Much regret.

[Tzeriel]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now. I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.

[myxomatosii]

Nah, just take your time, play, meet friends. If you convince yourself you are behind you aren't going to have any fun because "there is always someone better", and there basically always will be.

Its not a rat race, some may treat it that way but it really isn't. Many players never make it above level 40 rolling alt after alt after alt. I know because I meet a lot of them in KWSN, and they are as happy as a clam.

If rat race is your thing, its there.

If its not, just log in each day and explore!

[Swish]

happy as a clam.


Good post, but I liked that particularly :)

[Ugrask]

I've been here awhile and only just now broke 40 on a character...though to be fair its a bard, so took me a week. I've got a 24,25,26,27 and 35, both of the same class.

[Lyrith]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now. I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.

Yep, like everyone else is saying... Don't worry about what everyone else has or you WISH you had.

I didn't start here even close to when the servers came up and I have almost everything I wanted, it just takes time. Enjoy the journey, not the grind.

What I've noticed is play 1 class great at soloing/farming, and the other what you really want to be. Then you can enjoy the game on your own time. You will make friends that will help you out and give you access to items you didn't think possible.

[myxomatosii]

Yeah, the biggest thing when you look back is you will more likely think, "Man that was fun lvling up together, remember the time i purpled and you abandoned me then I recovered and killed that mob?" or whatever

You are less likely to think, "Man that sucked I never had a fungi and the extra 5 to all my stats was super noticeable since I never got a NoS til lvl 56"

You don't notice what isn't there. So forget items, and work as a team to overcome. A lot of twinked out players are the loneliest dudes on the server, they spend all the time, cash, and effort to make a god-like alt just to level up alone. Then hit 60 where they are back at the grind again. They forgot to enjoy the journey with the power they worked so hard to get.

I have spent a great deal on two twinks, on BOTH I swore to myself I'd group 80% of the time, if I couldn't find a group I'd log out. And it was great, I made so many good groups and brightened so many other player's days and that's what its really about when you look back.

[Rhambuk]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now. I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.

meh I started jan 2010 and watched the server grow etc,

restarted last november and I can say its not that different. The population is higher which makes grouping easier meaning you can play any class, back in the day wed be waiting on a tank or cleric for hours because there were only 300 people online.

I feel its easier to start now than it was then, you might not have the edge of having 8 lvl 60 raid geared toons but as far as daily play goes i think you're better off

[myriverse]

No need to rush full speed into that brick wall. It's still gonna be there in a few years.

[Rhambuk]

yeah i rushed when i first started, got there in a few months burnt out and been on and off since. 4 years later im still playing but at my own pace. There is NO reason to be in a rush to max level unless you're already established imo

[Tzeriel]

I have a 30 Wiz I enjoy and a 10 paladin who I'm learning to enjoy. The hybrid exp penalty really hurts. A lot. Well, let me clarify... The exp penalty is what it is, but dying just once makes the whole night feel like it was a waste. I really wanted to play the wizard, but he isn't twinked enough to solo and I spend so much time LFG. My real dream was to play an enchanter or shaman, but I get a sinking feeling that there are just too many of them and not enough tanks, that I won't be welcome to groups.

All this aside, I do love the server. I do have fun. If I didn't I wouldn't play. But I just feel like it's... I feel like in somehow capped at 75% of the fun I could be having. Which is still 100% more than on any other game :) So don't take this too much as whining, it's more just expressing frustration and forumquesting during a super slow work day.

[Ugrask]

You don't really need to be super well geared to play a caster. (last I knew)

And as far as grouping, that's why you make friends to get repeat invites...show you know your shit.

[Rhambuk]

playing a wiz this time through myself im 28 and solo mostly twinking only gives you more mana which means longer med times imo ;p

there may be a ton of sham enc but groups will always want them and you can do anything when not grouping.

the server pop is low enough imo that a players rep means more than the class they play. groups might not grab a wiz/ranger lfg like they would a rogue monk or mage but if you make a good reputation for yourself when that group is looking for dps and you're lfg they might grab you because they know you not because of the class you play.

