Which class will be your main on the new progression and why?

They just can't see over them.

There is some real downsides to being short... you can’t jump on the mantle at fireplace if you’re even slightly encumbered and that’s my favorite place to sit...

Shamans, Bards, Enchanters, Monks, SKs.

I went monk on the last 2, and mage on the first.

I am going Shaman this time, no other class has that kind of potential power in a group. Its a shame they are super boring to raid on.

I 100% agree with everything you said ... but ...

A bard in classic is pretty subpar. They don't really start getting their decent buffs until 50+. They don't get their lower level mana regen, and the level 32 one is pretty weak (but stacks with enchanter mana regen). You're haste does not stack with enchanter haste yet (both are v2 haste, you get v3 overhaste later).

The real benefit Bards bring are in group combat. Filling in roles that are missing, albeit not nearly as well in classic. A well played bard is still pretty cool to have. They are arguably the best pullers because they can lull, but don't have an FD yet like monks if things go wrong.

I am NOT trying to talk you out of playing one, just understand that in classic they kinda get the shaft. In Kunark they start to shine, and from there out, they are group and raid gods.

As someone who's only ever really played early retail 20 years ago, then a smattering of TLPs and P99 since, I've only really KNOWN bards in classic (and close to it) and I frankly think they're amazing from the very beginning? They have a menagerie of buffs, maybe not many SUPER POWERFUL ones but a TON of options for every conceivable situation in the game, for every group makeup in the game ,for every area in the game, against any type of damage -- learning to twist and keep up 4 at once with 4 more utility songs on your bar and swapping them around as needed, swapping instruments etc feels amazing and like you're really pushing everything you have to make your party just those little bits better, stronger and more efficient -- and on TLPs I have melody (not that I plan to use it too much with how I play bard, but still) and bandolier to make doing that even faster and more efficient. And of course they have the best footspeed in the game by far before mounts and can move people around and corpse run like nobody's business (I know you don't need to loot them not but it's useful for revives), of course they're top-tier pullers and I enjoy pulling and look forward to learning how to better and more efficiently everywhere I go in this server, and they have more utility than you can shake a lute at w/ all the mana-free, group-wide unbreaking invis, see invis, ultravision, levitation, enduring breath and anything else you could want. And regen! And I'm pretty sure we DO get our mana songs at the appropriate level even pre-Kunark from a merchant in the tunnel iirc. Could be wrong tho.. Oh and of course, bard can CC almost as well as enchanter in my experience f played well... and I'd love to do just that!
I don't care if I'm not 'maximum efficiency perfect must-have best-in-slot' character as long as I can play well and do enough to make it feel worth having me around though, and I'm confident I can do that

Low level bards are so painful to play, if you can’t get a group. They nerfed the swarming forever ago and never really compensated those early levels.

Swarming sucks anyway IMO, takes forever, one misstep and you die instantly, and it 'steals' good times and skills you could be using actually partying and learning / warming back up to pulling and twisting for groups. They really are a little bit of a tough class earlier on since they're not going to melee as well as... any other melee and don't really have 'spells' to quite make up for it, but as you get more and more songs/tools, DW etc it gets easier, especially w/ charm. I agree that stuff like all the mana songs and MR-debuff songs and such being available in earlier expacs would be great but they're still damn good imo

Wizard.
Group/Social: I click my nuke, I go oom. I sit down. I read my books or do some work in real life. I port people for pp. If I am playing at a more dangerous camp, I root cc and get ready to evac.
Solo: I find the one rare I can solo on my own that drops gear in the range I want. I kill it over and over. Then wait and read my books or do some work in real life.

Not starting on a new TLP until they figure out a way to fix this.

Warlock, never played one before.

Once you've played a real Bard with PoP+ AA and songs the early era is just too sad to play

Bards biggest problem in classic is they are a melee class and make melee classes better as their primary role and in classic at least in the 1-50 game melee classes are really not great. They are still good though, HP song and makes a huge difference in healing for 1-30ish, mana song stacks with chanter, resist songs and super speed.

In raids resist songs are also the key to clearing most classic raids without overwhelming numbers and you need lots of bards to do it.

Edit, wrong thread!