Looking Forward: What Each Class Provides in a Max Level Environment

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Introduction

EverQuest is a complex game, but also a very, very long one. The journey doesn't end at max level, so when picking your class you should definitely consider if you enjoy what they provide in the end game.

Whether you're a player looking to break into raiding or a new player wanting to know how their class plays at max level, this guide will give you a general idea of what to expect.

What each player enjoys about EQ is different; I learned that the hard way after investing 50 levels into a Bard as my first character, only to realize I enjoyed charming far more than grouping or swarm-kiting. This guide will hopefully help you to not make the same mistake by providing insight into what each class can do at max level, rather than how they play up until that point.

Bard

TL;DR: they are extremely important in raids and groups for a myriad of reasons. new/lazy bards in raids will simply be tasked with forming groups of casters to sing their mana song to. experienced bards will be asked to "DA" their group with Kazumi's Note of Preservation, or to use it to engage a raid target while the raid sets up. they are also tasked with applying Occlusion of Sound (OOS) to lower a boss's resistances. with gear they can solo surprisingly well but kill things very slowly. for most roles they are very gear dependent, as their spells directly scale in power based on their instruments. they can also wear plate armor.

End game Bard: Raid

They DO:

Druid

TL;DR: a few are needed for raids, they're helpful in groups for their buffs & healing, and they're weak solo outside of certain zones. many of their spells only work outdoors. they aren't gear dependent. there are no instances in EQ, so Druids and Wizards are required to quickly mobilize raid forces. they provide Protection of the Glades to casters, Spirit of Wolf to all, and are expected to keep certain factions high so they can Harmony dangerous mobs like Wuoshi and Sontalak. in a raid their damaging spells almost never land but their direct healing is helpful. they have the strongest Thorns buff in the game and can occasionally charm deadly animals to fight for them. they also provide unique regenerative buffs.

End game Druid: Raid

They DO:

provide Harmony, an unresistable AoE reduction to an enemy's aggro radius. important for keeping raids alive during mobilization.
provide group mobilization with their teleports. the open-world nature of EverQuest makes quick Druid and Wizard ports a key to success as raid guilds race to muster their forces and engage targets.
provide Protection of the Glades, an extremely powerful mana regeneration buff that stacks with other mana regeneration buffs.
provide Shield of Blades, the best thorns spell in the game.
provide a mobility buff with Spirit of Wolf. the spell can only be cast while outdoors, but it doesn't disappear if a player goes into an indoor zone. Because of this, Druids are often tasked with sitting outside of a raid entrance to apply the buff as needed.
provide FIRE & COLD resistance buffs with Circle of Summer & Circle of Winter.
provide a quick, cheap & damageless Ensnare effect which helps Enchanters & Necromancers handle their deadly charmed pets.
provide modest patch heals on non-tank targets in a pinch with Chloroblast and Superior Healing. they aren't as good as Clerics at healing, though.
have access to a free 19 minute duration regeneration buff, Regrowth of the Grove.
in specific raids, notably Plane of Fear, the AoE spell Upheaval is used as raids will clump together many mobs and bring them into the raid to be AoE'd down.
in specific raids, Call of Karana can charm deadly animals like A Drakkel Dire Wolf to deal high DPS.

They DON'T:

provide damaging spells, as their spells are usually resisted by raid mobs.
provide the best direct healing; that's a Cleric's domain.
function at full power indoors; many of their spells are only usable in outdoor zones. however, certain raids like Plane of Fear are outdoor zones, and many bosses exist in the open world, so this shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

End game Druid: Solo

For the most part, due to their charm spell only working on animals & their calm effect Harmony only working outdoors, Druids end up being very weak solo. They also don't have a good pet to summon. However, if one is dedicated enough, they can split camps with Engorging Roots, Ensnare, and root-rot targets down. There is also some trickery with Ensnare and teleports that can be used. This sort of strategy is generally more of a Necromancer's domain, though.
In outdoor zones with high level animals, they are uniquely powerful. As an example, in the raid zone Plane of Fear, they can combine Harmony, Ensnare, Engorging Roots, Bind Affinity, Gate, druid teleports, and Call of Karana to off some pretty crazy feats.