help a newb out!!!!! i'm indecisive!!!

[Nolki]

i recently decided to check this game out for the first time in my life but immediately after logging in a problem arose... i suck at choosing what characters to create. my hesitation got so bad that i started doing fantasy anthropology and ranking the races' cultures based off the lore i could find. this made it even worse as i like all my options too much to pick a main now... ;_;

now i have chosen to renounce my own free will :D i will become the legacy of the first user to tell me a class/race combo of their choice in this thread by making it my own!

[WarpathEQ]

Half-Elf Bard. Of all the race/class combos I tried back in 99-01 that was the one that stuck. Fun, unique, versatile, and not gear dependent.

By the standards of the day a very high APM experience. By todays standards extremely passive (but still more APM than any other class based on how songs work).

Can raid, can group, can solo, can get around on their own.

[loramin]

This is just my opinion, so take it with many grains of salt but ... the correct choice is Druid. I'll explain.

Bards are billed as the "jack of all trades", and they can do a variety of things. However, only Druids can:

* charm (like a Necro or Enchanter)
* quad (kill up to 4 mobs at once, like a Wizard)
* heal (like a Cleric/Shaman)
* DoT and "root/rot" (like a Necro/Shaman)
* buff (the level 60 Druid buff is arguably the most popular buff in the game)
* teleport themselves (and later other people) (like a Wizard)
* SoW (ie. cast the only spell in the game that makes you move faster, like a Shaman ... and sort f like Bards, who get something self-only but faster)

In other words, with SoW and ports you can go anywhere and explore the whole game. With heal you can keep yourself alive (and give groups a reason to invite you, along with your buffs) . With charm, quadding, and root/rotting you can try three completely different playstyles (whereas a class like Shaman can really only root/rot).

A Druid will not be the best at anything at 60, but you'll experience the most of different parts of the game on the way, and still have a very useful character at 60.

P.S. Oh, and one other thing 60 Druids do incredibly well is "power level" (they throw a spell on a low level character which kills monsters without giving the Druid credit, and then the Druid heals them, so they level much faster).

if you have a 60 and want to start a new character, you can power-level a friend's 2nd character, they can power-level your's, and you'll both get those characters to a high level faster than either would on their own.

P.P.S. The race truly doesn't matter, so pick what seems cool. Wood elves get a minor magic item that casts a root spell for them, while halflings get a 5% experience bonus and Hide (all Druids can cast invisibility on themselves, but it wears off, so Hide is nice if you want to leave your character unattended AFK). Humans/half elves get nothing, but are more unique here.

[Nolki]

Half-Elf Bard. Of all the race/class combos I tried back in 99-01 that was the one that stuck. Fun, unique, versatile, and not gear dependent.

By the standards of the day a very high APM experience. By todays standards extremely passive (but still more APM than any other class based on how songs work).

Can raid, can group, can solo, can get around on their own.

winner winner chicken dinner this is me now

[loramin]

Damn, spent too long writing my treatise ;) As I said, Bards do have a bit of variety too, and they can fight in melee (more than a Druid at least), so they aren't a bad choice either.

However, be warned that the class is not for those with any sort of carpal tunnel or other RSI issues: it requires A LOT of key presses.

[bcbrown]

I think Druid is a perfect first introduction to EQ, for most of the reasons Loramin laid out.

Druids are decent-to-great at all the ways of playing a spellcaster: charming, root rotting, nuking, healing, buffing other players. With Spirit of Wolf and ports it's easy to explore the world.

Melee classes benefit greatly from gear while spellcasters are able to get by in rags if necessary.

But most important I would recommend that you just roll any class and try it out for a while. Play something to level 10 and if you're not feeling it, try something else.

One other piece of advice: starting as a wood elf or a high elf (or dwarf or gnome) means you're near the best newbie dungeon, Crushbone.

[Nolki]

damn it now the rest of the replies got me to start thinking instead of blindly following prompts like a robot again.... oh well i'll try both lol

[shovelquest]

Great start, go collect as many gnoll teeth as you can, kill them gnolls, collect their teeth!

Also every rabid wolf you see, kill it, collect the pelts, just horde them, fill the bank.

By level 8 or 9 you'll know what to do wit them! (gnoll teeth quest, rabbid wolf pelt quests)

when you get to your teens, go hunt bandits in the karanas and collect red sashes for Plat quest turn ins!

I hope you enjoy this game as much as we do gl Nolki!

[Nolki]

Great start, go collect as many gnoll teeth as you can, kill them gnolls, collect their teeth!

Also every rabid wolf you see, kill it, collect the pelts, just horde them, fill the bank.

By level 8 or 9 you'll know what to do wit them! (gnoll teeth quest, rabbid wolf pelt quests)

when you get to your teens, go hunt bandits in the karanas and collect red sashes for Plat quest turn ins!

I hope you enjoy this game as much as we do gl Nolki!

thanks bro i hope so as well cause it looks like it's got you guys really dedicated

[shovelquest]

It’s real life if you die in the game, you die in real life.

[Nolki]

scary ;_;

[shovelquest]

Wait till you see your first ghoul! :D

[Nickelback8469]

Humans/half elves get nothing, but are more unique here.

Human druids get access to the Robe of the Azure Sky unlike any other Druid race. Not only is it great for fashion, but it also has the highest Wis and HP/MP for Druid's chest slot!

[kjs86z2]

bard is a great first char

quick travel

doesnt need any gear

good for grouping and solo

[strongNpretty]

I'm throwing my vote into Druid.. Great break down by Loramin. Druid will get you comfy on the server. It'll take you many places on the EXP highway, and off it. The versatility is supreme. And the grind to 60 is as easy as it gets.

[MageBlue]

bard is a great first char

quick travel

doesnt need any gear

good for grouping and solo

>>

Bard is very APM - even if you using allowed buttons set up for twisting you will still be pressing keys all the time

>>
/stopsong
/pause 1, /cast 1
/pause 28, /cast 2
/pause 28, /cast 3
/pause 28, /stopsong
>>

If you are good at playing a bard you can get to level 50 in a week

The devs for p99 do not allow programmable keyboards or mice # not classic but neither is letting you look at a browser on another monitor

I think it would be great if could use voice control to control songs - but is also not classic

Getting carpal tunnel IRL not worth it to me

If you want a challenge play best elf chanter - get hide / illusions / best vision / charm almost *anything*

also players really like mana regen buffs ( breeze > clarity > ... )

GL and learn by dying

[Snaggles]

You will likely play the character hundreds if not many thousands of hours.

Read the wiki and the racial pages. The more you know about the class and race the more pride you might take in the selection. It will keep you going when things are slow or frustrating.

EQ classes and tattoos, two things that a bit of time and thought help with immensely.

[Keeboo]

I agree with druid as the best starting class.

[kjs86z2]

shitters start as druids

if you're gonna put significant time into p99 you're gonna be so disappointed you started dudu