Easiest class to start with

[loopholbrook]

I'm about to make my first character and am just curious to what the best class to start with was. I was thinking monk, rogue, or shammy would be the easiest? By easiest I meant best class untwinked.
Thanks for the input everyone. This thread has turned into a flamewar twice. You can keep posting here if you want, but I'm done with this thread. Once again, thanks for the help everyone.

[Zuranthium]

Out of those options, if you really want "easiest", then be an Iksar Monk.

[Doors]

Iksar monk def ain't the easiest out of that list bro. I would expect an everquest guru to know more about simplistic questions such as that one.

[Tewaz]

Monk is too gear dependent. I would go with a shaman personally.

[Fawqueue]

Shammy would be easier out of those options. Non-casting melee classes tend to be mor gear reliant and less capable soloers. Shamans on the other hand become quite capable, with subpar gear, at many things. Start the shammy, then later on you can twink out a rogue/monk and enjoy that experience.

[Trademaster]

Do not question the guru.

Of those options, if you're looking for easy go magician druid or necromancer.

[loopholbrook]

I wasn't limiting it to those options, I was just saying that's what I remembered being easy and was asking for a second opinion.

[Zuranthium]

Iksar monk def ain't the easiest out of that list bro. I would expect an everquest guru to know more about simplistic questions such as that one.

You seriously going to troll every post I make with your pure idiocy?

Rogues are the absolute worst class in the game at soloing and until Level 10, when they get backstab, they are the worst class in the game in general. If this guy is starting EQ for the first time ever, Rogue is definitely not what he should be playing unless he has a really strong desire to play that class.

Shaman at the earlier levels are not great soloers and since this is his first time playing the game, it may also be difficult to maximize his abilities as a caster.

Starting as a Monk only requires walking up to things, hitting the auto-attack button, and using your attack skills on recharge. Being an Iksar will provide the natural health regen to lessen downtime and they also have infravision, which is absolutely required for anyone starting the game if they want "easy". Plenty of people want Monks in groups and they are less reliant on weapons than all of the other melee classes.

[Zuranthium]

I wasn't limiting it to those options, I was just saying that's what I remembered being easy and was asking for a second opinion.

How much did you play EQ before? Also, do you have a general idea of what you'd eventually like to do in the game?

If it's open to any class, and "easiest" is really the only concern, then Trademaster is correct. Necromancer, Magician, or Druid.

[Doors]

Bro if hes a newb iksar will give him a hard time moving around the wide world of norrath. Also monks are way too gear dependant. Aren't you supposed to be some kind of certified expert or something? A guru of everquest knowledge?

[loopholbrook]

Played EQ from Kunark-Ykesha,but I was really young at that time, then again for the summer of 2007. So I don't really remember classic EQ too well which is why I was asking.
In my first run I had a shammy, a monk, and a pally(all under level 30) and I remember those all being easy, but I liked the monk the best. Then in 2007 I had a 67 ranger, a 56 warrior, and a 42 bard, and the ranger and warrior sucked at solo, but were great in groups.

tl;dnr I'm an EQ vet, not an EQ classic vet.

[Slave]

You will definitely enjoy shaman. They are probably the 2nd most purely powerful class in the game behind bard, in my opinion.

[Zuranthium]

Bro if hes a newb iksar will give him a hard time moving around the wide world of norrath.

You don't need to "move around the wide world" as an Iksar. Everything you need is in Kunark. That was the fatal flaw in creating a playable race whose special abilities were supposed to be balanced by being universally hated everywhere else in the World...you don't actually need to ever go very far from your home town as an Iksar to level up and obtain gear (until you are higher level and established, at which point it doesn't matter much anyway).

Also monks are way too gear dependant.

Maybe to someone like you who is obsessed with twinking, but in actuality you can do fine with your bare hands as a Monk until you save up money. That was part of the draw of the class to begin with - they were a melee class who didn't have to worry too much about gear. Obviously this changes in the higher levels of Kunark but earlier on Monks don't need much gear to be workable.

