Going to be making a ranger

[stormlord]

Word of caution: Don't focus too much on the advice tanking or dps zealots give you.

Anybody who sums up this class as "Fair dps, and a bit of magic," is oversimplifying it. The key thing to take with you is that this is a hybrid class. It gives you lots of buttons and things to do. If you like to do experiments, this is a nice choice. Compared to a warrior or a rogue or a monk or even a cleric, you will feel like MacGyver. Compared to a druid or a chanter or a bard or one of the other deep classes, you will feel more humbled and less able. And that's really what this class is all about. It's not the double attack or the trueshot or the attack bonus (was this in pre-luclin?) or the damage shields or the snaring. It's rather the feeling that you can strike out on your own and search the jungle for something shiny. It's empowering.

I'm not casting any shadows on classes not mentioned. I know every class has its interesting points. But some classes have a more defined role than a ranger does. I'm merely pointing out that a hybrid is a hybrid for a special reason: options. If you hate doing the same thing over and over, the hybrid might b4u.

Granted, these options aren't always the most effective. For example, a ranger can kite, but the need for that, in a group setting, rarely comes into play. So if all you ever do is group then that option isn't going to be something on your mind, even though it's there. And another example: tanking. Ya, your parry and riposte is higher than a bard and you have double attack and damage shields and an attack bonus to shorten the fight, but you can't wear plate and a bard has a higher defense cap - all in all, they're not much different. But a warrior or a shadowknight or a paladin will leave you far behind. So any latent tanking ability you might have won't be used either. Most of the things that make your class shine in a solo setting are hard to appreciate in a group environment unless the content itself is shaky and puts a high value on flexible response.

I played a ranger in 1999. I played one off/on from 2001 to 2010.

Lastly, don't assume everquest is perfect. The game is full of flaws; new or old. There're some things about the old version of everquest that're good and some things about the new everquest that're good, and there're many things left out completely. In these discussion, everything has context. Anything that might not be optimal reflects on what is said here, even without knowledge or mention. Much of that is swept under the rug, never to be discussed or brought out into the light. This, in part, discourages me a lot. Nothing is simple. There're a million and 1 things I'd love to talk about, but it's pointless because of context. With that, I will stop.