Hail Adventurers! There have been a lot of threads about 3 boxing and what is the "best" combination, so there's no need to beat that dead horse again. However, my wife and I (usually) play with our four kids, which means we have a full group of real players ready to go whenever we log in (and the kids are inclined to play). We have been going back and forth on what our next group of characters will be. So far, we have a "good" group with Pally, Cleric, Ench, Bard, and Mage (leveling up a Druid for the last slot), and an "evil" group with SK, Cleric, Ench, Wiz, Necro, and Rogue. Essentially two different "holy trinity" groups We've been talking about making another group that was a bit different based on what we like and the utility and DPS we desire. One group we were considering was SK, Ench, Cleric, Bard, Bard, Druid, possibly going with a different DPS class in place of one of the bards (BST maybe, or a mage for ease of play). However, we've also discussed doing something different outside of the "holy trinity" mainstay, like a "pet" group (Mages, Necros, with a Dru for heals and an Ench for charms and mez), or an AoE group (Wizards, Enchanters, a healer and a puller, not sure what level this would be viable). One of our kids suggested a group of 6 bards! We also talked about something with really high DPS so we could mix those characters in with our other groups and eventually have a small but effective 3 box army. We seem to go back and forth on various ideas without coming to a final decision. So, build us a new group to play!
It sounds like you've explored a lot of the classes out there. What are you hoping to get out of this new group?
ranger shaman cleric enchanter bard wizard - use crazy ranger bow dps along with crazy ranged wizard dps and a charmed mob to tank.
With that many chars it may be best to try and focus on ones that don't need as much gear. Though that may be part of the fun for you, which is cool.
I don't see beast monk warrior or ranger in your groups currently. If leveling up together be sure everyone is playing the class they want. EQ is a long grind if you're not playing exactly what you want. Tank, DPS, DPS, bard/beast, enchanter/shaman, cleric is your template for a standard group. Tank - war, pal, sk. A ranger or beast could suffice if no one wants a tank. Dps - war, ranger, rogue, monk, beast, mage, wiz, Necro, enchanter(charm), druid, sham. Choose between enchanter and shaman depending on willingness to charm or amount of melee in group. Choose between bard and beastlord based on which stackable mana regen and backup utility you want. Choose cleric. If no one wants cleric you can supplement with a druid or shaman. I'd highly suggest your group have a paladin or possibly Necro if no cleric, for rezzes. So many combos work.
I can't imagine anything more tedious than playing and gearing six of the same class. But hey, it takes all kinds to build a server.
Just looking for something different that is fun to play that the kids might like. Thought I'd check out whatever weird combos others are playing that are fun that maybe I wasn't considering.
With a full family group, try starting from scratch. Use only what your group earns. Avoid the bazaar. Use money only for spells and tradeskills. Choose your leveling path by collecting gear for your team and questing. You can even take this a step further and avoid luclin until a certain level. If doing this, id love a group that wasn't extremely gear dependent but still had gear to collect along the way. I'd also want at least one tracker for some old world and kunark quests. Warrior - hardest but most fun and rewarding to gear up Magician - pet focus quests, focus gear summons Rogue or monk - either just need weapons and minimal gear. This could also be a wizard or Necro. Any dps really. Bard- mezzes and Mana regen and the puller Shaman - slows, backup heals, haste Cleric - needed with tank in self gear Other option is beast/druid instead of shaman and a dps spot. Chanter can sub for bard if charming is your thing.