So you've heard about a zone that has lots of mobs and decided to go check it out. You zone in and see a group sitting in one area, fighting a couple of mobs. You pull a mob and begin to hack and slash, when suddenly you see a tell that says 'This area is camped!!' What does that mean?
Camping is a player term that means a group has set up shop in an area of a zone and every time a group of mobs pops up in that area, the get first crack at them. Usually a group who camps an area of mobs is there for a specific reason, such as a quest item or components for spells. It's technically not a recognized rule of Everquest, and when it happens in a hotzone, solo players can really get flamed(not-so-nice comments in chat) for stepping on another group's toes, so to speak. It's really bad form to take another player's mob from them in general, and a camped mob is definitely a no-no.
So what do you do? First, type /who to see everyone in the zone. This will give you a list of names, levels, classes, and any guild a player belongs to. Anonymous and role playing characters will only show names. If you get a list of more that 2 or 3 players, do a camp check by typing /ooc camp check. If anyone is sitting in a particular area waiting for mobs to spawn, they'll let you know. If you need to run through a camped area, use the /ooc command to let the group know. This is common courtesy, and the group who's camping the area knows that you're not trying to steal their mobs if you happen to attract one one your way through. Using the camouflage spell should prevent you from attracting some creatures, but it doesn't work on undead mobs and those who can see invisible. If several areas that you were hoping to hunt in are camped, ask to join the group. The worst they can say is no, but most of the time it's the more the merrier. Even groups comprised of guild-only members will let a nonmember join the group as long as you don't loot items they're looking for. As soon as you join a camped group, ask questions so you don't step on any toes.
Can a solo Ranger camp an are? Sure you can if you follow a few simple tips. Try to pick an area that other players do not need to run through. Don't camp more that 2 or 3 mobs unless you can fight more than one at once. If you're the player with the higher level, be kind to your noobie brethren and share. Don't run through a large area and attract a dozen mobs to kill one after the other just because you can. Remember it takes time for mobs to respawn and the less you leave for others, the more time they have to wait. If you don't need the items on a corpse, let others in your area know. They may only need one more reinforced rod for a quest and have been sitting in the zone for an hour waiting for it to drop. Also buff and heal lower level players if you have the time between kills. They will thank you for it!
