Experiencing Lore for a New Player

[Matagin]

I am new to the game but I spent many years playing EQ1.  I want to experience the best of the lore in EQ2.  I have fond EQ1 memories of the Antonica zones around Qeynos and Freeport, Halas and surrounding zones, zones in Faydwer around Kaladim/Butcherblock Mountains.  My main character in EQ1 is a barbarian warrior and I played a dwarf warrior for a while.  To experience the lore and familiar surroundings that will make me smile should I start in Qeynos/Antonica or Kelethin/Faydwer?  I am thinking Qeynos/Antonica because I spent most of my early days in Halas then moving through Everfrost and Blackburrow then to Qeynos Hills then Freeport/Commonlands/Desert zones.  I spent less time in Faydwer.  But I am concerned that the quests are not as good in the Qeynos/Antonica areas compared to the newer Kelethin/Faydwer areas for new players.  Thanks for your thoughts.

[Cusashorn]

<p>The developers have very carefully balanced out the newbie quests across expansions so that the expansions don't necissarily have better rewards.</p><p>I suggest you start in Qeynos. The old world of the game still has the greatest lore to be found among quests. Echoes of Faydwer has some, but not as much as you would find if you progressed a character through the old-world. If you're interested in getting into the lore, there are books you can buy from the mage towers, as well as find off items across the game, treasure chests that monsters drop, and quest rewards. Your racial history would be a good place to start.</p><p>If you're wondering about classes to play, I suggest you play as a monk for these three main reasons in regards to questing:</p><p>1. They're powerful fighters, and can solo many creatures. They're really good in groups too.</p><p>2. They have invisibility. This comes in handy when sneaking around dungeons for quest updates that doesn't involve killing a monster.</p><p>3. Feign Death. Combine this with #2 and you have the best class for exploring the game.</p><p>Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Hang around the lore boards. We'll be happy to help if you're wondering about anything, but please try to search for the topic you're looking for in case it already exists before making a new one.</p>

[Matagin]

Thanks so much.  I've read that monks are not as needed in the end-game raiding groups.  Any opinions on that?

[Cusashorn]

<p>My raid can't raid without me, and I'm a monk. Don't listen to anything they say. Just play as you wish and judge for yourself.</p>

[Ama]

<cite>Matagin wrote:</cite><blockquote>I am new to the game but I spent many years playing EQ1.  I want to experience the best of the lore in EQ2.  I have fond EQ1 memories of the Antonica zones around Qeynos and Freeport, Halas and surrounding zones, zones in Faydwer around Kaladim/Butcherblock Mountains.  My main character in EQ1 is a barbarian warrior and I played a dwarf warrior for a while.  To experience the lore and familiar surroundings that will make me smile should I start in Qeynos/Antonica or Kelethin/Faydwer?  I am thinking Qeynos/Antonica because I spent most of my early days in Halas then moving through Everfrost and Blackburrow then to Qeynos Hills then Freeport/Commonlands/Desert zones.  I spent less time in Faydwer.  But I am concerned that the quests are not as good in the Qeynos/Antonica areas compared to the newer Kelethin/Faydwer areas for new players.  Thanks for your thoughts.</blockquote>One thing I would ask is what kind of lore are you interested in.  Are you interested in a particular type of lore (Race, Area, Group, Deity, etc...) or are you interested in just general lore?

[Matagin]

I would say I am most interested in the lore of areas/zones like what happened here and why, etc.  General lore is good too.

[Cusashorn]

Well, let us know what zones you're interested in finding out about.

[Nocturnal Aby]

<p>When you can afford it, your local Library (Academy of Arcane Science or the Concordium, talk to your local librarian), there are books that you can buy that will tell you about certain areas as you piece them back together (the books are quests).  What the libraries are doing selling only partially pieced together books may be something the leaders of these institutions should think about.</p><p>You can also look up in-game books at Rapha's library, <a href="http://lorelibrary.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

[Daine]

I agree, monks are good for a new player.  They're excellent tanks for groups up until higher levels, when they take on a DPS role in groups and raids (raid mobs seem to ignore agility when trying to hit things, mitigation and HP is much more important on raids).  They're also useful for utility...to draw a mob away, pull a mob to a group, or simply to feign death when the raid wipes and rez a healer (healer gives you an item to do so) so you don't have to start from the beginning again <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Cusashorn]

<cite>Daine@Everfrost wrote:</cite><blockquote>I agree, monks are good for a new player.  They're excellent tanks for groups up until higher levels, when they take on a DPS role in groups and raids (raid mobs seem to ignore agility when trying to hit things, mitigation and HP is much more important on raids).  They're also useful for utility...to draw a mob away, pull a mob to a group, or simply to feign death when the raid wipes and rez a healer (healer gives you an item to do so) so you don't have to start from the beginning again <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" /></blockquote>Hey now, I am a VERY powerful tank in high level groups.

[IrishWonder]

<p>If you're choosing your class with the intent of being a valuable raid asset, I wouldn't go with a monk or bruiser. While you will definitely be able to get into a casual raiding guild, being able to get into a more progressive raiding guild will be harder as they will have few to no slots for brawler classes. Personally, my guild raids with no bruisers or monks, and we do not plan on recruiting any unless major changes are made to the classes. In a raiding situation, brawlers do not make efficient tanks and their extended DPS can't match that of other DPS classes.</p><p>That being said, you really won't find a better class for exploring the game if that is your priority. If you'd like to raid AND explore, I'd recommend an alt <img src="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/images/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" /> I have a bruiser alt that I use for exploration/training, and the utility on that class is unmatched by any other class in the game, in my opinion.</p><p>And, to answer the original question, the best place for lore is actually right here on the forums. In-game, you come across lore relatively slowly, depending on how you play the game. In the forums, you can find almost any information you want immediately. The more relevant topics... like those relating to upcoming/new expansions, or current hot topics... are always being discussed, along with some of the most in-depth discussions on particular areas of lore you can find... including in the game. Plus, there are tons of people biting at the bit to answer any lore questions you might have.</p><p>Welcome to EQ2 <img src="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" /></p>