Class deep dive

The Beastlord

What a beastlord does

Beastlords arrived with The Shadows of Luclin. The Luclin manual says the Vah Shir introduced the class to Norrath. Beastlords are closer to the wilderness than to civilization, and their magic draws power from the spirit world to command animals. They fight like wild beasts, using small, sharp weapons that stand in for claws and fangs, and the most experienced can imitate the skills of the bear, tiger, eagle or snake.

The official class text calls them masters of raw nature who focus that energy into themselves and their warder pets. They mainly fight in melee, wearing leather and using blunt weapons or bare hands. Before a fight they call their warder and strengthen it with spells, then fight beside it or fall back to heal. They can also slow and damage enemies, heal, and boost allies’ health and mana regeneration.

The official text says beastlords solo well in many places because they work in tandem with their warders, and can also help a group with spells and melee.

Sources: Library of Erudin: EverQuest Library — The Classes of Norrath (official text) · Allakhazam: EQ:Classes (wiki)

Khati Sha and the return of the path

The Codex of Khati Sha tells how the class came back. When the armies of Paineel tested a spell meant to wipe out their enemies, they targeted a kerran village in southern Toxxulia Forest. The village and its mountain vanished, leaving the Hole. The spell was teleportation magic, so instead of destroying the village it sent the whole mountainside through the Combine network to Luclin. Khati Sha, a general and advisor to the elder Kejaan Kerrath, explored the moon, found the Acrylia Mines and a glade of spirit animals, and through them rediscovered the beastlord path. The house of beastlords is named after him. See Khati Sha and the Vah Shir.

Sources: Library of Erudin: Beastlord (Luclin manual; Codex of Khati Sha)

Who could be one

The EverQuest RPG Player’s Handbook names the beastlord peoples and their faiths. Vah Shir beastlords honor no god, and only a few iksar beastlords do. Ogre beastlords usually follow Rallos Zek, trolls Cazic-Thule or Innoruuk, and barbarians the Tribunal. In Cabilis, young iksar receive a summons from the Patriarchs to the Temple of Terror to begin learning “the ways of the beastlord.” The Handbook also says a beastlord gains a warder at 5th level, though that comes from the tabletop rules, not the game.

Sources: Library of Erudin: Beastlord (RPG Player’s Handbook; CABBstGM01)

Playing a beastlord today

Because the class was added in The Shadows of Luclin (2001), you won’t find it on Project 1999, which stops at Velious. Daybreak’s live and progression servers still have it. See EverQuest Today for where the game stands now.

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