Returning Player - Class Advice

[Defo]

Hello P99 Green!

I am looking to return to P99 after a few years on hiatus. The last time I played was in 2023. But I am getting that itch again! :D

The time I spent years ago included TunnelQuesting when I worked from home, and I checked around my accounts and have a lot of tradeable gear on toons that I really have no intention of resuming. I plan on trying to liquidate all of this gear (things like Lodizal shields, fungi tunics, etc)

I also have a few legacy items (no manastone sadly) and I was thinking about liquidating them as well.

My question is: I am aiming to have a completely self-sufficient character that I can log in during my limited playtime, about 2 hours per day max, and bang around my old stomping grounds of Norrath. I have weird off-peak availability, so my character would likely be mostly solo. If I had a ton of resources (plat wise) to put into a single character - what are your thoughts on which class I should go with?

Some notes:
- I am not interested in Monk, Warrior or Rogue.
- Druid, Enchanter and Necro are near the top of my list.
- I have little experience with Bard, Magician, Wizard, Shaman.
- Cleric doesn't seem super viable solo.
- I am not interested in raiding at all. I don't have time, and I'd rather play much more casually.

Any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks all and have a great day! :cool:

[OriginalContentGuy]

Similar discussion here

[Swish]

- Druid, Enchanter and Necro are near the top of my list.

Three great choices. If you've only got 2 hours a day maximum a druid will at least get you to a location quickly. All 3 classes can solo well. Bring bandages for the enchanter to begin with :D

Clerics are viable but can be slow going. Undead wizard mode isn't quick but it its a journey :)

Shammies solo fairly well. If you're soloing a lot I'd recommend a troll for the regen and an iksar but lizard starting stats aren't so good.

Mage solo is another option. If you're doing this as self-found the pet can at least cover for you :)

[Defo]

Similar discussion here

Aye, I read through that one. I noticed that the OP mentioned starting an untwinked new character from scratch. My idea would be pooling together my existing resources to basically uber-twink a casual-play character.

[PatChapp]

Necro is probably the best for that sort of availability. Im similar, and I mostly play my enchanter
Necros are more self reliant,but slightly less capable.
You wont find a huge difference in either from ec gear though,unless you can afford a zlandi heart.

[kjs86z2]

just play enchanter honestly

necro is dog shit in comparison

shaman doesnt get fun until torpor

druids are port/potg bots

[Skarne]

bard all the way baby. tis most fun imo and the most modern-gamer friendly.

[WarpathEQ]

A twinked cleric is actually wildly fun solo. Pretty tanky in plate gear, pretty easy to buy HoT/Skyshrine armor. Can wear a fungi since you have. Velium crystal staff is a baller twink weapon. If you have enough stuff to liquidate mana stones do sell from time to time.

I solo'd my cleric (no mana stone but everything else mentioned) and he's currently lvl 56. Does restrict you to mostly undead encounters at the higher levels. Haven't had the pleasure but I've seen/heard manastone in LGuk to 60 is a hell of a good time.

Just putting that out there since you mentioned it. Enchanter/Shaman/Necro widely regarded as the holy trinity of solo classes with Enchanter being the best in multi mob situations and Shaman/Necro being the best at single mob situations.

[spoil]

It sounds like you have a lot of plat to work with, so I personally wouldn't go with any of the classes you listed. Twinking a tank, cleric or shaman is just way more impactful.

Chanter is my favorite class by far, but especially for 1-59 the difference between a chanter with ~7k for jboots and the basics and ~500k or whatever for full SS armor MQs, zheart, choker and all the best tunnel items is honestly not that significant.

[Defo]

It sounds like you have a lot of plat to work with, so I personally wouldn't go with any of the classes you listed. Twinking a tank, cleric or shaman is just way more impactful.

Chanter is my favorite class by far, but especially for 1-59 the difference between a chanter with ~7k for jboots and the basics and ~500k or whatever for full SS armor MQs, zheart, choker and all the best tunnel items is honestly not that significant.

Thanks for the suggestion. I may go with cleric, but I'm definitely not interested in tank classes. My first toon years ago on p99 was a Shadow Knight, and around 45 or so the places I was able to solo in got extremely limited.

