Potential new player with some questions.

[Senan]

Hey everyone, I've known about SoD for many, many years. I played very briefly back around '08 but due to time constraints, among other RL things, I never got very far in the game. Well, I should finally have some free time coming up and I've been thinking of finally giving SoD a real go this time. I understand the server is pretty much totally different from the EQ I remember, but I actually find that kind of exciting -- especially with all the quests and such.

The main question I had for you guys is: What does the game have to offer a predominantly solo player? Don't get me wrong, I like to group whenever I can, but due to my weird play-times, I expect I won't have the option as often as I'd like. That being the case, I'll probably be soloing a lot when I play and I was wondering what kind of options I'll have at "end game?" I can see that 6 mans and raids are really popular, and I definitely hope to take part in them at some point down the road, but what kinds of things will I be able to do before that/aside from that? Any cool, involved questlines and such once you reach 65?

I'm planning to go with a gnome SK (favorite class/race combination), possibly with a shaman box (I figure that's a pretty good combo, but I'm open to suggestions) so I'm hoping I'll be able to solo well enough. I'm not much of a fan of boxing in general, but I know how tough this game can be when you go it alone. I plan to use my box as little as possible for the most part (mainly just buffs and heals) but depending on the situation, I might try getting a little more creative with it.

I'm sure I'll have more questions later but that's really all I was curious about at the moment. If any of you have any tips or advice for a beginner here, I'd be grateful for the help. Looking forward to seeing you guys in-game once I get things up and running .

 

[Xalsturi]

Hi there. Welcome back to SoD.

There is really quite a lot of content that can be done solo. I've been playing since before SoD was called SoD and a big chunk of my playtime has been solo for similar reasons as you have. Having a good solo class is key to having an enjoyable solo experience. I play a shaman, I don't box, and I've always really enjoyed myself. I can do more solo as a shaman than many people might expect. I hear SK is great at soloing at the high end, but they are pretty gear dependent (like all tanks) and you'll find yourself taking a looooong time to kill things at some stages. SK/SHM would be a great box combo. If it's down to choosing one to mostly solo I'd choose to main the SHM myself, but that's at least partly personal preference/bias (I love the class).

I am also an avid quester and there is a ton of quest content that is fun and unique throughout the lvls and at 65. Newbie quests in towns as well as starfall and thurgadin class quests are all fun, have good rewards, and can be done solo or boxed. Much of The Vah quest line (probably the longest/most involved quest line) can be done solo or boxed as well for some snazzy rewards. Many of the bigger or more involved quests in the game require the odd 6-man encounter or raid, but if you're mostly solo/box you can end up doing many of those bits eventually through pick up groups or raids if you're patient. The wiki is a great resource for quest info and pretty much anything else you're curious about. If you have any questions about specific quests or need help with same, feel free to send a tell to Draedan if you see me in game.

Hey everyone, I've known about SoD for many, many years. I played very briefly back around '08 but due to time constraints, among other RL things, I never got very far in the game. Well, I should finally have some free time coming up and I've been thinking of finally giving SoD a real go this time. I understand the server is pretty much totally different from the EQ I remember, but I actually find that kind of exciting -- especially with all the quests and such.

The main question I had for you guys is: What does the game have to offer a predominantly solo player? Don't get me wrong, I like to group whenever I can, but due to my weird play-times, I expect I won't have the option as often as I'd like. That being the case, I'll probably be soloing a lot when I play and I was wondering what kind of options I'll have at "end game?" I can see that 6 mans and raids are really popular, and I definitely hope to take part in them at some point down the road, but what kinds of things will I be able to do before that/aside from that? Any cool, involved questlines and such once you reach 65?

I'm planning to go with a gnome SK (favorite class/race combination), possibly with a shaman box (I figure that's a pretty good combo, but I'm open to suggestions) so I'm hoping I'll be able to solo well enough. I'm not much of a fan of boxing in general, but I know how tough this game can be when you go it alone. I plan to use my box as little as possible for the most part (mainly just buffs and heals) but depending on the situation, I might try getting a little more creative with it.

I'm sure I'll have more questions later but that's really all I was curious about at the moment. If any of you have any tips or advice for a beginner here, I'd be grateful for the help. Looking forward to seeing you guys in-game once I get things up and running .

 

[Senan]

Hi there. Welcome back to SoD.

There is really quite a lot of content that can be done solo. I've been playing since before SoD was called SoD and a big chunk of my playtime has been solo for similar reasons as you have. Having a good solo class is key to having an enjoyable solo experience. I play a shaman, I don't box, and I've always really enjoyed myself. I can do more solo as a shaman than many people might expect. I hear SK is great at soloing at the high end, but they are pretty gear dependent (like all tanks) and you'll find yourself taking a looooong time to kill things at some stages. SK/SHM would be a great box combo. If it's down to choosing one to mostly solo I'd choose to main the SHM myself, but that's at least partly personal preference/bias (I love the class).

