I have no problems finding a group at all. _IF_ I even have to use LFG, I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes. Usually, I am asked if I want to group by others.
An important point, even though I am in a guild and have lots of friends on my server, there are plenty of times when they are not online, on raids, in full groups, etc. So I can't say that I always get into a group because of friends or guildies, etc. I get invited to groups because people have finally gotten over the “Necros are played by power hungry power-levelers who hate groups and just want to solo” mentality and have recognized that a Necromancer is a viable group class and has much to offer the group
The most important thing about being a Necro that is actually WANTED by groups is to know your job and to possess the means and skills to perform your job. A Necro that sits back and just sends her pet into combat is just taking up space and xp. A Necro that tries to nuke and sit (without waiting until the proper time) will get herself killed over and over and really upset the cleric who, instead of using their mana to help the group, is wasting it on needless resurrections… the same can be said of a Necro that DoT’s too soon. Heck any Necro that casts any type of damage spell and parks their butt without first establishing that the melees have aggro FRIMLY LOCKED on them is just asking for trouble.
In the mid levels (30’s or so) a Necro shines in a group… we get to DoT, nuke, pet attack, etc.
As you get higher in level (50+), we take more of a support role and lead to the success of the group in a much quieter way than before. We don’t need weapons so we can carry more mana and hp gear to give us a HUGE pool of mana to draw from, we have our Lich line of spells to refill that pool fast than KEI and or Life Tap series to refill our health as necessary. That mana pool is not for us anymore though… Once we’ve cast our pet, the mana pool belongs to the party. We use it to twitch the Cleric so that they can keep the melees alive (no melees = death for the Necro). We use it to twitch the casters who slow the mobs so the melees get hit less and stay alive (no melees = death for the Necro). We use it to twitch the casters who keep our melees buffed so that they hit harder, can withstand more damage and stay alive (no melees = death for the Necro). We use it to refill our health so our Lich spells can refill our mana pool so that we can do all of the above to keep the melees alive (no melees = death for the Necro) Notice the pattern here? Our job is to make sure that the group runs efficiently so that everyone can do their job so that the group, as a whole, can accomplish its goal… That goal is, inevitably, the death of the mob at hand. The benefits of that mob’s death are experience for the group and possible loot (and sometimes phat lewt ... heehee)… but none of the benefits can be reaped unless the primary goal, the death of the mob, is achieved. Can this be done without a Necro? Of course, it can be done, technically speaking, without any single class that exists in EQ. The classes are diverse enough that if one class is missing, its function can be picked up by another (or a combination of several others’s). However, the best way to get the most xp and loot is to have the most efficient killing machine possible and, in my opinion at least, the Necromancer is a key cog in that machine and a well disciplined and well rounded Necro can help her group ensure a successful adventure every time =)