Which TLP server for this veteran noob?

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Ballzz, Apr 11, 2023.

  1. Ballzz Journeyman

    I haven't played retail EQ since the original Omens of War era when I finally quit EQ for good back in the day. I have played EQ since then on P99 for a couple years which was great but guild fell apart in typical EQ dramatic fashion. I was considering trying out a retail TLP server but not sure which would be best.

    In my mind the logical conclusion or "end" of EQ always felt like PoP. I hated GoD expansion (OOW seemed OK from what I remember). This makes me think the PoP locked server makes sense but it seems rather dead and I have heard expansions later on (that I never played) were actually good so I'm not set on stopping at PoP.

    Mischief rules sound interesting and the new TLP for this year sounds OK but not sure about the encounter locking (maybe it won't matter). I don't have a lot of time and will probably be fairly casual. Not interested in any sort of hardcore/mandatory raiding or pewpsocking activities. I would probably just be interested in chill grouping, rolling alts and maybe some light raiding. Don't care if the server is super busy but would at least want a healthy enough population that I could find groups while leveling (ideally). A semi-functional economy would be nice as well.

    So with all that context.. what TLP server would be a good fit? One of the existing ones or are they all dead? Wait for the new one next month? Go back to P99? Or maybe just go back to live? All my raid gear and epic weapons are completely out-dated now and I honestly felt lost (what happened to EC and Freeport? o_O). Server seemed dead anyway but then again I guess people don't hang around in PoK or WC anymore so many that's why I didn't see anyone.
  2. MischiefTLP Augur

    Your options for a healthy TLP over the next year are: Mischief
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  3. Trox2010 Augur

    Aradune has a pretty good population and is in Seeds of Discord so you can have a merc to help with your leveling. As with all the TLPs at this time it is too heavy (level cap is 85), so low level groups can be rough to come by, but there is still some people leveling alts, and again having mercs make the low level game much more bearable.

    If you do go to Aradune, and want a laid back guild that is raiding in era, but no requirement to raid, and has a lot of chill people to chat with them please check out Filthy Casualz.
    Ballzz likes this.
  4. Domniatric Augur

    My personal opinion is jump on the newly announced server just so you can relive it from the beginning and be on the same playing field as everyone else. It may not be the most well received ruleset ever announced but people will be playing it regardless. I also wouldn't worry much about the encounter locking. The people posting about it like it is an impending apocalypse are being extremely overdramatic. In the end, I doubt it will be much of a big deal one way or another. Mischief is an interesting ruleset but it is tuned to be extremely overpowered in the amount of loot and free trade. You will have everything with little to no effort. And, you will also be entering in expansions well beyond what you previously experienced and you will therefore be a bit lost. Agnarr is a cool server but it is underpopulated and well past it's prime. There will not be many people experiencing the game fresh like you will be so there will be very few people to connect with. Same with any older server. Which is why I'd recommend a new TLP regardless of the ruleset.
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  5. Zrender Augur

    As a fellow p99 player I think the new Oakwynd server is your best bet based on what you posted. P99 has play nice rules and Oakwynd is an attempt that may successfully program in some of that anti-toxic functionality as well. Things like intentional training, eliminating RMT from PL groups that take over zones and could ~possibly implement some anti-KSing, depending on how the new first-to-engage (FTE) stuff is coded. New TLPs are very good for groups in leveling up mains and alts (especially since you get an XP bonus to alts for each leveled up toon on the new TLP) and contrary to some FTE haters it will be well populated on release and very easy to get groups. If you want to just buy a krono and sell it for plat to buy gear or you specifically wanted later expansions right away then Mischief would be your best bet. It's getting into the expansions where more things are instanced and training and KSing are not really major issues anyway.
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  6. Ruhi Augur

    a new tlp that starts in classic - regardless of the ruleset - is a hustle and bustle place with lots of opportunities to group. any server that is past classic will be mostly top heavy already and groups may be scarce - catching beastlord and zerker xpac releases will cause some new hustle and bustle in the leveling scene.

    if you have $$ over time - mischief may be a good fit - you can buy all the gear with kroners. You can also experience all that post pop content folks talk about.
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  7. Montag Augur

    Mischief if you want to go a little bid hard. Agnarr if you want to be ultra casual.
    Ballzz likes this.
  8. Xhartor Augur

    I would highly recommend giving the GoD expansion another shot. A lot of the problems it's original release had have been smoothed out over time, and it's become a gem of an expansion on TLP servers.

    Playing on the new TLP will be a different experience from it's original release or P99.
    It has a ton of quality of life feature that around then. However the server will also have aggressive krono farming, which creates a toxic culture. It's also chance for having a wide level range to group with.

    Mischief, is earlier into a great era of game TSS-VoA. Loot is in abundance and almost all of it is tradable. However I suspect that low and mid level are few and far between.

    Yelinak is in LDoN right now, soon it will have GoD, then the terrible 70's began. That server will share mischief problem with low and mid level groups without being a loot pinata the way Mischief is.
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  9. Ballzz Journeyman

    Curious how the problems of GoD were "smoothed out". GoD expansion literally killed my guild (along with WoW and EQ2). We went from smooth farming of Quarm to insane guild drama and pain with those stupid trials and some of the first GoD raids. Jesus it was so painful and not fun at all as I remember it (it's been a while).
  10. uberkingkong Augur

    Yelinak.

