Best/Worst classes for each expansion

[Urban Monk]

Speaking in a general sense. What are your thoughts on best/worst classes up to and including Velious - as far as clearly being boss over all other classes vs. not being so.

Removed link (FoH website) because of the malware issues mentioned. Throwing up the template below.

[Urban Monk]

Original:
best - monk?
worst - paladin/rogue

best - mage/necro
worst - wizard

Kunark:
best - rogue/monk
worst - ranger/paladin

best - shaman/enchanter
worst - wizard

Velious:
best - monk/rogue
worst - paladin/shadowknight

best - wizard/shaman
worst - enchanters/necro

[pasi]

My opinion's changed a bunch from back then to p99.

I'm not gonna bother listing cleric since they'd basically encompass the best class for most expansions. Huge difference between raiding and everything else too, so I'm gonna try an encompass everything.

Classic
Best: Enchanter
Worst: Ranger

Kunark:
Best: Enchanter or Shaman
Worst: Druid

Velious
Best: Monk.
Worst: Necromancer.

Luclin:
Best: Wizard.
Worst: Mages (after rod-nerf) or Shadowknights.

PoP:
Best Bard
Worst: Monk (balance was really good in PoP - monks weren't bad, but I can't think of a class worse than them).

GoD:
Best: Warrior
Worst: Shadowknight

OoW - quit for WoW mid-MPG trials so I didn't see Anguish til way later. I want to say best - SK. No idea on worst here.

[Kender]

Original:
best - monk?
worst - paladin/rogue

best - mage/necro
worst - wizard

Kunark:
best - rogue/monk
worst - ranger/paladin

best - shaman/enchanter
worst - wizard

Velious:
best - monk/rogue
worst - paladin/shadowknight

best - wizard/shaman
worst - enchanters/necro

no way enchanters were the worst in velious. they were soloing dragons in western wastes by charming the giant captain guy from the benevolence quest line. so much so that they later nerfed it so he was not charmable (i think from memory)

[Silo69]

this thread has been done already, multiple pages, with so much detail it feels like a bad daja vu

/do you even search?

[Urban Monk]

I disagree. I've read through all the pages that break the classes down. I feel you can never get enough perspective. Plus a lot of those pages are personal opinions and from people who have never even played the classes. Not to be rude but if you don't feel like participating you simply don't have to. Personally don't think there is enough discussion on class roles and viability in Kunark and Velious.

[Cippofra]

Might be cliche, but ranger is the only class I never cared to have through out all 3. Just didn't offer anything other than a snare in seblilis. Every other class had something important to contribute. Enchanters? Always been #1 along with cleric IMO. If you don't have an enchanter, you have to have a cleric. If you don't have a cleric, you have to have an enchanter. Always exceptions of course, but these are basic rules I went by in kunark and velious. It was simply amazing how easy sebilis was with a competent chanter.

[Triangle]

Classic
Best: Mage
Worst: Wizard

Kunark:
Best: Enchanter
Worst: Wizard

Velious
Best: Shaman
Worst: Mage

[Handull]

Kunark:
Best: Enchanter or Shaman

Truth



Kunark:
Worst: Druid

Lies

[LizardNecro]

In Luclin pvp necros were absolute stone cold killers, capable of taking out full groups of even con players. Wizards were damn scary too.

[rekreant]

this thread has been done already, multiple pages, with so much detail it feels like a bad daja vu

/do you even search?

Dont listen to this troll. 3 weeks ago he was asking the same types of questions, now all of a sudden he is the resident expert.

[Ele]

Each class has their own unique aspects and roles that make them special. Everyone is a winner!

[SupaflyIRL]

Lies

Anything a druid can do, some other class can do better. If this isn't the case, it's more due to player skill than class design (i.e. an amazing druid vs. a drooler shaman).

[kaev]

Each class has their own unique aspects and roles that make them special. Everyone is a winner!

Oooooooh! GROUP HUG!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Snagglepuss]

I think you should justify your answers for clarification and better discussion.

For example, why were rogues bad in Vanilla? Was it because of poor itemization? What made monks so good? Were mages strong in Vanilla because of pet classes being over powered? Did enchanters fair poorly in Velious because so many stun-immunue mobs making them reduced to buff bots?

