Question - Multiboxing with MQ PC Requirements and General Questions

[boukyaku]

Hello Everyone,

I apologize in advance for the long post and will do my utmost to prove that there are stupid questions.
Hopefully someone new coming in will also be able to find answers here as well.

I found my way here from Almar’s (did he stop playing EQ?) guides while I was looking up the best zones for certain level ranges on Live servers. At one point it was pretty much highly recommended to look into multiboxing as that would make the game much, much easier and enjoyable. Mercs fall off quickly and the server will be barren until max level. All Live servers are pretty much top-heavy.

I went through some of his multiboxing guides and he seemed to use Isboxer combined with MQ at the time. The gist was if you want to have maximum efficiency, you would need to manually box. If you want to be lazy, use kissassist, and then be really bad at the game with horrible performance and DPS. Maybe the middle would be to semi-manual box? Have kissassist handle things out of combat and you would take over in-combat events?


1. History

I played EQ back in 1999 as a little kid and then again when Kunark came out in 2000. It was my first MMORPG and for some reason I still vividly remember some crazy moments (and sounds/BGM) I’ve had considering I did not spend that much time with it. I spent about a month with release, then another month with Kunark. The downtime (I think 15-20m after each fight as solo?) and insane grinding was what actually got to me (and not being able to find groups). I did try most classes to level 20 in that time span. I’ve been around and played most MMORPGs like Asheron’s Call, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, FF11, World of Warcraft, EVE Online, and FF14. None have lasted me more than a month except for EVE Online (about one year) and FF14 (6 months though could’ve (and should’ve) completed main quest in under a month then move on).

In spite of this, for some reason EQ has always held some special place in my heart. I recently came back last week and had a “blast” leveling a Wizard to level 50. Unfortunately, this is where the fun ends unless I subscribe or multibox.

I have a group of questions that hopefully someone will be able to answer.


2. Multiboxing and MQ PC requirements.

My laptop is from 2013 and is a Clevo 151SM1.

The specs are:

Intel Core i7-4700MQ

16 GB DDR3 SDRAM Dual Channel 800MHz

GeForce GTX 770M


I plan to have 6 boxes on a single PC. I’ll tweak 5 boxes to the lowest possible settings and memory usage. The main box will be on one SSD and the other 5 boxes will load from another SSD. Both are Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB, mostly empty. I heard load times are shorter if you split boxes on two or more drives. I also read that multiboxing EQ is CPU and memory intensive, not so much on GPU.

With the above information, will my laptop be able to handle multiboxing with MQ smoothly?


3. Live Server vs Test and AA System

Membership is almost $15 nowadays so if I were to have 6 boxes, that would be around $90 per month. EQ is mainly a social game where you interact with people and multiboxing pretty much turns it into a singleplayer game with the occasional chat. I don’t see the merit of paying $90 per month if I’m just going to do things “solo”.

I pretty much narrowed it down to FV or Live for the reasons stated below.

FV is populated, pretty much all top-heavy, and you have access to the bazaar. Unfortunately, everything is insanely hyper-inflated and a new player can’t afford anything. But it’s a Live server, not Test, so maybe more stable? My AA will be limited to maybe silver and I won’t have access to higher ranking spells. No social interactions until I reach max lv and then maybe a raid or two per week if I manage to join an active guild.

The Test server is pretty empty with a few guilds that do raids once or twice a week. There is no economy. You can buy anything from the bazaar for 0-1 plats however the bazaar is mostly empty and things go out quickly. One major advantage with Test is you get gold which unlocks the AA system and spell rankings.

According to Almar’s guides, your character(s) will be severely limited without AA starting level 50 (or level 80 if silver). I checked further into this and some agree with this, while some say otherwise. Those who say otherwise claim that earning AA is a waste of time and one should go straight to level 110 then earn AA points extremely quickly with bonus on high lv mobs. You earn points lightning fast as the exp points from these high lv mobs is substantial relatively speaking (relative if you started earning AA at lv 50 etc). The guild I joined on Vox also claims that I will see negligible differences until level 100.

This leads to my next question:

I do not want to be nerfed since I won’t have access to AA (and higher spell rankings) if on Live. Will there really be a huge difference at higher lvs for those who earn AA and those who don’t?

