Returning player - need some advice

[LHHC 0]

Hi guys, hope you're all doing well in these corona times.

I started playing on this server just about two years ago, sadly changes in work soon after meant I couldn't play anymore, but now I've got some free time ahead and I haven't lost the urge to play L2. Before I had to quit I got a WC 52, BD 58, ES 55, Destro 50, EE 40. As you can see I changed a bit between the classes, didn't get very high level, but ultimately the plan was to have a WC and BD as "buffbots" and then a main char which was either Destro or ES, but I didn't really like either of those two. I have a few (understatement ^^) questions regarding the server that I'd hope some experienced players could help me with.

- How is the player population today? Most are probably 75+ which is fine, but I recall very high activity regarding RB leveling, etc. Are people still doing that, or will I have to do a lot of grinding on my way up? I don't really mind grinding in between RBs etc.

- I'm not sure what the "class meta" is now, but I saw on twitter that there is coming a balance update soon. Are there any "underrated" classes that are getting buffed to a level where they are more in line and competitive with the more powerful classes? I've been thinking of starting a support or tank class from level 1, for example TK - will they compete with DA and SK, or will they still be a less popular choice because of the skill sett DA and SK have? SWS - will it be attractive to clans? Will a WC+BD+SWS(main) be ok to grind with, and get a spot in grinding parties - or considered "unnecessary xp leech" if you can just have buffbot sit afk out of party? Would it be smarter to just run WC+BD(main)?

- If one were to hypothetically main a EE/PP/Bishop, is there any way to grind semi ok or do you realistically have to solely do RBs? Are there any other sought after/attractive classes that are actively recruited?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions. I'm just really excited to play, and feel out of the loop in term of class balance etc. Thanks in advance!

[Wanali 22]

A lot of question and we get here every week almost same question.

Depends on your style - if u want play in CP or u want play alone

CP always need some char and they usually help u exp up or u can drive their char.

If u want play solo, enjoy oly and some PVP: u can choose in ES,DA (like a main) + BD + PP/WC

3 chars is enough for quality grind

 

Nobody else answer cos as i said - every week same question, we get bored of these asking.

EDIT: Try read forum with similar topic.  GL and HF

Edited March 26, 2021 by Wanali

[LHHC 0]

Thank you, Wanali.  The reason many of us are asking is because there is limited resources available to analyze the current class meta and status of the server. I have read other posts all the way back to 2016, but most are either outdated, didn't answer my specific questions or had non-constructive replies. Choosing a main in a time-consuming game like L2 is quite an important decision that many want to "get right". I totally get that the questions are repetitive and perhaps boring, though I also feel that if the community wants the server to thrive with a healthy population and new intake of players that it would probably be wise to be more forthcoming and welcoming. I appreciate your reply, and thank you for the information.  Best of luck

[Noveria 31]

Being a leecher has nothing to do with your class, it's more about your approach and personality. All the classes you've mentioned are good, and for example if no one is currently recruiting, lets say bishop or tank or sws, they will in the future. I'd suggest to not chase after the meta, it's changing all the time, some classes get buffs, other classes get nerfs. Today one class is cool, tomorrow some other class is even more cool. I'd suggest to stick to something that you like. Player with high morale can contribute a lot regardless of what he's playing.

But for now solo-grind way it is, plus occasional raids. Gladly for you, administration didn't touch daily raids yet, so you can abuse them for faster leveling. Others do too, that's why most low/mid-lvl locations are so empty. 
Solo EE/PP/BP could do okayish if you have at least WC(+BD would be nice as well, since you've mentioned it) and gear for melee exp. But ideally you should be aiming for party, finding a CP or a good PVE clan is better for your progression (and more fun too), especially if you're playing support.

[LHHC 0]

Thank you very much, Noveria. Some very good points and arguments. I've decided to main SWS and try to min-max that, regardless of meta. I'm going to look for an active pve clan and hopefully get some party-grind on. Thanks again, and best of luck!

[Estilode 1]

I am here for only a few months but I can share a bit what I realized here, coming from official classic 2 years ago.

Any melee class have no problems to level up from 1-76, main + WC/PP + BD can do efficiently enough.

Any mage class can do the same but less efficient as no vampire and mp could be a problem. Furthermore, melee can use macro next target>attack easy, but mage need to manual click on target as some skills ranged 900 which next target cannot be used or you dont really want to get close to mobs.

 

1-70 is easy, up to about 50, RBs daily can easy bring you up to 70, actually 76 but slowly later on

form 70, if you want to solo LOA, you need to invest some gears and try to optimize your solo party with multi box

what I mean is taken (hex, stigma, gears) efficiency, (heal, mp) sustainability into consideration

Ideally you want hex and stigma to allow you farm efficiently without costing much on gears, I believe either one debuff here have better effectiveness compared to a QA3 which cost you  over 3bs (didnt look deep on maths here, correct me if im wrong), so consider cost effectiveness on gears and party setup to get a good balance to achieve what you want

 

Im still 70s, trying to touch GC but that is totally different levels

Using B gears to tank giant is just so crazy, A gears is getting common but +6 set cost you at least 2-3b

If you want to solo multi box in GC, you really need to plan early. From my test, you need Main + WC/PP( ideally both for cov and cc), BD+SWS, SE with some good gears but that can be discussed later when you are 76

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Estilode