How are you going to melee dps and heal at the same time? you need to cast most good heals

except some hots so you play like a druid in EQ or Vanguard.

Just so you know OP the only reason not to play any random race with your friends is aesthetic. If you seriously will not buy the game because you have to go play a dark elf instead of a wood elf to be with your buddy it's really just your loss. There is really no reason at all NOT to go play with them, almost every style of armor covers 95% of the characters body, many clearly even have face masks. It's a simple think to make the skin color closer to the race you want and you can actually play that race basically. The only thing I can think of that is a real reason to not buy it and play a different race is you each want to play the other races territories and that is just impossible to win but seeing as your post sais you would be open to another faction that must not be the case.

So in the end if you want to play a wood elf but travel around with your nord buddy the solution is go dark elf create them in a way that is a close to as possible as you want, level up crafting, craft wood elf gear and there you go, an Ebonheart Pact wood elf. If that is seriously so not ok with you to be unmistakably Identical to the race you want just actually be a different race underneath you just don't really want to play together that bad and this post is pointless.