If the game will be empty until I reach max lv for both FV and Test, is there a point to be on FV? FV seems to be as populated as Test if that’s the case (I’ve only played on Vox, yes everything was empty but I only went up to level 50).

Will my limit to ranked spells also nerf my group?

This leads to my next question:


4. My Box Group Config

Paladin

Bard

Berserker

Cleric

Enchanter

Wizard


Will there be any issues with my config above? I was wondering if a Bard and Enchanter in the same group would be redundant for mezzing but maybe the bard could be the backup mezzer. My point is to have fun, not be meta in anything or else I would just go with 5 mages(or ENC)/1 cleric, 6 wiz, 6 necros, etc, and that would just be boring for me.

I tried looking to see if kissassist supports enchanter charm and pets but no success. Will I have to handle that through manual boxing?


5. MQ Useful Utilities

MQStatus, MQRelocate, Sic’s hotkeys, MQAutoGroup, MQAutoAccept, MQYes (think this is now native to MQ?), Almar’s AutoForage, AutoSkillUp, AutoLanguage.

Would be great if there are other QoL plugins to know about!


6. KissAssist Aggro Management

I’ve looked at kissassist and seen some videos of it. The main problem I see is that the program will just spam skills unless you provide specific options/conditions to it.

This is problematic for a group with casters. Simply putting in something like DPS1=Flame Shock|90 will make the Wizard spam cast spells nonstop from 90% health. They will pull aggro and die.

I looked at the aggro section and indeed the caster will try to use their spells to reduce aggro if the program detects the mob has generated a certain threat. Will the caster throw anything from DPS section while detecting they have aggro over the limit or cast spells to reduce aggro?

What if the caster does not have any aggro-reducing spells yet? Use something like DPS1=Flame Shock|50|Once? If the spells fizzles or resists, will they cast it again with Once option?


7. MQ and multiple drive locations, Compatibility with other things

I’ll be running one box as the main with high settings on first drive and 5 boxes on my secondary drive. Can MQ handle opening/running boxes in different drive locations?

I have some custom interfaces (Sparxx) that tweaks the UI. I am also using a custom map pack.

Will there be any compatibility issues?


8. End

Thanks for reading this far! My primary objective is just to have fun and programming your own group seems really exciting. I imagine having your group perform well and accomplish things in the game you couldn’t do yourself feels fulfilling.

 

[da Man]

the pc is ok. check on the vid card maybe a bit.

all characters will need aa's (casters not as bad) but the tank is required past 80ish. usually people will go to level 110 then krono up to get their aa's free then grind out the rest in that month.

fv will offer options that other servers do not have, i leveled a warrior there never got hit or died through level 75 somewhere around 85 i think it became dangerous. tanks will have problems getting augments while free to play (needed)

basically you can play what you like and that will be ok (tank, healer, cc) you can eventually earn enough to get a krono and get your free aa's until then they are ok at f2p. kissassist will do any class and is quite good at it with good configs.

kiss is also good at agro. just make sure your tank is doing all the things tanks do to hold agro, your group should be able to go pretty much all out after the initial agro grab. it works through splash. instant, and taunts (pally) rather well (depending on config). another option is the preconfigured macros rgmercs Lua and cwtn are great for a "plug and play" experience

as far as custom ui its hit and miss at least for me and the map packs are completely compatible.

 

[postleaf]

You can split your six into two groups of three and let mercs pl you until somewhere around 75. Then you need at least a subbed tank until somewhere around 90.

At 90 you will probably want to sub mez/healer for 1 month for the autogrant aa. It will make life easier. It's totally possible to go up into 100s without it if you get good tank gear though.

Autogrant aa go up to 115 now. Lots of people will sub at least 1 month on all other classes at that point and then spend the month grinding levels and corresponding AA.

Be sure not to over level beyond spell focus AA because spells really depends on it at the higher levels.

 

[Sic]

Welcome to RedGuides!

Getting Started / Returning user

Welcome to RedGuides, fellow EQ multi-boxing enthusiast!

