The good memories outweigh a few bad ones Anofalye.
Not for EQ.
It is true for 95% of the games I remotedly enjoy, as I leave them when I was bored/done with them.
But I never was bored/done with EQ. I left, because raiding lack this much.
The bad memories, for EQ, clearly outweight the good ones. And most of them are directly linked to raiding.
I agree with you that raiding became far too important in EQ Anofalye. And i can tell that you truely hate raiding by all your posts, i am no fan of it myself.
But at least in early EQ, even up through Luclin i dont feel that you ever had to raid. There was plenty of content even at max level that you could do with a group and even solo if you were one of the right classes.
You could not get the best gear without raiding but that is a different topic. I think we disagree on this one because i dont think you should get raid caliber gear if you dont raid, but then you should not need raid caliber gear if you dont raid.
* You could meet up with real english-speaking GMs in-game. And they could solve your problems? * You could go to the dedicated Chat window from the Log-in screen where there were dedicated moderators, GMs, and CRs available 24/7. And, they could take care of issues for you. Such as giving you a 'World-Kick' if you were stuck in the geometry somewhere? * Griefers and Abusive people were dealt with quickly and harshly. Mainly because a GM was there to look at the logs and witness the bad behaviours? * A new piece of Leg Armor with +1 Wisdom on it was really, really, something special. * I remember getting my first Fine Steel (no bonuses) 9 dmg Mace for my young Druid. It was a very nice gift from a passing high(er) level. Worth about 2 or 3 Platinum (which was a LOT back in the day). * I remember how excited I was to discover I could gather Berries for my (ever hungry) Hafling Druid and would only have to BUY milk. Allowing me to save those precious Coppers to buy my Spells. I miss those good times.
When the world was new.
And a Druid's ability to Port was an important part of the game. How many times did I gather up my Group's Copper and Silver, Port to Rivervale, ATM at the Bank, then Port back to my pre-set Bind point at the Camp. Bringing back the converted, and now much lighter, consolidated coin (coin weighd a LOT then). Good Times.
Yes, it was very good times back in EQ1. My favorite game of all time. Its a shame EQ2 didn't have the same feel to it. Vanguard reminded me a little, but not as much as i hoped. I don't think anything can beat EQ1 fun wise.
I remember using my Halfling druid to port to E commons collect all the copper, and small changes and port home for changes (you need a bank to merge copper to silver and gold and plat), only to die at the landing spot of the portal, b/c there is a small step (bug) and I die due to fall with excess weight.
I remember using my Ogre to explore a dungeon, I use the mask (name I forgot) to shrink my Ogre, and somewhere deep inside the froglok dungeon I got a flick in the screen, and I lost my shrink property. I was too big to run around or zone out and constantly beaten on to use the mask in time. What next is well known, corpse recovery without the shrinking mask hence walking inside as a big piece of fat ogre and naked.
I remember riding the boat and suddenly I found myself deep under the ocean, I cannot die or kill myself or drown myself, and I can walk around a huge zone with the ocean far up top. It took a long time for me to find a GM to kill me and drag my corpse.
Yeah EQ was such a load of fun, of distress, of frustration, of suspension, of unbelievable guild / group cohesion, of ... it was the first MMO I played for years.
Good old days in EQ1, lots of bugs I remember using my Halfling druid to port to E commons collect all the copper, and small changes and port home for changes (you need a bank to merge copper to silver and gold and plat), only to die at the landing spot of the portal, b/c there is a small step (bug) and I die due to fall with excess weight. I remember using my Ogre to explore a dungeon, I use the mask (name I forgot) to shrink my Ogre, and somewhere deep inside the froglok dungeon I got a flick in the screen, and I lost my shrink property. I was too big to run around or zone out and constantly beaten on to use the mask in time. What next is well known, corpse recovery without the shrinking mask hence walking inside as a big piece of fat ogre and naked. I remember riding the boat and suddenly I found myself deep under the ocean, I cannot die or kill myself or drown myself, and I can walk around a huge zone with the ocean far up top. It took a long time for me to find a GM to kill me and drag my corpse. Yeah EQ was such a load of fun, of distress, of frustration, of suspension, of unbelievable guild / group cohesion, of ... it was the first MMO I played for years.
Bugs, Of course there were bugs. MMOs were in the infant stage at that point. I think hell levels were actually a bug that they just decided not to fix, and i love them for it. New games coming out still have bugs, that will never end.
But EQ was loads and loads of fun even with all those bugs.
