im new

[uulwyn]

Hi guys im new to eq2, infact just purchased it today and cannot get on a login server as yet.Im based in uk and was just need some advice.

1.whats thebest server for connectivity.
2.anygood guilds (english) for players ages between 25 and older


thanks

Steve Clegg

[rynnor]

Unlucky you got it today really - servers are down due to a bugfix they are working on. On connectivity - there are no english speaking servers based in Europe so any server you join will be in the US - you might want to pick a low load server?

There are a couple of designated UK servers but in reality pretty much every server has its euro players - I play on Innothule which is just a standard US server - this has the advantage that its not crazily busy and quest mobs etc that you need are more likely to be up. Conversely its never actually empty - theres always groups about anytime you might logon

There is instancing in the game but when the servers really busy it can run out of instances leading to overcrowding...

Choose a guild once you decide whether you will play Good or Evil based...

[Lendan]

The server with the highest number of Euro players is Runnyeye (Brits, Italians, Russians, everything except French and German who have their own servers). This server gets extremely busy during the early and late evening in Europe - and still has a steady stream of players all through the night (mostly insomniac Euros but also a few Americans).

This is good if you like getting a group quickly, but because some places (especially dungeons despite the instancing) get over crowded and can lead to some nasty situations between groups wanting to kill the same stuff.

If you'd prefer a less hectic server then do as rynnor suggests - indeed when you get to the last step of the character creation process, you get to see a list of all the servers with a traffic light red, amber, green system that shows you how busy they are. (Although I'm not sure if it means the weekly average or how many are online at the time you make your character)

A compromise might be Feydark, which is less busy than Runnyeye, but has, I think, the second highest concentration of Euro time zone players, as Sony got some people to move there from Runnyeye to deal with the overcrowding.

As for guilds I've seen quite a few posts about them in this forum, http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2?no_redir=true (scroll down and choose the name of the server you decide on from the list), although you might have to wade past a few pages of complaints about the servers going boom to find them tonight

[uulwyn]

thanks guys, god trust me to get this game on the day they are fixing the servers hahaha. thanks for the advice, in fairness i thought they did have dedicated english europe servers....damn it.

what is the best template for a mage/priest/fighter, are priests more in demand than mages within groups?i have played daoc and got to level 47 sorc, but became v.bored with this game, and i didnt like pvp anyhow.

Thanks for the advice

[Lendan]

Yes priests are more in demand than mages, but there are still plenty of mage spots available (they often say group needs dps - damage per second - which means mages or scouts).

Although the core classes that you usually need to get a group going are 1 tank and 1 priest, I find that many groups like to fill up the last 4 spots with dps (or an extra healer and 3 dps) so although mages are less essential for a group there are still lots of spaces for them and I haven't had a problem getting in. Enchanters are probably the mage class most in demand because of their mezzing capabilities, but sorcs and summoners are also well liked in groups - as though they can't mezz they have very nice damage and ok group buffs too.

One class that you might also want to consider is a bard - unlike most other games they actually do very good melee damage as they are part of the scout archetype, and also have the traditional group buffs on top of that.

Don't worry too much about templates as you don't actually spend points as you level in DAOC. The main choices are at level 10 when you choose your class and then 20 when you choose your subclass - although be aware for certain subclasses you have toi be a citizen of the right city, and if you started off in the other one you need to do a pretty long defection quest before you ding 18.

As for which class and subclass you choose it's really up to you - and don't rely on your past experiences with daoc too much.

For example in DAOC shamans are not very good at healing - clerics and druids are much better, but in EQ2 shamans can heal just as well as clerics and druids - just in a different way.

All 3 priest classes have group buffs and direct heals, but on top of that shamans have wards that are like 100% ablative shields they can cast, druids have very nice heals over time and clerics have reactive heal proc buffs. The 3 are pretty balanced and none of the priest classes is really a better healer than the others. They all also have debuffs and damage spells, the main difference being the type of damage they inflict not the amount.

Basically there is no "best" template just choose the class you fancy - at this initital stage anyway - maybe later people will decide which is the "best" subclass but the jury is still out so far.

If you want to have a look at the spell lists - you can try here - but I warn you there are loads of spells to go through - I got a headache trying to read them all!

http://eq2.ogaming.com/db/

[rynnor]

Originally Posted by Lendan

All 3 priest classes have group buffs and direct heals, but on top of that shamans have wards that are like 100% ablative shields they can cast, druids have very nice heals over time and clerics have reactive heal proc buffs. The 3 are pretty balanced and none of the priest classes is really a better healer than the others. They all also have debuffs and damage spells, the main difference being the type of damage they inflict not the amount.

