Someone comming from a FFXI backgroundFollow

I was wondering if druids are similar to Redmages from FFXI in the sense that people perfer they not melee in parties. I'm thinking that I want to be a druid, and my all time favorite weapons are polearms so my question is, in parties will it be generally acceptable if I melee and cast or is the druid more of a sit back and Buff/heal/debuff job?

I'd like to elaborate on this. Druids achieve their multiple roles through their use of shapeshifting. In normal (druid) form the druid casts spells for his damage, heals, and melees as little as feasible. In cat form he can stealth to evade monsters and does heavy melee damage. In bear form he gains very thick defenses and abilities to help him keep monsters' attention.

Thus, in a group, a druid could fill the roles of primary (or off) tank, damage-dealer, or healer-- and could, depending on circumstances, move from one to the other as needed. For example, you're in cat mode for the damage and suddenly a mob aggros the healer. The healer can't heal himself or the tank will never get the add off him. What do you do? You shapeshift back to druid form, toss a few heals, then (perhaps) shift to bear and off-tank the add until the situation stabilizes. That's the sort of thing druids are supposed to be able to do.

Here's the catch, however. What is there never enough of in any MMORPG? HEALING. Druids may not have ressurection, but they do have the second-best healing spells in the game and the mana pool necessary to support them. Therefore, most groups who invite druids do so because they want a healer. In some groups, that may not be a problem, especially if you're in a guild with or have friends who are healers. Then you'll be free to be flexible with your shapeshifting, or even stay in caster form and combine the beatdown with damage casting. In many cases, this will not be true; primary healers are expected to not hit the monster at all if possible.

I play as a RDM in FFXI & as a druid in WOW beta. Really hard in a way to compare, simply because the gameplay is completely different. Druid are mutch more complete than RDM in FFXI, solo druid do marvel, healer, caster, warior (Bear form) & rogue (with stealt cat form) so "Jack of all Trade" really apply to this class. In a party, sure as RDM you will be ask to play a healing role, because we are, as in FFXI, the second best class healer. But party in WOW don't need absolutly to be a 5 or 6 member as FFXI was more oriented. I played my lv 5 up to 23 by sticking around with another druid. XP was great, myself, i beat off most mob 2-3 lv higher than me & with my partner up to 5-6 lv higher than us, no downtime (2 druid, hehe) & fierce fight any way you want (melee, offence cast damage or DOT, buff). Me & my partner, did some healing but mostly change both in a form or 1 caster, one bear form, mostly bashing the mob to smack him down in no time. In PvP, from what i know druid are fierce opposition, healer mode, to keep your force in good shape or as i did more than once, entrangling root & major offence spell cast & cat form to finish the job, usually i was on top of any one on one fight. Keep in mind that equipment play a vital role on your cat/bear form (attack power & armor) so if you keep most of it up to date, melee is a piece of cake compare to melee with a RDM in FFXI. As for polearms i know that our class can use such but i never saw one in the whole beta test i did.

In WOW you're the one who decide the way you will play your druid...

See you soon on Retail...

Nightblades Night Elf lv 23 druid WOW beta
Nightblades Elf lv 38 RDM, 42 DRK, 16 WAR, 16 BLK, 12 WHT
Mogly Taru lv 32 WHT, 20 BLK, 20 RDM

Thats true Aquafresh. Also the Shaman looks more that the jack of all trades.

FFXI 51RDM and other several jobs ^^
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/profile.xml?29142