[Tzeriel]

I've gotten compliments on my wiz play. Don't nuke too early/too late. Root park well. Don't med too much. But then again, I've also been insulted for "Afk leeching" (when I'm not) because of preconceptions people have. "Wiz hasn't moved in 30 seconds? Must be Afk". That can get frustrating.

So hybrid penalty is going away come velious, yes? If so I may put my Paladin on hold till then. Continue with the Wizard more. Maybe dick around on a Shaman a bit, or enchanter. I'm not much for the "rat race", I don't need to be elite. Just my favorite zones to exp in are all 40+ :)

[Rhambuk]

people always say that about wizard, i try to nuke once per mob so that my mana doesnt get to low and people can't yell at me.

some people just HAVE to micromanage a group, they'd play all 6 classes if they could...

not sure when hybrid penalty is removed, it is during velious but i dont think its on release and not sure how deep before its gone.

[Ugrask]

Honestly, having had a friend as a wizard(who was the very abomination of AFKWIZ) - most I've seen are just fine. Pre 30, if its a full group, most of the stuff is dying pretty quickly, so you can't expect the Wiz to be nuking constantly. It's just unrealistic.

[Lamil]

No matter what class you play people will try to tell you how to play it.

[baalzy]

Take yourself to Kurn's Tower and farm one of these:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Solist%27s_Icy_Wand (warning it's pretty rare)

Then when you're grouped you can just click it once a fight (with extremely good timing you shouldn't even miss a med tick) to always look like you're contributing while preserving your mana to save the day.

Also comes in handy if you don't carry weapons and get agro'd by a lvl 1 skeleton or some crap. Don't have to blow 80+ mana taking it out.

[Lyrith]

Take yourself to Kurn's Tower and farm one of these:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Solist%27s_Icy_Wand (warning it's pretty rare)

Then when you're grouped you can just click it once a fight (with extremely good timing you shouldn't even miss a med tick) to always look like you're contributing while preserving your mana to save the day.

Also comes in handy if you don't carry weapons and get agro'd by a lvl 1 skeleton or some crap. Don't have to blow 80+ mana taking it out.

I was always wondering why wizards in my group were nuking like 4-5 times a fight but stuff wasn't dying quicker...

I kid... Looks like a fun Item, a JBB for level 12.

[Stonecrush]

I can totally understand this feeling as a new cleric.

I will say this, if you want to rush anywhere in levels. Get to level 12 and start finding active zones to group. You will definitely forget all abut the race and just start to enjoy the pace.

The slow pace is what made EQ great! It made lower zones thrive. I look around at the toons people have and there are a lot ranging from 20s - 40s. That's a perfect gap range to enjoy a MAJOR portion of content.

This game is definitely a tortoise and not the hair.

have a good one!

[Lamil]

I have spent 35+ levels of toons in Kurns and still haven't seen that damn wand

[Juhstin]

You don't really need to be super well geared to play a caster. (last I knew)

And as far as grouping, that's why you make friends to get repeat invites...show you know your shit.

The second half is total truth. People look for gear but if you can get in a group and show you know your shit you'll be fine.

There's also plenty of people willing to teach you new tricks for your class.

[Hollywood]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now. I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.

I wouldn't agree in terms of other people ; EQ has so many ways and areas to level in, that if you can relax and not concern yourself with others, you will enjoy it more.

What I do agree with though is that this server will not last forever, and it's already been several years. There's no way Rogean can commit to anything without a financial backing or legal obligation.

We can hope for the best though and may Velious give us ...

FOUR MORE YEARS!

[loramin]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now.

While everything everyone has said so far is totally correct, it's not just about "well you missed the golden period, but just try to have fun now". Rather, I really think it's a glass half-full/half-empty thing.

Here's what I mean: it's true that by missing the early days of the server you missed your chance to be a non-bard/enchanter that can look like a dark elf, or to be a non-necromancer that looks like a skeleton, or to be a non-shaman who can cannabalize a bit. But that's just about it ... well that and time.

