I've been posting a lot lately about how I'm newly returned to the game after having been absent from prime since 2002 and from TF since 2004. I started playing in 1997. In prime I have a 47 warmie, and 46 barb. In TF I have an 84 empath and a 126 MM. You know what they say...don't use it and ya lose it. Well, I don't want to go back to writing scripts for TF. Not to mention, I generally like the population levels and activity in prime right now. My issue is the impressive amount of back-training I have to do for my warmie and barb if I start them back up. I find that I'm pretty much learning a new game as far as what works, how it works and what skills are the new FOTM (or in DR terms FOTY).

So for that reason, I'm strongly considering rolling up a new character, starting the game fresh and working from the ground up. Yes, I know there are advantages to backtraining skills from a higher level, but it's not much fun. Also, I'm finding that because I'm spending so much time backtraining skills, I'm not making any new friends. I want DR to be a primarily social game and I believe that the best guild to be able to do that is probably the empath guild. Would any of you agree?

So saying that...if you started a new empath from scratch, how would you go about doing it? How/where would you train? Are there any skills that may not seem obvious that you would train especially hard? I would prefer that my defense in combative environments be hiding. I don't have any desire to sit in combat zones and grind out defensive skills. I don't even really want wear armor necessarily.

Advice is appreciated. Like I said, I feel like I'm learning to play a whole new game. Feel free to treat me like a total noob to DR. I'm kinda feeling like one. :)

Every guild has its gathering spots for socializing, and every locale has a few as well. I don't think there is any one guild that is more sociable than any other. It really depends on you, the player, to go out and interact with folks. That having been said, I play an empath as a primary character, though I'm mostly anti-social and grumpy. I enjoy being an empath, though if I had to do it all over again, I would probably not choose one to be a primary character.

If you wanted to start an empath, you will find your first 80 ranks of empathy to be the hardest ranks to gain. Until you can effectively perceive health, it's difficult to train at a steady rate. Once you've got those first 80 ranks, it's smooth sailing from there as an empath.


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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
- Albert Einstein

>>I can't really say anything about non-combat Empath training, though.<<

Easy, but boring. Very simple and very repetitive. Train magics (very easy with EASE or GOL), train lores (become a guild sitting, class listening, healbot), train survivals (very easy to get a few basics under your belt, reqs are very low, etc... ), and train empathy through health walking through the shops and perceiving health.

I just trained my reflex to 30 and will be entering the combat arena soon, looking for a new challenge.

- Fizzickle


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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
- Albert Einstein