK has snap aggro whereas warrior will rely on the enc/cleric rooting every single mob for them to hold aggro. Both have their perks...note this player will likely be the puller in this comp (enc can help with this once they get comfy).

- Rogue damage is still pretty good untwinked. You can get respectable weapons for cheap to get those nice backstabs.

[trevellyan06]

Yeah the enchanter will be played by our most attentive player for sure, you think a ranger would work instead of rogue just for SoW to get around seeing we wont have ports?

[Toxigen]

Yeah the enchanter will be played by our most attentive player for sure, you think a ranger would work instead of rogue just for SoW to get around seeing we wont have ports?

Eh. Typically if you're getting a port, it will come w/ SoW too. Unfortunately EQ is going to be more about mastering 1 camp / dungeon at a time and then moving on to the next after a few (or many) levels.

SoW potions are a cheap way to have access to movement speed buffs as well.

While not quite as strong, another composition that would work extremely well would be an all iksar SK / Monk / Shaman / Necro.

You get to start in the same area right at character creation, fantastic 1-20 leveling between Field of Bone and Kurns, amazing synergy between all those classes, 3x Feign Deaths / the shaman can gate when shit hits the fan, shaman SoW, and later on the necro can bring amazing damage charming undead. Did I mention Iksar master race?

Its just played a bit differently....but would be FAR more forgiving for completely untwinked and inexperienced players. As long as the shaman continues to play, anyone else could quit and the group would still perfectly capable.

Just food for thought. I always wanted to do an untwinked static sham / necro / monk trio.

[Crede]

what would be the best 4 classes for a group with 2 being some sort of melee?

In order from best to worse given your requirements:

Enchanter/Cleric/SK/Rogue
Enchanter/Cleric/Pal/Rogue
Enchanter/Cleric/Monk/Rogue
Enchanter/Cleric/War/Rogue
Enchanter/Cleric/Ranger/Rogue

Consider bumping ranger up to #3 if you'd like to give up mitigation for some added utility like harmony, sow, chloroplast, etc. Because with a cleric & enchanter even a ranger can tank like 99% of groupable content, and have better aggro over monk/war.

[Keebz]

If you're gonna do the ench/cleric thing, then your two other classes are pretty flexible, because cleric/ench can duo most of the game. I personally think rogues are trash unless twinked, so would say ranger is fine. Monk/ranger would be a fun combo imho.

[trevellyan06]

Thinking blue for server just for prices and more open camps, thoughts?

[Toxigen]

Yeah blue is good for a static 4 man.

[Gustoo]

Iksar kunark only team

Shaman
Necro
Monk
Another necro
Or a warrior

And go through all the mysterious kunark zones, enjoying your homeland.

[raengrey]

Thinking blue for server just for prices and more open camps, thoughts?

Just be aware that lowbie areas on blue these days are ghost towns. Sure, you’ll have your three buddies, but you may not find anyone else. Crushbone gets lonely if you’re the only ones there.

[Snaggles]

You could pick any number of combinations and do just great. The hardest camps in the game might be a push for some combos or at least less efficient.

Besides just kill efficiency keep in mind what people actually want to play. Do you need someone to pick locks? If looking to do dungeon adventures or just want mobility options having a porter/evaccer is very handy.

An enchanter and cleric are a nice backbone to any group
A puller: Monk, SK, or an ambitious paladin, or ranger is great if outdoor zones
Another melee: Rogues and monks are always good. Or another of the above. Warriors are just fine for dps or tanking, just are less able to slot into the puller role.

Past level 55 a mage can Call of the Hero your melee out of a dungeon if they bind at the zone in. They are a solid group dps class too.

Really you can make anything work. I’d just make sure people are playing what they want to play. It will be more fun and usually people are compelled to get better at their class and role. If you need a lockpicker that might push someone into a rogue. If you value mobility to/out of the grind spot maybe even a druid.

