Combat is more like EQ2 than EQ1, that's for sure. It's even more forgiving than EQ2 (which I thought had the best combat of any MMO), maybe a little too forgiving. In Rift, your Cleric souls can wear Chain, 2nd in 'AC' to Plate, so they are a good deal hardier than clerics in EQ.

You can pick up to 3 souls. You could choose one of those to be a Soul with some low level AE damaging abilities. You get 1 Soul Point / Level, and on level multiples of 3, you get an extra Soul Point. A particular Soul's level cannot be greater than your own, so you will be forced to use these extra Soul Points in your second or third pick Soul.

This way, you can level up towards a single target meat shield, while picking up useful low level abilities from another soul (like AE Threat Abilities).

Lots of ways to customize. Have fun!