Returning Player Doomed to Fail

Discussion in 'Tips, Tricks, and New Player Questions' started by ARCHIVED-WizzyNuke, Sep 23, 2012.

  1. ARCHIVED-WizzyNuke Guest

    Hello, I was introduced to this game in late 2010. Right when Sentinel's Fate came out. I was playing on my friend's computer, and fell in love with the game. It was about Jan. 2011 that I couldn't play anymore as he moved away. I told myself for months I would build myself a computer specifically to run and play this game. Well, that time has come, and as of 9/11/12 I have been playing again. But to my dismay, so much has changed, and the game has been almost ruined for me.

    There are NO groups, at all! WHAT HAPPENED!?! I have a gold membership, but do not have DoV or AoD. Won't be able to get DoV until october, and at least another month after that to buy AoD. How the hell do I get ANYWHERE in ANY instance? I'm lvl 18 wiz and tried to do that Buccaneer's Rest in Antonica. I got to the first group of 4 mobs that were actually "colored" (green lvl 12s), and got slaughtered. I made it past two but by then it was too late to make any kind of comeback.
    I was told that the game has been made so that pretty much everywhere could be solo'd now. yeah right. The mobs are just as powerful as back in 2010, only now there ARE NO GROUPS to help. I don't get it, how am I supposed to succeed? Outside of leveling to like lvl 35 where they would all be greyed out anyway... pointless
  2. ARCHIVED-Regolas Guest

    I would buy AoD before velious so you can get mercs to help you. Mages are squishy, and if you're going to take damage I'd make sure you only do one at a time. Even in 2010 there weren't that many groups at that level. All I can say if you can't get past those 4 mobs is either ask for help in a chat channel (or send a tell to a higher level in the zone) or pick another quest. There's so many to do I'm sure you'll find another route to gaining xp.
  3. ARCHIVED-Regolas Guest

    Oh and join a guild, they might help you too!
  4. ARCHIVED-RippedMonk Guest

    Something I learned when I first starting playing was that zones like Antonica, The Common Lands, Thundering Steppes, Entchanted lands etc.. the mobs seem to hit harder. These zones aren't on the "golden path" so it makes me wonder if their difficulty has not changed since launch. So if you are taking on a ^^^ herioc in an older zone like Antonica, you would almost certiainly need a partner or two. That leaves you with really two options:
    1. Keep looking for some people to help you in chat.
    2. Take your character to one of the starter zones and do all the quests in those hubs. Those quests will take you to level 20 (or close to it), from there you can move on to Butcherblock and stay on the golden path (http://eq2.zam.com/wiki/The_Golden_Path). You might have better luck this way.
  5. ARCHIVED-Novusod Guest

    What happened to the groups is mercenaries happened. Hire an NPC to group with you and low levels no longer need groups anymore. Make the best of it and hire a mercenry while staying on the golden path as much as possible. There is solid grouping at the end game level cap though.
  6. ARCHIVED-zehly Guest

    Try a different class until you are ready to buy AoD. Something a little tougher than a wizard. A rogue (swashy or brigand) or predator (assassin or ranger) take the hits a lot better. Or a crusader (paladin or shadowknight) which can keep themselves alive much longer. You may also find interest in the healing classes, though at low levels their DPS-ability isn't anywhere near like it is at end-game (mystics, wardens, and inquisitors running around with 600 MA beating on things :p). If you're bent on a mage, a necromancer would do you better justice than a wizard, as the hole root-and-nuke thing can be quite cumbersome in crowded areas.
  7. ARCHIVED-Zergosch Guest

    There is no group around that level, as a long term player, you get a toon to 20 within no time and far beyond that level.
    Well, i do think its sad, that it turned that way, as so many content where left.... but, thats wahts like.
    80+ you can find some groups and guild is a must have today.
  8. ARCHIVED-bluja000 Guest