The best place to begin is our "New User Guide" video series, click this TV to watch:


This step-by-step series will teach absolute beginners how to control 6 characters at once while highlighting Nav, AutoLogin, and DanNet, which are fundamental plugins that will enhance every aspect of your game.

Returning users check out - MacroQuest Release Party: https://www.redguides.com/community/threads/macroquest-release-party.80628/ for information about changes from the legacy MQ2 to the new and awesome MQ

 

[RobRenfro]

If you choose FV I will help you as much as I can.
Next you aren't limited to Kissassist there is also
The great RGMERCS Lua Derple works very hard on. And the pinnacle the plugins. As for paying $90 for subscriptions most of us buy Krono and pay much less than $90 a month for our subs. Feel free to ask me anything else in a PM than you want to know.

 

[Psy]

1) Welcome to RG and welcome back Boukyaku! Many of us took that same long break, myself included. EQ seems to hols special place in our hearts and for many, a small place in our wallet =)

Always start here RG Video

Watch the vids Sic has created as they are your greatest source of information. I would even recommend watching them twice. Toon Movement - AutoGroup/AutoAccept/MQ2Yes - Basic Overview

2) Your computer seems fine until the itch becomes a huge rash =_

3) Test, Live, FV is all your call. Remember you can start on live and /testcopy anytime. You also have access to the beloved Sic/CWTN plugins there with your level 2 RG membership (see link below). And yes, your AA's will matter for the most part. Assuming you plan to level and go through content, many will remain F2P until higher levels (post 100) and then use a krono for 30days of play to get those AA's. I'm a betting man so I'm going to bet you are gold within a couple of months, max!

4) It can't be said enough, but play what you like, always!!! For that group tho, you have doubled a few things you may want to consider changing.

PAL/CLR. Can sub the CLR for shm. Post 100, they can heal a group without issue​

ENC/BRD - Double crowd control. The jury on which one fits best is still argued today. Having both myself, I lean towards he brd now whereas it was the enc when I can back several years ago.​

Typically you want to pick a direction. Either melee or caster. You mixed both, which is fine but IMO the best dps comes from group makeup and there are tons of those threads here you can search out for research​

5) As for cool tools - Things like MQ2pluginmanager, buttonmaster, mq2autogroup, MQ2Autoaccept, MQ2Status, GuildClicky, Boxhud, MQ2Buffme , Magellan, Overseer Lua and more. You'll also want to see Lua event manager. The list almost never ends but I recommend experimenting with one at a time so as not to get overwhelmed.

6) KA works great. For more automation options, check out Kissassist Beginners Guide, Kissassist Commands , RGmercs, and especially cwtn plugins ( you can also /testcopy your toons and use the cwtn plugins there for free and you'll want to spend some time looking at CWTN Plugins Explained.). New as of Feb 2024, RG Mercs Lua Version

I suggest getting your feet wet slowly and be patient as it takes time to absorb all this information. Try taking your toons somewhere safe and lower level at first and explore the automation options. It takes some time to get used to, so don't be surprised it if feels overwhelming at first.

7) I have a few EQ directories depending on which group I am playing so their EQ settings get saved the way I want. I use 3 monitors and also use Sparxx (Hopefully it remains updated). No issues with multiple directories. Always remember to BACKUP. Keep those settings somewhere safe so when the inevitable happens, you don't lose previous time invested.

How do you get to see and experience all of this you ask? You need to be a level 2 member. To do that you have 2 options. First, you can subscribe (paid method) or second, you can use Red Cents. What the heck is a Red Cent you ask? Red Cents can you help with your subscription and it's the currency this site uses. Contribute helpful information (post here) and others will give you red cents and each red cent you give others returns one to you. check it out! Red Cents

Time to subscribe to level 2 and begin a journey you won't regret. Lots of info and a super helpful community here to help when you get stuck.

 

[boukyaku]

Thank you all for the warm welcomes and advice!
I haven't tested any of the software yet but crossing my fingers that the laptop can handle the stress.

So far I've been delving into RTFM but mostly I've been wracking my head this past week about group comps.

