Is Shaman the BEST all-around class in the game?

[Toxigen]

potg (lvl 60) is their one good buff

they dont do any damage unless there is an appropriate level animal around

tanky? lol

their CC is root

will heal themselves oom unless there is a slower

do druids work until 50? sure, GL doing anything that isn't charming or just being carried by charming enc / necro afterwards tho

fwiw i pimped my druid - full SS, epic, the works and solo charmed the whole way...did CT gators, OT, EJ, bats n bugs, chardok, then bear pits...that was the only decent way to level a druid because you'd just be laughed out of groups

and quadding is awful, dont get me started

so you gotta go through all that for a pretty good buff and a port bot....ok and some fast heals for vyemm / topping off melee dps in raids

[strongNpretty]

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

potg (lvl 60) is their one good buff

they dont do any damage unless there is an appropriate level animal around

tanky? lol

their CC is root

will heal themselves oom unless there is a slower

do druids work until 50? sure, GL doing anything that isn't charming or just being carried by charming enc / necro afterwards tho

fwiw i pimped my druid - full SS, epic, the works and solo charmed the whole way...did CT gators, OT, EJ, bats n bugs, chardok, then bear pits...that was the only decent way to level a druid because you'd just be laughed out of groups

and quadding is awful, dont get me started

so you gotta go through all that for a pretty good buff and a port bot....ok and some fast heals for vyemm / topping off melee dps in raids

You sound so defensive for some reason. I understand what you are saying, i do. I promise you I do. But i don't think you're answering based on the question being asked. And there are plenty of things in between your points made, that are being left out.
-Druids can root of course, they can also snare, and harmony is amazing. Yes its limited to zones, same with charming, but they can.

-Yes POTG, is 60, but so are many other amazing spells with all classes. it's not like enchanters just get VoG or Clarity 2 at level 1..

-Druids aren't tanky of course, but they can take more abuse then an enchanter.

-I Quadded through maaany levels on my druid, and it was 0 problem. Especially leading up to late 50's quadding othmirs in cobalt scar to 60. Exp was great, money was amazing. Gems, Crustacean armor, spears. I also worked my way up to all keys solo in frozen tower which i had a blast doing. Except Tserrina key of course.

-Tracking is extremely handy.... I already said nobody needs a druid in a group. That was already said- but it doesn't mean they can't fill the gaps of a role if nobody else is around.. Due to the tools they do have.

Again man- Druid- Obviously not the strongest. But how can you ignore the fact that they CAN do a loooooooot. Overall, they can tackle a lot of different roles. But i can't make it any more clear- Jack of all trades, master of none.

[bcbrown]

Druids are lots of fun, probably the best newbie class. Great mobility with sow and ports. Can tank through the teens. Has access to all the tactics of any magic-using class: charm, root-rotting, quadding, nuking. Minimal gear requirements; just need a fire beetle eye. Great class to explore Norrath for the first time and figure out what playstyle you prefer. Easy way to make decently mediocre money (porting) when you don't know about any of the good cash camps yet. Has the best buffs for running around newbie zones and buffing people: Skin, sow, regen, thorns. Tracking is fantastic QoL.

I just can't make the case for "best all-around" simply because their power drops off so heavily in the 50s, though.

[Snaggles]

I just like druids because people count them out. A little gear and hard work and they can do some great stuff. Can’t slow or heal amazing but thorns is solid dps and they have the second best CC in the game. First if you can’t mez stuff.

Meanwhile a shaman lands a slow and is like “ahem, my medal pls?”

A marginal shaman is far better than a lazy Druid. So yea, I guess the rep is usually justified.

[Naethyn]

Shaman is the best new to server class.

[sajbert]

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

Shaman is the best new to server class.

Nah.

Shaman is a harsh grind 1-34 without twinking and without all the expensive spells, epic and level 60 remains a solid group member but a mediocre soloist. Even with torpor it’s not your first choice for solo crawls.

An enchanter may be more challenging to play but only if you choose to take it to that level. Same can be said about necromancer but an enchanter doesn’t need any fancy items other than a 6k GGR and dirt cheap charisma gear to rock n’ roll. Beginners should not be afraid of playing enchanter.

For AFK leveling and QoL raiding Druid and Wizard shine instead.

[Snaggles]

Shaman is very rough without a fungi. Even then the power ramp is very gradual. I bet Everfrost Peaks at night alone is a reason why 30% of people quit EQ about a week into playing.

[Zuranthium]

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

Shaman is very rough without a fungi. Even then the power ramp is very gradual. I bet Everfrost Peaks at night alone is a reason why 30% of people quit EQ about a week into playing.

Everfrost Peaks as a Barbarian Shaman when the game came out is one of my favorite experiences. Being nightblind in the mountain maze and expansive tundra with danger lurking everywhere, getting insta invited to groups of Warriors because that class outnumbered Shaman 4-to-1 and they needed a healer, everyone huddling around and slowly moving through the zone together. Was a real adventure.

But yeah it's a pain these days, and even back then I changed classes after getting into the teens; the heals weren't scaling well at those levels and I couldn't do very good DPS either. Rolled a Mage and had great fun with that, starting on the complete opposite side of the world as a Gnome and being able to churn out DPS self-sufficiently.

I'd rank Shaman 7th as a new-to-server class. Necro, Enchanter, Mage, Bard, Druid, Cleric will be able to make more happen for themselves.

[Naethyn]

Iksar

[Jimjam]

Rogue is best new to server class.