Plane of Magic is painful experience

Discussion in 'Tips, Tricks, FAQs, and New Player Discussion' started by Nerkoon, Dec 9, 2017.

  1. Semperfifofum Well-Known Member

    Eventually you will want to go back and get your KA signature line finished because it is a pre requisite for the Epic 2 timeline.

    However, if you stopped at Loping Plains, then you probably need to do Epic 1 still. I think this one is assumed at level 100, but it's not assumed you have Epic 2 in this expansion.

    Also, in case it wasn't mentioned, the old characters you had with "funny names" are due to a rename when various things happened, like server merges or if you have been gone over 5 years. If you log into one, you should get a chance to rename the character to something else.

    I think you're right about needing better "welcome back" type wiki information. I go over it sometimes to see if it's still accurate, but since I'm getting comfortable again, I lack the perspective of someone returning. I appreciate your explaining the issue so clearly, because I do update the wiki when I have time. I wonder if it would be good to have a "returning player" page.
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  2. Nerkoon Member

    Lets see...
    Guild banner buff: No idea about that. I am not in any guild yet. Most guilds only seem to seek raiders which I cannot do due to limited playing time
    Clockwork buff: Unless that is clockwork illusion buff that comes from pre-order I have no idea what it is
    Deity pet buff: I did deity quest line and got pet which gives minor buff
    Familiar buff: I quess that Summer Bloom from Panda counts for this one? No idea where to get other good ones outside of shop
    Scroll of Prowess buff: Not a faintest clue about this one
    Food/Drink buff: Did not have this one at first because I underestimated its power.

    I have tokens for mercs, but have not tried them as their fees look kinda steep to me.

    At a moment I am working on raising my crafting to 110 as I do not have money to buy my spells from broker. One adept seems to cost tens of thousands and when drops are like 1-10 plat, those are out of my range atm. App level spells kinda lack punch, so I guess that is my worst problem atm.

    I am also doing KA timeline to get proper ascension. Almost at drusilla's bones part so not much left in this one.
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  3. Jhen Ro Active Member


    • Guild Buff: Varies by server, but at least on Skyfire and Fallen Gate, guilds will advertise they are looking for new members in the general chat channel. Barring that, hit u to open the guild recruitment page and look there for compatible groups of people. Playing with other people defintely makes the game experience exponentially better. One in a guild that has a hall, there is a weird statue stape with an orb atop it - that is the beacon you click to gain the Call to Guild Hall spell. Also, there will be a large banner - click and attune to get the Guild Buff spell. In increases with effectiveness the higher the level of guild.
    • Clockwork Buff: Pre-order for PoP. If you have it, leave on all the time, basically.
    • Deity Pet Buff: Yes, the summonable pet from doing usually quest 3 in diety timeline. It helps, but not nearly as much as it used to, unfortunately.
    • Food/Drink: Look this up on the wiki by duration. I always go with the 5 hour versions, unless I have a reason not to or have an over surplus. New food/drink this expac has a version of 5 hour that adds doublecast as well...
    • Scroll of Prowess: Temp buff. Sage and alchemist had recipes that allow you to make scrolls/potions that would add a new ability to your knowledge book - and give a max of 2 uses. For one hour, increased stats for the group, and it stacks with others' scrolls/potions used.
    Additionally, the new tinkering recipes are more temp buffs. Provisioners also got new snacks that add stats that are on top of regular food/drink.
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  4. Kayas Member

    Do NOT underestimate the power of the tithe. If you have not gotten the 50 potency baubles yet you need to make figuring this out your number one priority.
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  5. Nerkoon Member

    Hmm...

    That level 100 token does not sound that good deal anymore.

    If you have to do epic1, epic2, KA timeline, deity line, panda line and god knows what else to get even with other players you have a problem because that needs months of playing. I have spent almost a week to KA timeline alone and it is not yet finished. And I am doing it when mobs are grey or green at the best, so basically I am just running around doing quests without doing any extra kills and using wiki to find correct places without searching.