[Lampolo]

Please for the love of McQuaid. The only answer here is clr, enc, war, mnk. DO NOT take pally or sk. You guys can pretty much 4man weak raid bosses if you take war. You gain nothing but med breaks from pally or sk in that 4man. The monk opens up some spots with the fd pulls so I think this is a no brainer if you guys just want the best 4man

[Snaggles]

Please for the love of McQuaid. The only answer here is clr, enc, war, mnk. DO NOT take pally or sk. You guys can pretty much 4man weak raid bosses if you take war. You gain nothing but med breaks from pally or sk in that 4man. The monk opens up some spots with the fd pulls so I think this is a no brainer if you guys just want the best 4man

What can you do with a single CH and warrior you can’t with a knight?

[Lampolo]

Ixiblat, ragefire, royals, kith elves. I dunno everything

[Snaggles]

Besides Queen and General V all those are knight’able with one CH. Most people kill queen with ench pets and one cleric plus a spot for general. Not saying instant chain cleric on General isn’t possible, just never healed for it.

Eventually the OP and his friends will likely have a few chars to rotate out.

[vondion]

I'd say Enchanter, Cleric, Monk, and X, with X being very flexible.

But as was said earlier, with an Enchanter and Cleric core, you have a lot of options to bring whichever melee tank you want. Also, I think Enchanter and Shaman would be a fine core, too.

[trevellyan06]

Ok so it looks like we are going to have a 5 man group instead of the 4 originally. so far we have a paladin, enchanter, cleric and a druid. what would be some good choices for the 5th? still the monk or rogue or could a mage be worthwhile?

[Zuranthium]

Mage is better than Monk or Rogue if they aren't going to be twinked with a high DPS weapon.

[Snaggles]

Raid spawns excluded mage pets are really good.

On blue cons the 60 water parses about an EC monk or unhasted high 50’s rogue. The DS is underrated dps and they can burst very high (and mala/malasini to help the enchanter). The air pet is helpful with stuns and the earth is very durable.

Coth can be really handy and arguably their coolest trick.

[Gustoo]

With 5 players just be your favorites you’ll be okay.

[CptnCanuck]

If you plan on doing a lot of dungeons, Rogue is nice for corpse recoveries and bypassing locks.

[Toxigen]

Ok so it looks like we are going to have a 5 man group instead of the 4 originally. so far we have a paladin, enchanter, cleric and a druid. what would be some good choices for the 5th? still the monk or rogue or could a mage be worthwhile?

rogue

dont sleep on places w/ animals for the druid to charm...bigly good

[Jimjam]

With 5 players just be your favorites you’ll be okay.

Repped

[Gustoo]

I didn’t play kunark enough as a lowbie especially in the teens and 20s.

So for me it would be

Monk
Sk
War
Necro
Shaman

All iksar and just follow the whole expansion through to its terminus.

No op enchanter to lean on but you’ll be okay :p

[Trelaboon]

As others mentioned, you can do most group content with basically any combination of five classes. If I were to pick a fifth class with the setup you mentioned, I’d probably go Rogue. They’re solid DPS, being able to crawl down to and pick the lock for C/E would be really nice, and the sneak/hide is really nice for corpse runs. But again, anything will do, just whatever you all wanted to play you can make work in 90% of cases.

[Keebz]

Personally, I'd rather have Monk pulls/offtanking than Rogue corpse dragging. You pull constantly, while you only corpse drag occasionally. Not to mention, Monks are decent corpse draggers themselves, and if you really need hide/sneak you can just make a level 1 halfling Rogue.

As for DPS, melee DPS is pretty bad if you're untwinked. Rogues don't start pulling ahead until Epic and the charmed pet(s) is going to be the real DPS engine in the group anyway.

[Toxigen]

With 5 you can literally do anything and level up fine.

The druid is basically useless there, though. Necro would be a better option.

Enc / cleric / paladin / necro / monk would be strong as a completely untwinked comp.

[Ennewi]

Druid brings evac, harmony, and thorns to compensate for low damage output of paladin; animal charm more than makes up for that as well, just have to pick and choose the right zones. Druid also adds another root into the mix, not to mention snare which can go a long way to keeping the enchanter alive if they really like to flirt with death. Plus regen to lessen the amount of heals needed on puller.

