I’ve read a couple quest eq guides that suggested an Aard weapon is a typical first quest eq purchase. I think that’s a bad idea and those quest points would be better spent elsewhere (lots of guides on spending QP). You’ve probably noticed all of these special items around with extra flags like (Shiny), (Enhanced), etc. These are bonusloot or gameload items. There’s a small chance every time you loot an object that it will get these enhancements. These items have better stats and average damage in the case of weapons. Some of which are close to or better than their Aard weapon equivalent. See help gameload for details as well.

To gauge a weapons quality (ave dam) take its level and multiply it by 2.5 for those under lvl80 or by 3 for those at or above lvl80. You want the damage to be as close to or better than this level multiplier. As you level you should be saving your weapons because you’re likely going to remort and level all over again.

The easiest way to find bonusloot weapons is on Auction, Market or in open clan shops. A lot of people just sell their loot and it’s there for us to sift through and buy. Some of my best weapons have come from shops and were bought for 20-40k gold. Way better than spending 1k qps for only a slight bump in damage. If you’re really dedicated or determined, you can “farm” bonusloot by killing the same mob(s) over and over until you get some good bonusloot. There’s strategy about which items are best to farm but that’s a guide for someone else, I’m no expert farmer.

The final consideration is weapon type.  So you see this awesome weapon that would be great, except its a polearm. If it’s that great and you’ll use it in your weapon rotation, I’d suggest spending 1 TP and remodel it into a dagger, bow, axe, whatever you want. “rt forge” from Aylor recall takes you to the Aylor Forge, north is Ivar’s Forge, “l sign” for info. TPs typically sell for around 5m gold, so hopefully you’ve got some from daily blessings. I don’t recommend spending 5m to buy a token for this unless its a great weapon, in which case 5m is easier than 1k qp for an Aard weapon.

If you’re looking for a tier level weapon, buy an Aard weapon, otherwise, I’d put off Aard weapons until you’ve got a lvl1 Aard set, some lvl200 Aard gear, a couple wishes, and even then I would pause and make sure I really “needed” it. The selection of bonusloot SH weapons is good enough that a 630-ish ave weapon isn’t uncommon and your first tier weapon should be a 231. Opinions will vary but this is working well for me. Keep an eye on clan shop inventory, auction and market for goodies. A lot of people in the clan do this and will hold onto items. If you’re looking for a specific level / weapon type, just ask on clan channel and maybe someone will have something for you.

In full disclosure, I now have a rotation of Aard weapons and I only kept my bonusloot’s that were better than Aard. Starting out, quest points are scarce and bonusloot is the way to go. Even once you have more QPs, these Aard weapons don’t give stats or resists like bonusloot so there remains an argument for bonusloot over Aard weapons. Tpenchanting Aard weapons can add massive hr/dr with a chance for stats but that’s very cost prohibitive and really meant as an end game strategy.

Go for the bonusloot, save your weapons and constantly look for upgrades. They don’t all have to be Aard quality to start, just better than open clan shop equivalents.

Armor, Gear, Equipment, whatever you want to call, it’s very important in Aard. It’s your main source for stats, resists and the right stuff can make leveling/remorting a lot easier.

EQSEARCH & Open Clan Shops

The eqsearch command is probably how we all started looking for equipment (help eqsearch if you aren’t familiar). This is great for your first mort or 2 but beyond that you should start to broaden your search. Most of the eqsearch gear is from open clan shops and all of this can be enchanted in some fashion. Depending on your primary class you may want to source your open clan equipment from different vendors. Some give strong INT for spellcasters, others might be STR/DEX for fighters, what you choose depends on your primary class and what type of kit you are looking for. There are many sites that list clan EQ, I like Gaardian’s:

Enchanting

Enchanting adds WIS, LUCK, HR/DR, and sometimes other stats of you get a lucky resonate. The Aardwolf WIKI has a great write-up for more details:

Kits/Sets

Common levels for sets are 1, 41, 91, 131, 171, 201. There are others in between but the increase in stats isn’t much. Eventually you will want all enchanted sets. Typically they start at 1TP for the level 1 and end up around 4TP for the 171. Ask for these on clan talk or barter. The 201 or SH kits are different because there a lot of alternatives to open clan eq. You’ll need less and less open clan SH gear as you acquire goal, bonusloot and Aard eq.

Goal EQ

Some goals will give EQ as a reward and it can be some great stuff. Don’t ignore the portal rewards either, but that’s for another guide. Some of the goal eq I use is:
Lemdagor (lvl101 wrists)
DarkLight (lvl121 waist)
Masq (lvl131 eyes)
Imagi (lvl151 ring)
The Winterlands (lvl161 wrist)
Cougarian (lvl161 neck)
Ooku (lvl201 waist)
Hades2 (lvl201 light)
Kiksaadi (lvl201 light)
Crynn (lvl201 eyes)
Umari (various, I got lvl201 legs)
… OK you get the point, some great goal eq, there’s even more besides this, check out the goals section and look for reward listings at the end of each guide.

Bonusloot EQ

This is similar to weapons but much more variable. You can’t rely on the quality of the bonusloot alone (for example, Gleaming vs. Burnished) since the enhancements are wildly variable. The (Gleaming) version could have rolled all the bonuses into HP/Mana/Moves, while the (Burnished) version might have rolled high hr/dr or extra stats. You are looking for extra stats primarily, high hr/dr is good too.

Aard EQ

Aard equipment is typically the best in slot for every level, depending on the rest of your kit of course. The level 1 set should be the first thing you spend QP on and you can wear most of it through level 200. As a T3R7 I only have a level 1 set and a level 200 set. I haven’t seen a need to fill in with other level stuff. Keep looking for bonusloot or goal equipment and spend those QPs on a few wishes.

How to manage it all?

There is at least one plugin, DINV, that will help you select equipment based on stat priorities and primary class. I relate this to eqsearch in that its OK for the first couple morts but I would really encourage folks to stop at every kit and look at their stats. As a pwar you may have a lot of great str/dex eq, but if your str/dex is maxed, then that extra is wasted. The easiest way to check this is by using the ‘stats’ command and look at the Totals to see what your overage is. Once you’re more than +10 overmax, it’s time to start shifting eq. By using an open clan eq website, you can quickly see what bonuses other items give and whether or not they’re enchantable. Once you’re happy with a kit and you’re not super overmax in any one stat, I like to use DINV for it’s SNAPSHOT feature. This allows you to take a snapshot of what you’re wearing and name it (for example, ranger41, ranger91, etc). Once you have snapshots you simply tell it to wear the next snapshot and it shifts everything for you. This gives me peace of mind that it’s the right equipment and it’s been optimized how I want it. Here’s where to get DINV:

https://github.com/Aardurel/aard-plugins

Finally, ask for help if you need it. Clan talk is a great resource and most of us know a little something about EQ. Specific questions that include level, slot, primary class and desired stat(s) will get you the best answers.