Game Mechanics
Zamiel's Guide to Experience Mechanics
Preface
A friend told me you guys were looking for this. I still had it saved, so here you go! I made some slight corrections, but it should mostly be the same as the original. Hi to all my old friends and acquaintances! This server was definitely fun while it lasted. Well, more like a mix of fun and frustration. And a lot of boredom. But definitely some fun in there at some point. =p
Credit
Credit goes to: - Ravenwing/Cabot for providing the correct group XP modifier percentages - Jerumiah for the Dire Charm penalty - Fanglore for a group level disparity parse - Me for all of the other major parses
Mob Level
XP generation is based the level differential between you and the mob. In other words, mobs do not have individual XP values; all that matters is what level you are and what level they are.
If a mob is a lot lower level than you, it will not give very much XP. If the mob is lower level than you, as the level differential becomes less and less, the mob will give more and more XP. If the mob is higher level than you, as the level differential becomes more and more, the mob will give more XP.
As far as normal XP is concerned, no-one knows the specifics of how it is calculated or what the optimal level differential is.
Conning
Unlike other MMORPGs, EQ does not directly show you a mob's level. Rather, it will show you an approximation based on the mob's relative level to your own. To determine this, you must use the "consider" function (by default, this is tied to the C button). This is referred to as conning, for short. The color of the text that is returned is the information about the mob's level.
Green = A ton lower than you Light-blue = A lot lower than you Dark-blue = A little bit lower than you White = The same level as you Yellow = A little bit higher than you (1-2 levels) Red = A lot higher than you (3+ levels)
Green, light-blue, and dark-blue conning is based on the percentage of level disparity. Thus, the quantitative level ranges for these colors will change as you level up. This is why you will not see any mobs that con light-blue until you reach the later levels, since light-blue is such a small range. At level 65, the level quantification is as follows:
Green = 16+ levels lower than you Light-blue = 11-15 levels lower than you Dark-blue = 1-10 levels lower than you White = The same level as you Yellow = 1-2 levels higher than you Red = 3+ levels higher than you
General Levelling-Up Strategy with Regards to Conning
If a mob cons green, then you will not gain any experience for killing it. This is to prevent people from leveling up on mobs that pose no threat to them. Light-blue con is a narrow range between dark-blue and green and yields almost no experience. As a general leveling strategy, you will want to try and focus on dark-blue mobs. While it is true that groups can work together to take down red mobs (and this will yield experience in large chunks), it is commonly understood that you will gain XP faster overall if you kill many dark blues.
Quest XP
Finishing quests (as well as doing a step within a quest) usually yields XP. This is the only way to get XP outside of killing mobs (with one exception; see below). Quest XP is calculated differently from normal XP and no-one understands the specifics. It is likely that each quest has its own level assigned and finishing the quest yields XP equivalent to killing a mob of that level. This is because anecdotal reports suggest that certain quests have a level "sweet spot": when you complete the quest at a level outside the intended quest level range, you will yield little to no XP at all.
For the vast majority of quests, the amount of XP given is so negligible that it is not even worth considering them as a means of XP generation. For almost all intents and purposes, if your aim is to get XP or AAXP, your time is best spent killing mobs. Here's a small list of some esoteric exceptions:
- Low level hunting quests (such as turning in gnoll fangs, and so forth) can yield good results, but only if you are at a low level. - The Hero Bracer quest can yield a good chunk of XP all the way up to level 65. - Elder Gelok, the gnome outside of the Plane of Innovation, offers a supplies quest that results in XP similar to killing a mob or two. The results can be seen all the way up to level 65.
Ornate Combines
Strangely, finishing an ornate combine (the Plane of Tranquillity ornate pattern armor) yields a good chunk of XP. This is the only known way of attaining XP outside of killing mobs and quests.
Group Size Modifiers
If you are grouping with someone else, the XP for each kill will be "divided" between the group members. (Since XP is calculated individually, it is actually more accurate to say that if you are grouping with someone else, you incur a penalty on each kill.) However, as an incentive for players to group together, extra experience is awarded if you are in a group.
This is how AAXP is calculated in a group. (Normal XP is likely calculated in the same way, but no-one has provided evidence.)
1 member - 100% / 1 = 100% 2 members - 120% / 2 = 60% 3 members - 140% / 3 = 46.7% 4 members - 220% / 4 = 55% 5 members - 260% / 5 = 52% 6 members - 260% / 6 = 43.3%
A few things to note regarding this:
1) Bugged XP bonuses for 4, 5, and 6 person groups
The XP bonuses for 4, 5, and 6 person groups are supposed to be 60%, 80%, and 80% respectively (instead of the actual 120%, 160%, and 160%). You can see proof of this in the patch notes before you load up the game. Due to this bug, the XP for a single kill in a 4 person group is better than that of a 3 person group. So, if you have a group of 3 people, always try to get up to 4 members if you can.