Besides, if you didnt want to get stuck in doors then you shouldnt have played a big fat butt scratchin Ogre!!!!!
Man i loved Ogres, they were the best and easiest to roleplay of all the races.
Anyone from the old Bristlebane Guild Grobb Squad, i loved you guys!!!! Sadly i played a Haflling and you had strange ideas about eating us so i didnt try to get into the guild.
I agree with you that raiding became far too important in EQ Anofalye. And i can tell that you truely hate raiding by all your posts, i am no fan of it myself.
But at least in early EQ, even up through Luclin i dont feel that you ever had to raid. There was plenty of content even at max level that you could do with a group and even solo if you were one of the right classes. You could not get the best gear without raiding but that is a different topic. I think we disagree on this one because i dont think you should get raid caliber gear if you dont raid, but then you should not need raid caliber gear if you dont raid.
Groups will prefer peoples with better gear. It is unacceptable that the groups prefer peoples who hardly group. The best group have to desire peoples who group above anyone else (stats-wise, social reasons may affect this choice, but raw stats should favor groupers over anyone else).
See, your grouping game to be successfull, it has to give the BEST grouping tools to groupers, totally, so groupers want groupers; not settle with groupers if they can't find better. Players are simple. If your groups want something else than groupers, than your grouping game is already dead, weither it know it or not is irrelevant.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Good old days in EQ1, lots of bugs I remember using my Halfling druid to port to E commons collect all the copper, and small changes and port home for changes (you need a bank to merge copper to silver and gold and plat), only to die at the landing spot of the portal, b/c there is a small step (bug) and I die due to fall with excess weight. I remember using my Ogre to explore a dungeon, I use the mask (name I forgot) to shrink my Ogre, and somewhere deep inside the froglok dungeon I got a flick in the screen, and I lost my shrink property. I was too big to run around or zone out and constantly beaten on to use the mask in time. What next is well known, corpse recovery without the shrinking mask hence walking inside as a big piece of fat ogre and naked. I remember riding the boat and suddenly I found myself deep under the ocean, I cannot die or kill myself or drown myself, and I can walk around a huge zone with the ocean far up top. It took a long time for me to find a GM to kill me and drag my corpse. Yeah EQ was such a load of fun, of distress, of frustration, of suspension, of unbelievable guild / group cohesion, of ... it was the first MMO I played for years.
Bugs, Of course there were bugs. MMOs were in the infant stage at that point. I think hell levels were actually a bug that they just decided not to fix, and i love them for it. New games coming out still have bugs, that will never end.
But EQ was loads and loads of fun even with all those bugs.
Besides, if you didnt want to get stuck in doors then you shouldnt have played a big fat butt scratchin Ogre!!!!!
Man i loved Ogres, they were the best and easiest to roleplay of all the races.
Anyone from the old Bristlebane Guild Grobb Squad, i loved you guys!!!! Sadly i played a Haflling and you had strange ideas about eating us so i didnt try to get into the guild.
Well I must confess I love EQ. In those days, I drop all other forms of time-killing. Oh I was young then.
Ogres, it must be a big fat stinky ogre, what else? I am a good guy in Diablo, I am a good guy in UO, I am a good guy even in MOII. How can I pass the chance to be a bad guy. And to be a bad guy, I must be BAD. Even a troll is not fat enough.
I agree with you that raiding became far too important in EQ Anofalye. And i can tell that you truely hate raiding by all your posts, i am no fan of it myself.
But at least in early EQ, even up through Luclin i dont feel that you ever had to raid. There was plenty of content even at max level that you could do with a group and even solo if you were one of the right classes. You could not get the best gear without raiding but that is a different topic. I think we disagree on this one because i dont think you should get raid caliber gear if you dont raid, but then you should not need raid caliber gear if you dont raid.
Groups will prefer peoples with better gear. It is unacceptable that the groups prefer peoples who hardly group. The best group have to desire peoples who group above anyone else (stats-wise, social reasons may affect this choice, but raw stats should favor groupers over anyone else).
See, your grouping game to be successfull, it has to give the BEST grouping tools to groupers, totally, so groupers want groupers; not settle with groupers if they can't find better. Players are simple. If your groups want something else than groupers, than your grouping game is already dead, weither it know it or not is irrelevant.
So are you implying that a raider will be of less value then you in a group because he/she is a raider and you are a grouper? I cant believe that is true. I have known many people who raided often in EQ but were outstanding group members.
Or are you perhaps saying that it makes you angry that a group will pick a raider who has raid gear into a group before you who does not have raid gear? If you are saying this then of course it is all about the gear that you can not get because you choose not to raid.
