Hey, y'all. When I last played in late '10 (that was about a 4-month run; the last time I played before that was '07), the level cap had just changed from 85 to 90 and, after getting my Berserker to 86, I gave up in frustration at the amount of time that was required to play him. As a single father, time is already scarce, so to log on and spend the entire evening (or a majority of it) LFG was quite discouraging so I cancelled my subscription.
I came back and renewed last weekend, but I haven't touched my Zerker out of concern that I'd face the same situation. Instead, I've been playing alts, trying to determine who I want to play primarily, but they all have their fun factors and I can't make up my mind. I kind of want to settle on one 'main', though, so I can accomplish some things instead of repeating the same leveling boredom over and over.
So, before I proceed to my ultimate question, let me first precede it with this: Is it possible, these days, to play my Berserker casually? That is, an hour or two a couple nights a week, and then a few hours on the weekends. I *do* have a lot of time and effort (and plat) invested in him, so I hate to see him sit by the wayside and just gather dust, but I want to make the most of my available play time.
If not, then let me move on to my next question. I know the final decision is mine to be made, and that I should play whoever I enjoy playing most (that's the problem I can't figure out), but I do appreciate any insight and/or opinions on the matter. My primary alts consist of:
74 Monk with ~200AA - Cleric merc
65 Beastlord with ~100AA - Cleric merc
64 Ranger with 0AA (waiting for 65) - Tank merc
I also have a 71 Paladin with ~200AA, 45 Necro, 37 Druid and 34 Wizard
Of the 3 primary alts, is there any advantage in today's game to playing one over the other? The Monk has an upper hand in being ahead in level and AAs, so I'd be closer to getting where I want to be (which, at this time, I'm not sure where/what that is). The Beastlord is probably more flexible and accommodating for a casual player, with a slow to help solo/molo content. The Ranger, I guess, is something I was just fascinated with because, when I was playing my Zerker, it seemed like equally geared Rangers were just... "better" than me.
I group when I can, but I want to be able to solo as much as I can for as long as I can when I'm sitting in that LFG-state. I know it's probably going to start getting harder to find level-appropriate mobs for the Monk to solo, but I can work on light blues for AAs with him.
- Which of those is going to provide maximum efficiency for time management?
- Which is going to put out better DPS to mow through mobs faster?
- Are epics worth obtaining on any of these?
- How far are each of them going to be able to progress on the Epic quests, should I choose to work on them?
Also, just because I have a love affair with the class (it was my main on my original account, which I gave away in '02 when I thought I could 'quit' this game; it was the first I made when I started this new account in '02), and also have some time/effort/plat sunk in to him: How do Pallys fare these days? Is their DPS versus non-undead still too low to solo/molo effectively? He could plow through The Hole with ease when I was working AAs on him at 71, but that spot was always highly contested on my server and hard to find open/available. Have they been improved any in recent years and made fun to play again, or are they still the broccoli class of Norrath (pretty bland; for the record, however, I love broccoli!)?
I really appreciate any time you take to address my questions and concerns! Thank you! I apologize for my drawn-out post...
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Being able to play casually?Follow
35 posts
Welcome back :-)
I have a lot Chars too, so what i tell you is a bit of my personal experience.
All Tank Classes will need a lof of AAs to solo. You will need any help to avoid the high dmg of Mobs above lvl 80.
So a Zerker will have some problems. Good dps, but no slowing.
If you wanna be able to solo, I would take the Beastlord. He can slow and with the pet he has a nice dmg output.
The Healer merc will keep you alive.
At the other Hand i would level the Wizard further. He can solo well while you lfg and is welcome in any group.
He doesnt need many AAs for his playstyle. Only 100 or 200 will give a nice DPS-Boost with critical hits.
And when you get an invite, you can travel fast and safe just everywhere.
Another benefit will be, you are not always looking for better stuff. Your INT will be maxed out soon and all is easy.
Better Gear is always welcome, but its not a MUST like Melees.
Regards,
I have a lot Chars too, so what i tell you is a bit of my personal experience.
All Tank Classes will need a lof of AAs to solo. You will need any help to avoid the high dmg of Mobs above lvl 80.
So a Zerker will have some problems. Good dps, but no slowing.
If you wanna be able to solo, I would take the Beastlord. He can slow and with the pet he has a nice dmg output.
The Healer merc will keep you alive.
At the other Hand i would level the Wizard further. He can solo well while you lfg and is welcome in any group.
He doesnt need many AAs for his playstyle. Only 100 or 200 will give a nice DPS-Boost with critical hits.
And when you get an invite, you can travel fast and safe just everywhere.
Another benefit will be, you are not always looking for better stuff. Your INT will be maxed out soon and all is easy.
Better Gear is always welcome, but its not a MUST like Melees.