I started playing towards the end of Velious so I'd like to learn a little bit more about how classes evolved through the classic expansions. On Project 1999, I played a mage, and I think I got spoiled during Vanilla and was very confused when Kunark mobs were running train on my fire pet.

[Ele]

I think you should justify your answers for clarification and better discussion.

For example, why were rogues bad in Vanilla? Was it because of poor itemization? What made monks so good? Were mages strong in Vanilla because of pet classes being over powered? Did enchanters fair poorly in Velious because so many stun-immunue mobs making them reduced to buff bots?

I started playing towards the end of Velious so I'd like to learn a little bit more about how classes evolved through the classic expansions. On Project 1999, I played a mage, and I think I got spoiled during Vanilla and was very confused when Kunark mobs were running train on my fire pet.

You basically answered your own question.

Rogues had poor itemization in classic and no evade at the beginning. Rogues got better in Kunark (epic). Enchanters have certain cool things they can do in Velious, but in terms of raiding they are almost buff bots (after charm nerfs). Monks got better each expansion with ever increasing offensive/defensive abilities, while itemization in Kunark was not great for monks, Velious is over the top awesome with all the 100 hp, high ac All/All items and even more so with the monk only items. Monks maintained their uber status until Luclin/PoP era when they started getting nerfed.

[Snagglepuss]

You basically answered your own question.

Rogues had poor itemization in classic and no evade at the beginning. Rogues got better in Kunark (epic). Enchanters have certain cool things they can do in Velious, but in terms of raiding they are almost buff bots (after charm nerfs). Monks got better each expansion with ever increasing offensive/defensive abilities, while itemization in Kunark was not great for monks, Velious is over the top awesome with all the 100 hp, high ac All/All items and even more so with the monk only items. Monks maintained their uber status until Luclin/PoP era when they started getting nerfed.

Those were some classes I learned about since playing and reading the forums. I don't know about all the classes. I was just hoping people would flesh out their ideas a little more when saying, "Oh random class x rocks in this expansion!" It's always cool to learn about class evolution.

[rekreant]

Enchanters get hit in Velious because dwarves are magic immune, and giants arent mezzable. A lot of the raid related targets are totally unaffectable by an Enchanter. Of course you are still needed for c2 and haste, but if you were in to charm dps or other stuff like that you are not going to be happy come velious.

However, if you are a solo person who mostly just wants to farm for plat in outdoor zones, or try your hand at giant charming then you will not feel a whole lot weaker than before.

[Handull]

Anything a druid can do, some other class can do better. If this isn't the case, it's more due to player skill than class design (i.e. an amazing druid vs. a drooler shaman).

I agree a lot of the 'druids aren't the best choice' arguments come from the fact that many, many people have a druid alt and not many really bother to play them beyond basic farming, PLing, and porting.

Harmony is an insane spell, and while it is outdoors only, it has a lot of uses.

Porting is essential for mobilization and group sow/group regen are helpful when time is a factor.

I don't think anyone else gets a quad-root and quad-snare spell, which are very handy both indoors and outdoors.

Also, necro's love Natureskin for the regen component.

Of course when it comes to the end game raid mob scene, druids are lacking. Spot heals are only so helpful and nukes can be hard to land on certain mobs.

However in Kunark druids can farm their own planar armor :)

I can think of at least one camp that, imo, is best duo'd by a druid and monk. Yes, a monk/cleric can duo it just fine, but druids bring a bit more to the table and make it a much more elegant fight. Dru/war also works fine, but cleric/war would have a hard time splitting the camp, though I think it would be possible.

I guess we are all winners and should feel warm and special inside.

[Safon]

Some people have listed necro as worst class in Velious, anyone care to explain why?

[eqravenprince]

This goes for any expansion in my opinion.

Best group class - Enchanter
Best solo class - Necro
Best small group class - Shaman
Best money making class - Druid
Best low level powerleveling class - Druid
Best mid level powerleveling class - Monk
Best high level powerleveling class - Enchanter
Best puller - Monk
Best healer - Cleric
Best tank - Shadow Knight/Paladin
Best slower - Shaman
Best dps - Rogue
Best cc - Enchanter
.
.
Best for me - Monk

[pasi]

Some people have listed necro as worst class in Velious, anyone care to explain why?