I am also an avid quester and there is a ton of quest content that is fun and unique throughout the lvls and at 65. Newbie quests in towns as well as starfall and thurgadin class quests are all fun, have good rewards, and can be done solo or boxed. Much of The Vah quest line (probably the longest/most involved quest line) can be done solo or boxed as well for some snazzy rewards. Many of the bigger or more involved quests in the game require the odd 6-man encounter or raid, but if you're mostly solo/box you can end up doing many of those bits eventually through pick up groups or raids if you're patient. The wiki is a great resource for quest info and pretty much anything else you're curious about. If you have any questions about specific quests or need help with same, feel free to send a tell to Draedan if you see me in game.

Thanks for the terrific response! Glad to hear there's quite a bit of stuff to do as a solo player. Yeah, the melee classes (aside from monk) have always been very gear dependent so I imagine I'll have some difficulty at first, but SK has pretty much always been my class of choice. I love hybrids, especially those that incorporate necromancy, so it's always been a no-brainer for me. As for the boxing, since I'm going with a gnome SK, I was thinking of going with a cleric instead of the shaman so that I'll have both characters together right from the start. I'm not very familiar with the travel situation on this server so I think it would probably be easier that way.

I don't have the game setup yet, but luckily I still have an old copy of Titanium sitting around. With the help of the wiki, it shouldn't take me long. And thanks for the help offer; I may have to take you up on that at some point . I expect I'll probably have a question or two down the road.

 

[Silosobi]

There is a lot to do solo in this game, and SKs are good at it. As others said, you will be a bit weak until you get some gear, but you can get a decent set of items through soloing or buying from the market. If you want a box for the play you describe, I'd be tempted to say a druid is a better match. Druids have more of the important buffs, runspeed, and ports, making them an ideal duo for questing and running around the world. The big advantage of the shaman is haste, and he can add more dps if you fight with him, but a druid's DS will probably do as much damage as haste before you have a powerful 2h weapon, and druids have a mana regen buff, more hp buffs, stamina/hp regen buffs. Its also not too hard to get haste from someone in town, which can last 4-5 hours, then go out and do stuff, and the druid ports and runspeed will allow you to get around much faster. If you wanna just sit in one zone and farm the shaman might be a bit stronger, but for questing, the druid definitely wins, and for other applications they aren't far behind.

 

[Senan]

There is a lot to do solo in this game, and SKs are good at it. As others said, you will be a bit weak until you get some gear, but you can get a decent set of items through soloing or buying from the market. If you want a box for the play you describe, I'd be tempted to say a druid is a better match. Druids have more of the important buffs, runspeed, and ports, making them an ideal duo for questing and running around the world. The big advantage of the shaman is haste, and he can add more dps if you fight with him, but a druid's DS will probably do as much damage as haste before you have a powerful 2h weapon, and druids have a mana regen buff, more hp buffs, stamina/hp regen buffs. Its also not too hard to get haste from someone in town, which can last 4-5 hours, then go out and do stuff, and the druid ports and runspeed will allow you to get around much faster. If you wanna just sit in one zone and farm the shaman might be a bit stronger, but for questing, the druid definitely wins, and for other applications they aren't far behind.

Great suggestion and I decided to follow your advice. Having ports, in addition to everything else, would be really helpful. I actually just finished setting the game up, making my accounts, and my first characters (took awhile because it wouldn't let me log in initially with my first password -- I guess it must have been too long.) Now that I have the basic stuff setup, I'm hoping to find another UI if possible. It's not that I have anything against the old default, but I was hoping to find something closer to the velious UI; I've always liked the minimalist/transparent approach to UIs. Don't suppose there's a version of the velious UI that works here by chance?

Also, on a somewhat unrelated, out of the blue note, I was wondering if there's a general consensus in regards to classic/luclin character models on this server? I've always been more of a fan of classic models myself, but I typically go with whichever model most people on the server use (for RP purposes and all that.) I know this is an impossible question to answer accurately, but I was wondering if either model type is known to be the "clear cut winner" here, or if it seems like a fairly even split amongst the community?

Thanks again for the advice; I really appreciate the help guys.

 

[Daffie]

There are a couple of ui threads posted around here. I think they are in the tech support area? I am mobile or would link them for you, but I know I have posted my UI, along with directions on how to edit it.

I think most people are fond of the classic models, but I personally use the luclin models. I think barbarians and ogres specifically look much better with luclin.

 

[Senan]

There are a couple of ui threads posted around here. I think they are in the tech support area? I am mobile or would link them for you, but I know I have posted my UI, along with directions on how to edit it.

I think most people are fond of the classic models, but I personally use the luclin models. I think barbarians and ogres specifically look much better with luclin.

Thanks! So far I've found this thread which should be pretty helpful. I think I read somewhere that the UIs from eqinterface around the '04 era might work. I've been using a Velious UI on a PoP era server and I was thinking about trying it here just of curiosity.

Yeah, there are a few Luclin models that I like, but I generally stick with those ugly old classic versions most of the time. I prefer the animations. Speaking of the old models, I noticed in a few screenshots/videos that some players had what appeared to be armor with the Velious textures. Is that something that's officially supported on this server, or do we need to install/enable those textures ourselves?

Thanks again.