Regards,
6 posts
Thanks, Para. I hadn't given much thought to the Wizard, since he is currently set up as my trader (I probably haven't actually leveled him since '04), but I will definitely dust him off to see what I think.
You say he can solo well. Would that require kiting, which would probably limit me to outdoor zones, or can he just go toe-to-toe with mobs (provided the merc is tanking) and burn them down?
You say he can solo well. Would that require kiting, which would probably limit me to outdoor zones, or can he just go toe-to-toe with mobs (provided the merc is tanking) and burn them down?
Yes it is possible to play casually, you may find pick up groups in a lot of the hot zones.
35 posts
The wizzy needs some space to snare and kite. It will be safer in outdoor Zones.
My Wizzy is Lvl 89 and when i solo (quite often for the fun) i mostly use Snare,
Stun, 2 x DD, Stun, 2 x DD until he is Dead. With this tactic not much Space is needed.
You can run from a corner to the other and pass the mob while he is stunned.
But i would stay to outdoor Zones, while LFG.
I never use my merc. Dont need any Healer and the tank wont do much DPS.
So he doesnt help a lot in the fight but takes 50 % Exp. My advise is to solo the wiz
like the old days. Just pop a Healer merc for buffing and in case a Rez is needed.
You might wanna try a Wiz merc. This could give a blast but still will take 50 % Exp.
When you get an invite from a low dps group (Sk with Healer Merc and Enchanter with Healer Merc)
they will be excited to get a really big punch with a Wiz with Wiz Merc.
This is what i would go for. Definitly :-) And it will be lots of fun.
Regards
My Wizzy is Lvl 89 and when i solo (quite often for the fun) i mostly use Snare,
Stun, 2 x DD, Stun, 2 x DD until he is Dead. With this tactic not much Space is needed.
You can run from a corner to the other and pass the mob while he is stunned.
But i would stay to outdoor Zones, while LFG.
I never use my merc. Dont need any Healer and the tank wont do much DPS.
So he doesnt help a lot in the fight but takes 50 % Exp. My advise is to solo the wiz
like the old days. Just pop a Healer merc for buffing and in case a Rez is needed.
You might wanna try a Wiz merc. This could give a blast but still will take 50 % Exp.
When you get an invite from a low dps group (Sk with Healer Merc and Enchanter with Healer Merc)
they will be excited to get a really big punch with a Wiz with Wiz Merc.
This is what i would go for. Definitly :-) And it will be lots of fun.
Regards
LFG issues are best solved by being in a guild.
A berserker is soloable/moloable in today's game, but I would expect 85+ there's going to be more timesink in trying to progress this way.
The question is entirely different if you were boxing (which a ton of casual folks do nowadays).
Level 75 800 AA is not that hard to get to as a true solo/moloer now. That means all of your characters are easily replaced in those respects aside from your berserker. This of course, doesn't include cool quests you may have done on a given character that make it more valuable to you. Note that I am saying this as a person with only 1 character over the 75/800 threshold.
Ease of casual play without specific effort is going to be the traditional strong solo classes like Necro, mage, wizard, druid, beast... I would probably rank them in versatility in that same order --though mages are hugely popular. SK's with the gear/aa can be very effective too, but that is a specialized flavor (as is ranger headshotting at certain levels and so on).
Paladins would need specific AA work and zone choice to excel. It can be done.
It really depends what is fun to you, and setting reasonable goals around the playtime you're going to put into it.
A berserker is soloable/moloable in today's game, but I would expect 85+ there's going to be more timesink in trying to progress this way.
The question is entirely different if you were boxing (which a ton of casual folks do nowadays).
Level 75 800 AA is not that hard to get to as a true solo/moloer now. That means all of your characters are easily replaced in those respects aside from your berserker. This of course, doesn't include cool quests you may have done on a given character that make it more valuable to you. Note that I am saying this as a person with only 1 character over the 75/800 threshold.
Ease of casual play without specific effort is going to be the traditional strong solo classes like Necro, mage, wizard, druid, beast... I would probably rank them in versatility in that same order --though mages are hugely popular. SK's with the gear/aa can be very effective too, but that is a specialized flavor (as is ranger headshotting at certain levels and so on).
Paladins would need specific AA work and zone choice to excel. It can be done.
It really depends what is fun to you, and setting reasonable goals around the playtime you're going to put into it.
I have a berserker, currently up to 88 and around 500 AAs. I've talked to berserkers from 75 to 95, and the consensus is that soloing/moloing is not worth it. Berserkers cannot take the hits that mobs above the 70s start dishing out. If your going to play a berserker expect to group.
For soloing I've seen 2 major classes do it. Mage and Beastlord. Mage end game have pets that rival players.
For soloing I've seen 2 major classes do it. Mage and Beastlord. Mage end game have pets that rival players.
This game has become so casual friendly, it's almost unrecognizable from its origins. Everyone here has pretty much covered the major points but there is one thing I really want to emphasize to you.