I've only got like 3 minutes, but I'll sum up why I listed them as that.

1) Twitch is incredibly inferior to mod rods stockpiles.
2) DoTs don't stack and are generally pretty weak until they changed extended affliction to burning affliction, allow them to stack, and change the duration while keeping the damage the same.
3) No real spell improvements from Kunark. Arch Lich doesnt get buffed above the 49 Lich until later.
4) Lure-based lifetap nuking isn't as significant as Kunark since mob HP jumps up so much.


Conjure Corpse Robe and being able to FD/rez is pretty good, but yeah - every other class has more use is the main reason.

[Safon]

I've only got like 3 minutes, but I'll sum up why I listed them as that.

1) Twitch is incredibly inferior to mod rods stockpiles.
2) DoTs don't stack and are generally pretty weak until they changed extended affliction to burning affliction, allow them to stack, and change the duration while keeping the damage the same.
3) No real spell improvements from Kunark. Arch Lich doesnt get buffed above the 49 Lich until later.
4) Lure-based lifetap nuking isn't as significant as Kunark since mob HP jumps up so much.


Conjure Corpse Robe and being able to FD/rez is pretty good, but yeah - every other class has more use is the main reason.

Noooooo! I'm ruined come Velious (from the sounds of it at least)

Why the heck did I chose to main a necro. Best soloers my ass

[Urban Monk]

Don't worry my friend. Necro's are indeed useful in Velious and fun to play. It's what you make of the class. I personally am looking forward playing an enchanter in Velious (even in the raid scene), and they are rated as taking a huge hit in vilability from Kunark to Velious. I rated them as the worst caster class myself lol. Every class can be enjoyed.

Necro's twitch plus mod rod will keep the CH chain alive and strong. Their dots should be effective against MR raid bosses. They are still solo masters as well.

If you enjoy him now chances are you'll enjoy him then.

[Hailto]

This goes for any expansion in my opinion.

Best group class - Enchanter
Best solo class - Necro
Best small group class - Shaman
Best money making class - Druid
Best low level powerleveling class - Druid
Best mid level powerleveling class - Monk
Best high level powerleveling class - Enchanter
Best puller - Monk
Best healer - Cleric
Best tank - Shadow Knight/Paladin
Best slower - Shaman
Best dps - Rogue
Best cc - Enchanter
.
.
Best for me - Monk

Shaman/Enchanter are much better for soloing tough targets at end game, i guess it depends on if you're talking solo-leveling or farming.

[pasi]

Stacking full buffs and SB/PoS Healing is actually pretty useful. Plus the one necro allowed to DoT can do ok damage. FD+Rez/Conjure Corpse is more important since dragging KoS people = aggro in many zones.

They aren't a useless class - they are just weaker than the others in Velious (imo). People's opinions are gonna vary based on how much weight they give to aspects of the game as well as their perception of the class.

Peronally, I think enchanters will actually be strong come Velious. For the most part, people on live didn't realize how strong charm was (or how to gameplan around charm breaks) until dire charm in SoL.

Aside from Sleepers Tomb, EToV, WToV, and Yelinak (from a practical standpoint at least) - there's decent to awesome pets for everything. NToV allows for pets since all the dragons are mobile to start.

I'm not entirely sure of how far charmed pet DPS will fall relative to players come Velious when raid mob level increases from 65 to 70 while optimal pets still hover around 46-51 (though, common mobs are off the standard 120 + 4*level max hit in Velious.

[Splorf22]

Classic:
Best: Enchanter
Worst: Nothing really

Kunark:
Best: Shaman with puppet strings, otherwise Enchanter
Worst: Druid

Velious:
Best: Iksar Warrior
Worst: everyone else

Here is my problem with Druids: at 60 fights are just too long and mobs have too much HP for their nukes and heals to be effective. This puts the Druid squarely in the 'generalist' role and usually for a full group you can find another class that works better. For example, War/Mnk/Rog/Dru/Cle/Enc simply gets better when you swap the Druid for a Shaman, a Mage, or even a Necromancer. What Druids really need to be effective is a heal with a 4-5:1 HP/mana ratio and/or better mana regeneration so that they can at least pretend to be main healers in groups. Something like 1200 hp / 300 mana / 10 second cast time.

