New Here, what's up with Raids and Guilds and the drama

[Merlikan]

I see quite a few post here about drama for raids. I do remember that from live way back when, maybe I stayed out of it, but I don't remember it this extent. There are post about this guild or that guild, think I remember seeing a post where the person basically said raiding ain't worth it here because of how it is done. Now, I will say, getting to that point is fun, but getting there and being able to raid is also very fun.

So, really my questions are this, what is the reality of raiding at the top end and is it fun enough to be worth the journey? I had a toon several years ago on blue, didn't go to the raiding level, but I want to here. I am not one to run away from this but I remember when several guilds where on the time keys on Tunare, I think the agreement was working well, I don't remember a lot of drama.

Just questions, not a troll. I just want to have fun, level and some day raid.

Xoax

[Coridan]

Depends on what your goal is. If it's planar gear you absolutely have a great shot at it. If it's dragon gear it'll be harder but still feasible so long as you join one of the 4 guilds (well, 3 at the moment) that compete for it, or attend open raids and get lucky.

Class is also a factor. A paladin for example will get full planar gear quicker than an enchanter. Less competition. Holy water sprinklers rottin all the time

[Snortles Chortles]

drugs and unemployment
VS
drugs and work from home employment

[Merlikan]

Do want to get Planar gear or at least work on it, funny you mentioned my class, an enchanter as more difficult. Want to do Kael raids and others, Dragons are always fun. I think I did 50's Hate raids and almost 40 Fear raids to get full geared and epic piece from Fear. We will see what's what though, I am only 4 just starting out here, so may change to another toon. Just trying to get a feel for it here.

[Skarne]

drugs and unemployment
VS
drugs and work from home employment

Haha

[Cen]

Do want to get Planar gear or at least work on it, funny you mentioned my class, an enchanter as more difficult. Want to do Kael raids and others, Dragons are always fun. I think I did 50's Hate raids and almost 40 Fear raids to get full geared and epic piece from Fear. We will see what's what though, I am only 4 just starting out here, so may change to another toon. Just trying to get a feel for it here.

If you enjoy it, play it. You are playing one of the 4 imbalanced god classes of the era. Its going to be hyper overpopulated, but there's a reason why. It's super ridiculously powerful without much struggle and fun because of that.

[knucklehairs]

What are the other 3

[OuterChimp]

Was the toon's name Bladefrenzy?

[Keebz]

On p99, generally in the Classic + Kunark era, one guild tends to dominate everything because there's not a ton of raid targets, and their spawns are pretty spread out (there's a +/-8hr variance on when they spawn from last kill). This leads to all sorts of drama.

The raid scene should get more fun once Velious is out. One guild will still dominate the top content, but there's lots more raid content to go around then.

If you can accept p99 raiding for what it is, it can be a lot of fun.

[Cen]

What are the other 3

Most people agree that the four god classes of the classic era are Enchanter, Shaman, Monk, and sometimes Bard.

Essentially, they can do a lot of things, are useful solo and in groups, and each can do some ludicrous feats well that no other class can do.

Shaman are the greatest big game hunters. There are targets that only they can solo. Period.

Enchanters can solo the greatest number of actual camps with ease, but sometimes with clenched butt cheeks. Enchanters know what I mean when I speak of their buttocks.

Monks are massively overturned in itemization, and skill caps for all the tricks they already get. It's just that simple.

Bards are hard coded in ways that allow them to break a lot of the rules of the game, almost like cheat codes, and 99% of the time they do it for free. They can solo more enemies at the same time in perpituity without rest then any other class and charm dance mobs below 37 better then anyone.

[cd288]

Most people agree that the four god classes of the classic era are Enchanter, Shaman, Monk, and sometimes Bard.

Essentially, they can do a lot of things, are useful solo and in groups, and each can do some ludicrous feats well that no other class can do.

Shaman are the greatest big game hunters. There are targets that only they can solo. Period.

Enchanters can solo the greatest number of actual camps with ease, but sometimes with clenched butt cheeks. Enchanters know what I mean when I speak of their buttocks.