Asking for a game that has no raiding what so ever is asking a bit much. There will always be a raiding option in games because there are people who like to raid. Plus bringing in raiders is good business, those people really like to play for long periods of time.
The best way to make a game is to have all play options available. I believe group content should be the largest chunk but there should be soloability and raids also.
I have really yet to see an arguement against raiding that didnt boil down to "they get great gear that i cant get because i dont raid", and that really isnt an arguement against raiding, it is just envy.
Walking through Freeport on my DE enchanter in illusion high elf laughing evily to myself. Camping the sirens in OoT. Chilling on the newbie log in Nektulos. Realizing that my Troll bst's croc would never get big....at all.....
Ah, the old newbie log in nek. I remember trying to grab firebeetle spawns before anyone else could hit them to get my beetle eye.
I also remember running around invis as my DE necro in freeport and sneaking up behind people and telling them I was a DE. BTW I played on a PvP server so these people would then search desperately for me to try and kill me =P
I remember my first trek to Kunark, and how awesome it was to dodge the spiders and swim down the river. A real sense of adventure there, unlike these modern games that lead you from place to place. I miss not knowing where the heck I should be, and wandering into a zone WAY too high for me.
* You could meet up with real english-speaking GMs in-game. And they could solve your problems? * You could go to the dedicated Chat window from the Log-in screen where there were dedicated moderators, GMs, and CRs available 24/7. And, they could take care of issues for you. Such as giving you a 'World-Kick' if you were stuck in the geometry somewhere? * Griefers and Abusive people were dealt with quickly and harshly. Mainly because a GM was there to look at the logs and witness the bad behaviours? * A new piece of Leg Armor with +1 Wisdom on it was really, really, something special. * I remember getting my first Fine Steel (no bonuses) 9 dmg Mace for my young Druid. It was a very nice gift from a passing high(er) level. Worth about 2 or 3 Platinum (which was a LOT back in the day). * I remember how excited I was to discover I could gather Berries for my (ever hungry) Hafling Druid and would only have to BUY milk. Allowing me to save those precious Coppers to buy my Spells. I miss those good times.
When the world was new.
And a Druid's ability to Port was an important part of the game. How many times did I gather up my Group's Copper and Silver, Port to Rivervale, ATM at the Bank, then Port back to my pre-set Bind point at the Camp. Bringing back the converted, and now much lighter, consolidated coin (coin weighd a LOT then). Good Times.
Can not agree more mate, I really enjoyed EQ1. It was teh jump off point for me into MMORPG's and I stil think it was the best. The slightest improvement in your gear as you state (+1 wisdom or such) was a big deal, not llike most today where you go from 15 wisdom to 500 wisdom in no time flat. And awesome gear seems to be able to be aquired so fast its stupid.
I played a Duid and Necro, and yeah mate I can remember getting a Fine Steel Mace for my Druid as well, and that was a big deal, My necro had a Fine Steell Dagger. Porting players and yourself for bank runs was an everyday thing. I was eventually leader of the guild I was in as we were a progression guild, Lvl 1 to 50 we sat in one guild and when we became 50 we moved to our sister guild which was the raiding one if you wanted to raid. I can remember loggin on and the 1st business of the day was sorting out the guildies, Porting some of the to places, getting alot of them organised for a run into some place for a fingers crossed loot run. Best fun I ever had with my guildies was running DROGA fro the Druids to get the "Shroud of Nature (+6 Wis to shoulders) item from the Goblin Warder if I remember his name rightly. And it was a constested mob constantly LOL many times there would be comments from other players (HE IS MINE!!!!!...But being he was a roaming spawn he was free game by most players, Not realyl able to be camped. Other times would hang out when sort of tied up with some house work sitting at Ice giants pharming alil cash. Rather boring though, Cast 3 dots and root the mob to the spot and wait 1 min for it to die....LOL.
But all in all, EQ1 will always be remembered by myself as my first real adventure into the land of MMORPGS and still thebest I ever played.
I remember when gear was an afterthought, and grouping was meaningful. You would be in a group with the same people for hours on end, and had downtime to talk and actually build friendships.
I remember my first guild, Well of Souls, and how nice everyone was. It seemed there was ALWAYS someone willing to help out, and as a result I was always willing to help someone else.
I remember being younger and having time to play as opposed to working every day, and having to sleep and pay bills. =/
I remember the slower pace of the game, and how level cap was a dream (which I never reached BTW) and seemed soooo far off.