But look what you gained: for one thing, there are far more players now than there were in the old days. That means it's easier to find a group, easier to find that item you want to buy in EC, etc.

Also, the players you group with will (on average) have far better gear than the players you would have grouped with earlier. You can view that as a negative ("everyone but me is a twink") but I see it as a positive. Effectively by grouping with twinks you are "getting twinked", or at least "getting power-leveled" in a sense, because you get loot/exp faster than you would grouping with non-twinks.

Which brings me to my next point: the kindness of strangers. I just started a druid the other day, and I breezed through the first few levels because a kind higher level druid was around (foraging for acorns) and they kept buffing me with regen, a damage shield, and wolf form. Earlier on there would have been less players on the server, with a lower average level, making that sort of thing much rarer.

And then there's my final point: the extreme kindness of strangers. A (real life) friend of mine got given a bunch of stuff by an in-game friend he made, and he wound up giving me one item (a Barbarian Spiritist's Hammer). Then, many months later I was sitting in Sebilis and a level 60 shaman (who is AWESOME, but I won't name because I don't want him beset by beggars) just up and gave me the JBB off his back (er wrist). I'd been saving for months and months, and still had months to go before I could afford one, and this kind stranger just gave me one of the most important pieces of shaman equipment. Needless to say, back in the "golden years" I would almost certainly not have my JBB or hammer.

Of course, I can't guarantee that a kind stranger will give you a great item ... but maybe they will. And the point is, your chances of it happening are much better now than they were before, and there are other important advantages to starting on P99 now as well.

Keep that in mind before pining too much for the olden days :)

[skipdog]

Excellent post, loramin! Agree 100% :)

[Tecmos Deception]

quotes

Myx full of wise words in this thread.

[Tzeriel]

So something I'm gleaning here is that it's important to love what you do and just have fun. So maybe I need to examine what class I'm playing rather than what speed I'm moving at. Soooo... Really hate pulling, a lot. I like tanking but I'm not addicted to it. I hate being one dimensional, with no decision making. Pets are meh, take it or leave it. I like being able to be the center of a group. I don't pull. I don't like it one bit. My only restrictions are I play on a very small notebook, so stuff like swarm kiting, quad kiting and the like is way out of the realm of what I can do on a daily basis. I love the fact that each class is so unique, but maybe I haven't found mine. Hope I will. I meet so many cool people, but a lot are higher level. I want to get up there and group with them. This server is amazing.

[Tecmos Deception]

Shaman, enchanter, cleric, bard, necro seem like good options (in that order, imo) for you, Tzeriel. There are lots of threads on the forums about the way each of them play if you want to search around a little bit :)

[Tzeriel]

Oh wow. Tecmos. You're a legend, I've watched you're stream quite a bit. I'm going to look more heavily into those classes then. I've always wanted to play enchanter, shaman or necro, I've just been... Well, very intimidated by them. Watching amazing enchanters like you work has been a joy since back when I started in 2000. I consider myself a good player, but the stuff you guys do is just beyond amazing.

[loramin]

Based on what you just wrote, it sounds like you should stick to your Paladin. They make great tanks, but they're not as one-dimensional as a Warrior (once you get a few levels and get spells ... early on all classes are one-dimensional tanks ;)). Also, the hybrid exp penalty will be going away in a few months when a post-Velious patch is released, so that should help too.

But if you want to play a Shaman or Enchanter (EDIT: or Necromancer), play one! All can solo when you can't find a group, and honestly I think you'll have no problem finding a group with either one. The server might have lots of both, but the bulk of them are off soloing, and groups need slowers (or good Necros). When I'm off soloing my shaman (with LFG off) it's not uncommon for random people to /tell me asking if I want a group, so the need exists.

Just my two cents though ... the most important thing is to find something you enjoy and then play the heck out of it.

[BigHurb]

wipe server, cap at 50 no kunark, re release for two years... only way!!!