[jerus]

Bard would be a great one to start to get a high level toon quickly. However imo they are quite limited at that point being a very poor up close and personal solo class. Basically making camping items pretty painful.

[georgie]

human monk, end of story(period)

[Numbers_]

I have a monk and a shaman at low mid levels.

If you are talking low levels a monk is much easier to solo even with crap gear (what I had). It's pretty easy to save up some cash for fighting batons and cured silk (or wus) and camp for a Iksar berserkers club (my god that is a long and boring camp tho).

They do have radically different roles in groups so keep that in mind. As a monk you will be expected to pull and you'll have to learn how to feign split (which I find fun). It's not as laid back as some classes.

The shaman have a lot of options with spells, are more complex and I feel much more helpful to others playing a shaman. Buffing up lower level people is always fun.

They're are a lot of both running around, but I actually think I have an easier time getting a group as a monk because you really only need one healer (and cleric is best) and more than one dps.

You may want to make more than one class, play it to 10 and decide then. Warning, you may end up like I have - not being able to make a definite decision ;)

[Dr4z3r]

I would say start a Halfling Druid, and just level up to the 30's and make a little money.

Then, decide what you really want to play.

Other classes that are not gear-dependent include Mage, Necro, Bard.

Classes that are easy to play include Warrior, Wizard, Rogue with gear.

[maestrom]

Mage, Necro, Druid are typically considered "easy mode" classes.

Of the three, Mage is probably the easiest at the moment.

Quick overview:

Druids can get around the recent DoT damage reduction on moving targets by root rotting and they also have GREAT mobility. They run into problems with mana regeneration however.

Necros have some of the best mana regen in the game combined with pet + very powerful DoTs AND the extra survivability of feign death make them pretty awesome. They can also get around the DoT damage reduction on moving targets by fearing their targets (necros don't get root until much later). Fear can be tricky though if you're just starting out.

Mages are just pretty awesome. as long as you can single pull, you should be able to take out pretty much anything in your level range. Just send in your Fire pet (remember to nuke at least once toward the end of the fight) and make sure he's got Damage Shield on him and stuff will die pretty quicky. Mana regeneration is tough just like with druids but most mages spend less mana since the majority of their damage is coming from their pet and not their spell. The biggest problem I've seen with mages is their lack of survivability. If you manage to bite off a little more than you can chew, you're pretty much boned.

[Messianic]

Shaman are a lot easier than any of the other classes. Having inner fire at low levels (your most mana-efficient heal until level 19) along with access to sow itself - not to mention having it at level 9 - is a massive safety valve. Shaman may not level quickly, but they level very safely.

[Enderenter]

Easiest class ≠ easiest to solo with.

If you're just starting out on this server, probably anything other than necro, mage, druid is going to be very group dependant very early on. If you don't want to be one of those three, and don't mind being group dependent, rogue is probably the easiest.

[xshayla701]

I was new to EQ when I started p99 and I have a mage. I think that says something...

If I can make it to level 52 despite the fact that I blow at this game then I think you can handle a mage~

[Bruno]

Based on your original post, and assuming you aren't going to be twinked, shaman is the easiest class to solo with if you're going for survivability and less down time, and rogue is the easiest class to play out of those three in groups because it's mindless.

Actually I just reread the original post and my choices were based on the 3 classes he posted. I just read his post wrong, thinking those were the three he meant to use.

My choice for rogue as far as easiest being less work remains the same, but I would choose necro over shaman any day to solo with from scratch.

[Deathrydar]

I am not sure where a lot of these answers are coming from, but to my experience with EverQuest, the easiest classes to level are as follows:

1. Druid
2. Necromancer
3. Bard
4. Magician

The only reason Necromancer isn't 1st is because of the "evil" factor and research.
One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

[Eyeke]

I am not sure where a lot of these answers are coming from, but to my experience with EverQuest, the easiest classes to level are as follows:

1. Druid
2. Necromancer
3. Bard
4. Magician

The only reason Necromancer isn't 1st is because of the "evil" factor and research.
One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

playing a bard is easy once you learn how to kite
playing a bard that's worth a shit in a group is very hard and takes a ton of attention.

