New Player to EQ - Need first class advice

[Shirrar]

Hi,

I installed the client today but haven't made a character yet and have been reading the wiki and looking at some youtube videos about classes and trying to decide which to play as my first EQ character ever.

I've played MUDs for many years from the mid-nineties till about 2013.

I have a few questions.

Q: How important and useful is being able to teleport yourself around the game i.e. being a druid, wizard or necromancer? If you are not one of those classes is it easy to get a port or could you have to resign yourself to walking for an hour or more to get somewhere?

Q: How strong can enchanter charmed mobs be and are they comparable to a magician's pets?

Q: Are magician pets or enchanter charmed mobs good for groups or raids or is it easy for them to steal xp from people or screw things up by attracting agro/etc?

Q: Should picking a good solo class be key to a class decision or is it very easy to find groups to level with?

Q: Is it the case that the great gear is mostly dropped from mobs that can't be soloed to the point where end game solo ability isn't relevant?

Q: How long does it take to level to max level; are we talking weeks or months or? I'd be spending a couple hours a day at it and more on weekends.

Q: I am interested in getting into a good high level content or raid guild. I'll have a good amount of time to play and want to contribute as much as possible while having fun. What classes are most sought after and why?

Q: What classes are the most fun?

Thank you for your feedback.

[fahlen]

Q1 Being able to port is very useful. It saves a lot of time and generally helps with finding groups. Only the druid and wizard are able to port. All pure casters (ie necros, wizards, enchanters, magician, cleric, druid, shaman) are able to cast Gate which teleports you back to your bind location. But seeing as most classes in the game can't teleport, that is by no means a game-breaker. Several classes get the movement spell they can cast on others. Spirit of Wolf (shaman, druid, ranger and bards get a better version) Seeing as this is mostly a grouping game, chances are you will be with or near someone that can throw you a SoW. Later on the game you can buy 10 Dose SoW pots or do a quest for some boots that have a clicky effect if you choose a class that can't cast it.

Q2 Mobs are generally much tougher than a player's pet so if you charm a mob and give it haste and shit, its going to melt things. Just be ready for it when the charm breaks so it doesn't melt you. Magicians get the best pet in the game that you can outright cast though, and they're very strong.

Q3 Good enchanters can solo/duo some raid encounters with a charmed pet. Every group is different, sometimes you're better off not using a pet period. You'll learn which situations are appropriate and which aren't. On raids you have to be particularly careful with your pet and make sure to manage it properly as they can cause problems. For regular groups though, you're usually fine with a pet.

Q4 Our population is pretty healthy, groups are abundant if you find out where to go for that level bracket. Don't feel like you *have* to make a class that can solo. It is definitely a plus to be able to solo, but again, most classes can't unless twinked and as you're first starting out, that won't be the case. Casters aren't as gear dependent and easier to start out from scratch over melees, but plenty of people on here are more than happy to help a newcomer out.

Q5 Enchanters and shamans (necros to a degree) are kind of on their own league when it comes to soloing end game mobs for gear. But generally yes, you're going to need to be grouped for most of the good stuff. And raid for the best stuff later down the road if you decide to.

Q6 Depends on your class and schedule but expect it to take a month or two to get to 60. This game has hell levels, which really try your patience but you just have to push past them. 35, 40,45, 51, 54, 59 are all pretty rough, some of these can take 20+ hours.

Q7 For raiding there are certainly some classes more sought after than others. Clerics are always wanted. Can never have too many bards either. But really you should play whatever you find to be the most fun.

Q8 The most fun class is what you find to be the most fun. Some people find cleric to be fun and exciting, but it seems like a special kind of hell to me. Everyone is different. Experiment with as many classes as it takes until you find what appeals most to you. You may go weeks or months down the road and get the urge to try another class. It happens. I've switched mains three times over the years. Take your time on this and have fun man, thats what its all about in the end.

[cubiczar]

For your first class I would suggest mage or necro. They are both fairly forgiving and pretty fun to play also. Be fully prepared to change your mind and start a different char after the first week or two. I think when I first started I had 3 chars lvl 10+ in the first few weeks. At lvl 10 you don't get the full feel for a class but a general idea which can help you decide where you want to put most of your time.

Just to reiterate, melee chars are more gear dependent than casters (just because casters squish with or without gear and spell dmg isn't affected by gear). There are a number of things that sell well to players that you can get at low levels (bone chips, spiderling silk, crushbone belts etc) so you can get some decent stuff if you save some of those as you level and sell to players. Take a look at the guides on the site for more ideas and you should be fine for money for starting gear.

Most of all enjoy the climb, one of the best parts of eq is leveling up and doing quests along the way. Raiding is fun for sure but a good crawl through a dungeon with a group can be just as fun :-)

[Slave35]

Q6 Depends on your class and schedule but expect it to take a month or two to get to 60. This game has hell levels, which really try your patience but you just have to push past them. 35, 40,45, 51, 54, 59 are all pretty rough, some of these can take 20+ hours.


This is irresponsibly optimistic. A month or two to get to 60 would be if you had an extremely twinked character to start, someone to powerlevel you, and enough money to do Chardok AE groups from 56-60, and if you played literally 60 hours a week.

Just to get from 59-60 with an extremely powerful solo class would take a minimum of 50 hours of soloing.

For your first character starting from scratch, with 20 hours of playtime per week, 6 months to level 60 is a REALLY decent target to shoot for.

[fahlen]

Yeah a month would be too fast I guess. How much "more" time you spend on the weekends will be a factor if you're only playing 2 hours a day. It really depends on what class is chosen and how wisely the time is spent. Try not get too hung up on getting gear while leveling. Focus on getting levels and the gear will come in time.

[fahlen]

And if he is like most people when they first start out here that couple hours a day quickly turns into a lot more than a couple hours a day [:

[Shirrar]

I chose an iksar necromancer. Thank you for the input. I see what you're saying about the grind time.

[RDawg816]

Well iksar takes even longer to level with their experience penalty. They are good at leveling with little to no gear though. You can make plenty of money and save it for if you decide to make a different character.

You can make money in Field of Bone and Kurn's Tower. Save silk and bone chips. You'll get way more than you need so sell off as much as you can.

[fahlen]

Even though they have the experience penalty, Iksar is generally viewed as the superior race for a necro. Good choice. Even though you're kill on sight to most npcs outside of your native continent, you can still use banks by feigning death. Just a little tip that will come in handy for the future.

[Pyrion]

Yea, iksar necro is a great first race/class combination. Very self sufficient but at the same time if played right a nice group asset (don't use your dots in a group, just the snare maybe... groups kill too fast for the dots to be any good).

Kurn's tower is the easiest place to level up to 20 in all of norrath.

[Landael]

I was playing MUDs off and on from late 90s and switching between them and EQ for afew years also, first time I logged in to classic EQ 1999 I was amazed because it really IS/WAS MUD with graphics! wooo :) welcome!