Paladin early gearing/leveling Q's

[dookieshed]

Hey everyone!

I'm new to P99, but I played Everquest back in the day during the Kunark days and got to about level 30 as a Paladin. I was probably like 13 years old back then, so I thought it would be fun to tackle EQ again with my 'adult brain'.

Honestly I have no idea how I got as far as I did. I'm finding myself with a million questions and a feeling like I'm doing everything wrong.

For reference, I'm currently a level 8 Half-Elf Paladin, already hated by the Freeport Milita.

1. First off, I have this general sense of not really knowing where to focus my energies. Should I just be grinding/soloing? Should I look for groups? Should I be farming Bone Chips and trying to make money to buy gear before attempting to level?

2. Speaking of gear, what should I be saving up for, and by what level should I have certain gear? I'm currently working on a full set of Banded, I have a 7AC shield, and an okay-ish mace someone gave me (can't remember what it's called but it gives mana and SV Magic).

3. Basically right now I'm just running around EC and WC with two friends killing anything that will yield EXP. Are there quests or other more productive things I should be doing?

I'd really appreciate your help guys! I'm not afraid to work hard, just gotta know where to focus my efforts.

Thanks! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Audeamus]

I'm no expert, but I'd recommend fixing your faction with the Freeport Militia. I'm thinking that there is nothing wrong with banded at your lvl. I'd try to get a better shield with more ac. You'll not need mana or wis for a while, but I'm guessing that you'll probably want wis over 90 by lvl 20. It is just me, but I try to get some sort of gear I like at each lvl, but as long as you are raising your skills, I see nothing wrong with just seeking experience. It is just about how you want to play. With more experience, you can kill things that will help you get better gear at EC.

[planarity]

Screw the freeport militia--they're lead by Sir Lucan who you'll end up killing anyway. It'll be inconvenient for a while, but that just builds character. Freeport has secret entrances.

[dookieshed]

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

Screw the freeport militia--they're lead by Sir Lucan who you'll end up killing anyway. It'll be inconvenient for a while, but that just builds character. Freeport has secret entrances.

Haha, "builds character", I like that. Yeah I figured as much. It's pretty much a lost cause at this point.

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

I'm no expert, but I'd recommend fixing your faction with the Freeport Militia. I'm thinking that there is nothing wrong with banded at your lvl. I'd try to get a better shield with more ac. You'll not need mana or wis for a while, but I'm guessing that you'll probably want wis over 90 by lvl 20. It is just me, but I try to get some sort of gear I like at each lvl, but as long as you are raising your skills, I see nothing wrong with just seeking experience. It is just about how you want to play. With more experience, you can kill things that will help you get better gear at EC.

I don't think there's any coming back from my Militia standing, but I think I'll be ok.
I've made a few upgrades here and there and the community has been super helpful, so I'm very thankful for that. Already feeling much better about everything.

Still, all advice is welcome! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[rajax]

1) I would not bother stopping and farming for loot as money comes so much easier with levels. As far as grouping, I'd recommend it so long as you have the time to commit for awhile and a good spot for it. It's just a hell of a lot more fun then soloing. But for an hour here and there soloing is usually the way to go. You said you have a couple others with you, that's all you need at most levels for outdoors. Try the first level of Befallen off of West Commons, great for a small group your level.

Easier, Orc camps in west and east commons, can sell the belts for extra cash or small xp gains till about 10-11 in West Freeport. Good characters take the belts in pairs to warrior guild.

Solo will get much better at 9 with your spells. Bears for HQ pelts, wisps at night or dervish camps can be split up with a lot of risk with lull.

2) I'd get a solid 1 hander (sword of the morning was around 500pp) as a priority followed by banded armor and HP/AC rings and shield as goals. Pick up a cheap bow (can craft own and arrows with minimal points at class trainer) with emphasis on range just to have a ranged pulling tool on hand for lull camp splitting. In East commons simply auction you are looking for a cheap starting weapon for a new paladin and odds are good someone will offer you something for free that they want out of their inventory. Any decent cheap 1hander you can find in East Commons works early on, would not bother with 2 handed weapons given the lack of the 2 handed damage bonus being implemented and the low accuracy hybrid classes have at 40+ higher levels. Later on try for a cheap haste item, it is far down the list of priorities for a pal/sk tank, but it is a huge improvement for soloing and small low dps groups.

3) Just concentrate on having fun, especially if you have a couple people with you, you are free to travel around to try other areas when things get stale. I can think of several quests that are worth doing, either for xp, faction or just to see them once, but they all involve traveling far from the Freeport area and you should gain some levels first.

Yes, screw the Freeport militia, don't worry about their faction as a paladin. I seem to remember you start at 1 kill or a couple quest faction turn ins away from KOS status, so not shocking they hate you already.