Just out of interest, I checked out my 4 level 70’s to see where they were at quest-wise

So the image above is my four level 70’s (I have 10 characters that I consistantly play) and where they stand in their quest rankings. Since I know my characters, it’s not difficult for me to tell the order they go in. The first character listed is Stargrace the illusionist. She ranks 33rd for questing illusionists on Antonia Bayle. I spent some time checking the leader rankings and the top characters don’t even play any more. The second one, with the least amount of quests, is of course Misako. She was power leveled through most of her EQ2 levels, and I’d done very few quests on her. Stargrace has her MoA and important quest lines, Misako has barely done anything. Most of her questing was done in the smaller levels, before I started power leveling her. The third one listed, is Dasie, the inquisitor.

Now Dasie has the most quests completed of all (and also ranks 33rd for quests completed by inquisitors) and there’s a good reason for this. She was my very first character ever in EQ2 (although she was actually named Qutey at the time before I moved her through a bunch of servers). She hasn’t done a whole lot of the newer quests. She does have her SoD, but she does not have claymore. She does have her MoA but does not have Godking. She hasn’t actually done a lot of collection quests (which count towards your total quests on Eq2players, but not on the total if you look in game).

The final one listed is of course Arysh, my fury. She was my “old main” for the longest amount of time. She also has her claymore, MoA, and Godking all completed. Those are long chains of quests and they make a good portion of the total counts. There are a lot of fury on the server, so being 71st in the rankings is not that bad (the rankings include characters of all levels by the way, not just level 70).

So that’s 2,527 quests from my four “main” characters. Lets see about the rest of them…

• Qutey - 226
• Faydai - 281
• Ishbel - 101
• Goudia - 378
• Sensual - 60
• Yamini - 152

So that’s 3,725 quests completed, not including the 20+ characters I’ve gotten to 20-30 and then deleted. Wow. I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Although - there are over 4,000 quests in game. So I’ve not even reached the number that some single characters have. There are of course quests that people gravitate towards. Like the tome quests if you’re big on books for your home. L&L for the mastery smites and house items. The “big ones” like heritage quests and signature quests. How many people actually spend time doing any of the smaller “lesser known” quests though. . . .

Ahh I remember this quest well, for level 15 (way back in the day) it was a very hard quest to complete - but worth it!

As I ran around finishing off some of Qutey’s Antonica quests, I almost grimaced when I saw this old one pop up again. It was given as a mob drop, both a Commonlands and Antonica version. The Bootstrutter’s Adventure Pack used to be the most amazing bag when I first started the game, and people used to sell them on the broker for a lot (well, what was a lot back then) of money (they’re lore, but not no trade). It’s a 10 slot bag, doesn’t even give you any weight reduction, but when you’re new, you’ll take whatever you can get. It was a trip down memory lane as I worked on the quest. I remember thinking back to the days when it was hard. Of course now that Qutey is level 24 pretty much all of Antonica is grey to her, but when most people got the quest (level 15-ish) it made you run into some pretty dangerous areas.

Qutey Patootie, my level 24 monk, bravely fighting in the Tower of Bone, in Darklight Woods

I’ve posted in the past about my methods of leveling. They typically involve the grind / boxing method. Where I have a level 70 mentored down to the lowbie and then just rip through zones destroying everything in my way. I do chains of quests of importance, or those that I know have great rewards and experience, but for the most part end up avoiding half of the content out there. So I created a character who had the capabilities to solo, but who I would not rush up the levels with my typical power leveling method. I wanted something that could tank, and have methods of escape, as well as moderate dps. Something that did not have to rely on a group ever, but who if I eventually got high enough, could tank for my own groups.