Do not proceed past 75 without at least 800 AA on the Paladin (and perhaps even the Monk). Some people may disagree and that's fine but my Paladin is currently 87 and when she was 80, she had 455 AA and setting foot in SoD (on release) was a very rude awakening for her. I sat in the low 80s until she got over 1500 and with every bundle of AA I spent, I noticed a difference in her performance. I have two warriors currently who are close in level (76 and 73) but worlds apart in AA (1640 for the 76, 155 for the 73) and the difference is palpable. The same accounts for my two monks. One is 76 with 1637 AA (in DoDh/PoR raid gear) and the other is 77 with 702 AA with Solteris gear and the lower level one performs far better, even with inferior gear. Right now, I'm stuck in the position of having to AA a lot of characters before I can level them and to a certain extent, it sucks. But it's a lesson. Yes yes, I remember that it used to be level > AA and to a certain extent, that's still somewhat true, especially for casters. But for classes expected to take hits (or be able to absorb hits), that is not the case and hasn't been for quite some time.
But on the bright side, that plays into the hands of the casual player. You're always making progress and those AA dings will come a lot faster than level dings. So whether you log in for 4 hours or just for a lesson burn, you'll log off feeling like you've accomplished something.
Really, most classes if not all should stop at about 70 and grind AA like mad. Bring able to grind on old world mobs is so much faster than doing it at higher levels.
35 posts
Hey again,
did you pick your choice? I just read the last post and all are right and useful I think.
In case you want to play some of the higher chars it might be an option to create a 2. Account.
Since its free to play now this will give you a complete new feeling.
I would have quit EQ long ago if I wouldnt box.....
In my mind EQ changed from the best MMORG at the beginning to a really new and still
very good one if you box. Make a shammy and box with any tank. Its really easy and
you can use every hour you might have to get very nice exp.
Btw. on what server and time zone do you play ?
Might be an option to look for recruiting guilds.
Good hunting.
did you pick your choice? I just read the last post and all are right and useful I think.
In case you want to play some of the higher chars it might be an option to create a 2. Account.
Since its free to play now this will give you a complete new feeling.
I would have quit EQ long ago if I wouldnt box.....
In my mind EQ changed from the best MMORG at the beginning to a really new and still
very good one if you box. Make a shammy and box with any tank. Its really easy and
you can use every hour you might have to get very nice exp.
Btw. on what server and time zone do you play ?
Might be an option to look for recruiting guilds.
Good hunting.
6 posts
Parakenings wrote:
did you pick your choice?
No, not yet... I'm still toying around with all 3, plus the Pally a bit. I haven't had that much time to play this week, so I was just trying to get a feel for them again and knock off some of the rust.
Boxing a 2nd accound might be a good idea, and one I didn't really think about. Does it require anything special these days, like a 3rd party account, or can I just run it in windowed mode and run 2 instances?
I'm on Bertoxx, and play EST/EDT (though, because of my schedule, my play time is kind of limited to ~7-9:30PM through the week, and then whatever my daughter allows me to play on the weekends...). I probably definitely need a guild presence.
Remi, how do you feel about the Paladin class today? Is that your main? If not, do you play her often? As I mentioned, I've always loved the class, but it's hard to play solo because of how long it takes to kill stuff.
What are some of the better locations for grinding AA in the 65-75 range? I used to do The Hole, but that spot is always highly contested/crowded. Currently using Blackfeather Roost for the Rng/Bst and BoT for the Monk; both are netting me about 6AA/hour. I don't know how that compares to other places/people. It isn't *bad*, but doesn't seem great.
It was mentioned to me that the Hero's Journey stuff might be an route to take as an alternative to traditional grinding. Is that so?
Also, if I have some down time, I've considered going back and working the epic quests. On my original account I had them on both, my Druid and my Paladin, but on this account I only ever bothered with the Berserker. How far can I expect to get on my own? Just 1.0? 1.5?
Thanks for all the input, y'all! I really appreciate it!
I three box just in windowed mode, but then I always do things the hard way...
I am sure there are programs out there, but you can do it just in windowed mode.
I am sure there are programs out there, but you can do it just in windowed mode.
I am also 3 boxing right now. Going with a 66 warrior with 50 AA (yea I know that is horribly low but works so far). Have a 62 rogue and 62 necro. Warrior has a rogue merc, rogue has healer merc, and necro has caster merc all app5 (silver accounts). Even in hotzones the grind seems kinda slow. Warrior is actually an old toon from a long time ago which it took time to get AA's (thus the low amount). Been trying to grind exp in the hotzones and I swear it just feels so slow. About 3 hours of solid grinding gets about half a level with 20% going to AA on the 62's (the warrior has 75% going to AA as he needs them. Luckily the warrior has lesson of devoted so helps get some more AA. Actually thinking about playing him solo one night and burning through The Hole with him. Finally claimed some of those LON cards (had 50+ packs lol) and got a lootcard with 5 exp potions in it. Id say things would go alot smoother if I had another 100AA on him between offense and defense.