    So my toon is group capable in like 2-3 months assuming that I stay busy doing those pre-requisites (is there any list of what I really need to do before my toons is up to par with others?)
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  6. Meneltel Well-Known Member

    Not that I know of, I don't even know what the panda line is. I suggest you find a good casual guild that cares more about having fun than trying to kill the boss in 3.5 microseconds. But each to their own.
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  7. Kayas Member

    I just tanked a group in To tower PoP heroic and they said I did good. I bought all mastercrafted gear and bought my expert spells. I also bought the collectors edition expansion which really helped me get my ascension levels up. I was the bottom of the parse and had a real hard time holding agro from the conjys in the group. Even so they said I did good and they were surprised I could hold agro.

    I think a full set of mastercrafted gear, level 110, and Pop Sig line completed as well as one ascension to 10 should get you into heroics. Oh yeah, and the tithe 50 potency.

    I bought Pop at release and had not played KA. I am 30% into my epic 2.0, have all 4 ascension to 10 or better, and finished the PoP Sig line. I also run a business and have a 3yo and 4yo at home.

    Having the money to buy kronos has helped me tremendously. With out this I imagine two weekends would have to be spent harvesting rares.
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  8. Semperfifofum Well-Known Member

    I know it feels like a lot. this is a very involved and interdependent game. We all need one another to succeed. However, it's really not that long. And if you're going to play here for a couple of years, it will become second nature to you after a couple of months. I returned in the spring after KA came out, and I don't think I hit my stride until September. I had been away only two years. So take it easy on yourself and limit the "should do" list to those that will benefit your character in the long run. Focus on your Mystic only for now. You can add alts later. At level 100, with the bauble, you can complete PoP Signature timeline, and at 110, you can go back and start from Epic 1, then pick a tradeskill and complete it (I mean the quests, not just the bauble), then do the KA timeline and Epic 2. There are many grindy aspects to both Epic quests, so take it easy. If it gets too annoying, trade off with an event or go back to the tradeskill quests.

    Step 1: PoP timeline
    90% of the time you'll be soloing until the PoP signature timeline is complete. After that, yeah it would be ideal to have all the previous stuff done, but if you look for Tier 1 or 2 heroics, nobody will question your lack of Epic. You could do that within a couple of weeks, and on slow days add the other steps. Note: Do NOT fight the named Stelcat, I think he's broken or something, even with my main, that takes forever, just avoid him. Also, start with House Vhala or Yrzu because if you don't have the crafting skill, Pakiat can be a bother. Make sure your ascension level is at least 10 with all four classes because you get the Tome of the Ascended as a reward, and that's a very good item.

    Step 2: Epic 1, this gives you the weapon which is used in Epic 2, and skills you can use right away. Except for faction grinds, this should take you one day maximum.

    Step 3: Tradeskill quests, of the old quests, Ship out, Shipwrecked, and Proof of the Pudding are essential. I consider harvesting skills to be essential too, so I'd add, the Harvest Pony timeline to that. It's extremely convenient to be level 110 and doing old quests because the menace is gone, you can harvest anywhere and not worry that some named will pop and you'll be fighting it 10 minutes later.

    Step 4-ish, Intermix the Tradeskill quests with doing prerequisites for Epic 2. Both are grindy but thankfully they're different. Meanwhile, join Heroic groups for fun and a break. Gathering currency is now an important aspect of playing. Playing the PQ for purple currency and running Heorics or solos for gold currency (tears of ro) should just be routine.

    Step 5-ish: Take a look at your character with EQ2U website, it will tell you which languages and Lore and Legend quests you're missing. Some of them may be "don't care" but others, like Draconic and L&L Giant are not really optional. Use tha website to help you identify spells that need upgrades and it tells you which rares you need to find or buy. The adornments calculator is a big help also. However, lots of important items are hard to track on websites. You may be able to find an item you want, but you'll find that nobody knows (or wants to say) where the item comes from.

