I still have a level 60 cleric rotting since about the launch of Kunark. I just got tired of playing a healer and dealing with the TLP guild consolidations every other week. My question is this. Are their currently enough active low level alts/players on Phinny to start a new melee character and level up in pick up groups? I really want to play a rogue or ranger just to try a melee class. However, I don't want to molo and LFG all the time. I'll probably go create a character and try it out today until the NFL playoffs start. I'll post my character name and look for a guild in a week or so if I like it.
It's definitely bare at lower levels, but there have been a surprising number of folks coming back since mercs became available.
I just hit 66 and there has been very little group activity so far. You'd be better off using the tank merc to get to 60 or so, then it should be easier to find 1-2 people to group with. I think a full group of real people is not going to happen much, before 70 or 75.
As stated above, the server is definetly top heavy however I’ve seen a lot of new faces since SoD drooped. The best thing to do would be to find a guild that fits your play style and start making friends. With the addition of Mercs it makes it a little easier to get through those lower level.
Ranger + tank merc to 65ish, then cleric merc. I know you want to group (as do I), but this is relatively painless. City Of Mist as a hotzone is just ridiculous exp, and super fast, esp if you have a class with any kind of damage shield. You can get to 60 in a couple of days easy.
Thanks for all the replies. The comments were in line with my day one experience. I did the tutorial to level 10 then headed to CR. I think I am level 13 or so now. That was about 4 hours, but with much of that time using a healer merc to make sure I get my combat skills maxed and probably an hour tinkering with my UI. I figured out how to tie disarm, taunt, kick, tracking, etc to the number "1." That made skilling up "skills" much easier. I think I saw up to 4 people in the tutorial and a couple of people out in the newbie yards in CR. It was pretty sparse. I know EQ, but working without an ET window and agro meter while learning a melee class adds a whole new dimension to the game. I raid as a cleric and watching the agro meter to see which who is about to grab agro is a big part of it. Most importantly, XP didn't suck like it did when Phinny launched. I'm guessing they kept the modern expansions tuned to their original experience gains? Killing a blue and watching the XP move up 4 percent was a very non TLP experience for me. By the way, character's name is Zarly. Feel free to say hello if you see my bumping around. If there are any friendly rangers around who are open for an occasional coaching session...let me know!
Clerics are always needed, if you want to level fast you will have no trouble at all, find a guild and they will level you up. If you choose to go slower, grab a tank merc and pick up anyone ya see lfg, also advertise in general channels that you are LFM. as soon as possible get the Warrens qsts done for a better merc, required lvl 75. Find a guild either way if for nothing but guild chat. Everquest can get tedious/boring fast if you play alone
You don't have to bother with the healer merc yet, once the mobs turn blue just xp without a merc otherwise just use the tank merc on yellow/red mobs. Xp rate on blues without tank merc will keep your defenseive skills up and xp rate is just as fast as on yellow mobs w/merc. For tracktaunt put those hotkeys on your normal spell bar for fighting and you will be maxed on all by 60 if you hit them everytime they are up. Set-up auto fire for range macro and hit forage whenever shooting the bow that will max forage with no effort also. If your looking to lvl fast casually with minimal downtime (meaning no running all over) stay with the whole CR timeline of zones its silly easy and good for plat if you lack fund to buy some defiant armor that hasn't dropped (bargain shop also btw). 10-25 CR, at 22 drop merc and just solo non-stop xp is fast worst lvl 24-25 (light blues) will be 20 min 25-35 Blighted Moors (is that what the zone with PoK book is called) run toward the merchant camp/mesa zone line. You will see a camp of mushrooms once you pass the merchant camp. Kill those with tank merc until they turn blue and your 31ish, loot all the non quest stuff and kill the Eyesore mushroom (think that is the name) he drops a dagger and mask both sell for over 45p. Sell at merchants since its lore. You should be 35 in a few 1.503 hrs depending on how fast you pull, mobs don't run except for the eye mushroom respawn is fast. 35-45 Go to mesa use tank merc, and kill bear on left side after quest giving mobs (avoid big named bear til your mid 40ish - he drops 200p item) kill bears in open and in cave and auto loot shiney bear tooths (25p ea) once you kill faster than those respawn add spiders (4 in open to right of bears). Once you kill faster than they all respawn add spider cave. At t 31ish up to you if you want merc or I go without. For spider auto the orange barrel looking thing (22p ea), silks/skins up to you if you craft/offline trader. At lvl 43-45 I stop do bears. I move to Spider on ridge above and past the spider cave/mintoen camp, just run up ridgeline to right of spider cave and you will see 5/6 higher dark blue/yellow spiders and 5 below kill them with merc. They spiders have decent dots so let merc smack away just a little before attacking so he gets dots (and you get to get range skill up a little). you should be 45 in few hrs at most depending on how fast you pull. 45- run and sell anything and take a little broker time with your 4-7k in plat and pick up defiant bargains. 