View source for Solo Self-Found

''''' NOTE: this is a work in progress. Please add to it. At the risk of breaking the third-party wiki style, I will note that I am currently doing a SSF playthrough and finding many of these resources as I go. I'm sure you're more knowledgeable about EverQuest than me, so please share that knowledge. I figure there should be a single point where it can be compiled instead of scouring forum posts and reddit. Thanks. -Flans '''''

Solo Self-Found (or SSF) is an optional, self-imposed ruleset which sees slight variation from one player to another. However, the two main tenets are:
* Solo only (grouping is forbidden)
* Self-found items only (trading with other players is forbidden)

Most also forbid buffs, heals, and ports from other players, making small exceptions for things such as [[Bind Affinity|getting a bind]] or [[Locate Corpse|finding a lost corpse]]. Some may [[Become PvP (Kaladim)|go red]] by turning in the [[Tome of Order and Discord]], which forbids any beneficial spell, including bind. Another common rule is to disallow purchasing items from vendors that were sold to that vendor by other players (i.e. only items which vendors have infinite copies of can be purchased). Others still may extend the rules to also encompass [[No Rez Necessary|hardcore/permadeath]]. Each playthrough is one's own to shape.

There have been many threads on the official forums, P99 forums, Reddit posts, YouTube videos, and more where better information than is contained in this article is discussed. Additional information should be added so that this article can be used by players looking for tips to progress in a SSF run. This article presumes a high level of familiarity with the game and is not intended for beginners.

= The Basics - What's the Point? =
There is no in-game achievement system, and as such there are no real tangible rewards to be reaped from SSF other than a personal sense of accomplishment and perhaps mild bragging rights. In fact, as SSF strategies will fall far below optimal experience or coin gained without the restrictions, it could be seen as costing one in the form of time spent. However, as many have spent thousands of hours in EverQuest doing everything from grouping at low levels in [[Crushbone]] to raiding at high levels in [[Temple of Veeshan]], SSF encourages players to go off the beaten path and find new alternative ways to level and farm. For instance, traditional wisdom may encourage newbies to scrape together some starting coin by farming [[Spiderling Silk|silks]] or [[High Quality Bear Skin|skins]] to sell to other players, but when vendors will pay a few mere gold for even high-quality skins, one is left to find alternate means to make money. Moreover, even with coin, what is there to buy from vendors that can lead to progress? As a result, new value can be found in items previously thought of as vendor trash. In short, the objective of SSF is to find a new way to play a game where most players have left few stones unturned.

= Character Creation =

== Race ==
While the drawbacks to being an "evil" race can normally be circumvented or ignored entirely, in a SSF run this handicap will be more pronounced, reducing access to boat travel and many of the best quests for soloable gear.

=== Barbarian ===

=== Dark Elf ===

=== Dwarf ===

=== Erudite ===

=== Gnome ===

=== Half-Elf ===

=== Halfling ===

=== High Elf ===

=== Human ===

=== Iksar ===

You will spend a lot of time regenerating between fights. Iksars' bonus HP regeneration can significantly reduce downtime. Iksar characters also get a bonus +15 AC (+17 for Warriors).

=== Ogre ===

=== Troll ===

You will spend a lot of time regenerating between fights. Trolls' bonus HP regeneration can significantly reduce downtime.

=== Wood Elf ===

== Class ==
Some classes are better suited for soloing than others. For example, [[Necromancer|Necromancers]] are commonly viewed as a very capable soloing class, and unsurprisingly make for a great SSF candidate. However, as the objective for most exploring SSF tends to be a new challenge, many may avoid easily-soloed classes like the Necromancer, [[Magician]], and [[Druid]]. Some classes have quests which are (eventually) easily soloed, such as the [[Crafted Armor]] quests for [[Warrior|Warriors]], or [[Totemic Armor Quests|Totemic Armor]] for [[Shaman|Shamans]]. These quests should be considered when selecting a class for SSF. All are encouraged to add notes to each individual class section.

=== Bard ===

=== Cleric ===

=== Druid ===

=== Enchanter ===

=== Magician ===

=== Monk ===

=== Necromancer ===
No other class can match the Necromancer's ability to solo even high level nameds. Throw in a pet to tank for you and strong self-regen options between lifetaps and the lich line and you have arguably the most capable SSF class.

=== Ranger ===
Able to wear up to some plate armor, self-healing and self-buffing, snare for kiting - Rangers are a great all-around class well-suited to SSF.

=== Rogue ===
Seen as one of the worst classes overall even without the limitations of SSF, with one of their greatest strengths (Backstab) being mostly inaccessible while soloing, Rogue is something of a masochistic choice.

=== Paladin ===
A tank that can self-heal and find easy farming spots with their advanced damage vs undead.