I've noticed most people on this server don't even pay attention to the bard. I grouped with one the other day who didn't even play songs most fights. =(

[Enderenter]

I am not sure where a lot of these answers are coming from, but to my experience with EverQuest, the easiest classes to level are as follows:

1. Druid
2. Necromancer
3. Bard
4. Magician

The only reason Necromancer isn't 1st is because of the "evil" factor and research.
One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

Swarm Kiting as a bard is not what I would call "easiest", or anything close to it.

Since everyone else in this thread reads "easiest" to be best soloers, here are my rankings.

1. Mage (firepet at low levels > all)
2. Necromancer (once they have the mana pool to reasonably fear kite they are set)
3. Druid (root rot, can't really snare kite anymore with the recent patch - 66% of max dot damage when mob is moving and not feared)

[Messianic]

One of those top 4 should do you just fine. Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

Eh, I disagree. Iksar are completely self-sufficient and have some of the best leveling areas all to themselves. Kurn's tower is absolutely awesome, even solo.

[Bruno]

2. Necromancer (once they have the mana pool to reasonably fear kite they are set)

Don't forget being able to feign, split mobs, CC, crack themselves, and IVU. Besides crack and IVU, the other three are the biggest issues I have as a mage when it comes to soloing certain areas, especially dungeons.

[Verenity]

As a first character on a server, I have a suggestion that no one else has stated - cleric. Clerics really don't need any sort of special gear to be good at their class (at all) since it's more about the mana regen you can attain in a group than the max amount of mana you can hold (until the raiding scene with cheal rotations). My cleric was my first character and I've barely had to buy a single thing for myself while making a decent profit off of such things as rezzes. You'll also rarely be searching for a group for long.... anyways, that's just my 2 cents.

P.S. Don't expect to be able to solo worth a damn.

[Stormhowl]

Shaman are a lot easier than any of the other classes. Having inner fire at low levels (your most mana-efficient heal until level 19) along with access to sow itself - not to mention having it at level 9 - is a massive safety valve. Shaman may not level quickly, but they level very safely.

Without twink gear, Shaman is very difficult from around 6 until... well, well past 14 that's for sure. Root at 14 makes it easier, but things don't get better until level 24 when you get your next batch of DoTs and Cannibalize.

Your lower weapon skill caps (compared to real melee) starts to show around level 6 (where your skills, when capped, are as good as a level 5 warrior's and it starts to dove-tail from there). It's also at that level where your mana regen compared to your increasing mana pool is slower than molasses rolling downhill, but it gets so much better at 8 once you train Meditate.

Your spells mana:damage ratios aren't the greatest (Frost Rift, and then later Spirit Strike) are all 1:1 damage, and your DoTs Sicken (30 mana for 8 damage up front and 2 damage every 6 seconds) needs to last at least 1 min 6 seconds to meet the 1:1 damage:mana ratio while Tainted Breath (40 mana for 10 damage up front and 8 damage every 6 seconds) needs to last 24 seconds to be 1:1 damage:mana, and while it's better than Sicken, it's also very expensive when baseline you'll probably have ~300 mana untwinked at level 9. :(

I would not recommend Shaman to a new player, unless they want something of Moderate difficulty, because it's definitely not easier than a Druid, Mage, or Necro as others have said. Your spells are inefficient, you are in melee range at all times until level 14 unless grouping when your skill caps are lower than real melee classes (It's 4*(Level+1), where as melee are 5*(Level+1)), IIRC, and it truly doesn't get better until level 24 when you get some really strong DoTs, and the inefficient spells can be offset with Cannibalizing (50 HP into 20 Mana doesn't sound great, but when you Canni-Dance it's friggin' fantastic, and you'll have better mana regen than any other Priest class).

