Stick it out or reroll?! Help appreciated!

[Nuckle]

Hey there guys can I just start by saying superb job and effort, I'm loving having the chance to relive the glory days here on P99!

I'm looking for some advice really, I've started a monk, but I'm finding it really slow and I'm struggling to advance at all now I've hit level 4 and moved from the Freeport newbie area! Im realising more and more that melee classes seem to be pretty dependent on gear, of which i have none.
I was thinking maybe I should roll a caster but then I would have the problem of buying spells?
Im by no means begging on here but I would really appreciate some help in any form you can give it? Advice? Tactics? Money making tips?

Thankyou all very much in advance!!
Nuckle

[Messianic]

Always, always play the class you want, regardless how difficult it is in the beginning. Leveling a caster will be easier in the short run, but ultimately you will be setting yourself back from playing the class you will truly enjoy.

And part of the challenge is using all your faculties to survive as a gear-dependent melee.

But honestly, you don't have it nearly as hard as tank classes. They're even more gear dependent than you are :)

[trollitc]

Welcome to the server!

It depends on what you like, really. You could roll up a Necro or a Druid and be more capable of soloing. Or stay with the monk but be more prepared to group until you get to the point where you can use FD to solo more effectively. Or go way deep and roll up a paladin.

Casters do have to purchase spells, which adds up, and can also get a lot out of good gear which ups their INT.

As for money, you're in a good place to make it. Stacks of bone chips will net you a few PP if you find someone willing to purchase them. Spiderling silks more. LQ and MQ bear/cat pelts also sell for 1-2pp each. HQ cat for 5pp+ and HQ Bear for 20pp (they are fairly rare drops).

The EC zone is full of some pretty decent folk. If you head over to the tunnel and politely ask, you've got a good chance of getting a buff or three to allow you to take on tougher fights.

If I'm ever on when you are (Fritz the Druid) say 'hi'!

[FoxxHound]

It's gonna be tough on any melee class without gear.
Farming BCs takes awhile too.
Good luck to you though!

[Ikonoclastia]

Spiderling silks @ 1pp each. I farmed them for 3 days straight in everfrost. Was horrible but I made 500pp and the diff now is I can kill even cons where b4 was certain death (im a ranger gimme a break :) good wep made all the difference.

[Destan]

The decision you'll need to make is which of the two schools of thought you subscribe to most. Both can get you to where you'd like to go, trading time for ease of play in most cases. Think hard, and pick between:

*Leveling up a farm toon*

Take a class that can level quickly and efficiently farm gear or platinum to twink out your monk and make his leveling much easier. Good examples here are necro, druid, mage, and enchanter (doesn't level as fast, but if you're good at charm soloing you'll be able to pull off things no other class can). An additional advantage to this is that if in the future you decide you want to create characters other than the monk, you will always have a reliable character to farm up the gear neccessary to make those toons easier as well. The drawback is that it takes time to level any character and if you go the route of farming the gear rather than buying it you'll take even longer. You are setting your eventual monk back in the overall scheme of things time-wise, but when you finally do begin playing him it will be a night and day difference in what you're capable of doing.

*Embrace the struggle, main a melee first*

Stick it out on the monk. You'd be suprised how many decent players there are on this server that will toss you some plat here, or spare gear there to make the grind more bearable. You won't have the cutting edge stuff, but when you have nothing even the smallest upgrade makes a difference. You'll hit 60 on this monk much sooner than you could hitting 60 on a farm toon and gathering up all the gear. The drawback is that you will be more reliant on groups and goodwill than you would otherwise, and it'll take a dedication from you sometimes to keep that xp bar moving.

In the past, I'd always been part of the leveling toon first to make life easier later group. This time around I've decided to start p99 as a bard main and just embrace the difficulty. Either path will get you there, so take the one that suites you best.

[maahes]

Hey there guys can I just start by saying superb job and effort, I'm loving having the chance to relive the glory days here on P99!

