Protip thread, all classes.. "I want to get better"

[Donruss]

I hate not being able to play p99 as much as I used to :mad: That having been said, I have enjoyed reading the forums while I can not play. It has made me a better Everquest player overall.

For example, I learned how to make a target cycling key on here. That helped tremendously while I was solo'ing in the bear pits and would get 4 or 6 mobs.

Watching solo artist video's taught me how to use the different views to look behind walls and target mobs. Also, reminded me that gnomes can see through walls.

I made a shaman last weekend and a player showed me that using the lvl1 buff spell that I started with is a better heal than I had at that lvl. And that it stayed that way until lvl20ish?

I have a low lvl mag and know there is some kind of trick to giving him a torch? That is a protip I don't understand.

Between my 4 rl friends that play, we have a powerful toon of almost every class. What is some advice you would give someone like me who is trying to become "better" at everquest? What protips can you think of off the top of your head?

PVP advice is okay too, but my red characters are low lvl's so I won't need those tips until the summer I imagine.

[GreldorEQ]

I find that reading spell descriptions has always given me more power as a player. Whether it was on live, or on our wiki here, familiarizing yourself with the spells of every class helps you find ways to take advantage of new situations.

Experimenting with new spells and skills goes along the same lines. Sometimes I will go to lower level zones just to test the effect of a certain spell or skill on pulls or CC, ect. Experimenting with the game and how it reacts to anything that is not cookie-cutter player activity will give you an edge.

[Connecticut]

You can move while casting with any class, as long as you're back in the same spot (/loc) where you started casting the spell when it finishes casting.

IE: You can stand in a corner, start casting, run around the room and get back to the corner before the spell completes casting and it will cast the spell still.

[azeth]

I don't know why this is needed, but I've been asked daily in game:

How to drag multiple corpses:

1. Make a hotkey reading

/target X player's corpse
/corpse
/target Y player's corpse
/corpse

2. Make a second hotkey reading:

/target A player's corpse
/corpse
/target B player's corpse
/corpse

3. continue making hotkeys until you've accounted for all folks you intend to drag

4. Walk slow or sneak and start carefully pressing the keys to ensure all bodies are following.

[azeth]

I have a low lvl mag and know there is some kind of trick to giving him a torch? That is a protip I don't understand.


This could mean 2 things.

1. There is a torch quest yielding a Torch of Alna. This torch when equipped will improve the power of 1-49 fire pets

2. Equip a torch and go underwater and the graphic will bug out and give you a badass staff looking item in your hand replacing the torch

[curtischoy]

http://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178483

This is a post made just a bit ago. There is a ton of solid advice in it.

[Mentathiel]

Rogues who learn about evasion and aggro-management are rogues who can do more for a group. It can be very easy to see a rogue as someone who stands there behind the mob with auto-attack on and hits backstab when the button pops up again, but the reality is that you have the skills to keep aggro off you and on the tank. Even something as simple as waiting a few seconds for the warrior to establish their aggro makes a difference. Many rogues only learn the hard way that pets cannot hold aggro off them, another one of those learning experiences...

Also, while it's not a tip in and of itself, every enchanter starting their journey should read Xornn's Guide to Enchanting[1 (http://wiki.project1999.com/Xornns_Enchanter_Guide)] and Xornn's Enchanter Spell Guide [2 (http://wiki.project1999.com/Xornn%27s_Enchanter_Spell_Guide)]. Even if you find your own style later, it gives you a strong starting point.

And every player needs to understand how the Root effect changes aggro. The casters need to know how they are changing the battlefield (making it more dangerous if their placement is bad) and the melee need to understand just how far away you need to be to stay out of attack range, not to mention how evasion (rogues) and taunt (tanks and rangers) gets replaced by relative distances from the target.

[azeth]

Good evade post.

Elaborating on this, here's your evade hotkey and abilities menu.

Ability menu:

1 - Hide
2 - Disarm
3 - Pickpocket
4 - Intimidation
5 - Sense heading

Evade hotkey + extras:

/attack off
/do 1
/do 2
/do 3
/do 4
/do 5
/attack on

[Menoly]

How do you make a target cycling key? As a Bard trying to keep 3 mobs all mez'd with a group in a small room and bodies on the floor, clicking to target can mean a missed mez and a dead group! Being able to cycle through the mobs with keys would make a huge difference!