Stuff is dieing quick been in sunderrock pulling the serene drakes. I pull with warrior let him build threat for about 5% then add in the rogue and then send necro pet in. I then switch between warrior taunt/kick/berate then rogue backstab and cast a couple dots with necro. Rinse and repeat till either the drake is below 20% fleeing or necro has all dots out. Thankfully the drakes here have low resists so its normally not a problem to land spells. Also the 10% less threat AA's help the necro. I have combat agility and stability 3 tiers and 2 tiers in the natural durability with warrior and I think 2 tiers into the combat fury. Still wanting to work on his defense as I am allready seeing issues with how well he takes hits on things that are higher lvl than him. Figure if I am going to be stuck with app5 merc he needs all the help he can get.
Stuff is dieing quick been in sunderrock pulling the serene drakes. I pull with warrior let him build threat for about 5% then add in the rogue and then send necro pet in. I then switch between warrior taunt/kick/berate then rogue backstab and cast a couple dots with necro. Rinse and repeat till either the drake is below 20% fleeing or necro has all dots out. Thankfully the drakes here have low resists so its normally not a problem to land spells. Also the 10% less threat AA's help the necro. I have combat agility and stability 3 tiers and 2 tiers in the natural durability with warrior and I think 2 tiers into the combat fury. Still wanting to work on his defense as I am allready seeing issues with how well he takes hits on things that are higher lvl than him. Figure if I am going to be stuck with app5 merc he needs all the help he can get.
Hi
To Fronglo:
Reports vary, but many believe that since the AAxp curve was introduced it does whacky things to not be at 0% or 100% in that time (where the aa bonus is in effect). That is to say, set it one way or the other (even if you do 1 hour of one and then switch).
Take your trio to blackfeather roost. Put the warrior and rogue on autofollow. Set the warrior to 100% aa, the rogue to 100% regular. Necro at 100% regular. Suspend all the mercs. Go to town kiting the harpies. Get the trio to 65. Stay in Blackfeather, continue to solo kite (with xp-leachers on autofollowing) until you feel the trio has the AA bed laid down to be more effective truly boxing and using the mercs.
My brother and I have been using 70 (and now 75) necros to boost up our (even more) lagging alts and boxed account we occasionally log in. We moved up to Icefall Glacier (mammoths for 66-71ish, Spiders are still good at 75). We were using Blackfeather for this before it was a hotzone...
The downside of this tactic is that it is extremely repetitive grind-kiting.
Reports vary, but many believe that since the AAxp curve was introduced it does whacky things to not be at 0% or 100% in that time (where the aa bonus is in effect). That is to say, set it one way or the other (even if you do 1 hour of one and then switch).
Take your trio to blackfeather roost. Put the warrior and rogue on autofollow. Set the warrior to 100% aa, the rogue to 100% regular. Necro at 100% regular. Suspend all the mercs. Go to town kiting the harpies. Get the trio to 65. Stay in Blackfeather, continue to solo kite (with xp-leachers on autofollowing) until you feel the trio has the AA bed laid down to be more effective truly boxing and using the mercs.
My brother and I have been using 70 (and now 75) necros to boost up our (even more) lagging alts and boxed account we occasionally log in. We moved up to Icefall Glacier (mammoths for 66-71ish, Spiders are still good at 75). We were using Blackfeather for this before it was a hotzone...
The downside of this tactic is that it is extremely repetitive grind-kiting.
Remianen wrote:
Do not proceed past 75 without at least 800 AA on the Paladin (and perhaps even the Monk).
See, Ive been hearing people say this, but others say to get to 80, get geared and then go back and destroy the lv 70+ zones for AA. Ive heard that the power increase at 80 is like double or triple that of a lv 70. Especially for the melee classes that get ridiculous new weapons, but not too bad for casters either because of new spells.
Right now the group I roll with every night are all 75 with about 500-700AA. Were now going to level to 80 and grind some more AA at 80 in the 70s zones that we are in right now grinding AA, but it should be much easier because of the power gain.
mkopec wrote:
Remianen wrote:
Do not proceed past 75 without at least 800 AA on the Paladin (and perhaps even the Monk).
See, Ive been hearing people say this, but others say to get to 80, get geared and then go back and destroy the lv 70+ zones for AA. Ive heard that the power increase at 80 is like double or triple that of a lv 70. Especially for the melee classes that get ridiculous new weapons, but not too bad for casters either because of new spells.
Right now the group I roll with every night are all 75 with about 500-700AA. Were now going to level to 80 and grind some more AA at 80 in the 70s zones that we are in right now grinding AA, but it should be much easier because of the power gain.