[Swish]

You don't really need to be super well geared to play a caster. (last I knew)

And as far as grouping, that's why you make friends to get repeat invites...show you know your shit.

It was red, but I leveled a wizard to 49 fairly easily in rags and empty slots.

Granted I didn't do any quadding though... :p

[fadetree]

So something I'm gleaning here is that it's important to love what you do and just have fun. So maybe I need to examine what class I'm playing rather than what speed I'm moving at. Soooo... Really hate pulling, a lot. I like tanking but I'm not addicted to it. I hate being one dimensional, with no decision making. Pets are meh, take it or leave it. I like being able to be the center of a group. I don't pull. I don't like it one bit. My only restrictions are I play on a very small notebook, so stuff like swarm kiting, quad kiting and the like is way out of the realm of what I can do on a daily basis. I love the fact that each class is so unique, but maybe I haven't found mine. Hope I will. I meet so many cool people, but a lot are higher level. I want to get up there and group with them. This server is amazing.

I'm hearing cleric or shaman in this.

[HeallunRumblebelly]

Take yourself to Kurn's Tower and farm one of these:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Solist%27s_Icy_Wand (warning it's pretty rare)

Then when you're grouped you can just click it once a fight (with extremely good timing you shouldn't even miss a med tick) to always look like you're contributing while preserving your mana to save the day.

Also comes in handy if you don't carry weapons and get agro'd by a lvl 1 skeleton or some crap. Don't have to blow 80+ mana taking it out.

http://wiki.project1999.com/Solist%27s_Robe_of_Invocation

Always contribute, always :p

[Samoht Farstrider]

I've been here since July and my highest character is level 21. No time for raids so I take my time fooling around instead of grinding out levels. And I haven't even started tradeskills yet! Bet I won't hit 50 for at least another year.

[HeallunRumblebelly]

I did a character 1-60 in about a week :P Dat chardok ae doe.

edit: gotta prep chars for velious. Too many wandering PHs for not having a ranger slave.

[Lyrith]

I did a character 1-60 in about a week :P Dat chardok ae doe.

edit: gotta prep chars for velious. Too many wandering PHs for not having a ranger slave.

With that comment why not 2 or 3 ranger slaves? Duh... Get back to work Heallun!

[Tzeriel]

Been reading all day. I like Shaman and Enchanter best, I think. But I cannot decide which! Both seem way fun and versatile. I'm THINKING Shaman, as they are hardier and probably allow for more flexibility as far as what I can solo on a small screen setup. Ogre seems to be the way to go, too. No regen, sure, but F frontal stuns.

[Lyrith]

Been reading all day. I like Shaman and Enchanter best, I think. But I cannot decide which! Both seem way fun and versatile. I'm THINKING Shaman, as they are hardier and probably allow for more flexibility as far as what I can solo on a small screen setup. Ogre seems to be the way to go, too. No regen, sure, but F frontal stuns.

There are some mobs in the game that only a Ogre Shaman can kill. I play an Ogre Shaman and love it. I played an Enchanter on live as my ONLY real character and LOVED him. Either are a great choice, Shaman has some gear options that make him VERY powerful later. Where with Enchanter it's really just about CHA/INT.

Depends on your play style more than anything. Shaman can be quite a bit easier with simply root/doting mobs. Enchanters have to work around/dance around more for a kill balancing Charm's.

If you see me in game, shoot me a tell. Would be glad to help you out a little with some spell money or some items I have in the bank. However I don't get to play as much as I used to. =D

[fadetree]

With that comment why not 2 or 3 ranger slaves? Duh... Get back to work Heallun!

We make great pets.

[sox7d]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now. I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.

It's a LotR simulator, not a competition. Just enjoy it.

[Nirgon]

I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.

Why? Who cares? Do you have to have a Crown of Rile to enjoy the game? I mean some people do, but I don't understand that either.

Is the game only fun at 60? No.