[Ele]

How do you make a target cycling key? As a Bard trying to keep 3 mobs all mez'd with a group in a small room and bodies on the floor, clicking to target can mean a missed mez and a dead group! Being able to cycle through the mobs with keys would make a huge difference!

Should be able to do it with Tab to cycle near NPCs and Capslock for near PCs.

You can change these keys through the options->keys->target menu. Use Alt+O to bring it up.

[Grimjaw]

play red. you will be forced to adapt and pick up on heavy handed tactics in order to defeat highly advanced opponents using anything and everything you can think of.

[Mentathiel]

Hmm... Pick pockets might need a discussion...

It is good, since it lets you steal from mobs, but it is also bad because it lets you strip the money and items from a mob. If you are in a group and it is not your turn to loot, picking pockets is often a very unpopular thing to do because you are effectively stealing money and items from mobs. If you are not killing the mobs, it is unpopular because you are stealing money from the person who will later kill it and find nothing worth looting.

On the other hand, you need to work on this skill; it is required for the epic and it makes the Rogue Redemption quest much easier if you pickpocket a certain item you need rather than killing the person holding it. Luckily, you can find a 1st-level character and pick their pockets to skill up all the way to the cap, so feel free to practice on gnoll pups...

[Ele]

Hmm... Pick pockets might need a discussion...

It is good, since it lets you steal from mobs, but it is also bad because it lets you strip the money and items from a mob. If you are in a group and it is not your turn to loot, picking pockets is often a very unpopular thing to do because you are effectively stealing money and items from mobs. If you are not killing the mobs, it is unpopular because you are stealing money from the person who will later kill it and find nothing worth looting.

On the other hand, you need to work on this skill; it is required for the epic and it makes the Rogue Redemption quest much easier if you pickpocket a certain item you need rather than killing the person holding it. Luckily, you can find a 1st-level character and pick their pockets to skill up all the way to the cap, so feel free to practice on decaying skeletons and gnoll pups...

Nah, would rather get fat stacks of gems.

[Yumyums Inmahtumtums]

play red. you will be forced to adapt and pick up on heavy handed tactics in order to defeat highly advanced opponents using anything and everything you can think of.

This.

I learned a lot playing 1-59 on blue.

I learned A LOT more playing 1-59 on red.

[Erati]

Pro Tip never look like a druid in the EC tunnel. Disguise yourself at all costs.

Buff requests will come fast and furiously, from all angles every second you linger there appearing like a tree hugger.

Try to carry illusions with you and other strange equipable items so that you dont quite appear as druidy as the next druid in EC.

Remember, your disguise only has to be good enough to trick the noobs into asking someone 'more druid looking' than you.

You are welcome.

[Ele]

Pro Tip never look like a druid in the EC tunnel. Disguise yourself at all costs.

Buff requests will come fast and furiously, from all angles every second you linger there appearing like a tree hugger.

Try to carry illusions with you and other strange equipable items so that you dont quite appear as druidy as the next druid in EC.

Remember, your disguise only has to be good enough to trick the noobs into asking someone 'more druid looking' than you.

You are welcome.

I learned: Don't be halfling in tunnel.

[sox7d]

If you're a ranger in mistmoore, learn to organize your own groups. People usually just sit on their asses LFG when pond, GY and CE is full, but with bind sight, camo, harmony, and agro/pathing knowledge, you can easily organize a group of 3-4 people to take the yard, throneroom or tower. You should very rarely be LFG in MM.

[Pep]

Elaborating on this, here's your evade hotkey and abilities menu.

Ability menu:

1 - Hide
2 - Disarm
3 - Pickpocket
4 - Intimidation
5 - Sense heading

Evade hotkey + extras:

/attack off
/do 1
/do 2
/do 3
/do 4
/do 5
/attack on

If I catch a monkey using this macro in an exp group in a dungeon I'll give him a painful death :D

[azeth]

hah true. definitely shouldnt be intimidating indoors or pickpocketing when grouped

[Sinder]

if your a RP guy playing a rogue. pickpocket the crap outta your group you scumbag, fits character! or if you want to appear nice just do every 3rd/4th mob

[maskedmelon]

If I catch a monkey using this macro in an exp group in a dungeon I'll give him a painful death :D

Agreed. Intimi is no good in dungeon group unless mob is rooted, then have at it.

