Good class for someone completely new to MMOs

[Ravaan]

<p>So I just got my sister in law to start playing EQ2, she has never ever played a MMO in her life. So what would be a good class choice to start her with. </p><p>I personally was thinking Paladin figure with the heavy armor decent damage and the ability to heal themselves it might be a good starter class. Another class i was thinking was the Fury, again being able to heal themselves as well as do good damage.</p><p>Her my fiance mentioned the Necro/Conj since she could just send her pet in ... but im nto too sure.</p><p>so would any of these classes be a good choice or is there another class i should look at.</p>

[Gorpier]

I find that most of the classes here are pretty cut and dried.  She should be ok starting any class she wants.  I have found that the monk is great solo and hard to make too many big mistakes with.  I would recommend if to new players.  And they have a heal to back them up in a pinch.The pally is great.  My favorite class.. but can get frustrating as there are so many comming and passing stigmas that go along with them.  Sometimes you find it easy to group others.... like pulling teeth to get a group for one.  Also, if she plans to do any solo while learning the class... I found that solo leveling with a pally is a pain.  Fury is great.  Awesome nukes and heals to boot, and they wear leather so no squishy cloth.  So now that I have rambled and made sense to me but probably not to anyone else.. my reccomendation would be either a Fury or a Monk.  Good luck to her.  Hope she loves Norrath.edit:  I know my spelling stinks.  For that I am sorry! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[cr0wangel]

I would suggest a supportive character to start, healer type or DPS, so she can follow the group with you and learn about the game and etc. Paladin are tanks, unless she follow another tank, she will need to play a major role in group. She will be better with a fury (healing) or with a scout (DPS with some armor).

[Gossy]

I haven't played this game long, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.  I have, however, played MMO's for several years, and I've found that the easiest class for any person to level is going to be a class that the person is interested in and identifies with.  You may find that leveling a Paladin or Berserker is quite easy, but some one who has no interest in the class may find it tedious, but find leveling a Warlock to be a piece of cake.  I say let her pick whatever she is drawn to, she'll find out very quickly if it's something she'll want to keep up with, and if it's not she can always pick again.

[Gorpier]

<cite>Gossy wrote:</cite><blockquote>I haven't played this game long, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.  I have, however, played MMO's for several years, and I've found that the easiest class for any person to level is going to be a class that the person is interested in and identifies with.  You may find that leveling a Paladin or Berserker is quite easy, but some one who has no interest in the class may find it tedious, but find leveling a Warlock to be a piece of cake.  I say let her pick whatever she is drawn to, she'll find out very quickly if it's something she'll want to keep up with, and if it's not she can always pick again.</blockquote>I completely agree.  If she picks something that she doesn't really like because she thinks it is 'best for her"  she may get bored over all.  The classes here are fairly straight foreward.

[Finora]

<p>I'd definatly give her a little run down of what the classes do, and let her pick herself. Heck, there's 7 slots, let her run around in the newbie areas with a few different classes.</p><p>Nothing is worse than having someone tell you which class is 'best for you' and then you absolutely hating it. It can spoil your veiw of the game. Happened to me with EQ1 hehe =) </p><p>Way back just before Kunark came out for eq1 I had someone tell me I'd probably like a wizard & that Erudites were VERY good choices for a wizard's race. So Erudite wizard I made. BAD EXPERIENCE! =)</p><p>Luckily <G> a couple weeks later he got me to try again and let me pick what I wanted that go and I ended up playing until after eq2 came out.</p>

[Virulence]

<p>if possible lean her towards a support class, something like a sorc, summoner, monk type or predator.</p><p>Definitely not a tank IMO. </p>

[EQ_Irving]

I think the Dirge is very newbie friendly, but the others are right - show her the options, and see what appeals to her imagination.

[Isisalthea]

I was brand new to MMO's in Dec 2005 when I started to play EQ2.  Because I liked the fantasy aspect of it and didn't want to be evil, and really like the spells, I went with wizard.  I loved the root, nukes and the invisible spells.  I did alot of exploring on my own, just cause I could. Later i started a healer and was glad I hadn't gone with that for my first experience.  My point is she needs to make the choice herself, you never know what will turn someone one to a class or play style.    Have her read the class descriptions and imagine herself in each role, she will find the right one.

[Belaythien]

I agree with tank being a bad choice. Classes people rely on to play a vital role in groups (tank, healer) probably aren't a good idea. You won't make many friends if you pull one mob per hour or cannot keep aggro for more than a second <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Brawlers are pretty straight forward. Nothing fancy, just damage and they hardly ever tank anyway. Scouts are ok too I think. They can take a beating if you get aggro and the group doesn't rely on you. If you screw up you are mostly just costing them time <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. Mages that cannot control themselves tend to die often and that makes other unhappy as it obviously costs time.

[netglen]

Try them all and have a blast on Newbie Island. Just don't get attached until you find a few that you really like. Also don't forget to try out the tradeskills in the game. Try the following site;<a href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page</a>

[Vinlesu]

<cite>netglen wrote:</cite><blockquote>Try them all and have a blast on Newbie Island. Just don't get attached until you find a few that you really like. Also don't forget to try out the tradeskills in the game. Try the following site;<a rel="nofollow" href="http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page</a></blockquote><p>Good point, I also would be hesitate to suggest a Tank or Healer, those I think would be good after she got some experience, cause if she were to make a mistake in a group with either...well, some would rip her apart so bad, she may just leave the game.</p>

[Kordran]

Let me another to suggest that she avoid tanks or primary healers. Those "core" classes are too essential to group survival, and if she's completely new to these games, it'll cause problems. If she absolutely wants to play a class like a Guardian or a Templar, then I'd recommend that she let groups know that she's new, that she may need some help and to be patient with her. If they know up front that it's actually a new player (or one that's returned after a long absence), they tend to be a bit more forgiving. The tendency is that most people assume that the low level toon they're grouped with has a level 70 somewhere, and those assumptions can lead to frustration when the new player doesn't "measure up" to their expectations.

