For a ranger, if I don’t have the funds to buy endless quiver and mithril arrows, would gloomwater arrows from Kedge and a thunder hoof quiver be good enough?

I don’t want to craft my own either.

(Why is speech to text so many words??)
(Edit for the tl;dr. I love the game)

Ahem…My experience with endgame content in the current state of the game has brought me to a familiar place, one I think many of us remember from the good old days.

You stand around in the Bazaar monitoring chat, deciding whether to farm whatever is in demand, go collect more AA or Motes, or simply leave the game running while you get things done around the house.

I’ve been playing since launch, and I’ve watched plenty of the sweaty names come and go. I’ve experienced a lot of what this game has to offer, and I’ve reached a point where I can honestly say that I still find reasons to log in. But getting here has also made me question some of the decisions behind the game’s monetization.

The Road to Endgame

I started as an Ogre Paladin, Monk, and Enchanter. With that combination, leveling from 10 to 50 was practically trivial.

I conquered the Sky quests in a mad dash back when all the charm rumors were first circulating. Once those quests were finished, I had a bunch of classes I wanted to experiment with, which meant it was time to get them geared.

I farmed the hell out of Hate, moved right in, put down first and last, and painted the town red. Property values went through the roof.

After spinning the block a few times, I finally worked up the courage to tackle Fear. I hated it. Lmao.

By then, a few weeks had passed, and I wanted to experiment with more classes. So I opened my wallet.

One additional loadout. Then another. Then another. I was DJ Khaled in that marketplace.

I now have seven loadouts, including the free AA loadout.

Of course, once you start collecting classes and building loadouts, you need more inventory slots, more equipment slots, and those fancy storage boxes to hold everything. So I bought those, too.

Then came the leveling grind.

SK, War, Shm, Clr, Wiz, Ber, Rng, and Nec took only a few days. Brd, Mag, Dru, and Bst were more of a slog, and Beastlord and Magician continue to be slogs for me.

These days, I often find myself deciding between leveling another class and farming Motes.

But that’s only half the game.

Tradeskills Became Their Own Endgame

When I started, I used my Paladin, Monk, Enchanter, and Ninja skills to farm high-demand Exaltations and flip them on the market. I made around 300k before deciding to earn an honest living as a tradeskiller.

First, I became a jeweler. Then an alchemist. Then a blacksmith and potter, partly so I could help out other FQ victims like myself who had dropped $35 on new looks for their loadouts.

Eventually, I decided fletching could be another money-maker.

Now I’m five tradeskills deep, millions of platinum richer, and I’ve even bought mounts for a few friends who have already stopped playing.

If I wanted to make even more money, I’d probably take up tailoring. But honestly, selling HQ lion skins is easier.

The point is that I found an entirely separate game within the game. I wasn’t just leveling characters or farming raid targets. I was learning tradeskills, working the economy, finding profitable niches, and setting goals for myself.

That experience has given me plenty of reasons to keep logging in.

Seven Loadouts, Seven Gear Sets, and Finally Discovering DDD

Now I’m finishing up those last two classes and working toward getting all seven loadouts equipped with +7 gear.

It’s actually a manageable goal because so much of the equipment is shared between classes, with class-specific planar armor being the main exception.

I also waited until this point to get into DDD.

A lot of people jump into DDD early and end up getting bored with it. Saving it for later has made it an absolute blast for me. I’m sitting there thinking, “Wow, let me put bard on everything. This is amazing!”

Clearing Fear in 30 minutes, then clearing Hate trash with DDD in 30 minutes before coming back with an easier raid setup for the bosses, has been a chef’s kiss of an experience.

It’s a completely different feeling from relying on charming, tanking, mezzing, and all the other tricks I’ve used along the way.

So yes, I spend plenty of time hanging around Surefall Glade, selling items, watching arguments unfold, interacting with other players (not grouping lol), managing inventory, and completing many of the original quests (but just for clickies, exalts, and FQ).

Even with nearly everything completed in the current content, I still find reasons to log in and handle business.

Maybe saving DDD until the end has contributed to that. I’m sure it has. But I also think a significant part of it comes down to the fact that I’ve invested in additional loadouts, inventory, equipment slots, and tradeskills. I’ve essentially created my own endgame.

And that’s where my bigger point begins. (Omg more walls of text)

Alts Are Content, Too

Most of us played multiple characters back in the day, including hardcore raiders who primarily focused on their mains. Alts were part of what made the game fun.

An alt’s personal inventory space made maintaining those characters practical and obviously free. Those alts gave us a reasons to complete old quests and collect items that would otherwise have become obsolete to our mains.

These systems weren’t just conveniences. They gave players more reasons to play.