It's not really true. The power gain at 80 is not that big and the massive jump in mob DPS/health is bigger. Staying in the early 70s and grinding old zones like the hole is going to be faster.
6 posts
TouchinMyself wrote:
Staying in the early 70s and grinding old zones like the hole is going to be faster.
What are the alternatives to Hole-like grinding? As I mentioned earlier, this place is perma-camped.
Necosi wrote:
TouchinMyself wrote:
Staying in the early 70s and grinding old zones like the hole is going to be faster.
What are the alternatives to Hole-like grinding? As I mentioned earlier, this place is perma-camped.
IIRC Chardok B was good, Veksar, is GE green for you?
Necosi wrote:
TouchinMyself wrote:
Staying in the early 70s and grinding old zones like the hole is going to be faster.
What are the alternatives to Hole-like grinding? As I mentioned earlier, this place is perma-camped.
Upper-end TSS zones can all be good. Kiters/root rotters do really well in Icefall Glacier for example.
I know people that still adore Wall of Slaughter, Plane of Fire, etc.
The trick is 71-75 you make some of these places not so good. So milk them for AA before levelling past them.
Veksar (65/70), PoFire (65-80), Wall of Slaughter (65-70), GE (at 65), The Hole (inner castle at 65, end castle at 70/71), Paw (75 - 80) are all extremely good AA spots. Will post more if I find them, but these seem to be about as fast as it gets.
LeWoVoc wrote:
Veksar (65/70), PoFire (65-80), Wall of Slaughter (65-70), GE (at 65), The Hole (inner castle at 65, end castle at 70/71), Paw (75 - 80) are all extremely good AA spots. Will post more if I find them, but these seem to be about as fast as it gets.
Since GE is so familiar to me I keep going back. With the F2P transition I have started taking lvl 44s here to level them up while I AA. I can see though that GE will be approaching the end of its usefullness to me by lvl 68. My experiences in veksar tend to make me avoid it - so I'll probably move to PoFire next. I should see how camped the Hole is on EMarr before I do though. Old world always > new.
Necosi wrote:
Remi, how do you feel about the Paladin class today? Is that your main? If not, do you play her often? As I mentioned, I've always loved the class, but it's hard to play solo because of how long it takes to kill stuff.
What are some of the better locations for grinding AA in the 65-75 range? I used to do The Hole, but that spot is always highly contested/crowded. Currently using Blackfeather Roost for the Rng/Bst and BoT for the Monk; both are netting me about 6AA/hour. I don't know how that compares to other places/people. It isn't *bad*, but doesn't seem great.
It was mentioned to me that the Hero's Journey stuff might be an route to take as an alternative to traditional grinding. Is that so?
Also, if I have some down time, I've considered going back and working the epic quests. On my original account I had them on both, my Druid and my Paladin, but on this account I only ever bothered with the Berserker. How far can I expect to get on my own? Just 1.0? 1.5?
What are some of the better locations for grinding AA in the 65-75 range? I used to do The Hole, but that spot is always highly contested/crowded. Currently using Blackfeather Roost for the Rng/Bst and BoT for the Monk; both are netting me about 6AA/hour. I don't know how that compares to other places/people. It isn't *bad*, but doesn't seem great.
It was mentioned to me that the Hero's Journey stuff might be an route to take as an alternative to traditional grinding. Is that so?
Also, if I have some down time, I've considered going back and working the epic quests. On my original account I had them on both, my Druid and my Paladin, but on this account I only ever bothered with the Berserker. How far can I expect to get on my own? Just 1.0? 1.5?
First, my Paladin is my highest level character (at 87) but not my main (that would be my 85 SK). I love her to death because properly developed, she's a bulwark with healing ability. I guess I should've mentioned that I have two Paladins (the other is 71 and currently AA'ing with my 70s group). I've found the Hole to be too much of a pain in the **** so I take the 71 to alternative spots (like Arcstone). I've also taken her to Chardok B since I spent SO much time there with the higher Paladin. The key to the Paladin is either fighting undead mobs or bringing your own DPS. Sometimes I'll box a rogue with the Paladin in Chardok B to make stuff die faster. But you don't want to kill ahead of the spawn rate. You can also use a melee damage merc if you choose (though they're currently bugged and generating way too much aggro). Caster mercs work well too since as a Paladin, you should be able to hold aggro as if it came with a handle. I took the 'firing squad' lineup to Arcstone once (71 PAL, 71 SHM, 65 WIZ, 71 WIZ, 73 WIZ, 72 MAG) and did the named mob there and it died before I realized what had happened. Between swarm pets, sword pets, and raging servant (not to mention the main Mage pet) the adds died almost as quickly as they spawned and the wizards just teed off on the named.
Hero's Journey is great for returning players. You get great xp as well as good gear (and AA too, I've heard?).
