Welcome to the first edition of Halfling Hodgepodge RiffRaff, THE place to get to know your fellow EQ Community members better! If you would like to participate watch the EQLive Forums for information about this feature every month.
Earthchild
When did you start playing EQ? it was either late 2000 or early 2001. Hard to remember. I know I've been playing my enchanter since april of 2001.
Do you play EQ on a laptop or desktop computer? Currently on a desktop computer but I've played eq on all kinds of computers.
Do you play on dial-up, cable, or DSL? Like above I've played on all types of connection but currently have a cable connection
What was the race and class of your very first character? Wood elf/ranger. Ran into the forest was killed by an orc and couldn’t find my body so I deleted the character and made another. I think I was on my third character when someone finally told me about the /corpse and /loc commands.
Was EQ your first online game? No I used to play muds a lot even worked as a coder and builder on several.
What is your highest level in EQ? My 67 enchanter
Do you prefer to solo or group? As an enchanter? Never knew we had much choice. Enchanters are a pretty group dependent class so I almost always group. Every time I've tried to solo unless I'm going against green or lt blue mobs I die or have to run.
What do you like the most about the class you have chosen for your main character? I love turning chaos into order, I live for those moments when the group makes a mistake and I have to step in. other than that I feel like a burden to a group.
Is your main character in a guild? As of Sunday yes
How many characters do you have on your main server? Including mules 6
Does your main character worship a deity? No
Which classes in EQ have you NOT played? Shaman, cleric, bard.
What is the most platinum you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? The cost of my drogmor
What is your favorite expansion? All of the expansions have good qualities and bad qualities so to say one if my favorite wouldn’t be right.
What is your favorite zone? Any zone that I can get a group in to get experience
What is your favorite npc? I like most of the npc's involved in the enchanter 1.0 epic it was fun getting to and talking to them
Which expansion do you like the least? GoD, I think it was the expansion that content progressed to a point where enchanters became a problem for designers
Which zone do you like the least? There is no individual zone I dislike as long as I can get a good group of people with me there. there are circumstances I dislike
Which npc do you like the least? Any that is immune to both slow and mezz. With as little damage as my nukes do it make me feel insignificant
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? Not really my bank is full of tradeskill items and partially completed quests.
Elemer
When did you start playing EQ? My first character was born on Oct 99', he was a dark elf necromancer. I wandered around the forest scared to death for the first two days playing, I thought the world was huge....imagine my surprise when I encountered my first zone line....
Do you play EQ on a laptop or desktop computer? Both, though 98% of my /played time has been and always will be on a desktop.
Do you play on dial-up, cable, or DSL? I started in 99' on dial-up. I still have it just in case. But for the last three years I've been on DSL.
What was the race and class of your very first character? Darkelf necromancer... Blargh! Death Death Death, Fear me!
Was EQ your first online game? Nope, and this dates me, my first 'online' game would have been Trade Wars 2002. My first internet online game was Total Annihilation.
What is your highest level in EQ? Level 66 on four characters now.
Do you prefer to solo or group? Grouping is always best. I play MMOG's after all because of the social interaction.
What do you like the most about the class you have chosen for your main character? Well, my "main" is my enchanter, he's parked and not leveling, I won't go into why. Right now I'm leveling up a shaman, whom I love because it's a widely loved class to group with, so getting a group is fun. The ability to take a hit, melee some, have a pet, both buff and debuff, heal, it's a great jack of all trades class. In many ways you could say a shaman is my new "main", but in my heart I'll always be an enchanter.
Is your main character in a guild? Definitely. Guilds, be they small or large, raiding, casual, family or just a bunch of drunken friends on Saturday night, are the backbone of EQ I think.
How many characters do you have on your main server? /blush well I used to have 24 on the Nameless, I'm down to 10 or 11 now, with the goal being to get down to 8 by the end of the year.
Does your main character worship a deity? Originally yes. I my enchanter was an erudite enchanter of Quellious. The idea of an peace loving erudite from a role playing perspective really clicked with me. About 18 months into the game though, I deleted the original Elemer (level 38 at the time), and re-rolled him as an Agnostic. Unfortunately religious faction and role playing didn't mesh well with the game mechanics. Oddly no matter what illusion I took, the NPC's seemed to know what my religious tendencies were. Maybe I should have worn looser fitting pants?
Which classes in EQ have you NOT played? Um, none. I've at one point or another played every class to at least 30th level.
What is the most platinum you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? 18kpp in the Bazaar for a PoP robe pattern.
What is your fa vorite expansion? Kunark was and still is my favorite expansion. It brought a real sense of "new" that none of the others have since. The continent as a whole was living and breathing. The need to travel to it by boat. The feeling of exploring a lost world. Rolling an Iksar and knowing the rest of the world hated me on site. The sense of challenge that brought. It took real time to just travel to Kunark. Once there, you really were in a strange and distant land. It was a great feeling.
What is your favorite zone? This may sound masochistic but I really loved Karnor's Castle. It was a great place to play with friends. The best thing about the zone was it really helped weed out those people that where thin skinned and the best of the players both in play skill and personality stood out there. Nothing like a little adversity to bring out the best in people.