@Psy From what I've read, there does seem to be a consensus that a PAL and CLR in the same group can be redundant, and all agree replacing a CLR with a SHM is better in this configuration. However the unspoken fact is that it seems in order to get a SHM up to any level of competent healing, you have to invest a massive amount of AA amongst others things (rez sticks, augs, equipment, etc). On the other hand, a CLR is powerful out of the box and will be able to keep your underequipped tank alive and deal with "OH @#% ME!!!" situations.

My question is; are you suggesting replacing a CLR with a SHM for 1-100 content or is this for end game content where everyone is already 100+, appropriately equipped, and you're just farming AAs?
I'll be starting fresh with no/money support so can the SHM handle the healing in combo with an underequipped PAL?

I can maybe see this being viable if the ENC constantly keeps things locked down and you take out mobs one at a time. If fails (even BRD as backup mezzer), and there are 8 yellows poundings on the tank at the same time, don't know.

In the meantime, I'm just reading a lot of docs and whatnot and individually leveling some of my group members. To box effectively I have to know roughly how each class plays.
I have a feeling a lot of those with bad experiences regarding boxing is due to not RTFM and understanding their classes.

 

[stuff]

Synergy

Something that was introduce around level 100+ (I'm guessing based off the 14 AA levels) is class synergy. The link is to another post here.

With your group, you just have to think of the concept behind it. Will it do group content or raid? Do you want convenience? Do you want mobs to melt like butter?

PAL / BRD / BER / CLR / ENC / WIZ: Looking at this you have two healers, two crowd control, one bus, three dps, and one tank.

PAL/CLR: I would suggest SK or WAR with CLR or SHM/DRU with PAL. My CLR DPS' more than heals, and I don't have a PAL in my group. DRU with PAL is not as needed as you have a WIZ.
Once past the first two parts of the Trinity, you have BRD and ENC to fill in the final part. ENC would mean your leaning to a caster group and BRD would be for a melee or caster group.

You mentioned ENC with BRD backup. If there were humans piloting these, I could see it, but I have seen on here where BRDs are troublesome to bot. Double mezzers may not turn out like you envision. Others on here may have more insight into this as I don't have as much experience with it yet.

Once past the above classes, the rest is about what you want your group to be. From your initial make up it looks to be a caster group. But there are some unorthodox groups, like six pet classes.

 

[Psy]

My question is; are you suggesting replacing a CLR with a SHM for 1-100 content or is this for end game content where everyone is already 100+, appropriately equipped, and you're just farming AAs?

Will the shm struggle compared to a clr under level 100, yes. Since you are using a PAL (or considering an SK maybe), they can help themselves. In my experience, the shm would do fine as long as you plan to progress level appropriate. If your goal is to remain in group content and progress past 100, I think you would be happier with the shm over clr so I would build that way so you dont end up switching later

can maybe see this being viable if the ENC constantly keeps things locked down and you take out mobs one at a time. If fails (even BRD as backup mezzer), and there are 8 yellows poundings on the tank at the same time, don't know.

I would imagine if you need a backup mezzer, you may have pulled too much. While I watch some pull 12 plus mobs at a time, keep in mind you typically only kill one at a time so pull as many as your tank can handle before one mezzer locks em down and then go get more =)

I feel where you're going trying to set everything up perfectly from the start. I tried the same when I started but I have realized that's not necessarily possible. Play the toons you enjoy the most as almost any combination will be successful, they just may take a bit more time to level but you likely would not notice it. With different xpacs comes different toons that tend to shine more as well.

 

[JanTeix]

Be sure not to over level beyond spell focus AA because spells really depends on it at the higher levels.

What's the recommendation with F2P level 115+ then with auto-grant? Don't upgrade spells past 115?

 

[postleaf]

What's the recommendation with F2P level 115+ then with auto-grant? Don't upgrade spells past 115?

It's often best to grind out the relevant AA focus before you start using the spell.

In general, lower level spell + focus damage > unfocused higher level spell

Also, it's "easier" to gain AA XP at lower level so usually better to get all the relevant AA for each level before moving on.

It's all subjective to how one wants to play of course. For alts, it can make sense to level then up as FTP and then sub and PL for AA if you have the resources and don't really care how they perform during the process. (mq2grind!)