Also, don't macro assist into all of your skill/spell keys either. Assist when the target is called and then either don't change targets, or assist one of the dps. Better yet, have your group designate a MA who is different from MT ^^

[Donruss]

This could mean 2 things.

1. There is a torch quest yielding a Torch of Alna. This torch when equipped will improve the power of 1-49 fire pets

2. Equip a torch and go underwater and the graphic will bug out and give you a badass staff looking item in your hand replacing the torch




By torch trick... I thought it meant giving your pet a torch so it dual wields or double attacks earlier or somethin? ..

I do have my torch of alna, love it

[Erydan Ouragan]

By torch trick... I thought it meant giving your pet a torch so it dual wields or double attacks earlier or somethin? ..

I do have my torch of alna, love it

Yeah there's a torch that goes automatically in the offhand, "forcing" the pet to dual wield.

Don't know which item it is specifically though.

[Ele]

Yeah there's a torch that goes automatically in the offhand, "forcing" the pet to dual wield.

Don't know which item it is specifically though.

You can buy those torches from newbie vendors.

[Teneran]

Rogues who learn about evasion and aggro-management are rogues who can do more for a group. It can be very easy to see a rogue as someone who stands there behind the mob with auto-attack on and hits backstab when the button pops up again, but the reality is that you have the skills to keep aggro off you and on the tank. Even something as simple as waiting a few seconds for the warrior to establish their aggro makes a difference. Many rogues only learn the hard way that pets cannot hold aggro off them, another one of those learning experiences...

Also, while it's not a tip in and of itself, every enchanter starting their journey should read Xornn's Guide to Enchanting[1 (http://wiki.project1999.com/Xornns_Enchanter_Guide)] and Xornn's Enchanter Spell Guide [2 (http://wiki.project1999.com/Xornn%27s_Enchanter_Spell_Guide)]. Even if you find your own style later, it gives you a strong starting point.

And every player needs to understand how the Root effect changes aggro. The casters need to know how they are changing the battlefield (making it more dangerous if their placement is bad) and the melee need to understand just how far away you need to be to stay out of attack range, not to mention how evasion (rogues) and taunt (tanks and rangers) gets replaced by relative distances from the target.

I wish some tanks would realize that they need to be standing as close to the mob as possible (and still be able to hit it) while all other melee should be max melee range. This helps with aggro and also solves issues with mobs that are rooted as a form of CC.

[toolshed]

Agreed. Intimi is no good in dungeon group unless mob is rooted, then have at it.

Also, don't macro assist into all of your skill/spell keys either. Assist when the target is called and then either don't change targets, or assist one of the dps. Better yet, have your group designate a MA who is different from MT ^^

Having a MA is really good, but honestly most of the time it is faster/better to just cycle through mobs and see what is being attacked and what is not. If HP is moving down -> attack. I use this method when CCing to find the mobs that are not being attacked.

Protip for foragers: /autoinventory

so your forage hotkey should look like this:
/doability 1 (forage)
/autoinventory

[fiveeauxfour]

Protip for monks who wish to do more dps: reroll rogue.

[salimoneus]

+1 on Zornn's enchanter guide, was definitely helpful getting started playing the class. It gets fairly redundant after a certain point once you have all the basic tools, but it's a great guide.

I certainly don't consider myself a pro, but to add to what is in the Ench guide: carry lots of torches for pet weaps, carry bandaids and get your BW skill up (especially for soloing), and make use of a clicky item to reset the global spell cooldown timer (Rod of Insidious Glamour, etc). This lets you use a fast casting/lower mana stun to help regain control. If you have 4 mobs AOE mezd about to go off timer and your pet breaks, one or two second can very easily be the difference between life and death.

General tips:

Always keep pushing yourself to do more than you think you can handle, you would be surprised. We learn the best from failure, so expect to die early and often. Don't be afraid to ask higher level players for tips here and there, even if it's a complete stranger, most players are really cool and glad to help.

