Advice from high levels/veterans, losing steam

[Tzeriel]

I've heard the "play what you enjoy" etc etc. I'm just in the doldrums. I log in and just stare at character select. I love playing here. I've tried all the classes I never tried on live. The past few months have been narrowing it down. So now here I sit, 5-6 classes I enjoy. Have a 14 Magician, 19 Monk, 12 Rogue, 14 Necro, 30 Wiz, 13 Bard. I just don't ever know which one to roll with. I've managed to stop robbing from them to gear others, I'm set on each one to make them playable. The question is, to veterans, how do you get out of this rut? How do you force yourself to nail down and play 1-2 things? I'm not in danger of quitting, I love the server, I just wanna get back to the content I enjoy.

[Fame]

Give red a try pal :)

[Nuggie]

Find a friend or two and level up with them. Best way to stay committed to one. Won't have time to play others till yer in yer 50s if you are trying to keep up with your pal.

[Ingrum]

Find a friend or two and level up with them. Best way to stay committed to one. Won't have time to play others till yer in yer 50s if you are trying to keep up with your pal.

This!

Definitely find a pal or two and use one of the characters you already have and enjoy playing that also compliments whatever your friend(s) chose to play.

For instance, the necro and monk would be a great addition to complete almost any duo or trio and both are not terribly gear dependent either.

Good luck!

[Tzeriel]

Believe it not I did try Red. Have a level 6 Dwarf Rogue. It's just irritating that I can't find anyone to group with, and soloing as a level 6 Rogue with a tarnished spear is... No bueno.

I'll try that. I was in a trio for a bit with my Mage but the others stopped logging on, and I was intimidated by their research... Bleh. I just wanna get back to 45+! Love that content so much.

[snoopiku]

Welcome to my world, expect my style is a bit different. I make a character, play the crap out of them, then reroll. It has gone, 18 Sham, 31 Warrior, 12 Bard, 22 Enchanter, 17 Ranger and 24 Monk, with multiple other characters to 5 or 6 in between. I am super focused on the monk at the moment, but that could fade at any time.

[Tzeriel]

I hope you keep your focus. It's a bitch to just be enjoying something and lose it. I think I'm gonna... Delete some stuff. Once it's gone no temptation right? Need to decide on 2 to keep I guess.

Was enjoying Bard a lot till someone informed me that I won't be welcome at high levels without my epic, so I'll be forced to swarm :(

[snoopiku]

Well, unless starting another character, I wouldn't delete anything. I deleted my necro because I never planned on playing it again, but now I am feeling a necro would be a good alt to have. Pain to waste time, delete something, and then a few months later want to play it again. Don't let the bard nonsense get you down on the bard. If you are good at what you do, you'll be fine finding groups. Everyone loves bard songs.

[Swish]

Give red a try pal :)

[falkun]

Was enjoying Bard a lot till someone informed me that I won't be welcome at high levels without my epic, so I'll be forced to swarm :(

Where the hell did you hear that? I haven't had any issues without my epic for the last 2-3 years.

[Messianic]

Was enjoying Bard a lot till someone informed me that I won't be welcome at high levels without my epic, so I'll be forced to swarm :(

They were an idiot. Ignore them.

[Supaskillz]

Bards can get groups np.

The key to enjoying the grind for me was grouping. I was always aggressive in starting up groups and I recommend everyone to be aggressive in this respect. Plenty of people soloing will be happy to group up if asked, others will put up tag and just wait for tells. You can do "/who all 12 16" or whatever relevant lvl range is and look for people in zones nearby. Send a few tells and get it going.

I also suggest trying new zones. Spending 20 min traveling to a new location may be inefficient but this is your chance to experience Kurns tower or Cazic Thule or whatever zone sounds interesting. There are cool zones at all lvl ranges if you ask me.

[Tzeriel]

Deajay, will you be my bard sponsor for Altoholics Anonymous? :x

[Kekephee]

Where the hell did you hear that? I haven't had any issues without my epic for the last 2-3 years.

Probably heard it from other bards who don't want any more bards playing on the server because that ruins the sweet, sweet gravy train of being one of like six high level bards



In other words, it was me, I don't want any more bards on server

[Swish]

Was enjoying Bard a lot till someone informed me that I won't be welcome at high levels without my epic, so I'll be forced to swarm :(

Sounds like an Allakhazam comments noob from 2000 came to P99.

