Soloing In EverQuest

Can any class solo well at any level?

All classes can technically solo, some are just better suited to do so than others. Keep in mind that soloing ability really shouldn't be the only reason you choose a class. EverQuest is a social game and was designed to be played with other people. You will find that any class is fun and effective when grouped with other players who compliment your skills.

Soloing can be difficult for many spell casters at lower levels. Spell casters tend to take more damage in melee combat and their spells are not quite strong enough to kill an opponent before they get pounced. As classes move beyond those lower levels, casting classes become the overall better soloers.

Depending on the amount of time you have to play, you may find yourself forced to solo rather than spending time finding a group. Getting the right group together with the right mix of players of complimenting class/skill, can take time depending on who's in your the area and what you plan to hunt.

Soloing is harder than grouping and can get very boring avoiding what you can't kill, while looking for what you can kill. The benefits of soloing are that you don't have to wait to find a group to join, you get to keep all the loot, and the experience can be better in certain situations You could find yourself in a group with inexperienced people that do not understand their role, and you and the whole group may end up getting killed.

I don't recommend that people spend all of their time soloing. This game is so immense that trying to learn it by yourself can be very frustrating. When I was first starting out, I only soloed. I was ready to quit and never play again from this frustration until I was helped by another player and grouped for the first time. It was so much fun fighting the same monsters who had killed me again and again when I was attacking them alone. It was kind of like getting your big brother to help you kick the neighborhood bully's butt!

Here's some class suggestions for those who insist on soloing:

1. Necromancer. This may well be the top choice for soloing. You can get started early and solo up to 65 if you so choose. They're a complicated class to learn, but extremely powerful. Necro's have several options open to them in terms of soloing. "Fear Kiting" is probably the most common. You can slow the movement of a monster with one spell, and then use a second spell Fear to send them running away. They slowly walk away from you while you can cast spells and have your skeleton pet attack them. Necro's can also "root rot" post level 34. "Root rotting" is when a Necromancer halts a monster's movement with a root spell, then uses his powerful damage-over-time spells to slowly destroy it.
2. Druid. Many people consider a Druid to be the second-best in terms of soloing. Some people will dispute the Necro/Druid order, but I personally didn't solo as well with the Druid. With Snare, you can "kite" a monster, by slowing the monster down. The Druid can then run ahead of it, and attack it from a distance. When the monster reaches you, run away again and repeat. At higher levels, a Druid can kite do two, three, or even four creatures at a time.
3. Beastlord. The Beastlord gets a very powerful pet, and some nice pet-only heal spells. The basic routine here is to cast some debilitating spells on your enemy, and then stand next to your pet and beat on until dead, healing the pet and yourself when necessary.
4. Shaman. Shaman are also good soloers. They mostly rely on "root rot", which was explained above in the Necromancer section. Plus, A Shaman's slow spells give him the advantage of being able to withstand a monsters attack for a short while.
5. Magician. The ability of a Mage to solo very well is also disputed. Mages have very strong pets. They usually just let their pets melee the enemy while they nuke it. At the higher levels of the game, a Mage pet cannot survive long against powerful enemies.
6. Wizard. At higher levels, Wizards have the ability to kite multiple monsters. Up until this point though, you're practically group-bound unless you have very good equipment.
7. Everything else. Depends on the situation... The enemy needs to be the right level, strength, and type for you to be successful. Some classes have small advantages, such as the Enchanter's charm, and the Ranger's snare, but they may never be the powerful soloers that the above classes are.

I'm sure that many people will agree or disagree with my list, but if you're really interested in soloing a whole lot, I would suggest one of the classes above.

-Kilimon