Feedback for Devs from new player.

Threads like this make me wish we had a Raider School, where top raiders and dungeon-run types would write up a paragraph or ten on how they do what they do. Every week they could cover a new dungeon/zone.

I know I'd read it.

As has been said, you picked the hardest route of all. Take no notice of PUG's and their (typical) attitude. I do many and even people you have grouped with before cannot even be bothered to join voice even in the hardest of zones where a modicum of interaction makes things go more smoothly, but still they don't even bother!

Don't give up. Find a good guild. Adjust your expectations and realise you may need a non tanking, non healing toon to learn THIS game with, where there is no pressure like there is with a tank.

For sure, even with a good group that is patient, you won't pick up enough to be a solid tank from a few zones at 95. You also need to understand how other classes help and support your role, while all the time, keeping them alive. If you stick at it, I'd recommend lots of time googling, lots of notes and lots of practice. A good guild will always help with that.

Honestly, ToV is brutal to a tank.

Its very very hard to keep aggro when not similarly geared to the dps classes. I've been tanking since DoV1 in groups but the difference in dps between a tank and a dps class now is aweful.

My bruiser yesterday had 100% hate gain and a 2s 2 hander, yet he could not keep aggro off a dirge with super proc items. Luckily we were doing Nexus/Hive so it didn't really matter, but still.

Thisss. It really is. My husband got back to tanking on an alt and had the same aggro issues as he's not fully raid-geared with uber-procs like the rest of our guildies' mains... and he knows his tanks! He's been playing them since game launch.

Echoing what others have said though about joining a guild. Find one that's willing to give newer players pointers on things, of course. There's also the Classes section of the forums here if you'd like to ask questions about the specific class you're playing: AA setups, reforging and adorning advice, etc etc.

actually this game is extremely difficult in many ways, I have found after 5 years of playing that players in eq2 are either really good, or really bad, there is no middle ground. if you are unable to grasp the basics of this game then your never going to grasp them, I have been trying for 5 years to become a decent player with ONE just one class and have been unable to do so, and the funny thing is I have NEVER had a problem being in the top ranks in any other game. so yeah saying its easy in this game just isnt really true, there is a huge learning curve for some ppl I actually believe from past experience most ppl have a problem mastering it. for example the final dungeon in most current content gets cleared by a VERY VERY small minority, even after being continuously dumbed down.

i have to agree with the OP in certain respects. unfortunately this has been my experience with raiding overall in other games and it's why i eventually chose not to let that be my focus in any mmo.

the issue in EQ2 is, as others have suggested, the top heavy population. but more than limiting grouping experience at lower levels you have quite a few people who have been at the top so long they have no comprehension as to why newer players 'just don't get it'. they could offer instruction, or just as importantly when the player announces they are new, just say, no. if you don't want to put up with a new player that's your option, but at least be honest from the get-go and find someone else to fill the role.

these are also the kinds of people who would probably run a private server for the guild if they could.

aside from them however, this game, at least on my server, has a wealth of people who are not only willing, but desirous to help out. finding them of course is the catch, but i think if the OP gives it just a bit more time they will find these folks.

Because tank itemization is broken.

"damage OR survivability" is not a valid choice. Tanking requires both, unless you have sufficient hate transfers. And in a perfectly-good six-man group, you might have zero hate transfer classes.

All the block/mitigation gear needs the DPS stats added back to it.

Either that, or they have to uncap "hate gain" (since you were capped and it didn't help, eh?), and put a ton of hate gain (and probably accuracy and strikethru) on all the block/miti stuff, so tanks can build hate without "significant" DPS.

I agree a little but I could see tanks being even more overpowered with those changes.

The real issue I had is my bruiser had no damage proc items yet the dirge had every jewellery slot procing 2+ times a minute for hundreds of thousands of damage.

The tank really needs the best gear in the group to be good.

My best suggestion to learn to tank in a group setting is to get the ToV quest gear set and then go tank Skyshrine for groups working up AA and/or Levels. You will be vastly overgeared for the zone in ToV gear so any mistakes you make while learning won't really be too rough on you. However, as you hit the names there you will see a number of different fights that require strategy and you can learn some of the basics. Also, those groups are usually ALWAYS looking for a tank and you should have no problem finding a group. They can even be fun.

Cool! A constructive reply! Don't see many of those.

I can definately see the OP's point of view. If you're a new player your experience really depends on whether there are people willing to help. If you have people who are willing to help and forgive your learning mistakes it's not a problem. If you don't, then you'll be thrown to the wolves the first time you get a group in end game content.

If you're learning and want to group, this game can be brutal. Practially the only groups readily available are on the newest and hardest content. That is NOT the case of other games I've played. My experience with beginning grouping in DDO, wasn't hard at all.

Considering the sad state of grouping while leveling, you really can't expect new players to see much in the way of groups until they hit 95.

A dungeon finder which really worked could do wonders for fixing this problem. Yea I know, dream on. Like that's going to happen.

I suppose they might get a bit of a taste of what it would be like with a mercenary if they take really difficult content, but it's still a stretch. When I was leveling my channeler I found some orange epic*2's which I could solo with a tank merc in my mastercreafted gear. It was really great practice. Better attitudes from old timers would definately help.

First of all let me say that I am blown away by the support on here. I have been away for a few days and came back expecting to see a flame fest but really happy to see the support. I was being as honest and constructive as I could. I'm not one of those players that have to find something to hate and I truly like EQ2 else I wouldn't have invested so much time in it. Some had said that the game really is geared towards solo play until the last few levels, but that's the monster of this generation of race to the end.

I hate to put a WoW reference in here but they really do have the best LFG option of any game I've played. May be other problems going on but that works well. It's very easy to learn your role at lower levels due to the back to back dungeon runs. On here you are back to the old ways of /ooc LFG ANYTHING ..... PLZZZZ, and if it's a lower level dungeon they just think your crazy for not grinding to 95 then worry about groups.

That can be true for DPS classes where you can have some of your flaws missed in the battle spam but not a tank or healer. They really have to have a hard shell emotionally.

Do guilds accept maxed out toons with no group experience anymore? Also thanks for the advice about skyshrine in ToV gear. I'll try that out =)

You might want to post which server you are on, you may be surprised how much help you get then - there is always a silent majority and many of them are rather more disposed to help than the minority you encountered

I'm on Butchblock server. Only reason I"m on that server is because I had my original toon back when it was Kithicor so I stayed on it. Hear FP and AB might be better for more helpful folks but Not starting over. Love my pally =)

yes there are guilds that do what server are you on?

Best advice I've seen was go tank in some SS grinds. In ToV quest gear they shouldn't be hard at all, and they will definately give you a chance to see what needs to happen in a groups situation. Granted they probably won't be as geared so it will be easier to hold agro and such, but there will be some fights where that's an issue even over geared. Also don't give up, I have like 20 alts and play them all, maybe not daily but over a month I do, and some had higher learning curves than others. Also get into a guild they will be huge in learning to tank at end lvl, they should have a vet tank willing to give you pointers while running the zones. That's the best training there is learn from a vet in "real" world situations.