Hanging Out in the Cities
stargrace 
The coercer is level 28 now, but it was a difficult run. I hadn’t earned very much vitality last night so even though my UI told me I had enough to make it to the next level it ended up running out about 70% of the way through my level. I decided instead of grinding without vitality (it really is the slowest thing ever at 0.2% per kill) that I would work on uncovering the rest of Thundering Steppes. When that was completed I headed back to Freeport to check out the market and pick up a shiny collection or two that I hadn’t completed yet in the hopes that I could earn the last bit I needed. That ended up being no problem at all, and I found myself 16% of the way into level 28. Shinies are lovely, but they’re also very expensive because lets face it I’m certainly not the only person doing these collections. As the player base rises up through their own levels and populates the zones, the collections get cheaper (because so many people are harvesting them and already have the pieces they need).
I had been looking forward to working on my carpenter skill a bit, but at the moment writs are broken and they’re not rewarding any coin – which wouldn’t be such a big deal except that it includes the cost of fuel not being returned. Fuel gets expensive. It could be that this change is intended in an effort to offset the few quests players were abusing to rack up lots of coin, but it punishes those who were not making use of those systems and who were only trying to level up their professions or guilds. Instead of working on my already-established crafters I plan on leveling up a few more to 10, since you don’t get any writs at all until 15+ and you don’t get rush order writs until 20. Next on the list is my illusionist who is going to be a provisioner. I go through a lot of food and drink (since I’m online a lot, it’s no real surprise) and I don’t like having to buy it all of the time. Plus it’s just a handy craft to have.
One thing I have really enjoyed since playing on the progression server is the fact that there are no guild halls, so everyone is out in the open. The cities are busy, ALL cities are busy. I see people everywhere and I love it. That’s what was missing for me in the older versions, and I’ve said it a few times now – games need a central location for players to gather and meet up. It’s important that we “see” others around. It makes the world feel more robust and populated, which is a great thing.
Have any special plans for EQ2 (or any other game you may be playing) this weekend? Let me know in comments, and happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!