Sinking Sands xp ? And t-rex looking Meathooks ?

I was there recently, this week, and the dark blues and even yellows barely give xp.

Dark blues typically less than one percent. And I had 100% xp potion running.

Also saw Meathooks a large mob looking kinda like a t-rex. Same level as my character. 53rd.

So I went over and attacked. Both my merc, Ulrark Reborn, and my character died.

Is that a group mob or something else ?

Trying to get from 53 to 60th level so I can gather in the sky islands for Qho.

If you want a few quick levels, just go to the dragon event (wherever people in general chat call out the dragon is, and it is always at the wizard spire of those zones). Dont worry that its red, just stay at a safe distance and try to get ranged hits in, you will get kill credit. There is server double XP atm, I guess getting to 60 will require 2 dragon kills max. If you help kill all 4 of them once you get an achievemt and the ability to turn into a dragon yourself

And yes, Meathooks is an Epic encounter, in olden times it required a raid to kill. If you target him, read what it says under his name. In his case, "Epic x3" means you would have needed a raid of 3 full groups. Its MUCH easier nowadays, but I dunno if its soloable at-level (not mentored down).

Just killing overland mobs is the slowest way to level, ever. Either quest or look for a level appropriate dungeon (https://eq2.fandom.com/wiki/Dungeon_Timeline), or molo Agnostics with your merc, they give proper equipment to boot.

Your best bet for the running week is killing dragons tho, nothing will level you faster!

Ah, and last ting (sorry for this long and unsorted post, not really awake): You can harvest anywhere you want, if you search patiently for good spots and are careful. You dont need to meet the level requirement of the zones, just dont get killed. I finished the whole quest line for Qho the first time on a lvl 32 toon, its really possible (I found it even fun this way, more exciting )

Meathooks is like a minor epic encounter, depending on how well you are geared will have a large effect on that fight.

Mitigation is 2199, avoidance is 4515. Shield and one handed weapon.

part of the fight.

(1574974836)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:36 2019] YOU hit Meathooks for 277 piercing damage.
(1574974836)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:36 2019] Dark matter swirls around Ulrark Reborn!
(1574974837)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:37 2019] Meathooks hits YOU for 2281 slashing damage.
(1574974837)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:37 2019] YOUR Succulent Thorns hits Meathooks for 366 piercing damage.
(1574974837)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:37 2019] Meathooks takes reprisal damage!
(1574974837)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:37 2019] YOUR Succulent Thorns heals YOU for 378 hit points.
(1574974837)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:37 2019] You take reprisal damage!
(1574974838)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:38 2019] Ulrark Reborn's Ballad of Bones hits Meathooks for a critical of 6969 heat damage.
(1574974838)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:38 2019] Meathooks feels violently ill!
(1574974839)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:39 2019] YOUR Overpower hits Meathooks for 361 crushing damage.
(1574974839)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:39 2019] Meathooks is overwhelmed by a wild attack.
(1574974839)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:39 2019] Ulrark Reborn hits Meathooks for a critical of 8672 crushing damage.


skip ahead a short bit

(1574974843)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:43 2019] One of Meathooks's limbs becomes ruined.
(1574974844)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:44 2019] Ulrark Reborn's Brainshock hits Meathooks for 2245 mental damage.
(1574974844)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:44 2019] Ulrark Reborn's Brainshock confounds Meathooks draining 65 points of power.
(1574974844)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:44 2019] Meathooks suffers from a shock to the brain!
(1574974844)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:44 2019] Ulrark Reborn's Brainshock refreshes Ulrark Reborn for 178 mana points.
(1574974844)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:44 2019] Ulrark Reborn suffers from a shock to the brain!
(1574974844)[Thu Nov 28 15:00:44 2019] Ulrark Reborn's Brainshock subsides.

So I damaged him, but lost in the end. My slashing weapon was going tink tink. Succulent Thorns was doing him more damage than my sword.

Etaiharn, Guardian 53 on Skyfire.

Maybe some nice items have been placed on the broker since this morning.

On Gathering VII for Qho. Got the number wrong.

Yeah looking at you, it's a gear thing with Meathooks. He's an epic and you've got a lot of treasured gear, a few outleveled bits and are wearing some leather and chain instead of plate. If you were in full level 50 fabled you might put up a better showing against him, along with a healer merc. The healer merc will still deal out respectable dps at that level and will have a lot more survivability.

