Project 1999 offers an authentic, unforgiving glimpse into the golden era of online gaming, where every level gained and item earned feels like a true achievement. By starting your journey as a Halfling Druid on the Green server, you have chosen the most flexible, beginner friendly path available in this classic world. While the lack of modern conveniences like quest markers, instant travel, or automatic spell updates might feel overwhelming at first, it is precisely this raw difficulty that fosters the game’s incredibly helpful, tight knit community.
This Beginner’s Guide will walk you through choosing the Server you will play in, recommended starter race, class, and zone, beginner allocation, and leveling & money making strategy.
Getting Started
Recommended Server To Choose
For a beginner in Project 1999, the recommended choice is the Green Server.
| Feature | Green Server (Recommended) | Blue Server | Red Server |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server Type | Player vs. Environment (PvE) | Player vs. Environment (PvE) | Player vs. Player (PvP) |
| Population | Highest activity | Moderate / Quieter | Extremely low |
| Economy | Active / Stable | Heavily inflated | Stagnant |
| Low-Level Groups | Easier to find | Harder (Very top-heavy) | Nearly non-existent |
| Gear Prices | Fair market prices | Very cheap entry gear | N/A |
Why Choose the Green Server?
- Higher Active Population: Green attracts the bulk of the player base, meaning the game feels alive and social.
- Easier Low-Level Grouping: Because it is a newer server timeline-wise, you are much more likely to find other low-level players to group with in starting zones.
- The True Classic Experience: It provides the traditional, un-twinked progression feel of classic EverQuest.
Recommended Starter Race, Class, and Zone
The single best beginner setup in Project 1999 is a Halfling Druid starting in Misty Thicket. Druid Class provides the ultimate utility toolkit. You can heal, teleport, snare targets, and solo effectively without expensive gear. Halfling Race grants a hidden experience bonus, excellent base stats, and a friendly reputation in most good cities. Misty Thicket as a Starting Zone features a massive wall dividing the safe newbie zone from tougher monsters, keeping you secure.
| Category | Best Choice | Why It Is Beginner-Friendly |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Druid | Offers solo capability, healing, teleportation, and fast leveling. |
| Race | Halfling | Receives a 5% Less Required Experience per Level. |
| Starting Zone | Misty Thicket | Very safe, populated, and possesses high-level guards for safety. |
The Recommended Beginner Allocation
The absolute best allocation is putting all +25 points into Wisdom and the remaining +5 points into Strength
| Attribute | Points Added | Total Starting Stat | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisdom (WIS) | +25 | 115 | Increases your total mana pool and spell casting efficiency. |
| Strength (STR) | +5 | 75 | Prevents you from becoming encumbered when carrying loot and heavy armor. |
Why This Allocation Works Best
- Wisdom is Your Fuel: Wisdom directly dictates how much mana you have. As a Druid, your leveling speed depends entirely on your mana. More mana means you can cast more roots, heals, and damage spells before you are forced to sit down and meditate.
- The Strength is Quality-of-Life Boost: Halflings are naturally small and cannot carry a lot of weight. Adding +5 to Strength gives you enough carrying capacity to hoard copper coins, rusty weapons, and valuable animal pelts to sell to vendors without moving at a snail’s pace.
Leveling & Money Making Strategy
levels From 1 to 5
Since you start with no money, you must strictly target monsters that drop high-value loot rather than random bugs. Focus heavily on Skeletons right outside the Rivervale gates in Misty Thicket. Skeletons are your primary money source early on. They drop Copper/Silver coins, Bone Chips, and Rusty Weapons. sell the Rusty Weapons to vendors for 1 platinum each. Do not sell the Bone Chips to vendors. Save them in stacks of 20 and sell them to Necromancer players in the chat for 5 to 10 platinum per stack.
Which Spells to BUY
Do not waste your money buying every single spell. Only buy the essentials to save your money for later levels:
| Level | Spells to BUY Immediately |
|---|---|
| Level 1 |  Snare (slows enemies) Burst of Flame (cheap damage spell) |
| Level 5 |  Grasping Roots (doing damage and holds enemies in place) Gate (teleports you back to your home bind point) Harmony (calms nearby monsters so you can pull just one) |
Traveling
Traveling in Project 1999 is slow and dangerous because there are no fast-travel menus or mount systems. You must walk everywhere on foot, but as a Druid, you will eventually become the absolute king of travel.
The Druid Travel Advantage
Spirit of Wolf (SoW) at Level 14: This is your most important early spell. It increases your running speed by over 50%. It keeps you alive by allowing you to outrun monsters.- Teleport Spells at Level 19: You will learn spells that teleport you to Rings scattered across the world. You can use this to travel instantly.
- Teleport Spells at Level 29: You will learn spells that teleport you and your group to Circles scattered across the world or to Eastern Plains of Karana. You can use this to travel instantly or charge other players platinum for rides.
The Boat System
To travel between the main continents (Antonica and Faydwer), you must ride a physical, real-time boat.
- The Path: Walk to the docks in East Freeport or Butcherblock Mountains.
- The Wait: Boats run on real-time loops and can take 10 to 15 minutes to arrive.
- The Danger: Do not sit or move around too much while the boat is moving, or a glitch might drop you into the ocean among high-level sharks.
Final Thoughts
As you take your first steps outside the gates of Rivervale, remember that patience is your most valuable attribute. Project 1999 is a marathon, not a sprint, and your early days should be focused on enjoying the journey, mastering your spell rotations, and hoarding every piece of Bone Chip to fund your future.