=== Shadow Knight ===

=== Shaman ===

=== Warrior ===

=== Wizard ===

== Notes ==

Starting stat distribution will vary highly from class to class, and since gear will be largely restricted overall, special care should be placed into starting stats. For instance, there are [[Vendor||reportedly breakpoints]] in charisma at 62 and 76. All [[Gnome|Gnomes]] (other than [[Enchanter|Enchanters]]) start with a base 60 charisma. Normally, putting points into charisma is inadvisable, but it may be worth considering spending those two extra points to get the better vendor prices when taking into account how often you will be buying from and selling to vendors. (More testing should be performed to determine precisely how CHA affects vendor prices.)


= Equipment =

== Weapons ==

* [[Tarnished Weapons]] are cheap and easy to make, provided a vendor selling [[Sharpening Stone|Sharpening Stones]] is easily accessible. They have increased ratio vs their rusty counterparts.

=== Magic Weapons ===
For melee classes, a solo-obtainable magic weapon will be important to find. Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of magic weapons that can be soloed.

<ul><li>{{:Short Sword of Morin}} (0.2727 ratio) can be soloed by Rangers with sufficient [[Fletching]] to make silver-tipped arrows and snare-kiting the level 27 [[Ghoul Messenger]].</li>

<li>{{:Bone Bladed Claymore}} (0.3778) drops from a level 15 [[A shadowknight (Troll)]] in [[Befallen]].</li>

<li>{{:Bloodforge Hammer}} (0.26) comes from the [[Trumpy Irontoe]] quest. While this can be completed at fairly low levels ([[Trumpy Irontoe (NPC)|Trumpy]] is only level 5), it will require a fairly perilous journey across the breadth of Antonica to go from Qeynos, to kill Trumpy, all the way to Freeport to take the boat towards Kaladim and turn in his head. Additionally, it should be noted that it will result in a heavy hit to the [[Circle of Unseen Hands]], the Qeynos Rogue's guild (as well as more manageable hits to [[Kane Bayle]] and [[Corrupt Qeynos Guards]].</li>

<li>{{:Langseax}} (0.2609) and {{:Langseax of the Wolves}} (0.4318) can be soloed in the 20s.</li>

<li>{{:Dragoon Dirk}} (0.2609) is an ultra rare drop from [[Dorn B`Dynn]] (mid-teens) in [[Northern Desert of Ro|North Ro]]. It drops more reliably from [[Ambassador DVinn]] (level 20) in [[Crushbone]].</li>

<li>{{:Glowing Wooden Crook}} (0.3143) from [[Lockjaw]] (25) in [[Oasis of Marr|Oasis]].</li>

<li>{{:Fang of the Wolf}} (0.1923) can be obtained from the [[Gnoll Fur]] quest in [[Halas|Halas']] Rogue's guild. Requires 64 [[Patch of Gnoll Fur]] (which drops from mobs starting around level 5) and a small amount of tailoring practice (final combine reportedly trivial at 31).

</ul>


== Armor ==
[[Tailoring]] makes for fairly smooth progression in AC: a full set of [[Patchwork Armor|patchwork]]/[[Tattered Armor|tattered]] is a reasonable and affordable goal for anyone starting out, with studded being a bit more expensive as it requires [[Blacksmithing]] (which is much more expensive to level). If able to wear [[Fine Plate]], low quality pelts can be combined with [[Silk Thread]] to make [[Leather Padding]], a requisite component of the considerably-high trivial blacksmithing recipes. However, consider that a high trivial combine can still be completed in a few tries, which will usually be cheaper than levelling a tradeskill high enough to make the combine without failures.


== Bags ==
{{:Tailored Large Bag}}s are easy enough to craft while levelling tailoring, though offer only minor weight reduction and are only 6-slot.

== Making Money ==
<ul><li>Wolves, cats, bears, and spiders are plentiful in all corners of Norrath. Ruined pelts don't stack and are heavy, which can require frequent trips to a vendor. However, carrying a stack of tailoring patterns and a sewing kit can reduce this weight significantly by creating a [[Patchwork Armor|patchwork]]/[[Tattered Armor|tattered]] piece of armor ([[Tattered Mask|masks]] are the lightest at 0.4). Additionally, with 75 CHA and at least indifferent faction, a ruined pelt sells for 9c. Recipes cost 5s 2c, and a piece of patchwork/tattered armor sells for 1g 4s 2c, leading to a profit of 8s 1c once tailoring is sufficiently levelled.</li>
<li>[[Fishing]] requires a platinum or so to get started with, as as low levels a repeated investment of ~2g is necessary to replace broken rods. However, bait is cheap (with [[Fishing Grubs]] making it an even cheaper option for foraging race/class combinations) and the things it catches will sell at a profit.</li>
<li>Farming {{:Bone Chips}} outside of Kaladim can be [[Bone Chips (Kaladim)|turned in]] to quickly and easily make a few starting gold.</li>
<li>[[Going Postal (Felwithe to Kelethin)|Delivering mail for the Lague of Antonican Bards]] can generate more than 1p for a < 10 minute round trip between Felwithe and Kelethin.</li>
</ul>

= Miscellaneous Notes =

<ul><li>There used to be a bug which allowed one to Bind Wound during combat. This has been patched.</li>
<li>[https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=358475 This forum post] has a lot of very good notes.</li>

</ul>


[[Category:Player Guides]]