Newbie Here needs Suggestion

Hi all, I've just downloaded the game and I am impressed by the number of races and classes.
I like to build a Troll Beastmaster or a Dwarf Berserker, but I don't know if are a good choice for a newbie and if are useful in a party.
Pls can U suggest me who is better?
Or if U think I should play another combination class-race U are welcome.
Thx all.

Hello, and welcome to Norrath!

A Dwarf Berserker is a great choice for a beginner, it's a super fun class to play, pretty straight forward, and if you choose to start in New Halas the starter questline has a very smooth learning curve to understand the game mechanics. Great choice!

The Beastlord, though is not the best choice for beginners, because it expects you to pay very close attention to some aspects of the game that beginners usually don't know much about: alternate advancements, stances, manage different pets -- finding them like a pokémon master and then leveling them. It is one of the most gratifying classes to play with, but it can get overwhelming. Also the class is premium, meaning that you have to purchase it separately (like the Channeler, and the two premium races; Aerakin and Freeblood). I wouldn't recommend as your first class, to learn how to play unless you have a supporting guild to help you along the way. After you understand how to build your own alternate advancement tree? Go for it!

The Berserker usually is a tank (some brave few people play it as a dps class) and like any tank is very much useful. The tank is the most important member of the party, protecting others from taking damage. You will always find a group playing a Berserker.

The Beastlord is usually a DPS class (but the class is so flexible that you can play it as a tank or even as a healer). People will expect you to kill enemies, and kill them fast. Beastlords are extremely powerful late in game.

Another suggestion of good class-race is either Kerra Conjuror or Kerra Necromancer. Kerra is the cat-people in game; they are great playing mages because they get racial attributes that are scout-like (track, to find enemies; safe fall) and also bonus for intelligence that is useful to mages. Conjuror and Necromancer are summoner mages, they both are DPS classes that are easy to learn and have a pet to help you kill things faster. They can heal themselves, heal the pet and with a mercenary you can do pretty much anything yourself. The Conjuror is good only and does damage sacrificing mana, the necromancer is bad only and does damage sacrificing life. They play similarly in the beginning and both classes are extremely fun to play with.

Try them out. As free to play, you have some restrictions, but if you like the game and want to open up more abilities, you can get an allaccess account. The game is a lot of fun, but I do recommend you find a server and guild that agrees with you. The game, though fun, is even more fun with friends you can group with regularly! Just a suggestion. A decent guild will help you with ideas, advice and encouragement. And some will even let you play your character how YOU want to. My guild lets me play my tank class as a platemail wearing subpar damage warlock (aoe class)! And we all have fun!

I know very little about this game, as I have been playing for two years and have had a fairly inactive guild for most of that time (not much help to be had, which also sucks if you are free-to-play [you can't use chat channels aside from Newbie]). Free-to-play was fine for me for a long time, but if you want to be competitive... that is not the way to go. I am not competitive

I am a berserker, but I chose a half-elf. Would not suggest that combination, but I do enjoy the class immensely. You can have some healing or revive spells for yourself and can solo fairly easily. In a group, as has been mentioned, you have choices with a berserker, which I think is a huge plus.

One of the incredible things about this game whether you are a F2P or subscribed is the shear amount of choices you have!

I've been here 10+ years, have every class on a toon somewhere (some accts are free some subscribed) and I continue to find new things to do or try!

If you want a Troll Beastie - make one! Beastlords don't really hit their stride like other classes until at least 20 or so. So don't give up too soon if you don't like it.

Heck if you want an Ogre Dirge or Troubadour, why not? Make one!

One thing I've learned over the years, it's not so much which class/race you play unless you are a Min/Maxer - it is more how you play the game.

Play it your way and enjoy it. There will always be groups to be had - you never know.

The game is complicated. The best suggestion I can give anyone new is find an active guild that plays during your playtime & use voice chat. There is a wealth of info that vets can pass on to you. Most new folks incoming have tons of questions. Its far more efficient to tell you what you need to know than to type out reams of text in guild chat, pm's or mails.

