Keep in mind this is on a time locked emulator, Project 1999.
I made a new friend as only you can in EQ.
I had some time before work and logged in to find the Ancient Cyclops camp open.
I’ve been making tens of thousands here. With people leaving Blue for Green (and Teal), the tough camps are more open. This has allowwed me to rack up a bunch of jboot MQs, and subsequently, a lot of cash.
It’s a long shot camp. 6 minutes to 6 hours, has been my range. But it works for being semi AFK. Set a timer, go about your business, come back, farm. Lately it has been worse as i have seen people get stuck farming for 8, 9, 15, and 22 hours (!). A small wonder why people pay 5000 platinum for hte MQ.
I had an hour to kill and began the process. Did an email. Timer off, clear placeholder. Rinse, repeat.
Met a guy who has never done the camp. He’s a 60 enchanter. I pass on the wisdom that I learned from a generous player, and from practice. He is next in line.
See, camp rules are a mix of official and unofficial. For the AC you get the spawn until you get the item. A line of names forms, with each holding the camp until the get the item or have to leave. If you leave you get to the back of the line (if you plan on coming back) or just another day. Keep in mind this is usually a multi-hour camp as mentioned above – but there is good hunting around for all levels , and most will even send a tell to your alt when it is your turn. As long as you respond, or it goes to the next person in line.
It’s typically camped 24/7.
So, it’s 8:00 am and I need to leave for work – it’s a half day – and no luck. My new friend is eager for his first turn. I tell him “one more spawn, if it’s the AC I’m taking it, if it’s not it’s yours!”
It’s the AC. What luck! I kill it, loot the ring any log at 8:06am. I go to work.
I get back home at 11 and he’s still at it. Lineup is 2 people after him plus me. I am bound there, so I do some ports and local hunting but mostly just hang out and chat with him.
12:00 passes with not much but some shared stories.
1:00pm – he’s been at it 5 hours. A guy logs off off and drops from the list, just 3 deep now
2:00pm – still no AC and this hits my typical end wall – 6 hours. I haven’t been involved or around one that was stretched so long.
3:00pm – 7 hours now, and I’m second by default. We are having fun sharing EQ stories, talking about alts, guilds, and how terrible the camp had been to him. His super fun and understands this is part of EQ.
4:00pm he starts getting ancy. He had to go for dinner but will eat quick. Some others are in line now so he knows he loses his spot. Ah well, that’s EQ. He has to go. I take over the camp, and because there is a line after me I just can’t hold it for him until he gets back.
I take over. Still no luck.
5:00pm. It’s been 9 hours since the drop. He comes back. Line is 4 deep after me as people get home from work. 9:10.
9:16 – AC spawns. I get the ring. Second of the day for me.
He cheers for me, happy to see the camp broken. I get 2 rings – 10,000 plat worth, in 2 hours work. He did 8 hours with the camp and for nothing.
Unless you count our talking and having fun.
So, I say “let’s go”, and that I’ll MQ the ring for him for free. He deserves it, and did the heavy lifting all day. He’s surprised and very thankful.
People Live longer than pixels, after all.
The quest mob hasn’t spawned yet to turn it in. 6 minutes spawn. Can be Hasten, or a Drake, or god forbid Brother Z (who stays spawned for 4 hours).
6:30, no Hasten. I have to go eat. I eat quickly. He keeps clearing.
7:00, no Hasten. Back from dinner. No Brother Z either though.
8:00pm. Boom. Hasten
I turn in the no trade parts, he hands in the rest, and he gets his jboots. We hug, we laugh about what a day it was.
12 hours for a pair of boots that I could have sold him in 5 minutes (I have 5 ready to go).
I’m getting wife aggro and have to run. But we did it. My last words to him before the camp timer finished
“What a day. Well met. What do you want to do tomorrow?”