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Dezik
05-16-2011, 05:49 PM
Hi all!

So in the down time that resulted from the TLP / SoE misshap I have discovered P99 and am making the switch! This server seems like a lot of fun and seems to have a very healthy population. On the TLP I had an SK that I thought was pretty fun and took him to level 47.

However, I am now at a cross roads as to what class to create here. My first choice was an Iksar Shaman, however, I have seen from the little research I have done that they may be way overplayed here. Is that true? I would rather not recreate the SK as I would like a change of pace. I like melee but not a warrior who has no utility what-so-ever. I would like to be able to be a little independent if needed as I have no friends here.

So my second choice was a DE wizard, however, it sounds like they may be at a disadvantage here due to their relative weakness in classic and in not bringing a lot of sustained dps to groups, however I know they are rare.

In general, what classes work out well here? My first preference is always to group but I would also like the freedom to solo if I only had a 30 min or so to play or if I couldn't find a group.

Shadey
05-16-2011, 05:58 PM
Well you like to melee so how about a Pally which is still a good tank and has heals so it can solo some and gets decent buffs, heals and a rez later on. Or a Ranger is a good melee class that can solo (bow kite in later lvls is great) and has its own buffs and small heals.

If I were to choose races it would prob be Dwarf Pally and Wood Elf Ranger.

Ele
05-16-2011, 05:58 PM
Sounds like you want a monk.

jpoarch
05-16-2011, 06:15 PM
Another idea you might want to consider is a Bard. They're excellent utility in groups, and can can kite massive amounts of monsters when you get the hang of it.

http://www.project1999.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23132&highlight=bard

that thread shows some pretty cool bard kiting pics, as well as some good advice if you want to look into it.

Dezik
05-17-2011, 11:24 AM
Thank you for the responses guys.

I should have been more clear in my post about which classes i've narrowed it down too, but currently paly/monk/bard are out heh. Im mostly interested in either a shaman, wiz, mage, rogue or MAYBE ranger. Yea I usually like to melee but EQ is sort of different, I would not mind being a caster here as much due to all the utility that melee lack.

Im mostly interested in how you guys see the above classes on this particular sever. Is it impossible to ever be independent and solo as a rogue? Are shamans and mages way overplayed? Are Wizards shunned from groups? All in all which class do you think would do best here.

Thanks!

Taryth
05-17-2011, 11:55 AM
You most likely wont do well as a soloing Rogue, unless you don't mind waiting LFG for most of the XP you'll ever get. But they're not overplayed and can deliver serious sustained DPS. Not to mention being able to picklocks and sneak to corpses (extremely valuable.)
Wizards aren't terribly crappy. They can be effective if played correctly, but a Wizard is certain to fall behind a Monk or Rogue, probably Mage, too, in DPS. However, I've never seen anyone say no to a Wizard if a spot is open in group . . .which can't be said for Druids.
Mages are OP (imo disclaimer), but an extremely fun class to play. They deliver excellent sustained DPS, can burst DPS fairly well, and are highly survivable. Their only downfall is a complete and utter lack of CC, aside from the much-maligned Earth pet.
The Shaman is incredibly versatile, although I have only limited personal experience with this class. Heals, buffs, root, DoTs, pet post-34, and personal mana regen that would make a Wizard jealous. If you like being versatile, I think the Shaman is one of the most flexible classes in EQ. They can even melee, granted decent gear.

I'm sure some people will disagree with this or that, but generally, that's about how those classes are on P99.

Dr4z3r
05-17-2011, 11:57 AM
Shaman are somewhat heavily-played, but they also bring a lot to a group.

Mages aren't as heavily-played (used to be worse), and are fine solo'ers, or damage-dealers in a group.

Rogues pretty much can't solo ever, and the only utility they bring is unlocking doors in Kunark dungeons.

Wizards can quad-kite and AoE group on Kunark, and aren't terrible for normal grouping.

YendorLootmonkey
05-17-2011, 11:58 AM
If you want to solo at all, cross rogue and ranger off your list. There are some situations where you can solo as a ranger if you have the right gear, unless you don't mind fletching countless arrows for hours on end for bowkiting until you can use a tolans bracer at level 45 or whatever.

Titanas
05-17-2011, 12:20 PM
Unless you play abnormal hours there is a healthy amount of players on in this game. Also this is everquest afterall, and good friends are easy to come by. I've never played a game where the community is so helpfull and friendly.

Nagash
05-17-2011, 01:09 PM
As mentionned by YendorLootmonkey, if you want the ability to solo, cross rogue from your list (and ranger until they get the fear animal spell in Velious). Leaves you with wizard, mage and shaman. They all bring good thing to their group and can all solo so it boils down to what you prefer. So when making your choice just bear in mind the following:

1- You want to have fun

2- What do you want to bring to the groups you will join?

3- Does it matter if your class/race combination is already fairly present? Not sure: is it in your time zone? You may rarely meet your peers. Also, no one will mind if you are the 347th Iksar shaman as long as you are a good one. This will be enough to make you shine out of the crowd.

All in all, welcome in our little community, I hope you enjoy your stay and no one will hate you (well, no one here) if you try to bring some friends with you :)

Petitpas/Nagash

Shadey
05-17-2011, 03:11 PM
Have you considered Necro at all? The best solo class, does well in groups with great DPS. Can heal themselves and others. Great mana regen. And can Feign Death. :D

baalzy
05-17-2011, 04:47 PM
As a first character, I generally recommend going with a Mage, Shaman, Druid, or Necro. Unless you play during primetime or are coming here with a friend or two that you plan to duo-trio with, you might run into times where you'll have to be self sufficient. Any of these choices give you the option of running off on your own and not needing a group.
(keep in mind, Shaman will be the slowest at soloing, especially until lvl 34 but also the most capable of getting into groups at later levels)
If you want to play a Wizard you can also do it from level 1 without having to depend on a group (and frankly, there will be a lot of times when you won't be getting a group), but it would be easier on you if you had a few hundred PP in seed money. Wizards are 100% dependent on mana and having a higher max mana pool for them can mean the difference between finishing a mob off or dieing/having to gate. Also, being able to afford SoW pots helps too.

