I was reading the official boards today and I came accross someone that made a very old statement.

The claim were that so many people play druids we are disproportionately represented in the game. The idea was used to support the idea that druids needed any adjustments at all.

Now, I've never believed this statement. Sure, Long, long, long ago in 1999 druids got insanely popular because of their ability to kite like no other class.

I decided to test the notion that druids are more popular. Before now, the best I could do is guestimate from what I saw in sites like EQ rankings. Now, however, we have EQ players. Now we can search it's database for solid figures.

Heres what I discovered. (the % are rough figures, but easily confirmed in EQ players)

-There are, indeed, more Druids in Everquest than there are Clerics. BUT That statement is extremely misleading. First, off the total number of druids 1 to 70 is only about 5% more than the total Cleric Population levels 1 to 70.

Obviously total number of druids in the game isn't really a great way to see what's really going on. That total includes Tons of bazaar bots, level one characters that were never played, and characters that were abandoned early on. So, I broke things down a bit more, and boy did things get interesting.
-By level 45, druids no longer out number Clerics. In fact, There around 33% more Clerics between the levels of 45 and 70.

Ok, Let's face it. Level 45 to 70 includes a lot of Alts and twinks. So, I took a look at level 70 only.
-Druids are the 5th most played class at level 70. There are more level 70 Clerics, Warriors, Enchanters and Shaman than there are Druids.
-There is almost a 2 to 1 difference in the Cleric to Druid population with the cleric population out numbering druids by more than 90%. Clerics out number Druids and Monks Combined.
-The Second most popular class (Warriors) are outnumbered by clerics by around 75%

I'm sure there will be some that try to debunk this, but at the very least, it kills the idea that druids are the most popular class in the game.

Not that I am really arguing with your analysis, but where do your numbers come from?

I decided to test the notion that druids are more popular. Before now, the best I could do is guestimate from what I saw in sites like EQ rankings. Now, however, we have EQ players. Now we can search it's database for solid figures.

Heres what I discovered. (the % are rough figures, but easily confirmed in EQ players)


Here Ya go.

EQPlayers.

http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/character_index.vm

Please, take a look yourself. I always though druids were no more popular than other classes, but a ratio of 19 level 70 clerics for every 10 level 70 druids I found astounding.

Hah! I certainly remember some arguments concerning druids that tried to deliver some points based on because we "outnumbered" other classes.... sad.

Nice post, But on my server--there is only (1) true druid LoL

just kidding, no flames plz :-)

Too bad there is no real way to test for "main character" level 70's. I know in my guild, and the last guild I was in, more than 5 people have cleric boxes that are level 70; just so they don't NEED to look for a healer.

I would rather have a Druid who knows what they are doing then a cleric bot anyday!

I would be willing to bet that pre pop druids were popular as port bots, but after pop probably took a big decline in population due to PoK. I know that on emarr, trying to find a raiding druid is pretty harsh, we have had maybe 3 or 4 druid apps in 6 months. On the other hand we have had plenty of cleric apps. I would say that the worst though overall are mages, they seem to be dying out, that would be the one class we have had less apps with than any other class, and it wouldn't surprise me if berserker and druid are following pretty closely.

eqplayers is a joke right now. my alt is listed as 19th on the server yet clicking on his profile reveals it shows him half naked and equipped with items that have been rotting in the bank for months.

I wouldn't stake much in it's accuracy atm.

....trying to find a raiding druid is pretty harsh, we have had maybe 3 or 4 druid apps in 6 months...

What is this "druid app" of which you speak? In the last 4 months we have had 1 person guest for a couple days, who had -0- playtime. In the last 8 months we just have +1 druids only b/c I came out of retirement. Maybe some server has plenty of raiding druids, but ours is a little tight on them atm.

Man I do miss the days of having 6 raiding druids online everynight though, fun times.

eqplayers is a joke right now. my alt is listed as 19th on the server yet clicking on his profile reveals it shows him half naked and equipped with items that have been rotting in the bank for months.

I wouldn't stake much in it's accuracy atm.

If I were looking at what gear people were wearing, I'd agree, but I doubt you can find a single case where the level is inaccurate. For population information It's pretty accurate.

If I were looking at what gear people were wearing, I'd agree, but I doubt you can find a single case where the level is inaccurate. For population information It's pretty accurate.

http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/character_profile.vm?characterId=498216245625

v

http://www.magelo.com/eq_view_profile.html?num=1219105 (http://www.magelo.com/eq_view_profile.html?num=1219105)

A friend of mines enchanter bot, where the magelo is correct. So there are cases where the level is inaccurate.

In this particular case, this character hasn't been logged in since before EQplayers went live, so it is using old information on the character. This is a known issue with EQPlayers. Once that character is logged in it will update. (either that or his Magelo entry is incorrect.)

Still, this doesn't affect my results. But, I'm willing to revisit this in a couple of weeks once everything has been updated properly, but I don't expect any change in what I see today. We'll see though.

The magelo is correct. I was just pointing to a case where EQPlayers was reporting the wrong information. While I do not think it would skew the information you are presenting, there is a small margin of error.

Personally I think that the numbers you present are fascinating. I would have never guessed the number of clerics was greater, and certainly not by that margin, then the number of druids.