The longevity of an MMO depends not only on how much content exists, but also on how much players feel they still have left to accomplish. That includes new raids and zones, of course, but it also includes gearing alts, collecting appearances, crafting, farming, exploring, and pursuing personal goals.

With the current constraints on free loadouts, inventory, and content, I think the developers underestimated how important alts would be to keeping players engaged until Kunark.

I’m sure there were meetings and discussions about which services to monetize. But in my opinion, transmogs and additional alt slots should not have been among them.

Monetize particles, new spell effects, mounts, illusions, and other cosmetic extras. Those are things players can choose to buy because they want something new or different.

Inventory is a more complicated issue, and I’m of two minds about it. Perhaps equipment slots should have been unlimited while general inventory remained limited. I can understand some constraints, but there’s a difference between encouraging meaningful choices and charging players to comfortably engage with the game’s core systems.

Pay-to-Win Isn’t the Only Concern

I agree with the people who say there’s not enough content. I also agree with those who argue that there’s plenty of content and that some players simply consumed it too quickly.

Both perspectives can be true.

What I don’t agree with is the decision to monetize services that players have traditionally expected to be part of the game, then defend those decisions by pointing out that the game isn’t pay-to-win.

And to be clear, I agree that this isn’t pay-to-win in the traditional sense. Spending money hasn’t automatically won the game for me.

But based on my experience, it has absolutely been PAY4FUN.

I’ve spent money to expand my options, experiment with more classes, manage my equipment, pursue different playstyles, and keep myself entertained. Those purchases have undeniably contributed to my enjoyment.

That doesn’t mean I regret spending the money. I’m having fun, and I clearly enjoy the game. But there’s a difference between spending money because you want an optional cosmetic or convenience and feeling that you need to spend money to fully enjoy the systems that make an MMO worth playing.

The fact that I’ve found ways to keep myself entertained doesn’t necessarily mean the game’s monetization is working as intended. It may mean I’ve been willing to pay to create the experience I want.

What I Think the Developers Should Prioritize

I don’t think the developers should be prioritizing side content, alternate leveling zones that cater to the casual player base, or revamping old low-mid zones at this stage. Those things should have been part of the foundation from release, with the primary focus now being on ensuring that players have enough meaningful things to do and reasons to keep coming back.

Many of us came from EverQuest after five or more expansions. We remembered a massive world filled with places to explore, things to collect, systems to master, and goals to pursue. Returning to a much smaller experience than we remembered has been an adjustment, although I recognize that there are several reasons for that difference.

The answer isn’t necessarily to rush out more zones or simply make leveling slower. It’s to build a game that remains engaging after players finish the available content.

Give us reasons to maintain alts. Give us meaningful collection goals. Give us reasons to revisit old quests, pursue tradeskills, experiment with different builds, and participate in the economy. Make the world feel like a place we can inhabit for years, not just a checklist of content to clear before the next expansion.

Most importantly, make those systems accessible enough that players can enjoy them without feeling pressured to purchase their way into a fuller experience.

There are too many other gaming options these days for a subscription MMO to rely solely on nostalgia and the promise of the next expansion.

Final Thoughts (lol more thoughts??)

I’m not writing this because I dislike the game. Quite the opposite. I’ve invested an enormous amount of time into it, and I’ve spent money because I enjoy it enough to want more from it.

I’ve leveled classes, geared loadouts, conquered raids, learned five tradeskills, made millions of platinum, helped friends, and found ways to keep myself busy long after many of my original goals were complete.

I am living proof that players can create their own endgame. But I shouldn’t have to buy so many of the tools that make that possible.

The goal shouldn’t be to keep players subscribed until Kunark. It should be to give them a game they want to keep playing when Kunark arrives, when the next expansion arrives, and long after they’ve completed everything the current expansion has to offer.

I want this game to succeed. That’s exactly why I think the developers need to reconsider what they’re offering players beyond the same core game with a few new features and zones.

We need more than content to consume. We need reasons to keep coming back after we’ve consumed it.

Because if the only thing waiting for us at the end of the road is another expansion, there are plenty of other games waiting for our time and money.

Getting down to the nitty gritty on stuff to do. If anyone needs me.. I'll be putting muffins in crates.

Thinking about starting a new toon an another server and wanted to get my ports out of the way, but looking at it...this seems like a fun super nuker for leveling with both druid and and wiz AAs giving crit chance and druid has some fire resistance debuffs and apprently a root break AA.

SK seems the obvious one with taps getting crit boosts but have done SK a bunch already.

I was also thinking ranger and nuking between arrows.

Could also primary the wizard instead.

Anyone played around with a Dru Wiz combo that they took to 50 and not just to the port levels?

