The Spirit Realm

Awhile ago I started a thread concerning how shaman faired in Vanilla, as well as Kunark and Velious, and received some decent responses. While I never actually got deep into that old school server like I planned to, another has come around on EQEMU and I'm closing in on level 30 - it's addictive. Things like finally hitting 9 and getting SoW, buying a full suit of banded for 1pp/ac at 15, and (recently) picking up two of the spells that define our class - Canni and Regen - remind me why I spent so many hours playing EQ live years ago, I love it. For anyone craving the Classic experience, they've done it right, I'm willing to bet quite a few of you have forgotten how big the Karanas really are, how to run from Qeynos to Mistmoore, how intimidating crawling a dungeon feels, and how rewarding looting a CGS or completing the Paw of Opalla quest can be, etc. I started during Velious on live, so quite a bit of this is new to me - especially leveling zones - and even though it's an emu server, it's still a hell of a lot of a fun. There's a damn good community base thus far, and it's only been around a monthish; I'd rather not post the actual name here - other successful EMU servers have been cease and desisted - so the fewer google searches that pull up its name the better, heh. Just PM if you'd like more info - if you're not active on live and/or are even curious about starting up on this server to see if you like it I'd be more than happy to throw a few plat, bags, and a fine steel weapon or two your way to get you started. The server devs are busting their asses and it shows.

Anyways, back on point. I realize we really don't come into our own concerning hp/ac until Kunark, and I was wondering if any old schoolers remember tips from back in the day they'd care to share. Anything from pieces of gear that were particularly useful to a shaman, to a solid strategy on solo camping the ancient croc for gatorscale, to the best place to hunt mobs for plat. This is a shot in the dark, but I'm hoping a few of you remember the Vanilla experience and don't mind educating me like Wildaar, Snoww, and Gloriana used to back in the day. The info doesn't necessarily have to apply just to Vanilla, as they'll eventually be releasing Kunark/Velious - but Kunark probably won't be around until next summer, so I'm mainly concerned with Classic at the moment.

Damn good to know this board is still around, I walked around in druid gear until someone told me about the Crucible a long, long time ago. Grabbed a Rune Etched Icewurm Fang and a Sarnak Battle Shield shortly thereafter and never looked back. Hope live is treating you guys well, cheers.

tl;dr - There's a classic server on EQEMU I encourage anyone to try out, PM me for info; in the meantime, any tips about Vanilla EQ that would help out a shaman are greatly appreciated.

In this Classic experience, did they apply the "belly-casting" nerf to Hill Giants? That was the normal hangout for soloing shm back in the day. Some high-hate dots and doggy nipping at their heels till dude falls over. It's basically crappy necroing, but that's what you did if you couldn't get a lguk/solb group.

If Garf just got Canni and Regen, then he is currently in the mid-20s, right? Hill/Sand/Ice Giants are out then, but there should be places in the Old World where a mid-20s Shaman could get some coin.

1. Do the "Dwarf citizens" in Butcherblock drop weapons/armor worth 7 (?) pp the way they did in 1999?

2. Did they fix the pathing in Unrest? If so, a good mansion group should be a fun and lucrative experience.

3. Fine Steel weapons (and some chain/bronze armor drops) is how I made money at that level back in the day. You just need to find level-appropriate mobs that drop them frequently and you should be in business. (Pre-revamp) Cazic-Thule was a good source of FS, although you may be a little low for it. Doesn't hurt to check, of course.

I much prefer the more relaxed and peaceful pace of online games these days, but to each his own

Hey Garf sent you a PM

It's totally possible to level from like 12 to 55 without leaving Highkeep, if you want to kill goblins and then humans instead of dwarves

From 12 you pretty much have to be in a group in the basement. You have to move upstairs to guards & bards & nobles by level 30. I personally soloed near 20 levels there, from 35ish to 55.

I realize this post is from December, but I hope my late post is still helpful.