That caught me by surprise too. I knew clerics were the #1 class with Warriors and Enchanters being up there, but The sheer number of them is amazing.

As a recruitment officer on a high end off peak Guild on Quellious, I definatly feel Druids are one of the rarest apps we have, perhaps 4 in the last 9 months, only 1 of which as made it past his 1st week of recruitment, and that was up last night.

Clerics make the world go around, or atleast enable Guilds to raid content they want too, we have 4 officers who box Clerics for raids, and 2 or 3 other member who can box clerics, and if were lucky :) we may get 3 to 5 real clerics on.

Mages are our next rarest class, sad really given they have turned into a excellant DPS class.

Gwyn
COLD FURY

If I were looking at what gear people were wearing, I'd agree, but I doubt you can find a single case where the level is inaccurate. For population information It's pretty accurate.

have a guildee whose toon and every alt on his account is listed as level 12.

http://eqforums.station.sony.com/eq/board/message?board.id=Veterans&message.id=153661&jump=true

and

http://eqforums.station.sony.com/eq/board/message?board.id=Veterans&message.id=154379&jump=true

have a few good discussions

Looking at EQPlayers. As I look at my stuff. Umm that is in accurate. It shows bear meat in the secondary weapon slot on my Druid Windom.

Looking at EQPlayers. As I look at my stuff. Umm that is in accurate. It shows bear meat in the secondary weapon slot on my Druid Windom.
the command /eqplayersupdate seems to be required in game to "force" an initial update. Can be done once every 24 hours.

Found on the Runes.net and stolen with credit going to Galanteer
Link to quote (http://www.therunes.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8739&start=25)


found somewhere -cannot verify the accuracy or anything, but I thought this was an interesting use of eqplayers


Level 70 Class population figures:

1. Cleric..........13,186 (no suprise here, but did suprise me how far ahead they are)
2. Warrior:....... 7,969
3. Enchanter....7,906 (ahh the old Holy Trinity still on top)
4. Shaman.......7,381
5. Druid............7,153
6. Ranger.........6,441
7. Necro...........5,305
8. Paladin.........4,980
9. Beastlords....4,887
10. Rogue........4,853
11. Wizard.......4,842
12. Magician....4,612
13. Bard...........3,913
14. S.K's..........3,875
15. Monk's.......3,739
16. Bezerker......790 (I know these guys are new, but I was suprised at how few there are still).

Level 70 Race Population figures:

1. High Elf......13,426
2. Dark Elf.....10,579
3. Human......10,469
4. Wood Elf...10,087
5 Barbarian....8,340
6. Half Elf........5,763
7. Dwarves.....5,493
8. Erudite........4,693
9. Vah Shir......4,573
10. Iksar..........4,392
11. Halfling......4,153
12. Gnome......3,954
13. Ogre..........3,003
14. Troll...........1,778
15. Froglok......1,529

And Finaly, the server level 70 population numbers

1. Saryrn ........................4,721
2. Luclin..........................4,646
3. The Rathe..................4,563
4. Prexus........................4,541
5. Antonius Bayle...........4,476
6. Bristlebane.................4,508
7. Tunare.......................4,455
8. Nameless..................4,388
9. Xegoy.........................4,354
10. Tribunal....................4,291
11. Quellious..................4,287
12. Cazic Thule.............4,280
13. Drinal.......................4,258
14. Bertoxxulous............4,125
15. Druzzil Ro................4,107
16. Erollisi Marr..............4,000
17. Seventh Hammer....3,920
18. Fennin Ro................3,866
19. Povar.......................3,850
20. Maelin Starpyre........3,754
21. Stromm....................2,653
22. Zek (pvp) .................2,312
23. Firiona Vie (RP).......1,477
24. Stormhammer,..........418 (can see why this is going bye bye)
25. Test...............................2 ! (bugged? thought there were more 70's there)

guess i should level up my zek enchanter -keeping the numbers down!

Galanteer

no surprises in the cleric numbers really, seems nearly everyone i know has a boxed cleric or a cleric alt.

I doubt many are going to see your bear meat shield...

The profile viewer on EQplayers sucks ass. If you wanna look at one's gear use magelo. If you wanna look up serverwide stats to make pie charts use EQplayers.

Unless you think that the errors in EQplayers are connected to the class of the character, it is statistically pretty unlikely for that to affect the conclusion, even if the exact numbers have a small margin of error.

Druid apps exist? Goodness. My guild has had 2 druid apps in the last 6 months, only one of which is good. The other one is pretty useless as a raiding druid.

I would be willing to bet that pre pop druids were popular as port bots, but after pop probably took a big decline in population due to PoK. I know that on emarr, trying to find a raiding druid is pretty harsh, we have had maybe 3 or 4 druid apps in 6 months. On the other hand we have had plenty of cleric apps. I would say that the worst though overall are mages, they seem to be dying out, that would be the one class we have had less apps with than any other class, and it wouldn't surprise me if berserker and druid are following pretty closely.

Exactly, there was a time where “most” 2 boxers (or more) had a port Druid versus a Wizard in that Druids could Buff/SOW, which was important in power leveling.