My two highest characters are a 60 Shaman and a 51 Druid, and you basically hit the nail on the head with:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaggles
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
the Shaman is the best duo melee or solo toon ... the druid has a pretty cheap road for gear and not having that 40% exp penalty is attractive.
|
Shaman don't
need the JBB, Ikky BP, or even the Fungi; all those things just help them level faster. However, to reach their true potential they do need their epic and Torpor, which means 200k+ plat. Druids can use the Goblin Ghazugi Ring and the Lumi Staff, but again both just help you level faster, they're not necessary, and while Druids want their epic it doesn't really (as far as I know) enable you to do things you couldn't without it, like the Shaman epic does.
But here's the million dollar question: what is your goal? If it's to hit 60 the fastest so you can get into raiding Druid is the correct choice. On the other hand, while a 60 Shaman with Torpor and an epic will take you a lot longer than a 60 Druid without an epic, the former is a
much more powerful soloer/duoer. So it's like being in New York and saying "well Texas is closer than California": that's true, but if you drive to Texas and that's not where you want to be then it doesn't matter if it's closer.
What you have to decide first is where you want to be, and only then ask "as a filthy casual, do I have enough gas in me to reach that goal?" If you play EQ like I do, as an "it's the journey, not the destination" kind of game, then it doesn't matter how long it takes, you'll reach your goal eventually even if that goal is a badass Shaman. But if you only have 6 months left of EQ in you and want to "beat the game" before then, of course Druid is the better option.