I Have Never Played Everquest

[Zelarous]

I am currently 21 and have never played any of what many call, the old school MMO's. The oldest MMO I played (when I was younger) was runescape. I frequent different MMO forums and I hear how glorious some of the older games were, especially Everquest in the beginning. This could be all nostalgia or perhaps it is just that Everquest was that awesome and I want to know, if Project 1999 can give me what they experienced. I want to feel like a noob, no guides (Going to try), and just explore and figure out the game. I just want to know that I will not be alone in my travels (how is the population?). Also, what do people often do when they reach the top (since this server is classic only, and I am assuming the content stays relatively the same). Thanks for reading, see you on the server.

[NizmerThafen]

There are about 3000 people that play with regularity here on p1999. At any given time there is an average of about 1200 people online.

In my opinion the best way to play the game is to start out with only rudimentary information, then find out things for yourself through trial and error. I had the most fun when there was a very real sense of danger and wonder as I explored the world. The one thing that is critically important is to understand what your play style is: do you want an active or passive role in game or are you a casual play or will you eventually be a hard core player?

Just about any class is good, however if you are a casual player I would suggest against certain classes that largely require a group at lower levels like Warrior, Ranger, Wizard, or Rogue.

If you have no experience in EQ, it will take you months or years to reach maximum level and high end gear on a single character (depending on class). In the cases where many of us have been on here a long time there is just so much to do with so many alts it would take so many years to do "everything" that is an option.

Plenty of people in game will be happy to help, so ask when needed. Good luck.

[Ando]

I would personally recommend one of the more fun classes to start off with. Monk, Shaman, Necromancer, Enchanter, Rogue (if you like to stab things a lot), possibly Druid.

Druids can teleport and run very fast so if you want to explore a lot of content they would be a good choice. They can also nuke and heal.

Necromancers can solo very well, but can also be useful in a group and have a lot of utility / survival. Also they have skeleton pets, which can be fun. Probably the most independent class in the game - amazing for dungeon diving and going places most other classes cannot go. One of their signature abilities is Lifetap - essentially being able to steal a monster's health for yourself. This combined with the ability to change their own health into mana is a powerful combination. If you do go necromancer, Iksar (the lizards) have higher health regeneration than all other Necro races, which can be important for health to mana conversion. Don't let that be a sole reason for choosing Iksar though.

Shamans take a bit to get going, but they are very fast-paced and are useful in almost any group setting. They can be a bit tough to solo with at low levels, especially with no gear. Good at healing, buffing, debuffing. Mediocre nukes and wolf pet (at lvl 34 and higher).

Monks are melee that use fists, staves, maces, clubs. They can Feign Death (Necros and Shadowknights also can) to make mobs think they are dead. They also get Mend which is a 25% self heal every 5 minutes. Fun class and not super gear dependent (outside of their weapons).

Play what looks FUN to you. Just keep in mind playing a class to lvl 5 or 10 is usually not an accurate representation of what they will feel like at lvl 30, 40, or 50. Most take a while to get going. It's okay to try a few different classes/races and see what you like. Regardless of what you choose, try and be social and talk to people. Don't blatantly ask for gear - you will likely get some handed to you anyway.

Also starting areas are not all considered equal. Some are better than others (looking at you, Nektulos/Feerott). My personal favorite starting area is the Gnomes'. They have a great city with great music, and an awesome starting area that is close to other starting areas (Dwarves, Elves), and several popular dungeons.

[Synthlol]

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

I would personally recommend one of the more fun classes to start off with. Monk, Shaman, Necromancer, Enchanter, Rogue (if you like to stab things a lot), possibly Druid.

Druids can teleport and run very fast so if you want to explore a lot of content they would be a good choice. They can also nuke and heal.

Necromancers can solo very well, but can also be useful in a group and are have a lot of utility / survival. Also they have skeleton pets, which can be fun. Probably the most independent class in the game - amazing for dungeon diving and going places most other classes cannot go. One of their signature abilities is Lifetap - essentially being able to steal a monster's health for yourself. This combined with the ability to change their own health into mana is a powerful combination. If you do go necromancer, Iksar (the lizards) have higher health regeneration than all other Necro races, which can be important for health to mana conversion. Don't let that be a sole reason for choosing Iksar though.

Shamans take a bit to get going, but they are very fast-paced and are useful in almost any group setting. They can be a bit tough to solo with at low levels, especially with no gear. Good at healing, buffing, debuffing. Mediocre nukes and wolf pet (at lvl 34 and higher).

Monks are melee that use fists, staves, maces, clubs. They can Feign Death (Necros and Shadowknights also can) to make mobs think they are dead. They also get Mend which is a 25% self heal every 5 minutes. Fun class and not super gear dependent (outside of their weapons).

Play what looks FUN to you. Just keep in mind playing a class to lvl 5 or 10 is usually not an accurate representation of what they will feel like at lvl 30, 40, or 50. Most take a while to get going. It's okay to try a few different classes/races and see what you like. Regardless of what you choose, try and be social and talk to people. Don't blatantly ask for gear - you will likely get some handed to you anyway.

Also starting areas are not all considered equal. Some are better than others (looking at you, Nektulos/Feerott). My personal favorite starting area is the Gnomes'. They have a great city with great music, and an awesome starting area that is close to other starting areas (Dwarves, Elves), and several popular dungeons.

