24h Challenge: From Rags to Riches

[Kalman]

Hey everyone! ��

This is a challenge I've been mulling over for a long time, and this week I finally decided to put it to the test: How quickly can a max-level character go from literally zero equipment back to "acceptable" gear?

By "acceptable," I mean equipment good enough to confidently take on group content without being a constant liability. For me, this was purely about having fun, taking on a tough challenge, and seeing just how far I could push the limits. I also wanted to see how much the value of class knowledge and deep understanding of the P99 world could outweigh the lack of starting equipment.

The Rules of the Challenge:

1. Starting from Absolute Scratch: My character started with no gear at all. No starter cloth, no rusty weapon, zero copper.
2. Starting Point: I began in a city corresponding to my race/class starting options. (For a second run I would also restrict it to the city the char originally started in, just for the added challenge)
3. The Time Limit: I set a strict limit of 24 hours of pure playtime to re-equip myself. This time includes all travel and logistics.
4. Movement Restriction: The journey had to be done on foot or via natural transportation: boats and teleports provided by yourself only (during the first session of my run I got ported twice. But starting with session 2 I added getting ported by others to the restrictions, because ports defeat the purpose of this challenge and make clever route planing obsolete.)
5. Sourcing Gear: Equipment was strictly limited to:
   • Looting/Farming drops.
   • Quest Rewards.
   • Buying basic items from NPCs that they stock by default (e.g., reagents, arrows, basic vendor armor).
   • Tradeskills (Normal tradeskills are allowed, but Cultural Tradeskills are forbidden, as they defeat the spirit of the challenge)
   .
6. External Help: Buffs from other players were allowed if offered, but I could not actively ask for them.

The outcome was an intense dive into the part where classic EverQuest is at its best: The early levels where every upgrade mattered instead of the slow end game content and the toxic raiding scene!
I've got my screenshots and logs ready to share, and I'll be detailing the exact path I took, the first essential items I secured, and how I navigated the early, powerless hours.

Check out the next post for the story of Session 1 and my first major gear acquisition!

[Kalman]

Session 1: The 12-Hour Looting Spree

The initial premise of starting naked as a Level 60 might sound annoying to some, but frankly, it’s where the fun and the fastest gear jumps happen! With a deep knowledge of P99, the first twelve and a half hours were less a "scramble for survival" and more a highly efficient scavenger hunt leveraging class ability and world mastery.

The Launch: Freeport to Faydwer

I chose Freeport as my starting point. As a Paladin, my first move was to instantly summon a magical Hammer of Striking, solving the critical "Can I hit magical mobs?" problem right out of the gate.

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1. The Quest Sprint: I immediately started the initial leg of the Deepwater Harpoon Quest. This is a perfect high-value, low-effort early quest.
   
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2. Initial Capital: I killed a few Decaying Skeletons and a Fire Beetle near the city. I sold the resulting trash for the minimal copper and silver needed to purchase my initial supplies of food and water.
3. The Ocean Leap: I took the boat to the Ocean of Tears and swiftly finished the quest, securing my first quality weapon, the Deepwater Harpoon (18/40, Magic, +5 STA, +5 WIS). Hoozah!
   
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   • Side Note: A Ranger in OOT asked for a rez. I met her at Sister Island and received 200pp, but I later stashed it at the bank, as outside gifts go against the spirit of the run!

Gear Acquisition: Logistics and Power Upgrades

Missing the return boat from Butcherblock was a minor setback, but I took the opportunity to move forward to Faydwer instead with the next boat.

1. Logistics Solved: I hopped off the ship in Butcherblock Mountains and easily dispatched a group of Aqua Goblins that where in the way between me and the shore.
   
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   They dropped my first small bag, a bow, some arrows, and some Bronze Weapons. Selling the bronze quickly allowed me to purchase the rest of my storage needs (Backpacks and Small Boxes), filling my inventory and stashing the remaining plat.
2. The Hero’s Upgrade: I ran to Steamfont Mountains to hunt the Minotaur Hero. The Deepwater Harpoon made short work of him, and I looted his Shackles.
   
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3. The Wiki Trap: My first real time-loss came from trusting the wiki instead of my amazing memory: I headed to Mistmoore Castle hoping for medium Bronze armor drops. This wiki info proved incorrect — I only found small sizes. I managed to pick up a much-needed Ringmail Tunic, Ringmail Boots, and Black Silk Gloves but wasted crucial time confirming the drop tables.
   
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   I had no luck with the Avenging Caitiff for a couple rounds and since Xicotl was up at the Spa that camp was too much to take on with my current equipment.