But, yeah, to make a long story short, unless you're twinked, I wouldn't recommend Shaman to someone looking for an easy class to start with.

Edit: That isn't to say the class isn't enjoyable. I mained Shaman for my entire EQ "career" and loved every second of it, even when 1-24 was rough as hell. But I'm being as honest as I can be, when I say that if you're looking for an easy class to start with, stay the hell away from a Shaman. If you want to play a healer, Druid would be best out of the three since you have a lot of tools early (Snare @ 1, Root, Invis and Whirling Wind (spell interrupt) @ 5, super efficient DoTs @ 14) that make them better early game soloers than Shaman, and your ports at level 24 can start making you some money. You get SoW later than a Shaman (by 5 levels), but you have snare from level 1 to offset that whole issue, and you get root 5 levels earlier than them.

So I would have to agree with everyone else when they say Druid, Necro, or Mage.

[loopholbrook]

Let me revise what I was saying people are getting the wrong idea, and that's my fault for being vague. What's the best class to start untwinked? That's what I'm really trying to ask.

[Stormhowl]

Let me revise what I was saying people are getting the wrong idea, and that's my fault for being vague. What's the best class to start untwinked? That's what I'm really trying to ask.

Well, for the most part people hit the nail right on the head. Any caster is non-gear dependent, as gear will only affect your longevity (and at higher levels, your mana regen if you have any FT items). Monks are also non-gear dependent, as their fists and cloth armor are all they need.

But I think a lot of what was already said stands, Druid, Mage, Necro, Monk are all non-gear dependent and solo well to varying degrees.

Edit: My previous post was a wall of text? Jesus, your standards are low, whomever that is. 0.o

[Gwindor]

Make a MAGE or NECRO...and pm me i can tell you some sweet spots from lvl 20+ of good exp..and like 1kpp a hour(if u pick mage) necro might be slightly different

[Azazel]

Out of those options, if you really want "easiest", then be an Iksar Monk.

yeah this is why everyone thinks you're an idiot. You proclaim deep understanding of EQ, but your pronouncments are specious. To play a monk at all well you need to be able to FD pull, which is one of the few areas of EQ where it can reasonably be claimed that skill is required. You certainly need an understanding of game mechanics and knowledge of dungeon layouts.

[loopholbrook]

Well, for the most part people hit the nail right on the head. Any caster is non-gear dependent, as gear will only affect your longevity (and at higher levels, your mana regen if you have any FT items). Monks are also non-gear dependent, as their fists and cloth armor are all they need.

But I think a lot of what was already said stands, Druid, Mage, Necro, Monk are all non-gear dependent and solo well to varying degrees.

Edit: My previous post was a wall of text? Jesus, your standards are low, whomever that is. 0.o

No, the reason I revised that is because your post was so accurate to what I was asking, as where everyone else thought I meant easy mode.

[Zuranthium]

yeah this is why everyone thinks you're an idiot. You proclaim deep understanding of EQ, but your pronouncments are specious. To play a monk at all well you need to be able to FD pull, which is one of the few areas of EQ where it can reasonably be claimed that skill is required. You certainly need an understanding of game mechanics and knowledge of dungeon layouts.

Everyone doesn't think I'm an idiot, mainly only people who can't understand the topic of discussion at hand think that. Which definitely includes you in this case.

The poster asked what was the easiest class to START as. FD pulling is not something that is required to level a Monk up. It's expected that he'll, you know, learn and get better at the game as he plays it and by the time he's a higher level Monk he'll know how to FD pull in dungeons.

In terms of starting the game, out of the classes he asked about in the original post, Iksar Monk is the easiest out of those choices for the reasons I've talked about. They are going to be at least as good at soloing as Shaman earlier in the game (probably better), they are wanted in groups, and they are less complicated to play than managing Shaman spells.

