I've come back to EQ after a couple years of absence and would like to slowly try to level up using Lesson each day solo/molo. Like most returning players I have a bunch of questions (some of which I've already found answers for here). As a baseline I'm a level 85 Cleric, 1300 AA in T4 SoD group armor (buffed I'm at 40k HP and 4.5k AC). Experience -- Lately I've been burning Lesson in Ashengate with a DPS merc which gives me 8% regular XP or 12 AAs. I haven't tried Korscian Warrens yet although I'm guessing it would be less XP. Is it worth it to try to do any tasks in the recent expansions for XP or is focussing on XP in hot zones better? XP or AA -- I've been focussing on XP instead of AA as I think trying to get to level 90/95 as quickly as possible would be better (barring a few must have AAs along the way). Is this a good strategy or not? Gearing Up -- Looking in the bazaar I can probably get 10k more HP with a few 100kpp of upgrades. Since I have a few million this is probably well worth it especially since I doubt I can solo/molo anything worthwhile. Past level 90/95 Is there a decent way to gear up with a solo/molo play style (other than hoping for rots)? Progression -- Is there any point in looking into progression in the expansions I've missed (UF, HoT, VoA)? Is there even any point in trying to get into some progression in RoF with a solo/molo playstyle? Mercs -- At level 85 I've found I can tank light blues well enough and use a DPS merc for faster kills (other than issues holding aggro as a Cleric). How do mercs fare in the higher levels these days? Any other tips you can give an old Dwarf would be welcome...
To your point #2, it would help if you have a magelo by chance. There are some AA's that will help you earn more exp much faster (and in less time/require less healing), but need to see what you already have to mention which ranks of what would be a good stopping point for a short time. Are you back as a gold member who can go above lvl 90 and have RoF purchased or a silver member currently. (Makes a difference toward answering gear/progression questions - due to the prestige tag, augments that you would find useful, etc.)
Ahh...I didn't realize there was a difference but I am a gold member and will soon have VoA and RoF purchased. I don't have an updated Magelo at the moment but will update it tonight when I get a chance.
I would recommend doing the partisan/mercenary tasks in Feerotte and House of Thule. Some of the partisans give excellent experience and you can repeat them. Also you can grab people who are looking to group and get loot/experience from the two missions in each zone. Wait until you are 86 though, then you can get switch to a war merc as getting qualified tanks at 86 can be a challenge. Full group = best experience.
Just so you know. If you do quests with lessons, the bonus won't go to your AA portion, and will only double on the quest xp on the regular portion, so you should switch to 0% AA experience when getting ready to finish a quest with LoTD going, to get the most out of the LoTD. Yther Ore.
Just took a peek at the magelo and here are some thoughts/suggestions. You have some of the initial ones I thought you might not yet have, but there are some things that stood out (Divine Avatar and Twinproc). Items in green will help your DPS/kill faster. Items in blue will help your survivability (for taking less damage and/or casting easier). Items in purple are more healing oriented but very helpful for a soloer/moloer. Gear (mods specifically) Avoidance - Good. You're almost max (97/100). Shielding - Good. You have 28/35. Work toward maxing this (to help take less damage if you're tanking.) Dot Damage - Average. You have 25/35. Similar to spell damage below, this is going to come into play with mobs that would DOT you. You will want to max this but just make sure you don't go lower when you look at gear choices. Stun Resist - Average. You have 22/35. This is more about being able to avoid being stunned when you're casting/getting interrupted and being able to cast that spell. Spell Damage - Average. You have 18/35. Note this only comes into place with AE's so something to watch for so you don't go lower but also try and max as you can. Combat Effects - Poor. As you look for gear choices, look to get this maxxed. It will help on your melee. It's not a key priority but one of those things that when you layer everything together, it all works toward killing faster and/or easier. AA's General Tab Combat Agility (can purchase up to rank 33 for lvl 85). This will help you avoid melee damage entirely. You have worked it up to 42% chance to avoid melee damage, but you can get 54% at rank 33. Combat Stability (can purchase up to rank 33 for lvl 85). This will help you take