Real life first name: Mike
Forum handle: Skrax_Swifttail
Main Character name: Skrax Swifttail
Server: Fennin Ro
Guild: Scripted Legacy

Where in the real life world do you live? Oakland, Maine

How long have you played EQ? Skrax was born April 13, 2001

What other MMOs have you played? City of Heroes and Project Entropia

What type of work do you do? Computer Support for State Government

How long is your typical gaming session when playing EQ? 3-5 hours

What does a typical EQ day consist of for you? Week nights I usually log in about 30 minutes before guild raids. When raids are called I end up acting as either Primary or Secondary puller for the raid (when pulling is necessary - GoD content mostly as of late, since little in Time needs pulling). Week Ends (lately) I usually end up farming Trade skill Items to further my trade skill habit while LFG, but I am usually picky about what groups I go for. XP isn't as huge a concern for me lately, more interested in completing progression missions, helping guildies with their missions, or playing in the new expansion.

What was the race and class of your very first character? Iksar Monk

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I've always like games, from board and card games to pen and paper games. When computer games and console games hit mainstream, it was a natural progression to gravitate towards these style games. I much preferred games that had a story arc and took a lot work and skill/strategy to master. I've also been a big fan of Sci Fi/Fantasy literature, and that reflects in the games I prefer. RPG style games made for a nice fit and reflects most of my older Nintendo / Sega Console games as well as my aging computer game collection.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other then playing EverQuest? I still Pen and Paper role play as well enjoy a good board game (Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Empire Builder, etc . . .) I've also taken a shine to online poker.

What is your highest level in EQ? Level 70, 400+ AA

What race and class is your main character? Iksar Monk

What do you like the most about the class you have chosen for your main character? I loved the fact that he was hated by all races (Iksar) and spent much of my first 2-3 years playing working different factions to over come this. I found the challenge of becoming loved by all (old world races anyway) invigorating and helped to keep me from burning out on the "Grind". Much like Trade skilling has replaced my factioning in recent months.

Does your main character worship a deity? Cazic-Thule

How did you choose your main character's name? When I heard about the Iksar race, the name Skrax just clicked. And the Swifttails are my family in Cabalis, so that was the natural surname to go with.

Which classes in EQ have you NOT played? Tried one cleric when after PoP came out and I was still playing on a P1 200MHz PC with 128 MB RAM. I found I would usually go LD within 20 minutes of being online and the places I would go LD in with Skrax meant certain death when I logged back in. So I wanted something different and tried a cleric. I got him to 21, and learned that I really didn't care for the "healing role". Got a PC upgrade and he has become my Bazaar mule. I made a mage as well when I bought my wife an EQ account, to play with her. She never took to the game, so my level 14 or so mage has been retired before he came into his own. So to answer the question, I have not played any class, except those two and my monk.

What is your favorite expansion? Kunark would have to be, since it gave me my Iksar. Though I am a big fan of Omens of War. This was really the first expansion to give the 1 group folks major upgrades that used to be only available to high end raiders. As such, this expansion allowed smaller to medium guilds the ability to gear up its folks to tackle older expansion high end zones with much smaller numbers than those expansions were originally tuned for.

What is your favorite zone? I don't really have any 1 favorite zone, many zones I have fond memories of, but I was always partial to the "dungeons" Crypt of Dalniir being one of my favorite dungeons. RunneyEye and Najena were another two I found interesting and have stomped back through both for a variety of reasons.

What is your favorite npc? Master Niska - the only Female Monk Master ever recorded anywhere in the Swifttail line. Up to about my mid 50s, she was the only guild Master I would go to for skill ups.

Which expansion do you like the least? Legacy of Ykesha. No real reason other than it was always "out of the way" to go mess around in and even then there was really nothing of value from a solo stand point for a melee and little incentive from a group standpoint to travel there. So while I don't really hate the LoY zones, I just never found much there for me.

Which zone do you like the least? Swamp of no Hope. I spent far too much of my early years there hating the multitude of trees that kept hiding mobs and the many water holes that made it difficult to chase down fleeing mobs. Plus, on my first PC, that was a laggy zone from the get go. I just never got a good feel within that zone.

Which npc do you like the least? Meldrath the Malignant. He caused me more grief during all my factioning days than any 1 NPC.

What is the most platinum you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? 100,000 was recently spent on an Ferocity 2 / Stun Resist 3 augment, but I acquired a pair of Flayed Barbarian Skin Leggings a couple years back for 70,000 and a Fungus Covered Scale Tunic.

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so what is it and why do you keep it? I have never trashed any of my keys regardless if they went on my key ring, including my Vex Thal Key (even though I only got to play in VT a couple of times and probably will never go back). They represent too much effort for me to not have something physical to look at from time to time. Even if they eat up 2 of my 10 slot bags in the bank.

What do you like best about EverQuest? I like the fact that you get out of it what you put into it and that there is nothing preventing you from doing anything if you are willing to work for it in the game. What do you get out of playing EverQuest? A great group of online friends, a fun diversion from the real world and ever since getting the original Trilogy I have spent less money on computer/console games despite the expansions and monthly fee.

Describe your best experience from playing EverQuest? I remember not long after Omens of war had come out and I had a solid group of folks that I had been with through our original guild (Crusaders of Drunken Might) and transitioned into our current guild when one of the guys I hung with asked where I was with my Epic 1.0 quest. I had the pieces and just needed to get the skeleton to spawn in the Dreadlands, but have halted there as I didn't want to bother any of our chanters by dragging them out there for the charming of the skeleton, so I could do the turn in. So I just kind of sat at that point for a while. When a friend in the guild asked where I was at. I told him, and next thing I know he gets a chanter over there and drags me to the Dreadlands. Luck on my side and the skeleton was up, then he gets a few more in the guild to Lavastorm and we kill Eejag, few more guild members join up and we kill Gwam in PoSky, a few more guildies and we kill Trunt, next thing I know over half the guild is in Lake of Ill Omen and we kill Deep, Vorash, and Xenovorash and I have my Epic 1.0 in one whirlwind night of killing. Best part was, they did it to help me without me ever asking any of them.

Do you run or work for an EverQuest Fan Site? Nopers, but if you want to check out our guild on Fennin Ro - www.scriptedlegacy.net take a peek. Best group of folks I have ever gotten to hang with.