Finally, the "causal player" is back in the game !!!Follow

Reading all the posts above.....i understand everyone's point of view; but for me, it makes EQ fun again. It allows the "casual player" able to go to multiple zones and fight freely, without having to spend hours begging for a pick up group. Depending on your class, you may always find a pickup group within minutes, but some classes spend hour after hour waiting for one. Take a warrior, (for example), how many hours do you have to wait to find at least one healer type? Before merc's, i'd spend on avg. of 2-4 hours just waiting for a pickup group, (that's play time wasted IMHO),in whatever zone THEY were in (not necessarily the zone i wanted to goto).
Now i can unsuspend my merc (healer) and bot my mage + merc tank (for added DPS and sharing aggro), and Wah-LA, i went from a warrior + mage....which isn't that great for 2 botting, less you have tons of heal pots.... to a functional, effective group. Granted, it's not like fighting in a real group, but it allows me to grind aa's or reg exp as i wish, in most zones appropriate to my abilities. I may not be able to go grind in Vald, but i can fight in Sunder ( where the mobs are still DB-LB /con) and work on much needed AA's. Before SoD, i'd have wasted hours upon hours just sitting in the GL, like everyone else, soaking up MGB and watching the /tell window for a hit for a pickup group.

Not everyone in EQ is a full-time, hardcore raider. What about the little people, that just play to play, and have fun, explore......and enjoy it? I can see why alot of people dislike merc's; but for those in raid to Uber Raid guilds, GRATZ to you. For the "rest of us", GRATZ to SoE for bringing merc's into the game. Thanx =)

I agree, Mercenary are and have a valuable new function. Especially for the causal player. You are right Mordwar; it takes forever to find a casual group. And lately I am the “Kiss of Death”. Every guild I join seems to evaporate shortly. I do not have the on line playing time needed to justify belonging to the well known established guild. So I stay in the defunct guild and make use of the ports in guild hall.
There is always the freedom of choice not to use the Mercenaries function. On Zek, the server I CHOOSE to play on, there is the constant complaining how mercenaries are ruining the game (server). I personally have notice an increase in my PvP kills. I think this is based on the false security of the Merc. and the player, who would have normally ported or zoned, will now stay and fight longer then they should of.
Players, on Zek, share their opinions on general chat both pro and con. I have the choice to turn it off, ignore the player or stay, listen and or communicate my opinion. The beauty of the game SoE gives us the opportunity to exercise. Same with the function of the Mercenary.
Any time you change something, people are lazy and do not want to adapt. I heard the same statements when SoE introduced horses, when they introduced PoK with all the ports, with every new expansion and when classes gain some new advantage. Maybe an answer would be just to allow Mercenaries in instant zones. This way it would not affect PvP in open zones. The exception would be if the player wanted to stab his group in the back. But presence of the Mercenary might detour him of this action?
I have also heard of players taking advantage of the Mercenary while AFK. Not so much on Zek, but on the blue servers. Where they find a zone with a bunch of wondering light blue Mobs, kill them so the timing is spaced. Then they go afk and when the mob attacks, the melee Merc. kicks in and kills it, giving the player experience while participating in real life some where else besides in front of his or her monitor. If it bothers you, oh well, I personally will pick a different hill to die on. But it does fall under cheating, lying, taking advantages of others misfortunes and I believe this carries over on the player’s real life attitudes and reputation. But this is another thread in itself.
I personally would not participate in this practice but then again I take full advantage of being AFK and selling in bazaar. Is it the same?

Safe Travels in Real Life and in game,
Armourcarr, Zek trader
Vinney DeWanderer Zek human ranger.