Pre Noob to EQ2 need some answersFollow

OK, I played EQ for about 2 years so i have some insite as to how to play but i have read that there is a cra[/u]p load of new stuff to do and how to run your charicter. So that being said, I will be starting the game on monday.

I read something about downloadable UI's how do i download them and then in trun use them.

Macro's?

The Conning system?

Best 2 man and trio groups?

Also any additional info would be greatful

Thank you much.

UI's: Try this site. You download them, follow the provided instructions, and your UI will change. These are all made by individuals, support may not be quick, so proper review and caution is necessary.

Macro's: Not an expert there.

Con System: Like EQ1, the mobs have colors to indicate how easy of tough.
Grey = No exp
Green = 2 levels below
Blue = 1 level below
White = Same level as you
Yellow = 1 level above
Orange = 2 levels above
Red = 3 or more levels above

Monsters, quests, and items all have cons.

As a bonus, SOE added a "level number" tag on the critters name that will tell you exactly what level it is. i.e. 25 Centaur Huntress.
New to EQ2 is the "^" indicators (old con graphic) or "fancy frame" (new con graphic). If a mob has a double-up arrow ( ^ ^ ) above it's power bar, it means it will have considerably more HP that the same named critter with no up-arrows. ^^'s typically mean you need a group to take them.
Same policy applies to the fancy-frame system. The more fancy the frame around the critters name, the tougher it is.
Monsters may now be linked in a group, so if you pull 1, 3 more may follow.

Groups: Tank and Healer is always a safe bet. Berzerker/Warriors have good ability to keep agro, and Clerics have better heals. A Scout archtyoe might be good to help track, Evac (Ranger), and SoW. Any other DPS class will work, in fact there is a thread in this forum of opinions for the Best Trio Group. It all depends on what you like.

Beginning: Like EQ1, you will start with a tutorial on a ship-at-sea that will walk you through the UI and mechanics of moving, talking, fighting, etc. You will gain a level there before being dropped on the Newbie Isle of Refuge with other players just starting out. Here you will complete quests and fight with relative ease getting up to 6th level, practicing crafting, and getting a partial set of armor. You are capped to 6th level, although you can acrue extra exp up to 220%.
Once done on the IoR, you will go to your home city. If you are good you will go to Qeynos. If you are Evil you will go to Freeport. Follow the continuing tutorial and apply for Citizenship. Once you complete the Citizenship quest, you will then get all that exp and ding twice up to 8th level.
You will also be able to obtain a room at the inn to hang out, relax, or conduct selling of your wares. The room costs 5 silver a week for upkeep. You can buy, quest for, or craft furniture and items to place in your room.

Money: Cash is downplayed heavily, as you will not find a single copper on monsters. You can collect their drops and sell it to the vendors for some coin, but not much. You also get coin for completing quests.

EXP: Gained from fighting of course, but you also get exp from completing quests. You will get more exp for fighting a Orange^^ group than a Green solo.

Quests: Almost every NPC has quests. Do as many as you can and you will find that you are becoming well equipped anad gaining good exp. There is a good quest log UI to keep track of up to 50 different quests. Quests con just like monsters. If you have a quest that is White, it is challenging but do-able. If it is Red, it is very hard, nearly impossible. As your level increases, the con of the quest will change to match. Eventually that Red quest will become Green.

Advancing: Different than EQ1. When you begin, you pick 1 of 4 archtypes (fighter, priest, scout, mage). Once you get to level 9 you must find the NPC that will give you quests to pick your next specialty (easy to locate). You will be capped at 9 until you complete the quest and pick your new specialty. Same thing when you are level 19 going for 20. You can't go back and "undo" a choice, so choose carefully.

Spells/Skills: Unlike EQ1, you get your new spell/skill automatically when you level. There are various levels of spells:
Apprentice 1-4 (player made)
Adept 1-3 (loot and player made)
Master (rare loot)
You will start with Apprentice 1 (weakest) and can either buy, craft, or loot upgrades. Vendors sell App2 spells, but don't waste your time since those are not much of an upgrade. You can craft most of your own spells/skills up to App4 with ease.
Unlike EQ1 where you were limited to 8 (9?) spell slots, you will now have as many up as you like in a 12-icon bar. I run with 4 menu bars always open.

Crafting: Great highly detailed system to create almost anythng in the world. You can even do nothing but crafting and become a merchant making a ton of cash. The tutorial on the IoR will show you the basics of tradeskilling.

These are just the basics, and there is a lot more to learn and do.

Bottom line:
- Do as many quests as you can.
- Upgrade all your spells/skill to at least Apprentice 3.
- Have fun!

Good luck :)

yes you can turn off XP, however I dunno if that's all XP gain, or mob-killing XP gain. I would assume it turns off everything, but I've never tried it.

however you will never *gray out* a quest no matter what level you get to.. so that odd little quest you missed becomes a brief moment's diversion from the more difficult things you'll be doing later in your character's career.

When did they change so quest dont turn grey?

I had a grey quest only 3 days ago. Was my first grey ever :p

From the patch notes forum on the SOE boards dated 3/10/05:



Link to Moorgard's post is HERE



Edited, Fri Mar 18 17:51:24 2005 by OldBlueDragon

A macro is any simple or complex command that is tied to a single mouse click or hotkey.

For example:

/gsay incoming %T

is a common simple macro that when triggered will tell all the members of your group what you are pulling back to camp.

/heal %T
/gsay incoming heal on %T please stand still

will cast a heal on the targeted group member and then ask him to stay immobile.

There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands of macros that have been used in EQ and in EQ2. One of my favorites and one which I have loaded on every hot bar is:

/time

This returns the time both in game and in the real world. I like to know what time it is... go figure!

Edited, Fri Mar 18 23:51:44 2005 by OldBlueDragon

If you want a charactor that will jump right into groups at higher level, go with a healer. Much like EQ1, healers become very important at higher levels. Alot of groups sometimes feel they need 2 groups cause of the massive amount of damage mobs can do once you get past lvl 25ish.