Are we hindering newcomers with our generosity?

[Saisu]

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

In the past I have found myself donating this loot to newer players that are not necessarily searching for handouts but could obviously use the upgrade. Lately though I have been wondering to myself if I am doing them an injustice by handing them such easily obtained gear, if I am somehow robbing from them the experience of the long hard road that is leveling up from having nothing in Everquest,

I'll share my (long) firsthand experience of starting fresh here a couple weeks ago:

I rolled a tank in Erudin (a complete ghost town) before moving to Qeynos (a mostly ghost town). The experience may be completely different in Freeport with access to high level buffs and greater access to EC tunnels. I was lucky to see 8 people in a zone my first week here.

Basically I wore 90% cloth armor and a rusty longsword until level 9 when someone in my Blackburrow group had an extra Fine Steel Longsword they gifted me (score! no more rusty weapon!). Later in West Karana a friendly shaman I grouped with for a couple levels handed me ~40pp of gear (a Giant Militia Longsword 11/39, and two pieces of Blackened Iron Armor). I was excited for this gear, even though I'm sure I could have bought better with the ~400pp I had saved so far.

At 18 I figured I'd make the trek to Unrest to try playing in a populated zone where I could actually fill out a full group. When I posted to the forum asking for gear advice I had two incredibly helpful players reach out with warm offers of charity. I ran from Qeynos to Highpass Hold without realizing the gnolls there were going to destroy me - I barely zoned before dying. One of the players (an awesome troll warrior) met me there and helped clear a path through. He was a killer envoy for the server and we talked a bunch on the run over to Freeport. He gave me some very helpful gear and advice, and has been checking in on me a bunch since then. A friendly ranger also gave me some fun items as a "welcome to the server" gift and a port to Butcherblock.

So what did all this charity get me? Through both the items and the advice, it gave me the confidence boost to try my first full group dungeon. Unrest was scary with the trains, high level monsters, and the responsibility of pulling. But it's been a blast! I've gone 18-21 there in the MR, and I don't have to feel like a paper tank holding the group back.

Overall, it was great fun to skip sitting in EC trying to buy 30-100pp newbie items and jump straight into dungeons. Plus I got to meet an awesome troll who has been hugely helpful in explaining tanking and giving advice and just checking in. It's been a great introduction and I do not regret at all "spoiling the long hard road" by accepting some gear. I still got to experience dying to "a large rat" and missing 12 times in a row with a rusty longsword. I have a long long road to level 50, and a longer one to 60. There's plenty of challenge in learning how to tank, how to gear, memorizing dungeon layouts, and figuring out pulling strategies.

I've written down in /note every piece of charity gear I've ever received, and once I get my own upgrades they will go right back to the next wave of newbies.

[Rainik Stormseeker]

We do just fine [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Pretty cool to look at our "roster" and realize that every single member of ALS started out as a naked noob 15 or under, with nothing handed to him/her. tons of fun along the way.

[Supaskillz]

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

always thought it'd be cool to have a classic server with most every armor drop being no drop and no MQ's...

Isn't it easy to play the game this way if you want? Auld Lang Syne is a slightly relaxed version of this. Skip out on the guild economy and you are there or start your own hard core experience guild with no trading period, but you have to roll a tank to prove you are serious.

[Pope Hat]

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

Isn't it easy to play the game this way if you want? Auld Lang Syne is a slightly relaxed version of this. Skip out on the guild economy and you are there or start your own hard core experience guild with no trading period, but you have to roll a tank to prove you are serious.

I will be doing this on my new gnome warrior.

[Bboboo]

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

always thought it'd be cool to have a classic server with most every armor drop being no drop and no MQ's...

Wouldn't people just sell loot rights to high value targets then?

[loramin]

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

always thought it'd be cool to have a classic server with most every armor drop being no drop and no MQ's...

Wasn't the Firiona Vie ruleset similar to that?

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

Wouldn't people just sell loot rights to high value targets then?

Selling loot rights is way less convenient, as it generally requires the buyer to be in-zone. Thus, while some top items (eg. Fungis) would have their loots rights sold, and maybe even some lower items in popular zones too, I would imagine the "loot rights economy" would be less than a tenth of the current EC tunnel economy.

[Moerne]

When I started, I was running around in crafted patchwork at level 5 on my cleric until some nice person gave me a set of banded. Someone else gave me a cheap weapon and a third person gave me some +2 wis jewelry. Made my day, and gave me a great impression of the server. I don't think it made me overpowered in anyway, just made me feel like I wasn't a total naked noob. There was still more than enough to strive for.

Props to that guy who's always hanging out at the EC tunnel handing out +2 jewelry, gear and buffs to newbies and local hunters. Pretty sure he's the one who gave me my jewelry. I unload any gear I have that's good for newbies when I see him.

[Chintofv]

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

Wasn't the Firiona Vie ruleset similar to that?

Actually, FV was pretty much the opposite. Everything (other than epics), was droppable, be it Trak keys, dragon loot etc. Also, you could MQ epics. The only thing was you could only have one player on the server, with no alts.

[deniedius]

When I got back into it a player hooked me up with a few items, nothing insane. We're not talking fungi tunics here, but things like a green silken drape and sarnak ceremonial dagger etc. I always just passed the favor back down to someone else. I think maybe dropping 2k on a new char might be excessive but whatever its a game. Most of the time just getting your gear up to speed helps you get motivated and play more.

If anything new players getting POTG cast on them and damage shields is way worse for the overall 'experience' with that argument of tainting the game. And I think that's just fine. Sometimes I'll hang around a lowbie and buff em and make sure they're ok for a while. It helped me a lot when I got back in.

[Kosmic Utensil]

January of 2016 I joined this server and made my first ever EQ character. Starting off as a Barbarian Shaman in Everfrost was brutal but I knew nothing else and plugged away through the first handful of levels at a painfully slow pace. Finally, around lvl 8 or so I encountered a Druid named Trinzik (sp?) outside of Blackburrow and he sniffed my noobness out a mile away. He offered me tips on the gnoll fangs and bandit sashes after those topped out as my starting path. He also hooked me up with a Fine Steel Spear, Split Paw Hide Mask and a few other pieces of minor armor and about 50pp for spells. I'm now 60 with my epic and a bunch of solid gear although not top end.

Honestly, I'm not sure I would have kept with the game had he not given me that starter pack. This game is ruthless to the ignorant and as a true noob I was dying left and right and not really having fun. Long story short, I fully support helping true new players get a foot in the door and started out but no need to go overboard.