To this end, even if you only play a mage or necro to lvl 20 or 30 and end up getting bored, they're capable of providing the seed money to make your life easier.

Dezik
05-19-2011, 03:57 AM
Thanks all for the great responses! It's nice to see your opinions on class breakdowns as its been a while since i've played a truly classic EQ and it's a nice refresher.

So far I have made 3 chars and plan to level each to lvl 8 and then make a final decision, got a iksar shaman, dark elf wiz and gnome mage. So far I am leaning toward the shaman but we'll see what happens.

Aprio
05-19-2011, 05:03 AM
Shaman will win at 9, you get SoW then. But the fire pet on mage will make you feel godlike at that level too :)

gnomishfirework
05-19-2011, 05:21 AM
Hybrids have an exp penalty on here. Play a shaman, you'll enjoy it and even though there are a number of them on here, they are very much wanted in groups.

baalzy
05-19-2011, 02:32 PM
Keep in mind that as an Iksar you won't be able to use a JBB (mana-free nuke) because they can't wear plate.

It's not a huge deal, but something to think about.

However, if you go Troll worshipper of Inny you can quest a necklace that lets you cast Snare (the only way for a shaman to snare) while having the same regen as an iksar. The lower starting wisdom won't be much of a deal and is easily mitigated by the higher stam.

Another piece of advice from me, if you put starting points into wis/int on any wis/int caster, don't put the full 25 in. It'll ultimately buy you very little, 10-15 points is plenty. The remaining you can put into stam or Str (if I had to redo my necros starting points I'd go 10str, 5 stam, 15 int as a complete newbie. If starting as a twink I'd go 15str/15stam, my personal preference).

I ran into many times leveling my gnome up where I really wished I had more str to carry loot so I wouldn't have to give up my camp, rarely was I wanting for mana. Infact, I still fairly often wish I had more str, weight reduction bags help with the loot but there isn't any way to alleviate the weight of coins. That 10str means I could probably xp for an extra 2 hours before being too overweight to continue.

Morlaeth
05-19-2011, 07:21 PM
Thanks all for the great responses! It's nice to see your opinions on class breakdowns as its been a while since i've played a truly classic EQ and it's a nice refresher.

So far I have made 3 chars and plan to level each to lvl 8 and then make a final decision, got a iksar shaman, dark elf wiz and gnome mage. So far I am leaning toward the shaman but we'll see what happens.

Send me (Morlaeth) a tell in game, I'll set ya up with some starting money.

Dezik
05-20-2011, 01:15 PM
Keep in mind that as an Iksar you won't be able to use a JBB (mana-free nuke) because they can't wear plate.

It's not a huge deal, but something to think about.

However, if you go Troll worshipper of Inny you can quest a necklace that lets you cast Snare (the only way for a shaman to snare) while having the same regen as an iksar. The lower starting wisdom won't be much of a deal and is easily mitigated by the higher stam.

Another piece of advice from me, if you put starting points into wis/int on any wis/int caster, don't put the full 25 in. It'll ultimately buy you very little, 10-15 points is plenty. The remaining you can put into stam or Str (if I had to redo my necros starting points I'd go 10str, 5 stam, 15 int as a complete newbie. If starting as a twink I'd go 15str/15stam, my personal preference).

I ran into many times leveling my gnome up where I really wished I had more str to carry loot so I wouldn't have to give up my camp, rarely was I wanting for mana. Infact, I still fairly often wish I had more str, weight reduction bags help with the loot but there isn't any way to alleviate the weight of coins. That 10str means I could probably xp for an extra 2 hours before being too overweight to continue.

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I am pretty set on Iksar as Iksar and DE's are my all-time favorite RPG races in any game heh, but I know it will kind of suck not being able to use JBB. I did not max out wis and split it up between wis / str / sta.

Send me (Morlaeth) a tell in game, I'll set ya up with some starting money.

That is very kind of you!! And much appreciated. I will admit it is a bit hard starting out fresh, spells seem more expensive than I remember haha, like 15plat for my lvl 9 spells already jeesh. I will be sure to send ya a tell the next time im on.

Still debating on my final class selection though I think I have it down to 2 now! Magician or Shaman! Thanks again for the advice all.

Dezik
05-21-2011, 11:16 PM
Hi all!!

So I finally made the decision and will be going with an Iksar Shaman. Thank you everyone who gave input it really helped me make the decision.

I did have a question however. So far i've been leveling exclusively in field of bone and am level 10. Would it be unwise for me to venture to the mainland as an Iksar? Are there any vendors there for me to utilize? I only ask because I see very few people selling things in Field of Bone and it would be nice to get my hands on some better gear as im currently using vendor bought leather type armor.

Thanks again! Having a blast on this server. Way more 'classic' then TLP ever was!

Kika Maslyaka
05-21-2011, 11:45 PM
technically, you are already on the main land ;)
Kunark is not any less of a continent than Antonika ;)
But I know what you mean - you want to get to EC.
But keep in mind, that pretty much everyone outside of Cabilis is out to get you.
I really don't know if Shady vendors in EC tunnel are on indifferent faction or not, but you definitely won't have access to any sort of a bank there.
This won't be an easy trip there and back, unless you find someone to TP you to WC