Spirtit of snow/flame

[Maeceo]

Took about 30 hours of camping the mob in the deep but he finally dropped it for me. I think that the most disappointing thing of it all was that the dagger he drops was giving about 18 in tribute before the last adjustment. I had 4 daggers that I turned in, was really happy that the camp thing was actually paying off nicely, then Sony swatted the crap out of the tribute system and took my 80k+ down to a little over 7k. Was not happy.

However, on a side note. The deep camp is a camp that two people can hold rather easily. The exp is so so, the cash stinks, but the named does in fact spawn and he does in fact drop the spell. I got it and was beyond relieved once I mem'd it.

I think what people sometimes lash out at is a misunderstanding. Not everyone is asking for things to be put into their hands. What is wanted are options. Camping a spawn is boring, a quest could be more fun, then there is the bazaar. This one is a high price in the bazaar or a hell of a lot of time even to get to the camp if you have see invis mobs in the way. With limited options some simply cannot spend the time it takes to get the spell with the schedule they keep. The final time I did the camp the clearing to get there was a little over 2.5 hours, then one hour (well, 3 spawns) at the camp. I got luck, not all people do. If there was a quest available I would have gone down that road, even if it meant having to do research.

The simple answer to the shammy spell issue is VP. Malo, torpor, avatar, PE, plus other good cash spells like divine intervention and that group CH all drop there. At least at the end of one night it is not unrealistic to leave there with nice loot (rancar belt kicks ass) and some spells to boot.

[Skanda]

Yay me! Had Snow for a while but finally got the Arch Lich to drop flame for me.

[The Kittenpeeler]

Twinking with uber gear would stop unless it was a tradeskill item (wow tradeskills would mean something?) and people would stop making a char and levelling it too fast without learning where items drop or how to play their character.

A scary trend I've been seeing lately, is people asking "What's Sebilis?" and "I've never heard of Kael, where is it?"

:!:  :!:  :!:

And i'll shit you not, today we were linkspamming the FFBSS in guild chat, and three people, once they found out where it dropped, asked "When did they add a lower guk?", two said "LDoN raid?" and I said "Oh my sweet god..."

[Mindlet]

You have got to be kidding? People haven't heard of guk. I remember playing the game before kunark. Guk was the place to be well it and sol b.

[Oneiromancer]

[quote="The KittenpeelerA scary trend I've been seeing lately, is people asking "What's Sebilis?" and "I've never heard of Kael, where is it?"
[/quote]

I hope you just mean that is scary as a comment on the levelling scheme that is present today, and not just that EVERY new player is expected to know where or what those zones are.  I've only really been playing since October (and my Beastlord, who is now 64, was started in early November), and when someone first mentioned those zones I am sure I also did say, "huh"?

Fortunately for me, though, I have been to all three of the examples you brought up in your post.  But only for a limited time.  I have been to Lower Guk twice, both times to camp the DE illusion mask for a bard and rogue friend.  20 levels later the guild I newly joined went to Seb for a raid, and the same bard and I decided to go back and duo there.  Worked out well, but we haven't been back since.  And I have only been to Kael once, for a small raid to the Arena...or near it at least, I wasn't quite sure.

I had fun in all those places.  But I probably never would have gone if other people hadn't taken me there.  It's not really my fault I joined the game so late...and I do sometimes chafe that there are so many zones I haven't seen (and perhaps never will see)...so I am always very happy to try a new zone.  And I have had plans to make a porting class of some sort--a druid most likely--in order to explore the game much more thoroughly, since there are so many places where it's likely no one will ever take me...it's just the way it is now, apparently.

Game on,

The Oneiromancer

[Lacerate]

I have had plans to make a porting class of some sort--a druid most likely--in order to explore the game much more thoroughly, since there are so many places where it's likely no one will ever take me...it's just the way it is now, apparently.

I would highly recommend doing this...though with PoK books your class choice is wider than just a druid  :D

One of the main reasons I made my BST was to see all the zones I missed with my first few characters. It's been a fun ride to where I am so far.

[Oneiromancer]

I mostly chose a Druid for things like Lesser Succor, SoW, and Camoflage...and I'd be a Wood Elf Druid so I could Forage in all the fun new places.  Actually if I really wanted to just run around like a madman I'd make a Shaman, so I have SoW at level 9 and REALLY don't care about dying!  But instead I'd get my Druid to 14 + buffer, and then run him around naked so if I died I really wouldn't care about getting the corpse back.

Of course I can go to lots of those places with my BST now, but my only quick escape is a Thurgadin Gate potion...well, unless you count siccing my pet on the mob and running like mad. ;D

Game on,

The Oneiromancer

[mac173]

(and my Beastlord, who is now 64, was started in early November)