 

[Daffie]

I believe you can pick your textures in the EQ options.

 

[Senan]

I believe you can pick your textures in the EQ options.

Oh, there's an actual option for Velious armor textures? Which options menu are you referring to? I didn't see anything like that when I checked earlier, but I'd love to have it enabled if possible.

As an aside, I also tried out the Velious UI that I use on PoP era servers and it appears to work. The target window looks a little messed up though, and the mini-inventory window thing that is usually attached to the hotbar isn't showing up; it just shows the hotbar itself. I tried adding Vitali's hotbar (since it's close to the one I had), but it isn't working either for some reason. I'm a novice when it comes to UI tweaking, so I'm pretty much clueless about this stuff.

Thanks, by the way

 

[Daffie]

Oh, there's an actual option for Velious armor textures? Which options menu are you referring to? I didn't see anything like that when I checked earlier, but I'd love to have it enabled if possible.

As an aside, I also tried out the Velious UI that I use on PoP era servers and it appears to work. The target window looks a little messed up though, and the mini-inventory window thing that is usually attached to the hotbar isn't showing up; it just shows the hotbar itself. I tried adding Vitali's hotbar (since it's close to the one I had), but it isn't working either for some reason. I'm a novice when it comes to UI tweaking, so I'm pretty much clueless about this stuff.

Thanks, by the way

Don't listen to the 'warning' about memory unless you run a 15 year old shitbox computer. Personally, I turn dynamic lighting and particle effects off. The lighting tends to slow my system down even with a modern computer, and the particles make it so i can't see anything that is going on.

 

[Daffie]

Oh, there's an actual option for Velious armor textures? Which options menu are you referring to? I didn't see anything like that when I checked earlier, but I'd love to have it enabled if possible.

As an aside, I also tried out the Velious UI that I use on PoP era servers and it appears to work. The target window looks a little messed up though, and the mini-inventory window thing that is usually attached to the hotbar isn't showing up; it just shows the hotbar itself. I tried adding Vitali's hotbar (since it's close to the one I had), but it isn't working either for some reason. I'm a novice when it comes to UI tweaking, so I'm pretty much clueless about this stuff.

Thanks, by the way

I replied to your thread in tech support about the UI stuff. Honestly, don't update the default UI folder. You need to copy it, rename the copy, and then update the new folder. Then from in game on each character you use the alt+o screen to select, click the Load UI Skin button from the general tab, and load your new UI folder.

 

[Silosobi]

My impression is that the majority of people use classic models. A fair number use the newer ones though.

 

[phroggonalog]

I'm a bit late to the party, but one thing that has helped me with soloing (with no box) is the acquisition a DS clicky:

Belt of Icewind, 20pt self DS slot 1, from a level 45 adept

Shim Woven Gloves, 11pt targetable DS slot 1, from a level 57 adept

Ring of Everfreezing Essence, 5pt DS slot 12 from Very Easy Maps

Ring of Everburning Essence, 5 pt DS slot 12 from Easy Maps

If you end up boxing characters that can't cast a DS, then these clickies may help! I'm pretty sure (but not entirely) that you can try for the Belt or Gloves and they will stack with one of the Tmap rings

 

[Senan]

I replied to your thread in tech support about the UI stuff. Honestly, don't update the default UI folder. You need to copy it, rename the copy, and then update the new folder. Then from in game on each character you use the alt+o screen to select, click the Load UI Skin button from the general tab, and load your new UI folder.

I wouldn't normally mess with the default folder, but in this case it seemed to be the only way to get Vitali's hotbutton window to work. I did exactly as you suggested, but his window still wouldn't work until I added it to the default. I don't plan to add/change anything else to it though, so hopefully I won't have any problems.

As for the options, I have pretty much everything enabled (except for the Luclin models) but I didn't see anything in there about Velious armor textures. I know you guys have a ton of custom stuff here, so I thought some of the velious graphics might have been used for some of the gear in the game. It's not a big deal, in any case. Thanks again for all the info.

I'm a bit late to the party, but one thing that has helped me with soloing (with no box) is the acquisition a DS clicky:

Belt of Icewind, 20pt self DS slot 1, from a level 45 adept

Shim Woven Gloves, 11pt targetable DS slot 1, from a level 57 adept

Ring of Everfreezing Essence, 5pt DS slot 12 from Very Easy Maps

Ring of Everburning Essence, 5 pt DS slot 12 from Easy Maps

If you end up boxing characters that can't cast a DS, then these clickies may help! I'm pretty sure (but not entirely) that you can try for the Belt or Gloves and they will stack with one of the Tmap rings

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely look into these one I have the means to get them.

 

[Tevinter]

i think you have to edit eqclient.ini and it says something like velioustexture19=FALSE, and you just change it to TRUE for all of the velious texture things

 

[Senan]

i think you have to edit eqclient.ini and it says something like velioustexture19=FALSE, and you just change it to TRUE for all of the velious texture things

Ahh, that's right. I remember doing that a long time ago, but it slipped my mind until you mentioned it. I'll probably leave it alone for now, but I'm glad to know how to do it again. Thanks .