Returning player has questions

I'm coming back to EQ after about 8 months and have a few questions.

Are there any classes that can solo Fight Fire in RoS group gear?

How hard is it to tank TBL group progression in RoS group gear?

I'm interested in maining a Paladin or Beastlord, I've mained a Beastlord before, but never a Paladin.
I have never raid tanked on a live server (i have on TLPs). I've played a war in the group game on live severs. I've played all the tanks on TLPs through end game.
How steep will the learning curve be for me if I go paladin? Is there anything new for beastlords since I quit playing about 8 months ago?

Finally, after looking at the guilds on EGL, it looks like the paladin is easier to get a guild with right now. Is that just variance, or are they a more desired class in general for raiding guilds?

Thanks

There are classes that could solo FF in group gear, though tenacity has a lot to do with that.

Tanking TBL group progression in RoS group gear will be rough. Not impossible, but will need a fair bit of support and high dps to get stuff dead before yer outa defensives.

Few of note for Beastlord. Upgrade to EoK alliance, A'leels vindication, and upgrade to pet auspice shielding spell. When TBL launched they upgraded BST 2hb slightly. Was more than 8 months ago I think, but Ferocity can be TBd and MGBd now

Do people ever sell LR to FF chase Items? That would help make a couple decisions easier.

some sell... but a lot of people just give them away from what ive seen

Returning after a year with characters mostly in conflagrant gear. I don't expect to hit TBL until after the next expac arrives in December, but your comment confuses me. Are you saying that a group warrior or knight will have trouble tanking in TBL using Conflagrant gear? If so, how does one move from RoS to TBL?

Phase through GMM and get some non-vis stuff to beef up. Conflag gear is doable in TBL, but spikes will be large and named will wreck you unless you can burn em down before best defensives wear off. But trash shouldn't be too huge an issue with a real healer, a merc and conflag gear not likely to cut it without defensives going fulltime.

The jump was too large from RoS to T1 tbl, even RoS grp geared would have to strategize heavily and likely have large downtime to get by. Its not impossible, would just be rough.