This is some great advice.

[Freakish]

The ability to give yourself a run speed enhancement buff is crucial for someone who knows nothing of this game and will be wandering around. You'll want to be able to run away from the bad guys.

Shaman, Druid, Ranger, Bard can all do this. The most popular/easy to play class is the druid. You also have a variety of skill sets, either solo or grouped which not all classes get.

[Ando]

Yeah, Spirit of Wolf (SOW - runspeed) is very nice to have. Druid is always a solid starting class. They can fill a variety of different roles, granted they are not the best in any one of these roles. And being able to teleport is very very handy. You start getting self-teleports at lvl 19, and group ones at lvl 29.

[dafier]

When I first played EQ in 1998, I had a back ground with Pen and Paper D&D. I loved video games and EQ seemed to be the initial portal of an MMORPG with some D&D aspects.

I was about your age when I first started playing EQ. So, if you have any concept of what D&D is, then think of this game as similar, but in video game form. Don't get me wrong, this is NOT a D&D game nor has the rules, it's just similar.

Also take this in consideration. This game is NOT for the weak hearted. Just like Demon's Souls and Dark Soul's for the PS3, this game can be brutal. The internal feeling of reward is massive when you accomplish the simplest of things. I hope that is what you experience when playing this game.

Good hunting!

[Nuan]

Send me a message on this forum or a /tell in game (main character is Nuan) and I'll help you out with some very basic starter gear after you choose a class. This won't ruin your experience, don't worry [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Another FYI I didn't see mentioned in this thread - almost all pre-max level gear in Everquest is tradable, has no level requirement and does not bind on equip. "Twinks" are low level characters wearing expensive (acquired from high level dungeons) gear. These are relatively common on this server, especially because the gear can be resold if someone loses interest in their new character. The best gear is still no-trade and has to be acquired through raid participation (similar to more contemporary MMOs).

[Clark]

Welcome to the server! Make sure to head to the Freeport area, and use lots of EC tunnel buffs 1-20 to make up for lack of gear. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Nimmanu]

So, I'm going to wax on and on about this. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

There really isn't anything like EQ. I suspect there won't be again. The interesting thing about EQ is that it wasn't made by game developers. Not really. It was made by Dungeon Masters who happened to have day jobs as computer geeks.

The difference is huge, and the answer to your question is that yes, this game will give you "that feeling". The problem we have here is that it's hard to genuinely express "that feeling" to someone who hasn't had it.

It's that feeling where you wake up in the middle of the night and realize you've been dreaming EQ chat. Or that feeling when you wipe yet again in FEAR and have to do a CR that ends up being 72 hours or more--straight. It's the same feeling you get when you FINALLY get that greater light stone for your barbarian shaman. Because just getting a magic weapon was, in and of itself, a quest of epic proportions!

The magic of EQ is that everything feels like an epic quest from the very beginning. It's not uncommon for real newbies to die repeatedly. Better yet, to lose their corpses!

When you finally get a few PP going, it's like the dearest thing you've ever gotten in a game. And the fear of losing it can be pretty intense. You don't really understand that fear without experiencing it. You KNOW you're not in any danger, but it's still scary! What if you LOSE that greater light stone that took you HOURS and HOURS to get a magic weapon to get?!

And the backpacks! What if you lose THOSE? Do you have ANY IDEA how many decaying skeletons I searched for because that staff might be a CRACKED STAFF?? IT SELLS FOR A PLAT OMG OMG OMG!! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Yep. You're going to learn about that feeling. But here's my tip to you. Stick it out. At first, you'll be bored. Everything these days moves at the speed of sound--when it doesn't move at the speed of light. So you've got to stick with it for a while to start to get that feeling of goals. Once you get goals... you might just be in trouble (should I say "Don't do it!! Put the game down and RUN!!" right now?? [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] ).

Even at the top, there's end game content. By the time you max your levels, you'll be raiding and gearing up for more raiding and farming and waiting eagerly for the next expansion. The "end game" is sort of a misnomer, because there is no end to this game. You'll get there and just HAVE to try this or that class because they are obviously FAR more powerful than yours... And then you'll discover the "problems" of that class and become passionate about THOSE... and on and on it goes. Where it ends, nobody knows. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Yep, you'll get "that feeling" if you hang in there up to, say, level 10. If you haven't got the feeling by then, it's likely not the game for you (and no shame in that!). Give yourself a cutoff point. If you're not immersed and really on board by a certain level or after a certain time period, move on. Again, no shame in not liking a game others do. Happens all the time!

You've been given great thoughts on classes already. I would only say this... consider your personal play style before choosing. Because a class you enjoy, you'll stick with.

Are you a healer at heart? Tank? Melee or casting/ranged DPS? Do you group or prefer more solo? Are you all about action, action, action? Or do you like a bit slower pace? Do you like to orchestrate the group or be led? Would you rather die saving the group, or gate out (or play dead) and let them fend for themselves (the faster you're out, by the way, the sooner the die-for-the-groupers can run away, too!).

Ask yourself less "which class" and more "what kind of player am I?"

If you answer number two for us, we can better suggest a class.