actualy all of the classes are pretty well balanced, and as my very first class i would definatly not choose a healer or a bard.

the population is NOT dead but there are a few(2 or 3) towns that not many people like ,and some people will tell u to choose a class that can start out in Freeport but u should choose whatever class u think is funnest to play as since its not hard at all to get to other towns for training and stuff. my first class was a warrior because they seemed kool and the guy on the cover of the first everquest online adventures(before frontiers) had a kool sword. then after i got my warrior to like lvl 11 i decided to make a druid since they can transform into a wolf. i got my druid to lvl 23 and had fun at first but druids basically cannot solo at all so it didnt work for me(tho it was fun at first). then i tried the mage and i liked it a lot. they hav very strong elemental pets( not as strong as an enchanter's in attack and defense) and they can still solo unlike the enchanter which depend almost 100% on their pet( no offence to any enchanters who may be reading this). also mages arent bad at all in pvp whereas enchanters are the very worst for pvp. mages can also summon mana drinks to refil their mana and a spell that heals their pet. necros r ok but they r evil and can't go to some of the maps i consider the funnest in the game. plus necros pets just are NOT as strong as a mages. but that is a biased opinion since i just don't like necros and my favorite class is a mage. but the point is that i had to try a lot of classes to find my favorite. don't pick a certain class someone says to be the best in the game at anything because every class is VERY well balanced.the only thing you should look for in your first class should be what is the funnest. i do,however, recommend making a mage first,their pets r very reliable and they hav ok stats incase their pets die. also if u like magic they can use elemental magic to back up their pets,tho their magic may not be as strong as a wizards, their spells dont take up tremendous amounts of mana and they,as i mentioned before, can make their own mana drinks/potions.i thought it was very fun being a mage and for a newbie it is easy to use(tho every class gives a good challenge to the user and no class a bigger challenge than another). so try some classes that look or sound like they may be fun and talk to other players and the friends u make about race-class combinations and where certain race-class combinations start out. also if u pick a mage i recommend making it a human as u start out in Qeynos which is an easy place to start out in  even tho the population isnt very great. and when u start if u really badly need a party i recomend going to the coachman(which ur "guildmaster" will direct u to on ur second quest) to find people high or low lvl to help u, just say hi and hope u draw their attention ^^.   if u need any more help just pm me in the game( might be using my druid,Feverfew, at first since i havent played in about a month and should be paying for another 2 years in a day or two) and ill help u as much as i can. good luck.