Going to give this another try and need some advice

[Stovetop]

<p>I played this game a long time ago (two years ago) and was not all that impressed.  It was  fun for about a week and I quickly got tired of it.  A lot of my issues with it were the lackluster performance.  I have heard that this has improved and my gaming machine has vastly improved to boot.  I got the thing in the mail to play for free until September so I figured I would give it another shot.  I am not an impatient 14 year old, but I also don't want to spend two days scouring through websites with outdated information.  I have played before so the basics I pretty much have down, so here is what I am trying to find...</p><p>1. A website(s) with good crafting info.  Basically I want to know what is worth making, why, and the best way to go about it.</p><p>2. A website(s) with good advancement tips.  With all of the adventure packs/expansions, I would like to have an idea of the most current hotspots for solo/group leveling, as well as travel tips on the best way to get there.</p><p>3. A website(s) with good/current gear info.  I played EQ1 from day 1 until the end of Luclin (when the game turned to crap imo) and gear became obsolete with each passing release.  I don't want to be that kid that gets laughed at during lunch time because he has a Benji lunchbox when everyone else has Transformers or Ninja Turtles ones (I think I have dated myself now.)</p><p>4. Server info.  I played for awhile on Oasis and think I talked to three people the entire time.  I just want to join a server with an active community (PvE probably).</p><p>5. Sort of related to #2.  I am a map junkie and find a good player made Atlas to be the best bathroom reading material.  If there is a site that caters to this niche of my brain, I would appreciate a link there too.</p><p>If anyone can help me out with any of this I would appreicate it.  Until then I will actually take the time to read a FAQ or two.  Thanks in advance.</p>

[Calthine]

Let's see. Crafting:  <a href="http://eq2.eqtraders.com. " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://eq2.eqtraders.com. </a> Be warned that there was a HUGE crafting revamp last year and not even DenMum has been able to keep up on everything.  There are LOTS more crafting links here:  <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=347090" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> FAQ and Guide Links</a> Advancement:  The world is so LARGE, that there's no set path that's the best as there was in EQ1.  The answer would also involve your starting city.  The game moves you pretty naturally out into the world. Lunchboxes:  Not really an issue, lol.  Seriously, unless you're a maxed raider, I don't think there's any "gotta have or you're a dweeb" gear as long as you're not in your Isle undies too long.  Do your Heritage Quests and get your raid drop gear (if raiding is your playstyle) and you'll be fine.  On the other hand, over at <a href="http://eq2.allakhazam.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://eq2.allakhazam.com</a> we have a lot of gear info (including those T7 class raid-drop sets) Servers:  Antonia Bayle (RP preferred) still seems to be the most populous server, but I've seen no complaints that any server is dead.  We seem to have a lot of new folks and refugees from Those Other Games, so there's a healthy population at all levels. Maps:  Gotta have <a href="http://maps.eq2interface.com/. " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://maps.eq2interface.com/. </a> They have a legal UI mod, too.

[Lithran]

<cite>Stovetop wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>1. A website(s) with good crafting info.  Basically I want to know what is worth making, why, and the best way to go about it.</p><p><span style="color: #ccff00">http://www.eq2craft.com/ or <a href="http://eq2.eqtraders.com/articles/news_page.php" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://eq2.eqtraders.com/articles/news_page.php</a></span> </p><p>2. A website(s) with good advancement tips.  With all of the adventure packs/expansions, I would like to have an idea of the most current hotspots for solo/group leveling, as well as travel tips on the best way to get there.</p><span style="color: #ccff00">http://eq2.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page</span> <p>3. A website(s) with good/current gear info.  I played EQ1 from day 1 until the end of Luclin (when the game turned to crap imo) and gear became obsolete with each passing release.  I don't want to be that kid that gets laughed at during lunch time because he has a Benji lunchbox when everyone else has Transformers or Ninja Turtles ones (I think I have dated myself now.)</p><p><span style="color: #ccff00">You can download this cool little app. It has all the stats for items and you can search it. <a href="http://www.eq2idb.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.eq2idb.com/</a> Once you find something neat you can look it up on the site in question 2</span> </p><p>4. Server info.  I played for awhile on Oasis and think I talked to three people the entire time.  I just want to join a server with an active community (PvE probably).</p><span style="color: #ccff00">Best way to get this is to create a character at the times you play and look at the server loads when it comes up. Other them then. Take a look at the server forums and see how many messages and pick the one that has the most <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></span> <p>5. Sort of related to #2.  I am a map junkie and find a good player made Atlas to be the best bathroom reading material.  If there is a site that caters to this niche of my brain, I would appreciate a link there too.</p><p><span style="color: #ccff00">http://eq2.gamepressure.com/</span> </p><p>If anyone can help me out with any of this I would appreicate it.  Until then I will actually take the time to read a FAQ or two.  Thanks in advance.</p></blockquote>