Let me revise what I was saying people are getting the wrong idea, and that's my fault for being vague. What's the best class to start untwinked? That's what I'm really trying to ask.

Well "best" and "easiest" are two different things. ;)

It depends on how you want to play the game eventually if we're getting into "best".

But for "easiest" it's Necromancer, Magician, or Druid. Probably Iksar Necromancer if I had to specifically pick just one. Necromancers are amazing at soloing and will die less than a Magician because of the various tools they have, and starting as an Iksar gives you all the hunting areas you need within walking distance of your starting city.

[Doors]

Maybe if you didn't come off as such an asshole in your posts bro people wouldn't be shitting all over you. That and you probably shouldn't introduce yourself to a new community as a guru and certified expert.

[Tewaz]

You can't really solo very well with a monk. Fist start out as 4/36 weapon = fail. And a 40% racial penalty, no thanks. Zura = ice skating guru, not EQ guru.

[Skope]

Easy, eh?

Go necro. May not be the "easiest" if played well, but there's an endless bag of tricks and you will always have the option of soloing to 60 with relative ease. They're not gear dependent whatsoever so there's not much point to twinking one out. Mid-range droppable gear will get you about as far as any uber no drop stuff.

[Bruno]

Maybe if you didn't come off as such an asshole in your posts bro people wouldn't be shitting all over you. That and you probably shouldn't introduce yourself to a new community as a guru and certified expert.

It's his competitive nature that everyone is having a hard time with. :D

[Daywolf]

Mage, Necro, Druid are typically considered "easy mode" classes.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. of course as with most classes, dependent on groups for fastest xp until late teens. After that, group or not, easiest going. In the short run, pre-20, probably ranger with a 2-h, but near useless later on (until fear), unless you just really like the class of course.

[Zuranthium]

You can't really solo very well with a monk. Fist start out as 4/36 weapon = fail.

LOL, the number goes up as you level and you have Dual Wield from the start and attack skills. It's workable until you save money for a better primary weapon.

You probably shouldn't introduce yourself to a new community as a guru and certified expert.

I didn't. People were closed-minded and had to continually attack all of my ideas in the threads I started rather than actually discussing, even after I linked a very detailed explanation of my experiences in Classic EQ without making any kind of declaration.

[Doors]

Bro I am the real everquest expert. Peep the fucking sig. If you have any questions just ask me.

[JenJen]

doors/zura - its like every single thread somehow includes this love/hate thing you have got going on. carry on.

[ChairmanMauzer]

Also, do not choose an Iksar!!! They are fun as hell, but you are hated EVERYWHERE and are constantly running for your life or traveling long distances trying to find a vendor to sell/buy from you.

Making a Necro that isn't a Iksar is needlessly crippling yourself.

[Messianic]

Making a Necro that isn't a Iksar is needlessly crippling yourself.

Yeah, all those non-iksar necros are so crippled, they clearly can't solo well or anything

[Tiggles]

Rogue

[ChairmanMauzer]

Yeah, all those non-iksar necros are so crippled, they clearly can't solo well or anything

I didn't say they can't function at all. The regen bonus is an appreciable difference that no other necro race offers. Considering you can level 1 - 60 in Kunark, the faction hindrance isn't that big of a deal. Regen helps your efficiency and that's what necro soloing is all about. Being more efficient means you kill faster and I've found this easily offsets the racial exp penalty.

[Messianic]

I didn't say they can't function at all. The regen bonus is an appreciable difference that no other necro race offers. Considering you can level 1 - 60 in Kunark, the faction hindrance isn't that big of a deal. Regen helps your efficiency and that's what necro soloing is all about. Being more efficient means you kill faster and I've found this easily offsets the racial exp penalty.

It doesn't, unfortunately =/ Running the #'s:

Levels 8-19 - an extra 2 hp per tick, sitting = 20 hp extra per minute. Dark Pact = 2 mana for 4 hp every tick, or 0.5 mana for each hp, so 10 extra mana per minute.