[Kalman]

The other side of the World

1. For convenience: I ran back to Steamfont to grab a convenient port to SFG to make up the lost time.
   
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   From there, I headed to Qeynos to turn in the Hero Shackles and received my first piece of quality armor: Hero Bracers 9 AC, +10 Str, +5 SV Disease, +5 SV Poison
   
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2. Qeynos Sewers: During a quick pass through the Qeynos Sewers, I picked up two Alligator Tooth Earrings and a Limestone Ring. I also met a fellow who looked to be on a similar challenge run.
   
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3. Gnoll Snacks: While passing through Blackburrow I cleared the elite camps once and found a Studded Leather Collar, Rusty Spiked Shoulderpads and picked up a ground spawn Silver Ring.

Staying cool in Permafrost

1. Not just good for sewing: During a quick stop at Halas I picked up a Large Sewing Kit to be able to store my Deepwater Harpoon if necessary.
2. Nice to meet you: On the way to Permafrost, I was keeping my eyes open for the Icebear brothers. I spotted Martar Icebear and looted his Cloak and Kilt — a huge AC and HP boost!
   
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3. Inside Permafrost: This zone is no low-level camp; it's a confusing maze with annyoing green aggro. However, my knowledge of the layout allowed me to navigate deep quickly and efficiently.
   I secured Icy Greaves, a Symbol of Loyalty to Vox, a Bronze Breastplate, and Bronze Gauntlets.
   
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The Final Push: Blackened Alloy

The latter half of the session was a focused blitz of mid-level zones, quickly replacing the Ringmail and Bronze pieces with better gear.

1. Lucky Strike: While en route, I stumbled over Korvik the Cursed and looted his Gypsy Medallion (though I opted to keep wearing the Studded Collar).
2. My main target: Runny Eye, yielded immediate results:
   • A Blackened Alloy Bastard Sword which replaced the Deepwater Harpoon.
   • A Blackened Alloy Coif, Girdle, Boots, and Gauntlets — a massive jump in AC and stats that solidified my combat readiness.
     
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3. The final run was to Lower Guk, where I picked up Shin Greaves (just a sidegrade with a better color) and a Light Burlap Sack.
4. Tragic Strikes: On my way back to the Freeport bank I decided to bravely run directly through the gates past all the guards with my Divine Aura active. However a single Guard waiting at the zoneline got a bash off and I got mobbed by the Freeport Militia. Not changing my bindspot from Kael to the mainland for this run was an oversight, but a free port from a friendly DaP saved the day. After rezzing myself I logged out for the night.

Session 1 Wrap-up (Time Elapsed: 12 Hours 30 Minutes)

In just over twelve hours, I secured a full mix of serviceable armor (Blackened Alloy/Bronze/quest pieces), a quality magical weapon, multiple accessories, and a functional inventory. The knowledge advantage proved supreme, allowing me to bypass weeks of typical low-level grinding.

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I was now logged out, no longer "naked," but equipped to confidently tackle the next tier of higher-level zones!

[Castle2.0]

Approve.

[loramin]

I tried doing this challenge for every caster in the game. In every case I made a character and ... I was done [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

In all seriousness though, I think this is a fun challenge ... for melee/hybrid characters. Great idea coming up with it.

[Reiwa]

Pretty cool idea. Should be runs of this category on Twitch.

What to call it?

[CrazyPro]

make a whole guild for this
everyone stashes away their old gear and tries to get phat loot while naked

[Ghost_of_Fippy]

The real challenge:

'Self Found' Warrior to level 60 solo. No purchased gear from other players. Only what you find on your own.

What ever race you want to be.

[Kalman]

Originally Posted by Castle2.0 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Approve.

Thanks mate [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Originally Posted by loramin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I tried doing this challenge for every caster in the game. In every case I made a character and ... I was done [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

In all seriousness though, I think this is a fun challenge ... for melee/hybrid characters. Great idea coming up with it.

Yes, I am thinking the same! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] This challenge is most fun for melees. I would love to see what a Rogue, Ranger or Monk will come up with.
For Int Casters, Druids and Shamans this would just be 24 hours of camping Nameds.
A Cleric on the other hand would also be a fun challenge and I have already started to plan out a route for mine.

You should give the challenge a try if you have an appropriate char. It's only 24 hours after all [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Originally Posted by Reiwa [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Pretty cool idea. Should be runs of this category on Twitch.

What to call it?

Spot on. Twitch is exactly why I was looking to do something like this in a game I know very well. I love watching Challenge and Speed runs of Diablo 2 and Dark Souls. Would be nice to watch someone doing this challenge run on Twitch or Youtube.

