Rolling Bard or Necro
 

Hi Folks!

While i am still waiting for my Everquest Titanium DVD, i'd like to clarify some questions.

In EQ Live i played a necro and i think i was able to handle him quite good. But i also know how hard it has been to get into groups.
I am now thinking about rolling a bard. I also played one in EQ Live and i found AE kiting very comfortable :)
But how good is a bard when you like to farm nameds, especially indoors? Is he a searched char for groups? Are there many bards on the server? What about necros, every second player you meet a necro?
Perhaps there is a member who played both classes and is able to compare them in a short conclusion.
Thank you in advance.

Sorry for bad english, me -> german :o

The necro population thins out at higher levels, prolly due to not being searched for a group. The same, strangely, applies to bards. Not many high level bards on. The most played class is druid, although at higher levels they get a bit less and shamans take over.

As a chanter i love a bard in my group. They have hybrid xp penalty and while some people really hate every hybrid in their group because of it, i don't care. A bard can surely pull its weight if played well. You can be healer, puller, mana battery, CC... basically fill the gap that needs filling.

A necro's damage relies heavily on DoTs. In a group mobs die too fast for DoTs to be efficient. The nuking potential of a necro is very limited. A good group necro will heal/CC and even pull if needed and at the same time deliver some damage via pet and mediochre nukes. So a good necro can be nice for a group. Unfortunately most necros are used to soloing and tend to use the same tactics they successfully solo with in a group, where those tactics are inefficient. That's why necros are not so welcome in groups. People rather take a mage for more consistent damage (although soloning with a necro is easier and safer than with a mage).

So if you want to group here is the holy trinity: Cleric, chanter, warrior. Those classes usually have it easy to find a group. Shaman is usually very welcome too and some people prefer hybrid tanks over a warrior cause of easier aggro generation. Rogues and monks are kings of damage, so they are usually welcome as well (though to get a spot with a rogue the group should have a tank or at least monk first). If you look at the high level population you will find these classes much more than in the low levels.

In PoP i alway built my own Exp-groups with my necro as aggro kiter. Is this popular in classic?
How are the solo hunting abilities of the bard for named mobs, especially indoors?

I think both classes thin out a bit because of lack of outdoor soloing spots. Necros can do fine indoors but it requires a bit of actual skill rather than just darkness/fear/repeat till dead.

Loraen im leveling my necro to join the leet A-team!

I think i will roll a darkelf necro again. Simply because I have a lot more experience and playskill with necro.
Thank you for your help.

We don't turn down anyone on class but if you wanna be awesome do the bard, we don't have a single consistent one yet.