Is it possible to come back after many years?

I loved EQ when it came out and I played it uptil the Planes of Power and then a little now and then.

My character is only level 66 and still proudly wear her Nature Walkers Scimitar.

I just reinstalled EQ. Is there any chance to catch up? I understand I missed about a hundred expansions. What is the best course to take now? I certainly can't find any people to talk to in Kelethin. Where do I go to meet people that perhaps can help me go forward?

If I buy the latest expansion will I get 'all of was before'? (All the previous expansions?)

Right now I'm just trying to remember how to do basic things, like change spells etc.

Ps: I'm on Antonius Bayle

If you're on a live server, it might be hard to catch up. My original character is on Prexus, and I've had 0 luck trying to get a group there to level up (but I did have someone give me some good buffs and some plat to get geared up a bit)

I've found better luck with regards to grouping and the server community on TLP's - Aradune specifically.

You *can* catch up, but it will probably be done via solo / merc / boxing

Buy Kronos, and then trade them to other players. You’ll catch up very quickly.

I suppose it depends on you. There are very little players below 110 on live servers so that will be a challenge. Boxing a mage, nec or tank (sk, war or pali in that order) would make your life much much easier. The previous person said it that there are a lot of players on most servers that will go out of their way to help you. This only helps our game stay a float and there are some really nice people that still play this game.

Druids are a great class to play at the higher levels still so hopefully you can have a successful return!

Yay, Nature Walkers Scimitar!

Finding a guild is the way to go. Look around and see. Hopefully you can find one with either lower level toons or they have some lower level alts they play.

Also, look into getting a Heroic Character upgrade to level 85. You might not want to do so but if you do, it puts you at level 85 with some basic gear. Then once you level up to 90 you can group with up to level 120 and still get experience.

If you buy Terror of Luclin you will get all previous expansion content. You will not get, for example, familiar key ring slots but you will get it with zero slots and can use the Marketplace to buy more with Daybreak Cash. If you have a subscription, you get 500 Daybreak Cash a month if you click on the button every month.

See also this FAQ from the Magician's Tower - ReturningtoEQFAQ

Very possible to catch up. I lost my original account and restarted level 1 last thanksgiving (2020).

well if you play in firiona vie you got a permanent 50% xp bonus, who help a lot to *catch up *.
don't forget when you reach lv 85 to do the overseer's quest . DB decided it was the best reg xp we can get from lv 111 and higher { beside doing all progressions *}

Yes.

I recently came back after a few years on AB and caught up quickly. I got the odd low lvl group here and there

I came back one year ago after being gone since 2005. I did catch up in the meantime. Don't ask me how many hours of playtime I took...

There will be some adjustment because a lot of improvements have been made in the meantime, but it's totally doable.

I was hooked from 1999 to 2005, then I broke out of it. Since one year ago I'm hooked again. I'm still loving it.

Yes, absolutely positively - yes. I've done it, many others have done it, you can do it !

If you start playing for free, you'll be limited with expansions up-to The Burning Lands (lvl 110), and up-to Torment of Velious come March-April (lvl 115). Current max level is 120, so it's a long way to go anyway.
N.B. If you decide to subscribe (Paid gameplay = All Access = Gold Membership ) or enable it with Krono - you still need to buy latest expansion by some means, otherwise you'll be limited by TBL.

Fundamental question you need to ask yourself - what is the playstyle do you prefer ? Playing it by yourself with some social interactions, playing with a small pack of close friends (old or new) or joining a relatively large tribe of players ?
One thing is clear - playing EQ all alone is a long, difficult and miserable adventure. I do not recommend it.
If you still want to play by yourself (on your own schedule and by your own choices) - then you definitely need more than 1 account, 3 in total recommended. You can run 3 copies of EQ on the same computer, unless you play on limiting servers (they call those true-box and even more restrictive, live servers running the current content allow you to run multiple copies of EQ)
With a group of 3 characters with 3 mercenaries you definitely can do 99.9% of group content in EQ (with a very few very rare exceptions).
As a different choice you just need to play with a friend or two (make new friends, 1 is enough, or call back to your old friends) and if your play schedule is compatible - have a blast! I did, so did many others.
And you can (and should) join a guild and enjoy many actual benefits of being a guild member, as well as many opportunities to find playmates. Many guilds are very friendly, low-stress and very helpful communities.

As long as you are enjoying the gameplay you'll "catch up" before you know it.

No.

I would hold off buying the new expansion for now. It is level 120 and it will be a bit before your ready for it.

You are getting 25 expansions free right now, so that will give you a lot to do until your level 110.

Then you can decide if you want to buy the expansion.

Or get a subscription. They are separate costs.

