returning to EQ from a long AFK some question

[tingling]

i played eq from POP to GOD and then stopped...

I am going to install when i get home a roll a character but i am not sure about a couple of things and i just have a few questions.

1. are the newbie zones totally empty? will i have to solo a lot?

2. what zones tipically have some ppl in them?

3. if i rolled a Iksar SK or monk am i going to regret it down the road? i never played a sk or monk that wasn't twinked to hell will i have a hard time soloing when i can't find a group?

any help would be really appreciated!

[Akame]

All zones tend to be pretty packed and you may even have trouble finding open camps, especially in Kunark right now. You're in for a few surprises though, old world graphics and some transportation difficulty you never knew in those expansions you've played in.

But don't worry about what class you pick, play what you find fun, people don't expect you to be twinked in this game, and soloing, you just need to pick the right classes and be smart about it.

[knottyb0y]

Hey and welcome to the community!

First thing I'll tell you is this is classic eq (we just loaded Kunark so level cap is now 60). Things are a lot different from PoP and GoD, but if you are like the rest of us you will find yourself loving it. A few minor differences in the UI, spell, and equipment but really its just the good stuff boiled down. I'll try my best to answer your questions...

1. Newbie zones DO have people, particularly the Iksar newbie zones since we just released Kunark last week. Field of Bone had around 60 people at 10pm EST last night! Other newbie zones aren't quite as populated, but you will usually find people to play with unlike post Plane of Knowledge EQ.

2. Right now with Kunark the balance of populated zones has swung to more of the Lake of Ill Omen, Frontier Mountains, Dreadlands, and the surrounding dungeons. Upper guk was a hot spot but I imagine its slightly empty right now, and the Karanas probably have a lot more breathing room.

3. If you roll an iksar you won't have any issue finding groups in the low end areas. As far as regretting high end? I never met a iksar monk that regretted anything. Ikky SK's might have a slight armor limitation but I hear that all goes away with the next expansion (granted that's probably almost a year away maybe longer). Twinking isn't going to be a huge factor right now, its nice but I've seen groups of iksar with no twinking at all just newbie items and quest gear and whatever they scrap together. It's a lot of fun that way.

Either way have fun! We have a great community here, make sure you follow the setup guide posted on the main page. Good luck!

[tingling]

thanks for the info guys.

The reason why i am rolling on this server is becuase when i did play ppl told me that i missed the glory days of eq and i would like to take part in them now!

This is also the reason why i am asking about how well classes can solo becuase i have never had to do it! Also when i can't get a group for whatever reason i just want to make sure i can continue the grind while i wait

Will i be able to solo effectively with an Iksar monk? SK?


Are there any guilds that would welcome a newbie to their ranks?

[Felizcat]

You won't have to solo here. And a monk will just solo fine. It will be a bit slower with the SK, but it's doable as well.

[tingling]

so if a monk would be the better solo option between the 2 i guess i will go monk! i am looking forward to it!

[baalzy]

SK will eventually be able to solo just as well as a monk w/ fear kiting, but it'll be generally slower because SK have a xp penalty.

[Rayge]

i don't think solo'ing should be a worry for you: last weekend in field of bone we had 75 players at one point, and a full group on every pit ramp lol.

if I were you I'd take this opportunity to level a character that specifically 'cant' solo well, as grouping will be easy for a few months at least.

[tingling]

baalzy
monks have a 20% exp penalty so ethier way it will take me a bit longer

rayge

sounds awsome i am really looking forward to getting home from work to do the install and set it up! i am not worried about being able to solo but i just want that option to be available if needed...

Monks always seemed like they would be fun to play so when i decided to come back i knew that would be one class that i would want to try out....

[baalzy]

still, 20% vs 40%.

[tingling]

yes you are corret its much better than 40%

iksar monks have a 68% exp penatly pretty crazy... when i started playing my bard during pop i think all the exp penalties had been removed already...

I am kinda curious why warriors and rogues get a bonus and monks get hit with a 20% penalty?

[baalzy]

warriors and rogues rely on groups. Rogues don't have the hp/ac/dps to solo anything that gives xp. Warriors with a ton of gear can probably solo 1 really low blue mob every 20-30minutes. So they need all the help they can get when they're leveling

Monks can solo much more effectively.

[tingling]

makes sense...

[tingling]

damn i had an epic time lastnight it was so fun to be playing again!

i ended up rolling a monk and it was a lot of fun but i think i am going to switch to a shaman for my first character. I saw a lot of monks around lastnight and almost no one that could heal!

[baalzy]

Shaman are fairly common, but they're a great class. Lots of grouping utility but if you're only about for a short time they can solo fairly effectively, so no matter what you're able to make progress.

[tingling]

yeah... shammy's are always useful... haste, slow, heals and buffs can't go wrong!