Monks are massively overturned in itemization, and skill caps for all the tricks they already get. It's just that simple.

Bards are hard coded in ways that allow them to break a lot of the rules of the game, almost like cheat codes, and 99% of the time they do it for free. They can solo more enemies at the same time in perpituity without rest then any other class and charm dance mobs below 37 better then anyone.

I don’t really consider shaman a god class since they only really get to that level with crazy good gear and torpor both of which are extremely difficult.

[Local]

Most people agree that the four god classes of the classic era are Enchanter, Shaman, Monk, and sometimes Bard.

Essentially, they can do a lot of things, are useful solo and in groups, and each can do some ludicrous feats well that no other class can do.

Shaman are the greatest big game hunters. There are targets that only they can solo. Period.

Enchanters can solo the greatest number of actual camps with ease, but sometimes with clenched butt cheeks. Enchanters know what I mean when I speak of their buttocks.

Monks are massively overturned in itemization, and skill caps for all the tricks they already get. It's just that simple.

Bards are hard coded in ways that allow them to break a lot of the rules of the game, almost like cheat codes, and 99% of the time they do it for free. They can solo more enemies at the same time in perpituity without rest then any other class and charm dance mobs below 37 better then anyone.

Necromancers feeling pretty left out rite now.

[Merlikan]

I played my Enchanter on live starting in early 2000. I never felt like I was a God character, but I did always have something to do. I made it fun, luckily in my guild I had a cleric that played along. Playing with agro was always fun and in Kael raids I would usually try to see how many times I could get summoned, I think one giant summoned me 4 times, can’t remember it was a long time ago. Fun is what you make it. Most of my EQ career was with my roomie who was a necro. I still haven’t decided for sure what to play, just putting on that comfortable pair of pants to get reintroduced.

[OuterChimp]

I only feel god-like when my necro is 40+ and I go in Befallen....

[Cen]

Necromancers feeling pretty left out rite now.

Necromancers are a fantastic class, and so are all of them to be honest. I am pro wizard pro ranger and anything people downplay. I can tell you great things about every class and the horrors of every class. I've been perfecting a class guide called the what you'll love what you'll hate guide for ages. I want to make it into a video though rather then a written guide. It's based on a great guide someone made for AO class selection.. maybe mine will be done before green 2 lol

[Arvan]

Its not classic raiding here. Yellow text is custom content and competition is an excuse to deny rotations or even a sane raiding system.

[Cen]

Well you aren't even wrong, but neither is the argument that classic cannot truly exist while we retain memories of how to do the content in classic. The team can't wipe that :p

[reznor_]

I don’t really consider shaman a god class since they only really get to that level with crazy good gear and torpor both of which are extremely difficult.

Same.

Well played clerics are god caliber also.



Anyway, play your chanter and have fun, do some planar raids and get ready for Velious. It is a bit of a bottleneck now because 1 or 2 guilds can dominate the top end content (since there's not a ton of it). But I agree that Velious opens up a whole lot more, and everyone can get something if: 1) they show up, and 2) have good tactics.

[unsunghero]

On Blue it looks like they are trying to come up with some sort of a more fair system for the enchanter epic bottleneck, at least according to their forums. It probably won't happen but the fact it was even proposed is a decent sign of things moving in a good direction. Maybe in 2 years something like that could happen on Green (or whenever the reset is proposed and all the sweaties move to that)

[Seducio]

This makes me want to give some gratitude to some folks still playing.

If any of you were in Taken in 2013 or 2014, thank you for mobilizing so quick for my Enchanter epic. Although Seducio on Blue is long retired, getting that Enchanter epic was one of my most valuable and cherished gaming memories because it took months and was effing hard.

I wish all Enchanters on Blue and Green good luck on their epics. It feels incredibly good to accomplish this one.

PS. Eratani... Thank you. You probably don't remember but you did Bat Phone to Taken for me because we did not have enough folks online when I got Verina. Within minutes we were able to get that last piece.

If Kingdom hasn't considered making Eratani their leader yet, then they are not going to be prepared for what comes next.

