How do you feel about single account players?

I am interested to see how people view single account players on a TLP. I have been playing EQ on live and test servers for 21 years now and I am considering starting the experience again on a TLP, but knowing the struggle of playing a single player and not boxing, how much of a challenge or not challenge do you view this as?

Once mercs come out things become slightly easier, but I would love some anecdotal stories about people who have played only one character through parts of TLPs and how people view this. Do you feel a majority of players play only one account on TLPs or box at least one other account with it?

This isn’t a discussion about wether boxing is right or wrong, and I do not wish to get into discussions about botting. I simply wish to discuss how people view playing this game, and while I know boxing would make certain things easier, I personally prefer to play a single account. I have boxed up to 6 characters in the past before so I am familiar with it.

Appreciate any input, thanks!

I've played a single account on 4 different TLP's now. Lots of players do it. I'd say most players (maybe 75%?) at least sometimes box an additional character or two, but there's plenty of single account people around. There's also a lot of players that primarily focus on their main, but just occasionally fire up a box if the situation calls for it.

Just be sure to get into a good guild and be active about forming groups and you'll be totally fine. Some single account players have a rough experience if they stay guildless or in a relatively inactive guild, and they just log in and /lfg and wait for things to materialize for them. As long as you're willing to take initiative and just start inviting people, and you play your class reasonably well so people want to group with you, single account is a totally fine experience imo.

Plenty of players only have a single account and I don't see how you would be at a disadvantage when it comes to getting groups and raid spots.

Absolutely nothing wrong with single-account players, once upon a time they were the core customer of EverQuest & boxers were a rare type of player.

The more of them there are the better, but the sad truth is that as the game aged players in general are way less inclined to "pick up group" they either group only with guild members exclusively, form a clique with those close allies, or they start boxing.

I saw very little boxing up until Planes of Power was released at least in the guilds I was in, mostly family type casual guilds back then, boxers were really rare I recall seeing maybe only 2 or 3 who ever boxed at all.

As a nowadays experienced boxer I do try to do my bit to help out players catching up or needing a group for stuff, mostly I try to help "catcher-uppers" with XP, gear, advice often sacrificing my own goals to help them because I know that at least a few of those I help may stick around long enough to be helpful members or raiders in the guild. Most wont stick around though & that's okay though as even a few sticking around of the many I help makes it worthwhile doing.

My guild has a large number of boxers & the vast majority of them are really happy to help guildies out when they are LFG for a while, there's a very good understanding that we all need to do our bit to help returners & new people feel welcomed & supported in order to keep guild & raid numbers healthy.

I hope you manage to find a guild with a good attitude towards single account players, at this late stage of the game & even on TLP I can't imagine there are too many guilds who can afford to be jerks about it.

Any TLP guild who has a bad retention/returner/recruitment attitude or plan is going to have a very short existence.

Honestly, i'd actually prefer to just play a single character and group. But this brings up tons of issues, at least for me.

Not playing a meta class? Be ready to sit LFG often for long periods of time. Your class can't solo? It's completely up to RNG to make any money. Need to afk alot, or don't like getting stuck in groups where you're expected to find a replacement if you need to leave? Out of luck.

I'm honestly kind of jealous of players who can look past these issues and just pick a single class they want to play, and just group.

From a game design standpoint, I think it was a mistake to have classes who do really well solo, and some who literally can't solo at all. Some being stronger than others is ok, but I think all classes should either be able to solo meaningfully in some capacity, even if limited (only vs undead for example) or just have no classes able to solo, and grouping being required.

Been playing off and on for almost 20 years and I have never boxed. I think early on in a TLP, most people are levelling up their main and not really concentrating on boxing unless they came into the expeience with that goal in mind. At least that has been my experience as a rogue joining pugs

Soloing is overrated. I've mained rogues on TLPs and had not much problem finding groups. And when finding a group is tough then I go to Befallen and "solo" the lock or I go to Kaladim and "solo" Founy or I go to the tunnel and "solo" the market.

You have to make friends and guild mates that want to spend time with you and do stupid crap like farm a mob for your epic for 20 hours straight with no benefits for them other than your company.

You can view this as a plus or a negative.

I agree it's overrated, mostly because it's so slow and monotonous.

But not being able to make your own currency sucks. I'm not nor have ever been interested in tunnelquest, and don't think tunnelquesting should be a requirement for a non-boxer to make any money.

Solo is fun if you mindset yourself to not worry about gear or platinum due to already having it.
Otherwise I'd imagine it's a pain.

Tunnel / bazaar questing the best part about a TLP right until about POP.
You could farm for days to gain or simply make a few good trades for instant profit.

Exactly. During classic when the server is bustling is your time to make friends and connections. If you plan to just sit in PoK or EC tunnel with /lfg on and expect to constantly get groups you're gonna be in for a bad time. Maybe during the first 3 expacs if you're a cleric or chanter you can get away with this but playing medium to long term or a less desired class you're gonna need to be social. Whining in general chat how this game/server is dead and no one wants to play with you w/o taking any initiative on your own just becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

What do you need money for early on anyways? Not like there is anything to buy. And once you are 30+, you make plenty of money just from grouping. The only thing a rogue really needs in early classic that is expensive is the FBSS. But you can camp that yourself once you start grouping in LGUK anyways. You don't need to buy spells. You don't really need to buy armor. And once the planes open, you get free raid gear. The only thing it seems you'd need money for is to twink an alt. But by the time you can effectively do that on a TLP, your rogue can probably solo farm the gear you'd twink with.

Assuming everyone rolls need on the FBSS (which is the norm), you'd need to be there tons of hours to get your RNG chance high enough to get one. And get in enough groups as a rogue also, lol.

And ok, you picked probably the cheapest class for your example. Casters need spells and want mana gear, some casters want some AC too. Tanks need gear. Melee needs weapons, most will want at least some hp/ac. To be clear, i'm not the type that spends several krono for GEBs. That is stupid, you get so little for so much.

Rogues won't be able to solo farm much twink gear. Not the good stuff. The good weapons, fungi, etc are all from dense 50+ dungeons.

Getting friends that sell the loot then split to the whole groups helps a lot.

For that Krono, Yo! Gotta get dat...gotta get dat...Krono! No seriously plenty of reason to have plt, but like you said get into a good group get leveled and plat will come. As for getting free gear in the planes, only if youur lucky...most farm that stuff to sell you the loot rights now....back in Phinny they would give it away.....on Mangler 1.5 k for a good drop for loot rights

I have been a single account player on at least 4 TLPs and the only way you can survive is being tenacious and social. You cannot just slap on LFG and hope for invites. People are cliquey and antisocial so if you don't speak up you do not get invites. You also cant expect top tier camps and have to subject yourself to duo/trio and using what can to raise the xp bar. But this way of playing is highly rewarding and can lead to a lot of true bonds made within the server. Join a guild and it makes the experience even better.

Loot rights for rogue gear in the planes? LOL that stuff rots constantly.

Not sure why you keep bringing up rogues like this thread was only talking about rogues.

What are you talking about? The "free gear in the planes" quote was directly about playing a rogue.

You were the one to bring up rogues specifically unprovoked and keep bringing them up in every reply.

We get it, rogues don't need money. Other classes do.