That didn’t come as a huge surprise. After EQ2, SOE is now also rolling out “Heroic” Characters for EQ with the following properties: “level 85 with a full complement of gear, Alternative Advancement Abilities, and a unique mount.”
OK, so the details are still a bit fuzzy: what quality does the gear have, how many AA do you get? Though, truth to be told, I don’t think that matters much to me. EQ was a game that I never get around to playing in its heyday. I’ve tried Project 1999 before, but I think I stopped around level 5. I blame it on being distracted by a squirrel or something.
However, just like with EQ2, for a limited time, you can get your instant level 85 for free. That’s a price I’m willing to accept. It would be nice to have a high-level character. I don’t think I’ll get around to level it much, but I could use it for sightseeing. Run around low-level zones, check out old raids, things like that.
The problem, of course, is: what to choose? There are so many classes! I guess, in the end, it doesn’t matter too much if all I want to do is travel around and look at things. But that has never stopped me from fretting about the choices.
Maybe an enchanter? I like the idea of the class (it was my Project 1999 class, after all), and they get spells to lull/pacify enemies. That might be useful if I screw up.
Or a druid? Traveling spells, like a wizard, but also evac. That’s not only useful for getting out of bad situations. I imagine it might also be great to get out of dungeons fast after I explored them.
What about a magician or necromancer? If I end up wanting to level the character, I’d probably be served best by a certified soloing class. Then again, I don’t think it’s very likely that this will happen. Plus, neither are all that great for groups, or so I heard. And the only reason to level from 85 to cap, solo or not, is to play in groups at some point, right? Besides, they’re both pet classes, and I’m not a huge pet class fan. (On the other hand, high-level enchanters are probably even more extreme pet classes with charms that can break at the worst time.)
I’ve also been thinking about a bard. I tried one on the Fippy Darkpaw time-locked server when it was opened. But other than the fact that I like the concept of bard classes in games, I don’t see anything especially appealing that would make a bard a great explorer. Except run speed, I guess, but with mounts around, I wonder how much that even matters.
Then there are all the other classes I don’t know anything about. Maybe one of those would make a good choice, too.
Hm. Can anybody with EQ experience give some suggestions?
I’m a bit vague on how far you’ve leveled in EQ previously from the above. If you really never got further than level 5 then the chances of you having any kind of fun from jumping on an insta-85 are negligible, I’d say. Back in the days when I used to beta-test EQ expansions they had this thing where you could use a pre-made, geared max-level character for testing. I found that any class I hadn’t already played at high levels was incomprehensible and even playing a class I was very familiar with at low and medium levels was extremely challenging.
That aside, if you’re determined to proceed then I’d go for either a Necromancer or a Beastlord. Or I would if you hadn’t said you don’t like pet classes. Really, though, it isn’t going to make much difference. If you’re going to explore under-level content, (and under-85 is about a dozen years-worth, after all) I don’t think it is going to make much difference what you play. Any geared 85 with a Merc is going to sleep-walk through most things up to about 65th, raid content included, and have a good chance of handling a lot of content up to 75 or so.
I’m going to get started on choosing mine next week since I have some time off then.
If you’re seriously thinking of grouping at-level then I have nothing to offer – I have no idea what current group orthodoxy is. I very much doubt at-level groups are going to be looking for insta-85s who haven’t already played that class at close to that level, though, unless it’s guilds willing to train people up.
You’re right, I was sloppy and didn’t mention how far I ever got level-wise, apart from the lvl5 on Project 1999. The bard on Fippy Darkpaw, my highest level character, is in its early teens I think, so nothing to write home about, either.
About your question whether I’m determined to proceed: I’m reasonably sure that I don’t. I can’t completely rule it out, but I think it’ll be very unlikely. I will probably end up getting the free 85, then let him rot for a couple of months before I even get back around to it for some sightseeing. And if I really get the itch to seriously level an EQ character (and want to start at 85, for that matter – you made a good point about how confusing that can be), I can always pay for one with the remaining station cash I have from a triple-SC sale.
Thanks for the input! Maybe I’ll wait until next week and see whether you’ll write about your choice and its reasons.
I’m in roughly the same spot – never played EQ1 at all, played part of the tutorial this evening. My goal is to say “oh, I had a level 85 in EQ” and not mention when and how I got it. 🙂 I went Wood Elf Beastlord (which they are advertising as a new race/class pairing) because I hear they can solo and I have nothing to lose.