I don't have any epic gear, so I will avoid Meathooks.

Some of my gear on some toons are probably fabled, but I don't think I have enough to make a difference.

I didn't look around the building much where the mercs are. But I think I did see a healer in there ? Not sure.

Bdorn Alehammer is your basic healer merc in Qeynos, Stamper Jeralf in Freeport. There is an elite shaman merc named Kenny in Nek Forest you can hunt down. Also, check your /claim to see if you have any vet reward/collectors edition mercs you haven't claimed. If you have plat, there might be some mercs on the broker. Then, of course, there's always the Marketplace $$$.

There are a LOT of healer mercs, available in various ways. See the wiki's Mercenaries page, and also the Mercenary Stats Comparisons page. Most of the healer mercs have fairly similar stats. Look at the spells each one has, and whether they are Master or Grandmaster spells, then select the one that has the best spells you can get best within your resources.

I seem to recall that you have been doing some crafting. Have you done the Shipwrecked! timeline? At the end, you can hire a mercenary version of Raffik who is a pretty darn good healer. At the end of the Gathering Obsessions quests you're doing, you can hire Quo Augren as a merc, but he's a brawler, not a healer.

Another easy-to-get healer merc who works pretty well is Zhugrus, who you get by doing a pretty simple exploration achievement in Zek, the Scourge Wastes (not the Zek you get to from the bells)

At 54adv, 31ts his options are pretty limited without having spent the money on a collector's edition or merc crate.

I have some of that bookmarked, but there are two problems.

My character's level as mentioned by MightMeaghan and they look to require levels higher than my character.

Shipwrecked looks better for level requirements.

I figured I should get back to Qho's VII gathering quest. Went back to Loping Plains. Yeah, stay aweay from undead at zone night time.

But I did get to 55th level taking on, one at a time; the wolves, spiders, and etc. 61st and 62nd level mobs. Went back to the castle at game night. Safer... even if the gallows are nearby.

You should be able to get Zhugrus, it just requires flying around for location dings.

Okay, I'll check into that one soon.

Did get a few more plate armor parts, but not complete yet.

Decided instead to do the Isle of Refuge quest from the Queen in Qeynos. I think I got it done, no longer in my quest in progress window.

Then went off to find the leader of the island as the tinker and the woman who says she blew things up wanted to know where he was. Got on Death Weave and tried to find the guy there... big spiders. After being told to leave the island by the elder spider, I suddenly noticed I was supposed to ask him more about Captain Greymast, but the head spider was upset with the Redeemer quest finale and would no longer help.

I did look at the spider webs, with things in them, didn't see anything but insects. So maybe Captain Greymast is still alive somewhere.

This is with Starghallson on Skyfire. Did get some adornments I can use on that character.

I used the spires to trry and get into the Zek the Scourge Wastes...

Not allowed by either 110 nor by a 55 level character.

Found I need a mail from Bailin Grove I can get from Jerol on Shin.

https://eq2.fandom.com/wiki/Zek,_the_Scourge_Wastes_Timeline

After a 100 or higher adventure level characters gets access, then the rest of the account can do it as well. Zone says for level 100 characters.

I'll see what I can accomplish, but i'm kinda tired today and my eyes are bothering me a bit. That Queen Antonica quest, I mention under the Quests forum, to have taken hours on Friday and I don't think I completed it.

I got my Nejiara character, level 110 into the Scourge Wastes. The tunnels were a surprise. Got killed by two deities, and resurrected by Burlin Grove.

Anyway, went to all of the locations and found the tent for Zhurgrus. But he wasn't there. Searched on the map. Two empty tents.

Didn't go in sequence on the points of interest maybe twice. Some were close together or enroute to another one. I did go to all of them.

I did fly from one to the next one. Walking, my character and merc would still be there. Took about 20 or so minutes flying.

I don't see me taking Etaiharn, at 55 adventure level, into there.

Try flying/walking across the bridge and to the door where you can enter deafist citadel, I think that is what spawns him. Either that or you missed a loc someplace, you shouldn't have to do any fighting at all you can fly everywhere. I've done it on some of my lower guys just to get him as merc. Did you go all the way to the very top of the lookout? That's another people miss.

Check in your inventory also. If I remember right, when you complete the achievement for visiting all the points of interest, you get the merc token that lets you hire him. You have to use it before he will show up.