Cheers ya'll

[Tunabros]

drugs and unemployment
VS
drugs and work from home employment

thread over

[magnetaress]

https://i.imgur.com/IQ2LG96.png

[tadkins]

Necromancers are a fantastic class, and so are all of them to be honest. I am pro wizard pro ranger and anything people downplay. I can tell you great things about every class and the horrors of every class. I've been perfecting a class guide called the what you'll love what you'll hate guide for ages. I want to make it into a video though rather then a written guide. It's based on a great guide someone made for AO class selection.. maybe mine will be done before green 2 lol

Curious about your thoughts on Druids. Playing one right now and it's still a goal of mine to one day see a raid. But I worry because it's the most populated class and I'm told it's not very powerful in a raid scenario. I'm also worried about the potential conflict of a druid not wanting to raid PoG as a Tunare follower, and getting backlash/kicked for that. Am I worried for nothing? xD

That guide you mention you're working on would probably be a tremendous resource for a lot of folks. :)

[Cawin]

This makes me want to give some gratitude to some folks still playing.

If any of you were in Taken in 2013 or 2014, thank you for mobilizing so quick for my Enchanter epic. Although Seducio on Blue is long retired, getting that Enchanter epic was one of my most valuable and cherished gaming memories because it took months and was effing hard.

I wish all Enchanters on Blue and Green good luck on their epics. It feels incredibly good to accomplish this one.

PS. Eratani... Thank you. You probably don't remember but you did Bat Phone to Taken for me because we did not have enough folks online when I got Verina. Within minutes we were able to get that last piece.

If Kingdom hasn't considered making Eratani their leader yet, then they are not going to be prepared for what comes next.

Cheers ya'll

Haha. We did make him one of our (reluctant) leaders. Lots of us Taken feel quite at home here. I was Dasalmon back then.

[HalflingSpergand]

Raid scene :

Tranny warlords vs recreational heroin addicts

[Snortles Chortles]

that’s the forum raid scene

[Illsiff]

This makes me want to give some gratitude to some folks still playing.

If any of you were in Taken in 2013 or 2014, thank you for mobilizing so quick for my Enchanter epic. Although Seducio on Blue is long retired, getting that Enchanter epic was one of my most valuable and cherished gaming memories because it took months and was effing hard.

I wish all Enchanters on Blue and Green good luck on their epics. It feels incredibly good to accomplish this one.

PS. Eratani... Thank you. You probably don't remember but you did Bat Phone to Taken for me because we did not have enough folks online when I got Verina. Within minutes we were able to get that last piece.

If Kingdom hasn't considered making Eratani their leader yet, then they are not going to be prepared for what comes next.

Cheers ya'll

This sentiment isn't unfounded and in-fact, I've received more tells and inquiry about Taken - while I was tagged on green - than I have for any other guild I've ever been in. Most of them were previous members. All of them with nothing but praise. The impact Eratanii has left will ripple throughout this community until the day p99 fizzles out.

Impressive reputation he's earned.

[Elijah850]

Curious about your thoughts on Druids. Playing one right now and it's still a goal of mine to one day see a raid. But I worry because it's the most populated class and I'm told it's not very powerful in a raid scenario. I'm also worried about the potential conflict of a druid not wanting to raid PoG as a Tunare follower, and getting backlash/kicked for that. Am I worried for nothing? xD

That guide you mention you're working on would probably be a tremendous resource for a lot of folks. :)

As both a Shaman and a Druid, I can weigh in on this thread::D

The large number of druids is winnowed to a small minority who actually play them to end game or use their abilities in full, much less raid. A good druid is a solid healer in a raid or group for support heals, group regrowth(at 58), Harmony, etc. They pass shamans for support heals in Velious which a raid force includes if they are wise. DPS wise, druid is as weak or strong as you gear and play, but mine was duoing Estrella and bear pits in classic; not for everyone but a testament to their ability.

As for Shaman: Much more gear dependent then a necro or enc by far, but it is not hard to reach max wisdom in kunark with effort. Also: to anyone who doesn't think a 60 shaman without Torpor can be god level and turn tricks, it's because they dont want you to know they exist! :eek::D

Elijaman Wolfcaller / Wardru Bladefury <Green>

[bomaroast]

The raiders on P99 treat this game like its a job. I'm sure it's fun for them, but for the rest of us it definitely decreases the fun in this video game made for children.

