Can someone help describe the classes' roles in EQ?Follow

Two years ago I lost interest in EQ because of the sheer amount of patience expected of the players. I tried a Woody Ranger first because it sounded fun to roleplay. But I got nowhere fast because I found they didn't excel in any one area. I tried a Druid but I hated resting after every one or two kills (play for 2 minutes, rest for 4).

I'm giving the game another shot but because I'm afraid I'll bail out again, I'm looking for a good power-leveling race/class combo. I like to roleplay a lot (hence the interest in Rangers), but not at the cost of extremely slow game progression. And hopefully I can find something that is soloing-friendly. Any suggestions?

I thought of an Iksar Monk because I heard that Monks are good damage dealers and Iksars have enhanced regeneration (which is a very tempting plus for me). I also thought of a Wizard because of their nuking ability, but how good are they at soloing?

Hey Im fairly new to the game but I had the same questions when I started, especially about soloing (I came from EQOA and if you did not have a group you were just out of luck no one could solo efficiantly). Anyway I ended up going with a Beastlord and Im really impressed they dont really excell in any one area but Im thinking the trick is balancing out your skills within the game play. I mean you have a pet (and its a pretty decent pet) you have the ability to bind wound and heal, you have some shaman buffs, and you have some monk fighting abilities, you also have a few dots and dd spells. So in a group Ive been xasting a little fighting alot and pet is always in the heat of things, I also feel that when I get a strong handle on my class I will be able to solo pretty good once I develope a strategy. Also Im basically a newb and Ive hit level 30 in 2 weeks to me thats pretty fast, I mean any faster tan that and the game wouldnt be fun. Anyhow I hope you consider what Ive said.

Another consideration is that monks can't solo, Rangers can(especially animals). It all depends on what you want to do. All classes can group, but only some can solo, this is becasue SOE's main focus is on the grouping aspect of the game. The game is being designed for grouping, and thus they are concentrating on finding balance in the group setting, Overall, I think they have done a pretty good job.