 

[boukyaku]

Synergy

Something that was introduce around level 100+ (I'm guessing based off the 14 AA levels) is class synergy. The link is to another post here.

With your group, you just have to think of the concept behind it. Will it do group content or raid? Do you want convenience? Do you want mobs to melt like butter?

PAL / BRD / BER / CLR / ENC / WIZ: Looking at this you have two healers, two crowd control, one bus, three dps, and one tank.

PAL/CLR: I would suggest SK or WAR with CLR or SHM/DRU with PAL. My CLR DPS' more than heals, and I don't have a PAL in my group. DRU with PAL is not as needed as you have a WIZ.
Once past the first two parts of the Trinity, you have BRD and ENC to fill in the final part. ENC would mean your leaning to a caster group and BRD would be for a melee or caster group.

You mentioned ENC with BRD backup. If there were humans piloting these, I could see it, but I have seen on here where BRDs are troublesome to bot. Double mezzers may not turn out like you envision. Others on here may have more insight into this as I don't have as much experience with it yet.

Once past the above classes, the rest is about what you want your group to be. From your initial make up it looks to be a caster group. But there are some unorthodox groups, like six pet classes.

I changed out the CLR with a SHM as I agree a PAL/CLR combo is not exactly the best for a group. It turns out the most inefficient duo in the game is; CLR/CLR. The 2nd most inefficient is; PAL/CLR. I also switched out BER for a ROG.
I was trying to aim for the best of both worlds of melee and caster while making a few compromises. I understand that the best group for everything up to current content is SHD/SHM/BRD/BST/MNK/ROG. This is assuming everyone is properly equipped since melee is dependent on equipment.
If I run the same group comp as everyone else, what's the fun in that?

I was aiming at stability for group content while at the same time incorporating melee/caster combo. All melee, or all caster, just seems really boring to me.
The BRD can focus on buffing songs and can let the ENC CC. I've read it can be really frustrating when the bard buffs cut as they have to start CCing.
Will only do raids with one char since if I coop my group with others, that will bring up red flags and will most likely get all accounts banned.

It seems like there's at least some synergy. The BRD works for everyone, PAL has absorb DMG rune, ENC increases magic DD, WIZ increases magic DD and DOTs, and ROG adds dmg to skill attacks (I guess PAL and BRD in this case? They can bash/kick!). The only unclear thing is, SHM should boost direct healing. Then, shouldn't this also apply to PAL healing as well? The link between the two was missing in the synergy chart.

Will the shm struggle compared to a clr under level 100, yes. Since you are using a PAL (or considering an SK maybe), they can help themselves. In my experience, the shm would do fine as long as you plan to progress level appropriate. If your goal is to remain in group content and progress past 100, I think you would be happier with the shm over clr so I would build that way so you dont end up switching later


I would imagine if you need a backup mezzer, you may have pulled too much. While I watch some pull 12 plus mobs at a time, keep in mind you typically only kill one at a time so pull as many as your tank can handle before one mezzer locks em down and then go get more =)

I feel where you're going trying to set everything up perfectly from the start. I tried the same when I started but I have realized that's not necessarily possible. Play the toons you enjoy the most as almost any combination will be successful, they just may take a bit more time to level but you likely would not notice it. With different xpacs comes different toons that tend to shine more as well.

You're right that I'm probably trying to set things up perfectly!

Here is the truth why I am so attached to PAL/BRD/ENC/SHM/ROG/WIZ...

When I was a kid and first picked up this game at Software ETC (something like Gamestop back then) I looked at the box art.


I wanted to be this guy.


And group up with her. She looks like an ENC to me though I know the official title is Paladin Princess. (You would think the Paladin class would get some more love huh?)


WIZ


BRD


Looks like barbarian WAR or BST but I'll make her the SHM XD.


BER and ROG. I opted for the ROG.

And this is why I am so fixated on my group comp. Go ahead, slap me!

 

[tzn8419]

Also look in to framelimiter. This is something I recently was recommended to use and its made all the difference in the world performance wise. My laptop now has no issues with me 5boxing.

https://www.redguides.com/community/threads/mqnext-framelimiter-demo.78448/

 

[Silverspaceman]

Hello Everyone,

[...] I found my way here from Almar’s (did he stop playing EQ?) guides [...]