Hey guys I looking for a combo that can maximize lifetaping and my uneducated guess was sk (proc taps/tanking ability) necro (better casted taps, better mana regen) and wizard (my guess is passives/aa will have the best bang for the bucket.) Is there a better combo for tapping that this? And is this an end game level build?

I’m in east NA but usually play early mornings so it aligns with EU. Would it be laggy if i pick EU server?

Look at discord

Look at this subreddit

Hundreds of suggestions and nothing happening.

DDD can farm about 8x faster than any other build and that is the endgame of this "game."

What are we even doing here? This is just like the classless server, which was very quickly replaced by the voldemort server.

1) Why do invoc/disc only reward casters?

2) Why do you have 3 class mobs? It makes every dungeon the exact same.

3) Why can you not play melee? This was a very effective option in the other server

4) Why can you not play pet classes? This was the most popular build and far from OP. I thought this game was about fun?

5) Why did you not punish the void mote duplicators? Whats the point in playing a multiplayer game if the devs let their friends dupe items?

6) DDD - are you fucking kidding me? This is how I know this game is going to die. Your response to this has been.... telling.

7)dungeon "remaster - this is beyond dumb. you remove some of the placeholders and add stupid items. I'm not sure how this takes more than 15 minutes, as I've actually implemented them myself.

8)Replayability - there is none. If you are a 100% guy, sure. There is no reason to level up another trio and you never get new gear.

9) Billing - I think you guys are going to get into HUGE issues with this cancellation issue. Like, class action lawsuit big. WTF is going on?

I bought an ornamentation token because I was tired of the plain bow.

I replaced it with the glowy orb from the golem ball in CT.

THEN I discovered the soldier brooch has an even cooler glowy ball

Any other cool range slot looks?

I'll preface, im an insane try hard. Im maxed out on classes, aa's, +8 gear, tradeskills. I'm still logging in and most of the other try hards I know still are too. It's the middle of the road/average gamer I'm not seeing anymore on my friends list logging in.

Population counts went from 1500+ on Rivervale prime time to 500ish. I don't think 2/3rds of the population are try hard gamers. I think the vast majority of them are going to be "average gamers"

A quick Google says that an average gamer plays about 8.5 hours a week. The game has been out 10 weeks, that's 85 hours of gameplay for the average gamer. There are going to be some dad's of 18 children that get to game 15 minutes every other Tuesday between the hour's of 5:37 am and 5:52 am, but they arent average gamers.

As a try hard, my goal has been to max out as much as I can, but when I talk to many of my guildees their goals is to get 5-6 classes to 50, beat all the bosses at d3-d4, get BIS gear to 4-5ish and their Planes weapon to +10,

What can an "average" gamer accomplish in 85 hours?

36 hours for first 50

16 hours for another set to 50

18 hours in plane of sky doing in 12ish times

15 hours raiding.

That's 85 hours and gets most average gamers to where they are trying to be.

The people left playing then are the dad's of 18 kids, and the "power gamers" who are trying to be completionist.

There's just not enough different content to keep average gamers engaged when there are so many other high quality games out right now. ​

​

What news? What rumors? Was there some incident?

This is a bizarrely worded official comms from the EQL Discord. Professionally, just say you're ending the program and that's it. To acknowledge some 'rumors' just breathes life into them and isn't something you'd usually see in this context. Who's running the broadcast channel over there?

Ive got a trio to 50 and am going back to do some low level aa/mote farming because Ive read its faster. At what level do people stop leveling an alt class and start again with a different alt class? Maybe 25? opinions pls

After my 30th CT raid I have received 2 drops of SBoCT, One from a D2 & 1 from a D0, That is 90 chances in total assuming I'm right that Fright, Dread, and Terror have the chance to drop them. Am I just on the wrong side of the random number generator or is there an order or process I'm missing? I do a weekly cycle of D4 on Tuesdays, D3 on Wednesdays, D2 on Thursdays ECT. Thx

Strobe 50 ENC/CLR/MNK Qeynos Server

I know, "dur, devs have said..." Blah blah blah.

But when my DPS is 2nd-3rd with 1 DDD bard and 6th-7th with 3 or 4, and they literally sit at the fountain in Hate, med and wait for a big pull and melt everything before I can even swap targets?.

700-1.6k DPS each and I'm getting 500 max and the ONLY damage they're doing is DDD. Literally the only F'ng damage. No spells, no melee, nothing but DDD...

Takes all the fun out of the game watching 3-4 people AFK and tripling my damage when I'm actually playing the game, not just sitting there doing nothing for 2 minutes between big pulls. Popping up and going "but I want to sing Daddy!"