[Danth]

The question is, to veterans, how do you get out of this rut? How do you force yourself to nail down and play 1-2 things?

Some folks never get in that rut in the first place. Alts don't really appeal to me beyond specific utility that may be needed (ie, druid to port around as an EC mule). For the folks who're prone to "Excess Alt Syndrome," as others have said it's best to have friends you group with and hence feel motivated to keep up with.

Danth

[khailibowen]

Perhaps read some of the guides on your various characters and then decide which 1 or 2 you want to focus more on. Sometimes, just doing a bit of research (wiki guides are helpful), can help you make a decision.

I also make my decisions based on whether I have time restraints or want to solo that night or group.

[Fame]

What it really comes down to for me is playstyle, figure out what ya like most about playing eq and roll a character that focuses primarily on that aspect of the game. Button mashing bard/shaman, afk forumquest wizard, pulling monk, tanking sk/pal/war, farming mage/necro, constant awareness enchanter, killing the mob rogue, helping/healing people druid/cleric.

[HeallunRumblebelly]

I've got like 8? 10?ish 60s, and they're all fucking terrible except cleric. I feel like I've had these alts forced upon me :P

Best bet for keeping at it is bros, though. EQ is a dull game but it has maybe one of the best social atmospheres. P99 community really keeps me coming back.

[Yonkec]

Lol bard epics...

I can't tell if you are seriously insecure about your characters sexuality, or just trying to get me to sleep with you out of pity. I'm down for either.

[radditsu]

P99 community really keeps me coming back.

Sarcasm?

Cause I am sure that is sarcasm.

[mwatt]

My advice is to decide upon a long term strategy and set up a series of small goals that serve that strategy. Here's one possibility for long term strategy:

"In general, my default play will be to work on leveling my Necro. Leveling my Necro will go very quickly and eventually give me a good chance to farm plat and items for my other alts. This therefore serves all of my characters".

Goals along the way in the pursuit of this strategy:
1. Pick an item that you can camp for your Necro.
2. Pick items that you can make money off of to buy a Necro item that you need.
3. Look ahead to the next really good spell you are slated for and level towards that end.
4. Rinse and repeat.

If on any given day, you log in and feel like playing one of your other chars (i.e. not your Necro), just do it. This too solves your problem of what to play.

[Lartanin63]

I think the bard is a good option for you. It has many aspect of all the classes. It keeps it fresh with a new spell each level and you get to wear plate armor, duel weild, run stupid fast and have tons of support and utility spells. Setting goals like said before keeps you happy with you character and its more than just getting exp.

[Kekephee]

I think we've gotten three pages into this thread without anyone really explicitly asking a very important question and you answering: What do you really like to do? Do you like soloing? Do you like meleeing? You have all these alts, you must know what your favorite way of playing is, right?

[Bazia]

Seriously dude try Red, I could never get past 50 on blue it's so repetitive and unchallenging.

Killing 20 year old NPC AI for thousands of hours with dozens of other players /yawn.

PVP adds so many more dimensions to the game because your battling live thinking players instead of a_large_rat AI.

[Vanalr]

What has worked for my altitis is figuring out how much time i have to play when i sit down. If I have an hour and a half or more of expected play time I'll play my main (cleric). If I have less than that I'll play my alt (Necro). If my rl friend is online I'll play my sk. Thats what works for me.

[Scikala]

Here's another thing, the bard doesn't need gear. I solo kited,naked to 49. Just instruments. You get hit, youre dead anyway.

So if you want to keep it to two, you can consolidate gear.

But anyone who says no epic = no group is a fucking tool. Because Epics were SOOOO common on live with the whole 10 months of Kunark....unlike the three years of cockblocking mongrels here.

[Tzeriel]

Kiting starts at 18 with a bard correct? I haven't been able to do it right really, up to 13. I kinda like doing a variety of stuff. Though being on call for work is a reason I won't play a tank or healer. I like being useful to a group, but not being the person ago if they have to leave cripples it.

I appreciate everyone's help. Just getting it talked about is going to help.

Also, I've TRIED red. It'd be fun but there is NOBODY THERE.

The epic comment just got to me because I know it wasn't a big deal on Live. But here I know people are crazy min maxers.

[Scikala]

It's easier at 18, but you should really get it down before that, so you can learn to land the level 2 dot, makes kiting a lot easier.