Places to make money:

Crushbone - Kill everything, loot everything, then sell to vendors. Keep all the CB belts and Legionnaire pads to turn in at Kaladim for XP, money, and leather armor - which you sell for more coin. You can also run the mail between both Elven cities and Kaladim for 3 gp per letter (9 gp per trip). Believe it or not, this is was a good money-making scheme back in the day.
SolA - Same technique as CB, just go in and slaughter everything and loot everything, then sell to the gypsies. It is better loot than CB. You can combine this with killing DE guards in Nek Forest and looting their bronze swords.
Cazic-Thule - Back in the day, this was THE money spot. We used to come out with our bags full of FS weapons and other vendor loot. Might be a good XP spot for you in your 30s.
Warrens - If the Warrens is enabled, that would be another spot to do mass slaughter and sell the trash loot.

Some faction quests were good money makers. I seem to remember that doing the Odus Pearls quest in Erudin Harbor and the related quests in Qeynos yielded some good loot. The wisp quest in the Karanas was good money for the original era.

Hope this helps.

I wasn't exactly what you'd call oldschool. I didn't start my shammy until PoP (was a rogue main from 2001-2003)
All the same, PoP didn't really influence levelling strategy much since it was all 46+. Neither did LoY or GoD afterwards, for that matter.

I specifically remember doing Aqua Goblins near the Kaladim docks from 7 until lvl 12 or so. They were great for plat at the time, dropping up to 4 pp per kill I think (although I do remember hearing they may have been nerfed at some point)
I also did a little stint in WK at the guard tower hunting wisps for greater lightstones (8-10 pp each), with the occasional Highpass basement group.
After that, I followed the crowd to Crystal Caverns where we jostled for a geonid camp. After that, upon reaching 45 or so, it was Sebilis, and the Hole, and more Sebilis. The Hole was absolutely amazing XP at the time. Better than PoJustice in my estimation anyway, and Sebilis was where you go to earn your cash. Gem drops in both the Hole and Sebilis were pretty frequent.

I wanted to add that my former haunts and strategies for money-making were based on the assumption that you could do it solo and reap all the rewards yourself. I should have been specific on that point. You can start to solo Cyclops in Ocean of Tears when you are mid 40's, and of course there is good ol' Gornit who you can solo somewhat earlier. The strategy with the giant and the cyclops is to let the pet tank for you. Even if you are wearing original planar armor, you are much less able to stand a beating than your pooch. If you can get a pet kit, all the better. These are the richest mobs I can remember from the original era. There is good money to be made in Lower Guk, and SolB, but you'll need a group. Another spot to consider for solo cash and XP are the Spectres in Oasis of Marr. Once you are mid-40s it should be a cake to solo these, again let the pet tank for you.

For solo cash making, it is much easier to solo in SolA/Blackburrow/Permafrost/Najena and kill stuff quickly, fill your bags, sell, then rinse and repeat until you're satisfied. A single bag-filling raid into SolA should yield you at least 10pp per trip. You will also be able to do named for items to sell to other players.

I don't know how much of a market there is on your emu server, but you shouldn't neglect trade skills as a money maker. I used to make serious dough making SoW potions (ah, the memories...). Making banded armor is another avenue for profit.

I just recently (today) returned after being gone for about 2 years. I've been around since shortly after the orginial Beta. Spent a long long time leveling in Paw. God that and PoP were the days...

Welcome back, Shammyknight!

YEA!

Thanks Sam!

Doh!!

Shaman since april 2000. I've not active the last few years, but I am currently re learning the game to play some with a few old brothers and sisters in arms. Very casually.

Don't think I'll give EQemu a try even if some of my oldschool PVP buddies obviously run around ganking eachother on the pvp emu. Sounds fun, but I feel the oldschool game is a thing of the past, and while i enjoy looking back, it's never going to be the same, youre only a EQ virgin once.

I figured you were afk so I'll say hi here instead

Nice to see so many oldies here, even if some are just trolling the boards instead of playing the game.

Did somebody mention a troll? I've been a troll since 2000!

As far as the classic private server, I've been thinking about it for a while but can't bring myself to do it. Classic EQ just takes so much time to really do anything at all and my RL is MUCH MUCH MUCH busier than it was in 2000 when I wasn't even in high school yet in a middle of no where farm town with nothing to do and since I couldn't drive yet, I had no where to go...........and damn that is trippy. Since then I've graduated high school, college and am a semester or two away from a Masters. Time flies outside of Norrath.

Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled programming

Old school?
This would be my first post for probably 15 years...

Hi all

Weyalan