/Combat xp off!

[Logan]

<p>A little while ago I decided to do an experiment not knowing if Id have the patience to follow through. I wanted to experince Kelethin and also the new betrayal system so I made and Iksar and switched him over to ranger. Then at level 12 I turned combat xp off. I wanted to see how far I could get on quest xp alone and how many aa i could rack up along the way. I know tons of people on pvp servers have done this and probably lots on pve servers so it's not an original idea.</p><p>What I found was a much more fun way to play the game. I was surprised how much I liked not grinding kills for xp. I have 4 level 70 toons already so the grind is no stranger to me. So I'm not levelling at a blistering pace but it's definitely a different way to play and probably still faster than leveling my first toon ever.. Now I pay attention to all my quests trying to leave the yellow ones and do white quests and under first. I find yellow quests mostly give too much reg xp versus aaxp. Green quests have a much better ratio overall of aa/regxp. Blue and white fall in the middle. </p><p>For the most part I have stayed out of dungeons just because I am a late night player and there are few groups. I am sure my aa would be higher from the named kills and quests inside that I am missing. But still I am not sweating it at level 29 I have 31 aa almost 32. But this isn't a bragging post, im sure people have gotten way more aa than that earlier. It's just a fun different way to play and if you are tired of grinding I'd definitely recommend trying it as long as you like to quest and run all over the place. </p><p>Also I can't say it would work for all classes as I play melee types exclusively.</p><p>Sinyakis 29 ranger, Kithicor</p>

[Ealthina]

That sounds like a great way to play.  Sounds fun and I may try it as well.  There is no wrong way to play the game.

[Proudfoot]

<cite>Logannx wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>A little while ago I decided to do an experiment not knowing if Id have the patience to follow through. I wanted to experince Kelethin and also the new betrayal system so I made and Iksar and switched him over to ranger. Then at level 12 I turned combat xp off. I wanted to see how far I could get on quest xp alone and how many aa i could rack up along the way. I know tons of people on pvp servers have done this and probably lots on pve servers so it's not an original idea.</p><p>What I found was a much more fun way to play the game. I was surprised how much I liked not grinding kills for xp. I have 4 level 70 toons already so the grind is no stranger to me. So I'm not levelling at a blistering pace but it's definitely a different way to play and probably still faster than leveling my first toon ever.. Now I pay attention to all my quests trying to leave the yellow ones and do white quests and under first. I find yellow quests mostly give too much reg xp versus aaxp. Green quests have a much better ratio overall of aa/regxp. Blue and white fall in the middle. </p><p>For the most part I have stayed out of dungeons just because I am a late night player and there are few groups. I am sure my aa would be higher from the named kills and quests inside that I am missing. But still I am not sweating it at level 29 I have 31 aa almost 32. But this isn't a bragging post, im sure people have gotten way more aa than that earlier. It's just a fun different way to play and if you are tired of grinding I'd definitely recommend trying it as long as you like to quest and run all over the place. </p><p>Also I can't say it would work for all classes as I play melee types exclusively.</p><p>Sinyakis 29 ranger, Kithicor</p></blockquote>When my wife and I came back to play EQ2 our 32 Warden/Zerker combo had no AAs (old characters heh); Anyway, she ended up deleting her Warden and made a new one, turning off her combat exp at level 10 and only leveling through questing. She's level 35 now, with 41 AAs and way more potent a character than her original Warden. I didn't reroll (not as much time to play) but I did mentor to her for a good bit doing the newer EoF quests and I'm at about 32 AA at 34. The AA's help make duoing so much easier, and more fun.

[Polywogus]

I love playing w/ combat XP off. The game still moves @ a great pace - not overly slow & not so fast that your quests are graying out practically before you accept them <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Gaining more AA earlier is a terrific benefit. Not sure about all class types, but I've done this on a Brigand, Warlock, Conjurer, & Fury - all @ least to level 25, & all have had similar results. Usually I am in a small group or solo, so if I find that I really need a level or 2, I turn the combat xp back on & solely do writs to increase. I've found doing this (along w/ also doing writs as I normally would) grants me a little more status to play w/ later on. Thank you SOE for this option...it's terrific. I'm currently experiencing it again as I've recently rerolled on a new server w/ old friends (yay!).

[sunyata39]

How exactly does that work? eg, You have to travel a lot between ant/CL/gfay/darklight for 10-20?

[Freddy101]

I did this for a while in my 30's and Im about even level and aa atm. I am in mid 40's now and I'll be curious if you stick to no combat experience then. I found I wanted to turn my experience back on in the 40' since it comes so much slower then. It used to feel like the game was going by to fast I was levelling to fast. It doesn't feel like that any more. Then again I solo this particular toon I am talking about. I always do quests though. Never grind. after 5 years in eq1 I fall asleep in about 2 minutes if I try to grind mobs for exp. Just bores me stupid.