Levels 20-34 - An extra 3 hp per tick, sitting = 30 hp extra per minute. Allure of Death = 4 mana for 8 hp every tick, or 0.5 mana for each hp, so 15 extra mana per minute.

Levels 34-48 - An extra 3 hp per tick, sitting = 30 hp extra, blah blah - Call of Bones = 8 mana for 16 hp, so 0.5 mana for each hp. 15 extra mana per minute.

Level 49 - extra 3 hp per tick, 30 hp extra per minute - Lich has a .625 mana-hp ratio, so approximately 19 extra mana per minute.

Level 50 - extra 4 per tick sitting regen. 40 extra hp per minute. 25 extra mana per minute.


Are you seeing my point?


Let's just jump to level 60:

Arch Lich = 35/53 mana/hp per tick, with 11 extra hp regen while sitting (7 for non-regen races, 18 for iksar). 110 hp per minute, so approximately 70 mana extra per minute, which isn't half bad - but definitely doesn't offset the iksar experience penalty (even ignoring all the lost time from 1-49), even if that same amount of mana was being given throughout your 50s - which it's not, it's a little lower.


If you play iksar, you can play it for the end-game uberness, or appearance, or cool hunting grounds or because you love kunark, or any other assortment of reasons which I entirely agree with :) - but faster leveling isn't one of those.

Sources:
Regen: http://www.monkly-business.net/index.php?pageid=abilities
Spells: http://crys.org/everquest/spells/necrospells.asp?minrank=1&maxrank=65

If i'm wrong on any of those necro lich-type spells in terms of their ratio, i apologize and am totally open to correction...

[ChairmanMauzer]

Most of those results mean that I can cast one less lifetap per fight, but to each their own.The extra regen doesn't inherently give me more mana, it means I have to cast less self-heal spells which in the end saves me mana which I can spend on more mana efficient damaging spells. It a lot easier of a playstyle too when lich doesn't sap your life as quickly. You can med for longer period when low mana without having to switch off lich due to low life.

[loopholbrook]

Making a Necro that isn't a Iksar is needlessly crippling yourself.

>implying Dark Elves make bad necros.

[abandon.shape]

>implying Dark Elves make bad necros.

>implying this server doesn't min/max

[Ostros]

LOL, the number goes up as you level and you have Dual Wield from the start and attack skills. It's workable until you save money for a better primary weapon.



I didn't. People were closed-minded and had to continually attack all of my ideas in the threads I started rather than actually discussing, even after I linked a very detailed explanation of my experiences in Classic EQ without making any kind of declaration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qy9KvDtI5w#t=4m50s

[Ostros]

I'm about to make my first character and am just curious to what the best class to start with was. I was thinking monk, rogue, or shammy would be the easiest? By easiest I meant best class untwinked.

Best class UNTWINKED would be bard. They literally need next to nothing to do their job in a solo setting. However: learning how to Bard properly takes some skill, as I understand.

Next would be necromancer in my opinion. They regen mana almost as fast as an Enchanter of the same level, and are almost bards in that they have a very wide array of spells that do almost anything. A good number of these spells have little caveats, however, like the fact that some of them are undead only. They are also one of the few classes that can solo efficiently to max level. You'll want to save up for INT and MANA gear, however, as they get better and better at soloing well with larger mana pools.

I hear classic Shamen are really good too, as are monks because their mitigation hasn't been punched in the dick yet (and won't ever be on this server IIRC). Really all of the classes are good choices other than Warriors and Rangers, but even then this is just a side effect of the presence of the Min/Max mindset which is somehow plaguing this server.

[renegadeofunk]

Mage can basically level up naked with /pet attack /cast 1.

(ok the pet heal too but you get my point)

[Bootcamp]

Mage can basically level up naked with /pet attack /cast 1.

(ok the pet heal too but you get my point)

atleast there's a single bluebie who knows how to play EQ. If anyone says that another class is easier to start with than a mage, they know nothing of this game.