You may find it better to spend your money on a monthly sub which would allow you to play on the TLP servers

Redo the tutorial. It will help you learn what is new. Does not take long and it will help you a lot. Your current character is too high but you can easily make another one and run that thru it at level 1.


WB and have fun. I came back many years ago and I feel the game is better than it ever was. Could be because its not on dial up any more

Be warned - those of us who have come back and enjoyed it are now addicted worse than before.

WB to AB
Yes of course it's possible to catch up, there's a steady stream of folk doing it all the time.
That doesn't means there will be heaps of grouping possibilities at your level, they will probably be few and far between, so you need to be the kind of player that's happy to do stuff with you and a merc, at least some of the time. There's also every chance you'll find a couple of others at similar level, which is all you need to do most stuff

Join general chat, which is (usually!) a friendly and helpful place. There's a bunch of folk who will come and assist if you're absolutely stuck
Join a guild. There's several lower level guilds, chat to some people and work out which might be best for you - that's also a good place to find others around your level

I first subbed when Kunark was released in the UK (2000?). I lost those accounts in the divorce (honestly, no lie).

I last quit (it sounds like my battle with smoking - I'm more successful with that than EQ!) in 2017. I re-subbed about 3 weeks ago to level up with my daughter (who wasn't born when I first played!).

Just start again. If you sub a journeyman tank merc it will keep you safe no matter your class while you get to grips with the changes. Personally I don't find the endgame attractive at all, but I love 1-80ish so will be repeating the 'early' levels forever. I've done 1-54 as a Ranger in less than 1.5 days played - and that includes several hours working on foraging and fletching. Had a load of fun too - exploring the old world as a defiant-equipped char is so much fun.

I just came back since 2004 and my Cleric also 66. Best advice...start a new toon and do the tutorial. Best thing I did. After 3 weeks, I am three boxing after never boxing before and I love it.

If you're happy stopping at PoP/Ykesha/LDoN, come to the small but vital community on the Agnarr server. It's permanently locked at those expats. People are very friend and will help you. There are at least 3-4 guilds still raiding Time weekly, as well as occasional open plat raids, etc. Lvl is capped at 65.

Once you re-familiarize yourself with the UI and commands, you can definitely have fun in EQ solo, or with a merc, and maybe with other people. Those levels are nearly empty of people to group with to be honest. Druid is a very versatile class and you can play many roles. You don't have to box. But you can if that is something you like.

I play the game to play just the stuff that I want to do now. Find a goal and work towards it. Grats on Epic 1.0! Maybe epic 1.5 is a next goal? My druid generally uses a tank mercenary and has had a lot of fun into the 100's so far. I have also met players along the way that aren't 6 boxing and actually want to group. Druid is a spectacularly fun class to play solo, with a merc, and grouped. Don't give up on it quickly.

Also don't listen to people that say you can't return now that the cap is 120. They have no idea how much fun the rest of the game world is when you stop min/maxing raid gear, 50,000 AAs, and their type 3 augs.

Do the tutorial if you haven't. Do Secalna Galnor's quests in PoK to get up to speed. And best of luck on years of fun.

P.S. Don't buy the latest expansion at all. You won't need it for years and there is no easter egg for low level people. You get all the expansions you can consume for free to level 110. Have fun. I wish I was on AB with you. I have a couple characters in the 60s that I need to level up.

Find some friends. If you are willing to be social and either find old friends or make new friends, many players would be happy to take a returning player under their wing so to speak.
Without that, you are likely to struggle.

Not sure if Jesters of Norrath is still around, if so they are a friendly bunch and always willing to help, there is another casual guild but the name escapes me.

As others have said it would be worth making a new char and running through the tutorial and doing the quests in Plane of Knowledge. Then return to your level 66 char if you want to.

You will find lots of players in Plane of Knowledge. Lots are busy with the new expansion so there aren't quiet so many in lower level zones but the best places to look for players seem to be from The Serpent Spine expannsion, starting in Crescent Reach. But as a druid I'm sure you did some soloing back in the day.

Feel free to shoot me a tell if you need someone to chat to, I have some lower level chars but I'm a wee bit busy at the moment and I won't have a lot of time to play until the new year.

Good luck on AB and most importantly have fun.

Yinla

Oh wow, I didn't expect so many replies in such a short time. I'm happy to see that EQ is so alive and kicking still!

I've read all the replies and I really appreciate the advice given.

I always played mostly solo but usually in a guild to hear and participate in the daily chatter and to group up every now and then or join a raid. I guess I am in no hurry, but it would of course be nice to play in zones that aren't totally empty.

I will also take the advice to do the tutorial. Should help me get used to the basics quick again. I've been playing EQ2 lately and I found that I tried doing EQ2 commands in EQ and that didn't work so well hahaa.