This might be a slightly long post and since I'm from an older version of EQ1 feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on something. I believe this should carry over pretty well into EQ2 though.
1) Will EQ offer strategic and creative playing?
You bet! First things first though, you spend a lot of time in groups leveling up. You always will, you always do. It's not always fun to sit there and level by killing things, but it's the only way to do it effectively. Second, there will also be plenty of times when you're sitting on the sidelines looking for a group or a place to solo. Happened to me ALL the time in EQ and I played an Enchanter (one of the most wanted classes in the game). So there will be plenty of boring repetative moments to get your hopes down... Now the good news: Speaking from EQ1, if you could get a good group, you could do anything. With my close groupmates we could travel into any zone and just crawl the entire thing. When Chardok was re-vamped and before that (long time ago, I know) we would dungeon crawl with one group and just kill everything. I remember being so low on mana I had to duel the bard mid-fight just to manatap him and keep up with the mezzes. I was always looking for more creative ways to keep mobs mezzed, my groupies buffed, and damage the enemies all while conserving mana. That NEVER got old! Then you get into the raiding aspect.. Wow. A good raid can be one of the best experiences in all of gaming. 50 of your guildmates get together plus some guests, you run into a zone, and you systematically kill everything in sight. Being from one of the more powerful guilds on my server, I've been in some very high level kick-ass raids and that is just awesome! It's a great feeling to know that 50 people can actually play cooperatively together and pull things off without a hitch. So yes, there is plenty of creative and strategic playing, but it may take a little while to find people who will have the skills to do that with you. Coming from a D&D background I"d say you're well prepared. The basic ideas are all the same, just have to learn a new rulebook.
2) When characters of various classes get to higher levels will they all still be valuable and powerful players in a group?
You'll find a lot of debate on this one, and when more people start posting I'm sure you'll find people who dont agree with me either. I'll start with lower levels. Here it's harder to find those smart groupies that will add to strategic gameplay, and I tended to solo alot (even being a pure group spellcaster, this was before the charm craze). At low levels groups tended to be comprised of someone who could heal, and a whole lot of people who could do damage. Groups didn't really appreciate the subtle ways an enchanter can bring about boatloads of experience. As for high level groups/characters? They all serve their purpose. Warriors with high defence and high hit points are a must in any group so they can take hits from the mobs, an enchanter is a must for groups because they mez mobs and allow you to kill them one at a time, a cleric-type is a must because they heal, then you have three (in EQ1 groupsize was 6, I THINK it's the same with EQ2) spots that are filled with others. Everyone has their own trait and EVERYONE is extremely useful. The scouts do lots of damage per second, the mages do the big nukes and can whup up on enemies to kill them faster, the semi-healers like druids are great for backup heals and other special effects. Kills go by faster when the cleric can sit down and med while the druid picks up heals for a few minutes. Really, every class has their place and in high levels people will appreciate this.
The most important thing in my opinion is to be well known. I've gone into zones in EQ1 where no one knew me, and I couldn't get one group, then I go to a zone I'd been in for a while and I'd have people shouting at me to come group with them as soon as they got rid of whatever chanter they had at the time. Make friends, play with them, be in guilds, show groups that you know what the hell you're doing, research the web, ask questions. If you have connections then you'll always have a group. Just a quick note, though Enchanter was one of the most wanted group classes, I had plenty of friends who were of all classes, and it was the same way, they always had a group because they knew lots of people and would just ask them.
Oh, the most most imporant thing... Have fun! Pick a class you will enjoy playing and play it with all your heart! That's how you really get the best out of EQ. In D&D I could never play a Paladin because being Lawful Good is too damn stupid, in that respect, I would just never enjoy playing, but to be a Sorcerer... Yea! Play something you love, and love what you play. That's my advice. =) Goodluck!!
~Sariig
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