Thats what the EQ designers say but the reality is Clerics are the best healers followed by the other two who are still secondary healers - the reactives are the best form of healing available to a group since if the tank gets hit and a reactive goes off the aggro generated goes to the tank like a free taunt - and doesnt generate aggro on the priest - additionally on really nasty pulls you can put on 2 reactives before the tank pulls and then use castable insta heals to keep him alive.

Shamans are the best debuffers - thats where they shine along with the wards - and druids get to change into animals so thats fair eh ;P

[Scorba]

Love those wards on my tank. Who needs healing when you take no damage

I randomly picked Faydark and there seem a good mix of nationalities. Other than mid morning/day europe, there is solid but not heavy traffic.

First person to hit it has the mob. nice clear rule.....tough shit for campers.

[Lendan]

Originally Posted by rynnor

if the tank gets hit and a reactive goes off the aggro generated goes to the tank like a free taunt - and doesnt generate aggro on the priest - additionally on really nasty pulls you can put on 2 reactives before the tank pulls and then use castable insta heals to keep him alive.

Are you 100% sure that reactive heals don't give aggro to the cleric - I find that a little hard to believe. I can assure you that the damage absorbed by wards does go to the shaman in aggro, and it would surprise me immensely if the same wasn't true for clerics.

Also what you say about pre casting the procs before combat is true, but this can also be done by shamans with wards, and also druids can precast their HOTs (although a tick or 2 will be wasted.)

So don't go telling people clerics are the best healers, you'll start a self-perpetuating rumour.

I have rarely seen a group specify a particular priest class when they have a healer spot open, and on those rare times that they did, they were asking for a shaman, not a cleric.

Saying shamans have the best debuffs also seems to stem from EQ1 when this was indeed true - but I've looked at the other classes debuffs and they seem pretty nice too - shamans debuffing attack speed and clerics debuffing armour factor - I'd say like the healing capabilities the debuff capabilites are also too close to call.

[Lendan]

Just wanted to add that in 20 levels of playing a priest and being in some veeery bad groups as well as some very good ones - I have never got aggro from over-healing a tank - it just seems so much harder to do than in DAOC - tanks have uber taunts - even aoe ones. The only times I have ever found myself getting beat on is when I accidentaly let the tank die (woops!) or if I have been chain healing a non-tank who somehow got aggro, and the main tank is out of power to taunt.

So just saying - if you do choose to play a priest - aggro management is not a big concern, you're better off just choosing whichever one you think is cool!

[Amok]

Retribution, UK/Euro Guild is recruiting on Befallen server... scouts and tanks especially welcome

Oh, and I play a warden... no complaints on healing prowess yet

[rynnor]

Originally Posted by Lendan

Are you 100% sure that reactive heals don't give aggro to the cleric - I find that a little hard to believe.

Yes or I would have died many times over! It really does work as an extra taunt.

Originally Posted by Lendan

Also what you say about pre casting the procs before combat is true, but this can also be done by shamans with wards, and also druids can precast their HOTs (although a tick or 2 will be wasted.)

This sounds fine in theory but in practice if you cast a regen or ward on the tank who goes pulling and either A - the mob resists taunt or b - puller gets into aggro range of a mob he didnt notice then that mob will come straight after you - possibly bringing his friends - fights that start with the healer getting clobbered seldom end well...

Originally Posted by Lendan

So don't go telling people clerics are the best healers, you'll start a self-perpetuating rumour.

Its an opinion rather than a rumour - I have presented my reasons for why I think the cleric is superior but you arent forced to agree - I'm just trying to steer someone who is starting in the right direction as I see it.

Originally Posted by Lendan

I have rarely seen a group specify a particular priest class when they have a healer spot open, and on those rare times that they did, they were asking for a shaman, not a cleric.

Hah - your on a very different server to me then - I have never seen anyone actively ask for a shaman but I've seen plenty asking for a cleric. Most groups want one cleric as main healer plus a secondary healer from any priest subclass in that order.

Originally Posted by Lendan

Saying shamans have the best debuffs also seems to stem from EQ1 when this was indeed true - but I've looked at the other classes debuffs and they seem pretty nice too - shamans debuffing attack speed and clerics debuffing armour factor - I'd say like the healing capabilities the debuff capabilites are also too close to call.

Slow is the best debuff bar none - many of the other debuffs are a bit buggy at the moment or have very little effect on an encounter... Like Mark of pawns - cast on one mob it gives you a chance to proc a 10hp heal when you hit it about 10% of the time - and it doesnt even last long - lol...

[Lendan]

My advice to the original poster is not to be swayed too much by others' opinions on the choice of a class. It is still early days, and some people seem to get attached to their chosen class very quickly, and will quite happily sing you its merits for hours on end.

Get playing and make up your own mind - servers back up - yay!