45-50 Back to mesa and start killing giants with tank merc use snare these mob run and are social, They will be yellow/red. 49-50 is kind of slow it may take you 30-45 min so if you want to leave can but usually the run somewhere else makes it slower xp. 50-65 (or to 72) (make sure bags are empty) Griegs end. At lvl 50 I like to invis and run to scarlet desert side so I have almost nothing but single pulls (minus two spots). Use tank merc and start killing. At 50 to 54 stick to first room, two rooms on left and one room on right. That about all you will clear prob in spawn rate. note first room can have up to 3 mobs, one is invis and pops on proximity in middle of room, on in right near corner and one under fallen door just be aware. Once you start killing faster than respawn start doing a full clock wise clear with scarlet desert room as your 6 o'clock. have auto-loot for all gems, ignore the runes and crap (unless you have 40 slot bags or something) and unless crafting/trading don't worry about plants/any name drops and scrolls. Only name drop of plat value is Greeves of Obscurity 300p + drop). From lvl 50-60 you should avg a lvl every 25-30 and have about 6-8k in plat (based on vendoring and plat drops). Go sell. AT 60+ move your based camp to Gate area if open ( if not just do either dawnshroud side or scarlet and roam in a logical circular pattern) in gate area kill main room, two side room and giant room heading to scarlet and it adjoining rooms in spawn rate. Keep adding rooms as you kill faster than spawn rate. in 2-2.5 you will be lvl 65 and once again have 5-8k in plat. Keep going but you now have option to keep using tank merc or just soloing. If soloing its better to go to scarlet desert and do that rotation, xp rate will about the same with or without merc. Lvl from 65-70 is avgs hr per lvl little faster at beginning slower at 69-70. and you make about 5-8k+ ever 3-4 hrs without having to trade anything. 70-72 If you still need plat lvling here with or without merc it takes about 2 hrs/lvl little less really but close. do this if you need plat and can't find group. Its kind of brain dead activity though but helpful if you need plat and what isn't brain dead really. Note: 1. Headshot is borked and not proccing like when PoP was current xpac, I left then so not sure when it happened. 2. Decide whether you want to auto-AA at 51 just remember many ranger AA wont grant since auto is set for OoW at present, so no HS, no Trick shot etc. if you take auto grant you may want to just put AA slider to 20% it wont affect your lvling much until 65+ 3. Remember to put track and any other combat useable hotkey next in your main fighting bar so you don't forget to hit them. You will max them all by 60ish until AA raised caps. Also remember hit forage whenever auto-firing bow. 4. When you reach the lvl for it, can use the auto-kick function too, easy way to max it without thinking and its dps. 5. Don't buy all your spells some are redundant and not as good as a prior one (example Regrowth gives more health regen than hunters vigor etc) Anyway you should be lvl 70 after one weekend and have about 15-20k+ to spend without having to sit in Pok/GL LF buffs or lfg. Good luck
Really curious as well to how phini would feel. Seems like a good place to jump aboard and try to catch up. but trying to stay on top of AAs seems like it could become bothersome.
Why worry, if your playing for enjoyment just play. Get to max lvl and now your earning all AA, if you max AA per xpac because you play a lot great if you don't that's great too. Your playing to enjoy yourself, just play until you don't.
Also for original poster, don't cast multiple dots and DD's on single mobs unless for some unforeseen reason your in trouble (you just don't need it they aren't earth shattering dps). Just cast one at most to get/keep skills maxed, if you pull multiple mobs can cast a dot on each if you desire but the key to all this is efficiency which means no sitting and medding ever unless you want to go afk. Use clarity/alacrity potions (baz way cheaper if can find them) than vendor. Once 45 (?) kei is great (really great because its 4hrs if you can get a chanter to cast it (if Dawnielle of Broken Wave is on she will buff with cleric and chanter buffs, really nice person - hope she doesn't mind me throwing her name out there). Once again good luck on getting to 70+ and groupage
Thanks for the thorough replies Valalorn. I am pretty familiar with the progression path in TSS, but I'm sure the information will be very helpful to others...I made a few reminder notes myself. I figured out to bind tracking and forage to my left and right arrows. I also figured out I could forage while on autofire...interesting. I have a social that I drop in my "1" slot on my primary hot bar that triggers taunt, disarm, kick, and some other combat ability that escapes me atm. I've always used key binds as a healer on regular servers, so its fun to figure out simple lowbie key binds to skill stuff up. I have been switching between tank and healer merc. I use healer after each ding until my defensive and weapon skill is maxed, then I switch to tank and work up my archery. I'm in no rush. I've played an hour or two a day and am having to good time with in. Still only level 14...so still swatting bears in CR