That said Ploktor is kind of in a class of his own with the Robe of the Spring and Puppet Strings :D

[SamwiseRed]

Druid best class in all xpacs then bards. Worst class I dunno

[Xherez]

All these mentions of enchanters when bards are plainly better in most group scenarios.

[Splorf22]

All these mentions of enchanters when bards are plainly better in most group scenarios.

You're kidding, right?

[Handull]

Classic:
Best: Enchanter
Worst: Nothing really

Kunark:
Best: Shaman with puppet strings, otherwise Enchanter
Worst: Druid

Velious:
Best: Iksar Warrior
Worst: everyone else

Here is my problem with Druids: at 60 fights are just too long and mobs have too much HP for their nukes and heals to be effective. This puts the Druid squarely in the 'generalist' role and usually for a full group you can find another class that works better. For example, War/Mnk/Rog/Dru/Cle/Enc simply gets better when you swap the Druid for a Shaman, a Mage, or even a Necromancer. What Druids really need to be effective is a heal with a 4-5:1 HP/mana ratio and/or better mana regeneration so that they can at least pretend to be main healers in groups. Something like 1200 hp / 300 mana / 10 second cast time.

That said Ploktor is kind of in a class of his own with the Robe of the Spring and Puppet Strings :D

Its hard to argue with you. Though I would hate to imagine a server where "/who all druid 30 60" returned zero results and I was stuck using wc caps, ot hammers, and frost/swamp pots as my main means of travel.

The hard part about a general "who is best" question is that there is a huge difference between high end single mob raiding (dragons, etc), high end zone-wide raiding (hate/fear, parts of sky, etc), full exp groups, exp/loot duo/trio groups, solo exp, and solo farming.

In your "druid vs sham/mag/necro" group example, here is what I see as the main benefits to each class

dru: damage shield, snare, root, spot heals, dots, nukes, str buff, regen, tracking
mag: damage shield, root, pet dps, nukes
shaman: spot heals, haste, slow, stat buffs, regen, root, dots, pet dps
necro: pet dps, dots, ghetto heals, snare, root, twitch

all those classes overlap in abilities. with War/Mnk/Rog/Cle/Enc already you really have pulls, cc, haste, and slow covered. i would say ideally you want a 2nd rogue :P but imo a druid brings a lot more to the table than say a paly or sk would, since tanking is already covered. a wizard has nice burst dps, but the druid ds/regen alone will probably be more helpful then one nuke per mob.

don't forget harmony and tracking. i'd much rather pull the cut-throat zone KC on my druid than my monk. I can pull just as easily on the druid especially with snare root, and an enc in the group to CC, and with tracking i know when and where the named spawn, so if i fall behind on pulls, no one can snipe the mobs i want from me. and with harmo i can run right for the named and come back for the exp mobs at my leisure.


but to get back to the OPs concerns.... it really doesn't matter what class you play. a shitty player is a shitty player. if you play your class right, and in a way that won't get others killed, and you have fun with it, then thats what matters

[Greegon]

druids are really just NOT the worst class, only bad in the hands of a bad player. druids=destroy chardok with charmed dogs and such. druids can even do AOE skyfire well if they have the proc aoe staff! but yeah, maybe in sebilis or some other dungeons without animals theyre a little bit weaker but i would daresay that theyre not the worst class in kunark... also druids=awesome mid-high lvl plvlers. quadding furies/raptors would be great xp especially for a class that could help the druid in some way, and bat plvling in solb is probably the best xp 40-low 50s



ranger is clearly the all time worst. no dps, shit gear, lame utility, xp penalty.

[Shinko]

Best = Monk
Worst = Pally



inc Shinko Monk Taking Server By Storm!

