(N)EverQuest Scrolls

I hit 85 a few weeks ago. Apart from some minor testing of the RSS hot zone, it was all done by grinding Katta elementals, which I know that I swore I wouldn’t do, but the lure of new spells was too much for me. Also too much for a reality check, because the better new spells have all been locked behind faction in SoD.

I was 80.99 with 30 AAs banked when SoD launched. There were 27 AAs all in utility that were mostly worth buying immediately:

Gate 3
Perfected Levitation 7
CoH 6
Group Perfected Invisibility 5
Malosinete 6

That saved me three spell slots immediately (Malo, Gate and CotH). Gate has a problem, in that if it goes unstable and collapses, the recast time is 50-60 seconds, unlike the spell. Malosinete is a great AA; it replaces my Time Veil of Lost Hopes, and as it has a -200 MR adjustment, it (so far) always lands on group/solo mobs. Raid bosses often resist it, even with the unresistable Mala or (shaman level 75 ot 76, I forget) Malis.

The results of tracking experience during lesson of the devoted while leveling are below. All are given as level experience unless otherwise noted. The Katta camp was always Brine of Prexus, and I attempted several different ways of killing there, all with almost exactly the same result. The Theft of Essence AA came in handy there. During the middle of leveling a patch reduced the cast time of AtA (anti-summoned nuke) while extending the recast time; total cycle time was increased. I still don’t have the 80+ AtA upgrade, which can be woven with the 75+ version, thanks to it being locked behind faction.

81: 11% at Katta
82: 9/10%
roughly 8% in RSS
83: Katta 8% (AtA cycle time nerf)
84: 7%, 6% (Katta)
85: 5% (Katta); 2.9 AA; 3.2 with multi-tanking

I now prefer the Tempest Eddy camp in Katta, as you have the chance to complete both the Renegade Servant task (key phrase “round up”) and the Storms of Magic task (key phrase “project”). The good thing about the latter task, which opens to you after completing Renegade Servants once, is that you can pre-loot the drops.

Other worthwhile AAs have been the Theft of Essence (anti-summoned), which has an immediate and obvious impact; Gift of xxx Mana – and I have also finished now the personal passive dps AAs, and almost completed the passive pet dps AAs. Still many more AAs to go.

I am now slowly working my way through the SoD progression tasks. I have most of the augment from Ocengreen theme, and two (out of five) of the progression tasks. I also have some of the Field of Bone and Rathe progression tasks, courtesy of some task adds sent my way, and the Grand Illusion tasks series from FoB – thanks to a helpful group. To complete the Oceangreen aug, I need to finish the Temple of Bertoxxulous tasks, and all of the various Blackburrow tasks. Rasper’s is very helpful for these tasks.