    It sounds like you simply chose a class that doesn't have much survivability outside of a group, at least for the lower levels. There are alternatives tho, that let you keep the toon, and level up without grouping. You could play the player made dungeons, which allow you to play as either yourself, or as an avatar. The avatar will have limited spells/combat arts, but in general, will be easy to use for soloing the dungeons. Player made dungeons are available to anyone, with and without the expansions, you just won't be able to make one without the right expansion.
    Or you could purchase the expansion with beastlords and mercenaries. Mercanaries make the game much easier to play, with and without groups, because you can pick either a healer, or tank, or dps. It just depends upon what you need for your style of play. With a wizard, you'd definitely want to choose a tank, one that holds aggro really well, because then you could nuke to your hearts content without having to worry (too much) about dying from the mobs. Still have to consider aggro, no matter what type of tank you select, but at least it's gotta be better than going up against the mobs all by your lonesome.
    Of course, you can always spam the chat channels for groups. I believe that almost all servers use channel 1-9 as the universal chat, since everyone can read that, no matter how low they are. Just holler in there for people to join you. There's generally some bored lvl 90+ looking for something to do, or for some zone to go back through for aa. And of course, there are other new players, or low level alts, that might enjoy going through a zone or dungeon. Just say what level and class you are, and that you are interested in running <this dungeon>, but need more to help survive. And be flexible, someone may be interested, but may want to check out a different dungeon instead.
    There's also the lfg tool. NOT the dungeon finder, the lfg tool. It's different, it lets you put yourself up as lfg (looking for group), and anyone who has a group, or is also lfg, can then invite you into their group. You can then choose whether to accept or not, it's not mandatory. Whereas with the dungeon finder, it's VERY hit and miss. It's supposed to randomly select players to join a group and go into a random (or selected) dungeon. However, it's very buggy, you can end up with all dps and no tank or heals, or one healer and no tanks, or any number of different combinations. You could also end up with a less than full group, when the dungeon is designed for a full group.
    And of course, as mentioned, you could just change to a more survivable class. There's necros/conjurors, mages that come with their own tanks. There's scouts that allow you to sneak around mobs too difficult to kill, or one shot mobs, or just kill from a distance. Sorry, I don't play scouts often, so don't really know much about them. But tanks can take alot of hits, paladans and shadowknights have small heals they can use. Or there are the healers, who can generally take the hits and keep themselves alive. Keep in mind, at the lowest levels, there's not alot of spell/combat art choices, so it's going to be difficult at first, regardless of what class you select.
    Also, following the golden path, as mentioned and linked earlier, that's the best way to go for your 'first' toon. This lets you learn the class and game without stressing you too much. The mobs, in general, are going to be easier to kill, and more players follow the route, which may let you pick up random partners easier. I'd just check the area and ask anyone that you see if they would be interested in a wizard learning the game.
    Just don't give up tho, the game is very enjoyable once you start learning your class. That's the hardest part of the game, and you picked a difficult class to solo with. However, it's going to be very rewarding once you get that one maxed, if you select to continue. Hopefully the suggestions I've provided give you some direction to go, and you start enjoying the game again.
  9. ARCHIVED-Finora Guest

    A few things seem to hold back new players that don't have in game friends or a good guild to back them up. Here are some things I suggest any new player to look at if they are having a lot of trouble soloing things.
    1) Your gear choices can make a big difference. I don't know how all the newbie quest gear is, but I know at least some of it lacks stamina. Swapping out gear for gear that has stamina, even if it doesn't have your main stat makes a big difference at lower levels.
    2) Upgrade your spells to at least journeyman. Adept or better is optimal (depending on your sub level) That can make a difference, particularly in resists for wiggly finger mage classes.
    3) Check your aa's. For a low level wizard, I would highly recommend getting the full 10 points in the aa that gives you a regenerating ward on your magi's shielding. That greatly improves your survivablity.
    4) Make sure you aren't trying to solo heriocs. Even green heroics can be challenging when you aren't geared for it, especially if you aren't good at AOEing and are a squishy class. While most classes can do it with alright gear if the player behind the character is experienced, it can be pretty challenging & frustrating for a new player to do the same, ESPECIALLY if you haven't got the gear & spell upgrades.
    5) Don't necessarily worry about filling up a group to do something. While a full group can be really fun, the challenge you get from doing things in a duo/small group/non-optimal group situation can be even better. I've been playing since release and some of my best memories have been from duoing & trioing things as well as running difficult content with non-optimal groups. Run with what you can get. There might be things you won't be able to do, but there is no reason not to try.
  10. ARCHIVED-Seidhkona Guest

    WizzyNuke wrote:
    To start with, if you want to play ANY mage class, you have to get a very good sense of humor about dying. YOu ARE going to die, over and over and over, even after you have learned to use your class's "best practices". If dying repeatedly causes you angst, then Wizard is probably not the best class for you (and that's a guess based on your name).
    I have some really helpful hints below that can make your starting experience as a mage a LOT easier. I realize this is a long post, but I've tried to break it into sections so it's easier to digest.