[koros]

druids are really just NOT the worst class, only bad in the hands of a bad player. druids=destroy chardok with charmed dogs and such. druids can even do AOE skyfire well if they have the proc aoe staff! but yeah, maybe in sebilis or some other dungeons without animals theyre a little bit weaker but i would daresay that theyre not the worst class in kunark... also druids=awesome mid-high lvl plvlers. quadding furies/raptors would be great xp especially for a class that could help the druid in some way, and bat plvling in solb is probably the best xp 40-low 50s



ranger is clearly the all time worst. no dps, shit gear, lame utility, xp penalty.

This is retarded, rangers sustain dps above all but monks and rogues, and slow/snare/root/harmony are "lame" utility?

[webrunner5]

Big problem with Enchanters in Velious is they will die a LOT. Mobs hit like hell, have high MR resist, lot of them can't be mezed, charmed etc. It ain't easy playing one.

Yeah and Druids will pretty much suck in Velious. I will just be a Port Whore I guess on mine. Not real good heal, no mana re gen to talk about. Squishy like a Enchanter also.

Monk will be king of the pile. But Warriors will be bad ass also , and Cleric's will be NEEDED to heal. Tanks will have a lot more HP with the great gear. Won't surpass CH which is nice for the Cleric's.

[Nordenwatch]

Human necromancer in velious will destroy everything.

on a side note: WTT 60 human necro for 56+ iksar necro...

[Nilasbik]

necro + prenerf Holgresh elder beads (summon eye of zomm) = win

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=5552

[Vladesch]

Not sure about kunark era, but I'm sure later (luclin+) enchanters are the best "pullers". I quote this because sometimes it's easier to move the group to the mobs that visa versa. Particularly in things like Ldon. You can pull off some pretty amazing stuff by pacifying entire rooms (using bind sight). There was some pacify spell that from memory used to work 100% and lasted for 5 mins +.

I forget the spells I used to use to pull off these shenanigans.

Also enchanters are good pullers when just grinding xp. Enchanter can just pull a mob, and mez-amnesia park a mob while the group is killing the previous mob. So the group can be killing with no downtime.

Downside of that is you can't use a charmed pet.

Worst expansion for enchanters was luclin, since KEI makes it difficult to find groups. (Although on live there wasn't a lot of kei going around until pop and beyond)

[pasi]

Not sure about kunark era, but I'm sure later (luclin+) enchanters are the best "pullers". I quote this because sometimes it's easier to move the group to the mobs that visa versa. Particularly in things like Ldon. You can pull off some pretty amazing stuff by pacifying entire rooms (using bind sight). There was some pacify spell that from memory used to work 100% and lasted for 5 mins +.

I forget the spells I used to use to pull off these shenanigans.

Also enchanters are good pullers when just grinding xp. Enchanter can just pull a mob, and mez-amnesia park a mob while the group is killing the previous mob. So the group can be killing with no downtime.

Downside of that is you can't use a charmed pet.

Worst expansion for enchanters was luclin, since KEI makes it difficult to find groups. (Although on live there wasn't a lot of kei going around until pop and beyond)

Enchanters can pacify pull well now. I think the last time I tried to invis pull in Chardok, I casted soothe on King for 5 minutes before we said fuck it and had a cleric do it. Critical resists are really rare and AOE Stun -> AOE Mez helps cover for when they do hit. Plus Theft of Thought means you don't need to med

Enchanters are like (geared) warriors and clerics - they never come close to even being a remotely bad class. Luclin is no different. Direcharm is stupid good, the best exp at 60 is AEing which requires enchanters, KEI is KEI, and the raid zones feature tons of shit that needs mezzing.

[falkun]

The difference is enchanters can mez in Luclin again. In Velious, they can charm a single giant and dragons have to be offtanked. Monks become so much better at "CC" via feigning than bards or enchanters. Even exping on giants (think plate cycle) really only needs bards/encs as buff-bots.

[Karafa]

I can't believe that bard is not mentioned by anyone.

[sedrie.bellamie]

Classic:
Best: Enchanter
Worst: Nothing really

Kunark:
Best: Shaman otherwise Enchanter
Worst: Ranger

Velious:
Best: Warrior
Worst: everyone else

Here is my problem with Druids: mobs have too much HP. What Druids really need: the Robe of the Spring

fix't it for you

[Snagglepuss]

I vaguely remember that enchanters could charm the giants in Kael Arena and some dragons in WW. Could anyone elaborate on this?