And so Qutey Patootie, my fae monk, was created. I’ve had her for quite some time now, and I rarely ever play her. Since I’d been feeling my typical restlessness in game, I decided to dust off her wings and do some adventuring. She is twinked out with mastercrafted armor (not jewelry though) as well as weapons, and she does have a few adornments that I tossed up on her. Any coin she has is from her own adventures though, and I think she’s sitting at about 21g. She also has combat experience disabled, and has for quite some time. There’s one thing though. She still levels too fast. How? Well, quest completion experience still goes through. So she’s very slowly been leveling up through discovery of new zones, and quest completions. I’ve mostly hung out in Antonica, though recently I did take her through Darklight Woods to get the quests there done. Even though she’s good aligned the quest givers had no issues talking to her. I had to avoid the guards once or twice (I love the fact that monks not only get FD, but they get invis as well).

She has 191 quests completed at level 24 as of right now. Of course not all of those give aa experience, a few I’ve forgotten to mentor down for and a good portion were from antonica where there were a good deal (before the revamp at least, I have not been there since the revamp, I’ll have to test) that did not give aa at all for completion. It’s difficult to adventure in these “old world” zones when the newer ones are around. Not only are the quests vastly out dated, but the gear is certainly not comparable to what’s out there at all. My monk had been getting by with Antonica quests reward for so long, after completing a few in Darklight Woods I’d nearly replaced all of her old jewelry. It’s a nice break from playing the troubador who’s sitting (stuck) at level 65, as well as the 4 other level 70’s that I’ve got. I managed to barely get Goudia to level 37 weaponsmith before I grew utterly bored of it, so I expect that I’ll play around on the monk for the next little while since it holds my interest. It’s fun reading the quest lines and the history behind everything, something I’ve missed out on in the past. I suppose I was also influenced to bring out my monk due to this post here on Average Joe’s blog, about their new guild “Slow Burn”. I wonder how they’ll manage to stay at level 10 though, seeing as quest turn in experience is so huge of an amount. It’s a very cool idea for a guild, and a great way to experience the game if anyone out there is bored, I’d suggest giving it a try. Of course if you’re not much of a quester you may find it an annoying method to experience the game, but for myself at least I think it’s great.

So when she finally hits 70, Goudia has some new stabbies all ready

There’s nothing like a little motivation to get some levels for your character. Goudia is sitting at 60% into 63 right now, with not enough vitality for me to be able to even make it into the next level. However, she did manage to get her little paws on two VERY pretty .. pretties.. last night. She has a few levels before she can use them but I adore them none the less. I think it will actually be a hobby of hers. Once her bags are not filled with tradeskill materials, she can fill it with pretty looking stabbies. Even though I (one of the few who do) realize that bards are not exactly melee’ers. I had a discussion about this yesterday with a friend of mine, trying to figure out a few things. I was examining a few other troubadors, and noticed that they’re all spec’d for strength it seems. Now, I realize that I’m still fairly new at playing a bard. However. My bard is int spec’d. She’s wearing mostly moonstone jewelry until I can afford the nicer stuff with +int on it (and have the levels) and she’s got more int then anything else. She’s sitting at 434 currently. Does this mean she can’t melee? No, of course she can, but only 3 of her “songs” do melee damage. The rest do mental damage. Leading me to believe that she is pretty much a chain wearing caster, rather then a pure dps scout. If the bard is dead due to rushing up towards a mob, the whole group suffers. I’d rather hang back a bit and cast my songs from afar (they have some nice range).

Handy bag to have around.. and brings back some old EQ memories

Gerbil and Goudia (the dynamic duo.. a fae and a ratonga, you can’t possibly get any cuter) started (and finished) their bag of the tinkerers last night, along with some much appreciated (and needed) help from Shadowgeist. Oh, and because I forgot yesterday, a huge thank you to Lader for coming out and helping get those bone-clasped girdles done. The guild is almost level 20, which means another row of bank slots (cheers!), things are coming along nicely. Today it will probably be a round of Barren Sky quests, for some aa. Goudia has been slacking behind lately. I’d like to get more of her EoF aa’s completed. She’s got 68 currently. I’ll probably drag Misako around as well though I think she has the quests done she can at least buff the baby bard and warlock.

