I would like to get some input from you all about classes seeing as I am new. Im having a hard time focusing down on one class to make a main and thought id come here with a few questions to see if I can narrow down my choices. Im currently playing and raiding actively in everquest 1 so as far as what im looking for, Im looking to play the game as a way to pass time while not raiding, quest, explore and just have fun doing so. I enjoy doing this solo as i can take my own time doing things and not have to worry about am i doing it right or is my reading of quest going to slow people down. I like melee over casters but if I play a caster generally its a healer. I play a shaman in everquest 1. What im looking for is a class that isnt strongly gear dependent, that can solo quest well, get around easily, and is enjoyable. I was told SK was a good choice, however it seems to go against what i have in mind as generally shield classes do things slower and are more gear dependent. What other classes are good to look at? How are the druids/shaman solo abilities? Can they melee at all or is it all spell dps? Other questions I have are do i need the expansions to enjoy the game? I dont have the money to get another expansion as i have just got the one for everquest 1 so basically i have a new account that i just tagged a game card onto to start. What server should I start on? Does race matter or is it play what looks best?
Mystics and Wardens are the 'melee' versions of the shaman and druid respectively. If you invest in a bit of AA early to get their melee conversions (convert some of their spell attacks to melee attacks.. and you can actually get (and use) the melee conversions before you get the spell version), they solo quite well and are definitely melee oriented. The inquisitor is the melee side of the plate healer (cleric) and also tears it up in melee. At higher levels, all classes need solid gear, but at lower levels, I've found that the melee healers, with sufficient AA, are super strong.
If you prefer melee but also like heals, you may want to consider pally, since pallys do get a small handful of heals (and even a rez!) in addition to being a good tank class. Personally I also enjoyed my warden. My favorite is still my wizard, but from what you're saying that doesn't seem as likely a fit for you. Serverwise, I'd suggest one of the largest 2 servers, Freeport or Antonia Bayle, unless there's someone on another server you already know. I think all classes are largely gear dependent, as you get a lot of stats from that gear. That being said though, even crafted equipment can help out pretty decently, especially if you're talking about solo content. Should you choose the Freeport server as your home, look me up - I love helping new folks get started
Well currently the classes I was looking at were Mystic, warden, assassin, and bruiser. One of the big things im looking at though is it seems there are 3 expansions i wont have access to. at 20, 40, and 40 each thats to much investment for me atm. Is it still worth playing and enjoyable without those?
You don't need any till L90, and as you're playong eq2 on the side you will probably be a while to you get there. DoV is grouped with the new one, CoE, so that's $20 less to spend if you get near 90. AoD allows you to do extra things solo with a merc, so is useful but not essential. The rest you won't use till 90+ probably. I have a bruiser and warden and ranger (kinda similar to assassin) out of your list and the easiest to solo with are tanks, hands down. So I would pick bruiser. Warden is hard to kill but its dps is no way near as good as a tank, so it's slower going. Assassins are one of the poorest soloers. Easy to get hurt and a lot of their attacks are positional so they can't use them when the mob is facing them and beating on them. Having said that, all classes can solo outdoor zone mobs easily. It's when you want to see a dungeon that the difference becomes more obvious.
2 of the expansions are for 90+ level, so you won't miss out on anything for a while, the AoD expansion is more of a pack of added features, mercenaries, 20 more aa's and a few other things you probably won't miss until higher levels. I went without AoD until about level 80 duoing with my wife and then bought it because it was on sale half price but I think its worth the $ because the mercenaries are really pretty nice, especially if you are soloing - you can do a lot more with a merc in heroic content. I would recommend the same thing, just level until you see AoD go on sale, then buy it. Its a fun game so its well worth the time, I played EQ1 for 8 or so years and then moved around trying lots of things and EQ2 is as good, if not better than most of the others.
To echo Regolas, assassins are not great soloers. I enjoy my little assassin but I definately wouldn't recommend them for someone who primarily solos. I absolutely love playing my mystic & warden and find them extremely easy to solo with. Warden would be the easiest class out of the ones you are looking at for travel (get portals at 25). I will say don't be quick to dismiss the plate fighters for soloing. SKs & berserkers in particular seem to tear things up nicely. Pallies can as well but seem a little slower to me than the SK & berserker. I can't speak for guardian even though I have one, she's only 14 & I've not actually logged her on to play in nearly a year...
I'm playing a coercer. He is lvl18 now. Has yet to die yet. Coercer seems to be a great soloer and fun to play. But I'm a noob so not sure how they play out at higher levels.
Well if you get an itch to create an alt i suggest pally, you get 4 heals (1 self, 3 friend/group you can use on yourself) including a large heal from lay on hands (no casting time), your rez can be upgraded with a focus to revive without sickness and restore the target to 100% health, we have a death save called divine favor (in combat save, does not break combat) plsu we have a good mix of combat arts and spells and can spec AA to get a cure spell(cures everything but physical debuffs)
While i love the idea of knights and warriors. I cant see myself really playing a plate fighter much. Mainly due to the fact that if i do want to group im expected to tank, kind of their job and thats just not something id want to do.
Guardian is said to be the hardest to solo, that being said the Beastlord is a nice class, was able to run real fast through the content with the Beastlord's pet and the merc. I say anything is good with the appropriate merc. I choose a Guardian as my first character and would love to change it into a Paladin, but it was free ;D P.S Join Freeport!
As people have said, tanks in this game are actually very good for solo exploring. SKs are extremely powerful, lifetaps, spell damage to help reduce reliance on overcoming melee defenses, as well as evac and feign death. Also have a LOT of aoe potential. Bruisers focus on melee damage only really, so sometimes you blow stuff up quickly, other times your like darn parry/block/evades. Bruisers can feign flop to get around mobs every 6seconds or so, so if you only want to explore, kill a name, find a shiney this is the class for you. A necro is good for solo exploring, but was beyond your wants. Finally, an inquisitor is a good choice for healers that play melee.