    In the late summer, usually during and after Tinkerfest, there is the Summer Ethereals event, don't miss it if you plan to do even more serious grouping in the next expansion. But it's probable that by next May, you're done with all this and being invited to the Event Heroics. It all depends on how much time you can give it, which is not a value judgement on your character, it's just that for everyone life comes first.

    Just for clarity, the "panda quest line" is this one: http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/The_"Travels"_of_Yun_Zi_Timeline
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  9. Nerkoon Member

    I managed to finish KA timeline yesterday and guess what: I do not see any difference in ascension before and after completion, so I guess that now you can skip KA timeline and go directly to Colliseum ascension trainer instead. About the only thing you get from KA timeline atm. is good looking mount and some plat. All gear you get from timeline quests is obsolete if you have PoP basic gear from chest.
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  10. Bhayar Well-Known Member

    There's more to "finishing" the KA timeline than the mount. Go back and make sure you have a minimum of 30 quests in the KA Timeline completed. If you don't, you're missing some. Compare them against the KA Ascending timeline on wikia. The most commonly missed are the iksar quests near the Warslik Giants. You need the armor disguise to talk to them and that's from a quest giver in the cave who has a chest at their feet. Many players miss this because they don't bother reading the dialogue and don't see the chest. There's an outstanding secondary available after you're finished. I'm surprised how many players think they're done and yet, only have 28 quests done. Secondly, if you haven't noticed any difference in Ascension, then you've seriously missed some things. You should have been picking up Ascension book(s) EVERY day at the same time from your trainer. Do not fail in this. These are like "vitality" pots. If you have no Ascension vitality, your Ascension levels go nowhere. You should be at least Level 10 in one Ascension level and be on the way to more. If you haven't done the former, then that's the reason your Ascension hasn't gone up. This is worse than trying to gain adventure levels with no adventure vitality. I noticed some people have mentioned the "Travels of Zun Yi" or more commonly, the Panda quest. We encourage players to complete that if for nothing else than the 4 Tol Ren white adorns, which still are extremely effective not the least of which is the L5 jump item for an Ascension level. The Orange Ascension adorns are also valuable.
    Frankly, I know the pain you're experiencing because I see the frustration from players who have been absent from the game for some years and the game and the mechanics have changed drastically. Somewhat like someone who's last car was a Model T and now they're driving a Maserati. Although already mentioned, find a good guild that's friendly to new players and they can seriously help you with the learning curve. Out of plat? Go find shinies from old zones; you might be shocked at how high the prices are for selling these; which ofc, brings up the plat shock issue. Use that plat you get to get your spells to Master at 100. Most of those master spells are dirt cheap these days since PoP is live. Also, get a merc and make sure you train him/her. There's plenty of them available. Zhugrus is free as a disco for Zek: Scourge wastes and takes maybe 30 minutes to complete. There are others, but more importantly, learn how to activate them, and train their levels and then stick gear and "accolades" on them to boost their stats, survivability and damage.
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  11. Semperfifofum Well-Known Member

    You still need KA for the Epic 2, so yeah, it's still relevant. And the Fragments don't seem to drop in the new PQs, so those old PQs and missions will remain interesting for people who complete their Epic 2 later.
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  12. Drona Well-Known Member

    I felt really sad reading that :( I guess it is what it is in the current climate not just for EQ2 but for all MMOs.

    I am returning player after 3 years and it seems in order to catch up in reasonable time and play with friends, I too have to bite the bullet and buy some kronos...

