TLP's are not welcoming to new players

Every new TLP gets less and less inviting to new folks as the repeat player base gets more and more seasoned on how to maximize efficiency in gathering those prized pixels. If you're looking for a TLP experience with a bunch of other newbies, this ain't it.

I still like the idea of having a TLP where you need to show proof of (full time) employment to play, and you get an exp boost of 10% per child under 5 years old that you have. But I digress...
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Ragefire / Lockjaw was genuinely fun and what I would consider the last true EQ TLP experience. Thousands of people who hadn't played in 10+ years fumbling around in old-school EQ. This was the first real popular TLP and the last time I really enjoyed EQ. Most people were just trying to get back into the game and revisit old content to relive old memories.
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Phinny was pretty fun because people were fumbling around with the pickzones and instanced raiding opened up content to thousands of people who probably never got a chance to kill Trakanon, Vulak, or AoW in open world zones. But, by this point, many people were done with the nostalgia and had already ironed out their gameplay and started mega-optimizing.
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Post-phinny has been the same song and dance - very few "new" players join in on these TLPs. I'd guess that 90+ percent of the player base has multiple TLPs under their belts and are just optimizing their dominance of easy, repeat content.

Zansobar had it right. All the sweatys on day one just want level so they can start farming kronos and get their bot squads going. You want nothing to do with them.
Give it a month and then you get much more congenial players

Just play on Tormax - you fit the demographic for it well. Friendly server, very casual.

Yes, please understand that what a lot of people are saying re: "EQ is like this, don't do this, never do this" is in regards to their own server and guild (or lack of guild). The game experience differs drastically if you are on a more casual-friendly server (such as Tormax) or guild (such as a couple of Tormax guilds I know of, and probably other casual-focused guilds on other servers I don't know about because I am Tormax-only).

I would argue that due to the launch having so many days of boosted exp, it isn't unrealistic for a person coming in later to feel very far behind. Fortunately July 4th is coming up and that should help those who start now push over the finish line.

And you missed the point, coming to a server less then 3 weeks after it launches shouldn't be considered coming in late.

And theres the rub, we're talking about Teek not Tormax. I've heard the population on there is no where near that of Teek so these problems probably aren't as frequent.

Ignore the haters and enjoy the game. That's what I have done for over two decades, and it's worked fine.

Showing up 3 weeks after something starts is not "late"?

I would hate to be waiting on you to show up somewhere

Three weeks into a server that is going to last for years is not showing up late. You are trying to compare this to some sort of short term event when that isn't the case. Three weeks into the launch of a new server isn't any time at all.

I am surprised you responded so fast.... figured it would've took a few weeks.

Again, you are trying to confuse things by comparing things that doesn't make any sense at all to compare. The new server is going to last for years and joining it less then 3 weeks after it launches is no where close to being late to the server.

Again we're just running into the very different mindsets that different player groups have about the game. If you're a slow, easygoing type, I'd suggest, just don't play with folks who want Server First and who consider 3 weeks "coming late." Finding people who match your playstyle can be tricky, but don't give up. When you find people who get you, focus on them and ignore the ones who try to argue and say "The way you enjoy playing is wrong, so do something that isn't fun for you, to be more like me and my gaming buddies."

Thanks for all the feedback. I should reiterate, that many people have been wonderful. I don't mean to paint the entire community with a broad stroke. As I said 99.99% of people on live have been great.

Also, I'm not asking anyone to hold my hand or teach me anything. I tell people I'm new so they don't expect perfection. Several times people have polity told me, that they need an advanced player and I completely understand them. No problem. Just be nice about it.

My issue is the way people treat others in general. I was in a group when another new player accidentally attacked a mezzed mob and the leader kicked them. We only had 2 mobs, it was not a difficult situation, no one came close to dying. I was the tank, I simply taunted the 2nd mob and everything was fine. The leader was the enchanter, I think he got hit once, before I taunted and he lost his mind over it and kicked the DPS guy that made the mistake. It's just crazy to me.

What I have a problem with is unkindness. Some people think that they are superior human beings because they are a more advanced player than I am. This boggles my mind. It's just a video game. I understand that it's important to many people, thats fine. But it seems clear that if you have to be mean to others you may have other issues in life that need adjusting.

To an extent this is every game where you have to interact with other players. The anonymity of the internet can make people pretty bad.

How new EverQuest players are being treated poorly both ingame and on the forums is a matter that merits discussion.

Most existing EQ players are awesome and helpful. However there are a few veterans who behave like obnoxious arrogant gatekeepers who try to impose their will on everyone else. New players don't need any lectures from grumpy old farts. Instead they need to be treated with respect and welcomed with open arms. Nobody lives forever and the EQ player community needs fresh blood or it will not continue.

The "fresh blood" rolled on FFXIV virgin servers which opened today in one of its NA data centers, in prep for the launch of the Dawntrail expansion, which is 2.5 weeks out. Other "fresh blood" is waiting for the drop of the re-remasters of the Kingdom Hearts series on Steam, on Thursday. Still other "fresk blood" is... well never mind that.

There is no EQ renaissance. We may be able to limp along for several more years with what we have. If we get anything seriously new, it will be EQ3 in some form, not a complate rewrite of old-school EQ1. If you can't get enjoyment out of what's there now, then you're playing the wrong game.

And veteran players aren't "grumpy old farts" just because we don't bow down and agree with you.

I played with a 'new' enchanter a few days ago.

I was killing reds at a slightly difficult camp for my level range. Saw a enchanter was 'lfg', invited him, then grabbed him from zone in bringing him to my camp. I realized it was a bad idea right away because he didn't know what level mobs he could charm, neither did he know any of the intricacies of playing enchanter. I did my best to educate him, and he did try, however it just resulted in him dying multiple times due to noobie mistakes. The situation was irritating because I was doing much more work with him in my group because I had to explain how everything works, and I was receiving significantly less experience with an xp pot burning.

I respectfully told him it was best if he found a group at an easier camp. He agreed that was for the best. If the newbie in question would have picked an easier class like a melee, then its far less likely there would had been any problems. In these situations it's easy to dump all the negative criticism on the veteran players, but is it really my responsibility to teach someone who is level 25 how to play their class?

It was late at night, I had music going, and I just wanted to sit back, relax, and grind. Not babysit a newbie which required me to constantly jump up to my keyboard typing instructions. I recommend any eq 'newbies' to pick easy classes like monk, rogue, ranger, or mage. Don't go 'enchanter' because a YT video you watched said it was the best class.

Kunark lasts what? 12 weeks?

So 1/4 of that time has passed already and you don't think it's significant?

And the server will stay around for years, there is more to the server then the time until the first expansion unlocks.