4 friends coming back for kicks ...

Discussion in 'The Newbie Zone' started by Culgin, Aug 22, 2020.

  1. Culgin New Member

    It's basically a nostalgia trip, but a few of my buddies and I plan on playing f2p for a bit with the intention of subbing later if the mood strikes us. We are all EXTREMELY open to playing absolutely anything. Any one of us could play tank/healer/support/dps and we'd be perfectly fine with it. We are looking for some advice though. So, if some of you vets could chime in ... if you had 4 people what setup would you choose and why? We're just looking for fun options/opinions from people that have played in the last few years that might help us out! Thanks in advance!
  2. Culgin New Member

    Server recommendations are also welcome!
  3. Qbert Gallifreyan

    It's been over a decade since I've grouped with any semblance of regularity, so my ability to suggest choices for your group of people is limited.

    You'll want to decide first if there are any features/abilities you can't live without. For example, do you think it is necessary to have porting ability? Is tracking required for you?

    Realistically, if you want to complement each other effectively, one of the key distinctions will be if you choose to play a real tank or to use a pet as your tank (mage).
    1. If you pick a war/sk/pal as one character, it is really hard to argue against having shaman and bard as two of the other three spots. The fourth would then presumably be a damage dealer. If you want ports, either a wizard or druid would both be fine choices. If you don't care about ports, a berserker might be a good option for your team.
    2. If you are going to use a mage pet as your group tank I have no experience to suggest anything, as I have never played a pet class (mag/nec/bst).
    3. While technically feasible, I would not encourage using a tank mercenary beyond around level 70ish. They have been improved, but the inability to define when they use disciplines is one of the glaring problems with them in any level-appropriate content for the last few years.
  4. phattoni Augur

    bristlebane is a booming server, some would say fv because its high, but i would never advise rolling there, you are literally stuck on that server if you decide you dont like it. with any of the other servers except maybe zek, you can transfer.
  5. Culgin New Member

    Appreciate the suggestions guys! Tracking was really the only thing we were set on. Warrior, Berserker, Shaman, Bard sounds fun and I think we'll hit up Bristlebane! :)
  6. Xerzist Augur

    Come on over! :p

    Can't really go wrong with that setup.
  7. Windance Augur

    The main issue with F2P is AA's.

    Most classes once you reach a certain point really need the AA's to be useful. F2P limits you to 250 AA which is next to nothing once you get to the point where you can start earning them.

    If you go with a dedicated tank class you might want to make that one a paid account first. The gear and AA's there will help a lot.

    I can't speak to pet groups but mages are still the king of the solo classes, but again that's with a bunch of aa's.

    I would love to have you update this thread once you get going.
  8. Chopin.Xegony Augur


    Any of the Live servers other than FV will be good. Xegony, Bertox, Bristle, and Cazic all have very high player bases. Bertox suffers from not having an elite raiding guild. Xegony has 2 (plus one that is pretty high but not elite) Bristle and Cazic both also have 2 elite raiding guilds with various stages inbetween.

    For class set ups for just 4 players I would do

    Tank: Warrior or Shadow knight - I personally would lean toward Shadow knight but if you want to raid just be aware I have hardly ever seen a guild that needed an SK.

    Healer: Shaman - all the way they are beasts, can heal any group content, very valuable on raids if you want to raid, and are highly desired. They have so many tools and abilities that they can do just about anything in any situation.

    DPS 1: Bard - I am a little bias as I main a bard, but bards are THE most useful and versatile character in Everquest they mainly suffer from a lack of competent bard players but bards can do good dps, can crowd control, are the best pullers, and have an answer for every situation. Plus the ADPS the Bard brings to the table compliments the Shaman like no other and will make every member of your group MUCH more powerful. If you all decide you want to move into the raiding game pretty much EVERY guild in EQ will take even an average bard and smile from ear to ear about it.

    DPS 2: Beastlord - Beastlords pair the best with the Bard and Shaman in fact the holy trinity of Melee DPS is Bard, Beastlord, Shaman. The Beastlord's pet can tank nearly as well as any tank in the game so if the groups Tank goes down just turn on the Beastlord's pet's taunt and switch heals to it. Beastlords also put out great damage and bring some of the best ADPS in the entire game to bare with the group. In fact if you were to pick a duo of to classes to play my recommendation would be the Bard and the Beastlord. Beastlords are ROCKSTARS and are highly desirable in raids as well I don't know of any high end guilds that dont want a Beastlord.

    Other classes to consider but not my top recommendation.

    Necromancer - Probably the most powerful class in the game currently, their DOT power is unmatched and they are often the top damage dealer in any raid. They are also amazing soloers but dont bring a lot of 'synergy' to the table in group settings. Most guilds dont run too many raiding necromancers though so be aware of that if you opt for this class.

    Magician - Call of the Hero is great if any of your friends are bad with directions just run the mage there and call the rest of the group to you. The mage's damage is high and consistent, The mage pet is even more powerful than the beastlord's pet and it can tank pretty much everything in the game. On the raiding side many guilds find themselves magician heavy though because the class has been consistently powerful for a long long time.

    Enchanter - This class is nearly as versatile as the Bard, and nearly as desirable. The Enchanter can be an effective puller and crowd control is second to none in the entire game. The Enchanter has an answer for almost every situation, though not as many as a bard. If you opt to run a majority caster group (Necromancer, Wizard, Magician) Then the Enchanter might bring a touch more to the table than a Bard would (but it would only be a little bit more) The Enchanter is similar to the bard in that there is a serious skill gap present between being a serviceable Enchanter and being a great Enchanter. Be ready to learn a lot about the class if you select to play this one. Enchanters are almost as desirable on raids as a Bard is as well if you opt to raid.

    Druid - Although they are more of a DPS class than a healing class presently the Druid offers a lot of utility to the group and if you select to run a caster heavy group they will provide more than a Shaman will. They will also benefit from what the other casters bring to the table more so than a Shaman. Druids are desired in raids as caster group healers so its hit or miss if a guild is recruiting them to raid if you opt to raid.

    One last tip: Go all in on DPS. Dealing more damage will make your entire lived in Everquest much much easier. Combining a Bard, Beastlord, and Shaman is an amazing way to do it. It is what I run and I plow through game content with ease. Shadow Knights and Warriors both do very good DPS along with being amazing tanks I recommend Shadow Knights over Warriors only for the fact that SK's can life tap and keep themselves alive with only minimal help from the Shaman or the Beastlord (if the Beastlord cares to toss out a heal or two)

    The Chopin golden stamp of approval group would be: Shadow Knight, Shaman, Beastlord, Bard. But there are other strong and fun classes to play as well.
    code-zero likes this.