User:McJeff

               ===EQ2===

[[Image:Graphics_problems.jpg|right|thumb|226px|EQ2 isn't much fun when the graphics look like this.  That's (a now deleted incarnation of) Laszk in the picture.]]

When I started EQ2, I remade Auorali and Ieros as closely to their EQ1 incarnations as I could.  I liked it better in just about every way.  (Years later when Beastlords finally came out and I didn't have an open character slot, I deleted Warrior!Ieros and remade him as a Beastlord.)

I lost interest in MMORPGs and took a long time off, probably a couple years.  The thing that got me back was the Rise of Kunark expansion, and being able to play as a Sarnak.  The Sarnak's weren't as cool as they were in EQ1 though, I didn't think.

Then I got a new videocard and it never has worked right.  It worked right for about a month, long enough for me to resubscribe to EQ2 and a day later, boom, not working any longer.  I've uploaded a screenshot of my video card problems just for the hell of it.  Long story short I got a new computer.

====Socii Equitis era====

In the late spring/early summer of 2010, I made my guild's main raid force by complete accident - a dramabomb had half the raid force leave and since I was max level I got put on the raid force.  Knowing absolutely nothing about how to play a raiding char.  So as I was climbing my levels I ignored all the potency, crit mit and crit bonus gear because I didn't want to lose Bane Warding from my T3 shard armor.  So I got moved to low priority backup raid force for sucking.  And then put on the alt raid force.  And then the alt raid force closed because the guy who was leading it quit the guild without telling anyone why.  So I worked really hard and improved my reliability and made a few friends and finally made main raidforce in mid October 2010 after one of the four full time raid shaman ragequit in the middle of a Waansu pull and I got his spot.  Then I ''almost'' lost it again because an old guildy returned, but he decided he'd rather be MT Shaman on our second raid force.  

I became the caster group shaman. Our troubador loved me because a well timed Ritual of Alacrity and Stampede of the Herd and he was usually around #6 on the raidwide DPS parse.

On November 15, 2010, we made our first hard mode kill, putting Waansu down.  It was an insane rush, but... let's just say that we've got a lot of work to do before contemplating getting a flawless over him.  Next up, Maalus Imbued.  We dropped him on 12/1.  Penda & Kendis United and Toxxulia both down sometimes in late December/early January 2011.  Also, flawless victory over every easy mode mob except Theer, Perah'Celsis and <s>Haraakat the Seer</s> got Haraakat in Jan 11.  As of February 11, moved into Underfoot Depths and have dropped the first three (Ritualist Squilak, Master Syfak, Rathgar).  We got Uthgar and co a few days later, and on the last raid of the expansion got 3 Sages Hardmode.

Destiny of Velious raiding turned out to be kind of boring.  We cleared all the easy mode stuff, and haven't been able to make much headway into hardmode because we're having trouble with raid attendance and raider turnover.  And as of late September 2011 I had to step down from active raiding because real life is being stupid and annoying.  Full time again as of early 2012.

====Primal Vengeance era====

[[Image:Ducks in the raid.png|right|thumb|226px|Ducks! In the raid!]]I decided to take a try at hardcore raiding.  I got accepted by Primal Vengeance.  The first raid I went on, a bored Guide followed us into Hall of Legends Challenge and turned all the giants into ducks, then turned Primus Pilus Gunnr into Roehn Theer.  But I absolutely couldn't handle four raid nights a week, so after only 2 weeks I deguilded.  My sincere intention is to never raid again.  My alts never left Socii.  Primal Vengeance and everyone in it (including one of my friends from Socii who helped get me in) left for a different server because of too much competition for the contested spawns on Everfrost.

====Post-raiding era====

Retiring from Primal Vengeance was the end of my serious EQ2 playing. Socii Equitis collapsed in 2012 over some drama and the active raiders mostly joined Core and Blood Oath.  Because BO was run by one of my mentors from back in my raiding newbie days I joined it - even went on a raid with them once when they were shorthanded and I was online with an evening to waste - but for the most part I haven't done anything besides solo randomly. I always go through spells of enthusiasm where I can't wait for my double exp bonus to regenerate, and periods when I don't feel like playing at all.

Also, after all these years I'm starting to get the hang of playing my bruiser. Huh.