The game has been almost un-playable at night lately, which really sucks. There’s been huge amounts of chat lag. Not group chat, for some reason that channel works fine and is separate from the rest. However, guild messages take forever to go through after 7pm EST, and you may not even want to try zoning. I hung at the “receiving zone info” for a good 10 minutes, of course frustrating to me (and everyone else experiencing it).

This item used to be amazing when level 50 was the cap, I found it today stashed in Dasie’s bank

You can find the walk through for the item posted above here if you’re one of those people who enjoy doing quests for sentimental value, or if you’re adventuring along looking for something to do, or heck you’re just looking for a spiffy new item to play with. Back when level 50 was the cap this item was amazing, and it was also difficult to get. Back when Obelisk of Lost Souls required access to every floor, back when the script for Nektropos Castle was hard to remember. Ahh. Miss those days.

1. Purchase an emerald gem from Merchant Dondl Fuzzlecutter in Baubbleshire or Merchant Vlepo in Temple Street (61.47, 4.11, 66.28) and keep that gem in your inventory.
2. Examine a chest on the Thundering Steppes docks (-565, -14, -490).
3. Find 10 rods all over Norrath. The rods have respawn timers, so the items to get them may not always be clicky.
   • Azia: -540, -153, -1170 a chest underwater in The Commonlands (north and slightly west of the Freeport griffon station, just off the top of the map).
   • Beza: -1882, -29, -491 on second floor of building in Windstalker Village in Antonica (scroll on desk).
   • Caza: -475, -22, +231 in Thundering Steppes (small lump of meteorite underwater in crater north of RoV entrance).
   • Dena: -241, -4, +223, under the Bridge in Nektulos Forest at the Commonlands exit .
   • Ena: at -57, +4, +5 in Ruins of Varsoon, a large wheel on the platform where Alchemist Pindula is found.
   • Fana: at -223, -11, -132 is the stump and anvil inside Middlehill’s General Store in Rivervale
   • Geza: -281.78, -4, 447.76 in Feerrott in a rock among the ruins beside Greenblood River, near where Bouncer Prud spawns.
   • Heda: +210, -14, +22 on a table in Lord Everlings laboratory in Nektropos Castle.
   • Izah: at +33, +594, +332 the throne in Obelisk of Lost Souls (room with three shadowed men around a fire).
   • Jaka: at -53, -24, -330 in Miragul’s Menagerie in a clump of candles in the room with the big cube in the middle.

The item isn’t of any use now of course, and the fact that it’s no-value means you can’t even sell to vendor. I wish there was an option to have a majority of legendary items turned into housing items. Not that we really need any more with all of the little trinkets you can get in game but it’s a quaint thought.

Ok. I am in heaven. I just went and read the test notes for GU37… they’re way too long to post the entire thing, so if you’re interested in reading, check here, and in the mean time, here are the portions of it that I personally am so ecstatic about:

BROKER

• You can now sell items on the broker with more than one character!
  • All characters on an account can list items for sale at the same time.
  • Items remain listed as long as you log in with any of your characters at least once every 7 days.

Mystic

• Enhance: Resurrection Efficiency: Improved power reduction from 8% to 12% per rank.
• Spirit Dance: Increased resurrection amount from 15% to 40%. Improved reuse speed from 2 minutes to 90 seconds. Increased radius to 30m.
• Enhance: Cures, Fading Spirit, Ancient Balm: All ward amounts have been increased by 20%.
• Immunization: Improved reuse speed from 3 to 2 minutes.
• Weapon Mastery: Also increases effectiveness of Summoned Spirit Companion (single down arrow instead of double down arrow).