    Having said all that, I don't mind spending some extra money on EQ2 compared to other games. The fun I had in early days of EQ2 was so grate compared to the money I spent back then!
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  13. Steelviper Active Member

    From the feel of things at the moment (globally) spending real money to get ahead in MMORPGs and browser games is often the only way to progress fast enough, without an extensive amount of time & grinding, and it does look frankly as if Everquest II is keeping up with times, so gaming became a quite different thing from what it used to be back in, like, 2004 or 2006. It's not as much at all about fun now, as it is about spending real money to stay competitive versus other players socially and gaming-wise, i.e. virtual ego boosting.
    While it is certainly very sad, and personally seriously unacceptable, I doubt there's any hope for the trend to change to the way things used to be years ago...
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  14. Fleurs Active Member

    I think you are doing it wrong, i was about to quit the game, but gave it a last chance, i did a few heroic during a week (easily less than 10 total), have made someone craft me one single piece of mastercrafted, never bought a krono in my whole life (expect one time cause i could not pay for a regular sub because a problem on the credit card server, but i activated it on my own account, not to sell it.)
    I don't even use a single 101+ spell because they are all apprentice, exept maelstrom. I do 1 solo per day (half an hour), and 3 key quest per day (45minute).

    Now i'm geared enough for the T1 raid, and have been able to succesfully run every heroic and event heroic easily. And i'm close to finish the 2.0 mythical (just need to kill trakanon now), and all of this without spending a single dollars/euros on anything (beside sub of course), i haven't even /claimed any of the collector bonus yet beside the mount and the equalizer arbalest. No ascension bubble used yet.

    A few heroic loot (they all have same potency anyway), a few weekly reward from solo and heroic zone, was all it took me.
    Sure being a healer is easier than being a tank, but buying Krono is not mandatory at all. And i've more plat than i need to fully infuse my stuff, thanks to selling the 15 key per day, and transmutation fragment/infusion on broker from my solo crap loot, i can easily make 50-100k per day. (3 key and 1 solo).

    You can look on my char on my sig, i'm not that weak, and i started raiding. (don't mind the crappy reforge, i have to reforge everything today)

    PS: And no, i'm not an EQ2 fanboy, Everquest 2 is currently one of the most imbalanced mmorpg i've played so far (i played 15 of them), but i stay only because my guildmate asked me to, and i like them too.
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  15. Drona Well-Known Member

    Glad to hear it can be done and its not all doom and gloom! I have not bought krono yet and only got the standard expansion but I have been showered with master crafted items from friends and it has made leveling lot easier. :)
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  16. Rajaih Member

    Hi,
    This thread has been full of so much amazing information that IO had no idea about. I too find that I have a little more difficulty holding my own now in the new expansion. Based on what I am reading here, it is probably my setup and lack of understanding what needs fixed. I would love for someone to look at my toon and give me some advise on fixing him up. His name is Rajaih and I am on the Halls of Fate server. I also use Bhoohghar, the phlegmpriest merc that came with the expansion pack. He does not seem all that great but he is only level 4 right now so is he the best or should I get a different merc?
    Thanks again for any help.
    Nick
  17. Fleurs Active Member

    Mercenary aren't that usefull anymore, but i'm satisfied with that sarnak ranger from Kunark Ascending, he got tracking on top of that. I've heard the goblin gardener is good too.

    For your char (EQ2u seems down so i don't know your class) focus on:
    Doublecast (between 140 and 200%)
    Potency 50.000-60.000 minimum
    Crit bonus 4250 minimum
    Casting speed: 100% or 1200% (to gain some doublecast +37.5% at 1200)
    Reuse speed: 100% minimum
    Recovery speed: 100% minimum
    Fervor: As much as you can, but there is not many way to increase it
    If you are melee, add 20-100% accuracy and 100% strikethrough and 100% AoE Autoattack and 200% haste 300 multiattack
    The rest is not really important.

    For your merc:
    100-200% flurry
    200% haste
    600% DPS
    300% multi attack
    100% AoE autoattack
    100% reuse speed (especially if he is a healer)
    As much weapon damage bonus you can get
    Some accuracy and strikethrough
    As much potency he can get and 4000% crit bonus
    Most of merc damage come from auto attack.

    You can reforge, adorn, infuse your mercenary gear, as well as giving him player character equipment. (usually your old own equipement (already infused) once you upgrade yours.