    A lot of people on Mischief hate Yelinak though. Mischief players are kind of elitist so I'd avoid Mischief. Yelinak is a chill vibes, they don't give 2 rucks that Mischief is hating on them.
    Ballzz likes this.
  11. Herf Augur

    Agnarr has at least 4 raiding guilds. You can as much or as little as you want there.
    Ballzz likes this.
  12. Iyacc Augur

    I play on Mischief and i's a very healthy server but VERY top heavy. You can have the above once you get close to the higher levels but until then you're going to spend most of your time figuring out how to gear/level on your own.

    I would suggest based on the part I cut out above, you start on Oakwynd. I fully believe the FTE will be a dumpster fire perched on top of a nuclear reactor which was built on the san andreas fault line. It will however the grouping scenario you want and actie economy in the EC tunnel. The only advantage on Mischief is bazaar if you buy/sell a krono or two and can gear up super cool with good items.

    If your focus is playing on your schedule and being able to always find a group, the new TLP will fit that for the next year until it gets to PoP - if it follows most other TLPs history. Not counting the weirdo things like Vaniki, etc..
    Ballzz likes this.
  13. Delphwind Augur

    It's a lot better now. Most guilds go into GoD already knowing the progression, there is also a site, eqprogression.com that lays out the info very clearly. It's still a pain to get 50+ people properly flagged, but its way easier than it was back in the day.

    We had similar experiences. :(
    Ballzz likes this.
  14. FranktheBank Augur

    We are much, much stronger now and we know the fights.
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  15. DimitriG New Member

    I'm also a P99'er and have decided to play on Oakwynd, on Wed, when it launches. For a casual like myself, it seems like it's going to match the laid back vibe on P99 & the FTE lock rules look good to me.

    Haven't been this excited to play live EQ in a very long time :D
    Ballzz likes this.
  16. Captain Video Augur


    Correction: GoD unlocked on Yelinak a few weeks ago. GoD was substantially re-tuned in-era but still several months after launch, it is not nearly as difficult as OP might remember it. GoD also has the tutorial, which OP may never have seen before, and which I strongly recommend both for the quested armor you get and also the ability to meet quite a few other players in a single spot. Some others will be just starting on the server themselves, plus there will be some vets in guilds rolling alts. Good place to network if you're looking for a guild with others who want to go through lower-level content. Mischief will be easy mode by a mile, whereas Yelinak will be more tradtional, work for what you get.
    Ballzz likes this.
  17. VicFollower New Member

    This is such a troll post. You obviously know where you want to play you just want to get people worked up. We'll see you on Oakwynd because if you were really considering it you'd be on one of the other servers and not posting on the forums...o_O
  18. Xhartor Augur


    I posted that a month ago, prior to the unlock. I am familiar with the tutorial it will make getting level 10 easier and give better gear then a level would normally have. However you are still level 10 on server where the active player base is 65, and that gear isn't going to let you run around 1 shotting everything with no resource management. The exp rate is increased with GoD, but it's while below live server level and TLP have 2 more exp increases (DoDh and TSS).

    They stripped down KT flagging to just running Tipt (this is still PITA, if you are unfamiliar with the mission). Sewers, Vexd, KT quests, and Ikkinz 1-3 (group) can all be skipped by the majority of your guild. Those in your guild who are responible for requesting raid will still need to some of the above items.

    Mudflation over time has made characters stronger now then original release. Character do more damage and take less damage now then they use too. There are also resource sites like Rasper's Realm and EQ progression that break most of this down, so you know what you are getting into. A fair numbers of players have done these encounters before on previous TLP and know how guild handle the fights.

    The really hard stuff doesn't kick in until much later in EQ. A few month back we had a good thread talking about the most difficult encounter in EQ. While GoD is the most challenging of the early EQ expansions, none of the encounters would be consider part of the all time hardest for someone progressing through the game on TLP server.
    Ballzz likes this.
  19. Ballzz Journeyman


    Wow. You know me so well. What makes you think I know where I want to play? I haven't played retail EQ since about the time WoW released. I haven't played on any retail TLP server ever so I'm curious what makes you think that I "obviously know where I want to play"? Also, why would me asking this question work anyone up? It seems to have just worked you up.

    You actually won't see me on Oakwynd because after seeing it in action I think that FTE "feature" looks dumb AF and I don't want to sink time on a server that I have fundamental issues with at the start. Seems like I would be wasting my time. If I give EQ another go I will probably just pick an older TLP or go back to P99 or just wait until the next retail TLP and hope that FTE feature stays with Oakwynd. Thanks for the laugh. Glad to see retail EQ still has it's classic toxicity intact.
  20. Koniku Elder

    Even if FTE is as bad as the prophets of doom say I would still roll there. The fresh launched server experience is a thing that cant be found on older servers and it is going to be far easier easing back into classic than jumping into GoD+ which you have no familiarity with. If the ruleset is a dealbreaker then go ahead to the other servers, they arent going anywhere. Plus you can make some easy krono to get starter gear on other servers.
    Ballzz likes this.