smaller amount of melee damage when you do take it. You have worked it up to 47% chance to mitigate damage, but you can get 60% at rank 33. Archetype Tab Critical Affliction. You can get all 9 ranks at lvl 85 and this gives a 30% chance to crit on each tick of each undead dot. (Note, if you aren't fighting undead, this won't help you. But it will work on the turn undead AA.) Healing Boon. You have 10 ranks but can take this to rank 15. And this does work on all spell cast elixers as well as the AA celestial regeneration, focused celestial regeneration, etc. Persistent Casting. You can take this to rank 9 at level 85. This gives you greater chance not to interrupt a spell you're trying to cast if a mob is trying to stun you. Shield Block - finish getting the last 3 ranks. Right now you have 8% chance to fully block the attack and with rank 9 you'll have 11% chance. Class Tab Burst of Life - Get this. A mana free instant heal is a lifesaver. Divine Avatar - Max this for your level. This is one of your prime DPS AA's. Right now your rank 1 gives you this (100% dmg modifier, 50% proc rate and heals 100/tick) but rank 15 which you can get at lvl 85 gives you this (447% dmg modifier, 200% proc rate and heals 580/tick). Key thing is that it gives you 4x the chance to proc for any procs on your weapons and over 4x the damage modifier in addition to the larger heal. Extended Swarm - not a huge DPS boost but still something that helps extend how long your cleric hammer AA is out. If you don't even use that, don't worry about this AA. Focused Celestial Regeneration - mana free single target elixer Hastened Divine Avatar - faster reuse Holy Root Powerful Elixers Spirit Mastery - you'll always want two auras up (circle of divinity is WELL worth getting and the older Aura of the Pious as well). Twinproc - Another key DPS AA. Turn Undead - free DOT DPS against undead mobs. Hastened Turn Undead - faster reuse Ultimately in terms of your question of a few AA versus leveling, I do think getting spirit mastery, divine avatar and twinproc at the least will help you kill faster. In addition, it depends whether your kill rate is slowed because you have to med OR because you have to heal a lot (taking a lot of damage) or because your DPS is really slow. There are AA's that you can work up to offset that based on how you feel you're doing.
Okay, first a couple of questions: What is your shield like? Do you have a Prismatic Gemstone, Frosty Gem of Enhanced Protection, or the like in it (aka biggest AC aug you can find?) T4 SoD gear wasn't bad, but you wouldn't hit cap on defensive mod2s with it- how are you shielding and avoidance? Do you have an Icy Prism of Avoidance from LDoN? What is your current weapon? Do you also have your Divine Hammer of Consternation? EDIT: Ah, you updated while I was away. Okay, you're in almost all T5 SoD, you're close on avoidance, need a bit of shielding. Look at that bazaar gear and see what you can pick up in the same slot that has more shielding on it, you're 7 off max atm. If you can't bump your shielding up, see if you can get someone to join a group to get Circle of Drakes to go for an Ore of the Nest (+4% shielding) and head to Razorthorn for an Emerald of Savage Fury (+2% shielding). I'm nuts for AC, but maxing shielding > an AC aug. Once you max your shielding and avoidance on your gear, as you continue to level, I strongly recommend looking for AC and heroic agility augs, as you're a tanking cleric (/highfive). See if you can get your hands on Krucidon's Inverted War Charm in the bazaar- it fits in your shield, so it will be an AC upgrade over your jewel of the stalwart, and heroic agility is gold. Every 25 points of heroic agility you have give you +1% to your chance to dodge. When you can, I'd go after a 35AC or higher shield aug (and move the war charm to another slot), but until then, that's an instant upgrade. At your level and gear, I probably wouldn't do Korascian Warrens- it will be too slow, and while it's a hotzone, the ZEM just doesn't seem as good as some others. WIth your gear, level, and AAs, there are places you can swarm/AE, too- if Dragonscale Hills becomes a hotzone, I know you can AE the pants off the farm there in that level of gear. You should be able to do the same in Vergalid Mines, which is currently a hotzone. Hell, I used to do the RItesmaster Verok event in Ruins of Illsalin, killing the spiders with ward, and gating out to reset it, back when. ~Laughs~ How fast are you going through mobs in Ashengate? XP or AA - Well, if you want to do the tanking, it's always a good idea to keep your AAs up along the way, especially as you're a non-standard tank. The obvious, of course, are Combat Stability, Combat Agility, Shield Block, and Armour of Wisdom, but other important