What exactly is the purpose of Druids on early TLP?

Any leveling route that has animals to charm Druids suddenly become a top tier group dps. Their utility is very handy, and their healing is second only to Clerics. Not sure on all the Druid hate, but they're not a useless class.

Druids are very good for static leveling groups because (1) their heals are fine for TLP classic (2) they have ports to move your group around (3) they have SOW which everyone in your group sans a bard puller will appreciate and (4) they actually have pretty good nukes for burst DPS if you are in a group that never needs heals (i.e. caster group)

You pass butter.

Edit for reference.

In TLP, the most popular spots don't have many animals... Unrest...LGuk...

Also, without someone to lower the MR of the mobs, charm breaks almost non-stop. Cha doesn't affect it any longer. I have had my druid's charm break 5 times within 2 minutes. Often.

Druids can do a lot if you utilized all your options. This is focused on the early TLP expansions.

Tracking is a super nice skill thats easy to level up. Unresistable lulls in outdoor zones, one is even AoE. Healing is a bit rough till 9, ok till 19, good enough till 39~ or so then just ok again. One of the 5 snaring classes. One of two evacing classes. One of 3 SoW classes, 4 when beastlords show up. One of 2 damage shield classes. Can buff ac/hp, and str. Can quad, though its not as strong as the revamp dots now imo. The revamp dots really kick in with drones of doom at 32. Has regeneration spells. Has great anti-summoned nukes. Can charm animals and have their own burnout line. Porting to make side money, bring in group members, or being able to get to your zone easily. Has rains and PBAoE spells for groups who need those. Stunning spells for gating/cleric mobs. Can debuff AC/ATK/fire resist of mobs. In kunark, can tash animals.

These are all things I have done in groups as a druid. The best thing about a druid in your group is, they fit so many roles. They make a great second healer, and when bad pulls or trains happen they know if they should evac. Don't underestimate the -100 resist check on their magic dots either. You can always port somewhere and be LFG while xping at a decent rate. Can duo greatly with enc/necro pairs. I've lost count of how many stacks of food/water I've gave out due to foraging, though that shouldn't be needed people are forgetful and it means you don't need to mem conjure food/water.

What can't druids do? Tank, slow, mez, rez, or the free dps of noncharm pets. Can't start in an evil zone.

A druid has to work harder to be a good healer; we have utility and using that well gives us great value. Healing a group or the tank wont be as easy for us as say a cleric; and Chanter charm pets are just imposible at times. But we can root, snare, do dmg so the mob dies quicker. on a TLP i often got groups in the early expacs, more so then later on I feel.

I played a druid on TLP, and your right, we are not the best at anything; but a well played druid can be better then a moderiitly played anything else; also we bring all that to the group; so you can fill out the other spots with something else.

Druids can get groups, and when we get a group we often can get there faster then just about anyone else to replace that cleric or such whom is leaving with no warning.

That's grossly overstated. How do you feel about a shaman as a group healer? They get exactly the same heal spells, you know.

Where exactly will this even come into play before Kunark and charming dogs in Chardok? The best exp is gonna be in SolA/B and Guk. What can you charm in there? I just checked ZAM and no animals in those zones. Maybe Bears and Wolves in Permafrost? Dunno if thats a place people exp at though. Oasis crocs comes to mind and obviously the Karanas but all those are low level spots.

Your post illustrates the point you are missing. Can a wizzy dps better? Sure... but they can't add a heal. Can a cleric heal better? Sure... but their dps outside undead is null. The cross section of abilities allows the druid to not join a group to provide one of these functions but to join a group and provide all of these functions.

Druids are jacks of several trades. Their key power is soloing xp and mobility where other characters must have a group and a ride. Play a druid as a main before you decide they are merely "rubbish healers." I began a druid main on TLP Coirnav before PoP launched and I was thrilled with its sheer utility. Flame lick is an awesome dot that non-main druids will never understand.

Once PoP launched, I gained excellent healing utility spells that are more than adequate for group encounters including charm pets. There are downsides, like no group heals without AAs, but there are many more pluses.

The real problem is that Daybreak/Verant/Sony have all but ignored blatant issues such as charm pet disparity where we get a 60 charm and exactly one zone where it is useful. We get a level 28 pet at a point it has already been made useless. I can't even dire charm a level 46 "fiery steed" in Doomfire because the game claims it is not "an animal." I can't charm "a torment bat" for the same reason.

Druids can charm bats/bugs in solb (bats are dangerous with their stun).
In guk they can charm bats/spiders (only level 30ish, not useful deeper in)
In perma they can charm bears, but those are higher level, if i remember correctly

On the new TLPs coming out, there's no penalty for soloing like on previous servers. Be a real druid and not rely on groups and worrying about how they match up to other classes. Quad kite until your eyes bleed, buff people who rely on them, and port people who hate running and/or waiting on boats.

Source please?

People only thing of mez when CCing mobs but snare kiting adds with flame lick and rooting them away from the group works just as well and presummoning mobs is even better because you can dot them up.

I have no idea what you mean by this. There has never been a penalty for soloing, but rather a bonus for grouping, so the "penalty" you are referring to is relative.

Are you saying that soloing won't be "as bad" because of the boosted exp rates? You are still better off grouping...

Druids heal with the same heals as clerics until level 39 or so, btw. I often healed Mistmoore groups in past TLP's.

It sure does. That's why people use "monk track". And evidently they do it with impunity. I can't count the number of times a non-tracker has run straight to a mob in plane of hate that literally just spawned, before my bard can even track it and locate it.

There is one thing that Druids are absolutely the best at: survivability. They have more ways to get out of trouble than any other class. Root, snare, heals, succor (instant with AA), gate, SoW, fear animals, Cheetah. I'm probably forgetting a couple.

A lot of this translates to groups as well. I can't even tell you how many times I prevented a potential wipe by rooting adds, healing the cleric, or snaring a runner at the last second because the ranger forgot to, without anyone even noticing. Druids are the unsung heroes of EQ

A bonus for grouping is a penalty against soloing, I think you understand. With flat boosted exp rates on these servers, the only difference between grouping and soloing is the exp/hour. If you are in a group killing non-stop for hours on end, of course the exp/hour will be better than soloing, but you won't be left in the dust soloing either. The system will be more flexible for people to play how they prefer. You had 1 playstyle option on Phinigel and Coirnav in order to stay current, and that is to group.