    So, "How do you progress?" is the real question.

    The Golden Path
    There is a well-guided "Golden Path" to follow in leveling if you so choose. Before level 20, you will want to do the solo quests in your starting city (Darklight Wood, Greater Faydark, Frostfang Sea or Timorous Deep).
    After that, the Golden Path will move you through major zones of Norrath as you level up, following Ole' Man Silvers as he searches for word of his captain Roger Goldie.

    Self-Guided Soloing and Exploration
    For those who want a more-self-guided exploration, EverQuest II contains literally over 8000 quests (I'm actually unsure what the current number of quests is, to be honest, but the last time I looked it was over 8K).
    I recommend the EQ2i Soloing Timeline, which provides an easy-to-use reference so you can determine which zones are appropriate for your level. By clicking into a given zone, you can then also get more information about quest-givers and quests within that zone.
    Note that other fan sites such as ZAM also offer good guides. Check them all out and use whichever one works best for you.

    Tips for Caster Soloing Success
    Soloing means that usually, no one will point fingers at you and laugh when you try out new things or inadvertently do something stupid (who me, would I walk off a very tall building and go splat? Nawwww!)

    Spell Upgrades!
    Apprentice-Level Spells
    For a mage class of any type, your spells are what a shield and armor are to the fighters. You are automatically given the Apprentice-level spells as you level up. You can think of your Apprentice-level spells as being like a pea-shooter.

    Adept-Level Spells
    You will find that EVERYTHING is easier with better spells. Check the broker for Adept-level spells for your class and level, and get them as you can. With Adept-level spells, you graduate from pea-shooter up to full-fledged slingshot.

    Expert-Level Spells
    Each class will have two or three very important spells that you rely upon constantly. For mages, these will usually be your root and your big nuke, and summoners want good pet spells. For your important spells, you may want to get the Expert-level spells. The Expert spell is like an upgrade from the slingshot to a gun.
    Player crafters (specifically sages) make Expert spells. Sometimes you can find them on the broker affordably priced, but don't count on it. Plan to commission them instead. The cheapest way to get the materials for these Expert spells is to harvest soft ore, because you need one chunk of the Rare Soft Metal for your level for each spell you want made. Once you have that rare soft metal in hand, ask in channels for a sage who can craft your spell, and be sure to tip the craftsman for their work! Ask what the fuel costs, and generally tip at least 3-4 times that fuel cost at a minimum.
    As you adventure, explore, and quest through Norrath, learn to harvest along the way. In fact, it's a great idea to find a Mariner's Bell and travel to the Isle of Mara, where you will look for and speak to a little boy swimming in a pond, Qho Augren. He offers you a series of quests, A Gathering Obsession. It will help provide incentive for your harvesting along the way. Whatever harvested items you get can be sold on the broker, even the common stuff. Rares can fetch a pretty penny, or you can have them made into Mastercrafted cloth armor, jewelry, etc.

    Master-Level Spells
    The next level up (and generally the highest level for most spells) is the Master-level spell. Here you go from something like a gun to something more like a high explosive. Masters drop most often from named monsters, in the big metal Exquisite chests. They can be obtained on the broker, but are almost always pricey. IMHO, you don't really NEED Master-level spells until you get to end-game content. They are nice to have, and if you win one or spot one affordably priced, it's a great thing to have. But don't angst about them.

