Druid Leveling and Item Hunting Guide by Mefdinkins

Mefdinkins 1-50 Druid Solo Guide (Under Development):

I. Introduction – After seeing Kriven’s 1-50 cleric guide I wanted to do the same for druids. There are certainly a lot of druids on P1999 but I played one in classic and immediately returned to the class here as well. I’ve played many MMO’s and many types of characters (wizards, druids, rogues, assassins, archers) but for some reason the original EQ druid is my all-time favorite.

II. Goal of this Guide – The goal for me in this guide is to give new druids suggestions on places to level a first character. This guide will aim to provide solid XP, while bringing you to areas where you can get an upgrade or two, or you can work on your epic quest. If you follow this guide you can slowly upgrade your gear through drops and make decent platinum to fill in the rest of your slots. If you’re super twinked and don’t need to worry about platinum or items then there are probably better XP options. If you aren’t interested in starting the epic quest until later then there may be better XP options for you.

III. Druid XP Techniques – druids have many ways to get XP, unlike a warrior who typically only has the option of grouping, druids can group for experience, Root/Rot, Charm/Kite, DD/Kite, and Quad. Each technique has its strengths and weaknesses.

    a.	Grouping – Grouping is a great way to have fun with other characters. It allows you to meet other players and bring valuable skills from other classes that supplement your own. I think it is important for new players to gain levels through both solo and group experience because it can be a little overwhelming jumping into a level 50+ dungeon having never contributed to a group before. This guide will focus on solo XP though… so be sure to check the wiki, your guild or /who all ‘your current level’ to see where other characters are for group XP opportunities.

    b.	Root/Rot – Druids have a good line of root spells and have strong and mana efficient damage over time spells. This technique involves rooting a mob in place and casting your damage over time spells on it. 
            i.	Pros: 
                    1.	Can be very mana efficient, damage over time spells like Breath of Ro have a great damage per mana ratio (1030 damage for 225 mana). Additionally, once you cast your spells you can sit down to regenerate mana while the mob slowly dies. 
                    2.	At 45+ Elder Spiritist’s Vambraces can add ~370 damage for free on every rooted mob. 
                    3.	Great for dungeons, so you can take advantage of higher XP modifiers per single kill. Dungeons are typically not spread out enough to allow for easy kiting, but root/rot requires minimal space. 
                    4.	Great for unwanted adds and dealing w/ random mobs. If you’re attacked at 20% mana you can usually root a mob and then cast your most efficient DOT on it while medding up and take it out without running out of mana. 
           ii.	Cons:  
                    1.	Considered not as efficient XPwise as quadding or charm/kiting. 
                    2.	At lower levels root doesn’t last as long and DOTS do less damage when mobs are chasing you. 

    c.	Charm – Druids have a powerful charm animal line of spells. This technique involves charming an animal and having it fight a similar level mob. Once both mobs are low, you can invis or hide yourself and finish off both mobs to get solid XP. 
            i.	Pros:  
                    1.	Can be very mana/time efficient, considered the best XP by some. 
                    2.	Almost mandatory to solo the last few levels in the game post 57. 
           ii.	Cons:  
                    1.	Can take a while to get used to, when to invis yourself, etc. 
                    2.	Some criticize this as having not ‘enough down time’; compared to quadding where you use all your mana to get 4 kills then med to full. For maximum efficiency this would require you to be attentive and continually engaged with little downtime. 
    d.	Quadding – Druids have a powerful area of effect direct damage spell line. This technique involves snaring a group of four mobs and then casting your AEDD on them all while staying out of melee range allowing you to kill four mobs in one kite. 
            i.	Pros: 
                    1.	This can be very efficient, some consider it the best XP available. 
                    2.	At level 46 when the ‘Luminescent Staff’ proc becomes available, you have a right click AEDD for 187 damage that can essentially allow you to power level from 46-49 (or even higher) while expending minimal (ensnare) or zero (when coupled with Elder Spiritist’s Gauntlets for snare) mana. 
           ii.	Cons:  
                    1.	This technique is not available until higher level. 
                    2.	This technique is considered to have a lot of downtime. You will generally expend most or all of your mana to get the four kills, but then you will need to med to full until you pull again. Some see this as a pro depending on your playstyle (as a student I liked doing a little work as I would med to full so it was great for me). 
                    3.	Sometimes it requires a larger mana pool than available. It is important to be aware of your mana pool and the HP pool of mobs. For instance in FM Mountain Giant Tumps have significantly more HP than Mountain Giant Hillocks and depending on your gear you may not have enough mana to quad them until a higher level. 
    e.	DD Kite – Druids have strong direct damage spells. This technique involves snaring a single mob and then casting your direct damage spells on it while staying out of melee range. 
            i.	Pros:  
                    1.	This is a great technique for the lower levels and can be done as soon as you pick up SOW at level 14. 
                    2.	At lower levels it can be the most mana efficient way to gain XP. If you account for the damage per mana of your spells, the costs of casting roots, etc. 
                    3.	This technique is fast and allows you to burn a mob down quickly (for instance at level 55 your DD does 688 instantly, compared to a DOT ticking for 1030 over 60 seconds). 
           ii.	Cons:  
                    1.	This technique burns a lot of mana and is generally seen as not as efficient once you master and have available the other techniques.