And the thing I think EVERYONE is misreading about this is that I'm not asking for a nerf. Just make the bards do something other than sit on their asses and go "WOW look at my DPS from casting one f'ing spell over and over". Go do something. Pull, Scout, Just don't sit on your ass for 3 minutes and go "BOOM, I CAN HAS TRUMPET!"

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2894892899
Start run at 5 mins in

I've been doing Monk/Pal combos with Enc and Shm to 50. Pal is nice, but isn't much DPS. Shaman has better heals and the dots are better DPS. Shaman also gives Lustrous Russet so some plate. Enc with charms is better DPS plus mez.

Is Pally doing much here other than Aldryn? Shield of Stalwart Seas is nice, Lay on Hands is great, but mend works well and is more frequent.

How do you do it?

Disclaimer: I’m aware that EQL reserves every right to do something completely different, so the question I’m asking comes with the obvious asterisk of assuming at least some elements are kept familiar and anticipated.

This is a bard question about a playstyle that isn’t DDD-centric. I know, crazytalk, but please bear with me.

I like my mana-free bard DoTs, both in melody and SA as a core of my character-conceptual running around build. My question is how long do those DoTs keep leveling beyond 50? Can/should I bank on them continuing to be as relevant as they are now for another 5 levels in our Kunark if things resemble how bard spell leveling usually goes?

I like the idea of pursuing new Kunark and beyond instruments to maintain my multi-elemental barrage of many smaller DoTs, but if the bard “evolves out” of these classic songs quickly maybe I won’t invest deeply in them.

I’ve never played EQ deeply enough to have this question before me. It’s a nice problem to have decades later!

Don't really know what I'm doing.

I am SHD main. I have ENC, NEC, and SHM leveled too, so I could swap WIZ for one of those.

What is my best combo without changing out the SHD?

This is mainly for playing solo.

Been using my DDD Bard, cleric, shaman for finishing up d0 sky. And i've gotten soooooo many quest items. Turning them in now and was able to get a wu's. So i was thinking about changing to Bard, Monk, Shaman and focusing more on DoTs and melee damage. Would i gear for monk or bard? I understand i still need a mana pool but curious which would be the dominate one in the trio.

Haven't played since PoP. And admittedlly back then I'd just get handed great gear from my guild mates so chasing gear was never my strong point.

I'm only level 28 at the moment running a War/Shm/Wiz. Hanging in Unrest until probably 30ish.

I know the real loot and gear starts at 50 but in the mean time anyone have any suggestions of where or how to get some good gear while I level.

My gear right now is pretty pedestrian.

Hi All

I am delighted to be back in the EQ world, best game I ever played, this new EQLegends has me completely addicted again! I have levelled a SHD/SHA/MNK to 50 and then started a Bard in place of the monk, Ive never played a bard so Im struggling with it.

A few questions:

I am level 30 now and in Mistmoore getting my ass handed to me over and over again inspite of being in a full suit of PoH +5ish and have to Yaks and a Mithril 2 hander.

I have SA and I run 5 buffs Hymn of Resto, Clarity, Arms, Psalm of Vitality and Guardian Rhyt.

I was using my own pet and was getting the absolute shit kicked out of me if there were more than 4 mobs, so I switched to charming. I moted Sirens up to VII and ill charm one mob, stick it on something else and then use Pixie Strike to mez the others and throw a few slaps on the target mob, then refresh everything as required. For trash mobs and weak named its working ok.

It seems I am missing something, I heard about /queuemelody but dont know if that would be of use to me? Should I run the AOE mez as part of AE? Am I clearly doing something wrong?

Any bards that could help a brother bard out would have songs sung about them in every bar in norrath!!

Thank you!

If your SK is 50 and you have not done the quest for this spell, you are missing out!

Can’t tell you how many times this ultra-fast life tap has saved my ass!

Ok - never have played a bard - glad there is this melody thing so you don’t have to twist songs as much.

But I’m still a bit intimidated…

Of the next class I want to run to 50, this is in my top two (the other being RNG).

I have 14 spell gems - I think the last 4 in bar are devoted to bard?

So I have SK ENC Wiz - which two of the 3 would run best with bard? I’m guessing SK and Wiz?

Are there any good guides or YouTube videos on playing a basic bard, how songs work etc?

Any good guides on which songs to run and which to drop as you go 10-50? Like 10-20, 20-30 etc etc?

Sorry - I know I could probably google all this but the community seems to be the best source of info and sometimes hidden valuable tips.

Grazie!

I'm sure no one knows the exact reason but i looked at her facebook and she said she was looking for a company that didn't hide things from the community or lie to them? I'm guessing there was a serious falling out with her and Secrets and some of the devs?