    Gear Upgrades
    You can also upgrade your armor (head, chest, shoulders, forearms, hands, legs, feet), jewelry (rings, necklace, earrings, belt), and weapons (staffs, wands, etc.) As you adventure, compare the loot you win to what you are wearing, and switch out when you find an upgrade.
    If you are harvesting as suggested above, then rare roots are used by tailors to make your cloth armor, jewelers use the rare gems to make INT jewelry, rare wood can be made into staffs and wands by woodworkers, rare hard ore can be made into mage daggers by weaponsmiths, and so on.
    It is not necessary to spend tons of effort to get mastercrafted armor and jewelry and such. If you have the rare in-hand, go for it. Until end game, at which time you'll probably want start level 90 (or whatever it us when you get there) in at least Mastercrafted armor, then you'll be looking to upgrade to Legendary or Fabled as you can.

    The Solo Caster's Bread-and-Butter
    As a solo caster, you cannot really afford to let monsters hit you. Pet classes can use their tank pets and then nuke, but everybody else will use your best Root spell, then nuke once or twice, then root again. If necessary, back up a step, then rinse and repeat! You are not a plate-armored tank to stand toe-to-toe with these critters!

    The Fine Art of Body Pulling
    Another thing you need to know is how to body pull. If you just casually flip an Ice Comet into the middle of a bunch of gnolls, ALL of them are likely to come for you!
    At first, not many foes are SOCIAL. The higher in level you go, however, the more social mobs you are going to encounter, so you need to learn this technique early and get it perfected.

    When I say a mob is "social", that means if you hit it, it can call to its nearby friends for help. Then instead of having one thing to fight, you have the whole room trying to eat your face. To deal with this, the body pull is used.

    Instead of, say, lobbing nuke at the foe, you edge up until it JUST notices you. then when it does see you, you backpedal and it comes with you.

    Once you have it far enough away from its friends, you ROOT IT!

    Here's some info from a thread on the old forums (http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/...ry.id=0#M154977) that's helpful for all classes, especially tanks. These illos are tank-centric, but the principle is exactly the same for casters.

    [IMG]

    [IMG]

    [IMG]

    [IMG]

    [IMG]
  11. ARCHIVED-Vifarc Guest

    Finora@Everfrost wrote:
    Yeah!! That is one among the magics of EQ2! Playing in a non-military group can be the most fun!
    I hated Rift with its you're-a-brick-in-the-wall groups.
  12. ARCHIVED-Freejazzlive Guest

    RippedMonk wrote:
    This isn't true. I've been leveling characters in those zones, with mercenaries, & I can say flatly that ^^^ named mobs are tissue paper to any competent player with a mercenary.
    BTW, so far as Mages are concerned: I've been leveling a Warlock lately, using an Inqui mercenary, & I've been regularly astonished as to how long I can stand & take a beating, even from a heroic mob. The only time I have a survivability issue is when I get greedy & do something dumb.
    Before anyone infers incorrectly .... the only spells I have above Expert are training choices, & because I'm a Silver account & am currently too cheap to buy any unlockers, the character's gear is entirely treasured or crafted. My Warlock is 40th level, & most of his gear is 30th. Yet, soloing in the "old world" with a mercenary is ez-peezy.
  13. ARCHIVED-Finora Guest

    Freejazzlive wrote:
    Going to also say ^^^ heriocs in Faydwer (at least when it was released) were considerably more difficult than heriocs in the original zones. Also all the overland content in at least Commonlands & Antonica got hit with a rather heavy nerf stick sometime back and at least once more since then. I don't really know how much Gfay, Butcherblock & all have been tuned down since they were released, but I do know back at the start, heriocs were quite a bit harder than old mobs of the same level range.
  14. ARCHIVED-RippedMonk Guest

    Maybe I was mistaken then but I do know that when I first started playing (when EQ2x was in beta) I had considerably more trouble in the Antonica, Common Land, etc... The mobs in those zones tore my poor wizard to pieces. Granted I was completely new to the game so I guess it must have been a lack of understanding of the mechanics of the game . I just remember I had more trouble in the older zones than I did on the "Golden Path".
  15. ARCHIVED-Rainy Guest