[axisofebola]

5ZtbCOpx8Sk

[Vizax_Xaziv]

Curious about your thoughts on Druids. Playing one right now and it's still a goal of mine to one day see a raid. But I worry because it's the most populated class and I'm told it's not very powerful in a raid scenario. I'm also worried about the potential conflict of a druid not wanting to raid PoG as a Tunare follower, and getting backlash/kicked for that. Am I worried for nothing? xD

That guide you mention you're working on would probably be a tremendous resource for a lot of folks. :)

MANY of the Druids you see online are either farming alts and/or will never raid. Druids are welcomed on raids for their mobilization via ports (obviously), unparalleled fire + cold resistance spells, SOW (for the pullers) and spot heals for non-tank melees.

If you wanna play a Druid, play a Druid!

[radda]

fellow Tunare player here.
I was Divine Crusade during the time keys era

[Vizax_Xaziv]

Also worth noting that just about any/all casual guilds will accept players of any class. Only a few guilds on Green have strict Class recruitment guidelines.

Even then if you get yourself level 55+, show a willingness to consistently attend raids and are not an absolute prick you can certainly find yourself a raid spot in even the topend guilds as a Druid.

It's a very long road to 60 -- play the class you most wanna play.

[TripSin]

The raiders on P99 treat this game like its a job. I'm sure it's fun for them, but for the rest of us it definitely decreases the fun in this video game made for children.

The raid scene in this is pretty ridiculous and sad. Most of the fight doesn't come down to can you take down the raid mobs in question, it's can you fight against the other players (who may be doing things like purposefully training you or otherwise griefing you to prevent you from getting the mobs before they do).

The problem is that EverQuest raiding rewards the raiders who have the least amount of lives outside of the game because of things like 8 hour windows and rewards guilds who can zerg the best. It's basically a contest of who can gather the most no-lifers with the most unhealthy pixel lust. But this is probably classic.

[apprentice04]

Raiding killed Green for me. I just realized one night that I hadnt had fun playing the game since I started attending raids. Ive been taking a break since like December or something. I almost feel the urge to come back. Maybe next month I'll make it there.

Raiding to me is just a giant carrot on the stick that kills your desire to exist. You never get the carrot by the way.

[Fammaden]

Many raid guilds end up being more of a pyramid scheme for the average member.

If you want to raid or to get more gear easily, consider blue. There's a lot more to go around, a lot of even raid stuff will get in your hands that the top DKP earners don't really want as much, and its going to be a lot longer before you find yourself chasing a carrot at the top of the pyramid.

[cd288]

MANY of the Druids you see online are either farming alts and/or will never raid. Druids are welcomed on raids for their mobilization via ports (obviously), unparalleled fire + cold resistance spells, SOW (for the pullers) and spot heals for non-tank melees.

If you wanna play a Druid, play a Druid!

I mean there’s no raid size cap so it’s not like you’re gonna be rejected from the raid. But beyond being able to like animal charm in PoF with gorillas for dps you’re just a buff bot with minor spot heals it’s pretty boring.

[drackgon]

Imo druids are great pullers. Harmony makes them amazing in hate/fear. And their wolf form allows them to kite for days. Don't have 2 be stuck in normal role of buff spot heal bot. Fte/Pulling/kitting is the true spine of a raid force on p99

[Delekhan]

Raiding on p99 is fundamentally different than it was on live. This is is for a variety of reasons, but that's how it's done here. There are several factions of raiders that have differing visions on how raiding should look on p99 so it's constantly evolving over time. Generally, you have to assimilate the culture here if you want to get involved.

Regarding drama, I don't think it's much different than on live, it's the same dynamic as it always was, just a whole lot more people at the top end vying for the same content than there were in-era in my opinion.

[Elijah850]

Raiding killed Green for me. I just realized one night that I hadnt had fun playing the game since I started attending raids. Ive been taking a break since like December or something. I almost feel the urge to come back. Maybe next month I'll make it there.

