New Returning Player

[eriadoc]

I wasn't sure where to ask this, so move if necessary. I decided to take advantage of the free 45 days and come back and check out EQ gain. I'm having fun so I re-upped and bought HoT. My shaman is L63. I've sorted through the spells and most skills, I think, but I'm looking for any good resources for returning players. I used to be a pretty good player, but I know I'd be a terrible shaman now. I'd like to get back to where I was. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, at L63, am I better off going back to the PoP hunting grounds I used to haunt, or is there better to be had at that level now? TIA.

[fendaann]

get a tank merc and drop down the hole if you dont like the current hot zone would be one suggestion.



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[RewtsnDots]

Having recently returned my self, although I was lvl 70 I will share some general advice that I have found.

Do anything you remember until you get used to playing again. For me this was BoT (Bastion of Thunder), very easy at lvl 70.

Go to the bazaar, and buy whatever lvl of defiant gear you can use. It is hugely better than the gear that was available at the time. Don't spend a lot of money or time on items. Lvl 80 is that magic number for equipment, getting any before that is a total waste. Even at lvl 80, you will probably replace your gear 4 times before lvl 90. Don't worry about augs for the same reason.

Don't worry about spells below 70 either. All of those spells are a PITA to get, you will level so quick you will barely use them, and after 70 most spells can be purchased. Honestly even at 70 I wouldn't worry about all of the spells, just certain key ones, like new single target HP buff and new DoTs. Later if you decide to keep playing you will want to go back and get some spells, like our lvl 68 AE spell, but you will have time later.

If you have SoD, get a tank merc. If you don't have it, you are not finished, but groups for people under 85 are few and far between.

For xp, hotzones are a good choice. The hole is great until about 71-72. Since I came back at 70, I did BoT until 71 and then went to icefall glacier. It was quite boring, but I rooted and dotted my way through a few hundred Mammoths, pretty much by myself, until a super monk too pity on me and took me to vereguild mines for a few hours of power leveling. The mines are a hot zone, but not really a good place to solo at the levels that you would still be getting xp there. Once you are 75ish you will want to do the boars in Tosk. They are very easy for their lvl, even though they will be hard for a lvl 75, the xp will be great and you will likely be in a zone with other people.

Shaman get a rez spell now, only 90% but buy it, I used it lots of times until the 80s where groups started to be more realistic, and other people would have cleric mercs.

It is quite possible to come back, what makes it tough is not having a support network and having to do so much alone until you catch up to the other people. That being said, there are other returning players, people playing alts, etc that you can begin to rebuild your friendships and that is the real key to returning to everquest.

[eriadoc]

Thank you both for the response. The links were very useful, and the advice to go to BoT has been invaluable. I'm L67 now and well on my way. I appreciate the help!