[AnimeWarrior]

I've tried almost every single class in the game because I like to solo, but one class I found to be great for a beginner, is the Berzerker, because of a couple reasons. The 1st reason, of course, is that you can use weapons like Greatswords, Greataxes, weapons like that. The 2nd reason is that they're great Tankers. The 3rd reason, is that the Berzerker is great for anyone that likes or just plain wants to only do Soloing. So as others have said, just let her try the different classes until she finds a class that she likes.

[Araxes]

Actually, as a new player, she has an advantage: she has zero pre-conceived notions about MMO class roles, so she could probably jump in and play just any class with as much ease (or difficulty) as any other choice.  But, for the sake of the question, I'll say which classes I feel are more challenging than others, and why.Classes I feel would present a challenge:CoercerA bit tricky to master, and requiring a lot of focus and constant attention, due to the nature of charms that may break at any time, and the reactive nature of their damage output (i.e. spell triggers with finite limitations before they expire).  Also, targeting correctly in group scenarios with more than 2 mobs present can pose a real challenge, even for an experienced player.WarlockThey generate more aggro than any other class in the game.  Their damage output is volatile and wildly varies depending on encounter make-up, group buffs, proper use of their proc abilities, and many other factors.  Maximizing their damage is challenging overall because they don't fit into the "You point, I punch" single-target-only methodology of most groups or raids.Assassin, Brigand, Swash, RangerPositioning.  Nuff said.  And in the case of Rangers, the arrow consumption and proc/delay issues make them somewhat less than user-friendly at the moment.Inquisitor and TemplarThe lowest DPS output in the game makes them hard to solo until the higher levels when Achievements become more effective and relevant.  Reactive heals are a mixed bag, and not as user-friendly as HoT's, particularly since they will create an aggro draw if you forget to remove one before a pull that is left from a previous battle.Now, classes that I think are better suited to a new MMO player:Monk or BruiserSimple, straightforward melee.  Not often asked to tank or lead, generally speaking they are considered support DPS.  Abilities are generally easy to figure out and utilize without much thought.Fury or WardenFantastic healers with good damage capabilities.  Popular choices for groups.IllusionistMainly becuase they come with a built in pet and they are very effective solo'ers since they basically have an AI mimic at their disposal.  They also do pretty good DPS.  Grouping can still be a challenge until mezz becomes more familiar, but again, unlike Coercers, Illusionists don't have to worry about their pet going on a mutiny in the midst of battle.I omit plate tanks bc I think tanking is daunting for a brand new player.  Unless that person really wants to go for it.WizardPoint-and-click.  It doesn't get much easier.  Aggro can be a big hurdle, though.All the other classes fall somewhere in the middle.But, like others said, the best thing is to just pick what seems enjoyable.

[BoneSmasher]

<p>Here is my 2 cents:</p><p>My wife started out as a total new player when we came to EQ2. (I have played for years in different MMOs).</p><p>Some of the challenges I saw her face and some recomendations I would make)</p><p>One, she will know nothing of the MMO jargon and can easily get overwhelmed by people using acronyms, etc.  try to get her to a good list of Acronyms right away so she can learn what a HoT is, or CC or a DoT.</p><p>Tanks are the worst choice for new players, simply becuase of the nature of tanking, if you want to be any good at it, at least.  (See my tanking guide in Tips and Tricks for more info.)</p><p>Do not power level her!  The best thing for new players is to ease into the game by earning their levels at their own pace.  That gives them a chance to learn so many things that get skipped if they get power leveled.</p><p>Guide her to her class choice by asking her what role she thinks she would like and if the social aspect of the game is most important.  Most people play to socialize and that is what keeps the game fun.  I personally hate to solo becuase it is mind numbingly boring to me.  I love to group.  If she loves to hang out with people and wants to group, help her find a group friendly class.</p><p>Does she want to be in the thick of the action? (Tanks and healers). Or does she want to play a role that lets her stand back a bit and not be overly active? (casters and rangers)</p><p>Would she prefer a character that is complicated to play becuase she wants the challenge of it? (Most Scouts and Enchanters) or something simpler to get her feet wet? (Pet classes and bards)</p><p>Does like like helping people? (Support role, i.e. healers, bards)</p><p>Does she like being the goto person and wants to be in control most of the time and does not mind getting blamed when the group wipes? (main tank role / main healer role)</p><p>Does she like to blow things up? (Wizards, warlocks, casters in general)</p><p>Does she like to just whack away and get decent damage numbers? (Brawlers)</p><p>Conjuror and  Necro are by far the easiest classes to play solo for a new player, imho.  But they are also not the most group friendly classes. Especially if the player does not understand their pet mechanics and the pet is randomly pulling stuff. lol</p><p>Anyway, I remember well how frustrated my wife would get I would start yapping away in MMO speak.  Now, as a raiding warden she speaks it too. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>