I also remember dinging 20 and having a GM give me my surname. I remember him denying 1 or 2 before I got mine too =P
I remember gobbies in HH, and getting a sword off of one that I actually used.
I remember getting a Black iron bastard sword, and scarab carapace breastplate from my guild and it being like christmas.
So many good memories from EQ, and there are millions where that came from. I do have hope that one day a game will come out with a world similar to norrath, that can inspire so many emotions. Norrath could inspire Awe, fear, greed, happiness, and so much more. Adventures were REAL back then because they were unscripted, unknown, and you had the freedom to explore at will. I sincerely hope that one day a game will come out to match, or rival EQ but I don't see it happening for a while. MMO's are mainstream now which means that, at least for the time being until the fad passes, there will be a definitive style to all games that come out. It's the same thing with music, or movies. Remember when every stupid movie that came out was about some natural disaster that pwns the world?
Remember when i sold banded armor in Kelethin convincing people that it was better than the heavy bronce stuff they got from Unrest.
Remember when my guild almost lost everybodies corpses in the Plane of fear.
I started with my best friend who played an Enchantress and I tried a Cleric. She kept casting Mesmerize and i kept wacking the mobs. She said: duno but this spell has no effect at all! (later she was one of the best crowd controllers on the server)
Everquest created a real world, in no other oninge game has it felt so differently to start as another race. Starting a dwarf or a human or a barbarian REALLY was different in the beginning. Halas, Qeynos, Kelethin, Kaladim, Neriak, Freeport, Ackanon - they where all places with their own flair.
Almost all races had their own language, it was never used much as a gameplay feature but it was fun to use for roleplaying. The whole game took advantage of being an ONLINE game: Player interaction was encouraged: selling buffs, meeting in the bazaar tunnel, trading crafting items asking for ports here and there, asking for clarity, finding someone to res your sorry corpse... And downtime, yes - downtime in which you chatted and made friends.
And what we get today?
We are FORCED to play a stupid introduction tutorial the EXACT SAME WAY everyone does. And after that we are pushed to the main town, quest givers lead us the way. To make sure we wont miss any out they are markered on the map. It is so sad that games like WoW and LOTRO completely destroyed the genre for me. Simplifying the amazing complexity of games like Everquest or DAoC to a degree that isnt funny anymore. Less and less diversity, less and less freedom of playstyle, more and more tethered to how someone else wants you to play the game.
oh well, the memories of the good old days when games where made by artists not an industry.
Stepping into out of Grobb and into "da swamp" for the first time in beta-3. I was so overwhelmed by the size of the zone at the time. Kept getting lost.
Running my level 4 mage from Ak'Anon to Erudin so I could do the gatecaller gloves quest. No invis, no bind, one death means I'm back on the other side of the world. It took me 2 hours and while I've killed gods and dragons over my EQ playtime, I still think my gnome run was the most skilled and impressive thing I ever accomplished in an MMO.
Receiving a Black Enameled Mace from a GM as a reward for roleplaying.
My group and I fleeing like cowardly dogs at 19th level from the giants roaming the oasis, right after sacrificing my wife too him.
Myself and another troll Shadow Knight being the only 2 PvP flagged characters on Cazic Thule.
"back then Nektulos is a safe "teen" zone and isn't infested with high level undead yet)"
Did you play during the live event that lead to Nek being too crazy to go haflin in?
Halloween Event in October 1999. Those were good times. Porting into WC Druid Ring with Grimbone our Ogre warrior (Invis'd) and then taking a faction hit anyway in Kith, when we stumbled across a group of NPC Rangers we had to kill. Getting both the NODROP 1 and 2-Hand Blunt from that event for my shaman. Helping to form our guild on Xegony <Venator Sapentia> and the excitement we felt when the GM tracked down our GL while we're at KFC in SK to tag him, and we finally had a guild chat channel.