[Fourthmeal]

atleast there's a single bluebie who knows how to play EQ. If anyone says that another class is easier to start with than a mage, they know nothing of this game.

What he said.

[thrawnseg]

Are the pets still broken and doing terrible damage?

[Bubbles]

Here's an obvious one that hasnt been thrown out yet:

Make a Cleric. Gear means little to nothing till the 30s, just some hp and mana gear and basic banded/plate armor will serve you well.

And you can team up with pretty much any melee/pet caster class and kill pretty much anything.

God forbid later on when you score donal gloves (yay free ac), bracers (yay free pacify), arms (yay free hp buff/ghetto heal), boots (yay free AE faction/item farming), and helm (ummm.. yay for yaulping yer fat ass to the bank? ok, helm's stretching it). Kunark brought two awesome things to the table : CLICKIES and ... 58568165 zones worth of undead mobs that give xp well into the 50s. This bodes well for clerics.

Cleric combines the ease of the pet casters with the free armors the non-monk melee get! It's the best of both worlds.

Obviously if you plan on soloing a bit more, going shaman (it's root-rot hell till 34, then it's soloer's paradise) is not a bad idea, and you can still heal when duoing grouping and sow is highly underrated -- never having to camp jboots is always a bonus.

Obviously necro is the most fun you can have with your pants on, and classes like mages and druids and shammies and monks n' such are fun too.. But I'd seriously consider a cleric if you wanna buck the trends a bit. Healing isn't for everyone, but there's no other class that can enter a dungeon and have their entire screen purple /tell spammed by people wanting you in groups... quite like a halfway competent cleric.

If you have a pulse, you are basically an all star. If you even put in the effort to learn how to lull-split camps or atone mobs going postal on enchanters or even just learning how to root/park adds or stun caster mobs... the masses will erect statues in your honor.

Just my two cents.

[Verenity]

Here's an obvious one that hasnt been thrown out yet:

Make a Cleric. Gear means little to nothing till the 30s, just some hp and mana gear and basic banded/plate armor will serve you well.

And you can team up with pretty much any melee/pet caster class and kill pretty much anything.

God forbid later on when you score donal gloves (yay free ac), bracers (yay free pacify), arms (yay free hp buff/ghetto heal), boots (yay free AE faction/item farming), and helm (ummm.. yay for yaulping yer fat ass to the bank? ok, helm's stretching it). Kunark brought two awesome things to the table : CLICKIES and ... 58568165 zones worth of undead mobs that give xp well into the 50s. This bodes well for clerics.

Cleric combines the ease of the pet casters with the free armors the non-monk melee get! It's the best of both worlds.

Obviously if you plan on soloing a bit more, going shaman (it's root-rot hell till 34, then it's soloer's paradise) is not a bad idea, and you can still heal when duoing grouping and sow is highly underrated -- never having to camp jboots is always a bonus.

Obviously necro is the most fun you can have with your pants on, and classes like mages and druids and shammies and monks n' such are fun too.. But I'd seriously consider a cleric if you wanna buck the trends a bit. Healing isn't for everyone, but there's no other class that can enter a dungeon and have their entire screen purple /tell spammed by people wanting you in groups... quite like a halfway competent cleric.

If you have a pulse, you are basically an all star. If you even put in the effort to learn how to lull-split camps or atone mobs going postal on enchanters or even just learning how to root/park adds or stun caster mobs... the masses will erect statues in your honor.

Just my two cents.

I did toss that out :(

[Bruno]

I did toss that out :(

^
http://www.project1999.org/forums/showpost.php?p=311656&postcount=28

[Rotted_Corpse]

The best "ungeared" or Untwinked class by far is the Necro. You can do virtually everything a geared necro can (just a more med time is all so a lil slower). And xp faster and do more then most classes fully geared. IMO the most powerful class in the game. Again IMO all.

