A bunch of questions from newcomer

N

Naliel

Dalayan Beginner
Hello everyone.
For some time I have been thinking whether to start playing this EQ server or not.
I've never played EQ before but i'm an experienced MMO player.

This being said, I wanted to ask about any estimate amount of players playing SoD actively (couldn't find any numbers) and if there is still place for new players (e.g will i be able to find a raid group when i learn some of the game lore or is it reserved for the EQ dinosaurs).
Also, a trivial question: Is it really fun to play SoD (and EQ in general) ? The mechanics of this game seem really interesting from what i read. Is it a 'grindfest' really ?

Thanks to whoever takes time to answer me.
 
I am quite new (been playing for about 2 weeks) But I think I can anwser some of your questions.

Naliel said:
Hello everyone.
For some time I have been thinking whether to start playing this EQ server or not.
I've never played EQ before but i'm an experienced MMO player.

This being said, I wanted to ask about any estimate amount of players playing SoD actively (couldn't find any numbers) and if there is still place for new players (e.g will i be able to find a raid group when i learn some of the game lore or is it reserved for the EQ dinosaurs).
Also, a trivial question: Is it really fun to play SoD (and EQ in general) ? The mechanics of this game seem really interesting from what i read. Is it a 'grindfest' really ?

Thanks to whoever takes time to answer me.
Click to expand...

Amount of players:
I have seen about 250 up too 510, which coming from other "Main Streem" MMOs may not seem like much, but with the layout of the game, and the monitored global channels, an average of 400 is more then enough to keep the game feeling Full.

Is there still a place for new players:
Without a doubt, YES! The community really seems to embrace new players, and as you have stated you are an experienced MMO player, you will fall right into place very soon.

Is it really fun to play SoD?:
If you have never experienced EQ before, and coming from the newer faster paced MMOs, you may find it a bit slow and tedious at first. Its like a fine wine, it takes time to fully appricate how wonderful it really is. For a bit more detail, they have added a bunch of quests, though you have to find them, (no NPS with HUGE -!- over there heads to let you know you need to talk with them) The exploration is really where it is at. If you like diffucult dungeon crawls, and group orientated games, then you will find a home here.

If you do decide to start look me up on either Psygrim, or Dademoor and we'll run around killin shit together :)
 
Another quick comment to get my post count up ;)

I have yet to do any raiding, but there are these Adept mobs that can only be engaged by players under a specific level. So you may find yourself raiding through the game as you level up!
i.e. Rabb the Rat in North Newport can ONLY be engaged by level 1 players, and takes several to bring him down, his loot will last you for quite a while (untwinked).

As far as main stream, end game raiding, surfing the different guild websites it would seem the tank positions are all taken, and the only healer class really in demand is a cleric. DPS on the other hand .. I think if you play your class well, even if they are not recruiting whatever DPS class you play if you become known as a good player, you will get into a raid guild, even if they are full up on your class.
 
"This being said, I wanted to ask about any estimate amount of players playing SoD actively (couldn't find any numbers)"
At peak it is over 500 players. There are fewer non-US players so the numbers drop at night and in the morning. But you won't feel like the server is empty. Often the good zones are taken, etc.

"and if there is still place for new players (e.g will i be able to find a raid group when i learn some of the game lore or is it reserved for the EQ dinosaurs)."
I am not real sure what you mean. Yes, there are new players. Finding a group can be difficult, but if you form groups you will have less difficulty. Many play two characters at once ("box") to help them level up on those nights that they can't find groups. Most raiding is done by guilds. But there are also opportunities for pick-up raids. There is enough turn-over that a dedicated new player can find a guild at the right time. For now just level up and ask lots of questions in the newbie guild you will automatically be in (Dalaya's Beginners).

"Also, a trivial question: Is it really fun to play SoD (and EQ in general) ? The mechanics of this game seem really interesting from what i read."
It is fun for me or I would not play it. :dance: But the important question is whether you will find it fun. And the only way to answer that is to play it.

"Is it a 'grindfest' really ?"
I think that will depend on if you are having fun or not. This game does not make it super fast to get to the max level. I like that. And much of the game just involves killing things to get Experience points to get to the next level. And once you get to the maximum level you "grind" out most of your Alternate Advancement abilities and THEN you start on tomes. But really, if there was no way to advance your character, why would one continue to play?

So, I don't know. The game is easy in a sense. You mash buttons. There is some strategy involved and it takes investment in time to get better. But if you get a group of friends or a guild to advance with, it can become incredibly fulfilling and addictive.
 
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If you want it to feel like a grind, you can find plenty to grind (cough, tradeskills, cough, tomes, cough), but you shouldn't feel like "this is only a grind for the sake of grinding" for a very long time unless you're just doing something the hard way.
 
I have played a few grindfests before coming here (Flyff, Rappelz, others) and I can say with certainty, this is not a grindfest. After playing a game where killing a mob nets you a whole whopping .005% per kill, I find things like the supposed 'Hell Levels' in this game to be a joke.

There is a certain amount of grinding that comes with this game, to be sure, but it is a slower paced game, and there are many other things to do than grind. You can do tradeskills (still kinda grindy, but a change of pace anyway) and there are lots of quests, large and small.

There are also different group activities that you can participate in, like adept mobs, treasure maps, war raids, guild raids.

One last tip, if you are in the beginner's guild, keep your eyes open for Fanny, they often do a lottery of sorts to give away free gear :) Some of us others do as well.
 
I just want to chime in with my two cents, as a fellow new player on here... despite my accounts age, I only recently started getting into SoD. ;)


a) Don't let the relatively small in-game population fool you. When you're looking for a group (assuming you do it in the right channel) your message is broadcast directly to the other 300-500 players on the server. You won't always be able to find a group for your exact level in the exact place you want all the time, but if you're flexible (don't mind traveling to get to a group, start your own or don't mind a less than perfect group build), the groups will more likely than not come eventually. And there are always people talking in the DB guild chat and in the various chat channels. You'll never ever feel lonely unless you purposely isolate yourself lol.

And as people mentioned, boxing (playing two characters at the same time on two clients, two characters playing at once is the maximum you're allowed to have) is a possible solution for those days/nights where you just can't for the life of you find a group. I personally don't care much for it, but it's a possibility if it appeals to you. :p


b) This is perhaps the nicest community of players I've seen in a game. As I mentioned earlier, the DB guild is called 'Dalaya's Beginners'. Every new player starts in it and many veterans and even the GM's and Dev's and Admin's stick around in it to help new players out. If I ever have a question, there's literally 4 or 5 different people answering it seconds after I ask. People have helped me out in finding various places in-game and some kind people have even helped me out with starter equipment.

Of course, any game will have a few bad eggs and this is no exception, but there's really a lot of nice people around here that will gladly help newbies out, especially if it encourages you to stick with the game for a while. ;)


That's all for now lol...
 
It depends on what your looking for really. Its not easy like some mmos. It takes a while to get your toon up there and even after you get decent theres still tons and tons to do, weather its questing or just getting random keys or gate necks. This game is awesome because its more of a raw mmo in a sense, where you can still get glitches and find bugs, i think that stuff was always neat. Plus you get clicky items, those rule.

If you like killing some time this is it, it wont take you long if you are into other mmos to hit max level but thats honestly where the game starts.
 
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