Also depends on your method. I do strafe/non selos kiting. "Carping" or whatever. Never got the hang of the "tapping"

Basically run around somewhere flat after pulling a bunch of mobs, start small so you dont instantly die while learning(once you get it down pull EVERYTHING!) And make sure to have the corners of your screen clear so you can see the mobs.

[Byrjun]

Maybe you haven't found a class you really enjoy more than others? I remember I was the same way back in 99/2000, had like 6 different characters between level 4 and 20 until I rolled up a Shaman and enjoyed the class so much I took it to 60

[Raavak]

The find friends advice is good. Otherwise join a guild with lively guildchat and maybe Ventrillo for chatting. EQ is fun because its so social. Otherwise go play D3 or something.

[Tzeriel]

Maybe that's why I can't kite. I can't really clear the corners without putting stuff in the middle. I play on a fairly small notebook laptop. It's great for general purposes, but not a ton of room on screen.

Making friends at this point in the server's lifespan isn't as easy as it once was. People are set up. They're on alts looking to level, not meet new friends. In the 3 months I've been back at it here I've managed to get 3 people on my friends list.

[Scikala]

Yeah IDK Man, I play on a 24 Inch widescreen....so havent had any issues haha.

I don't really have any characters in your range, most of my alts are mid 20s right now.

And as far as finding friends/group there are tons of new people coming on, post in Starting area for a static group, I've seen a few people doing that.

[Barkingturtle]

In the 3 months I've been back at it here I've managed to get 3 people on my friends list.

Don't feel bad. I've gone almost five years without friending a single person.

I do the thing where I level a character, get bored, strip it and reroll something else. Over and over.

Most recently I've decided I want to break the cycle, so I've done something different. I made a rogue and bought his epic. It's the equivalent of getting a lady pregnant just to cement your commitment. It's exactly like that.

[Tzeriel]

Haha. Yeah that's an apt comparison I guess. For me that's always been knowing I'll have a home on what I'm playing. In most MMOs I join a guild/group and they're all "we need XYZ class". So I roll it and level it. I'm just not sure how to do that here. I'm very worried that if I can't stick to a main soon, I'll quit. Last time I quit was right before Kunark. I really regretted it. Wish I had been playing here much longer. If I quit again, I'm worried I won't have the willpower to come back :( Already so far behind the curve.

[Scikala]

You mention the curve a lot...but there really isn't one unless you've wanted to be a hardcore raider.

There are people who have been here the whole time and have more money then they know what to do with, but there are also lots of people who just play and haven't really amounted to anything in that regards.

I used to do what Barking did, and sort of what you're doing. I started when Kunark came out and was annoyed I missed classic, but you get over it.

[Tzeriel]

By the curve I just mean being at high end. Not bleeding edge raiding, but hunting for REAL gear, maybe hitting the planes once a month or so, just being able to be a real character. This sub 40 stuff is not at all fun and I'm sick to death of doing it.

[Scikala]

I know what you mean, and honestly if this was an actual time line you wouldnt be having that thought...because the market wouldnt be flooded with high end Kunark items/cheap prices.

I still love Uguk and for the first time did Kaesora and loved that. If you keep doing the same sub-40 stuff it's going to suck. That's just fact. And if youre so focused on the higher level stuff....you're going to get bored of anything that wont get you there ASAP.

[Raavak]

I didn't really start having fun groups until I was high enough for Castle Mistmoore really, 30s. The occasional Unrest main room or FP group, but those were more miss than hit. Always seemed like 1-2 members were perma-afk every single time I got in one of those and it got old. That doesn't work in MM because shits starting to get serious and people have to start knowing their roles.

[Quineloe]

It's funny how people insist he tries red, even though he already said he did for many hours.

[Numbers_]

Don't feel bad. I've gone almost five years without friending a single person.

I do the thing where I level a character, get bored, strip it and reroll something else. Over and over.

Most recently I've decided I want to break the cycle, so I've done something different. I made a rogue and bought his epic. It's the equivalent of getting a lady pregnant just to cement your commitment. It's exactly like that.

That actually worked for me too. I don't have the kind of money to get an epic, but after going back and forth between 3 characters (I would sell all of the equipment for one to gear up another) I brought jboots for my enchanter. Now I can't really go back since it's using such a large piece of my cash pool. It also helps that I realized I love charm soloing.

