Best leveling class/most needed class.

[caridry]

Another one of those threads. A bunch of friends started up on SoD, I am a long time EQ player. I dont really care what I play, as I have experience in about all classes.

If possible top 3 classes to level quickly, and top 3 most needed classes end game.

Your opinion is much appreciated thank you.

p.s. can bards swarm kite here? Thanks again.

 

[AngryCow]

BSTs are easy to level, but (atm) begin to taper off in the post-65 game

Top two desired classes: Cleric and Enchanter

 

[caridry]

I was thinking bard or enchanter... if bards can swarm, definitely bard.

 

[AngryCow]

Bards are also really great, I know they can kite but I'm not sure about "swarm". They are in demand and an all around good class in any event (except for Craz), so either (or both BRD and ENC, if you want to be everyone's favorite) BRD or ENC is a great option. The nice thing about SoD is that all options are viable if you enjoy it.

 

[ereee]

Bard kiting is limited to 6 mobs at a time, and at like 40+ it turns into chant kiting 2 at a time

 

[Ulandx]

Haha,I remember Bard kiting in the low 40s in Dreadlands,3 levels solo in under an hour and that was after a nerf even - nothing like that on SoD.
Have a 55/100 AAs bard pretty twinked out,partially raid gear(and i dont talk about adepts) - quite weak compared to other classes at that level
mostly because he needs a lot of attention.At high tiers I am always impressed what they can do.

Key to leveleling/xping fast on SoD are damageshields,playstyle is more Diablo like,instead of getting singles,slow them and tear them down somewhat slowly
as on live you get a bunch and let them kill themselves on damageshields.
So you want a class with good damageshields and as you *need* a porter too the choice is clear,welcome to SoDruids.
From the tanks Warriors are highest dps,probably best for leveling,though I'm not a big fan of them,same problem as Bards,requires a lot of attention and button
mashing.

End game - I tell you which classes are *not* needed that much:
Tanks - too much high tiered tanks around.
Shamans and Beasts - you want exactly 1 of each in a raid,both classes have specific problems I dont want to repeat for the 999th time.
Enchanters - you dont want more than 2 in a raid,though they are great to have in groups (unlike Shammies and Bsts).

As always,play what you (and your buddies) enjoy most.

 

[cornelweezy]

top 3 to level quickly solo imo (avoid races with exp penalties):
1. druids
2. necromancers
3. bards
(duo: monk/shaman)

I wouldn't plan much around what's needed end game as it will probably take you months of dedicated play to get there but clerics are always $$$ everywhere you go

 

[Pecannius]

and top 3 most needed classes end game.

I'll narrow it down to 4 imo.
1) Clerics: Best healer, a good raid force will ideally have 3.
2) Ranger/Wizards: Consistent ranged dps, have pretty good burn dps. Ranged dps outshines melee dps in general. Rangers have the penalty of having to make arrows which is universally deemed as annoying. There are very few fights where wizards/rangers aren't good and having up to 3 in raid as dps isn't bad in most fights.
3) Enchanters: End game amazing utility and dps. Although the scaling of enchanters in a raid past 2 isn't very good.

Bards are good in high end raids too though.

 

[Tevinter]

if I were to ever reroll I would be a ranger or a necromancer cause those classes are real good in raid/exp/6man/solo situations. Not sure about leveling cause i havent done that since early 2011 though

 

[darksabbath]

Solo leveling fast, Bard, Necro, Ranger, Wizzie are all excellent. Raid-game need, cleric, cleric, and enchanter are by far the best. If leveling with friends, and wanting raid-game later, Cleric, Bard, enchanter are the three best choices. If you are thinking of a tank, don't.. but if you insist, I suggest SK. All will be a pain to gear, but sk have great dps/utility, and a self-buff with stacking ds component.

Bards are limited to hitting six at max with their pbae, but you can still level fast with that mechanic. Though most swap to chant kiting a pair of mobs by the mid to late 30's, when you have 2 chants to alternate with. The charm kiting thing of live is a no-go, however.

 

[Silosobi]

I wouldn't worry too much about leveling. It took me less than a week to get to 65 with no gear or help. I played quite a bit, but regardless, leveling is a very small part of the game for most players.

At 65, you can mainly break the game down into 3 modes of progression: exp, 6mans, and raids.

Clerics are the best at everything, and wanted in every situation. They are the king of healers and out shine anyone else when it comes to that.

Exping: Rogues/Rangers/Monks/Bard>Any Tank>Druid/Magician (other classes just arent as good for exp, but any can be useful)

6 Man Encounters: Pal/SK/Necro/Bard>Shaman/Monk/Rogue/Ranger

Raids: (you always need tanks, and always want 3 clerics, 1 druid, 1 shaman) DPS is something like: Enchanter>Bard>Ranger/Monk/Rogue/Mage/Wizard/Wizard>Beastlord

These are really general, because things vary depending on what tier you are at in the game. For instance, wizards are a pretty mediocre or even bad class for most of the game. They have very little utility, their spells get resisted in entire raid zones, they are severely limited by mana pool, and overall dps is bad when a fight isn't short. However, once wizards get all the spells, charms, tomes, etc in the game they actually become a strong class, and excel at all aspects of the game. A wizard without at least 50 days /played though is going to be pretty terrible at exp and 6 man content, and only mediocre on raids. Enchanters are a bit similar, their utility makes them necessary on almost all raids, but at higher tiers they become absurdly powerful. In general, casters rely more on gear and exp in order to be powerful than meeles do.

Right now all the classes in SOD have their own strengths and weaknesses. If you have more specific questions, like "What is the best DPS class at the highest tier of the game?" or "Whats a really solid 6 character group to progress through 6 man content with?" people can provide better answers to those, but general questions have no correct answer because it just depends on what point in the game you are talking about. Class balance as a fresh 65 is completely different than for high end characters. The only exception is that right now beastlords are pretty bad in general, but that is hopefully being fixed as we speak, so at the end of the day I would say just play whatever class sounds most appealing to you. Do you want to be the best healer and always desired for everything? Pick Cleric. Do you want to be a solid dps, with some ability to tank/duo? Pick Ranger/Monk. Do you want to be a dps that can solo well? Pick Necro/Mage/BST. Do you want to be the king of burst dps? Pick Wizard.