Everquest Beginner's Guide (continued)

Classes

Bard

Bards are good solo players (because of their "hybrid" nature - being Tank, Caster and Healer all rolled in one). Nevertheless it is when they are in a group that the Bards reveal their true strength. Their songs affect all companions and their various powers can nurse (or "buff" - increase attributes), charm, frighten and wound enemies.

Beastlord

Beastlords are the spiritual warriors of the primitive cultures of Norrath and Luclin. Like the Shaman of their peoples, the Beastlords have a close relationship with the spirit world and an uncanny affinity with the spirits of the animal kingdom. The Beastlord's fighting style is derived from tactics used by wild beasts thus they prefer to fight unarmed or with only small piercing weapons such as daggers which to the Beastlord represent claws and fangs. Beastlords are so closely attuned to the animal spirit world that they can befriend or control animals to serve them and fight along side them.

Berserker

Beserkers are fearsome fighters that possess inordinate amounts of strength and bravery. They lunge into battle swinging two handed axes or hurtling throwing weapons at their prey. With the beserker’s innate rage, they also have the ability to go ‘berserk’ – a deadly state which causes a great amount of damage but as dangerous as the attacks are at this time, the berserker becomes more vulnerable to attacks. The berserker is at his best when grouped with friends, so he can unleash his full anger on an enemy without interruption.

Cleric

At low levels the Cleric belongs to one of the best ‘all-rounder’ classes. They can buff and inflict magical damage, and know how to fight as well as take a beating (thanks to their armour and defensive spells). At high levels, Clerics lose their versatility but can become a guardian angel to a group dedicated mostly to the Tanks, whom they can protect and care for. Resurrection spells are particularly popular!

Druid

Druids are odd-job characters. Brilliant at nothing but gifted in everything! Their versatility makes them a very good loner while they are gifted with buffs, treatments, attack spells and numerous motion spells which speed up (Spirit of the Wolf) or slow down (Snare) their targets. At high levels the Druid can even teleport companions! It is this, most of all, which makes them very popular with groups because, on the whole, they are less suited to physical or magical fighting than the other two Healers (the Cleric and the Shaman).

Enchanter

The Enchanter’s magic is primarily defensive. They can possess Pets (‘animations’ who are, kind of, invisible guardians) but are much less versatile than those belonging to the Magician or the Necromancer (they cannot receive orders so their only function is to follow their master and defend him against his enemies.) An enchanter’s attack spells are pitiful but they possess the best buffs and debuffs (to increase allies’ attributes and weaken enemies), and are the undisputed masters when it comes to illusion and controlling spirits. They alone can influence Intelligence, Wisdom and Mana! Vulnerable as a solo player they shine when in a group, especially at high level.

Magician

The Magician has some pretty effective attack and defense spells with the main weapon being their Pet: a powerful and capricious elemental creature (whose powers vary according to its elemental kingdom). With such an ally the Magician can play solo easily (at least at low levels). Conjuration spells can provide food, drink, useful objects and magical weapons free of charge and it’s this ‘horn of plenty’ function which make Magicians very popular with groups.

Monk

If a Warrior’s role is to take punishment, the Monk’s role is to give it out! Of course, with fewer Life Points than the Warrior and, specifically, the inability to wear heavy armour, Monks are, and have to be, better at avoiding blows and they are still the most powerful of the hybrids (Rangers, Paladins and Shadow Knights). Most of all they have many means of attack and are all swift and devastating! From level 17, Feigning Death is a craft which often helps save a Monk’s own life and those of his companions.

Necromancer

The Necromancer is one of the most complete classes in the game. Possessing various powerful spells: DOTs (‘Damage Over Time’) are unbeatable, main attack spells drain ‘Life Points’ off enemies to regenerate their own, they have all the Casters’ common distortion and divination spells and most of all can summon skeletal pets as bodyguards (from the very first level!). And the downside to this terrifying power? A VERY bad reputation, which means death on sight in most of Norrath’s towns…

Paladin

A Paladin is not as good a fighter as the Warrior or the Monk. On the other hand they possess some valuable assets. Access to the most powerful weapons in Norrath (the legendary Soulfire and the mythical Fiery Avenger), the power to Lay Hands (restoring all of a character’s Hit Points) and, from level 9, he acquires the Cleric’s spells. These specific powers make Paladins the sworn enemy of the living dead. As Tank-Healer hybrids they must earn more Experience Points than the ‘pure’ classes to go up in level.

Ranger

The Ranger is the ‘ecologist’ twin of the Paladin. Refusing to wear metal armour (making him more vulnerable) they prefer Druid spells to those of the Cleric (thus emphasising versatility at the expense of power). In a group, the rangers’ special skills make them the ideal scouts. Using the ability to Sneak, they move without a sound, allowing them to explore an area without drawing the attention of potential enemies. They survive in the wilderness by Foraging food and water and can Track anyone and anything in a given zone (thereby avoiding hours of searching).

