Greetings, I never really played EQ2 all that much. I tried it when it first released then got dragged away to another game, never got passed level 20 or so. With that being said, I have a few questions because I plan on trying out the new TLE server. How is the leveling going to be? Is it mostly a quest driven journey or are there going to be lots of grind groups ala EQ1? Also, are there roles like pullers here like EQ1? I ask this because monk is one of, if not my favorite EQ1 classes, but I just hate the role of puller so I tend to not play the class or any other classes that are relegated to being pullers. Thanks for any replies given and look forward to a fresh start again at EQ2.
If you find a nice family guild that is more concerned with fun rather than min/maxing the toons, you can play your class how you want. I am on AB but I play a SK but I hate to tank for strangers, so I'm an aoe dps sk. Yeah, I don't do enough dps to even try to go LFG, but I have fun with my guild and we get the job done. So you can find a guild that will let you play your monk how you want. Just have to look for a bit, perhaps. Usually, the tank pulls, but in my guild, our MT is a SK so he pulls and we all kill what is pulled... one or a dozen mobs. *grins* I did say I was an aoe dps sk... and tanking SKs can do aoe dps also...
There isn't an equivalent role of a puller in EQ2, Monks are avoidance tanks, and while tanks typically pull, they also generally fulfill the role of group leader as they lead the group through the dungeons. We also don't really have camps. Even in contested dungeons, groups will typically move through the dungeon as they pull, and just try to move in a different direction if there is a group ahead of them. There isn't much down time because the groups are typically on the move. When I played in the last TLE server, the very early xp was quest xp, I didn't see any real dungeon groups until around level 10ish in Wailing Caves or Blackburrow. Starting around level 16ish there are Stormhold and Fallen gate, which can take you to the high 20s. I played a mystic, which was a slow casting healer, so I did way better getting xp in contested dungeon groups and followed that path up to level 50, however some classes are more solo oriented and quested their way to 50. ETA: I agree with Meneltel that there is a lot of flexibility, so when I said monks are avoidance tanks, that is the role that most pick up groups will anticipate, but if you wanted to run around solo or with friends, the monk would be capable of of a lot of versatility.
The tank is almost always the puller, unless your DPS is an idiot. At which point the tank kinda sits there and let's em die before picking up the aggro. Or is that just me? Basically, if you don't want to pull, don't roll a fighter.
Outside of raids, whoever is clever can pull, as long as there's one puller and everyone has the understanding who that person is. Even in raids, many times you'd see it a coordinated effort. Anyone who can charm, mez or root is a good puller, to queue mobs/encounters that the rest of the group can quickly, safely maneuver. I mean, yeh, if people are just overpowered and you're just collecting monster bodies to ae, it probably will be the tank pulling, but in content 5 to 8 levels higher, where all ae does is make the mobs mad? Not so much. There is a level of finesse to be spoken for in combat in this game.
I didn't play EQ1, but the Fallen Gate server will be leveled by both quests and grind groups unless they fix the xp before release. Right now, you can't only do quests because the quests out-level you. You have to grind to catch up to the quests. You'll find several threads about it on the forums. Under the guild recruitment tab in the forums, there are already several guilds forming for FG with various purposes. I'd suggest looking there and getting involved in one of them.
The xp doesn't really need to be fixed. It's been set back to launch progression, and at launch you could never straight level through quests the way you can now. It was possible, but you had to zone hop quite a bit. The mix of questing and dungeon grinding is in the spirit of the original game, which is why it's like this on TLE servers.
Like others have said, don't roll fighter if you don't plan to pull and be the rock-hard badass standing between the mobs and that one trolly dps who "doesn't know what de-aggros" are lol. Monk can double as a few other things if your pick-up group doesn't mind it, such as a dps themselves, but it's usually going to be a tank/pulling/lead the group scenario if you're a monk. Luckily, pulling itself is not an "artform" like EQ1 and a lot of the older games, though there is a small amount of finesse involved...if your group is one of those strange ones who stays in the back corner waiting for you to bring 3~4 mobs without you needing to ask. xD
On FG beta, I did all available zones to me, both good and evil side and the sewers, and I only had yellow/orange/red quests by the mid-teens, which meant then I had to grind to be able to complete more quests. There is a difference between grouping to do dungeon content - which have quests as well as a purpose to conquer a zone - and grinding. No one has nostalgia for grinding. We have to do enough of that on live. They also "lost" the original code, so no it's not set back to launch progression. It's set back to what they decided. A small bump to xp earned through questing would make the play much smoother, as demonstrated and talked about in many other threads.
