Everquest Classic - Overview Of The Druid Character Class in the Original Classic Everquest MMORPG.

2008-08-25

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Druids, or, as I like to call them, “Battle-Hippies.”

The druid is easily the most powerful soloing class in the game, as they make use of movement speed increasing buffs like Spirit of the Wolf and area-of-effect snares. They have strong direct damage and damage-over-time capabilities as well, along with access to some unique buffs. They can also teleport themselves around the world - although since the Planes of Power, that ability has lost a great deal of its former relevance.

Their evacuation group teleports are useful for when a train is incoming and it’s obvious that the group has no chance to survive. Druids are also capable healers, but not quite so much as clerics. They can only wear leather armor, making them rather flimsy if an enemy actually gets within range of them. They have spells to increase the regeneration of their party, along with damage shields and good statistic buffs.

Their ability to “quad-kite” - or kill four enemies at once while staying out of range of them - helps them to be one of the fastest leveling classes in the game so long as you manage to execute it properly. Their unique buffs make them desirable in raiding, as does their versatility in being able to switch between healing and damage dealing in the middle of a fight. Their lack of specialization, however, is a bit of a black mark against them at the highest levels of play.

Wisdom is the most important statistic for druids, as it affects their mana pool. Stamina and agility are also important to enhance their survivability. Druids can also track enemies, although not quite as well as rangers. Their abilities make druids best suited to people who want to play a versatile class with strong solo capabilities. When played solo, they require a lot of skill to play well, but in groups they lose a lot of what makes them exciting to play.

Their low survivability can make them frustrating to play as healers, as druids lack the heavy armor of clerics. Teams of druids are particularly effective for outdoor fighting, as they can then kite the same creatures together for faster experience gain. Druids lose some of their strengths when fighting in dungeons, as they don’t have as much room to run around. The best races for druids are arguably a toss-up between Halflings and Wood Elves, with Halflings having a slight edge in stamina and strength.

This post is part of the series: Everquest Class Guides

A overview of the various races of the original classic Everquest MMORPG.