Hey, that's how I found my way here, too. I think he stopped during EOK or ROS (several years back). Since you're just starting out, play what you want. Around level 75 or so, mobs will start to scale up hard vs. the easily-available gear and you'll find where your weaknesses are. Once you max out you may end up swapping and maxing different classes as you identify weaknesses at max level.

I have swapped out 2 characters in my original group after max levels and AA. There are other, more time consuming grinds than leveling (IMO gearing and progression).

You'll probably drop your ROG for MAG and swap one of BRD/ENC out for another DPS.

PAL/SHM + ENC + WIZ/MAG/NEC is where I bet you'll end up.

In regards to subs, many of us just keep our tank subscribed for prestige gear and sub everyone else until max AA and let them go back to FTP. After earning a couple subs' worth of DBC, you can buy a 2nd rank spell unlock in the marketplace, but you can't see it while gold status, only after your sub expires.

 

[Psy]

I changed out the CLR with a SHM as I agree a PAL/CLR combo is not exactly the best for a group. It turns out the most inefficient duo in the game is; CLR/CLR. The 2nd most inefficient is; PAL/CLR. I also switched out BER for a ROG.
I was trying to aim for the best of both worlds of melee and caster while making a few compromises. I understand that the best group for everything up to current content is SHD/SHM/BRD/BST/MNK/ROG. This is assuming everyone is properly equipped since melee is dependent on equipment.
If I run the same group comp as everyone else, what's the fun in that?

I was aiming at stability for group content while at the same time incorporating melee/caster combo. All melee, or all caster, just seems really boring to me.
The BRD can focus on buffing songs and can let the ENC CC. I've read it can be really frustrating when the bard buffs cut as they have to start CCing.
Will only do raids with one char since if I coop my group with others, that will bring up red flags and will most likely get all accounts banned.

It seems like there's at least some synergy. The BRD works for everyone, PAL has absorb DMG rune, ENC increases magic DD, WIZ increases magic DD and DOTs, and ROG adds dmg to skill attacks (I guess PAL and BRD in this case? They can bash/kick!). The only unclear thing is, SHM should boost direct healing. Then, shouldn't this also apply to PAL healing as well? The link between the two was missing in the synergy chart.


You're right that I'm probably trying to set things up perfectly!

Here is the truth why I am so attached to PAL/BRD/ENC/SHM/ROG/WIZ...

When I was a kid and first picked up this game at Software ETC (something like Gamestop back then) I looked at the box art.

View attachment 62244
I wanted to be this guy.

View attachment 62245
And group up with her. She looks like an ENC to me though I know the official title is Paladin Princess. (You would think the Paladin class would get some more love huh?)

View attachment 62246
WIZ

View attachment 62247
BRD

View attachment 62248
Looks like barbarian WAR or BST but I'll make her the SHM XD.

View attachment 62249
BER and ROG. I opted for the ROG.

And this is why I am so fixated on my group comp. Go ahead, slap me!

I remember Software ETC quite well and I still have the original EQ install CD and several xpacs after and I believe the box as well if I look around.

No slapping necessary as you should always play the toons/group you like. It's why we play this game and how we have fun. You should always do you no matter what others say!

 

[stuff]

It seems like there's at least some synergy. The BRD works for everyone, PAL has absorb DMG rune, ENC increases magic DD, WIZ increases magic DD and DOTs, and ROG adds dmg to skill attacks (I guess PAL and BRD in this case? They can bash/kick!). The only unclear thing is, SHM should boost direct healing. Then, shouldn't this also apply to PAL healing as well? The link between the two was missing in the synergy chart.


View attachment 62248
Looks like barbarian WAR or BST but I'll make her the SHM XD.

View attachment 62249
BER and ROG. I opted for the ROG.

The shaman procs on instant healing received. So, any spells that are instant. While Paladin's do have instant heals, they also have procs, durations and others.


The girl is most likely a druid (they can use swords and if you look at some of the race/armor combo is the low levels there is a lot of skin, thinking wood elf and such). The dwarf is a warrior with the rogue being the halfling behind him. Berserker wasn't out when this picture came out.