Questions about some classes

[Yummyfish]

Hiya, everyone! I'm basically brand new to Everquest, and loving the time I've spent so far but I'm having a bit of a "main crisis" at the moment and thought maybe getting some answers to questions I have might help me decide what class to commit to first.

My favorite class so far is Shadow Knight but I'm somewhat concerned by some information I've seen on the wiki about how the "only races to play" for SK are Troll or Ogre, since they can bash with a 2h weapon. My question is: If I decided to play another race for aesthetic reasons would I maybe get excluded from some groups even if I carried a sword/board for when I need to bash?

My second question is about Shaman. I really like the idea of a supportive class that works well pretty much everywhere and (most importantly for my personal tastes) can wear armor and cast spells, but I'm not super keen on being primarily considered a healer for grouping. My question is: About how often would you say shamans are expected to be the primary healers? Is it a case of last resort "There's really just nobody else"? Or is it a more commonly expected role for them to fill?

My final question is about Ranger. I was surprised to find out how generally not focused on ranged combat Rangers are in Everquest and my interest in them has only continued to rise as I learned more about their tools and capabilities, but I have also become aware of their reputation as generally "useless", lacking the damage of rogues, durability of knights, and spell coverage of druid. My question is: Does this reputation translate to a bias against rangers in game? For example: will I have a hard time finding groups for dungeons as I level up a ranger?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post, I hope to have a lot more fun in game, have a good day! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]