Necromancer wouldn't benefit from clarity, but would have more options for charm and another FD/rez class would go a long way to cutting down on CRs, and it offers pretty strong crowd control in case the enchanter goes down, but also mana reserves so they're less likely to.

Depends what appeals to the player more and if they're reliable in that role.

[Dulu]

Main Tank: SK/Paladin beat Warrior in all group content. Better agro, utility, damage, etc. Warrior gets disciplines and will be the better raid tank, but for a 4-man group, trust me and run SK/Paladin. SK having the Engulfing Darkness line, and Paladin having root/flash of light are enough to justify them over a Warrior alone. Then factor in things like Paladin stuns, and SK drains, and it's not even a close contest.

Healer: Cleric is a pretty clear answer here. Nothing will keep your small group alive quite like a Cleric.

Enchanter: Pairs well with the Cleric, and particularly the Paladin. Having a group filled with stuns, roots, and snap agro is perfect for an Enchanter. Enchanter damage from charm and top tier CC can carry the group. If someone is willing to play this class, and masters it, it's not a bad idea to simply build around the enchanter.

Flexibile DPS: Monk would be my suggestion. High damage, split pulls, mend. Really a top tier addition to any group. Similar to the Warrior comment above, a Rogue will generally out class them in raid situations, but a Monk brings way more utility to a group.

For your group setup, I'll rank my flexible DPS options in order of personal preference:
Monk
Second Enchanter
Necromancer
Bard
Rogue
Ranger
Druid


Something to keep in mind:

If you don't take the SK as the main tank, perhaps take a Druid/Ranger/Necro in your flex DPS spot for snare. Snare will save your life in dungeons.

[Snaggles]

Yea I’m team Druid too. Imagine just have a porter among buddies let alone the utility spells. Druid spots Ench, cleric spots pally and monk. Plus your group gets snare, harmony, regen, thorns, and sow.

With four slots just have fun. You will easily be able to grind to 60 and adventure unless you roll like 4 rogues.

[nostalgiaquest]

I'd advise against warrior or rogue as a first character. Only because (in my opinion) they're kind of boring classes unless geared out. If you have friends playing for the first time, you'll want to keep them excited. Warrior is just auto attack, kick, and taunt. Rogue is just auto attack and backstab. With paly/sk/monk, you have spells and abilities to look forward to getting to keep you interested.

I also say don't sleep on the bard! My favorite class by a long shot. A well played bard can really raise the quality of any group. But a shit played bard is worthless, so keep that in mind.

[skulldudes]

really think people discount how well a druid can grease the wheel for a regular static group. solid buff lines, go wherever you want, and more *extremely useful* clickies than u could shake a shillelagh at.

[Foxplay]

Enchanter , Cleric, Shaman, Monk

Full debuffs
Slow
Charm pet dps (in most places)
Pacify
Pull splitting with FD
Melee dps + PC tank
CH, Rezes etc

Only thing your missing is ports which can easily be done via DAP or random wiz / druids

[Atmas]

Cleric, Enchanter, Knight, and Flex.
Cleric + Enchanter is already a great duo. Knight snap agro plus other utilities set them so far ahead of warrior it's ridiculous for a group. Knight pulls with FDs/Lulls/Roots and snares are also miles ahead if you don't get a monk or want to put all the work on the enchanter.

The cohesiveness of those 3 can't be understated. Knights benefit from both the mana regen and haste buffs of enchanter. They have snap agro making the cleric healing more efficient and do an infinitely better job of helping the enchanter with pet breaks.

The 4th member could be whatever there are different benefits to members like monk, rogue, necro, etc. I probably wouldn't do a shaman in this comp.

There are some alternative comps with shaman/druid healing and other tanking like warrior, monk, or ranger. You can play them if you enjoy the classes, they just probably won't be as efficient but playing what you like is best in the long run for having fun.

