All classes have their strengths and weaknesses, all can solo, some of which just have a bit more downtime than others. all the classes can be used in epic encounters, without a doubt. each has it's little niche it fits into in group play, however, some can fit into more than one role. all the classes can go into dungeons, but, as a word of advice, you best get very very good at pet control, if you plan on taking your pet into many dungeons as a magician. a wizard can nuke as well as a magician, and, at certain spell levels, can do better. weaknesses in classes can easily be gotten around, and, in time, can become second nature in playing style. as far as epic encounters, it takes more than you describe, normally it takes several full groups to get to those encounters. amongst which, just about all classes are represented, depending upon the makeup of your Guild and it's friends. All in all, your choice of class should depend upon what fits you best, and the same goes with the choice of race. Each class has a bit different abilities, each has it's own strengths and weaknesses, and all can be dealt with, if you like the class.

Rich

----- Original Message -----

From: Louis Gumaer

To: EverQuest@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 11:05 PM

Subject: Re: [EverQuest] getting started

Yeah the three classes that are "tanks" are Warriors, Paladins and Shadowknights.

I guess it depends on if you want to play an important role in epic encounters or be able to solo well.

The classes that seem to be really important in epic encounters are the warrior(defensive), cleric(complete heal), enchanter(haste and clarity), rogue(melee damage), wizard(magic damage) and bard(resistance buffs). The other classes are better if you want to play mostly by yourself, explore, camp items, do quests, and just generally have fun.

I am playing a paladin/magician duo right now and they can really destroy what they are fighting, often as many as 4 blues at once. The last classes I tried were enchanter, wizard and ranger and those are all really weak. I wanted to play some classes that could kill exp giving mobs without resorting to any kiting techniques, and actually go into dungeons.