Shaman is a possibility as well, but I really like the freedom of options for levelling for enchanter. I typically only have time to play while the server is still asleep.

I have also noticed that there are plenty of enchanters who are soloing just fine with cheap armor. I just want to spend this plat, haha!

[Crede]

Thanks for the suggestion. I may go with cleric, but I'm definitely not interested in tank classes. My first toon years ago on p99 was a Shadow Knight, and around 45 or so the places I was able to solo in got extremely limited.

Shaman is a possibility as well, but I really like the freedom of options for levelling for enchanter. I typically only have time to play while the server is still asleep.

I have also noticed that there are plenty of enchanters who are soloing just fine with cheap armor. I just want to spend this plat, haha!

Incorrect about sk. You can get very creative fear kiting with the right places. I fear kited in hs from 55-60. Going a slam race can help troll is best for solo. I would recommend this if going melee route.

If going caster route I’d go necro and try for a zheart. That class was ridiculously easy to level I felt like cheating and having fd if needed to afk is great and eventually just Rez yourself if shit hits the fan. It’s nice having multiple ways to kill stuff my enc can kill more high end targets but I actually had way more fun leveling the necro. Depends what you want at 60 or just in it for the journey.

[Goregasmic]

I have also noticed that there are plenty of enchanters who are soloing just fine with cheap armor. I just want to spend this plat, haha!

My chanter has like 80k worth of gear on him and I'm working on dropping another ~80k in SS MQs. If you add the no life epic parts LR you could go over 250k easy total.

Like most classes, sky is the limit if you want to go to the very end of the spectrum. Just a ring of lightning is 90k.

[bcbrown]

Thanks for the suggestion. I may go with cleric, but I'm definitely not interested in tank classes. My first toon years ago on p99 was a Shadow Knight, and around 45 or so the places I was able to solo in got extremely limited.

Shaman is a possibility as well, but I really like the freedom of options for levelling for enchanter. I typically only have time to play while the server is still asleep.

I have also noticed that there are plenty of enchanters who are soloing just fine with cheap armor. I just want to spend this plat, haha!

Are you more interested in getting a high-powered lvl 60 who can do hard stuff, or are you more interested in the journey to 60?

If the latter I'd like to just mention that with a fungi, a bunch of hp/ac gear, and a good weapon, a druid can melee really well into the high 40s. It's a really fun way to play the class, and then you'll also be able to quad, charm, root rot. Self ports and sow lets you quickly bounce between different camps to make the most of limited playtime.

Obviously the power curve drops at 60 compared to enchanter/necro/shaman but there's still some fun stuff to do. Kedge sucks for extended sessions because the respawn timer is so long but it's great to pop in for an hour or so and pick off any nameds that are up, and there's a couple fun camps in Sirens Grotto. The synergy with a manastone isn't quite as good as with a cleric, but since you can always easily port back to the old world you can still get good use out of it in Kunark/Velious camps. Also since almost none of the fun toys are no-drop (except earthcrafter gloves) it's easy to pivot if you're not enjoying it.

My chanter has like 80k worth of gear on him and I'm working on dropping another ~80k in SS MQs.

You could join a raiding guild and get that within a month or two no problem without spending the plat.

[Vexenu]

My question is: I am aiming to have a completely self-sufficient character that I can log in during my limited playtime, about 2 hours per day max, and bang around my old stomping grounds of Norrath. I have weird off-peak availability, so my character would likely be mostly solo. If I had a ton of resources (plat wise) to put into a single character - what are your thoughts on which class I should go with?

You have received a lot of replies, but it seems as if most posters didn't actually read the question carefully, because if they had, everyone would have provided the same answer: you should roll a Druid.

First of all, you can get a LOT of mileage by heavily twinking a Druid. Fungi, AC/HP gear, haste and good weapons will pay huge dividends on a Druid from 1-40. Then you'll want more +WIS and mana gear as you get into the 40s and 50s. Goblin Gazughi Ring and Lumi Staff are two other items that can make a huge difference for a Druid.