2) No additional XP bonus for a 6 person group over a 5 person group
The reason the 6 person bonus isn't bigger is because experience is only supposed to be divided by 5 while in a 6 person group. Sony wanted to design a system by which a 5 person group would not be wary to fill up their last slot. In this manner, as long as the 6th member contributes to the group in even a slight amount, the group still has an incentive to get the 6th person, since their experience will not be further diluted.
As you can see, this is not the case on Al'Kabor, and all 6 person groups are bugged in this manner. If you are interested in optimizing your experience gain, you should only add a 6th member if they will increase the rate at which you are killing by 20% or more.
Groups that are Far Apart in Levels
If the level differential between group members is too large, only the higher levels in the group will get XP. This is governed by the formula
Level of the lowest member of the group x 1.5 = Maximum level that can be grouped while still receiving XP
This mechanic does not apply if the lower (or higher) level characters are, distance wise, too far away to receive XP at all (see "Groups That are Spread Out" and "Out of Range XP Bonus").
Groups that are Close in Levels
When the levels amongst a group are heterogeneous, the XP is not divided equally among the members. Members higher in level receive a greater chunk than those of lower level. The formula that governs this is unknown. This mechanic also applies to AAXP.
Groups that are Close in Levels Fighting Green Mobs
If a group conforms to the 1.5x level rule and the mobs are green to the higher level members while not green to the lower members, then the lower level members will still get XP. Not only that, but the lower level members will not have to "split" the XP with the others. However, this bonus is mitigated by the mechanic in the previous section, so to the best results would be seen with a group composition that has the mobs "barely" green for the higher level member(s).
Maximum Experience per Kill
There exists a 13% hard cap on the maximum amount of experience per kill. This does not apply to AAXP.
Zone Experience Modifiers
Each zone has an experience modifier tied to it. Called ZEM for short, many players choose to level up in the zones that have the highest ZEMs (for obvious reasons). The idea behind this is that the developers wanted to provide an incentive for players to adventure in more risky areas, like dungeons.
Interestingly, the current ZEM is actually reported to the game client. This is so that experience does not have to be reconciled with the server after every kill. I have found the location of the ZEM in the game's memory and then travelled to every zone in the game to make an accurate listing of the actual ZEMs on Al'Kabor. This is contained in a separate document.
Global 20% "Bonus"
In the patch notes it is mentioned that Al'Kabor receives a global 20% "bonus" across the board. However, in the context of this post, this is largely irrelevant, since the point is to have an introspective look at mechanics without regard to any other server.
Class Experience Modifiers
Class experience modifiers were removed from the game in 2001. This was before Al'Kabor was created, so they do not exist here either.
Source: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/editori ... etter.html
Race Experience Modifiers
Troll: -20% Iksar: -20% Ogre: -15% Barbarian: -5% Halfling: +5%
Race experience modifiers do not pertain to AAXP. However, if you are doing some sort of split between normal XP and AAXP, then the modifiers will effect both. For this reason, if you play a Troll, Iksar, Ogre, or Barbarian, then always have AAXP either completely off or completely on.
Halflings, on the other hand, can exploit their modifier for the purposes of getting AAXP faster, by using the "/alt on 99" command. (The AA UI window only allows you to set AA splitting in increments of 10, while the command allows you to specify an exact percentage.) Since 105% of 99% is 103.95%, Halflings can gain AAXP 3.95% faster than all other races.
AAXP
Characters gain the ability to turn on alternate advancement XP at level 50. While it is similar, AAXP generation is definitely calculated in a different manner than normal XP and no-one knows the specifics.
What is the optimal level for accumulating AA's?
Due to the mechanics described in the "Mob Level" section, if you are XPing at the Plane of Fire tables camp, a level 62 will receive the same amount of AAXP that a level 65 will since the mobs there are level 68. However, with the more common XP spots on the server, this is not the case. In the Plane of Valor, for instance, the XP mobs are level 61-63, and characters under level 65 will accumulate AAXP faster than at level 65. The same is true for the Plane of Tactics, since the XP mobs there are level 60-64. What then are the optimal levels for the Plane of Valor and the Plane of Tactics?
Assuming a minimum marginal benefit for a mob that is 3 levels higher than you (which is also unknown), we can subtract 3 from the minimum mob level and arrive at level 58 for the Plane of Valor and 57 for the Plane of Tactics. At these levels the characters would be receiving the maximum "raw" XP from each kill. However, we also have to take into consideration that the raw XP is diluted by the level disparity penalty between the level 58/57 and the rest of the members of the group. In other words, a typical group composition in the Plane of Valor might be our theoretical level 58 and five other level 65's, and the level 65's would be "sucking" XP away from the 58.