Raiding to me is just a giant carrot on the stick that kills your desire to exist. You never get the carrot by the way.

Curious which guild made you feel this way. seriously =)

[Elijah850]

I mean there’s no raid size cap so it’s not like you’re gonna be rejected from the raid. But beyond being able to like animal charm in PoF with gorillas for dps you’re just a buff bot with minor spot heals it’s pretty boring.

A druid can drop killer DPS on many mobs from classic to Vulak if geared and played correctly on raids. Just saying. We have existed since Veeshan laid the Scars of Velious in Norrath's crust and to an exceptional few who said they wanted to be more than a buff bot spot healer go the legacy of those days. Also, properly geared druid is by far best healer in classic aside from Cleric if geared and played right. :)

[cd288]

A druid can drop killer DPS on many mobs from classic to Vulak if geared and played correctly on raids. Just saying. We have existed since Veeshan laid the Scars of Velious in Norrath's crust and to an exceptional few who said they wanted to be more than a buff bot spot healer go the legacy of those days. Also, properly geared druid is by far best healer in classic aside from Cleric if geared and played right. :)

“By far the best healer aside from Cleric” lol ok and? That’s like saying I’m the best out of some bad options. So you heal better than a shaman. Great. Druids never come close to Clerics in healing ability past like level 35. There’s a reason no one wants a Druid in a group after that

[Elijah850]

“By far the best healer aside from Cleric” lol ok and? That’s like saying I’m the best out of some bad options. So you heal better than a shaman. Great. Druids never come close to Clerics in healing ability past like level 35. There’s a reason no one wants a Druid in a group after that

You must really like me pal. You troll any sub forum post I make it seems. Funny. Imagine having everything figured out so acutely like you seem to! You are clearly burn master with that last post. Id vote for you! :D

Want to arm wrestle?!?!?

[cd288]

You must really like me pal. You troll any sub forum post I make it seems. Funny. Imagine having everything figured out so acutely like you seem to! You are clearly burn master with that last post. Id vote for you! :D

Want to arm wrestle?!?!?

I mean I’m not trolling you, I’ve just mained a Druid before. They aren’t effective healers after mid 30s or so. Like they don’t even come close to a Cleric, so it’s a weird statement to make to say basically “they’re the best healers after clerics” as though they come anywhere close

[sajbert]

Since EQ isn't instanced all players compete for the same and very limited amount of camps and spawns.

Some of the content has been divided into timeslots for each guild, some of it you have to compete for (such as racing designated players to engage the target first).

What it effectively means either way is that at any time around the clock something can pop and at least someone needs to be online to watch for it to happen. I.e. stare at a blank screen for hours upon hours. Usually you would have parked your raiding character at the location ready to engage when the raid target has spawned. I.e. unless you're bound there you usually can't play your character during those hours. In some guilds people are logged off and they literally get a message on discord or their phone to come online. I.e. some will get up at 4 am and wake their sleeping family to kill a dragon.

The fights are usually super easy, dragons die in seconds. You may not even get a spell off in time. So it's 99% waiting and 1% dragon killing (less, actually).

Raid gear, most of it that's of any use, is hard to come by and requires a lot of raiding.

You typically also have to farm consumables for the raids. Some raids like VP have tough prequests in order to get the key. You'll have to farm mobs for days (once again, staring at a screen) if the camp isn't taken in which case u may have to wait in line).

Tbh, it's fun to raid a little just for the experience and see the content. See Lady Vox, Nagafen, the planes. After that, eh...

There are some raiding items of note that'll change how a character plays or power them up in a significant way. Some classes though needs very little or nothing from raiding to perform well in the endgame dungeons of the world.

As for the drama. Well, when people pour in literally years of their life into a game the competition can get serious indeed.

[Un4Scene]

The raid scene in this is pretty ridiculous and sad. Most of the fight doesn't come down to can you take down the raid mobs in question, it's can you fight against the other players (who may be doing things like purposefully training you or otherwise griefing you to prevent you from getting the mobs before they do).