Welcome to the game!

You'll find that any race can excell at any class, which is different than many other games. I've got troll illusionists, wood elf warlocks, fae paladins, half elf berserkers, dwarf troubadors, dark elf fury(which is a druid). It's great.

Beastlords & berserkers solo pretty darned well in my experience and can be pretty great in groups. I can't tell you how either class performs at end game from personal experience (my beastlords are still sub 80 and my highest berserker is only just turned 95 and has been soloing). Both classes are very fun in my experience though.

Raff is correct that a great way to access a lot of info when you need it is to join an active guild or at least an active chat channel (channels might not be available if you are F2P).

Find a guild and server that is right for you. If you decide on a toon and server, let us know (if you dare!) One of us might offer you some help... but don't count on it! *grins maliciously from the shadows*



(Yeah, I'm a Roleplayer! Deal with it!)

Why do you talk from the shadows? Makes it kinda hard to hear sometimes.
Aside, 0/10 would not recommend beastlord for first class. Yes, they are possibly the best damage in the game, but they are also very complex.

I'm a Shadowknight. You don't expect me to talk from the Light, do you? That's for paladins!

Betray to paladin like us cool kids

I would strongly recommend looking at what is required as a pre-requisite for Epic 2.0 once you've settled into a class and do them as you level up, to save yourself the pain the rest of us are going through. I have half a mind to start from scratch period, despite my having one of every class at 90+ (most of them 100s), because I have to redo content anyway.

*pukes in the corner* Paladin? Cool kids? Bah, we all know paladins only have two brain cells. One is missing and the other one is out trying to find it! Which explains why paladins have the persistence of zombies but lack their charisma or personality!

I understand your problem... If I couldn't hold aggro, I'd call myself a dps toon too.
*grins maliciously*

Oh, I can hold agro. I just let the pallies take it... and laugh at their dead bodies. Being meat shields is what they are good for, after all.

Paladin protip: activating subtle strikes is a good way to get yelled at in a raid. Also, what dead bodies? Faith, divine aura, heals.

Why I am an AoE DPS SK. I can do LOTS of damage to LOTS of mobs and the tanks can easily keep agro off of me. Unless we get TOO many. I have one or two AoEs that hit ALL within the radius, where most AoEs will hit 8 to 12 max in the radius. Yeah, I don't do as much damage as a warlock but I have better survivability, or at least I like to think I do.

I think you're about at warlock level, you're a bit closer to a crappy swash.

both classes do well , the beastlord will sought after in grps/raids at high lvls as its currently one of the best dps
berserker however is a tank and as tanks are in short supply , so at max lvl and decent gear you should always be able to get a grp/make one
ill recommend buying the expansion/mercenary thing and get a healer mercenary for your character , at low lvls and honestly all the way to 100 you should be able to do heroic zones with just you and a mercenary , and doing so will learn you the class.

first of all - get taste of different classes as higher level by choosing option create level 95 chars although they are nothing like level 100 but you will get some taste of it.
Second thing choose race wisely - there are thing that called racial treats. I'd pick one that have something useful (its not like you can't replace it items but ...)
To give an example - say you liked play caster but trust me its really nice to have ability to track things - hence pick kerran or ratonga races that have tracking as a built-in ability. Say you playing scout we got tracking anyway but think outside of appearance - what you will use? I'd say underwater breathing is useful - hence consider erudite or Iskar
Now as some already mention considering doing Epic 2.0 you WILL be forced into trade skills - look what different races offer in this area as a race threat (like my dark elf have natural affinity to alchemy, sage and metal working)
As for you choices.. I am playing BL because it been flavor of last 2 x-packs, regard minor complexity of building savagery (and keeping it at 6) BL as a scout somewhat gear depended - you need to get eth runes to get to the level of optimal performance
Tanks are not better - unless you are well geared (read have huge HP pool and high resolve) you won't be have easy time for grouping
Saying this I highly suggest you look first for summoners like necro or/and conjuror