    Freejazzlive wrote:
    except this doesn't help the OP. the OP does not have AoD or DoV, which means they can't purchase a mercenary. and without that Inq merc, I promise you that warlock would get it's face eaten quickly. can't forget the hp/ac buffs that merc is giving you plus the heals and cures.
    as a wizzie though, yes, the old Root and Nuke is the way to solo. I think in the lighthouse, there are a couple groups..not overly tough mobs individually, but as a group they can eat a clothy. a wizard I belive does have an encounter root. if you do, (it'll look like a boot with vines on it on a green background) you hit the group with that, then single target root one and nuke him.
    keep watch on the group root timer and refresh it to keep the ones your not hurting locked down, and use the single target root to keep the one your killing away form you. rinse and repeat and kill them all.
  16. ARCHIVED-General_Info Guest

    Sigrdrifa@Lucan DLere wrote:
    While you have been pretty through what you have missed is sometimes a mob may appear further away enough for a body pull without alerting mob2 but may not be the case. also in such a situation if a group member is human they can risk using diplomacy on mob2 to reduce it's awareness (if it fails the mob attacks the caster) then the tank can body pull mob1 successfullywithout pulling mob2
    this can also be used on some hard quests where a tough mob is guarding an update object and ether you aren't strong enough to take it down or you want to save some time.
    I've used this trick in deathfist citidel to body pull mobs around one of the princes and in skyshrine to get past a boss to reactivate one of the golems and tell it to return to the questgiver.
  17. ARCHIVED-Freejazzlive Guest

    Rainmare@Oasis wrote:
    No kidding. If you're solo, no mercenary, you'll likely be owned by at-level ^^^ nameds. They are, after all, group mobs. You can't really complain about getting owned by those mobs if you try to take them solo, & I've no sympathy for those who do.
    But if you have a merc, they're cake easy -- almost embarassingly so.
    Edit: of course, there's no good argument to be made that non-heroic mobs in Antonica, CL, & so on are hitting any harder than they ever have before, & no good reason why anyone would need a mercenary -- or even a group -- to level in those areas. This thread also does not address a basic fact: it's pretty difficult these days to even find a ^^^ heroic in Ant or CL, & even the zones like Zek or El, where you will find such mobs, they're quite easy to avoid for anyone who is actually paying attention.

    IMO, there's no reason in the world why a returning player should be "doomed to failure," with or without a merc or even a group. I went 90 freekin' levels on my Troubie before I first hired a mercenary; if I can do that, I'm pretty sure most competent players can.
  18. ARCHIVED-lail Guest

    WizzyNuke wrote:
    This here is the main issue i think. Im not familiar with that zone but if your trying to do heroic (group) content then you need a group. when i solo i do the solo questlines, they sort of direct you on a path.
    Heres the link to them all and the order in which to go through them
    http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Soloing_Timeline
  19. ARCHIVED-shioki Guest

    I too am a returning player, though I have several high level toons and started at launch, so I've got a fairly good understanding of my toons and what they are capable of. My suggestions for your situation is this:
    1. /LFG - Use the LFG (looking for group) tool. It will be invaluable to you for finding potential party members, or letting people know that you are up for one.
    2. Guilds - If you are interested in joining a guild, most guilds' members are willing to help a fellow guildmember out. Not just by pulling up an approriate level toon or mentoring, but also by giving you tips on your class and crafting you some nice gear.
    3. Strats - Research online on some strategies for your class and become familiar with it's strengths, and how to overcome it's drawbacks.
    4. Gear - Sometimes gear makes all the difference in the world. Before level 20, I wouldn't worry too much about it, as you will blow through those levels quickly even on your first toon. But by the time you reach 25, if all your gear is rated for the teens, it's time to upgrade...
    5. Persistence - If you try an encounter one way and it doesn't work out, maybe a different tactic will. Some of my best moments were when I pulled off the improbable.
    6. Patience - Some of the others have stated that most players are already in the end-game levels, and they are right. This is an unfortunate fact, but the further you get in levels, the more likely you will start to run into stragglers. The brightside is, this frees you up to explore areas on a whim.
    That's about all I can say for ya. Hope things get better and grats on your computer.
  20. ARCHIVED-Brigh Guest

    WizzyNuke wrote:
    If you are only level 12 there is absolutely no reason to get DoV yet. You can use the AoD mercs all the way to 85 easily where they start losing their effectiveness.