Coming back after a long break

[Erazmus]

Hi all. I heard about the FTP, then got so excited to log back in that I ended up paying. I was just curious what was different. I'm currently updating the client (2 gig left to download). I'll hopefully be able to log in for my lunch hour, assuming it finishes by then.

I have a 76 mage with 372AA. I'm going to have to relearn the ropes a little bit to get back into the swing of things. The last I remember SplitPaw was a great zone to be at for my level. I'd appreciate any advice that can be given about what's new, where to go, and so on. I'd be especially thankful if someone could lend their researching skill to me, because I think I'm missing some spells and my skill is 147 or so

I am on the Tunare sever, so feel free to say hi. I'm afraid everyone I once knew is pretty much gone. Anyway, just wanted to say hello and very excited to be back. Hopefully FTP will bring in a lot more people back!

*Edit* Just noticed the returning to EQ thread

[Shardin]

I don't know anyone on Tunare but welcome back. I recommend checking out the hotzones for XP and pick up a merc if you didn't have one from before. Join a guild as soon as you can, cause guilds are where it's at.

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/wiki/EQ:Hotzones

[Tweelis]

Splitpaw is still the best xp/aaxp in the game for your level; stay there until you're ready to puke. Once the top side goes green drop down to the basement (in the pit just past the double doors) and stay until 81. Even though splitpaw is not a hotzone it's far better xp over time than the hotzones.

You can buy all your rank 1 spells from vendors. Unless you plan on staying under level 85 for a good long time the rank 1 spells will hold you over if you can't get rank 2's somehow. Lots of people still hunt in Secret's of Fawydere and get spells left and right from mob drops so check your bazaar for those spells.

[Erazmus]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! It turns out I only had about a half hour to get on at lunch time. Just enough to fix the interface and get my feet wet in Paw. Holy cow, I get like 12 to 15% AA per kill there. Crazy! I didn't even use lesson. I plan on doing that tonight.

Maybe you guys can answer a question for me. Is the free Firiona Vie move still available? I was thinking on moving there since I'm a casual gamer like some others here, and it would allow me access to raid gear I otherwise wouldn't have access to. I have been browsing other EQ forums and it seems like there is a genuine hatred of FV. People feel imprisoned there. Why do people feel this way? Is the server really that bad? Would I be making a mistake by moving there?

[Piemastaj]

People feel imprisoned there because once you move (yes free xfers there are still allowed), you can not move off. So, say you move there and can not stand the community your stuck now. Or you have issues with the only solid guild on that server, well now you can not raid there either if you plan on doing that. The major issue is, if problems arise (real or fake ones) you can not get away from them. Which will potentially harm you later down the road.

[bluejaye]

since fv has a xp bonus, i might suggest starting a new toon there if you want to check it out. i've played on fv a little bit with my brother, who is mostly bored with eq but every once in a while gets into it again. he prefers fv because of the xp bonus and the tradable gear. levels and aa are really quick there, so you can get a feel for the server without stranding your mage if you decide it's not for you. i found the lack of common tongue to be the most annoying part of the server, myself. all in all, though, i enjoyed my time there. i went back to rathe when he stopped playing again because that's where my friends are not because of any complaints with the way things are done.

[Skrub]

You could try AG, entrance mobs and a little into east wing. Your fire nukes work on the orcs & boars and your summoned spells work on the golems/sentries in the entrance. Most are single pull except for the third and fourth boar into the east wing. Also, make sure to stand away when you open the door to the east wing.

At your aa count, I was getting at least 60 aa xp per kill sometimes more and the kills weren't that long/difficult... without lesson. Lesson just ripped through it. 1 + per kill and every 4 or 5 kills, I got two aa per kill in a lesson.

I do have a focused pet from being gimped into a raid right before a SoD boss kill though. *shrug*, I'm sure he helped quite a bit.

[Savil]

I would avoid FV if you have even a passing interest in raiding, like ever. A *lot* of zones are empty, when you do see groups it tends to be somebody boxing or a group of guildies that aren't willing to add others. I'm not saying its 100% that way, but expect to see a pretty exclusive group of people if you make the jump.

As for raiding, the only raid guild of note on FV is a guild called Fire and Fury. Its having a great deal of issues atm (its my old guild when I still played) and it wouldn't surprise me to see it fold up soonish mostly due to short comings of its current leadership (or lack there of).

Savil