ones are Fury of Magic, Destructive Fury, all of your spires, Divine Avatar + Hastened Divine Avatar, Battle Frenzy, Celestial Rapidity, Burst of Life, and Recourse of Life (more on that in a minute). Underfoot not having a level increase really benefits you right now- we got some very cool AAs and spells at this time, especially for a cleric like you. Hit the bazaar and search by class for "Trade-In Gem." There should be four- Holy Intervention, Holy Contravention, Erud's Retort, and Glorious Denunciation. Buy them all- they're all very useful for you. Two of them let you nuke and heal at the same time. One lets you mark a mob and also give yourself a buff that will proc heals when you swing, and the fourth is a fast 1.0 second nuke (it really helps for holding aggro) that gives you a recourse, so that your two next heals twinheal, which offsets the healing penalty for using Vow, and then some. Think of all the times you had to pray you'd get a crit- being able to control when you twinheal is like guaranteeing yourself a crit, because you cast twice. For levelling or AA... 85 is not a bad place to be, especially with access to Underfoot AAs and spells as well. Picking up the AAs that will help you continue on isn't bad, but you might want to grind to 89 and stop there for a bit, because that is when you get Shining Rampart. This spell will change the way you solo, and swarm. It's a new staple for a reason. It is a nineish minute buff that gives you 10% vie, and procs stun on things that hit you, at the same time, proccing a heal on you. It works in conjunction with Recourse of Life, and mitigation through healing is what we're best at. Gearing Up - Getting gear upgrades that you take down yourself with a merc is going to take research. Some named you will be able to take, some you will not, and you need to pick and choose going in. If you can borrow a person to request tasks, there are some that you will be able to solo/molo, in HoT and VoA- and they have a chest spawn at the end, with gear/aug. Progression - Yes, there is a reason to doing older progression, especially as a cleric, and a tradeskiller (and a devotee of Brell!). Underfoot saw the continuation of the Coldain Prayer Shawl quest. Even if you can never get the final piece (from a raid), The secondlast version, the highest group version, is worth using over anything else with more hp/mana you can put in that slot. It gives you a very high chance to proc group heal and give you mana, off nearly every spell you cast. You need access to all Underfoot zones to complete this, and 300 in every standard tradeskill. It's worth it. You will also find augs such as the Polished Rockomancy Diamond (Lichen Creep) and Incarnadine Gemstone (Volska's Husk) that are well worth getting. House of Thule progression is also worth doing. A lot of these zones have weaker mobs and named, compared to, say, Underfoot and Veil of Alaris. There are also good augs to get, such as the Petrified Skull of the Unworthy, Lifeweaver Symbol, Mooto's Stone, and Shimmering Heart of the Phantasm. VoA, honestly, at this point, people are better off going to Shard's Landing in RoF to get their language maxed, and then go after specific things in VoA. No zones are locked, so really, you just want progression to either request things (Rebel Assault), or to get a specific item, like the evolving tear from Pillars (gives a defense skill bonus). Mercs - You are now able to have a stable of mercenaries to switch between. You can either expand the number with station cash, or you can do a quest that takes... tradeskilling! All of the items for it that you don't just hail for are tradeable, so have a look here, then check the bazaar for pieces. You can use a tank merc when you just can't manage to hold something off yourself, a DPS merc to make the fight go faster, or a cleric merc to land heals on you if you get stunned- a cleric can get mileage out of any merc.
Awesome information here, many thanks to all! Letting my melee DPS tank on burn in Ashengate did actually speed up kills noticeably. I tried the caster DPS but on burn their mana disappears in a few kills while with the melee DPS I can kill until I run out of mana. Kills typically average 45 s and in a lesson at level 86 I made 10% regular XP. I figure I'll stay here through 86 at least and perhaps try something after (depending when I get bored).
Just a quick update: I did some shopping in the bazaar today and with gear upgrades I added around 12k HP/Mana and 1k AC and still have 4 pieces I need to upgrade. This also maxed (or nearly maxed) all my extended attributes. Wow! I'd never thought I'd see the day when I'd break 50k HP or 5k AC (buffed of course). Can't wait till level 90 when I can jump to the next level of items.