If your Plane of Valor group is entirely composed of level 58's, then that seems to be the optimal level in which to AA there. However, since most people who group there are level 65, it is better to be a bit higher than that. Even if we know the level of all the members of the group, since the formula for the group level disparity penalty is unknown, we cannot arrive at an "optimal level" with any specificity.
For a certainty, a level 62 grouped with five other 65's will accumulate AAXP noticeably faster than the 65's in both the Plane of Valor and the Plane of Tactics, and that is the level that most will recommend for AAXP purposes.
Pets Doing 100% Damage
If one or more pets (including charm pets) deals all of the damage to a mob, then only 31% of the normal XP will be awarded. In these situations, have someone in the group do at least one point of damage to all of the mobs. Low level nukes or Ceramic Bands are handy for this purpose.
Black Ceramic Band (NEC) - http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=12130 White Ceramic Band (DRU/SHM/MAG) - http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=12137 Red Ceramic Band (WIZ) - http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=12138 Blue Ceramic Band (ENC) - http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=14673 Green Ceramic Band (CLR) - http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=12172
Note that the 1 point of damage does not necessarily have to come from someone inside the group in order to successfully "unlock" the full experience gain for the group.
Charm Pets
Using a charm pet does NOT reduce the amount of XP given.
Dire Charm Pets
Using a Dire Charm pet reduces the amount of XP given by an unknown amount, so you might want to shy away from using them.
Groups That are Spread Out
If a group member is a good distance from where the mob was killed, then they will not receive experience. The exact /loc differential is unknown.
Out of Range XP Bonus
If a character is out of XP range, they are not included in the XP division. However, the group size bonus is still applied to the members that do receive XP, as long as the OOR characters are still in the same zone. The most optimal application of this would be for 6 soloers to group together but spread themselves throughout the zone outside of XP range of each other. In this scenario, each soloer would be receiving a 260% bonus over the norm.
This exploit is also useful for those who have access to spare boxes, or have friends that are going to be AFK for an extended period of time. Note that there is no additional XP bonus for a 6th person in the group, so you only need to artificially pad your group to 5. Also note that a level 1 character can serve this purpose (see "Groups that are Far Apart in Levels").
Where do I level up?
Leveling up is fastest while in a group and unless you happen to be a solo class, you don't really have a choice either way. Realistically speaking, as of 2011 and onwards, if you play during prime-time (American evenings) there will be perhaps 3 others online within a 10 level range of you. Thus, instead of the traditional EQ thinking of "where do I go to group?", the question becomes: "whom do I group with?" The general rule of thumb is to go tag along with anyone you can find that is remotely close to you in levels, where ever that happens to be.
That said, you may already have a group and are wondering the optimal spot in which to XP. There is no single best area for any particular level range, and EQ nerds love to debate about the pros and cons of each, a subject that I don't really care about. So, for the purposes of this guide I'll just tell you where most people go.
1-8: Field of Bone 8-15: Kurn's Tower 15-25: Paludal Caverns (recondites) 25-52: High Hold Keep (Goblins, then graduate to guards, then graduate to nobles) 52-55: Plane of Justice (Enforcer camp) 55-65: Plane of Valor
This path is more or less commonly referred to as the "XP highway".
Where is the best spot to gain AA?
Good - Plane of Valor
This is the most common XP area on the server. The razorfiend camp, while the most popular, is technically inferior to the golem camp for the reason that a decent group will completely run out of mobs in the cave and have to wait for respawns. If you are charming, you'll want to get a Golem, since they have a built-in DD proc.
Tied for Good - Crypt of Decay
As far as camps go, there's no real reason to leave the zone in unless someone else is there or you need a specific drop from the rat caves. While pulls are easier here than in Valor, there are more adds. The fact that the zone is indoors is also a big disadvantage for any caster. If you are charming, you'll want to get a Greater Pulsing (or, alternatively, the named rat warlord). This zone demands higher skilled play than in Valor due to it's faster tempo, but doesn't really come out ahead in raw AA per hour, which is unfortunate.
Best - Plane of Tactics (pit)
Tactics is also indoors, but if you happen to be charming it is a little bit better than Valor in AA per hour. You'll want to set up at the safe corner, snag a frenzied initiate, and give it 2 weapons in order to unlock the duel-wielding (any 2 weapons will do). Mobs from the pit generally have the lowest HP, so you'll want to pull primarily from there.
Extra Best - Plane of Fire/Water/Earth
Technically, under certain circumstances, the elemental planes can yield a better experience rate than Tactics. However, these zones are only available to members of Temerity or Destiny.