New Player

My brother wants to start playing EQ2. He's really green when it comes to computer games. He's green as green can be. He's never played any computer games but he wants to team up with me and give it a go. I'm new at this so I'm not sure I can help him(about two weeks new). My quest is he wants to play a magick user but I don't know which one to recommend to him. Any suggestions?

Coose an Illusionist/coecer, conji/necro.

Illy/coecer because they are easier to get groups with and easier to solo on than a wizard/warlock and will provide very useful group buffs when you team up.

Conji/necro because they are easier to solo with and effectively provide the same dps on a group level as a wizard or warlock.

Wizard or warlock may be the "popular common" magic user choice but they can be difficult to get groups with and are a bit less intuitive to learn how to dps on compared to conji/necro where a good part of there dps comes from there pets.

My 2 cents, btw I have nearly 14 years as a wizard in eq1, 7 years(9 if you count vet awards) as a wizard in eq2 and 5 as an Illy in eq2. I also have 4 years as a mystic in eq2 and my latest project is taking an inqy to 95.

Sounds good. Which ones good and which and which are evil? I'm a paladin and we plan on playing together so I can give him some help. As much as I can because still a newbie myself.

Have him play an Illusionist then, other than that a dirge would make more sense but that is a scout, not a magic user.

LOL I was going to say coecer for the melee buffs but truth is Illy/Coercer will both work very well with a Pally.

I would suggest you consider an Inquisitor, the combination of a Pally who is defensive in nature with the healing /dps buffs of the Inquisitor is probably the most wicked effective combo in the game matched only by a Shadow knight/Templar. This combination in practiced hands will dou a lot of encounters that pug groups have difficulty with.

As far as good/evil don't worry any alignment can group with any other as long as you are on a PVE server.

I'm just trying to get a magick user that is some what easy to play and compliments my paladin. Plus, being a newbie myself, can help him with.

Then go with an Illy, they are pretty easy to play and hard to get into trouble with given all their mezzes.

Mezzes?

An ability to hold monsters in a mesmerized state making them unable to do anything until released or the spell expires. Very handy when soloing or grouping. Not so much though for current raid mechanics

Okay. Like I said I'm just trying to match him up with a magick user that a newbie to the gaming world will be able to jump in and take off with the character.

personal view - keep it simple for now, get some mileage under your collective belts !

You as paladin, tank and hold aggro - you have some heals be ready to use them and be prepared to take back the aggro if your brother hits too hard too early in the fight
Let bro play a wizard, raw dps, he just hits whatever spells are off cool down to burn through the mobs
You target the mob, pull and get the aggro/hate, brother /targets or /assists you and makes with the spells a second or two after you start fighting.
/targeting you will ensure he's hitting the same mob as you are.

stay with solo mobs until you get some levels/confidence then try some encounters with two or three mobs.

This was the first game I ever tried when I started it back at launch. There are a lot of people that will help you. I vote for Wizard for him for magic user. Everyone uses magic to a degree, but a wizard nukes...which is the thing that feels most like magic at the start - IMO. Once he tries that and gets so he can move around the game and feels a little bit comfortable, he might want to branch out into the other classes that are being recommended here.

Most classes start out fairly simply and then get complicated. As you are both learning, its SUPER important to stop and READ what your abilities can do when you get them. That's the best way to be able to integrate each new one as you get it, and before you know it you are dealing with 4 hotbars of spells like a pro.

Good luck, and welcome to the game

Okay, a wizard it is.

And this would be one reason why there are so many teribad wizards in this game. Just remember to tell your partner he will die often and always lag behind you in XP as he continually works of his XP debt. If dieing is something you find unpleasant a wizard is the worst choice to make.

Okay so an illusionist won't die as much?

Typically not, A wizard can hit hard early and draw agro real quick. Yes a wizard is the "classic" sorcerer in the game. Really play what is fun, you asked for input and you got it this is the fun that is EQ2 it has TONS of choices, more than most MMO's.

I was serious about dieing but truth is the penalty for dieing is not anything to really get worried over so just read up and let your friend make the choice that sounds like the most fun to him/her.

I'm just trying to get my brother a magick user that won't drop dead in the first minute of a fight.

Your a pally keep amends on him, do your job as a big brother/tank and keep agro off your little bro

No problem.

I leveled a wizard to 90, by playing in small friend groups and just soloing and questing. I didn't die a lot, but I wasn't doing T1 damage either (which is the kind that can pull aggro from a new tank). I think the goal here is for you guys to run around learning the game and having fun with the characters you picked to start - not creating baby raiders that will power-level quickly.

He might also like a Mystic - which is a healer, but one that can do some nice melee damage with only a few AA points. They definitely 'look' magic, have some great particle effects, and they even have a ghost dog for a pet. If you are playing a Paladin, that's a very nice match for your character, and having ability to heal (both of you) gives you a bit of an advantage if everyone things a Wizard might die too much. Paladin heals plus Mystic wards and heals mean that you can do a lot of content solo that the Paladin/Wizard combo might not be able to do.

Later on, a Mystic is considered a healer and invited to groups for that reason. But leveling up and just having fun - there's a lot of magic that they do as well as whacking bad guys with a big hammer.