Questions that have piled up...Follow

I've been exiled from Norrath for a couple weeks and have had to get my EQ fix from the boards. Figured as long as I'm here reading them I would try and relieve some of my wonderings, SO...

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I do not yet have LDoN, but have thought about getting it. Question: Is it conceivable to log in, get together a group and complete an adventure in 2 hours?

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I share an account with my son. How many hours per week do you all think is healthy for a 15 year old to be playing this game?

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If I keep all my melee skills maxed out on my cleric froggy, get her good gear and weapons, does she have to be a healer? Can she be a fighter? (I've read some discussions about this on a cleric board, but I was not able to draw any real
conclusions from them)

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Should I join a guild?

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Thanks, I look forward to any and all thoughts on the above.

Depending on your level/class - how many in your range looking for groups - how good the group is - you could complete a LDoN in less than an hour. 2 hours is not a stretch.



Hard to say. It's entirely up to you as the parent. If you feel that he is neglecting parts of his life to play the game, then the obvious answer is to remove the game from him. But if you don't see a problem with him being able to balance his life outside of the game....

Parent's prerogative.



You are going to get mixed feelings on this but from a clerics perspective, I heal - that's my job. Clerics generally don't make good fighters but can take a bit more of a beating than other caster classes. Personal preference on how you want to play but again, clerics are healers and you will be invited to groups for that role and that role only.

You can make a Paladin which is a fighter/cleric with emphasis on fighter.



Depends on goals. Some guild have limits and you may not meet them. Some guilds are 'families' and are just grouping partners with occasional raids. You really have to feel out the guilds on your server and determine what guild would best suit your playing style (the 'I want uber gear' guild or the 'I like hanging out with people' guild)

Hope this helps.


Edited, Fri Jun 4 11:40:18 2004 by Thorric

It is 'theoretically' possible, but many times pick-up groups take > 30 minutes just to get rolling. You want to be the LAST one picked up. Having said that, YES it is possible.
Ok I am not a parent but I play one on TV...seriuosly though, if the kid gets good grades, doesn't neglect his chores, has RL interactions with friends, and gets some regular physical activity (hey, I just described rules for ME) I say GAME ON. Not much less intellectual activity than reading, although don't neglect that since a well read person might do better in EQ.

My feeling is, if your character has the capacity, USE IT. That means try to max out EVERY skill you have at your disposal. Now by that I do not mean you should be 200 in every tradeskill, but I would try to max all (both for cleric) weapon skills, offence, defense, bash, etc. plus all your arcane skills as well. You may need to or want to fight as a cleric. Sure, your melee skills will not be that of a warrior but you can still HAVE FUN and success however you play it.

Had loads of fun one time in Marus Seru with a group of 3 Clerics. We all took turns being MH and we all got plenty of skillups in weapons and Evocation.
In LDoNs you will be asked to join primarily for healing. So know that going in. Being a healer is fun too.

On the other hand, just because people EXPECT you to play a certain way does not mean you MUST. LDoN is not THE only thing to do. You may also find some others who are not so rigid. Heh I tank my chanter sometimes but I digress...

LDON - Great way to level and learn to fight as a group. Varies time and day but a decent group can assemble and complete in 2 hours. It takes time to level up and be a decent group so there is a learning curve. Then again you will always have that one person that can't play their toon on occasion.

I read a thread about Battle Clerics yesterday on here and I was honestly out on the subject till last night. The guild I am in has a tendancy to have all battle clerics it seems. So I figured perhaps I have view them wrong. Then last night I grouped with (2) Clerics. On a friend how doesn't believe in Battle Clerics and obviously the other was one. They encouraged the non-battle cleric to melee to increase his ability. I chimmed in well there are 2 clerics so your safe. Ummmm the non-battle cleric died twice because the battle cleric never payed attention to being a cleric other than rezzing the non battle cleric. Pick your toon play don't cross over and be the detriment to another is now my most current opinion.

Guilds are very good things and being in a guild with your child can be very fun, just ask me I have done it. My son plays and yes I have had to yank the cord. His attention to assignments in school fell but when the cord was missing from his computer witin 48 hours he was churning it out assignments like before. I have to snap him into reality at times but I had to do that with the playstation and xbos as well. He does pretty good, he still goes to the movies, school events, basketball outside, friends houses, parties and school. Last report card of the year was all A's and one B. I can't complain and we have a blast on EQ together but I do monitor it. I was in a guild with him so I could keep an eye on him but my son is 13 not 15. Now he is in another guild but we are both well known enough I still know his every move. I think all of RZ knows I am his mother!

I was in a group last night with a 45 BL, 51 shammy, 65 cleric, and a 65 enchanter with DC pet fighting DB at 65 but Red at 51 mobs.

Our Cleric was Main Tank but he has decent gear and the summoned hammer that is 26/18 vs undead. We did just fine with only a single death when the mob and the BL got stuck in a wall and both warped 50 feet.

Can a Cleric tank? yes in the right conditions. Could the enchanter have soloed the exact same camp with her pet? Absolutly. Did the Cleric ADD to the group as a tank vs healing the pet and Undead nuking? diffinatly not, it slowed down our pulls slightly. Was it more fun for everyone? Certainly.

The answer is Yes and No. There are just too many variables that go into determining the length of time. The time it would take you to be ready to group, waiting for others to show up at the wayfarer's camp, the time it will take to buff and med before going in dungeon, the time it takes to complete the mission, which will vary based on the type of mission, the location of mission, the zone level, hard or normal. Then once the adventure is over do you stay and kill more for the extra 30 minutes or do you go and sell and split the loot.



As a cleric, your main duty is to heal, PERIOD. However, once you reach the mid 50s and you get your first decent summoned hammer and get Yaulp IV, you can start meleeing as part of a group because you can actually mana regen almost as fast as sitting and your hammer will proc alot and provide some additional DPS. Until that time, all you should do is heal. If you want to fight, start a new character.

1. Yes. Doesn't always happen, but once you build a bit of a network of people playing in the same time slot, it can happen regularly (erh, give or take 20 minutes).

2. After spending 30 years of my life trying to raise three daughters, you want me to try and help you raise your son?!

Just kidding, but it really is your call, I would think that its not so much the matter of "how much time" as more a matter of what proportion, if EQ is all he does, then it is a bad thing. If its just one of a range of activities (including reading good books pet soapbox), then he's probably cool.

3. NO! No way, No how.

Clerics are not fighters, they are an incredibly valuable defense class. There is never a situation where you cannot bring more value to your group by using your casting skills over melee.

4. Yes. The best bits of EQ are found in the company of a good group of friends, and the very best parts need multiple groups to handle the locals. The only real way to be part of this is to be an active member of a solidly managed guild.



Edited, Sun Jun 6 03:09:50 2004 by Iluien

Unless I am heavily mistaken, this is impossible. You need to be at least level 58 to group with 65's.

Where you found a DC pet is a mystery for me. Did they open a new LDoN camp last night? :)

How is the school system where your son attends?

Do they have all the latest drugs there?

That would me a major factor in determining his play time.