Speaking as someone who skipped several epics, you should not skip the Paladin epic. I'm in the process of doing it (TWICE!) because the effect is still VERY useful. And while I hate every trip to Anguish I take, it's not like it's hard to do anymore.
mkopec wrote:
Remianen wrote:
Do not proceed past 75 without at least 800 AA on the Paladin (and perhaps even the Monk).
See, Ive been hearing people say this, but others say to get to 80, get geared and then go back and destroy the lv 70+ zones for AA. Ive heard that the power increase at 80 is like double or triple that of a lv 70. Especially for the melee classes that get ridiculous new weapons, but not too bad for casters either because of new spells.
Right now the group I roll with every night are all 75 with about 500-700AA. Were now going to level to 80 and grind some more AA at 80 in the 70s zones that we are in right now grinding AA, but it should be much easier because of the power gain.
Your power gain at 80 doesn't come close to matching the power gain mobs get in the previous range. Hitting zones where the mobs are now light blue, with a full group, is going to be abysmal xp. But it's all a choice. I was just relating what was told to me and which I ignored, to my detriment. I also have a question. How are you going to "get geared" with suboptimal characters? When my SK was approaching 80 during SoF, she could tank Mansion and Crystallos group, because she had a good amount of AA and 'decent' gear. That allowed her to get the 'best' gear of the time (and a raid weapon). If that's the case, just blitz to 85, load up on Abstruse gear (with its crazy upgrade over previous expansions' droppable armor) and have at it.
Again, I'm not saying you're wrong or anything. But think about this. As you get higher level in EQ, your options for xp shrink. At 71, you have access to the good gear from the first revamped zones (from the glowing athlai/othni drops) and a whole bunch of zones full of mobs from the high 50s to mid 60s. At 80, those options become much fewer unless you're soloing. At 80, you can do Fort Mech/Beza/Zeka and such but many of those earlier zones go light blue (or worse). Go higher and your options thin even more. So AAing at lower level is far more efficient than it is at the higher end, for most people.
snailish wrote:
The trick is 71-75 you make some of these places not so good. So milk them for AA before levelling past them.
Yup!
LeWoVoc wrote:
Veksar (65/70), PoFire (65-80), Wall of Slaughter (65-70), GE (at 65), The Hole (inner castle at 65, end castle at 70/71), Paw (75 - 80) are all extremely good AA spots. Will post more if I find them, but these seem to be about as fast as it gets.
Samatman wrote:
Old world always > new.
This is gospel. Seriously. All you have to do is think about it. You take SoF weapons into Kunark and completely wipe out an entire dungeon's population. Would that happen in an SoF dungeon? No. That old content was designed for the capabilities characters of that level range have now (like, oh I dunno, defiant for a start?). Thus, kills come easier and faster because the mobs weren't designed to combat what you now bring to the table (increased damage output, better defense/ac, more HP, more efficient spells, etc). Because older content isn't updated, that advantage remains yours. Player power in the 70s jumps a lot more than it does at 80 (until 85 when HoT+ gear becomes available to equip).
I always say "Level Uber Alles." Level trumps everything. Yes, of course, a level 95 toon with 100aa's is going to have some serious weaknesses, but AA's are relatively easily earned at ANY level, especially since you get an AAXP bonus when you have under 1000aas. (Might even be 2000, or it's staggered a bit but there's no doubt it's much easier to earn an AA when you have under 2000 AA's than when you have say 4000.)
The reason it's easier to earn AA's faster at lower levels is because the mobs are easier to fight, no doubt. Part of the reason for this is because the gear has been upgraded so much. This gear "edge" declines as the mobs grow exponentially in power and HPs.
Bear in mind that some AAs cannot even be bought until you're higher level. Sure, nice to be level 65 with 1500aas but guaranteed you've had to buy less useful AA's than you'd have access to at 75 or 85.
Talk of de-levelling several levels to make it "easier" to earn AA'S is crazy talk. Far better to research the sweet spots for earning AA's at whatever level you are. Going backwards to make it a tiny bit easier to go forward..... like I said, crazy talk!
I remember when my toons were all level 90, my weak baby was my magician with only 400aas. When HoT came out, a lot of the instanced missions were giving out HUGE amounts of aa's for completion, especially with the bonus if you had a low level to start. My mage was getting the max 30 aa's for ONE mission at the same time as my other toons, each with 3000-6000 aa's, were getting as few as 9. 30 aa's a mission pile up fast and in a couple weeks of doing missions necessary to advance in HoT I got him to well over 2000. Of course, eventually EQ nerfed the HoT mission AA value so that path isn't as lucrative.
One "sweet spot" from the anniversary celebration was the "Infiltrating the Guardian" mission. Of course, this is probably going to be gone by Monday, but there's always other sweet spots. :)
The reason it's easier to earn AA's faster at lower levels is because the mobs are easier to fight, no doubt. Part of the reason for this is because the gear has been upgraded so much. This gear "edge" declines as the mobs grow exponentially in power and HPs.
