The OP's post is full of misinformation.
Of course druids, clerics, shamans, and enchanters are more popular than anything else, but shadowknights, warriors, and monks are all VERY popular classes at high levels. Rogues are more common than wizards and magicians, generally. Only paladins and rangers are actually rare, but neither of those classes was exactly abundant on live either.
It pays to be a melee, it just pays in different ways. You're right that melee are basically incapable of solo xp when compared to casters, and you're "right" that xp penalties were applied in an odd way in the EQ, but that's about the extent of your rightness.
Melee are very important in a lot of duos and trios, and are crucial to anything involving 4+ people. Casters are generally buffbots in raids, while melee get to do the killing/tanking/pulling. Casters are more versatile, but outside of clerics, shamans, and enchanters, groups are always going to be looking for rogues, monks, and tanks before they look for magi, necros, or, lolol, druids/wizards.
I have a hard time agreeing that the exp penalty on sk/pal/rang is the reason these classes are so rare. Yeah, those exp penalties are brutal. But you know what else is brutal? Being a class with a small xp bonus that is earning no xp at all because he can't find a group. My 59.1 has spent countlesss hours sitting around doing NOTHING while /lfg. I've spent dozens of hours pissing time away on red while I sat LFG, I've started multiple alts and spent several days of time playing them because of how frustrated I would get being unable to find a group on my rogue.
Yeah. Needing 50-70% more xp to level a hybrid compared to a rogue would suck, but it's not like the tank hybrids aren't in pretty decent demand, and at least those classes aren't 100% reliant on groups to accomplish anything whatsoever.
Also, I can't count the number of times I've said "Ah, I would gladly pay an xp penalty to have _____" where that blank is FD or tracking or a freaking 50% clicky haste item or whatever.
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