The problem is that EverQuest raiding rewards the raiders who have the least amount of lives outside of the game because of things like 8 hour windows and rewards guilds who can zerg the best. It's basically a contest of who can gather the most no-lifers with the most unhealthy pixel lust. But this is probably classic.

Unfortunately, this is pretty accurate. I can't speak for servers that I didn't use on Live, but on mine, pretty much all raid content was dominated by a single "uber" guild, with a hardcore elitest attitude problem. If another raid force dared to try to take a target that the "uber" guild wanted, then the "ubers" would just KS it, or train them, or whatever was necessary to make sure they got what they wanted. There are some people on Green (one guild in particular) that are following in this same tradition. The GM's essentially stepped in and said "Nope! Not putting up with that shit here. Find another way amongst yourselves, or we'll put new rules in place to force a less toxic environment." Both have happened.

In some cases there are "player agreements" in place to afford a more equitable raiding experience for all. In other cases, the GM's have laid down specific rules that must be followed. It's very complicated. It changes constantly. It's not always enforced appropriately. Long story short, if you wanna get in to raiding on Green, you need to do some research on the guilds, and choose one. Some of them don't do much raiding, some of them do a lot. Some of them are straight-up "zerg" guilds, some of them are more "small-man raid" focused. Some of them sock raid targets indefinitely, some of them don't sock at all. It's on you to find one that works for you.

As of now, the top raiding guilds are Seal Team, Kingdom, Black Lotus, and Venerate. Those are the guilds that seriously try to compete for the contested raid targets. There are a few other guilds that do a little bit of raiding as well: Fires of Heaven, Gathered Might, Calamitous Intent. Also of note, there are a few others that I think are trying to break in to raiding, but haven't quite gotten there yet, such as Safe Space, Dynasty, and Castle.

One other important note: On Green, there exists a guild "UN", with a dedicated Discord server. This is where the agreements and rules are typically worked out. The GM's use it, as well as representatives from the guilds that choose to take part in it (including all of those guilds I listed above). This is where raid petitions are filed (often with both video and log evidence), GM's lay down rules and judgements, and player agreements are discussed and ratified. Naturally, there are a lot of disputes and arguments, but, still, the UN is the beating heart of all raiding on Green.

[BlackBellamy]

I mean I’m not trolling you, I’ve just mained a Druid before. They aren’t effective healers after mid 30s or so. Like they don’t even come close to a Cleric, so it’s a weird statement to make to say basically “they’re the best healers after clerics” as though they come anywhere close

If they're geared right he said! I guess this assumes no cleric is geared right, or even well...

[TripSin]

I would like to apologize for how insulting I've been in some posts. I shouldn't have implied every raider is a maladjusted person with no life outside of the game. You can be a cool person and still raid.

[Uuruk]

I see quite a few post here about drama for raids. I do remember that from live way back when, maybe I stayed out of it, but I don't remember it this extent. There are post about this guild or that guild, think I remember seeing a post where the person basically said raiding ain't worth it here because of how it is done. Now, I will say, getting to that point is fun, but getting there and being able to raid is also very fun.

So, really my questions are this, what is the reality of raiding at the top end and is it fun enough to be worth the journey? I had a toon several years ago on blue, didn't go to the raiding level, but I want to here. I am not one to run away from this but I remember when several guilds where on the time keys on Tunare, I think the agreement was working well, I don't remember a lot of drama.

Just questions, not a troll. I just want to have fun, level and some day raid.

Xoax

End game raiding here is hot trash dominated by unemployed people. Would avoid.

[starkind]

Just get some industrial strength deodorant and pop the vitamin D pills. U'll be fine. Ignore everyone and everything.

[Tunabros]

Basically, 1 guild gets all the mobs unless big boy dragons are up then people

can finally breathe and takedown mobs

and sometimes, no one wants a mob so they can get it

and sometimes, big guild loses mob and people get mad

and when people get mad, GMs get involved

and when GMs get involved people do stupid things

and when people do stupid things, they get banned

and when you get banned, you can spend more time with your family

thank you for listening to my Ted Talk