Consider

This is a guide to the "consider" system in EQ2. The most important things to understand are these two points:

• In EQ2, monsters can have groups just like players have groups. You cannot split up monsters that are grouped.
• In EQ2, a monster can be very strong or very weak for its level. Pay attention to the difficulty indicators beside the monster's name.

There are three things to consider when sizing up an enemy:

1. Level and color of the monster.
2. Difficulty arrows beside each monster's name.
3. Number of monsters that are linked together in the encounter.

We discuss each of these considerations below.

Monster Level Colors

The monster's level is shown beside its name. The monster's name is also color-coded to tell you whether it is higher or lower level than you. EQ2 combat is well-balanced for fighting monsters at your level. When you fight higher or lower level monsters, the difficulty changes significantly.

Below Your Level			At Your Level			Above Your Level
Gray	Green	Blue	White	Yellow	Orange	Red
No Reward	Easier		Well-matched	Harder		Impossible

• Red: far above your level - impossible to defeat in any circumstance. The combat system doesn't allow you to perform effectively against a red opponent.
• Orange: significantly above your level - very few characters can defeat such enemies alone. Your effectiveness is significantly reduced against orange opponents.
• Yellow: slightly above your level - gives an additional challenge compared to white opponents. Your effectiveness is slightly reduced. Above-average equipment & spells may be needed.
• White: same level as your character - a suitable opponent, with a good chance of your victory. Average equipment/spells are sufficient to beat such enemies.
• Blue: slightly below your level - can be defeated in suboptimal circumstances (e.g. while wounded or outnumbered). Your effectiveness is slightly improved when fighting blue opponents.
• Green: significantly below your level - almost no risk of your death. Your effectiveness is significantly improved, and the enemy's performance significantly reduced.
• Gray: far below your level - no risk to you; does not drop treasure chests; will not behave aggressively toward you unless attacked.

Difficulty Arrows

This monster is as strong as one average level 40 character.

This heroic monster will take 3 players near level 68 to defeat.

When you target a monster, it may have up-arrows or down-arrows in the target window. The arrows indicate how powerful it is for its level. Here's a simplistic way of understanding the difficulty arrows:

1. A ▲ one-up-arrow mob is an even match for 1 average player of the same level.
2. Each additional ▲ up-arrow means you need one more player to fight it.
3. If there are no arrows, or ▼ down-arrows, then the monster is weaker than a player of the same level.
4. Sometimes monsters are grouped together into an "encounter". In this case, the total difficulty comes from adding up the arrows on all of the monsters in the encounter.
5. The game automatically uses the label "Heroic" on any encounter that adds up to ▲▲ two up-arrows or more.
6. The game automatically uses the label "Epic" on any encounter that adds up to six up-arrows or more.

Of course, you can improve your chances by using better gear/spells, or by having a higher level than the monster. Either of these scenarios lets you double the number of up-arrows that you can handle.

▼▼ ▼ even ▲ ▲▲ ▲▲▲

= 1/4 as strong as a player = 1/2 as strong as a player = Good match for a player in poor gear and Apprentice spells = Good match for a player in average gear and Adept spells = Good match for 2 players = Good match for 3+ players

Encounter Composition

These three orcs are a single Heroic encounter.

Creatures are often linked into encounters. Typically, an encounter adds up to either Heroic or non-heroic difficulty.

Soloable Encounters

Soloable encounters add up to ▲ one up-arrow or less. They may be a single monster, or several weak monsters with lots of down-arrows.

Some common soloable encounters: ▼ or even ▲ ▼ + ▼▼ ▼▼ + ▼▼ ▼ + ▼

= soloable = harder but soloable = soloable = soloable = harder but soloable

Heroic Encounters

Heroic encounters add up to ▲▲ or more. They may be a single very powerful monster, or several "regular" monsters linked together.

Some common heroic encounters: ▲▲▲ ▲▲ + ▲▲ ▲ + ▲ + ▲ ▼ + ▼ + ▼ + ▼ ▲▲

= heroic = heroic = heroic = heroic = just barely heroic; soloable by the best-equipped players

Can I Solo It?

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is the monster's level? You're well-equipped to fight solo monsters at your level or less. Monsters above your level pose an extra challenge.
2. Does the encounter add up to ▲▲ or more? The easiest way to tell this is to look for the word "Heroic" in the target window. If you see the word "Heroic", then think twice about trying to solo it.
3. How many creatures are linked together? Some classes are better at handling one strong monster, while other classes are better at groups of easy monsters.

Here are some rules of thumb (for monsters at the same level as the player):

• If the monster has ▼ down-arrows, then 1 average player can defeat 3-4 such monsters simultaneously.
• If the monster has no arrows, then 1 average player can defeat 2 such monsters simultaneously.
• If the monster has ▲ up-arrows, then it will take 1 average player per ▲ up-arrow to defeat it.