What is your favorite npc? I'm sorry, I have to have some fun on this one. Fippy Darkpaw, hands down. I mean, can you think of any MoB that shows a better sense of optimism. I mean, he's failed like 8 quadjillion times to single handedly storm Qeynos. But does he give up? No! Wait 7 minutes and he'll be back again.
Which expansion do you like the least? Gah, Gates of Discord without a question. That expansion more than any created dissent between the have and have-not crowd. It seemed like it created a huge rift between the player bases and made entry into the higher end guilds unattainable for a lot of people. More than any other I think GoD created a wall between play styles.
Which zone do you like the least? I'd have to say the current implementation of The Grey. While I understand the reasons why the changes where made (traps, etc) due to a mechanic in the way AoE spells worked at the time, it resulted in making what would other wise be a fun and challenging group and solo exp zone into what is effectively a wasteland that no one wants to go to.
Which npc do you like the least? Hmm does the Jester count? No? Okay, well in all seriousness I'd have to go with any and all enchanter NPC's in the LDoN expansion. One NPC locking down a full group and then sicking the group members onto each other is just crazy. You'd think that enchanter NPC's should face at least some of the drawn backs of PC enchanters, low hp, and low AC, and the ability to be interupted reliably by melee combat.
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? Okay this is pure sentimentality; I'll deny it later I'm sure. I still have a slice of the Wedding Cake that was passed around at the in game wedding of Kuwen and Wylderness on the Nameless at Lake Rathetear. It was the last time I think that all of my old EQ friends where together and happy. It was a very cool moment in time and a singularly great moment of in game role playing.
Ethyre
When did you start playing EQ? About four years ago. Several coworkers and I had been playing some network games and one of the Engineers started playing EQ. He got me to try and I was quickly hooked.
Do you play EQ on a laptop or desktop computer? I play on two laptops since I travel a lot on business. Modern laptops are surprisingly capable machines and I get very good quality game play, at high resolutions, while sitting on my deck having cold one :)
Do you play on dial-up, cable, or DSL? I play through a Wireless Access Point to a cable modem. When cable service is up, the connection and game play are excellent..
What was the race and class of your very first character? My first character was a Wood Elf Druid, named Fazool. This was my characters name for several years and throughout several games.
Was EQ your first online game? No, actually I played a text based Multi User Dungeon game at the University called "Monster". In its time, it was an amazing game with upwards of a a hundred people playing at a time. We had "guilds" with wars and raids on other guilds. We even had cheaters and exploits so all the same culture existed even back then (fifteen years ago).
What is your highest level in EQ? My Main character is a 68 Enchanter. My sig file says "There is no high score" because I don't really believe in grinding to 70 (or the limit du jour) just to be high level. I play a lot of character, do a lot questing, tradeskills, exploring and (recently) a lot of raiding so my leveling is probably lower than most people who put in as much time as I do.
Do you prefer to solo or group? It really depends upon the situation. I two box mostly so I like that if I am camping a quest mob or farming, etc. When playing certain characters I really like contributing to a group. Being unable to play when you can't find or form a group is, however, terribly frustrating. In general I like grouping. I have a regularly scheduled ("static") group of rl friends and we have several pre-made groups ready to go three times a week. In situations like that, where we don't waste time LFG or waiting, I love group play. LDoN's were great fun for pick up groups.
What do you like the most about the class you have chosen for your main character? I am in the midst of a character identity crisis and probably changing main characters (only second time in four years).
Five levels ago, I would have said my Enchanter was amazing because of the way he could make order out of chaos and how he thrived on a hectic pull where everyone else panicked. Recent content makes this type or role not as important, so my enthusiasm for this character has waned somewhat. Now, I would say my Magician is my favorite character and I love using an awesome pet for clever group and raid help, like off tanking, pet pulling, etc.
Is your main character in a guild? For a long time I was an officer in an outstanding guild on Xev called Lions of The Heart. This was a true family style guild and, at one time, we had 996 characters enrolled in the guild. I have wanted to see some of the "end game" content in EQ and joined most of my EQ friends who moved over to a semi0raiding guild called In Via Damnum (now on Druzzil Ro). This is a great guild, with a great approach to non-mandatory raiding that enjoys really great participation in events.
How many characters do you have on your main server? I only play on one server where I have nine characters (five very active) along with two mules across my two accounts.
Does your main character worship a deity? No, he is agnostic, which I greatly regret and wish I could quest for a change. I think a religious journey or quest would be great in the storyline of EQ, and allow characters to change deities.
Which classes in EQ have you NOT played? I have never played a Warrior, Berzerker, Shaman, Ranger or Wizard.
What is the most platinum you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? About 120,000 for one item. I also spent about 110,000 on a shopping spree in the bazaar, where I bought thank you gifts for my epic 1.5 completion party.
What is your favorite expansion? Kunark by far.
