Easiest class to start with

[xshayla701]

I was new to EQ when I started p99 and I have a mage. I think that says something...

If I can make it to level 52 despite the fact that I blow at this game then I think you can handle a mage~

[Bruno]

Based on your original post, and assuming you aren't going to be twinked, shaman is the easiest class to solo with if you're going for survivability and less down time, and rogue is the easiest class to play out of those three in groups because it's mindless.

Actually I just reread the original post and my choices were based on the 3 classes he posted. I just read his post wrong, thinking those were the three he meant to use.

My choice for rogue as far as easiest being less work remains the same, but I would choose necro over shaman any day to solo with from scratch.

[Deathrydar]

I am not sure where a lot of these answers are coming from, but to my experience with EverQuest, the easiest classes to level are as follows:

1. Druid
2. Necromancer
3. Bard
4. Magician

The only reason Necromancer isn't 1st is because of the "evil" factor and research.
One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

[Eyeke]

Originally Posted by Deathrydar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I am not sure where a lot of these answers are coming from, but to my experience with EverQuest, the easiest classes to level are as follows:

1. Druid
2. Necromancer
3. Bard
4. Magician

The only reason Necromancer isn't 1st is because of the "evil" factor and research.
One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

playing a bard is easy once you learn how to kite
playing a bard that's worth a shit in a group is very hard and takes a ton of attention.

I've noticed most people on this server don't even pay attention to the bard. I grouped with one the other day who didn't even play songs most fights. =(

[Enderenter]

Originally Posted by Deathrydar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I am not sure where a lot of these answers are coming from, but to my experience with EverQuest, the easiest classes to level are as follows:

1. Druid
2. Necromancer
3. Bard
4. Magician

The only reason Necromancer isn't 1st is because of the "evil" factor and research.
One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

Swarm Kiting as a bard is not what I would call "easiest", or anything close to it.

Since everyone else in this thread reads "easiest" to be best soloers, here are my rankings.

1. Mage (firepet at low levels > all)
2. Necromancer (once they have the mana pool to reasonably fear kite they are set)
3. Druid (root rot, can't really snare kite anymore with the recent patch - 66% of max dot damage when mob is moving and not feared)

[Messianic]

Originally Posted by Deathrydar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

Eh, I disagree. Iksar are completely self-sufficient and have some of the best leveling areas all to themselves. Kurn's tower is absolutely awesome, even solo.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Enderenter [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

2. Necromancer (once they have the mana pool to reasonably fear kite they are set)

Don't forget being able to feign, split mobs, CC, crack themselves, and IVU. Besides crack and IVU, the other three are the biggest issues I have as a mage when it comes to soloing certain areas, especially dungeons.

[Verenity]

As a first character on a server, I have a suggestion that no one else has stated - cleric. Clerics really don't need any sort of special gear to be good at their class (at all) since it's more about the mana regen you can attain in a group than the max amount of mana you can hold (until the raiding scene with cheal rotations). My cleric was my first character and I've barely had to buy a single thing for myself while making a decent profit off of such things as rezzes. You'll also rarely be searching for a group for long.... anyways, that's just my 2 cents.

P.S. Don't expect to be able to solo worth a damn.

[Stormhowl]

Originally Posted by Messianic [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Shaman are a lot easier than any of the other classes. Having inner fire at low levels (your most mana-efficient heal until level 19) along with access to sow itself - not to mention having it at level 9 - is a massive safety valve. Shaman may not level quickly, but they level very safely.

Without twink gear, Shaman is very difficult from around 6 until... well, well past 14 that's for sure. Root at 14 makes it easier, but things don't get better until level 24 when you get your next batch of DoTs and Cannibalize.

Your lower weapon skill caps (compared to real melee) starts to show around level 6 (where your skills, when capped, are as good as a level 5 warrior's and it starts to dove-tail from there). It's also at that level where your mana regen compared to your increasing mana pool is slower than molasses rolling downhill, but it gets so much better at 8 once you train Meditate.

Your spells mana:damage ratios aren't the greatest (Frost Rift, and then later Spirit Strike) are all 1:1 damage, and your DoTs Sicken (30 mana for 8 damage up front and 2 damage every 6 seconds) needs to last at least 1 min 6 seconds to meet the 1:1 damage:mana ratio while Tainted Breath (40 mana for 10 damage up front and 8 damage every 6 seconds) needs to last 24 seconds to be 1:1 damage:mana, and while it's better than Sicken, it's also very expensive when baseline you'll probably have ~300 mana untwinked at level 9. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I would not recommend Shaman to a new player, unless they want something of Moderate difficulty, because it's definitely not easier than a Druid, Mage, or Necro as others have said. Your spells are inefficient, you are in melee range at all times until level 14 unless grouping when your skill caps are lower than real melee classes (It's 4*(Level+1), where as melee are 5*(Level+1)), IIRC, and it truly doesn't get better until level 24 when you get some really strong DoTs, and the inefficient spells can be offset with Cannibalizing (50 HP into 20 Mana doesn't sound great, but when you Canni-Dance it's friggin' fantastic, and you'll have better mana regen than any other Priest class).

But, yeah, to make a long story short, unless you're twinked, I wouldn't recommend Shaman to someone looking for an easy class to start with.

Edit: That isn't to say the class isn't enjoyable. I mained Shaman for my entire EQ "career" and loved every second of it, even when 1-24 was rough as hell. But I'm being as honest as I can be, when I say that if you're looking for an easy class to start with, stay the hell away from a Shaman. If you want to play a healer, Druid would be best out of the three since you have a lot of tools early (Snare @ 1, Root, Invis and Whirling Wind (spell interrupt) @ 5, super efficient DoTs @ 14) that make them better early game soloers than Shaman, and your ports at level 24 can start making you some money. You get SoW later than a Shaman (by 5 levels), but you have snare from level 1 to offset that whole issue, and you get root 5 levels earlier than them.

So I would have to agree with everyone else when they say Druid, Necro, or Mage.

[loopholbrook]

Let me revise what I was saying people are getting the wrong idea, and that's my fault for being vague. What's the best class to start untwinked? That's what I'm really trying to ask.