Leveling on a TLP server

[Fudwick]

Can any of you give me insight to the leveling mayhem of a TLP server?

I'm trying to plan where I'll exp given that there's room, but my race/class choice might change slightly if I hear about major crowding problems from TLP 1.0 and/or 2.0.

How long does it take to reach 50 in this environment?

[_Harcourt]

It is kind of hard to say, since things were different for both generations of servers.

Initially the major newbie zones are crowded, but if you find someplace out of the way that is less the case.  Tox and Steamfont were not like GFay.  For 2.0 SOE offered free play for the first week or so, which made things even more crowded.

For me, groups were non-existent until I hit L10.  Most people seemed to solo those first few levels.

From that point on, major camps would be taken around the clock, but there were still plenty of XP spots available until you hit L45 or so.  There was the occasional jackwagon who tried to claim 4 camps in a zone while AFK.  LGuk was a zoo, and we resorted to having a bard charm-pull so that the mob would make it back to camp.  I would say avoid this, unless you know people with a camp.  My guild on Fippy had the SSOY locked down for a week or so.

Once you hit L45 XP spots become scarce.  Everyone crowds into these spots, making it worse.  Our guild resorted to killing sharks underwater in OOT for those last few levels.

As for time, I don't remember.  A couple of months or so.  Everyone who tried was 50 before Kunark opened.

BTW, don't even think of hitting Naggy or Vox during these early months.  There would be multiple guilds camped at the spawn points with SK armies who HT on spawn.  Those dragons didn't even get to focus their eyes before dying.

[Fudwick]

Thanks for the info!

Are Vox and Naggy still level-restricted via game rules?

Will DHS cap themselves at 50/51 until getting the kills for themselves?

[_Harcourt]

They are level capped.

I don't know what Gremin's plans are.  It depends for one thing on whether those dragons are instanced.  If they aren't, then I doubt many will wait.  Every guild I've been in has cruised right on past them.  I've been playing since 1999 and have not once killed those dragons.

[Aszuth]

We did temporarily level limit for a couple Classic dragons in Kunark on 1.0 - but it wasn't made mandatory. (I was actually too high and had to delevel to join IIRC or something... maybe I didn't delevel and cleared giants with them... dunno something like that where I was too high and helped some but had extra legwork because of level)

For XP, I'd keep secondary options in mind for all your level ranges - they will likely double spawn rate again in the lower level zones, but having extra options to use versus just sitting forever waiting for a spot in "your zone" to open is often better. The more obscure the zone, the more likely it will be consistent though. [i.e. fully expect me to be killing obscure spawns inside towns when I can't find a solid camp available - including my super sekret qeynos sewers camp at around 32 or so that will get me through to the 40's and make my group rich (side note, there's some odd drops that are super rare there i should confirm they've removed - some OP stuff that shouldn't be there dropped on 2.0, and it's SUCH an oddball camp that I'm sure there's only a few people familiar]

Additionally if you're testing leveling paths, keep in mind money will likely be more scarce (some drops won't exist for money purposes - like defiant sells decently for newbie loot) than it seems in testing - there likely will be some sort of XP scale back on TLP 3.0 as well. It was a flat 2% XP limit per mob on 2.0 which was sort of stupid (it stopped soloing, sure, but at the same time made it so reds and yellows were pointless even in a group setting - at some levels light blues and blues were basically identical in a group)

[Fudwick]

I think I've killed each once, but couldn't tell you which toon or server that was on.  I'm guessing the TLP guilds still farm fear and hate post 50 though, ya?

[Aszuth]

Bosses, yes - armor spawns, maybe some, but definitely not as much (kunark armor mostly trumps the Fear/Hate pieces with a few exceptions thanks to either valuable clicks or far better AC)

[Kego]

Steamfont and Qeynos should be good initial levelling zones. They are typically lower populated areas from my experience with tons and tons of mobs to kill. Also, I think a lot our questions will be answered once the ruleset(s) are announced.

[Aszuth]

Newbie yard wise, Paineel is always the best, since unlike the others it has literally instant spawn rate on the mobs.

But it's out of the way for most - even from Qeynos it's a hike.

[_Harcourt]

Paineel was my go-to spot for farming eggs.  Instant spawns, nobody there.

 

PS:  listen forum, its 16.  It has always been 16, and will always be so.

[Gremin]

Just like I posted over on eq forums under DHS 3.0 a lot of factors that will come into play before choices are made. 

 

I honestly think this time around I am going to tell folks to level multiple toons. If we have to endure say 3 total months of classic we will not get Naggy and Vox until kunark opens most likely.

 

As far as people poopsocking and HT that has been fixed. Only one HT hits and a debuff is placed for 2 mins on the monster. The full HT does not hit right away as its a dot now. Poopsocking will get you the ban stick also. A person is allowed to track a mob up but unless actively xping must leave the zone.

Real question will be if DBG enforces or are these servers going to be the wild west?

 

[_Harcourt]

I thought they were pretty clear:  No GMs unless an asteroid is about to hit San Diego.

[Fudwick]

If we're going to be stuck in classic all summer, that might help my class/race choice as the exp detriment of ogres and trolls won't be as big a deal I suppose.  Is that how the other TLP servers functioned?  Troll sk's would be -20% for troll and -5% for being hybrid, soooo they would need to do 25% more exp work than a wood elf ranger (if memory serves).

[_Harcourt]

I don't recall the race/class penalties being around.

[Aszuth]

They didn't bring back XP penalties, correct.