Zek server observations

[Cigarskunk]

My server was locked for some odd reason this evening so I jumped back onto the character I'd made on one of the Zek servers the last time it happened.

Did a bit of XPing, some quests and a ton of merchant mining (some brave lighty was running around the woods wasting all the newbs).

1) Merchant mining on Zek rocks - picked up tons of silks, pelts, eggs - everything that a tradeskiller could possibly want.

2) The bazaar is a ghost town - a lousy 100 traders with the most miserable spread of gear for sale I've ever seen - there wasn't even one peice of stat food for sale - a descent baker could clean up there!

It was really wierd - the whole server was just like I imagined EQ will be when Sony finally gives up on it and lets it do a lingering death - idiots argueing and cussing each other out in the public channels, some moron had taken over /auction and locked it, people kept trying to attack me in the bazaar both while I was walking around and while in trader mode (I wonder how many times it's gotta not work for them to get it through thier heads?), tons of NPC vendors who hadn't had anything sold to them - it was like EQ after the appocolips.

Just a really weird XP - not bashing the Zek servers, just culture shock I guess - does anyone here have a tradeskill character on any of those servers and if so, what's it like?

[Itzena]

Re: Zek server observations

It was really wierd - the whole server was just like I imagined EQ will be when Sony finally gives up on it and lets it do a lingering death - idiots argueing and cussing each other out in the public channels, some moron had taken over /auction and locked it, people kept trying to attack me in the bazaar both while I was walking around and while in trader mode (I wonder how many times it's gotta not work for them to get it through thier heads?), tons of NPC vendors who hadn't had anything sold to them - it was like EQ after the appocolips.

Funny, I thought SOE had given up on the Zeks. Sure, they throw us an occasional bone whenever a new pvp game comes out (*cough*fixing archery and one-shot kills after Shadowbane was released*cough*) but aside from that?

Nothing. </end rant>

Just a really weird XP - not bashing the Zek servers, just culture shock I guess - does anyone here have a tradeskill character on any of those servers and if so, what's it like?

I'm only a minor tradeskiller, so I'm probably not the best person to ask but from what I can see - destroyed markets don't often stay destroyed (due to player burnout, transfers to Stormhammer, whatever) and farming your own stuff is probably the way to go. GMing a tradeskill is still a very good way to make money here.

Oh, and Holy Cakes and Kaladim Constitutionals are good sellers.


Which Zek was it, out of interest?

[Pootle]

I am on Vallon Zek, and yes most of the time there are only around 250+ traders up. Never seen it below 250, except after server reset.

As for tradeskillers, there are a fair amount but haveing never been on a 'Blue' serverI can make no comparison.

We have a few who are getting close to the 1750. And a number of us working hard to get there.

[OberonMiM]

Rallos here

Here is my take on it

Since droppable gear is lootable on my server it is hard to sell and prices for cultural armor get destroyed VERY easily. (some guy single handedly destroyed the de cultural by putting up about 10 peices up then reducing the price too quickly (sigh 1500 for dark prince regent bracers)

Average bazaar is about 200 traders (if you tried rallos before last night you might have seen the cause of our server crashing and being reset due to zones eating people when zoning). Lag in bazaar is NOT as bad as on other servers (neither is lag in other zones for that matter)

As for vendor mining. Yeah its great. I find tons of stuff on vendors. Lots of spiders silk, pelts etc. I regularly farm POK for good stuff that would sell for outrageous prices on other servers. But since droppable stuff is lootable their prices are drastically reduced.

solstice earring stuff still sells decently because the earring itself is not droppable

Supposedly rare spells like KEI aren't that rare. Infact i know our guild has like 3 extra copies floating around and i beleive i have one for my chanter twink sitting on a mule.

My guild regularly does VT every other week and emperor/seru. Low competition at the high end = more bosses up.

[Delfontes]

My 2 cents on Zek servers...

I figure when I was single, and younger, and more pissed at the world, I would have joined on a Zek server.

Now that I am a bit older and arguably wiser, I don't need to PK to feel better.

So I joined a blue, and haven't thought twice about it. I remember the thrill of the hunt in games like Diablo etc., and the rush you get when you know someone is on the other side also trying to kill you, but my hunting days are over.

So I'd guess that Zek servers are more heavily male, late teens, very early 20's, and single.

Not to stereotype, but I just did .