But the main reason to roll a Druid is that the class is very self-sufficient and friendly for casual play. Being able to port yourself around is the absolute pinnacle of convenience, and ensures that you will always be able to make the most of limited playtime. And the rest of the Druid kit, which provides a load of utility and versatility, means that you will never lack for something to do (whether that is charm killing, quad kiting, root rotting, tracking rare mobs for quests/tradeskill drops, selling ports while you semi-afk, buffing newbs at Druid rings, or powerleveling for plat). No other class combines the convenience and versatility of the Druid.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

You could join a raiding guild and get that within a month or two no problem without spending the plat.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume a timeline like that. Could you get the required DKP in a month or two of frequent play? Probably.

Will you be able to attend the specific raid where the item you need drops, another guild isn't contesting it, and you aren't outbid by another guildie? That's the real question. Remember gratz Bladefrenzy?:D

I bought my Shaman's Epic while I was frequently raiding in Aftermath. I had enough DKP, but I was really unlucky with child tear drops. They just wouldn't drop whenever I did a fear raid. Farming the plat was the faster path in the end, and I paid 75k.

When looking at HoT drops specifically, I am also unlucky with those. My SK needs plate arms, but they never seem to drop when I go to HoT.

I do agree with you that joining a guild is a great way to get items without needing to spend plat, but RnG isn't always on your side. Nor is your play schedule in relation to the raid mob(s) you need to kill.

[bcbrown]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume a timeline like that. Could you get the required DKP in a month or two of frequent play? Probably.

The subtext here is that I've been lowkey trying to recruit Goregasmic to our guild for a couple months now :)

But now you've given me a good segue to recruit for Syndicate on Green. Skyshrine armor usually goes for 1-10 DKP per piece, rarely up to 30 dkp. I'm literally raiding right now in hot (afk bard ftw), and an enchanter who joined last week just got a SS hat for 1 dkp. Last Friday we had 40 for some plate arms, a chain bracer for 1 dkp, 100 for a silk robe, 1 for leather tunic for a main, 40 for a leather tunic for an alt (so no other main needed it), 1 for chain bracers, 1 for plate gloves. So there's plenty of pieces going for minimal DKP. Silk is probably the most-in-demand but a month of raiding will definitely yield several pieces of armor.

That new enchanter just got silk pants for 1dkp right now :)

[bcbrown]

When looking at HoT drops specifically, I am also unlucky with those. My SK needs plate arms, but they never seem to drop when I go to HoT.

I got plate arms tonight, as well as plate boots and chain arms, all for less than the dkp I earned from the raid :)

[Defo]

Thanks all for the insight, good reads here!

I am split between Enchanter and Druid. Leaning heavily to Enchanter, because I actually levelled a druid to mid 50s years ago but burned out on Permafrost. I want to be able to solo as far as possible, but also be utilized in groups. Not interested in raiding: been there done that on p99.

I really enjoy the journey to 60, and most importantly I enjoy being able to solo / duo / trio crawl through dungeons.

[Goregasmic]

You could join a raiding guild and get that within a month or two no problem without spending the plat.

I don't want to hijack the thread but I'm on a trip outside the country. Joining a guild was the first order of business when I come back next week, expect to hear from me ;)

But yeah, was kinda looking forward to ruining my SS faction but wanted to get some SS pieces nailed down before. I sure could use that money elsewhere but MQs seemed the fastest way.

[TheBlob]

Thanks all for the insight, good reads here!

I am split between Enchanter and Druid. Leaning heavily to Enchanter, because I actually levelled a druid to mid 50s years ago but burned out on Permafrost. I want to be able to solo as far as possible, but also be utilized in groups. Not interested in raiding: been there done that on p99.

I really enjoy the journey to 60, and most importantly I enjoy being able to solo / duo / trio crawl through dungeons.

If you like soloing, enchanter has the highest ceiling due to being able to charm any kind of mob. Druid and necro can also charm and solo powerful targets, but they are limited to animals and undead, respectively. Druid has access to more utility/different play styles imo, but if you are hesitating between necro and enchanter, I would say go for enchanter for the power, or necro if the dead vibe (don't know how much the RP element is important to you) is something that speaks to you.

