I played thru most of PoP and left the game Here recently I have been wanting to get back into EQ and enjoy it again. I dont have the time or the means to multibox. My question is after so long and the game being so far advanced will I be able to enjoy the game without boxing but soloing only with a mercenary? Not looking to do any raiding atm but just enjoy the game and experience some of the new content. I will be a paying player so I will have everything thing unlocked for me. And also would a heroic character be wise for a returning player the get started playing again?
I suggest playing on mischief server (time-locked progression). It requires a subscrption to play on, but is currently locked to the planes of power expansion and will progress through new expansions in time. It has a healthy playerbase and it will be easier to group and solo on that server. If you decide play on a normal server, Firiona Vie is best. Also, heroic characters are a huge waste of money.
Try to recover your old account https://help.daybreakgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/217481518-How-do-I-recover-my-account- Either on it or a new free account make a level 1 character and go thu the tutorial to get a feel for the game and how it has changed. Then you can decide after that if you want to go paid and play on TLP as suggested by Trevor. But on lower levels on live servers there is not that much to "unlock" as a paid for quite a while. You also get 25 expansions free to keep you busy. Around level 85 is when you would want to go paid and that is also the level of the Heroic you can buy. If you think you can handle instant access to 3000 or so AA and tons of spells then buy one. Download your free maps from Goods or Brewells While it does not take extra time or funds to multi box it sounds like you are opposed to it. So go with Mischief (TLP). If you wanted to have a Heroic on live then check out other servers. Firiona Vie has special rules that may not work with your playstyle.
I returned after like 8 years, and I went level 1. Best decision I could have made because you relearn the game easier, imho. There is an overwhelming amount of EQ now, and it felt better to learn it more slowly and according to the leveling path instead of going heroic. Almost any class can molo pretty easily with a JMerc, but some are better than others. Key to your class decision is which one you like best, period. If you dig the class, you'll make it work.