[Lilosh]

My 2 cents on Zek servers...

I figure when I was single, and younger, and more pissed at the world, I would have joined on a Zek server.

So I'd guess that Zek servers are more heavily male, late teens, very early 20's, and single.

I fit all of those stereotypes (Especially the angry at the world part, but with the possible exception of the age), but I find no appeal on the Zeks.

*shrug*

-Lilosh

[Delfontes]

Maybe I was just a cruel bastard who liked to PK when I was younger then .

[Queletan]

Oberon's post pretty much sums it up.

We've got reasonable number of bakers, lots of JC people, fair number of brewers and potters, not too many tailors, and less smiths.
Alot of GM people I know did it just for the GM(X) item, so they did brewing.

Vendors are heaven on Rallos at least. Can find 20-40 BDs on a round through PoK if the server has been up, Silks, Pelts, Velium (not alot of Acrylia, low hunt zones I think).

As far as the PVP thing goes, its not really as bad as you might think.

Between 50-65, there are not much more than a dozen people who do it actively, below that I would say that its probably in the 10% range of server population. Names get around fairly fast, and unless they travel in packs (which one guild does), they're lucky to gank and run.

Most of the server actually looks on PVP as a good way of keeping things civil in the higher levels. The possibility of guild wars (and we've had some spectacular ones) makes (most) people look before they leap.

Q

[Lothay]

I made an Erudite Enchanter on Rallos Zek once.... <b><i>ONCE</b></i>. A friend wanted me to come play on the server with her, and being a nice person, I agreed.

Since there were no expansions avialble at the time, and Tox was a horrid place to do any exping, I made the perilous journey to Qeynos. No Soulbinders, so I was in the process of finding a bind, when, you guessed it... my level 3 Enchater was ganked.

So I did the whole trip again. And got a bind. And then got bind-camped. I quit. Nevber went back.

I'm not really into PvP. It can be fun, and I do occasionally play Quake III, but I'll stick with PvE.

~ Lothay

[Delfontes]

That reminds me of my 1 UO story.

I signed up for the game way before EQ was ever thought of, I played for a bit making bows and chopping trees... some friends played and said that was a good way to start out and make a little bit of money.

I didn't know much about stamina or anything, but with all the wood, I was only able to run a short distance... so some yahoo attacked me, and i tried to run, got a few jogged steps in a random direction, and was only able to walk as he slowly killed me. All I could ask was "Why?".

Anyhow, that was the only 3 hours I've ever played that game... how I ended up paying for it for an entire Year is another, yet sadder story.

[Balkin]

I had that problem on a Zek server. Made a dwarf warrior. Before I even made level 2, I was rooted, and nuked down. Spawn, root, nuke down, spawn root, nuke down. spawn /q....

Ain't been back.

I did make an Erudite SK on Sullon Zek, he's level 8 I think. *shrug* still camped just inside the warrens if I remember right. Never had any friends on the server, so he just sits unplayed. Did get him a full suit of leather armor though.

[Nhin Impious]

Former Vallon Zek player checking in. Moved to Tarew at level 41.

Phabos took me to the bazaar, and I saw sights I've neeeever seen before. I mean, in the bazaar search window. I'd never made a hero sandwich; never SEEN blood raven parts... and what? people don't charge 4pp for vegetables?

On the one hand, it's kind of nice to be able to shop in Shadowhaven. I'm having to learn things I never had to learn before, like how to group and fight effectively with bards, rangers, druids, paladins...I'd never seen anyone LoH before in a group with me.

On the other hand....I'm just another GM baker now. Doesn't matter what a pain in the butt it was to do that on a Zek, as a dark elf, with NO help... ah well.

And on the gripping hand, I still have to re-buy a horsie.

Nhinx Impious

[Cigarskunk]

I was on whatever one of the Zeks is the deity team one.

[Lilosh]

I'd never seen anyone LoH before in a group with me.

And , knowing the paladin, I bet he hasnt stopped Laying those hands on ever since.


-Lilosh

[Railina]

Cigar -- That'd be Sullon Zek, the one without the pnp.
i have a level 2 warrior there, that was about as far as i got before i became fed up with the company there. Once i a while, when i'm having a bad day, i think about playing her again. . .
Then i think about the day some jerk with a sullon handle came into the serverwide channel and spammed it with racial epithets for 4 hours.