I'm looking for some advice really, I've started a monk, but I'm finding it really slow and I'm struggling to advance at all now I've hit level 4 and moved from the Freeport newbie area! Im realising more and more that melee classes seem to be pretty dependent on gear, of which i have none.
I was thinking maybe I should roll a caster but then I would have the problem of buying spells?
Im by no means begging on here but I would really appreciate some help in any form you can give it? Advice? Tactics? Money making tips?

Thankyou all very much in advance!!
Nuckle

Just remember, the first 20 levels of any class are by far the hardest levels in Everquest. I promise it is all downhill after 20.

[Kraegan]

If it's an issue with survivablility, let me know, my cleric is 3rd level but I have been looking for a tank/melee class to run around and level with. Character is same name as forums. I play mostly PST, 8pm or so..

[Slave]

I kind of almost don't know what to say to someone who says:

I'm finding it really slow and I'm struggling to advance at all now I've hit level 4...

I mean, if you think level 4, where you can still kill level 1 mobs to gain experience, is slow, then perhaps EverQuest just isn't your game. You have a thousand hours ahead of you still. A thousand. Think about it.

[dcapotos]

Come on over to crushbone, great xp with zone exp bonus, get a bind outside the zone, get belts to turn in for quest exp and some quick cash.

[Servellious]

I would roll a Mage or necro then twink a monk after. You will be self sufficient and can roll even more Twinks after

[Pierth]

If you prefer to play solo then I'd agree with others and say roll a farming toon first.

[Hagglebaron]

Need some starting pp?

See the Baron

[CBG]

Lolz, I'm 20 and don't even have 'starting' pp.

[Stragor]

lol here come the vultures

[jbs89]

Roll iksar for regen. Take a Druid or w/e through Antonica. Best of both worlds

[Marglar]

most newbie areas have starter quests that pay out in GP. you can repeat those to earn money. I did the mail deliver quest over and over until I could afford armor/spells etc.

that being said - monks will always be pretty gear dependent if your intent is to solo / not group. a caster may be a better bet if thats how you see yourself playing. on blue 99 you can approach druids/shamans etc in the trade tunnel and ask for buffs to help level, it's probably the fastest way to grind out to the mid teens.

[Nuckle]

Wow guys thanks for all the advice! Really is much appreciated! I'm gonna stick out the monk with the logic that it's the class I really love to play and in the long run it will take a lot longer to level a solo class followed by my monkey!

Any other suggestions for gearing and low level money making are still welcome!

Thankyou again friends
Nuckle

[Destan]

Since you're sticking with the monk here is my advice:

1) Every time you log on, look for a group. Once you get one, don't autopilot through. Setup the appropriate macros, be engaging, and do everything you can to be the best monk possible. This will build up the reputation you'll want and help in the long run.

2) Friends everyone you group with that is worth a damn. Keep in touch and invite them to join you often. Grow your network of contacts and with that, plus your solid reputation as an amazing monk, you'll find tip #1 easier to achieve.

3) Try not to be too overly gear-focused. Loot what's fair, roll on everything that is greed, and spend on a budget while you level. When you are 50+, then you can monk PL twinks to bankroll that high-end gear you'll need later down the road.

And I can't stress #3 enough. You'll make money gradually over time, and there's a ton of cheap items that you can afford as you grind your way up. You can even take up tailoring and make yourself a set of Wu's, snag a cheap weapon or two in EC (lots of choices around 50-100p), and that'll be good enough for some time. If you get hung up on solo farming one mob just because it drops a sword that sells for 5pp each time then you'll really hurt your leveling speed (once it goes light blue / green) and it'll make #1 and #2 difficult (you'll be grouping less and the contacts you did make will probably out-level you).

Or at least, that's how I'd do it (and did on live). Not to mention, you can't factor in unexpected donations. On Fippy (the progression server on live) I had a 60 monk run across me in Field of Bones and just unload his gear onto me and quit. You can't plan for stuff like this, but it happens!