My problem with TLE population is this. They believe, in their dark souls, that doing every single quest and killing everything 100x before you can move onto the next tier is the way TLE should be and the way the game was originally made. We both know the original code for the game was "lost" as it was overwritten with a superior version and not kept. I really REALLY want to love playing on these TLE servers. But I hate the travel, I don't have time in RL to blow 40min of my 1 hour play time walking somewhere. I hate the XP Gain. Honestly, The beta exp rate was simply torturous. It doesn't need to be that slow. Some of us only want to play at the current max level for the expansion and don't want to waste 7 weeks getting there to miss MOST of the end game before the next expansion releases.
Well lucky for you, Daybreak Games Company provides a solution! XP too slow? For only $8.99 you can by a Vitality Potion(TM) off the in-game Marketplace! Heck, buy 20! Subs don't cover costs like they used to, so you gotta buy them to support your devs! Don't you wanna support the DEVS? Of course you do, that's why you're subbed in the first place! But wait, there's more! For a limited time (just kidding, it's FOREVER), we'll be selling MOUNTS on the Marketplace too! Traveling across Thundering Steppes and don't have a class speed buff, JBoots, spirit totems or one of the other many ways to increase your speed? Upset that we won't get griffins until EoF, when that chronologically makes no sense? Well friend, for just a small payment of Real World Plat, you can ALSO get a nice horse, warg, carpet, or some other fantastical ride that not only boosts your speed, but gives you combat stats as well! Let's see that New Halas questline horse give you Weapon Skill boosts, right? Daybreak Games: We value you almost as much as your money. Don't forget to buy the Beastlord(TM) and Channeler(TM) class unlocks! Who cares if they're not balanced for pre-90 content! You'll buy them anyway! [disclaimer: This satirical post is representative of the general opinion of DBG, not the author's specific feelings about them. Also, author is not being endorsed by, subsidized by, or associated with Daybreak Games Company in any way for this mock advertisement.]
I don't understand what you're satirizing, though. Is it like, "How dare that company try to make money while providing a service!"? You know you don't have to pay, right. It's not food, a living area, or anything else without which you'd perish. Pony up to participate, pay the amount which makes you feel comfortable, and don't worry about what other people "have".
To be fair, I completely understand your point, BUT if you only have 1 hour of play time, shouldn't your vitality make up the difference? Especially in low levels where kills are actually worth it. you play for 1 hr, then log off for the next 23... Each of those hours grants you vitality. 0.5% 0.6% so on and so forth. It is torturous without vitality yes, but with it there should be no issue with the leveling speed. With only 1 hour a day of play time, you should be completely fine to level in 1 or 2 areas just because of that huge vitality gain.
I'm perfectly fine with DBG's business practices. I'm making fun of the "evil DBG" narrative and how it fits with what Vunder was complaining about. And nah, I don't pay for this game anymore. Pay my sub with krono bought with ingame plat. Not because I hate DBG, but because this game is on its last legs, and I'd hate to spend money on something right before it dies. Made that mistake with Dungeon Maker, not doing it again. Also, I think it's funny how Vunder is blaming the mentality of the TLE playerbase on design decisions made by the devs based on what's most profitable for them. You can complain all you want about slow xp, but they're not gonna change it. Not while vit pots are for sale.
anyway as kander said .. don't like it don't play it u can't play TLE for whatever reasons ... u can stay on normal servers. No obligation. U don't like the xp rate ? u don't like the travel time ? fine, u don't have to force yourself
Can only go on what's claimed in the FAQ: The grindy aspect is within the spirit of the original game, which had a fair bit of grinding, though not nearly EQ1 levels by any means. However, by today's standards, EQ2 vanilla was grindy. So get to grinding.
Thanks for the replies even though it seems to have turned into an xp discussion haha. I don't mind some grinding. I grew up on EQ1 and DAOC which are both really grindy games. I also don't mind doing some questing as well (played WoW for years) so it sounds like there's a good mix so thats fine with me.
I just though I'd mention that Qeynos and Freeport use to have 5 starter villages attached to them, each with its own quest lines. Also the cities themselves use to have 3 times as many quests for the 10-19 range. Back during the Shattered Lands days I never had an empty quest journal. I was always out leveling quests. A ton of quests were removed each time the cities were revamped.
Food for thought: If the original code is "lost" as has been claimed by the powers that be numerous times. Then how do they "know" what the experience values were at launch? *I am aware by the way that game code and server vaules are seperate things. That client code, server code and database management are entirely different monsters. Was just something to point out to think about.
