I was thinking of playing on the test server. I had some questions: 1. Are there any active, casual player friendly guilds who can help out? 2. I noticed that the bazaar was very short of stuff for my level 35 character. They were cheap but there wasn't much. Is this going to be a problem as I level up? 3. Are there any guilds that raid there?
I can only tell you that the community seems quite friendly and helpful, overall, on Test. I am a lower level player there, and when I play there, I notice that peeps are mostly friendly, and exp is outstanding. Aside from that, I don't know much. I solo/molo a whole lot.
https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/primal-brood-test.236753/ The bazaar is kind of short on lower level items but if you are looking for something in particular you should ask in Gen chat as items are freely copied from live and given away by many. Chances are that someone will have items you need.
My question about the Test server is... are they too down when all other servers are down? Do they have more or less maintenance on a daily occurrence so to speak?
I play on Test as my main server, I would call it the Ultimate Dad Server. Just like live servers, there is no lower level grouping, but there is permanent double xp, so you have to try extra hard to stay low level. You can /testcopy anything under the sun tradeable, or go deck out a level 1 on FV, copy the char to test and have the ultimate decked out toon. I copied over a heroic toon of every class, and made up little group combos for fun. If you don't have a ton of plat to deck out toons, there are Agents of Change on Test, which can spawn pre instanced era raid encounters. Playing around is the key feature.. Test server has a raid guild too, if that's your thing, people will help you here though, don't be ashamed to ask for help, most ppl here are like myself just bored dads looking for an stress free EQ experience. The lack of economy is the only true downside, if you like to wheel and deal or hustle the tradeskill game, it's kinda tough to get that experience on test, though if you wanted to max tradeskills you could copy the same ingredients over and over but only once per day. As far as server being down, I would say that it's not a problem for me, I think it's down just a tad more than your run of the mill Live Server because the patch is released a week early there and sometimes patches break things, and more often here, but I can say this hasn't ruined my gameplay experience. I think Test is the kind of server for people who want to do many things, but lack time to do them. It is not for everyone, but give it a try, you just might never leave. Ps.. Test is usually up when live is down and visa versa..
I haven't had a live subscription in a couple of years so I've been playing on Test server here and there. I've been playing more recently and have been working on tradeskills. One thing I can tell you is if you wanted to work on gear for 30s and 40s, you can do the gorukar mesa armor quests. Between you and a tank merc, I imagine you can knock those out. Then as you level up you will have access to more armor, more ways to get armor, etc. I generally 2-box and all my toons are in a guild called "Legend of Bryko." If you spot any toons on that guild, feel free to send a tell (to all, in case I am boxing lol) if you have questions. I have found that the general chat has been somewhat helpful on there as well in terms of information or giving away excess stuff.
Another advantage of the test server is that you can skip the first 25 levels if you want. /testbuff will make you level 25 with all spells provided, basic armour and your skills maxed.
Are all the zones, enemies and "bosses" the same or are they switched to different locations, stronger, weaker, respawn faster, you get special loot, etc.?
The zones/mobs are the same as a Live server. Base zones are the revamped versions. I cannot answer definitively about AOC zones, if they only spawn new versions or both new and old. I seem to recall the one for POHate giving me an option of the one used on Classic TLP servers, but my memory is slipping. Maybe someone can answer that for sure.
Base zones are the open world. AOC zones are instanced zones. You need a full group to request an instanced version of a zone from the "Agent of Change".
Are AOC zones the small dead end portals that says you need to be on a quest to go through it? There is no light or anything, just like a very shallow cave. There is one in Everfrost Peaks for sure.
Nope. Avatar of Change will be near the zone in area of any dungeon or zone that has a raid encounter. When you hail them with a full group and say "ready" they port you to a copy of that zone fully spawned. To leave the zone hail the Agent of Change inside, and type "leave". These zones do not have respawn, and once you clear it, you will have a lockout timer for a few days, in which you cannot request an instance until the timer is up.
Are there any guilds on the test server that do more late night/PST time zone type of play? As a Dad in his 40s, I generally cannot get on the PC until after 9 pm Central time so I end up playing at hours that are more typical of Pacific coast players.
Some of the folks in Root Down come on at just about that time, but they are friendly and casual during the week. Their Raid Times on the Weekend are in your time slot. Ask for an officer in the Guild Lobby, and after confirming that you are not trouble, you should be in for a very enjoyable experience.