[Toxigen]

Cleric, Enchanter, Knight, and Flex.
Cleric + Enchanter is already a great duo. Knight snap agro plus other utilities set them so far ahead of warrior it's ridiculous for a group. Knight pulls with FDs/Lulls/Roots and snares are also miles ahead if you don't get a monk or want to put all the work on the enchanter.

The cohesiveness of those 3 can't be understated. Knights benefit from both the mana regen and haste buffs of enchanter. They have snap agro making the cleric healing more efficient and do an infinitely better job of helping the enchanter with pet breaks.

The 4th member could be whatever there are different benefits to members like monk, rogue, necro, etc. I probably wouldn't do a shaman in this comp.

There are some alternative comps with shaman/druid healing and other tanking like warrior, monk, or ranger. You can play them if you enjoy the classes, they just probably won't be as efficient but playing what you like is best in the long run for having fun.

Nah.

You don't want your tank pulling. You want to constantly have mobs in camp with the monk (or bard) puller working on more as soon as you're down to 1-2 left. IIRC the op changed from 4 to 5 players.

Enc / Cleric / Tank (war if going long game) / Monk is the core. 5th is pure flex:

- Shaman is nice for the melee buffs, malo for enc pets...if the enc or cleric quit you're still sorta covered. Definitely the #1 choice if going the long haul (torpor).

- Necro is a great option. Undead charms, CR master, can backup the enc on rough charm breaks, pump mana if enc/cleric aren't playing optimally (remember these guys are newbies).

- Rogue is my favorite pick here. The group can funnel all their plat to get epic mq'd (after cleric of course) and then its game on. Instant access to Hole, HS wings, Seb Crypt, etc. Most of their time is going to be spent at 50+, not 1-50. Bring a 5th that brings the boomstick in the late. Oh and corpse drags.

- Mage is an interesting one. This is a completely untwinked group, so the mage pets will actually bring some pretty good damage. Free haste items for enc pets, coth is fun...this player is probably gonna quit anyway so having a coth bot at least partially leveled is nice.

- Druid is just poop. Who cares if you can travel around on a whim? Ports are a minor inconvenience and make up less than 0.1% of your actual play time. Only way to salvage this is to visit some spots with animals to charm so they can at least help out. If they plan on farming chardok extensively you could make an argument.

- Bard only if this 5th player is a tryhard. Not likely. Their tryhard should be on the enchanter.

[Jimjam]

Yea, i find the most productive groups have at least 2 mobs in camp at a time - one being tanked and one getting debuffed/CCed waiting to be killed.

This makes the tank and heals much more effective as it won’t be fighting hasted/unslowed mobs, makes the sustained/attrition dps more effective as they won’t ever be unused dps opportunity dps. This lets you turn over spawns for faction / rares / xp / whatever you are after more quickly.

Psychologically too it is effective as it is much more engaging. Players aren’t being left for extended periods without anything to do (except maybe the healer as fighting in this way tends to minimise incoming dos).

[Toxigen]

The idea is to make sure the enchanter pet never stops attacking.

[Jimjam]

The idea is to make sure the enchanter pet https://wiki.project1999.com/Never_Stop_Chopping]never ( [url) stops chopping[/url].

Fixed.

Sustain that attrition dps!

[BigPlays]

Enchanter
Monk
Cleric
Druid

Honestly having the ability to port wherever you want is huge and the Druid can back up heal, thorns and regen. Lots of flexibility on top of the ports.

[Mateo]

To agree with several others: sk, cle, enc, monk. To give you my opinion about the best well rounded party in this time of EQ it's enchanter, cleric, monk, shaman, rogue + whatever. The sixth spot is flexible. Those classes are the big 5 for the grind.

[enjchanter]

i vote 3 mages and a druid

[Blingy]

i vote 3 mages and a druid

Three air pets duel wielding gnoll hide lariats is a hoot.....and yes, I've experienced this.

[Naethyn]

Enc (your best player), Clr, War, Rog (doors later)

[Alarria]

I'd definitely agree, ench-cleric-war-rogue-flex (mine would be monk)