New Player Starting - Questions/Recommendations/Groups?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Dracou, Feb 1, 2021.

  1. Dracou

    Dracou Member

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    16
    I am just coming over and starting TAKP, and had a few questions:

    1. Any lowbies or people making new chars that we can schedule time to group? I know 3-boxing is allowed and done here, but still like to group up!
    a. Sub-question: Any good leveling/casual guilds?

    2. Are there any good leveling guides out there? I don't know which zones have big experience modifiers or anything like that here.

    3. I assume that, even if I can find some groups, boxing is pretty important on this server. I am planning on doing BST / NEC / CLR, but let me know if you think that's a bad combo. The necro is the only char that is a requirement as they're my favorite.

    Look forward to getting out there and playing with you all!

    -Drac
     
  2. solar

    solar Administrator Staff Member

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    1,194
    That's a great trio. Depending on what you want out of your experience, you might enjoy simply starting the necro alone and playing that way. Otherwise I think the BST may end up being your main with the 2 sitting the back.
     
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  3. Darchon

    Darchon I Feel Loved

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    3,627
    http://wiki.takp.info/index.php?title=Current_ZEMs

    That link will provide you with the ZEMs for each zone if you want to scroll it should you care to figure out the optimal leveling path. Though this of course isn't for everyone and the journey on your first character(s) on a server can be far more important than the time invested.

    For a trio relying on a beastlord tank, 2 pets for DPS and cleric, there is almost no zone off limits I would say from now until PoP. Personally I would suggest undead zones so you can benefit from undead nukes on both the necromancer and cleric, as well as not have to deal with snaring each mob to prevent fleeing. With that in mind:

    Level 1-5 = Basically any starter zone, wherever you feel most comfortable. If your characters are all different races across the map use PoK to meet up and select a zone to fight in. Personally I like Field of Bone as it has a nice progression from level 1-4 and then 4+ with the pit.

    Level 5-15 = Kurns Tower is amazing. Tons of skeletons so you will always have bone chips, mobs don't flee and not a bunch of tight rooms that would lead to overpulls/wipes.

    Level 15-30~ = Unrest is also amazing. It has a strong ZEM, a bunch of undead and is usually pretty empty so you can grab whatever camp you need.

    Level 30+ = You can look around there are a bunch of great options. High Keep has a strong ZEM. LGuk allows you to stick with undead and get some loot perhaps. Rathe Mountains hill giants are good in your higher 30s for platinum generation.

    I think we have 1 or 2 casual guilds on the server that do not raid, but the vast majority of the server is in one of 5 raiding guild/alliances. Many of these guilds will also accept level 1-60 characters and help you level up. Others are more raid focused and may want to wait until you are more capable of attending a raid before tagging you.
     
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  4. Ransom

    Ransom Well-Known Member

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    255
    Going to assume the BST/NEC/CLR will be evil races, so I'll tweak toward that:

    First, here are the basic high exp zones on TAKP 1-50:
    Blackburrow - 5-15
    Crushbone - 5-15
    Kurns - 5-22
    Paludal - 15-25 - at 15 in a trio this might be tough if you arent single pulling. Around 20 you can pull entire houses of bandits and the exp flies.
    Unrest - 20-34 - first in the fireplace area on the second floor, then some basement. This is fun with a necro charming too.
    Highkeep - best 24-35 and 45-55, you can technically do 24-55 here but that would be painful. Guards from 30-40 can probably make you 10k.
    Upper Guk - 15-35 - little bit more exploration than the above options. Some decent loot.
    SolA - 25-40 - since you're evil, you can go goblins then gnomes all the way to 40 fairly quickly here. With sneak, you can sell to the goblin merchant and never leave the zone.
    Kaesora - 35-49 - more exploration. From 35-40 the library area is good, but beware of casters. The church and Xalgoz area from 40-49 (it slows at 46 but its so smooth you can grind to 49)

    Now, after a level or two in Paludal/Kurns/Highkeep, i'm looking to do something else usually. So here are some other options that might be a bit more fun or nostalgic for you:

    Dungeons:

    Warrens - 4-20 - I love this zone. You absolutely NEED snare. Everything runs. However, there are some decent pieces of gear, there are some fun drops and you can even turn in molars for exp until 12 or so if I remember.
    Mistmoore - 16-40 - Can start down by the pool, then work your way into the graveyard and up to the castle. This zone is still challenging years later thanks to the casters and close quarters.
    Najena - 16-30 - just for a level or two somewhere in the 16-24 range to remember how punishing and odd EQ dungeons can be.
    Crystal Caverns - 24-35 - I love this zone. Theres a town to sell and bank. There are different distinct areas in each level range. Decent loot and lots of sellables.
    Lower Guk - 34-50 - Start in the bedroom or Assassin/Supplier, move around to each camp, Frenzy around 42 and Ghoul Lord around 49. One of my favorites and always challenging.
    SolB - 34-50 - More challenging than SolA, kobolds then bats and bugs can send you to 50 with some loot.

    Outdoors:
    South Karana - 18-24 - Probably mostly nostalgia here, but a little KFC camp never hurt anyone. Surprisingly a relatively close run to Oggok.
    Forest Giant Fortress at Warsliks Woods - 22-27 - Camp some forest loops for your priest and beastlord. Its always fun killing huge giants at low levels.
    Sarnak fortress at Lake of Ill Omen - 25-32ish? - Just camp outside and pull from within. This one will bring back early Kunark memories.
    Mountain Giants in Frontier Mountains - 30-35 - More chances at forest loops and other decent vendor money.
    Overthere - 32-40 - Not going to say this is anything less than boring. However, sometimes you want to kick back and chill. Here you can safely pull to an edge and level fairly efficiently. If you're evil and havent ruined your venril sathir faction, theres a town as well. You can actually do something like 14-18 by the mud pool in this zone too.
    Dreadlands - 40-49 - Pull to a side of Karnors for easy laid back experience. Avoid Gorenaire sightings.