[Laledorie]

It's taken me over 6 months to get to 35... Someone once told me that the people who take their time leveling their characters end up being the better players. You spend time learning how to play your toon and you have some emotional attachment to it. Don't rush, enjoy the journey! =)

[Tankdan]

Is a cleric still a desired/most desired class for guilds and whatnot?

I mostly want to raid Velious, trying to level up by then.

[Roth]

If you want to experience eq, go experience it. The goal of eq is not to hit 60 or to get all the items. Those are just side goals. The real goal for most people here is to experience all of eq. In wow and other mmos I was a hardcore player. Nearly top on my server multiple times. On eq I have people hitting 50 when I'm still level 35 when I grouped with them at like 31. The reason is because I take my time and play the game properly. I don't try to be efficient in the traditional sense... I farm up some items, work on faction, I level crafting, try to get mats. If you hit level 60 it will trivialize a lot of things, but that doesn't mean the end goal should be to trivialize all content. The goal should be to do things while theyre hard and try to overcome them.

I regretted when I went to live a few years ago and realized "eq" was gone. I regretted not experiencing more and doing more when I had the chance. This is your second or third or whatever chance now... so don't pass up this server. Play it before velious is out, do what you can do, and be thankful you get this much because it might be gone some day and all you'll have are memories.

[Tankdan]

So 2.5 years from now what will happen to this server? Will it just stay Velious forever?

[Tecmos Deception]

It sounds like this server will stop at the end of Velious forever, yes. If there's more (custom!) content to follow it sounds like it would be on its own server so the people who want classic can stay with just that.

Most people speculate we'll have a fresh classic->kunark->velious server eventually also, with the appropriate timeline.

[webrunner5]

Just remember there is a HELL of a lot more low level zones in EC than high level ones including Velious.

[coki]

It is easy to get a character 1-50 by Powerleveling, can be done in under a month easily 50-60 is a bitch though unless your doing AOE chardok PLing

[Tzeriel]

I decided to go with shaman(Sorry Tecmos!). Went from 1-8 last night as an ogre. Really enjoyable. I need to try and make it to field if bone today though, which I imagine might be really perilous.

[StinkyGreenBud]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now. I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.



Don't worry about it man. I've been off and on myself since 2010. My main Blazing the wiz is still only lvl 38 (almost 39!). Though things may pick up now that the pop has sky rocketed and Vel is coming soon. I went crazy with alts during kunarks release.

[HeallunRumblebelly]

Why? Who cares? Do you have to have a Crown of Rile to enjoy the game? I mean some people do, but I don't understand that either.

Is the game only fun at 60? No.

As a great man on these forums once said, that Crown of Rile makes my erections stronger and last longer.

[Savok]

My highest character is 52 and I started in May of 2010. Take your time and play how you want to play.

[Quineloe]

I find it frustrating how incredibly hard it is to get groups here at all times. Making friends? I've tried, pretty much everyone I friendlisted either isn't online anymore when I log in two days later, or they're 5-10 levels ahead. I fully understand why so many people just powerlevel through the first half of the game. Got a group in highkeep four days ago, it went really well, kept whole mines clear for hours, made 1.5 levels for a change. Now every time I log in, there's no one in highkeep at all doing goblins. I do a who all unrest, see 3 people from a guild there, a level 55+ druid and two characters in their mid teens, I already know there's nothing to kill in that zone.

Taking it slow to level is one thing, not making any progress at all an entire day is another.

[Quineloe]

nah, whining about it works much better. Every time I whine about it, I get invited to a group in a dungeon for at least 50% of a level.

just now it worked again

[Hollywood]

I find it frustrating how incredibly hard it is to get groups here at all times. Making friends? I've tried, pretty much everyone I friendlisted either isn't online anymore when I log in two days later, or they're 5-10 levels ahead. I fully understand why so many people just powerlevel through the first half of the game. Got a group in highkeep four days ago, it went really well, kept whole mines clear for hours, made 1.5 levels for a change. Now every time I log in, there's no one in highkeep at all doing goblins. I do a who all unrest, see 3 people from a guild there, a level 55+ druid and two characters in their mid teens, I already know there's nothing to kill in that zone.