[Lyrith]

I've got like 8? 10?ish 60s, and they're all fucking terrible except cleric. I feel like I've had these alts forced upon me :P

Best bet for keeping at it is bros, though. EQ is a dull game but it has maybe one of the best social atmospheres. P99 community really keeps me coming back.

This... At the end of the day it comes down to your guild, friends, vent conversations, etc.

This will keep you grouping for items/exp/helping with epics/whatever.

[Tzeriel]

I've decided to stick with Mage. Does way more in a group than my wizard. Seems to solo better (Read: Not more efficient, but safer), seems relaxed, research seems challenging. Also I'm not sure I've ever seen more than 2 level 60 Mages, so that's nice.

[Pint]

Just take a few lengthy breaks between your leveling sprees, that's what most of us did

[bomaroast]

I'm sure this has been said, but i'll repeat it: don't force yourself to play a video game if you don't want to. There is nothing in game which will be any fun if you're not excited about being in game. Also, you don't owe anyone your time.

[cries4hardcore]

I kind of had this problem when I was a kid back on live, but even ten I eventually settled into my main and progressed. I have to agree with the poster before me, it doesn't really sound like you are enjoying the game that much.
If you like your bard, then play him. Fuck whoever tries to discourage you. And ignore our self discouragement. I mean, getting to level 18 will take you what? A day? And that's just solo kiting. The class is good in groups, which for me is the reason I play this game. You are barely scraping the surface of content because you keep basically repeating the nooby zones. Get on the bard and move on.
Also, you won't need your epic to enjoy the game and get groups in later levels. Having said that, if you decide you want to dedicate the time in the future to join a hardcore raiding guild, I'm sure they will help you get said epic. But that is quite a ways away. This game has so much more to offer than just end game content. If you focus too much on that you will not enjoy all the other content Norrath has to offer when it is level appropriate. Quit focusing on the destination and enjoy the path that takes you there.

[Hollywood]

I've heard the "play what you enjoy" etc etc. I'm just in the doldrums. I log in and just stare at character select. I love playing here. I've tried all the classes I never tried on live. The past few months have been narrowing it down. So now here I sit, 5-6 classes I enjoy. Have a 14 Magician, 19 Monk, 12 Rogue, 14 Necro, 30 Wiz, 13 Bard. I just don't ever know which one to roll with. I've managed to stop robbing from them to gear others, I'm set on each one to make them playable. The question is, to veterans, how do you get out of this rut? How do you force yourself to nail down and play 1-2 things? I'm not in danger of quitting, I love the server, I just wanna get back to the content I enjoy.

By doing something else. Even if it's computer or gaming related breaking up your EQ play time can work wonders. You could still play a similar game but with different people - maybe something more fast paced and quick fix thrills. Or switch genres and play with persons from P99, so you can enjoy trying out new games.

How about a musical hobby?

[Dragonmist]

I have this same problem I enjoy Ranger,Warrior,Cleric,Rogue,Berserker,Wizard,Mage, Monk

I dont play bards,ench,sk,pally,necro,druid,beastlord,shamans nearly as much or at all

Anyhow I havent gotten very far highest char is 35,followed by 19,15,14,8,and some level 2s

The main reason I havent really kept to a single char on P99 is because its been around for a longtime and Velious hasnt even launched yet so there isnt really a fall behind category just a hobby waiting for me when im ready to log on and spend countless hours doing whatever whether it be pilfering around,raiding,grinding,farming,doing epic/ armor quests etc.

[HippoNipple]

Believe it not I did try Red. Have a level 6 Dwarf Rogue. It's just irritating that I can't find anyone to group with, and soloing as a level 6 Rogue with a tarnished spear is... No bueno.

I'll try that. I was in a trio for a bit with my Mage but the others stopped logging on, and I was intimidated by their research... Bleh. I just wanna get back to 45+! Love that content so much.

Let a raiding guild know you are joining the server. Gream did it on red and Nihilum had him level 60 with BiS gear within 12 hours /played.

[Fame]

You get the vp key?

[lecompte]

Hey! Take a break! Play a different game for a bit, doesn't hurt anything.

[Fael]

Pick one class. Get it high level so that you can make some money and equip those other toons. Before you know it youll have a handful of 50+ toons. Hopefully by then you will have your most favorite main.

Dolic