EZ Server

What would be a good class to DPS with my paladin? Although I don't want to box it seems like I need one to progress.

I use Necro as a good source of DPS, but in order to progress as you say... you will need to box more than that.  A monk with Ninja Strikes is good.  So is a Ranger with Bow+Augs, but until you can afford the appropriate Augs the Necro works well.

My normal group is Pal, Pal, SK, Cler, Nec, Monk.  If I were starting over I would probably start Pal, Pal, Nec and be prepared to add the others as I progressed.

I use war, pal, pal, zerk, nec, wiz. Zerk epic and war anger V augs make for great aoe while everything else takes care of single target. Unfortunately wiz is completely useless until t3.

I used to use 4 Warriors and two paladins.

That was probably when warriors were the best dps on this server. I think others have put it right, pet class will be your best cheap dps. Any other melee class is going to eventually be better dps but will take more time and plat to get up there.

I am a bit surprised nobody mentioned a rogue.

I was considering boxing in a rogue because they seem fun to play. I was worried a bit about squishyness and also considered an Ogre berserker.

Although, having witnessed some silly crazy dps from Beasts and Necros - makes me thing it may be worth learning the mechanics of their pets and crap-ton-of spells.

Very few spells with pet classes. Their dps comes from their pet. Only viable spells they have are the ones that enhance that pet. Heal and a couple buffs and that is about it. Anything else and you are just looking for something to do with your mouse. Rogues are too high maintenance unless you play them first hand imo.

Do as Xiggie says, roll a pet class. It will be the best dps until way later in game, and very easy to box. Mages bring COH, which is a nice utility, necros can FD and rez, while offering about the same dps as a mage. Beastlords pets are gimp (hitpointwise) and die easily, but do great damage, and the beastlord itself has great improvement potential once you get to the point where you can spend millions of PP on augs.

Later on you need to either run 4-6 chars or join a guild that regularily group to progress anyway, and you can fairly easily roll up more chars once your have your first two chars established and at epic 3.0+ level if that is your wish.

Pet classes are cheap. Beastlords you can spend money on to make beefy. I'd pick beast.

I'd pick beast AND another pet class, cloth rot loot is bad! :-)

I would stay away from more than one pet class. The pets are fragile and in the heat of a battle it is hard to take the time to create a new pet. The least fragile of the pets is the necro pet but that also happens to be the one with the least amount of dps. Beastlord pet is the most dps and you are able to ninjastrike and icestrike augs on the beastlord and make them the best dps in the game. However again this is dependent on you keeping the pet alive. If you are going to go with just 2 toons beastlord is the way to go because you can manage the pet a lot better and therefore keep the pet alive.

Yup, sounds like the BST is the best route. With the PAL tanking (and healing) anyway, the BST PET should live long and prosper.

Thank you everyone.