Please stop enabling new/weak players

[Sisythi]

Hi there. I'm sure you're thinking that sounds a bit harsh. Well, it kinda is. Stop handing out hundreds of platinum and rare items to new/returning players! You're enabling them while also showing that player and all who witness it that this is okay. It's not okay to beg or rely on other people to fund your gear.

I say this as someone COMPLETELY new to all things EQ. Let me tell you my first experiences. I made a paladin. I thought cool, I get to fuck with healing and tanking. Within 3 levels people randomly gave me gear [unprovoked] and when I asked how I would go about earning my own gear I was told to simply buy it.

Of course, my second question was how do I get the platinum for that and where do I buy it? Suddenly, I'm 500pp richer and told of some vague far off place.

Let me tell you, I did eventually find my way. Did I walk? Oh heavens no, I'm a noob who needs to be coddled. A random person invited me to their group and ported me after I asked HOW TO GET THERE. He was also kind enough to escort me to the entrance.

I asked in /auction if anyone was selling cheap paladin gear. Two separate people ended up completely outfitting me and not accepting a red cent for it. Bless their hearts!

By level 6 I was absolutely bored and tired of the game. I nearly quit, but decided I'd try a new class. Perhaps it was just Paladin that I wasn't vibing with.

This cycle and similar continued for about four toons until I simply put /roleplay on and stopped talking to people as much. I made a vow to simply refuse anything offered.

That character eventually became my main. It was exhilarating! I was learning how to optimize which spells to use/how to pull things carefully/ and genuinely becoming invested in the character. I got this character to level 10, absolutely in love, but curious to see what else EQ had to offer me.

I did this same sort of thing and now I'm absolutely addicted/in love with this game. I love all the players as well, though you may not get that takeaway here. True comradery is born from struggle and suffering, after all.
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Why is this such a problem, you ask? I understand, you're trying to be kind and generous/pay it forward. This is not the way to do it! TEACH people. Don't just give them everything that would be gained from them doing the adventure themselves. Because that's what this game is. It's a huge fucking adventure and you're ruining that for them by playing charity Jesus.

Yes, refer them to the p99 wiki or suggest they read guides. That's acceptable. However, if you're really interested in helping someone/retaining new [to both EQ and/or the server], then you should HELP them. Give them an idea of how YOU EARNED that gear and suggest routes or even alternatives! Tell them where that useless [to you] claymore drops, show them a closeby dungeon where gear drops, play with them and give them pointers!

Constantly showering noobs with arrogance "lol that's just classic/check the wiki/just farm plat/just google it/here's OP buffs" and overzealous gift-giving "here's 500pp for "spells"/here's bis until 50/have this 2kpp item i "don't want anymore" -- THIS IS NOT THE WAY.

Please do not misinterpret this as some hate towards the kindest people I've ever seen play an MMO. I absolutely adore the generosity and the essence behind it. I'd be hard-pressed to mention a player I encountered that I didn't like/thought was being a dickbag. It's so rare that it might as well be nonexistent.

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For me? I ended up learning everything directly from google. Sure, some things are easy to find and full of help [sess's necro guide is amazing as fuck], but others are things that you learn from communication and/or experience.

Where are lowbie items? I want something that I can get myself. I was constantly told that tradeskills were a money sink, but that's where I generally get my first set of gear [tailoring].

In fact, that's where I get a ranged weapon + arrows [fletching]and I can even cook food THAT BUFFS MY STATS [baking]. All. By. My. Fuckin. Self.

This game is very nearly everything I've wanted from an MMO for such a long time. Almost ruined in the same way p2w has ruined recent MMOs. Keep that shit out of here. Stop handing people plat and telling them it's the almighty portion of the game. End game is an absolute nightmare in p99, though I haven't witnessed it personally.

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Please, for the love of Tunare, let new/returning players forge their own path. Offer them a pointing hand in the right direction and a comforting shoulder to inevitably cry upon. The destination isn't the important part, it's the journey. The friends. The hours grinding to earn something you can be proud of.

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Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.