Bear in mind that some AAs cannot even be bought until you're higher level. Sure, nice to be level 65 with 1500aas but guaranteed you've had to buy less useful AA's than you'd have access to at 75 or 85.
Talk of de-levelling several levels to make it "easier" to earn AA'S is crazy talk. Far better to research the sweet spots for earning AA's at whatever level you are. Going backwards to make it a tiny bit easier to go forward..... like I said, crazy talk!
I remember when my toons were all level 90, my weak baby was my magician with only 400aas. When HoT came out, a lot of the instanced missions were giving out HUGE amounts of aa's for completion, especially with the bonus if you had a low level to start. My mage was getting the max 30 aa's for ONE mission at the same time as my other toons, each with 3000-6000 aa's, were getting as few as 9. 30 aa's a mission pile up fast and in a couple weeks of doing missions necessary to advance in HoT I got him to well over 2000. Of course, eventually EQ nerfed the HoT mission AA value so that path isn't as lucrative.
One "sweet spot" from the anniversary celebration was the "Infiltrating the Guardian" mission. Of course, this is probably going to be gone by Monday, but there's always other sweet spots. :)
Sippin 115 DRU **** Firiona Vie ****Agnarr
FV: 115 WAR ENC CLE MAG WIZ SHD SHM Master Alchemist ROG Master Tinkerer & Poison-Maker
Master Artisan (300+) * Baker * Brewer * Fletcher * Jeweler * Potter * Researcher * Smith * Tailor
Agnarr: 65 DRU ENC SHD MAG CLE ROG WIZ BRD WAR
FV: 115 WAR ENC CLE MAG WIZ SHD SHM Master Alchemist ROG Master Tinkerer & Poison-Maker
Master Artisan (300+) * Baker * Brewer * Fletcher * Jeweler * Potter * Researcher * Smith * Tailor
Agnarr: 65 DRU ENC SHD MAG CLE ROG WIZ BRD WAR
Sippin wrote:
I always say "Level Uber Alles." Level trumps everything. Yes, of course, a level 95 toon with 100aa's is going to have some serious weaknesses, but AA's are relatively easily earned at ANY level, especially since you get an AAXP bonus when you have under 1000aas. (Might even be 2000, or it's staggered a bit but there's no doubt it's much easier to earn an AA when you have under 2000 AA's than when you have say 4000.)
The reason it's easier to earn AA's faster at lower levels is because the mobs are easier to fight, no doubt. Part of the reason for this is because the gear has been upgraded so much. This gear "edge" declines as the mobs grow exponentially in power and HPs.
Bear in mind that some AAs cannot even be bought until you're higher level. Sure, nice to be level 65 with 1500aas but guaranteed you've had to buy less useful AA's than you'd have access to at 75 or 85.
Talk of de-levelling several levels to make it "easier" to earn AA'S is crazy talk. Far better to research the sweet spots for earning AA's at whatever level you are. Going backwards to make it a tiny bit easier to go forward..... like I said, crazy talk!
I remember when my toons were all level 90, my weak baby was my magician with only 400aas. When HoT came out, a lot of the instanced missions were giving out HUGE amounts of aa's for completion, especially with the bonus if you had a low level to start. My mage was getting the max 30 aa's for ONE mission at the same time as my other toons, each with 3000-6000 aa's, were getting as few as 9. 30 aa's a mission pile up fast and in a couple weeks of doing missions necessary to advance in HoT I got him to well over 2000. Of course, eventually EQ nerfed the HoT mission AA value so that path isn't as lucrative.
One "sweet spot" from the anniversary celebration was the "Infiltrating the Guardian" mission. Of course, this is probably going to be gone by Monday, but there's always other sweet spots. :)
The reason it's easier to earn AA's faster at lower levels is because the mobs are easier to fight, no doubt. Part of the reason for this is because the gear has been upgraded so much. This gear "edge" declines as the mobs grow exponentially in power and HPs.
Bear in mind that some AAs cannot even be bought until you're higher level. Sure, nice to be level 65 with 1500aas but guaranteed you've had to buy less useful AA's than you'd have access to at 75 or 85.
Talk of de-levelling several levels to make it "easier" to earn AA'S is crazy talk. Far better to research the sweet spots for earning AA's at whatever level you are. Going backwards to make it a tiny bit easier to go forward..... like I said, crazy talk!
I remember when my toons were all level 90, my weak baby was my magician with only 400aas. When HoT came out, a lot of the instanced missions were giving out HUGE amounts of aa's for completion, especially with the bonus if you had a low level to start. My mage was getting the max 30 aa's for ONE mission at the same time as my other toons, each with 3000-6000 aa's, were getting as few as 9. 30 aa's a mission pile up fast and in a couple weeks of doing missions necessary to advance in HoT I got him to well over 2000. Of course, eventually EQ nerfed the HoT mission AA value so that path isn't as lucrative.
