ZatxWoopyoax wrote:
Yep.. something wasn't being done right. I power lvl'd a bard to 75 without him every playing a note. At 75 I set him up with the lvl 1 songs and left him over night. The next morning all skills were maxxed... less than 12 hours.
Powerleveling skills in EQ 101
1. For casters (and Bards), you only use the lowest level skill of the spell skill you're looking to raise. For example, a Shaman would use Burst of Fire (Flame?) to raise Evocation. Bards should not use any skill over level 20 (19, really. Shauri's for Wind). Wizards raising skill for familiars should use Halo of Light, NOT the low level Minor Familiar spell. The reason is simple: lower casting time, lower refresh time, lower mana cost (for non-Bards) means more attempts before having to rest/med.
2. For melee, raising melee skills is easy, though it requires more attention than Bards (obviously). If you don't box, I would recruit a friend who also wants to raise skills (like a caster or a cleric). Find a secluded arena (Neriak was my go-to before the expansion since I have a lot of DEs but Thurgadin, Kaladim, and Qeynos are also good). You're looking for a place with very little foot traffic. Pop your healer mercs and put them on passive (unless one of the PCs is a class with healing skills then you don't need the merc). Equip the fastest low level weapon of the skill you want to increase and then go to town on each other. If you're grouped, the healer merc will keep you alive so you can just beat the heck out of each other. Change weapons as the skills max. It's risky but you could also conceivably go afk (I'd recommend parking one character in a corner to cancel the effects of melee push). As a telecommuter (and a boxer), I often do this while at work and just glance over at the screen every now and then. I keep both characters' skills window open so I can see progress and change as needed.
I should note that while the 'duel' mechanic does allow for occasional skillups, it's glacial in comparison to just being in a PvP area.