[baguetteovenfresh]

<cite>Logannx wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>A little while ago I decided to do an experiment not knowing if Id have the patience to follow through. I wanted to experince Kelethin and also the new betrayal system so I made and Iksar and switched him over to ranger. Then at level 12 I turned combat xp off. I wanted to see how far I could get on quest xp alone and how many aa i could rack up along the way. I know tons of people on pvp servers have done this and probably lots on pve servers so it's not an original idea.</p><p>What I found was a much more fun way to play the game. I was surprised how much I liked not grinding kills for xp. I have 4 level 70 toons already so the grind is no stranger to me. So I'm not levelling at a blistering pace but it's definitely a different way to play and probably still faster than leveling my first toon ever.. Now I pay attention to all my quests trying to leave the yellow ones and do white quests and under first. I find yellow quests mostly give too much reg xp versus aaxp. Green quests have a much better ratio overall of aa/regxp. Blue and white fall in the middle. </p><p>For the most part I have stayed out of dungeons just because I am a late night player and there are few groups. I am sure my aa would be higher from the named kills and quests inside that I am missing. But still I am not sweating it at level 29 I have 31 aa almost 32. But this isn't a bragging post, im sure people have gotten way more aa than that earlier. It's just a fun different way to play and if you are tired of grinding I'd definitely recommend trying it as long as you like to quest and run all over the place. </p><p>Also I can't say it would work for all classes as I play melee types exclusively.</p><p>Sinyakis 29 ranger, Kithicor</p></blockquote> Thats what i started doing, too, for the exact same reasons. i love it because i dont have to kill everything i see to level - and i can take time to stop and do quests i wouldnt bother doing otherwise (most access quests). ive had people tell me im crazy but ill be 24 with 23 aa soon, and thats an illusionist with chronomancer <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> besides i can get more cash to buy spells more easily, since i dont have to buy them as often, and a horse <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> a note - do not turn in collections until you are mentored, and turn them in later - i got a level and a half from 3 collections and no noticeable aa gain <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[noogabooga]

yeah I dont turn in collections until I need to level up fast when I have done all the quests I can do at that level. Works great then. I solo mainly doing quests and when I need to level up fast to access new content & quests, I explore group dungeons for discoveries and named mobs. The new quest sharing feature is great and u can pick up quests that you dont know about or have miss.

[Logan]

<p>Very good point about the collections. I made that mistake and gained over a level reg xp and less aa. Better to save em up and mentor down later for a dead zone like the mid 40s or late 60's.</p><p>There is a lot of travel involved between all the major zones. 10-20 can take you through gfay,antonica, commons and darklight. Dungeons too if you lowball them or group. 20-30 has been a lot of TS and nek and a fair amount in BB. Looking ahead to 30-40 I'm looking at EL, zek, more BB, Bloodlines adv pack and starting steamfront in very late 30s as well as feerott late 30s. Steamfront especially has a bucketload of named for aa but solo they are more for late 40s if i recall. I am saving splitpaw for the 40s if I need a boost because both lavastorm and everfrost are quite low on questlines. High 40s its off to DOF and Lesser fay and it becomes very easy to get through to 60s and kos. Mid 60s is where the wall is. I dont know if I will take a break and wait for Kunark or just bang away at the last 5 or 6 levels. I have no doubt I will have 100 aa done before 70 so I might just grind the last few since kunark is rumored to not have any new aa. Still Id prefer to quest all the way to 70 if I can make it(doubtful).</p><p>The other thing I have really enjoyed about this pace of levelling is I find myself investing in saving for important masters and harvesting for rares for spells and gear and also scouring through quests for gear that might be an upgrade. I can't even lie, I have cheated and bought a couple masters with my main toon, ok well, 3 masters to be exact. But the rest was paid for by the ranger or harvested by the ranger and made by the main. I'm not anti twink but it definitely puts more meaning into this whole experiment paying attention to where my next gear is coming from.</p><p>I think what scares me the most is the prospect of grinding again when kunark comes out. I can only hope that the expansion is jammed with quests to get me to 80 with minimal grinding because it's going to be hard for me to go back to grinding after discovering this.</p><p>Sinyakis 29  Iksar Ranger, Kithicor</p>

[Logan]

<p>It's funny I also just realized this whole thing has brought up a little roleplaying enjoyment. Not that I'm running around hugging trees and talking like "how art thou?"</p><p>Just something small like the far seas requisitions in TS and Nek. I like the idea if working for a trading company and not always fighting  the everlasting battle between good and evil. It just seems to fit the character of an adventurer and especially a ranger. Some of the goofy fed ex quests from random npcs have no impact but somehow the far seas quests get me into character. Also I liked the investigator quests from the guy up at bone lake in nektulos. Something besides fighting the greatest evil in the land but still fun and engaging.</p><p>Sinyakis, 29 Iksar ranger, Kithicor</p>

[Raveller]