TRADESKILLS

• Crafted deity altars are no longer flagged “Lore”.
• Wuoshi’s Molted Scale, Bark of Growth, and Seed of Growth are no longer flagged Lore.
• Imbue type harvests are now known simply as “material” instead of four separate types (”flower”, “stone”, “tooth”, “scale”, simplifying bank space usage logistics. Existing flowers, teeth, and scales will not be renamed but can still be used.
• Crafters now gain tradeskill experience from completing tradeskill writs.
• Crafters who have respec’ed their crafting class and wish to exchange their crafting tool from the Village of Shin quests can now speak to Rai Faela Nurwin near the Village of Shin brokers.
• The following tinker-made items are now tradable: gnomish flotation device, spring-loaded gnomish stilts, goggles of the bats, gnomish diving goggles, gnomish shades, full spectrum goggles, gnomish anti camo goggles.
• The Dark Bargainers have noticed a business opportunity and moved to fill it! Neriak now has its own tradeskill faction and faction merchant.
• Carpenters have removed the following recipes from their recipe books, as they are identical in appearance to other existing items: Maple Gnome Chair, Gnome thinking chair, Gukta ironwood shelf, Ornate bedside table, Burlap painting, Elegant bone chair, Fir trophy box, Ruckas rug, Bone shelf.
• Tradeskill writs now award Dark Bargainer faction to Neriak citizens.
• Tradeskill faction merchants will now sell in-home crafting stations to crafters whose efforts have sufficiently impressed them.
• Kindling merchants not working inside the tradeskill societies are now stocking a wider inventory of recipe ingredients including cream cheese, cocoa, and sugar.
• The Norrathian Carpenters’ Guild has quietly retired the recipe for the Twisted Oak Table due to lack of demand (existing twisted oak tables will be unaffected).
• The horned leather backpack recipe is now level 63.
• Grandmaster’s Elixir of Second Sight will no longer be removed when you zone.
• The recipe for the teak oval table is now correctly named.
• An intrepid band of single-minded interior decorators has ventured deep into what remains of the Misty Thicket, and returned bringing yet more furnishing ideas to the cities of Norrath.
• Carpenters have discovered Steamfont hot springs heating technology! The carpenter-crafted moonstone pools now look slightly more desirable than the quested versions with similar appearance…
• Jewelers across Norrath have discovered how to make pristine quality handcrafted and mastercrafted rings accept adornments!

UI

• You can now re-purchase your 10 most recently sold items at the same price.
  • No time limit!
  • Even after logging out or zoning!

This little troubador couldn’t be more happy with her new gear and levels

A friend is working up (power leveling) their warlock in order to have them raid-ready as soon as possible, so for the past few days I’ve been helping them out on various characters. It was suggested that since they were already working up the warlock, why don’t I try to level up another one of my characters with them. Since Misako is already 69 with no real push to get to 70 since I’m not raiding with her, I decided that it was not a bad idea. But who would I level? I have a 53 conjuror who’s just sitting there, a 52 ranger, and at the time, a 50 troubador. I love my baby bard, I really do. I’ve betrayed her back and forth between troub and dirge for some time now, having completed the betrayal quest approx. 6 times with that character alone and never managing to settle. The first time I did it, it was actually for the books, so that I could buy the vendor sold one from either Qeynos or Freeport to add to my collection. Yesterday was a great day for the troub, as she not only hit level 51, but also 52, and then 53. She finally got to wear that pretty cobalt armor that I’d had stashed away for quite some time now. She visited instances she’d only dreamt about, and all in all, did very well. Of course it helped to have the 55 warlock and 70 zerker as well as my 70 fury all mentoring her *grins*.

As she was nearing the last 4% of her level, some guildies asked if the zerker and myself (as Dasie) would not mind helping them out in Nizara. Apparently their group had lost two healers as well as their main tank in frustration over the zone. I was a little bit leery, wasn’t exactly in the mood for the zone, you have to really know what you’re doing or you’ll be there for quite some time. They’d cleared to the third named or so, and off we went. Dasie was actually on the part of the Four Winds ring quest that needs Nizara, so I of course had some hidden motivation.

Two hours later, and the final mob fell. Yes, we died. In fact we died a lot, but it was still not bad and we still stuck it out and accomplished our goal. So now Dasie just needs Chel’Drak (which we’ve been downing without too many issues for some time now) and she’ll have her ring of the four winds that gives a 5% reduced cast time. Essential for any mage or priest. The ring (as well as the one before it) is also an upgrade in general, and free upgrades where I don’t have to spend dkp are always a good thing.