Iksar is a preferred race by many for the hp regen. I went that route on 99 and if you know the zones and where to go the "mythical" xp penalty that so many WHINE about isn't even a factor. My necro is now lvl 37 and about a month and a half old. And I spent a lot of time working on research with no XP happening. 145 skill now $$$

In live I played a DE Necro as I started at game start. Played all the way into end game content in each expac up through Omens. So a DE can do it just as well as a Iksar. Just got to watch your hp's more is all.

If you go the necro route and have any questions shoot me a tell. Would be more then happy to help ya. :)

Oh and there is a nice post where some of us wrote up leveling guides for necro's. Post is named "Iksar Necro Guide".

Rotted Corpse
Necromancer of Cabilis

[baalzy]

Agree that Necro is great untwinked. Just to nitpick though, technically you'd have less med time on a non-twinked necro to go from OOM to FM because of a smaller mana pool :P.

But the only time your mana pool really comes into play is if you're trying to break a difficult camp. Having that extra 100-200 mana could mean the difference between breaking the camp and getting a good spawn split, or dieing/feigning and having to try again.

[Arkanjil]

I really liked the playstyle of necros. They can navigate a dungeon w/ undead fairly easily and they solo like champs. Get yourself a haste belt, staff of undead legions, and go to town with your pet!

Fun times!

[Tewaz]

Logged on my 36 Bard in OT last night. Went from 3 yellows in 36 to 1 yellow in 38 in 1 hour 4 minutes and made about 350 pp.

Bard is the easiest class to start with. Or necro.

/end thread

[Arkanjil]

Logged on my 36 Bard in OT last night. Went from 3 yellows in 36 to 1 yellow in 38 in 1 hour 4 minutes and made about 350 pp.

Bard is the easiest class to start with. Or necro.

/end thread

Stop giving away the OPness of bards! :p

[Zuranthium]

Logged on my 36 Bard in OT last night. Went from 3 yellows in 36 to 1 yellow in 38 in 1 hour 4 minutes and made about 350 pp.

Bard is the easiest class to start with. Or necro.

/end thread

You may be able to do that with your Bard, but a new player will not be able to. I've had several lower level Bards on this server tell me they can't swarm kite when I gave them suggestions. Plus twisting songs in general is something that will annoy many people. It's far from the easiest class to start with.

[Stormhowl]

You may be able to do that with your Bard, but a new player will not be able to. I've had several lower level Bards on this server tell me they can't swarm kite when I gave them suggestions. Plus twisting songs in general is something that will annoy many people. It's far from the easiest class to start with.

*cough*

http://www.project1999.org/forums/showthread.php?p=311767#post311767

So many people missed the point of the thread. Easiest to play untwinked =/= easiest to play in all respects.

[Tewaz]

I am sure the bards just come out the woodworking:

"Oh Zura come near so I can bask in your magnificence"

"Oh Zura, let me touch your ice skates"

"Oh Zura, I no can haz exp's the mobs all touch me and makes me die, you can halp me?"

Kiting really isn't that hard and I can kill 80 mobs at a time with a horn that cost 8 gold and my underwear.

[Zuranthium]

*shrug*, I've had 3 different bards tell me they couldn't really do it. I think one of them, Eyeke, was eventually able to get decent at it but still does not find it "easy" and prefers grouping over trying to swarm kite.

[Rotted_Corpse]

Agree that Necro is great untwinked. Just to nitpick though, technically you'd have less med time on a non-twinked necro to go from OOM to FM because of a smaller mana pool :P.

But the only time your mana pool really comes into play is if you're trying to break a difficult camp. Having that extra 100-200 mana could mean the difference between breaking the camp and getting a good spawn split, or dieing/feigning and having to try again.

Which is exactly what I meant about medding. Less mana means medding more often. And as you said its not as big of a deal unless your splitting a camp of multiple mobs. Pretty much semantics as I didn't elaborate. What I said still holds true. :)