Also, enchanter can enchant metals to make magical jewelry, which is imo one of the more useful tradeskills.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

I got plate arms tonight, as well as plate boots and chain arms, all for less than the dkp I earned from the raid :)

Congrats:) Plate arms do drop. Nobody is saying otherwise. I have been to quite a few HoTs, and no plate arms dropped for me. That is my point. Luck is a factor, as is your availability to raid. DKP isn't always the issue. So sometimes it is faster to just buy the item.

[Goregasmic]

If you like soloing, enchanter has the highest ceiling due to being able to charm any kind of mob. Druid and necro can also charm and solo powerful targets, but they are limited to animals and undead, respectively. Druid has access to more utility/different play styles imo, but if you are hesitating between necro and enchanter, I would say go for enchanter for the power, or necro if the dead vibe (don't know how much the RP element is important to you) is something that speaks to you.

Also, enchanter can enchant metals to make magical jewelry, which is imo one of the more useful tradeskills.

From a chanter perspective I feel the big upsides to necro soloing is the ability to balance hp/mana pools and having a strong summoned pet. Chanters are stronger in general but animations are mostly terrible and if you lose too much HP you're basicaly temporarily incapacitated due to not being able to heal. That and the ability to go afk (stronger pet and FD).

[Mortdecai99]

You could join a raiding guild and get that within a month or two no problem without spending the plat.
Or you could get it in a couple days in the tunnel?

[Goregasmic]

Or you could get it in a couple days in the tunnel?

In my experience for cloth, robe and legs are relatively easy to get but arms/hands/feet, not so much. Been watching for boots for a couple weeks and they never turned up.

[TheBlob]

From a chanter perspective I feel the big upsides to necro soloing is the ability to balance hp/mana pools and having a strong summoned pet. Chanters are stronger in general but animations are mostly terrible and if you lose too much HP you're basicaly temporarily incapacitated due to not being able to heal. That and the ability to go afk (stronger pet and FD).

That's true! I didn't play either hahaha those were just my impressions based on seeing my friends level one of each :P

[Defo]

Update:

I decided on Enchanter. Kitted the toon out with a bunch of stuff, nearing 200 int and 200 charisma. Oh, and a few Brazier of Elemental Summoning. Wish I knew about these when I made all of my other twinks years ago, heh!

Thanks for the suggestions all. Even at lowbie level, Enchanter with full twink kit has been fun. Grouped with a few new players this past few days and it was great to shake off the p99 dust and get back into it.

If anyone has any lowbies or there are any new players, look me up on Green!

Aanje - Human Enchanter

[Castle2.0]

Get a manastone. It pairs well with a cleric.

[Crede]

Update:

I decided on Enchanter. Kitted the toon out with a bunch of stuff, nearing 200 int and 200 charisma. Oh, and a few Brazier of Elemental Summoning. Wish I knew about these when I made all of my other twinks years ago, heh!

Thanks for the suggestions all. Even at lowbie level, Enchanter with full twink kit has been fun. Grouped with a few new players this past few days and it was great to shake off the p99 dust and get back into it.

If anyone has any lowbies or there are any new players, look me up on Green!

Aanje - Human Enchanter

enc just needs ec CHA gear, jboots, and gob ring and youre pretty much set for life

[antrexon]

oh man I'm in the same boat. trying to choose between Enchanter and Necro

[kjs86z2]

oh man I'm in the same boat. trying to choose between Enchanter and Necro

enchanter is just miles better if you're willing to play with some degree of focus

[Defo]

oh man I'm in the same boat. trying to choose between Enchanter and Necro

Necro in my experience is much easier to level 1-49. But is limited 49-60. However the ability to fear-kite and root rot as alternatives to charm are nice.

So far I'm level 30 on my enchanter, and gotta say it feels like I'm hitting a wall. I know at 49, with Allure the possibilities will open up greatly for what I can do, but I wish there was some way to exp solo besides having to charm.

Charm either takes a lot of mana to constantly break pet and nuke to finish off mobs - or you let your pet steal 50% exp and need twice as many kills.

On my Necro, at this level - I was able to fear kite very efficiently.