I would simply call it: 24h naked self-found

Originally Posted by CrazyPro [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

make a whole guild for this
everyone stashes away their old gear and tries to get phat loot while naked

It would be amazing doing PoH and PoF with all naked chars [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

This challenge would already be interesting to be done as a Duo or Group.

Originally Posted by Ghost_of_Fippy [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

The real challenge:

'Self Found' Warrior to level 60 solo. No purchased gear from other players. Only what you find on your own.

What ever race you want to be.

What motivated you to make that comment in this thread about the '24h Rags to Riches' challenge?

[Kalman]

Session 2: The Plate Armor Polish

The goal for this session was clear: elevate the tanking core of the character. The mixed Bronze and Blackened Alloy from Session 1 was functional, but getting a proper breastplate was the priority — specifically, the Enameled Black Chestplate (EBCP or EBB, depending on which server you played on live) from Lower Guk.

The Freeport Resupply and The Guk Gambit

Session 2 kicked off with a calculated inventory purchase. I had enough Platinum stashed from Session 1 to spend some. Since I hadn't found anything for the arm slot yet, I purchased Steel Vambraces in Freeport for a baseline AC boost before the long run to Guk.

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I headed straight back to the murky depths of Lower Guk, determined to secure the EBCP, which had eluded me on my first trip and with a bit of luck maybe also a Thick Banded Belt. My targets therefor were the Ghoul Supplier's and the Ghoul Savant's camps.

1. The Grind: I carefully split up the Supplier and Savant camps. I managed to check the Evil Eye camp twice, but it was occupied, and I made one quick check on the Minotaur Elder without committing to the placeholder (PH) grind.
   
2. The Danger: I had to make sure to keep all mobs rooted, especially when I got hit with Ghoul Root myself. A running mob in Lower Guk that passes around a corner before you can get of your root while you are rooted usually ends deadly. I had Lay on Hands up, but since I was still bound in Kael I wanted to be extra careful.

The dedication paid off. After a long, focused grind and 2 Enameled Black Maces, the Ghoul Savant finally dropped the Enameled Black Chestplate! This was the must-get-item of my planned run, providing a massive boost to survivability.

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Logistics, Aesthetics, and Targeted Drops

With the primary goal complete, I had to move fast to make up for the time spent in Guk. On the way out, I made a quick stop to kill a couple of shin ghouls and secured a pair of Shin Gauntlets — a small upgrade to my stats but a huge upgrade to my looks.

I then headed to the Freeport Docks and took the boat to Butcherblock. My first stop was Felwithe. I visited the vendors and bought Steel Plate Boots to replace my current gear. This was about more than just AC; it was about achieving a near-uniform look. I was now clad in full, shiny silver plate, with the exception of the black EBCP and the Blackened Alloy Coif. My avatar truly looked "geared" and like a Paladin.

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With an improved appearance, I then ran straight to Unrest for targeted accessory hunting:

1. Unrest: My targets were the Bloodstained Mantle and Jagged Bands.
   • The Undead Knight was up and dropped the Mantle on the first kill. Check!
     
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   • I made my way into the basement, where Garanel Rucksif was up.
     
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     He dropped a Jagged Band, like expected. Double check! I stayed for one more cycle but a placeholder spawned, so I pressed on.
2. Dagnor's Cauldron: With time running down, I moved out to the connecting zone to hunt two specific named mobs for better accessories, respectively for one still unfilled slot.
   • I wanted Jetsam for a better collar. Unfortunately, the rat dropped the less useful powder twice. Hasan must have removed the Collar from the loot table.
   • I was looking for Squallslither for an eyepatch, but the snake never spawned. I hate snakes!

I ended the session by killing the PH for Garanel Rucksif again and logging out.

Session 2 Wrap-up (Time Elapsed: 7 Hours 30 Minutes)

In just 7 hours and 30 minutes, Session 2 proved to be a mixed bag between incredibly high-value and bad RNG, bringing my total playtime to 20 hours. The character is now genuinely ready for some tougher camps and to parade in EC Tunnels, having made massive strides in core defense and visual upgrades.

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The most critical milestone was the acquisition of the Enameled Black Breastplate, which provides a pivotal AC increase, securing the foundation of my tanking capabilities. Furthermore, the purchased Steel Vambraces and Steel Plate Boots filled previously weak slots, providing a significant boost to AC and achieving a near-uniform, "geared" aesthetic. Finally, the lucky drops of the Bloodstained Mantle and the Jagged Band gave the character a boost in AC and save VS Magic.

The time remaining is now a razor-thin 4 hours and 30 minutes. The core armor is done, but the remaining accessory slots (ears, face, neck and one finger) still have major room for improvement, making the final session a pure, high-stakes accessory hunt!