Misako also received a new baby dragon for her home yesterday, a huge thank you on that. With all the furniture updates incoming I’m taking my time working on her house and I will update as I go along. Especially with all of the wonderful plants and status items that I want to add to it.

Guild leader actually talked to me a bit yesterday which was nice after four days of pretty much silence. Not on the warmest of terms, but it’s a start, right? Still looking forward to Kilanna coming back so I can ramble about my adventures.

Hanging out in Tunaria, even the fire comes to life to talk to you

Alright, you’ll have to forgive my title for today, it was the first thing that came to mind, I’m sure it will be recognized. Anyhow, last night was Deathtoll. I’d never done DT on Dasie before ever, nor had I done it with The Inquisition (my guild going on.. three weeks now I think, I keep losing track). Plus it was my third raid as an inquisitor. I was a little worried about how her saves would be vs. cold and heat (those eyeballs are nasty) but she was in the MT group, and did just fine. Our typical templars all decided to go on vacation at the same time, so I was moved to MT group. Not a big deal, after all healing is healing, right? We had one wipe on Tarinax at the end which wasn’t really a wipe but someone had oodles of pets out calling oodles of adds on us as each one died (sighs) so we rez’d up and tried agian. Now, I always mention that each guild does things differently and Tarinax (and DT in general) is no exception. Everyone stands different places, pulls differently, some guilds mez the adds that spawn if someone dies, and some guilds (like I found out yesterday) just wack through the mobs and don’t bother mez’ing. They all work, just different ways of doing it, so of course I’m still in a process of learning the guilds quirks. I think I’ve done pretty much everything with them now raid-wise at least. I spend my evenings helping to level up some bards and warlocks along with the main tank, playing my healers typically. It’s good practice for me, to learn how much the tank can handle and where that “emergency” line is so to speak. To know how much they can handle before they’ll go down. I really do think it’s important to group up and learn how your guild members work.

Aside from the raid, I decided it was about time I did the Sword of Destiny quest chain with at least ONE of my characters. I picked the one I’m actually raiding on since the last chapter is going to involve a new raid zone in New Tunaria (Felwithe) and I’d like her to at least have a chance at completing it. Now, I’ve done the long chains of quests out there. Dasie has her Prismatic 1.0, Arysh has her Godking (Prismatic 2.0) and her Claymore (3.0 pretty much) and this quest was one of the most annoying quests I’ve ever had the pleasure of completing. Not because it’s difficult (though parts of it are) but because it requires a LOT of running around to a LOT of different zones. 47 or so zones in fact. I won’t get into too much of the lore behind the Soulfire (which is the sword) because I don’t want to ruin it for the junkies out there (chances are they’ve already completed this quest when it was first released a few months back) but be sure to read the text and books you get. Very well done. Of course, the main reason I completed it:

A wonderful statue house item, that give 300 rent reduction. Anything is worth having a new semi-rare house item added to my collection. Beside it is the spire replica from the live event a few months back. So, that’s one more quest under Dasie’s belt. There’s so many wonderful quests in this game and I really wish I had experienced more of them, though I’m hoping with time I’ll get a chance to. With RoK just a few months away now and the level cap raising to 80, now is the time to experience some of the older content before it becomes REALLY old. As I made my way through both the Qeynos and Freeport sewers, I didn’t run into a single soul. There are plenty of quests and mobs still in those zones, and yet they’re barely used. I miss stuff like that. I used to remember doing my quest to become a cleric at level 10, and needing those sewers and barely being able to find the mobs I needed because of the others in there doing the same quest. Ah the good ‘ol days.

As a side note, a huge thank you to both Dalthar and Shadowgeist, who helped me run around collecting the 50 statues. It was nice not to have to do all of unrest just for that one update, and Acada was a breeze. Kaladim didn’t like me or Dalthar very much, but at least we got a master out of the deal!