    I'm probably missing quite a few more options from 1-50, but a mix of the above will make for a fun-filled but efficient ride up to 50.
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2021
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  5. Dracou

    Dracou Member

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    16
    I was going to do BAR BST, IKS NEC, HIE CLR, so only the necro would be an evil race. I could be convinced to go IKS / IKS / DEF though if the regen + innate AC makes a big difference for the BST. I chose BAR for starting stats and less of an exp penalty, though.
     
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  6. Ripwind

    Ripwind People Like Me

    Messages:
    333
    Good/Evil won't impact your selection too much. I think that's a fantastic trio (Disclaimer: I'm a Barb Bst main) and you'll have no trouble trio'ing to 60. Two pets can be a bit of a juggling act, but it's not terrible!
     
  7. Willow

    Willow New Member

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    1
    Be mindful of faction as you traverse Norrath. An example would be you have a dark elf in your trio and decide to go to crushbone. Well the orcs in crushbone give a negative faction hit to Indigo Brotherhood, The Dark Elf Warriors Guild. It is possible to fix the faction in this example however not all factions in EverQuest can be fixed at all or can not be fixed easily.

    Be safe and good luck!
     
  8. Braven

    Braven Well-Known Member

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    93
    I run this combo and, having a CLR and NEC instead of a DRU or WIZ, the ability to easily get the OT hammer for porting has been really useful. There are xp camps you wont be able to use, as well, without paying for puppet strings etc. I would suggest rolling ogre or troll for that reason, on a first character.
    Ive also found I havent been able to exploit the necros abilities well in the setup until higher levels. The mobs just die faster than the DoTs so you have to rely on weak nukes. If I had to do it over again, I would have chosen a WIZ or MAG which you can use more fully. MAG summoned focus items would have also been really nice, leveling.
    That said, its still a great combo. Happy hunting!
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2021
  9. Rauvas

    Rauvas Member

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    11
    What level are you now Darc? I have a lvl 17 pal, rng, and enc.
     
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  10. Ransom

    Ransom Well-Known Member

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    255
    Barbarian beastlords are cool with their wolf pets. I'd stick with what you've got. Just be mindful of your Iksar being hated pretty much everywhere. But I find that makes necro much more fun.

    Your necro is going to feel a little weak for a while. Once fights take longer and your dots can do some work, they'll gain some ground on the burst DPS casters. I'd probably aim to hunt in undead areas with your necro being burst damage with undead nukes. Kurns, Lower Guk, Kaesora on the list above would be solid for you. If you get comfortable learning to charm undead, your necro will have insane DPS while leveling. It takes some work though. Search GINA on these forums for suggestions on using audio triggers for charm breaks. Or be like me and just go for low APM at a slower pace and take frequest kid breaks. Hah.
     
  11. Dracou

    Dracou Member

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    16
    @Rauvas I'm 13/13/12 right now, so getting close to be able to group!
     
  12. Rauvas

    Rauvas Member

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    11
    I guess the predicament I find myself in is,

    I have like 4 trio's of lowbies. I have their group configurations worked out, and I'm working on gearing them all before I start leveling them. I want to group with others, but if I do that, I want it to be more like a "real" group with at least 3 humans present. So two-boxing would be the maximum. I just enjoy the grouping and exp'ing aspect of EQ the most and I'm gonna have to find people who are willing to single or two-box to group with me. So if it were just my trio + Darc's trio, I wouldn't like it much because I wouldn't be getting the "feels" that I enjoy with more groupmates, unfortunately..

    That's why I wish this server just had a bigger population so it would be easier to find groups. I made a thread on these forums a long time ago asking if anyone was interested to group but I didn't get a lot of responses. I'm thinking of making it a weekly thing soon, so we can try to get some organization and planning behind it. Hopefully that would attract some more people. I'm just waiting until I can get some gear for all of my lowbies so they'll all be set to go. It takes a while to farm up enough plat when my mains are only lvl 44 killing HG's which are often camped anyway.
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2021
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  13. prattrs

    prattrs Active Member

    Messages:
    61
    If it's any consolation to you, I can tell you that you don't need a "powerful" trio, at least in the sense of solo ability, to level to 60. I don't have any melee classes at all, for example. I have also been in plenty of 2-2-2 or 3-2-1 or whatever groups. People generally seem willing, especially if they know you.

    In fact, I only made two toons to start with (mage and cleric), and I left the cleric way behind for months because I joined groups alone on the mage, which was my preference. I still find the constant player focus on optimized "trios" tiresome, but it's understandable and I'm starting to get numb to it.

    There are other ways to get plat and some are more interesting, IMHO. You can do specs around that level in Oasis (I think) and sell the scythes for plat. More interesting though would be the Hole or Sebilis. Should be able to get gems in either place, and Hole drops loam for casters. Sebilis gives you a chance at an ODS, which will either serve you well or help to fix your plat account. Sebilis sounds like your best chance for a "normal" group.
     
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  14. Pithy

    Pithy I Feel Loved

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    2,620
    If meeting people and grouping are important to you, maybe consider boxing fewer toons or a less self-sufficient trio. I have a few friends who took this approach, boxing a DPS or support trio or, in two extreme cases, single-boxing rogues. It worked out pretty well for them. A good way to nudge yourself toward hanging out with other people is to play characters that need to do exactly that.
     
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  15. meanwun

    meanwun New Member

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    6
    I've soloed my best to 49. I've gotten the occasional group. My problem is I'm a 3rd shifter weekends only kind of guy. If you were on my schedule I'd gladly group with you with my someday trio alts.