Well, I have been gone a while but from what I have seen and heard not much of the core has changed....so here goes.

First on ISBoxer: shouldnt be a problem, but you will find that in the long run it will be too limited to allow you maximum use of your boxes without changing to their clients. You can do some rather amazing and allowed things using simple /bca commands with MQ2. You can do everything mq2melee accomplishes short of full automation using key presses(and as to why mqemulator includes the plugin, we are not the only emulated server in the group, and we arent the only one to allow MQ2). All in all, I think you will find things work best with MQ2 alone, or if you absolutely feel the need a combination of MQ2 and wineq (though I am admittedly not a fan of wineq).

As far as how big a group you need....I've seen people reach T9 with 3 boxes, though they had considerable help through T5. Have to use the tools the server provides to maximize your characters effectiveness, allowing them to fill multiple roles in the group. Six boxes works better.....12 IMO is optimal....though I, like many here, run 18. Over that seems to start diminishing returns (Hobben's Law, shrunk some, still holds true).

As for classes....SO many to chose from. You can do a lot with almost any class here. Even chanters on EZ can be VERY solid dps....just gotta know how to build and work em. If you wanna min/max, well, plenty of opinions there, too. I will say this:

With a UW and tanking warriors are the best DPS in your group. Period, full stop. Granted, a huge portion of that dps is riposte damage with a UW. Without a UW warriors cannot by any stretch of imagination be seriosu DPS.

Rogues with a UW are a very close second to warrior DPS. Rogues backstabbing with epic aug and a UW dagger do some insane damage. Without a UW they are still near top of the DPS food chain (of classes without UW).

Berserkers are the kings of mindless AoE damage. Just attacking will make them AoE (a function of their epic). They are set and forget dps....no need to micromanage, so a lot of people prefer them. They also do respectable single target dps if they run strike augs with their epic aug, and with a UW they get close to rogue single target UW DPS. However, if you learn to use them properly a necro will do greater AoE dps than any class through T9 (some of the T10 spells change things a ton for many classes). But that comes with a caveat: if you dont tailor your pulls and learn how to use MQ2 properly a necro wont do squat....so it's not a class that works for some players.

As I said above, enchanter can do some pretty decent dps (ST). But then any skirt class here does well, though they do have some drawbacks (very squishy comparatively, most of the heavier DPS spells have cast times which reduces their effectiveness, reliance on pets to add to DPS to name a few). Later giving your pet classes the summon bag helps a lot, and even allows you to let your pet equip your earned UW. A mage pet with a high end UW can do some very impressive damage.

As for healers, throughout paladins do best group healing. They also can do moderate DPS with strike augs, and respectable DPS with a UW. Pallies are by far the most durable heal class. Clerics do very strong heals with cast spells, and some little extra with their epics. With old T10 (which was very heavy rampage damage) clerics did best keeping the tank standing, since they could heal outside of immediate range. Not sure how much this has changed. Druids have a VERY heavy regen line, and I use it often on my tank when mass pulling. They also get a short term reactive healing buff, healing the recipient for a bit with each hit they take, that helps a ton both breaking into new content and allowing pulling tanks to more easily tank dozens of mobs at a time. Since druids can use mana necklaces, they dont do too bad with cast DPS, and their pets can add some damage too, if they can stay alive. Druid T10 spells allow them to do some surprising AoE dps. Shaman at lower levels help newer players a lot, with their combat proc buff line and heavy hp/stat buffs. Shaman also help ultra heavy white damage characters (usually those with a UW) do substantially more damage using a short term buff. They also can help heal, doing enough to keep non tank groups alive even without another healer.

Anyway, bottom line is that EZ lets you play your way. You can make up groups with a wide variety of classes and do very well. Enjoy!

I love some of those ideas Cogg.

However...have to keep in mind that game companies that have HUGE teams to make ideas like this happen...and what you're suggesting in a typical game company would involve a team of story writers, developers and programmers. Here, we have one guy, and whomever he finds who he can trust who shows talent, desire to help, ability to work well with others and who can dedicate the time. Or, put more simply, we have one guy

But I like some of those ideas, and think maybe if Akk eventually gets some help here it'd be nice seeing some of em happen.

Added this line to the main wiki page (original wiki has the correct info already):

ONE NOTE:If you are a returning player with an old weapon epic you MUST upgrade to the next level epic to switch your weapon to an aug! So treat it as if you were going from 2.5 to 3.0 (see below). The exception is knights (pally/sk), who can just hand in their old weapon epic for an epic aug same level. And speaking of knights, they get TWO different types of augs (offense and defense for SK and defense and heal for pally). Handing in one type aug to the epic fatass for these classes will get you the other type epic aug.

