Class population breakdowns

[Dakel]

I saw these great class population diagrams here

http://wiki.project1999.com/Project1999:About

Just wondering if there were any more up to date ones? I don't know why, I just find them fascinating.

Some random thoughts looking at these...

I wonder if some of the unpopular classes are that way because they're broken, or just very difficult?

Rangers for example. Even in lower level classes, very unpopular despite being an interesting class overall.

Evil vs good. SK's are unpopular, but necros are hugely popular. Ok, so that's because Necro's are like solo chars on crack. Still, SK's are unpopular despite being really great tanks.

Bards. Seriously a confusing one for me! They can solo, and bring a lot of value to groups. Very cool. I also find it interesting that right from the start of EQ, it was said that Bards can solo or be part of a group. Yet, to me, their solo ability seems more like an accident of game mechanics. Did the original dev team really want Bards to be able to kite? Or did they anticipate they would solo in some other way? Either way, why aren't bards more popular? Is it just because they all get carpal tunnel?

To a lesser extent, the Ranger class is the same. I know they're difficult because well, sadly, they tend to die. So much agro and so few ways to mitigate it. Soloing is possible though, and a good ranger is good at DPS for sure. I've known some really great rangers that can solo very efficiently.

Maybe it's just that those classes eke out the margins. The core of the game is designed for group play, so those classes tend to rule the day. Warriors, monks, rogues, enchanters, clerics, shamans. All solid group classes and tend to be popular.

Solo artists tend to go with the most efficient. Necros and Druids. Ok, just a thought on druids...my first char long ago was a druid. I had no idea they were overpowered, or easier to play than other classes. For me, when I realized that and saw it. I no longer wanted to play that class. So many powerful spells! I guess they were the good solo artists to offset the evil necro ones? Would just love to know what the game designers had in mind at the start, and then how things evolved. Did it turn out the way they wanted?

So, does that mean that rangers are just second rate at everything? Easier to solo with a necro, easier to group as a monk or rogue for dps?

So, popularity is maybe a result of...

Group friendly classes overall do better. All of them, even the less popular. Solo artists do less well, and tend to gravitate toward the most efficient options. I think that would explain all except the poor little bards...

Ok, so that's more than a few random thoughts but there it is.

[Troxx]

Such graphs are also less relevant given the age of the server, the fact that many people have multiple high level alts ... and of course ... Chardok AE. If the server were younger you would get a much more accurate idea of what people would actually choose as their main character.

[Jimjam]

I find /who all (class) count an interesting tool. Sure, it doesn't tell you who is an alt and who is a main, but it does tell you which characters everyone prefers to play at one time.

You might get your results tainted by some people who are not boxing alts in EC for tunnel reasons though.

[Dakel]

Good point Troxx! Age of server is definitely a factor. I guess the early class population breakdown may be the most revealing.

Elf, I'm not as familiar with the redundancy in Velious. Would love to learn more about that!

[Triiz]

Originally Posted by Dakel [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Bards. Seriously a confusing one for me! They can solo, and bring a lot of value to groups. Very cool. I also find it interesting that right from the start of EQ, it was said that Bards can solo or be part of a group. Yet, to me, their solo ability seems more like an accident of game mechanics. Did the original dev team really want Bards to be able to kite? Or did they anticipate they would solo in some other way? Either way, why aren't bards more popular? Is it just because they all get carpal tunnel?

Bard is hands down the hardest class to play well in the game, that's why there aren't more of them especially at the high end. I really doubt the original dev's intended for bards to be pulling whole zones hence the nerf later in Live timeline, but there are several other ways to solo. Fear kiting, chant kiting, charm kiting.

In summary, roll bard, have a lot of fun, then when you hit 60 spend your days looking down on non-bards for choosing easy mode.

[Baler]

Shm, Ench, Druid, Monk are the most populated classes

And a lot of people are on their 2nd, 3rd and even 4th plus character at this point.

Here is a graph of Data I gathered in 2015 of may 13th, 15th and 16th. I know not a huge span of time.
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
Maybe I'll start a fresh one. I'd bet it trends the same or very similar however.

[Troxx]

Originally Posted by Triiz [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Bard is hands down the hardest class to play well in the game, that's why there aren't more of them especially at the high end. I really doubt the original dev's intended for bards to be pulling whole zones hence the nerf later in Live timeline, but there are several other ways to solo. Fear kiting, chant kiting, charm kiting.

In summary, roll bard, have a lot of fun, then when you hit 60 spend your days looking down on non-bards for choosing easy mode.

When my bard hit 60 I basically had to put him on a dusty shelf. Not being willing to join the caustic raid scene here - I quickly ran out of things to do. Disregarding ae kiting (now seriously nerfed), bards still level faster than most classes in EQ with charm + dots. I enjoyed grouping but once you hit lv 60 and max xp (was fast for me) ... there's not much else to do.

[Trophy Scars]

play what you want man, trust me.

[Dakel]

I totally agree Trophy Scars! Right now I have a monk, bard, ranger and mage. Love all of them. If a class I like is popular so be it. :-) No worries there.

I'm mostly curious about the balance of classes in general and how it evolves over time. I'm also just curious about why certain classes seem so under played. Bards in particular but I think I'm starting to learn that!

[Triiz]

Originally Posted by Troxx [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

When my bard hit 60 I basically had to put him on a dusty shelf. Not being willing to join the caustic raid scene here - I quickly ran out of things to do. Disregarding ae kiting (now seriously nerfed), bards still level faster than most classes in EQ with charm + dots. I enjoyed grouping but once you hit lv 60 and max xp (was fast for me) ... there's not much else to do.

Yeah I hear ya, in a similar place with mine but I think that applies to most classes if you refuse to participate in the shit show we call a raid scene. I've honestly thought about re-rolling a second bard since leveling the first was the most fun I've had in EQ, but still holding out a tiny bit of hope I'll find an alt that's as fun as bard.