A few questions from a newb

[Villaael]

So, I got EQ2 for Christmas, and resisted installing it until last night. Finally caved to the boredom with regular EQ and installed it and rolled me up a Barb Scout because dark elves look horrible. Can't we have a bald option? (That's rhetorical and not one of my questions.)

My main question is at what point should I leave the Island? I think I read somewhere that I can stay there til level 6, but that I should work up my tradeskills before I leave? I assume they mean like foresting and mining, etc, right? What do they cap at? They're all in the 20's or so now.

Next, are any classes really standing out yet? In EQ, it was quickly evident that druids and necros were the solo classes where clerics and slowers would hardly ever have a hard time finding a group. Anything like that emerging for EQ2 yet?

Uhhh, I think that's it for now. :)

As for the availability of equipment, in EQ, you could do fairly well with stuff that dropped for your level. From what I understand in EQ2, things are going to be kind of player market dependent. Am I going to HAVE to invest time in a tradeskill to be able to barter for gear that will help keep me alive?

[Xaxony Silentshadow]

There are plenty of quests to do for decent gear. But yes stay on the island until level 6 at least and get your tradeskill component farming skills up.

[Velvetrose]

Trust me stay on the Island as long as you can stand it. I went back and remade my characters so as to get tradeskills and Gathering/Foresting/Mining etc maxed out. Its not as easy once you leave.

[Nymm]

My two cents on the island. For your first character, stay on as long as possible. You can get up to 220% of level 6 before you stop earning experience there. I recommend leaving at about 150% though, because you'll be earning experience from the citizenship quest that will be wasted otherwise.

Do the first tradeskill quests to get the items and some easy trade exp. I've found that tradeskilling on the island is more expensive than waiting til your home town though. If you are trying to be thrifty, wait until you are a citizen and join the crafting societies in your home village.

Gathering skills need to be 20+ to be used in teir 2 zones (antonica/commonlands) with higher being better. I raised mine in forrest ruins, mostly because it's easy to navigate and the agro mobs are fairly well segregated.