~~~~ Khahleen Peredhil, (Retired) Hierophant of Tunare, Lanys T`Vyl Server ~~~~ Reninia, (Retired) Paladin of Rodcet Nife, Stromm server ~~~~ Moyraine Minzwisper, (Retired)
Coercer of Tunare, Tribunal Server ~~~~
Wow, a thread good enough to get to me to post and quit lurking around
A few things that jump to my mind:
-My first pick up group in Blackburrow. I had no idea what I was doing and managed to lose my group before falling into the underground lake and dying shortly thereafter
-Killing bandits in West Karana for hours on end, looting bandit sashes on your honor. (everyone knows you would pretend not to get one until you got at LEAST two )
-Avoiding Holly Windstalker at all costs while killing bears for their pelts to make patchwork armor
-Seeing my first high-level character: an erudite paladin in full plate. Easily the coolest looking character I'd ever seen. Caused me to abandon my half-elf ranger for an erudite paladin
-Riding the boat between Qeynos and Erudin and accidentally getting off on the island. Then killing a few dead pirates before trying to kill a wisp without a magic weapon
-Turning my measley 50pp into over 5000pp by buying low and selling high in the East Commons tunnel
-Creating a gnome wizard on the new Firionia Vie server and communicating via emotes in the Greater Faydark because I didn't speak a lick on Elvish
-Most importantly: never being without something to do and never feeling rushed. I played the same character exclusively for a year and a half (albeit no more than 10 or so hours a week) and never broke level 30
Wow....I really miss the old days =/ of everquest, I miss dungeon crawling on a friday night....see how far I could get down inside one before I passed out
This has been a great thread to read, but also a very sad one, because it reminded me once again of just how far the genre has fallen since. I had some great times in WoW, mostly on the PvP side, but no game has even come close to matching the feel and wonder of the EQ experience.
When Vanguard came out, I had high hopes, knowing that some of the original EQ designers were behind it. Sadly, I quickly realized that whatever made EQ magical did not carry through to VG. I'm still waiting for a MMORPG that can recapture the magic that EQ had, but I grow less optimistic with each release.
Great memories in this thread! Here are some of mine:
- Porting up to the Plane of Hate with my level 50 rogue for his epic quest and stealthing all the way into the Maestro’s house, going up the stairs and stealing the Book of Souls from his nightstand, which dropped stealth; then getting immediately attacked by banshees and gating out with an instant gate potion just in time and on the verge of death. My heart was racing!
- My first experience with the game as a Dark Elf Magician in Neriak—getting killed multiple times by a rat!
- Leaving my character in the Bazaar overnight and rushing out of bed in the morning to see if I had any big sales while I was sleeping.
- Wandering too far into Iksar territory in the Field of Bone at level 10 and getting hit for over 200 damage by a wandering guard.
- Kurn’s Tower runs and mistakenly attacking the level 30 hedgehog at the top without conning him first.
- The bandit camps at Palaudal Caverns
- Fighting in the Commonlands with my group, only to hear thundering footsteps approaching and see “RUN!!! Hill Giant!!!” in the chat window, right before I turned around to see him annihilate me with a single blow.
- Exploring Neriak for the first time with my first character in EQ—a DE Magician. Also, getting my first newbie armor with that character.
- Seeing races I’d never seen before for the first time—especially the first time I saw an Ogre.
- Seeing a female troll—the rarest race configuration in the game.
- Hunting for spider silks in The Feerott and Nektulos Forest to sell in the Bazaar.
- Kedge Keep, the underwater dungeon
- Gnome warriors or SKs with lances—looked hilarious!
- Camping rare MOBs
- Being KOS to so many races as a Dark Elf, and the fun that ensued as a result.
- Going through KOS cities in stealth mode as a DE rogue.
- Knowing you were going to die and furiously trying to type ‘/loc’ before you died to record your coordinates for corpse retrieval.
- Failing to hit ‘/loc’ before dying and spending hours just trying to locate my corpse.
- TRAIN TO ZONE!!!!, TRAIN TO ZONE!!!!
- Pick-pocketing high-level MOBs in stealth mode for the upper and lower parchment halves needed for my rogue’s epic quest, and finally getting them.
- Baking and selling fish rolls to make extra money
- The way some towns just seemed so real
- Seeing a bard kiting about 20 MOBs in Dulak Harbor by running around in a circle with an AoE DOT and snare for 15 minutes
- Nuking with my wizard
- 16 races and 16 classes, resulting in race/class combinations that were rarely seen
- Actually having to wait to heal and regenerate mana
- Truly fearing death and its consequences—not just viewing it as an irritating inconvenience.
I remember playing the discworld mud for about a year or so (must have been 1997/1998 or so) and reading an article in Wired magazine about this "Graphical MUD" called Everquest. Sounded interesting and fun - so I went to the local gameshop and bought a copy of Everquest. The clerk just looked at the box and said "You're in trouble now". Seems like his boss had bought a copy a few weeks before and ended up playing so much he'd gotten fired. It was the first time I ever heard the term "EverCrack".