Taking it slow to level is one thing, not making any progress at all an entire day is another.

Keep in mind class is - obviously - important. Wizards are not the highest in demand for groups, yet with the right attitude and know how you can solo quite a bit.
I know that you also play a cleric, so you are doing what I would have suggested and made a class friendly character.

But even then, up till about level 15-25 you'll find people PL or blasting through. That doesn't mean you can't get great groups though, just have to be vocal and ask around.

Also for the Wizard, keep those eyes open as you did before, there's certain situations and dungeons that require Wizard for their tools.

[Quineloe]

I also have a 28 warrior, which so far has much better success at finding groups than the cleric.

[Danth]

Groups exist on P1999, but they aren't as widespread throughout the game world as they were on Live and can be a little hard to find during off-peak hours. These two problems result in some difficulty finding consistent groups, particularly for low-hours players. I'll eventually get better, Quineloe, but it may get worse first. Level spread census tools plus my own personal experience (ie, listening to friends complain) suggests the high 30's through low 40's are even slower for grouping. It makes sense; that's the range where a lot of folks' alts are starting to peter out. Once you get to 50+ groups are much more readily available, albeit only in a limited number of zones--I hope you like Karnor.

Truth is I don't group all that much and really haven't since the early rush in 2009. From what I understand, one of the better ways of finding groups is to join one of P1999's leveling guilds though again they tend to have limited activity during off-peak hours.

Danth

[Hollywood]

I also have a 28 warrior, which so far has much better success at finding groups than the cleric.

That will change a bit later on!
There however recently has been a massive influx of enchanters and clerics. Best thing you can do is stay the course and be really good so people remember you.

In relation to the topic, someone posted in 2011 that by 2015 people would be three years tired of Velious and we'd have a skeleton server...so..maybe it's not too late.

[webrunner5]

When the real Velious comes out there will be a BIG demand for Clerics. Mob have a ton more HP and the mobs hit a ton harder. Plus Warriors, SK's, etc. will have more HP to heal with better gear drops. So Complete Heal will be very much needed.

[Xer0]

The fun has always been in the early game for me as far as mmos go. I like to play a tank and there's nothing like just barely holding your own against a given camp :P

Dont get me wrong, I still like to find ways to get myself ahead with gear and the like, but I've always thought at lv60 the game is pointless. raiding, but that's only fun for so long.

[Tankdan]

Groups exist on P1999, but they aren't as widespread throughout the game world as they were on Live and can be a little hard to find during off-peak hoursain they tend to have limited activity during off-peak hours.

Danth

I wake up at 5Am PST / 8am EST.

Oasis had 6 people this morning, Unrest had 2. Groups were just not to be had. Really sucks playing in the mornings :(

[Pinolian]

Conversely, if you had a solo class or you enjoyed farming, morning play would be a beautiful thing.

[Lyrith]

Morning is my favorite time to get up to get some camps or get on the chardok list early as I was leveling. However I could see them being SUPER frustrating as a new player or trying to level a main that cannot solo.

[lawll]

Morning is my favorite time to get up to get some camps or get on the chardok list early as I was leveling. However I could see them being SUPER frustrating as a new player or trying to level a main that cannot solo.

Long as you try hard to be social to make some friends a long the way and stick to the hot spots it's never really to bad for a new comer.

[daasgoot]

Oh wow. Tecmos. You're a legend, I've watched you're stream quite a bit. I'm going to look more heavily into those classes then. I've always wanted to play enchanter, shaman or necro, I've just been... Well, very intimidated by them. Watching amazing enchanters like you work has been a joy since back when I started in 2000. I consider myself a good player, but the stuff you guys do is just beyond amazing.

did i just witness an e-blowjob?

[Fame]

I really wish I had played here more years ago pre-Kunark. :( so behind the curve of things now. I truly feel pidgeonholed into breakneck leveling one class just to try to catch up.

Make a post and cry about it. Wait..