And those zones you hear about being called "train central", make it a point to play in those places specifically. If you can master the kind of chaos that you find in those areas, then you will be better prepared. Don't always take "the easy route", being difficult to master is one of the charms of this game, and it can be very rewarding.

[DrKvothe]

instant clicky to reset GCD

always carry some torches even if you're not a pet class. pet classes will love you forever for the cost of 1s.

sit during down time, even if you dont have a mana bar

if a warrior is tanking, adds that have been cc'd (mez and/or root) should be slowed before the warrior engages them. that way if taunt is successful, he'll be miles ahead of the dps on threat in case root breaks.

use harmony when you can. it's super op and totally worth bringing a druid along as a puller in most "outdoor" dungeons like unrest, MM, CT, CoM, etc.

[sox7d]

If you're a 30+ wizard, bind at chardok so you'll always have access to C2. EC isn't as reliable but still a solid spot.

[Donruss]

On the other thread someone mentioned /auto inventory. I played a woodelf druid on live and here and I didn't know about this. Been using it this week and it has saved me all kinds of time. The only downside is destroying the fishing grubs after you find them accumulating in a bag instead of right away.

When you zone into gfay from bb. If you are going to kelethin, run straight out and a little left instead of following the path. Again, been playing woodellf Druids all my life and just found out about this. The paths take you in circles with kelethin just out of sight. Could have saved sssooooo much time if I knew back on live.

Speaking of being a druid all my life. What zones do you Druids use egress/succor in to save time? And where does it land you?

[Brut]

Run forward mashing an instantclick item, stop and duck just as the cast animation is starting, and your character gets stuck in the running animation long as you stay still. Client specific, some people with different latency will just see you ducking normally.

[Tanthallas]

Fat.

[Alanus]

Speaking of being a druid all my life. What zones do you Druids use egress/succor in to save time? And where does it land you?

West Karana is the big one. Puts you by Qeynos Hills

[Donruss]

Wow. That is a good one

[Cecily]

Timorous deep takes you to chessboard island, another huge time saver.
EJ evac, then egress to get very near FoB zoneline.
Skyfire evac + egress will take you to OT zoneline.

[Lojik]

Timorous deep takes you to chessboard island,another huge time saver.
EJ evac, then egress to get very near FoB zoneline.
Skyfire evac + egress will take you to OT zoneline.

You can Evac within certain zones before level 56 or whatever it is.
Example: using evacuate:west in west karana takes you to QH zone line. Using evacuate Fay in gfay takes you to pod lift, useful for banking.

Evac point for OT is fm zone line, kinda useful if you got OT hammer

[Cecily]

Well, here. Well worth studying for wizards / druids.