Rogue

The Rogue is a worthy combatant, but not as powerful as the real Tanks. Their strengths lie in skills, of which there are many varied kinds including picking locks, silent movement, mastering the art of poisons etc., and virtually one new skill can be learnt at each level! Unfortunately they’re all far from useful… A Rogues most rewarding ability is being able to Backstab (acquired at level 10) allowing the infliction of increased damage when attacking an opponent’s back with a piercing weapon..

Shadow Knight

The Shadow Knight is an evil version of the Paladin and can inflict vicious wounds on any opponent using Harm Touch (once every Norrathian day). From level 9 onwards the ability to use some of the Necromancer’s spells (such as summoning Pets) comes into play but, like the Necromancer, there’s often a price on their head in most of Norrath’s towns. As a Tank-Caster hybrid, they must earn more Experience Points than the ‘pure’ classes to go up in level.

Shaman

Shaman's serve as priests to the tribal classes of Norrath. They have a varied range of spells including spells that slow the attack speed of an enemy, DOTs (Damage Over Time) and very effective buffs. At higher levels they can also summon a pet (which materialises in the form of a ghostly wolf). Shaman's are a well rounded class that perform effectively in groups and solo situations.

Warrior

An archetypal Tank the Warrior has two vital functions: striking hard and taking blows. Up to level 15 they inflict most damage (with the possible exception of the Monk), while from level 15 onwards they are outstripped by most of the attack spells but the Casters need them to keep the enemy busy! And it’s here that a Warrior’s second great asset comes, supremely, into its own: nobody has as many Life Points as a Warrior and few can rival their class of armour.

Wizard

The Wizard is the only Caster not to have a Pet but makes up for this weakness by the incredible power of their attack magic. The DD (Direct Damage) spells they possess can reduce enemies to ashes in a matter of seconds but the inability to defend or nurse themselves effectively prevents solo play, even at low levels. A group is required to protect them and take any beatings. Fortunately, you don’t have to go down on your bended knees to get people to accept a Wizard’s help, especially at high level, when, in addition to firepower, they have a teleportation service that’s worthy of a Druid’s.

Background

Playing an evil character

Before you start on the shadowed path of evil, there are a few things you should know: it’s fun! It is also a very difficult road to travel.

Certain races - namely Dark Elves, Iksars Trolls and Ogres - and classes – Necromancers and Shadowknights – are considered evil and are KOS (Killed on Sight) by the “good” NPCs that abound on the world of Norrath.

Travel is therefore difficult for evil characters. You are banned from most “lawful” cities whose guards will attack without warning. Some zone are patrolled by these zealous guards. Trading with merchants or accessing banks will be very difficult too, if not impossible, so you will often be encumbered by your loot… Finally, all the major ports allowing travel between the continents are held by the forces of “good” : the human cities of Qeynos and Freeport, Erudin in Odus, Butcherblock (in dwarven territory).

The fun resides in circumventing these dangers through ruse, skill or brute force… You can always try to raise your faction with the population of the city you wish to enter by doing quests or killing its enemies. If you are less patient you lay try to gain access through more discrete measures such as sneaking, using cloaking or illusion spells, or by finding hidden passages.

Rest assured, however, that although you may find travel in the good world of Norrath, the “lawful” characters in turn are hardly welcome in the evil cities.

Choosing a deity

Choosing a god, although not compulsory for most class/race combinations, can play a critical part in your character’s life – for example, an Erudite cleric choosing to follow Cazic Thule will not start off from Erudin but from the hellish city of Paineel. The deity you choose to follow factors heavily on your faction with certain NPCs: prices may be higher, guards may not be too keen on rescuing you from the jaws of a monster, guildmasters may not give you a quest…

Your first steps in Norrath

Make sure you take the Everquest Tutorial in the Mines of Gloomingdeep. This is where you will most easily gain your first 10 or so levels (you can leave at anytime). In the tutorial you will be taught about all the different elements of the game, the interface, quests, communication and banking etc. You will also be given the opportunity to make some platinum.

Now that you've reached your starting point, let's take a look at your inventory. To do so, type the letter "i" - a new window appears! Like everyone else;, you start off with 20 rations of food and 20 measures of milk, a newbie weapon, which varies according to your class (daggers for caster and rogues, clubs for healers, short swords for tanks, rangers and bards, nothing for the monk...), a lantern to see in the dark and a guild note to hand in to your Guild Master in your home town.

To get an item’s description (to read a spell scroll, for example), right-click on its icon and keep the button pressed until the description appears. If you wish to move the item, left-click on it and it will stick to the cursor. Move it to its new slot and left-click again to drop it there.

To equip your weapon, move it from the inventory window to one of the Melee weapon slots and you’ll see it appear in your character’s hand.

 Casters aren’t through yet! You still have to learn your first spells. To do so, open your spell book by typing “ctrl + B”, and then slide your first spell to its destination slot in the book. It takes a while to memorise, but you’ll get better at it. Now slide the spell icon from the book to the spell bank (on the left) and drop it in one of the 8 slots to memorize it. Once the gem appears, just click on it.