One "sweet spot" from the anniversary celebration was the "Infiltrating the Guardian" mission. Of course, this is probably going to be gone by Monday, but there's always other sweet spots. :)
No, the reason AAs are faster at earlier levels is that old world mobs have a tiny fraction of the health and damage compared to your own. 30AAs for an hour long mission is good, no doubt about that but 30AAs is what i was getting in the hole in half an hour with XP pots. 95 with 100AAs is not "weak" its absolutely useless and you will struggle to get 10AA an hour at that level with that few AAs.
Level 90 with 400AAs is not useless but you where certainly not pulling your weight in those missions with the guys with 3-6k AA.
Sippin wrote:
I always say "Level Uber Alles." Level trumps everything. Yes, of course, a level 95 toon with 100aa's is going to have some serious weaknesses, but AA's are relatively easily earned at ANY level, especially since you get an AAXP bonus when you have under 1000aas. (Might even be 2000, or it's staggered a bit but there's no doubt it's much easier to earn an AA when you have under 2000 AA's than when you have say 4000.)
No it's not, not unless you're leeching (which is essentially what your mage was doing). I'd really like to see you do VoA with a level 95 warrior with 100 AA. "Serious weaknesses"? That character is USELESS. And to make it even worse, s/he is useless without any ability to fix that problem since they'll need to either fight greens (with difficulty) or leech off people who are well rounded.
Granted, this is extremely class dependent but it bears out for ALL classes. I've been in groups with the level 90 tank with next to no AA who has to step aside as the knight four levels lower but with 10 times the AA has to take over tanking duties. I've seen the level 85 rogue with no AA ("Level > AA") get outparsed by the rogue five levels lower with the exact same weapon (Deathpoint) but 500+ AA. I've been the cleric who rushed to 85 (on the Combine, when it existed) and was completely outclassed by the 82 cleric who hit 85 a month and a half later but who, at 82, could drop heals that were higher in base amount (due to Healing Adept) and crit a helluva lot more often (Healing Gift). The only advantage I had over her was the fact that I could cast Hand of Gallantry and she only had the single target version. Woo?
My thing is, I don't mind leeching off myself. But if I'm grouping outside of my boxes or my immediate circle of friends, I need to be on point. And that means, I need to be well rounded. My tanks need to be able to handle level appropriate mobs without a merc on Reactive AND a player cleric with their eyes stapled to my health bar. Again, it's easier for DPS classes to skate by unless they're in an aggressive group (where every point of DPS counts and somebody in the group is parsing) but not all DPS can do that. A low AA Monk is easy to spot as is a low AA ranger. In fact, a low AA but higher level Ranger can be outdamaged by a lower level but much higher AA count BARD. Read that sentence again.
Sorry Sippin, I couldn't possibly disagree with you more. Having been on both sides of the equation (a few times as the same character), I don't buy the 'level > all' stuff anymore. The additional abilities you get with level don't come as fast as mob power increases. You NEED to supplement level with a good amount of alternate abilities to even come close to balancing out. Some of the AAs you mention that aren't immediately available are either tied to an expansion (like the VoA language gate) or not needed for the content the lower level is tackling. You don't need CS/CA 34 to tank stuff at level 73, for example. Others are convenience (the "free up a spell slot" ones like SoE and Entrap) or straight upgrades of abilities available earlier (so tied to an expansion due to level, i.e. SoD CS/CA not available prior to 81 because SoF capped at 80). It's not just a case of 'oh you need this level or you can't have this ability!'
TouchinMyself wrote:
No, the reason AAs are faster at earlier levels is that old world mobs have a tiny fraction of the health and damage compared to your own. 30AAs for an hour long mission is good, no doubt about that but 30AAs is what i was getting in the hole in half an hour with XP pots. 95 with 100AAs is not "weak" its absolutely useless and you will struggle to get 10AA an hour at that level with that few AAs.
Level 90 with 400AAs is not useless but you where certainly not pulling your weight in those missions with the guys with 3-6k AA.
Level 90 with 400AAs is not useless but you where certainly not pulling your weight in those missions with the guys with 3-6k AA.
I see what Sippin is saying and if you take it at face value (or 'on paper'), it's correct. But reality can be cruel and the fact is, especially in today's game, being a high level, low AA character limits you a great deal. Again, some classes have it easier than others but NO class can say "I'm 95 with no AA and equally capable as every other 95 of my class". Can't do it, at least not truthfully. The "conventional wisdom" has changed over the years. The 'you get AAs faster at higher level' argument assumes a character is going to be able to either solo/molo for that AA or find groups consistently and neither is a sure thing. And even then, a high AA (or 'well rounded') character is going to get more AA a lot faster than the character with no AA, bonus be damned. Remember that content is designed around characters with a particular gear AND development level (which means AAs).
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