Ak'Anon - at zone to Steamfont (47, -35)
Arena - at zone (-11, -817)
Blackburrow - at zone to Qeynos Hills (-159, 39)
Burning Woods - near Dreadlands zone (-4942, -821)
Butcherblock - a bit southeast of Kaladim (2550, -700)
Chardok - right by exit zone (119, 859)
City of Mist - near zone to Emerald Jungle (28, -734)
Cobalt Scar - in the middle otter village (-399, -1185)
Crushbone - at zone (-644, 158)
Dagnor's Cauldron - in gorge to Butcherblock (2815, 320)
Dawnshroud Peaks - near Sanctus Seru zone (0, 2085)
Dreadlands - just south of wizard spires (2806, 9565)
East Commons - near West Commons zone (8, 4947)
East Freeport - middle of boat dock (-14, -950)
East Karana - on bridge to North Karana (10, 900)
Eastern Wastes - in southeast region (-5049, -4296)
Emerald Jungle - near Field of Bone zone (-1223, 4648)
Erudin - near docks (0,0)
Erudin Palace - at zone-in, just above zone-out (712, 808)
Erud's Crossing - on cat island near dock (-1767, 795)
Everfrost - just south of tunnel to Halas (3139, 629)
Feerrott - just south of Oggok zone (1051, 905)
Field of Bone - middle of zone (-1684, 1617)
Firiona Vie - just outside city (-2329, 1440)
Frontier Mountains - by Lake of Ill Omen zone (-633, -4262)
Gorge of King Xorbb - in gorge toward Eask Karana (-512, -31)
Greater Faydark - near newbie lift (-20, 10)
Halas - at gates to town (0, 0)
Highhold Pass - south of East Karana zone (164, 74)
High Keep - near zone (-16, 88)
Hole - on land nearest Paineel zone (640, -1050)
Iceclad Ocean - at end of dock away from NPC (5330, 340)
Innothule Swamp - just north of Grogg (-2192, -588)
Kael - at Eastern Wastes zone (-8, -655)
Kedge Keep - at zone to Dagnor's Cauldron (100, 14)
Kithicor Woods - near Rivervale zone (1889, 3828)
Lake of Ill Omen - near West Cabilis zone (5747, -5383)
Lake Rathetear - near South Karana zone (4183, 1213)
Lavastorm - near zone to Nektulos Forest (-1833, -154)
Lesser Faydark - near shadowmen camp (-108, -1920)
Lower Guk - at dead side zone to Upper Guk (1197, -217)
Mistmoore - at zone to Lesser Faydark (-330, 120)
Misty Thicket - just north of gate in wall, on Runnyeye side (0, 0)
Mons Letalis - near Mons Seru zone (-1249, -623)
Najena - near zone to Lavastorm (-76, 858)
Nektulos Forest - on south bank of river west of bridge - (-1201, -259)
Netherbian Lair - near Nexus zone (1787, 14)
Northern Ro - near Freeport (3538, 299)
North Freeport - near the easternmost zone to East Freeport (-296, 211)
North Kaladim - by tunnel to South Kaladim (494, 300)
North Karana - crossroads northeast of gypsy camp (-284, -382)
North Qeynos - in newbie area between gate and fake wall (428, -74)
Oasis - northwest corner of lake (450, 904)
Ocean of Tears - dock on Sister Island (390, -9200)
Overthere - by Warslik's Woods (-241, -4263)
Paineel - near Toxxulia zone (800, 200)
Permafrost - near zone to Everfrost (-121, 61)
Plane of Growth - at zone-in (-2522, 3016)
Qeynos Catacombs - near Bait Masterson's haunt (860, 80)
Rathe Mountains - a bit east of Lake Rathetear zone (3825, 1831)
Rivervale - at zone to Misty Thicket (0, 0)
Runnyeye - in tunnel to Misty Thicket (90, 201)
Skyfire - near Overthere zone (-1140, -4286)
Sanctus Seru - near Dawnshroud Peaks (1166, -232)
Sebilis - at zone-in (250, 0)
ShadowHaven - near Paludel Caverns (-982, 190)
Siren's Grotto - near Western Wastes zone, by wandering Molktor (196, -33)
Skyshrine - at Wakening Lands zone (-210, -730)
SolA (Solusek's Eye) - near zone to Lavastorm (-476, -486)
SolB (Nagafen's Lair) - near zone to Lavastorm (424, -263)
South Kaladim - near Butcherblock zone (-18, -2)
South Karana - near bridge to North Karana (2348, 1294)
South Qeynos - on dock by Mermaid's Lure (10, 0)
South Ro - top of wizard platform (-1044, -124)
Steamfont Mountains - near windmills (160, -273)
Surefall Glade - a bit east of the tunnel to Qeynos Hills (0,0)
Swamp of No Hope - amidst outbuildings by East Cabilis (2761, 2945)
Trakanon's Teeth - by Emerald Jungle zone (3868, 1486)
Toxxulia Forest - near Erudin zone (2295, 203)
Unrest - in tunnel to Dagnor's Cauldron zone (-38, 52)
Upper Guk - at zone to Innothule Swamp (-36, 7)
Velktor's Labyrinth - at zone (581, -65)
Wakening Lands - at Kael zone (-673, -5000)
Warrens - near Paineel zone (748, -930)
West Commons - near East Commons zone (214, -1334)
West Freeport - in newbie area a bit north of the gate (335, 180)
West Karana - near Qeynos Hills zone (15, -531)
Western Wastes - a little northwest of tunnel to Siren's Grotto (-4099, -3499)