Hey, I am was thinking about returning and trying out how EQ is now, have a few questions though. 1.) Would creating a heroic character be the route to go? Or kind of re-learning the game starting from scratch. 2.) Do I need to get RoS right from the get go? 3.)Are all classes viable for grouping and raiding? 4.) What servers would be best for someone on central time and have decent population. Thanks for the advice in advance!
1 - personal choice, hard to say. Prudent would be, create a new char, try it out in the tutorial, and then after that (should take 1-2 days), decide if you want to stick with that, or get a Herioc. 2 - No, have to be 105 or at least close to it. Without buying any expacs, you will have through TDS, which will allow you to get to 105, and get most of the spells and skills for those levels. So, until you hit 105, or get close, you should be good. 3 - Viable? yes. But how easily you get groups will depend a lot on what server you pick, what times you play, how social you are, etc, etc, etc. I won't speak to raiding, since I haven't done that since a very long time ago. 4 - Can't really give a comparison, but Tunare has a decent pop for US CST. You mention you're returning. Try really hard to get your old account back. May have some chars you want to play, may have some plat and items which help, and most of all, should have access to Veteran's rewards which will make some things easier (Lesson of the Devoted (double XP for 30 minutes a day), Throne of Heroes (port to GL once an hour), summonable banker and merchant, so you don't have to leave a camp to do those things, etc).
I would say Tatanka pretty much sums it up. For a heroic character though, it can be a bit overwhelming to start from that, although that may be the best for you. I've always had the opinion that you should start out and play a character for a while before you go heroic, just so that you can learn what you can really do with it. The problem with that is characters seem to change as they get higher in level, so what you get used to doing at say level 60-70 may be different at level 85 due to new abilities, AAs, etc. My main is a zerker, so for me it would be about what lines work best for dmg output. Some things that used to be good are now useless, so going through the levels does allow you to adjust as you go along. Jumping onto a heroic out of the gate will take some research to know what you can do. My 2nd character is a bard to run along with my zerker. I don't really play the bard, just have it singing the songs during a fight, and using it's merc to help out. I'd love to learn how to really play a bard, but I've had it for a year now and still don't know much about what it can really do. I'd try out a few new characters on different servers, and find one that seems to have a decent population when you play. I'd also look for one that has some players that are playing in the 80-90 range, so that you may be able to get some groups. I suspect that it will be scarce though on any server. Once you find the right server and toon you want to play, do the heroic and learn what it can do. Some of the class boards may even have information on how to start off with a heroic. The House of Thule expansion is fun to play through, and your heroic gear is about the same as the group gear that drops in that expansion. After that, it's all upgrades as you go along. Welcome back!
1) 100%, no WAY create a heroic character! Hitting 85 is so easy in today's EQ, I literally think a monkey could be taught to play a character to 85. Sure, they like to throw their poo, but they can be taught to press a few well thought out macros. The answer to your third question also comes into play with this response. 2) Yes! If you can afford it, definitely buy RoS. Why not throw the equivalent of fours of McDonald's wages at a game we all love, and a hobby that provides countless hours of entertainment? My wife and I EASILY spend that much having dinner on a Friday night. Also, always subscribe to gold status. There's a special place in Hell for those that about what the free players don't get. Free is for your boxes, not your main. It's a business, people, and if you can't, "afford" (READ: cheap arseholes) $14.99 Once per month, you need to reexamine your life and stop playing MMOs. Spare me the, "I'm on a tightly fixed income" blather. 3) This is the most important and relevant answer to your inquiry. One billion percent- ANY class played masterfully is welcome to join a respectable guild. Playing your character from level one unquestionably helps you understand the many nuances of your class. 4) Bristlebane.
