Picking a class for real!

[Lucia Moonglow]

Okay, so I'm stuck in a rut here and really need some advice. I need to stop jumping from one class to another and stick with one.

Some time ago, before Kunark was released on the server...hell, before planes raids even became a thing...I created a ranger. Yeah, I'm a long-time EQ veteran, and I stupidly created a ranger on a server that's emulating Pre-Luclin gameplay, experience penalties and all. That was a mistake. I currently have a 35 rogue, who seems more useful than the ranger, but finding groups is a CHORE.

So, here's the deal. I enjoy melee classes more than other class types, but the problem I'm really seeing is that I have trouble finding a group unless it's a fear kite group, which I find to be somewhat tedious. I just want a normal, ordinary group. Tank, healer, DPS. The ability to solo is essentially a "necessary evil" of sorts given the server's very sporadic population. To help you help me make a decision, here's a list of classes and how I generally feel about playing them.

Melee Classes
Warrior: I actually like playing warriors, but unless something is different here than it was in classic, warriors traditionally have a hard time holding agro. Also, as with all tanks, warriors are basically 100% group dependent, so I'd pretty much be completely screwed on XP. Also, warriors have no utility, so no sowing myself, no stealth, etc. A fun class for me IF I can find a group, though. I love gear, after all!

Paladin/SK: Like warriors, but with spells! I don't know if this server includes the low-end class improvements that were made where knights can tank almost as well as warriors, but since I see a lot of pally/SK tanks, I have to assume they did. I wouldn't mind playing either of these, but again, they are pretty much entirely group dependent, so that leaves me in the same rut as earlier.

Bard: Noooooooo. I respect the skill needed to play a bard, but if I wanted to rhythmically mash buttons in sequence, I'd be playing WoW.

Ranger: I absolutely love rangers, but thanks to pre-Luclin mechanics, they're a terribly gimped class right now that offer little benefit in exchange for their drawbacks.

Rogue: I also love rogues. Hide/sneak is really fun, and being able to provide a service to my group by doing corpse recoveries is also a plus. However, once again it's a 100% group dependent class.

Monk: Meh. Monks are really awesome, and that's cool. They can also solo, which is a rarity for a melee class, so that's another plus since they don't require a group. The big drawback for me, though, is that I don't enjoy pulling. Especially in dungeons. And that's what monks are expected to do.

Healer Classes
Cleric: It's nice to be wanted. Being the most in-demand healer class is certainly a plus, and even though they're totally group dependent, finding a group is usually pretty easy since everyone enjoys a healer. However, as I mentioned before, I really love being able to jump in and beat stuff up, or at least do some auxiliary damage.

Shaman: Shamans are pretty fun, but they're large race only, and I'm not a big fan of playing large races. That's not an entirely big deal, but it is there. I do like that shamans are decent healers and they can slow, dot, buff, and do damage if they need to. They can also solo reasonably well.

Druid: The ability to port would make finding groups extremely easy, and druids have decent heals, nukes, buffs, damage shields, and they're great for powerleveling and porting others, too. Honestly, when it comes to non-melee classes, druids are a fairly attractive option for me.

Caster Classes
Wizard: Ports, yay! Only being useful for one thing? Not so yay. Being able to blow things up is nice, but I'd like to have a little more variety if I'm going to play a spell-caster.

Magician: Pet classes are certainly fun, and mages can nuke, too! Obviously, I could get a job as DPS in a group, I could also solo if no groups could be found, and fear kite groups would basically amount to "Send pet, get XP", but again, caster classes, while fun, aren't my preferred cup of tea.

Enchanter: Whew. Chanters are extremely useful, and with care, they can solo, so that's good. However, being shoved into a role where I'm basically helping everyone and not directly contributing to the fight would feel a little awkward to me, same as with a cleric.

Necromancer: Basically, I feel the same about them as I do about mages. Fear kiting is a more economical, efficient way of soloing than using your pet to tank, and FD makes survival much easier, but I'd feel so stereotypical!

I also want to point out that I very much prefer grouping over soloing, so while the ability to solo is a plus, being useful and desirable in a group takes a little more priority, as does being able to settle in and get XP within 30 or so minutes of loading the game up, as I don't have hours every day to invest in the game.

I love this server and don't want to leave in frustration again, so please help make a suggestion that I will like, or at least try! I won't blame anyone if they suggest something and I don't enjoy it!