Hi guys. Let me first do a little brief intro of myself. Sullon Zek (pre-merge) player here, 65 mage (when 65 was the max..) who played for years until quitting to try other games for a few years back in 2004 or '05. My experience in EQ1 was basically that I leveled to 65 primarily solo (I was a mage after all) until Planes, then of course I'd sit in a group and watch my pet level me in PoV... etc. Thats what mage's did. HATE were pretty much like the big brothers I looked up to, every time I'd see Speedd or any of the other famous (to me) players which I've forgotten their names.. Neverending (there's one!), I'd feel proud to be an evil! I wasn't very powerful... I used an Apothic Robe and 8 of the items I wore I conjured everytime I logged in.. so needless to say I didn't play for gear. But thats not completely true, you see, I couldn't get gear even if I wanted it, high end raiding in EQ1 was very exclusive and I never had the nack back then for being able to get into "the scene". I was once invited to kind of do a "ride-along" in a HATE raid on one of the Planes I had never been to and it was so exciting! Raiding around these people who would start wars in Gfay, QH, Misty Thicket (anywhere there were PoK books haha!).. and the like was great! However as stated it was basically a ride-along, I couldn't really find out from anyone what was going on, no one was allowed to chat in raid chat and when we were I was overridden by many other players talking over and on me, so I was obviously left at the wayside and never picked up into that lifestyle I so desired at the time. I never did possess the social engineering skills necessary to get in there and show my stuff. My theory is that either A: you need amazing social engineering skills and mild talent to keep your head above water or B: you only need slight communication skills and MASSIVE talent which will allow you to shine beyond all and allow your 'path to the gear' to pave itself. Now I'm older, smarter and have returned from other games where I was able to get into that 'bleeding edge' gear and BE the one who was celebrated in towns for their wit and out of towns for my combat prowess. (Yes I know it all sounds a bit cheesy but forgive the cheesiness for a bit please, I'm not quite as pleased about all this as I sound, haha). This story may be the same for many of you... but I ask, and could have without the story, is EQ2's raiding scene extremely inclusive? How many players does it take to effectively reach the 'bleeding edge' these days. With games like WoW casualling things over to the children of the MMO community I believe.. EQ2 has remained somewhat dedicated to the idea that those who wish to dedicate the time, communication skills, talent and will to that perfect over-extension into the 'bleeding edge', but... how possible is it to be a part of, and is it possible to join these ranks without the game devouring one's life?
To be on the Top you have to obtain Top-end gear, as gear plays the most important role in your success as a PVP Wizard. Needless to say, you have to raid a lot to get those clothes and trinkets. To ba alone means you can grind for some PVP tokens and get some nice rewards but it will take equally much time and effort. The rest is up to you.
If you are coming into EQ2 alone and plan on going to Nagafen to pvp, I'd suggest making friends and make them quickly. The lower tiers of pvp are excellent fun on that server and i'm sure you'll enjoy it. However, due to it's massive population (not to mention we Venekor people will be over there very soon) the higher tiers of pvp can be relentless and painful experiences if you are under geared (which believe me, compared to our friends on Nagafen, you will be). The pvp only becomes fun for those that get the best gear first. It's a mad rush to raid and get the best gear. By the time everyone else catches up, a new expansion comes out with even better gear, and you're at the bottom again. If you are unable to raid (or you simply do not care for it), I would suggest locking your exp every level and enjoy pvp tier by tier. EQ2 really is a load of fun no matter what you choose to do, so I hope you don't stress much over gearing your character at levels 80-90; sometimes it's just not worth the worry.
