lower level mage pets casting spells.... or not?
 

I recall that lower level mage pets didn't actually cast spells. in fact, i think it wasn't until the pets were level 30ish that they started to cast spells. Eventually they patched in the ability for lower pets to use them down the line, but in vanilla for a period of time they didn't cast any spells.

One of my best friends back then played a mage the first month or so after release and he was always complaining about having no idea why he was wasting plat on 4 pets when they all seemed to be virtually identical

Then one day in sol b his new pet started rooting shit (which really pissed me off because i was on snaring duty. )

I’m pretty sure I remember it always being like that ? I was a noob for most of my eq career and repeated leveled toons into the upper teens and started over. Mostly variations of enchanters and mages. If they did make this change it had to be really early on

I remember mage pets always casting their instant spells from the beginning. But my memory is worthless as proof ;D

yes even the lowest level ones always cast spells. I distinctly have a memory of a female half elf bard "sinking into the ground" when attacked by a gnome mage's earth elemental the first day of rallos.

Mages were so good at low level RZ before they halved pet damage ;D nobody was wiling to wear stealable gear so everyone was permarooted

I'm not sure I'd rely on rallos zek memories. i think that came out like a month(s) after release? They changed a lot in that first month or two.

You can read a post from Brad himself about the QoL improvements made and it mentions making mage pets cast earlier on, so I think OP is right but not enough patch note evidence to counter all this anecdotal BS

He says, anecdotally.

Back then guards didn't aggro a mage for his pet killing u right next to guard. Rough life 1999

I played Mage at release, and pets did not cast spells at first (other than the fire pet DS and air pet invis).

Not sure how long it took for this to be implemented. Maybe the Temple of Sol Ro patch?