I think the point is that the ability to do what you have done is pretty recent, and has changed the game dramatically.
I've played Kunnar for 2 YEARS, and am Level 47. I don't play massive amounts of time, and I can't spend entire days on EQ. You must have to get to 64 in only 4 months. I don't begrudge your levels. If I spent the amount of time on the game you do, I would be up there in levels too.
The problem is that you CAN get to Level 64 or 65 WITHOUT seeing the great majority of the game world. I think that Level 65 should be more exclusive than it is today. When I started Kunnar, just after the release of Luclin, the 4 months it took you to get to 64 saw me at level 12. I was struglling to get the Hero's Shroud and then uprgrade to the UBER Cape of the Champion.
I don't want to see it take as long as it used to, but I do want getting to Level 65 to mean something more than " You spent tons of time in game, you therefore make Level 65." I'd like some knowlege, and experience of the game and the gaming world required to make the upper levels.
I am no more thrilled at spending massive time leveling up alts than anyone else.
Me and teo friends have created new "EVIL " alts, they are Dark Elves, and I made a Troll BL. We are in Shadeweavers, and will take the PC express, cuz we don' t want to go thru the time sink of leveling in the home newbie areas. What I'd like to see is truly NEW chars limited in their ability to quick level . Make it a limit on travel, or XP bonus, untill at least 1 char on a server has reached a certain level. I mean, LDoN is not available till level 20. How about making the PoK stones the same? Make PoK stones accessable with an item that is transferrable thru the shared bank slot, but not player to player. Then a new character has to get high enough in level in their home areas, or areas accessable by natural transportation, and they learn more about the game world.
I don't have a fully fleshed out idea how this can work, I just think getting to Level 64 in 4 monthe trivializes the accomplishment to the point I don't know if I care if I get there anymore. It is no great accomplishment, just a matter of putting in the time in game.

[The Kittenpeeler]

I'm an EQ Old Fart. I had to walk uphill both ways, in a blizzard, just to get the Dragon Teeth so I could be ported in Velious. Yes, back in that day, you HAD to have good Dragon Faction to get past Cobalt Scar

[Oneiromancer]

If I spent the amount of time on the game you do, I would be up there in levels too.

I do spend a few hours online a night, I agree.  LDoNs really made the 30's and 40's fly by.  And it's really amazing what 2 or 3 hours in a GOOD Planes group will do for your experience in the 50's and 60's.  I think I'm just lucky.  I've certainly never been PLed, and I know how to play my class.

I know you're not suggesting any of that, but I want to be defensive anyway. :)

The problem is that you CAN get to Level 64 or 65 WITHOUT seeing the great majority of the game world.

I think this is more a function of the game world being insanely massive than anything else.  I am on a small server...there are VERY few choices for grouping.  And I don't like soloing.  I went wherever groups took me...if that was the same place I'd been before, so be it.  I did do some duoing in the 20's...Unrest, SolA, Najena...and they were all almost always totally empty.  Some people like that...I'm not too fond of that.  To me, the game is all about the grouping, the social interactions.  If I solo, it is always while LFG.

I just think getting to Level 64 in 4 monthe trivializes the accomplishment to the point I don't know if I care if I get there anymore. It is no great accomplishment, just a matter of putting in the time in game.

I'm sorry you feel that way.  It surprises me that I can affect your enjoyment of the game in such a manner.  Trust me, it could be a lot worse--look at all the level 65 Berserkers in only 2 weeks or less...with their Epics, sometimes.  My first character was a Ranger.  I played him for 2 months, and got to level 19.  I didn't play as much every night as I did with my Beastlord, but I played a good amount and just took longer.

I guess the carrot dangled in front of my face was enough of an impetus for me to get the levels...I've always loved RPGs of any kind and so I adapt easily to these kind of games.  There were many, many times during the climb to this level that I could have stopped and tradeskilled, or gone farming, but I decided that the spells that lay ahead of me were just too cool to pass up.

I guess there's not much point in explaining myself...this is the Rants board after all.  Everyone is different, and some of us have the time to play, and enjoy the grind.  I learn something new every night, and I have learned enough to teach someone else something new every so often.

Game on,

The Oneiromancer

[Gyxon Shadymilkman]

Camped vamp castle for about 3 hours a day for a month with my wizard trying to get this spell to no avail, so I purchased the first copy I found in bazaar for 14k.  I then gated back to Tenebrous for a final clearing for S&G, and if I'm not a son of a mulehorse, Renaldok dropped spirit of flame o_O

At least I made about 300k selling zevfeer ashes, fists of iron and other misc drops there :)

[Dasquid]

I started looking for snow and flame around low 50's. then one day someone's mule in the baz had both. Snow for 5k, Flame for 11k, bought em both. So since I bought them, I'll be somewhere that they will drop soon. (always seems to happen to me like that)

[MajinFro]

I miss the old EQ where level 50 was an accomplishment.  It seems to me that several things changed this over time.

The Blue Line on the experience bar. - Experiencing was a hell of alot more tedious when you didn't see experience movement at all for hours on end.

The removal of hell levels - Sure it techincally takes the same amount of experience to reach 60 but prior to the removal people would quit that character at 54 or 59 because it was too tedious.

New UI with the ability to see % of experience - Basically the same thing as the Blue line addition.

Level Cap increase and uber experience zones - PoP changed the game into a race for level 65 imo.

I miss the old days.  But the game has evolved if it hadn't it would have probably died.  Most new characters are twinks, people coming back to eq, or new players that are friends of people.  There are very few new new players that don't know someone that already plays imo.  At least in ratio.  So the game had to evolve to allow people to catch up in level to play with their friends.  I remember it took me from kunark's release to velious' release to get my rogue from 1-40.  That's just too long of a time nowadays.