This is on the "Progression" page, just before the epic lists. If you wanna edit or move it, freel fee.

Only knights can turn in old weapon epic and get epic aug same level. Every other class must upgrade to the next level to get the aug. So.....any class BUT pally or SK, hand in old epic, new epic book and get new epic aug.

NOTE: DO NOT COMPLETE THIS EPIC UNTIL YOU ARE FLAGGED FOR PLANE OF DRAGONS, as you will not be able to use your epic augment without a weapon skin purchased from Plane of Dragons.

    Complete the QVic token quest to get your Complete Epic Book 3.0.
    Collect all visible pieces of armor from QVic.
    Hail the Level Up Wench to become flagged for Plane of Dragons
    Give the Completed Epic Book 3.0 along with your epic weapon 2.5 to the Epic Vendor for your Epic Augment 3.0

So has something changed? This info from the wiki is no longer accurate?

ToFS wasnt easier than the alternative for v1/2...in fact it was often much harder. It was just an alternative. Thats what I'd like to see.....alternatives to T6 and T8, harder than the normal content but still doable, that would allow someone to still work charms without going insane.

I think the whole spell research thing is fine for the 2 tiers behind method, but I always found it to be weird that just by being spell casters there are zero cost upgrades for casters as long as the spells drop

So what do melee have to upgrade that costs other than strikes? Sure, UW...but a mage with a UW is every bit as gnarly dps as many other classes, and better than many. And as for strikes, caster mana neck is IMO every bit as much of a must have as strike augs to make their dps in any way viable compared to melee dps....and while the costs may not be AS heavy they are still heavy...and honestly caster dps takes longer fights to show in any way. I'd say its balanced well enough.

And HOLY SHIT!!! I am actually agreeing with Peign. Someone mark the date

Actually the programming inherent in the plugin WILL allow you to do just that with the right command. Sure, you may not do so, but it IS still there and usable with a simple typed command.

Besides...its not needed. ANYTHING you can do with mq2melee THATS LEGAL you can do with simple macro commands that ARE allowed on EZ. MQ2Melee just saves you 30 seconds of typing....once.

Not at all unreasonable to ban it.

Riwwi Colosseum....fun event live.

You are allowed to use /stick to follow the leader of the group, and your allowed to use it on a mob AFTER your already within melee range of a mob. You are allowed to script a few Bard songs that will cycle through like melody or whatever that was. You are NOT allowed to have the program automatically attack, heal, or search/goto new mob without you having to press a key. You must be at the keyboard, and playing manually. People have been already suspended or banned for spam hailing their pet for buffs, or spam /say to enter guild instance that didn't exist, and were obvious bot with owner afk. Do don't do that stuff either.

This statement from Hunter was made in response to someone going on about MQ2Melee. Its pretty much what Melee does. Its not allowed, unless Akk decides to change that rule. I remember vividly the first time I found out it wasnt allowed.....Hunter read me the riot act after I started referring people to the MQ2 macro help page (listed in the old EZ guide) which recommended using Melee and killthis. I had to edit and amend the guide after.

MQ2Melee are allowed, just twisting Botting Warpin are really not allowed to use but with MQ2Melee u feel free to use without any trouble

MQ2melee is not allowed. This was per Hunter ages ago, and its been pretty well documented since. MQ2melee and MQ2Cast are most definitely NOT allowed....and reading the rules makes this pretty obvious.

UC2/3 system aint broke, lets not screw with it. That being said, I think an alternative zone for em (even if its a much harder zone) would be outstanding.

Gods Major, easily. Need to farm the shit out of HoH, then spend a ton of time (lower drop rate than any essence but T10 for me for some reason) getting the essences. Only good thing about killing in T4 is you can just about do it semi afk (can watch TV or read a book while doing so).

After that, for me, I'd have to go with CT. Drop rate for me is abysmal, and its just annoying.

Sadly I cant help but agree with Peign. We're definitely headed that direction, and we have been for decades. Lately things have just sped up thanks to two parties who seem to be doing everything they can to bring it about and an electorate too stupid to see it.

But, HEY! Howsabout them Cubbies!!!

Oh, and by way of comparison my monk with T10 weaps, NSXII and UC3 is 4.6 mil (with MoF pet), and my T10 chanter with 9.0 pet, summon bag with T10 weapons and mana neck XI and Chilled Devil buff up is 3710291 dps (non stop euphoria2 for the double cast temp and insanity V only).