New to Everquest 2 - starting a Wizard

Discussion in 'Tips, Tricks, FAQs, and New Player Discussion' started by Sh1ntu, Nov 14, 2012.

  1. Sh1ntu New Member

    Hello :)

    I'm new to Everquest 2 - just patching it (nearly done) and I intend to play a Wizard on Freeport (as I hear it has a nice population). What I was going to ask is:

    Does anyone have any beginner tips? Both in general and for playing a wizard. The whole AA system seems a bit daunting, admittedly :S I don't want to screw my character over by placing points in the wrong things. Also - with the tradeskills - which would benefit a Wizard more?

    Thanks for reading!

    - Sh1ntu
  2. napu Member

    dont worry about aa's, they are very easy to reset, just spend them on what seems interesting. That said i would advise working towards catalyst aa, you can get that fairly early on and its amazing with ice comet.

    tradeskills it doesn't really seem to matter, pick the one that seems most attractive to you. i suppose sage would be handy for a wizard, for cheap spells, i went provisioner though, food that lasts for 6 hours and i dont have to buy it.
  3. TechUp Active Member

    For AA's, I'd stick a few points in Magi Shielding (Wizard tab) for starters. It helps mitigate incoming damage which is important for us cloth wearers. Wizards can be a bit "squishy" until later in the game.

    If you are running solo, practice body pulling mobs so that you can control how many things are beating on you at one time. Once you get a mob bearing down on you, root with Shackle and then unload on them (leading off with ice spears).

    Tradeskill, I would agree go with a Sage so you can upgrade your own spells. I went with a Tailor on mine back in the day but that was because the Mastercrafted gear was good back then and quest armor was meh (at least to level 40 or so).
  4. Properman Member

    Welcome to the game, seems like you have some good advice here already. :)
  5. Andiria New Member

    Just want to say welcome to the game! If you are looking for a guild, give me a shout. We'd love to have you. We are on the Freeport server, and we are a friendly bunch of peeps. Have fun with EQ2!
  6. Sigrdrifa EQ2 Wiki Author

    To start with, if you want to play ANY mage class, you have to get a very good sense of humor about dying. You ARE going to die, over and over and over, even after you have learned to use your class's "best practices". If dying repeatedly causes you angst, then Wizard is probably not the best class for you. I have some really helpful hints below that can make your starting experience as a mage a LOT easier. I realize this is a long post, but I've tried to break it into sections so it's easier to digest.

    For AA, ask on your server who the best wizard in the game is, then look them up on EQ2U, and see how they've specced their AA. Or do a search on EQ2U and look for wizards on your server in general.

    As for tradeskills, your most important gear will be your spells, followed by your robes. That would be a Sage for the spells, or a Tailor for cloth armor. Jewelers make jewelry that boosts your intelligence, which is your primary stat. Wizards typically use a wand or staff, and Woodworkers make those I think (Weaponsmiths may make some mage weapons as well, such as mage daggers). You will always need food and drink, made by a Provisioner. If you want a steady cash flow and like home decorating, a Carpenter is nice to have (the only class that can sell stuff they make from all levels),

    Best bet: find a crafting headquarters (Ironforge Estate in North Qeynos, Coalition of Tradesfolk in Freeport, there are some in Kelethin (near the lift closest to the druid ring) and Neriak (in Indigo Hollow area) too, and perhaps elsewhere. You can obtain a starter quest there that will have you make a few things from all the various tradeskills, and you can decide which ones you like and which you hate, and use that to help guide your selection. That quest ALSO rewards you with an Artisan's Tunic (\aITEM 763270592 -922750680:Artisan's Tunic\/a) to wear while you craft.

    [IMG]

    So, "How do you progress?" is the real question.

    The Golden Path
    There is a well-guided "Golden Path" to follow in leveling if you so choose. Before level 20, you will want to do the solo quests in your starting city (Darklight Wood, Greater Faydark, Frostfang Sea or Timorous Deep).
    After that, the Golden Path will move you through major zones of Norrath as you level up, following Ole' Man Silvers as he searches for word of his captain Roger Goldie.

    Self-Guided Soloing and Exploration
    For those who want a more-self-guided exploration, EverQuest II contains literally over 8000 quests (I'm actually unsure what the current number of quests is, to be honest, but the last time I looked it was over 8K). I recommend the EQ2i Soloing Timeline, which provides an easy-to-use reference so you can determine which zones are appropriate for your level. By clicking into a given zone, you can then also get more information about quest-givers and quests within that zone. Note that other fan sites such as ZAM also offer good guides. Check them all out and use whichever one works best for you.

    Tips for Caster Soloing Success
    Soloing means that usually, no one will point fingers at you and laugh when you try out new things or inadvertently do something stupid (who me, would I walk off a very tall building and go splat? Nawwww!)