What is your favorite zone? Revamped Plane of Hate - great gothic design, excellent storyline, spooky immersive feeling and good quests. Kedge Keep and Plane of Mischief come in close second for being very non-traditional zones with completely immersive feel.
What is your favorite npc? There are too many to list. Some NPC monsters are really impressive, I love the actions and dialogue of some NPC quest characters. Some are just goofy fun. I think I was most awe-inspired when my druid first saw Tunare.
Which expansion do you like the least? GoD - ugly zones, non-convincing mob graphics, convoluted storyline, unenjoyable solo/group play.
Which zone do you like the least? Any boring caves, such as the BB ldon caves. Lazy curving tubular design. When running through these, I know what a tapeworm feels like.
Which npc do you like the least? Wuoshi - My two highest characters are non-KOS by now, but I can't tell you how many times I ported and died while zoning because he camped the druid rings.
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 do so much questing and item-camping that my bank accounts are chock full of such items. My most useless first item was "essence of a graveyard knight" form my first GM event on Halloween. I always kept it hoping it was for some undiscovered quest, but now its just for sentimental reasons.
Fiach_AB
When did you start playing EQ? January 2003. It took me 5 minutes to become addicted, and 6 minutes to get killed when I targeted an NPC and tried to type H-A-I-L in full.
Do you play EQ on a laptop or desktop computer? A desktop. Need power. Desktop > Laptop.
Do you play on dial-up, cable, or DSL? DSL. Need speed. DSL > Dial up.
What was the race and class of your very first character? Barbarian Shaman, of course!
Was EQ your first online game? No, in the ‘80s I played the original text-only MUD created by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw (known as “British Legends” in the US, I think). The tag line was “You haven’t lived ‘til you’ve died in MUD”. I often played an entire weekend without sleep, and nearly lost my job over it. I’m married now, though.
What is your highest level in EQ? 53 *Puffs out his chest with pride*
Do you prefer to solo or group? Unless I can get a LDON or a raid, I prefer to solo. Some of the time. When I’m not in a group. Or working on my epic. Or lonely.
What do you like the most about the class you have chosen for your main character? The versatility. I can be a tank, a healer, a nuker, a buffer. I love being asked for SOW, it gives me something to complain about.
Is your main character in a guild? Yes, Everwatch – a role-playing guild on Antonius Bayle.
How many characters do you have on your main server? 7 – I keep the extra slot free “just in case”.
Does your main character worship a deity? Fiach is a follower of the Tribunal. I think “worship” is too strong a word in his case.
Which classes in EQ have you NOT played? Bard, Beastlord, Berserker, Cleric, Druid, Enchanter, Monk, Rogue, Shadowknight. I’m having too much fun playing my others.
What is the most platinum you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? 10K, for a horse (of course)
What is your favorite expansion? Velious. Love it to bits.
What is your favorite zone? Blackburrow! My first dungeon and still my favorite. Very few people there now, so sometimes I stand at the top of the pit and tickle the gnolls at the bottom with a slow, just to remind me what the trains were like.
What is your favorite npc? It simply HAS to be Fippy Darkpaw! I have tried to get him past the Qeynos city gates a few times. No luck yet, but one day when the zone is empty and I can distract the guards…
Which expansion do you like the least? Gates of Discord. ‘Nuff said.
Which zone do you like the least? Paludal Caverns. But I’ll keep going back there with every new toon, I guess..
Which npc do you like the least? Vengeful Composer. He deserves to die. And he does. Every time I see him. Sometimes slowly, gotta love root-rot. *Frowns and looks fierce*
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? Testament of Vanear. I don’t need it any more, but it was my first “hard” quest, and it took me SOOO long. I remember the excitement and the corpse runs, and the thrill when I got it. How could I give it up?
Froguelok_of_Drinal
When did you start playing EQ? October 2002 (as a PS2 EQOA Beta Tester)
Do you play EQ on a laptop or desktop computer? Desktop
Do you play on dial-up, cable, or DSL? Cable
What was the race and class of your very first character? EQOA – Dwarven rogue named Gwarric
Was EQ your first online game? Nope I had XBand modem for SNES and played a lot of Streetfighter II online
What is your highest level in EQ? 53 beastlord Vah Shir
Do you prefer to solo or group? Solo
What do you like the most about the class you have chosen for your main character? I love the Bengal tiger pet of Vah Shir BST
Is your main character in a guild? Yes
How many characters do you have on your main server? 8
Does your main character worship a deity? No
Which classes in EQ have you NOT played? None – I have characters on 5 servers!
What is the most platinum you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? 300PP
What is your favorite expansion? Lost Dungeons of Norrath
What is your favorite zone? The Twilight Sea
What is your favorite npc? King Raja Kerrath
Which expansion do you like the least? Scars of Velious
Which zone do you like the least? Cobalt Scar – hard to get to and died many times enroute
Which npc do you like the least? Turepta – Pretty much anything on Taelosia
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? Yeah even 52 BST kept newbie gear – Gulam armor – for corpse runs and now I have outgrown it. It’s a souvenir of favorite hunts.