Qutey hit level 18 this morning, and 127 quests completed before I logged out in preparation for the newest GU (game update) today. I find that even with combat experience turned off, she levels quite fast. Not a bad thing, but not exactly a good thing either since I’m trying to complete a number of quests before they turn grey to her. As you can see by the list, she’s really not delved out too far, besides the smaller towns, the sewers and Antonica. There are still a huge number of zones and quests that I’ve skipped along the way already. I’m considering going back for them though, some were just far too frustrating to want to complete.

I do plan on making an evil fae (I know I know that’s not what they’re really called) today. However, I also know there will be a million other people making their evil fae and running around Neriak, so as I’ve stated a few times, I’ll create the character and then play someone else, I’ve got no desire at all to wander around with a bunch of others all trying to kill the same mobs and level at the same time. I’m thinking of moving Misako to Neriak depending on what the city is like and the housing. I do believe that they were supposed to implement a citizenship quest much like the one from Qeynos / Kelethin. I suppose I’ll look into it another time.

Another thing I really like about having my combat experience turned off is that my vitality does not go down at all. So I can quest away and then if at a later time I want to grind off a level, I’ll have the vitality to be able to do that. At level 20 I also have my armor quests, which they’ve downgraded to all be solo quests. I’m looking forward to that as it’s one of the main reasons I made my fae monk. I’ve been collecting “Gi” for my monk to wear. They start with one white one initially, and there is a quest in the Forest Ruins that rewards another white one. I know the level 30 player crafted DFC gear is also a dark red Gi. There’s also the raid set that’s fabled, and very pretty (which I know my little Qutey will never obtain) and a purple set. The armor quests at level 20 is a light yellow if I remember correctly. I really like the look of them (and leather in general) so that’s what I’ll outfit her in. I know it would probably be handier to outfit her in the T3 rare leather armor, but I’ll save that for the slots that AQ’s don’t cover, as well as her weapons.

Only.. 2 more hours of down time to go! *twitches*

Hmms some tunnel laborers traveling through the commonlands, they must be helping with Neriak

Misako frowned at the Ratonga who clung to her side. This was not exactly how she envisioned her day.

“Stop bouncing!” She hissed.

“I’m sorries Missums Misa!” Squeeled the little mouse, as she tried to control her hopping, “It has been so very long those! You knows that Missums!”

Misako sighed, Goudia had a point, it had been quite some time. Not since the ratonga had betrayed and became an exile had Misako needed her help or called upon her. There was much that needed to be done though.

So what have I been up to? Today’s a fairly exciting and busy day. Not due to anything in particular, but a number of smaller things. Number one, my characters are settling in yet another server. So that was me moving from Lucan D’Lere, to Kithicor, to Antonia Bayle. Why the move (again)? Easy, the community and atmosphere. The guild mates who had moved along with me did not like Kithicor. I can’t blame them, the 60-69 was a bit more then I could handle at times. I’m used to drama, but people were down right mean at times. I also missed the role play aspect that I could involve myself in on LDL. AB’s rp community is far larger, and I’m looking forward to it.

So Torrent Knights has reformed on AB. We’re actively recruiting, and hoping to form either an alliance with another raid guild, or even if people find their own new homes that’s fine as well. In the mean time, we’re working on leveling the guild. I did not complete a single heritage quest on Misako, and Goudia (previously known as Gouda, she had to be renamed), has only done one. With the former TK at level 60 there was no point to it, and alts were not allowed in the guild anyhow. So holding off on all of those heritage quests was a great thing. I finished off the greater lightstone early this morning, and also finished off Foomby’s stolen goods. Next I’m working on the Fishbone earring, and the guise of the deceiver. I’m doing them both with Misako and Goudia, in the hopes of pushing the guild towards level 10, we’re currently sitting at level 3. I love having a goal like this in game, while I make new friends and accomplish new goals. It revitalizes me.