    Spell Upgrades!
    Apprentice-Level Spells
    For a mage class of any type, your spells are what a shield and armor are to the fighters. You are automatically given the Apprentice-level spells as you level up. You can think of your Apprentice-level spells as being like a pea-shooter.

    Adept-Level Spells
    You will find that EVERYTHING is easier with better spells. Check the broker for Adept-level spells for your class and level, and get them as you can. With Adept-level spells, you graduate from pea-shooter up to full-fledged slingshot.

    Expert-Level Spells
    Each class will have two or three very important spells that you rely upon constantly. For mages, these will usually be your root and your big nuke, and summoners want good pet spells. For your important spells, you may want to get the Expert-level spells. The Expert spell is like an upgrade from the slingshot to a gun.

    Player crafters (specifically sages) make Expert spells. Sometimes you can find them on the broker affordably priced, but don't count on it. Plan to commission them instead. The cheapest way to get the materials for these Expert spells is to harvest soft ore, because you need one chunk of the Rare Soft Metal for your level for each spell you want made. Once you have that rare soft metal in hand, ask in channels for a sage who can craft your spell, and be sure to tip the craftsman for their work! Ask what the fuel costs, and generally tip at least 3-4 times that fuel cost at a minimum.

    As you adventure, explore, and quest through Norrath, learn to harvest along the way. In fact, it's a great idea to find a Mariner's Bell and travel to the Isle of Mara, where you will look for and speak to a little boy swimming in a pond, Qho Augren. He offers you a series of quests, A Gathering Obsession. It will help provide incentive for your harvesting along the way. Whatever harvested items you get can be sold on the broker, even the common stuff. Rares can fetch a pretty penny, or you can have them made into Mastercrafted cloth armor, jewelry, etc.

    Master-Level Spells
    The next level up (and generally the highest level for most spells) is the Master-level spell. Here you go from something like a gun to something more like a high explosive. Masters drop most often from named monsters, in the big metal Exquisite chests. They can be obtained on the broker, but are almost always pricey. IMHO, you don't really NEED Master-level spells until you get to end-game content. They are nice to have, and if you win one or spot one affordably priced, it's a great thing to have. But don't angst about them.

    Gear Upgrades
    You can also upgrade your armor (head, chest, shoulders, forearms, hands, legs, feet), jewelry (rings, necklace, earrings, belt), and weapons (staffs, wands, etc.) As you adventure, compare the loot you win to what you are wearing, and switch out when you find an upgrade.

    If you are harvesting as suggested above, then rare roots are used by tailors to make your cloth armor, jewelers use the rare gems to make INT jewelry, rare wood can be made into staffs and wands by woodworkers, rare hard ore can be made into mage daggers by weaponsmiths, and so on.

    It is not necessary to spend tons of effort to get mastercrafted armor and jewelry and such. If you have the rare in-hand, go for it. Until end game, at which time you'll probably want start level 90 (or whatever it us when you get there) in at least Mastercrafted armor, then you'll be looking to upgrade to Legendary or Fabled as you can.

    The Solo Caster's Bread-and-Butter
    As a solo caster, you cannot really afford to let monsters hit you. Pet classes can use their tank pets and then nuke, but everybody else will use your best Root spell, then nuke once or twice, then root again. If necessary, back up a step, then rinse and repeat! You are not a plate-armored tank to stand toe-to-toe with these critters!
    Feara and Kane Hart like this.
  7. napu Member

    um, not sure if the root thing is so relevant anymore. i've levelled this wizard from 1-90 practically solo and never cast one root.
  8. Sh1ntu New Member

    Thanks everyone for the replies! More than I expected~
    Definitely going to do my best to follow the advice written here :)

    My character is a High Elf Wizard named Shintu on Freeport, so if anyone wants to say hi at anytime.. :)

    Thanks again!
  9. Hachi Member

    I disagree. If you're not used to being squishy and fail to carefully assess and/or plan your fights then yes, you'll die. But that's not unique to casters; the same thing happens with my berserker if I get too big of a head. In fact, I've leveled a wizard from 1-90 with no real death issues. I think I died less than 10 times total, with the majority occurring after unexpected adds or pops right on top of me.

    You just have to be aware of your limitations and work within them. When learning your limitations, expect to cross the line and die though. ;)

    Or just spec anything that improves your damage dealing capability. If you're not always in a full group or raid, also put points into improving magi's shielding. Wizard AAs are among the simplest to spec out that I've found. ;)

    Root and nuke is what I'd recommend for soloing level appropriate heroic content. For anything else my experience is that magi's shielding is the **** these days, and wizard survivability isn't really an issue, especially when you refine it with AA choices. For pretty much all solo content (barring content from the Withered Lands forward, where root and nuke is the only comfortable option) I can drop even grouped mobs before they bring my health below 80%.

    My wizard is also on Freeport, if you ever want to chat. Just keep an eye out for Sarris.
    Feara likes this.