Choosing a class
 

Hi guys

So I have been back and forth in eq for some time now and have recently had an opportunity to come back to p99 again

In the most part I have always played a caster normally necros and bards.. so this time as something different I thought I would try my hand at a melee sort of class.

I do not have an abundance of time to play these days but can jump on for a few hours at a time...

I am thinking of trying one of two classes I have never played but always was curious about SK or a ranger

I've been playing around with both only done a few lvls but I was curious which has more luck of finding groups and which is a better or at least viable soloer as you progress through

I do have some PP during the stints I have played and will throw some gear (not like Uber twinkled but couple of kpp) at them but just curious how players who maybe have had more experience with each class think

I have a 49 ranger and love it, but have stopped playing him due to his dependence on groups and my limits on play time. I never had much trouble getting groups, but by mid-high 40s I felt like I wasn't making any progress in my short play stints, plus I felt bad leaving groups without pulls or a tank if I couldn't find a replacement before I left.


In the vast majority of groups you can expect to be very active. You'll be pulling the vast majority of the time and tanking when other tanks aren't available. Sometimes you'll be doing both. That said, at COM moat I can tell I'm hitting my limit with tanking; if mobs aren't slowed I take a lot of damage, whereas at earlier levels I held my own a lot better.

Rangers are really versatile and fun IMHO.

P.S. My ranger was my first guy to go past level 10 on the server, so he definitely wasn't twinked. A nice thing about rangers is there's some ranger only weapons that are dirt cheap because no one plays rangers :)

A lot of it depends on your goals. Do you want to run around the world and have fun seeing the sights? Any class will do, just play what you think seems interesting. If your ambitions are low, it really doesn't matter what you choose because nothing will put you to the test.

But if you think you might one day care about the actual performance of your character, the degree to which guilds will want to recruit you, and your desirability in raids, then it matters a lot what class you pick. Rangers are especially awful in Kunark (in case you're on green), though they get a little better with Velious. SKs are roughly the same throughout: fine tanks for XP groups and such, not particularly desired in raids, but with the potential to at least serve as pullers and occasional off-tanks.

Both are very low-demand classes. Nobody ever goes looking for a ranger or SK. If it's what you think is fun to play, and you don't care if people consider your class good, go right ahead. But if you're worried about investing your time into something that has no serious long-term potential, those are two of the worst classes to choose.

Why not play both =)

Then see what you like and stick with it

Good Luck out there

Troll SK, get immersed with 166% exp requirements! :)

Thanks for the responses guys

I would say no real goals right now just something to log onto and play enjoy and log out.. I've made both for now and see how we get on rangers have always appealed to me for some odd reason but can't for the life of me say why!!

I have rolled on blue just due to the fact that's where my pp was but may have a crack at green I do have a shaman on blue so may just have a play see how it lands

If you're curious about SK - totally give it a try. It's a fun, versatile, powerful and good-looking class.

FD, instant invis, cool necro spells, a pet (!), badass 2 handers, completable and awesome epic.
Look good in plate, lots of gear to chose from, can tank most stuff and snap aggro.

A little lacking in the DPS department at the higher levels but everyone can't be a DPS machine. Find some rogue or monk friends etc.

I second this

I have a 55 SK on blue and It's really fun!!

I would say play a class that can fill a new “role” that you’ve never played before on EQ. I was a pally forever in eq (and even in other MMOs). I went ranger, got it to 50 despite the hurdles and absolutely loved it.

I think the source of enjoyment was because I never really played a proper puller like monk/sk/ranger so it was a novel and enjoyable experience. I’ve tried playing a pally, for nostalgia, and can’t bring myself to log into it to level it up.

Edit:

SKs: great tanks, great pullers - might have to endure racial xp penalties on top of hybrid penalty.

Rangers - one of the top, if not the best, pullers for outdoor zones. Can tank in classic zones while leveling. However, there is a lot of stigma that people have towards them :(

I have both on Green.

They are both quite fun. On either you will wind up pulling/tanking for most groups. In higher end content, SK does a little more tanking and pulling, but Ranger is better for FTEs and is has its role for outdoor pulling.

I will say tracking is really addicting, and I really enjoy FTE racing on my Ranger. However, the SK is a little more versatile for soloing and running around indoors (FD and IVU make exploring dungeons easier and Fear opens up a lot more mobs to solo).

If you wanna go dungeon diving, go SK. If you wanna run around outdoors, go Ranger.