<cite>Logannx wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>A little while ago I decided to do an experiment not knowing if Id have the patience to follow through. I wanted to experince Kelethin and also the new betrayal system so I made and Iksar and switched him over to ranger. Then at level 12 I turned combat xp off. I wanted to see how far I could get on quest xp alone and how many aa i could rack up along the way. I know tons of people on pvp servers have done this and probably lots on pve servers so it's not an original idea.</p><p>What I found was a much more fun way to play the game. I was surprised how much I liked not grinding kills for xp. I have 4 level 70 toons already so the grind is no stranger to me. So I'm not levelling at a blistering pace but it's definitely a different way to play and probably still faster than leveling my first toon ever.. Now I pay attention to all my quests trying to leave the yellow ones and do white quests and under first. I find yellow quests mostly give too much reg xp versus aaxp. Green quests have a much better ratio overall of aa/regxp. Blue and white fall in the middle. </p><p>For the most part I have stayed out of dungeons just because I am a late night player and there are few groups. I am sure my aa would be higher from the named kills and quests inside that I am missing. But still I am not sweating it at level 29 I have 31 aa almost 32. But this isn't a bragging post, im sure people have gotten way more aa than that earlier. It's just a fun different way to play and if you are tired of grinding I'd definitely recommend trying it as long as you like to quest and run all over the place. </p><p>Also I can't say it would work for all classes as I play melee types exclusively.</p><p>Sinyakis 29 ranger, Kithicor</p></blockquote>It took you over two and a half years to discover this? Are you always this far behind the curve?

[Logan]

<p>Behind the curve? Lol. Well when you come from eq1 grind machine and play with 99% of a server that doesn't play like this it's easy to not do it. Or even notice it could be done. Hell there are a lot of people in my guild or people I have met along the way that hate questing and you have to pull them by their teeth to do a single quest. You know how it is when you log in or someone else does and says" anyone need help with anything?" And you say ya Im working on this quest and......" /crickets. What most people mean is " anyone want to go grind somewhere."</p><p>Before DoF and some of the major LU's I'd be skeptical if it was possible to quest to 40 even.</p><p>Sinyakis, 29 iksar Ranger, Kithicor</p>

[SisterTheresa]

<cite>Raveller wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Logannx wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>A little while ago I decided to do an experiment not knowing if Id have the patience to follow through. I wanted to experince Kelethin and also the new betrayal system so I made and Iksar and switched him over to ranger. Then at level 12 I turned combat xp off. I wanted to see how far I could get on quest xp alone and how many aa i could rack up along the way. I know tons of people on pvp servers have done this and probably lots on pve servers so it's not an original idea.</p><p>What I found was a much more fun way to play the game. I was surprised how much I liked not grinding kills for xp. I have 4 level 70 toons already so the grind is no stranger to me. So I'm not levelling at a blistering pace but it's definitely a different way to play and probably still faster than leveling my first toon ever.. Now I pay attention to all my quests trying to leave the yellow ones and do white quests and under first. I find yellow quests mostly give too much reg xp versus aaxp. Green quests have a much better ratio overall of aa/regxp. Blue and white fall in the middle. </p><p>For the most part I have stayed out of dungeons just because I am a late night player and there are few groups. I am sure my aa would be higher from the named kills and quests inside that I am missing. But still I am not sweating it at level 29 I have 31 aa almost 32. But this isn't a bragging post, im sure people have gotten way more aa than that earlier. It's just a fun different way to play and if you are tired of grinding I'd definitely recommend trying it as long as you like to quest and run all over the place. </p><p>Also I can't say it would work for all classes as I play melee types exclusively.</p><p>Sinyakis 29 ranger, Kithicor</p></blockquote>It took you over two and a half years to discover this? Are you always this far behind the curve? </blockquote><p> Ah gotta love trolls ...</p><p>Actually I know about this feature even when my Templar hit 70.  But I decided to reroll a new templar and turn of my combat exp.  What a different way to explore!  I am seeing places I haven't before because I was grouped and leveled so fast.</p>

[Trebien]

My wife and I made this Troubadour on the Nek server to have something new to try.  We turned off our xp at level 10, and with the exception of the final few percent of level 12 it has been off constantly.  We are now level 45 and have either 81 or 82 AA.  We also have completed nearly 1,000 quests and have credit for the vast majority of the named in the game up to T5, with the exception of the raid mobs. It was a strange feeling having points to spend in AAs for combat arts and spells we didn't even have yet, but many a group has enjoyed our enhanced buffs.  One advantage to the troub is that it isn't a hugely popular class (due to low dps mostly), so almost every master up to this point has been well under 2p, and anything that's out of line we just make the adept 3 for.  We're now attempting the same thing with a defiler on our other account, and we plan to eventually become a duo that can join groups that have a decent tank, and build a reputation as being a good team. Congratulations on your decision to take your time.  It really does pay off.