Got home, installed it and created a human ranger - spawned in Surefall Glade in the middle of the night and couldn't see a darned thing. Just the two odd looking women with these green glowy lights coming from their hands... I had absolutely no clue what to do, whether they were attacking me, if I should attack back (or even HOW to attack back). Logged out muttering about this stupid game and how I'd never play again.
Logged in the next day just to give it one more shot and viola - it was daylight in-game and I could see!!
I must have spent the first hour or so wandering around Surefall before finding the exit tunnel that let me get to the path that lead to Qeynos. I just couldn't believe how BIG the world was... Then finding Blackburrow, why the heck are these people yelling TRAIN (oh crap, now I'm dead and have no clue where I am or how to get back). Being lost, lost, lost, discovering West Karanas and once again being overwhelmed with how big the world was. First time experiencing groups in HHK - everyone took TURNS to loot - kill three, loot three, next group members turn... I remember sitting on the stairs waiting for my turn to get into a group... running up the stairs and to the library to hide behind... dang, some guy in the library to protect us all from the gobbies.
Learning languages on the boats, they were fun, fun, fun times and I miss it like all get out. What made it fun were the actual challenges - it was HARD to play and play well, there were risks to almost everything you tried to do and those risks had actual consequences. You had to build relationships with people over time in order to do almost anything and that was not a bad thing - it's what made the game a good thing.
I don't suppose I'll ever feel that way about a game again given the current state of the industry..
I fished for my first money to buy LEATHER armor!!
At level 6, I had to go meet my guild on the other side of the world in Freeport. This was the first weeks of the game so there were no maps. I ran through the Karanas... I have never been so terrified. I actually somehow, managed to make it to Highhold, and even find my way to highkeep. There was a bank there, so I banked everything and walked out of highkeep, into a cave... and died.
I remember Palladius, the GM of Xegony, giving me my surname at level 20 "Mistwalker" (I was a ranger). He said it was the best name he had heard yet. About 2 months later, the first scimitar of the Mistwalker dropped.
Getting Swiftwind for my ranger was a big deal... Not ever getting he Stone of Hate for Earthcaller was the only thing I regret not accomplishing.
Sadly, the game went progressively downhill from Luclin. The old feeling will never be captured again.
Oh man all those stories. I do miss EQ1. It also was my first online MMO. Haven't found a truly replacement for it. I play WoW now as do many of us old everquesters.
Thanks for this wonderful thread.
I still remember creating my druid Greyleef and stepping out in Greater Faydark and those Wasps gave me goosebumbs.
I still remember my first group in Crushbone and Dvinn wiped us.
I still remember taking my first boat to EFP and got lost there.
I still remember my first raid in Kael Drakkel.
I remember camping those skeletons for ages and ages in The Umbral Plains for my Druid mail set.
I'll stop now..
You know when you play too much MMO's when your partners pants have become a rare drop.
Oh man all those stories. I do miss EQ1. It also was my first online MMO. Haven't found a truly replacement for it. I play WoW now as do many of us old everquesters.
Thanks for this wonderful thread.
I still remember creating my druid Greyleef and stepping out in Greater Faydark and those Wasps gave me goosebumbs. I still remember my first group in Crushbone and Dvinn wiped us. I still remember taking my first boat to EFP and got lost there. I still remember my first raid in Kael Drakkel. I remember camping those skeletons for ages and ages in The Umbral Plains for my Druid mail set.
I'll stop now..
I remember most of those things too. Unforgettable experiences.
This will sound sad, but when this game was in it's prime, it consumed me, and my life faded into insignificance. It was better than life
No now though, hell no. Life > all :P
Still waiting for your Holy Grail MMORPG? Interesting...
Yes, the current state the industry sux big time and although we may not come across another game which will affect us the same way, I do hope one does come out.
Lots of great memories and a lot of bad ones.. but the good outweigh the bad for me.
I recall when i first started. Made a Human Male Warrior in Qeynos. Took me ages to find my way out. Got to lvl 4 then found the Qeynos hills.. decided to explore and found the Karanas... then found the white bridge btwnsth and nth karana... chased by a Grif and got lost... couldnt go back coz it was so scary and so many mobs of all types around... had to shout for some help... heaps of ppl gave me advice on what to do and what to stay away from which was everything lol
Ended up going to High Hold, only to get ganked by a Brawler... and I was thinking and then asking who's this brawler that just ganked me... ehehe i was pissed at the time I decided I was going to kil him once i was strong enough.
At Lvl 9 running to the gypsy wagon in karanas to get my 1st FS long sword and some lock picks. Tho I couldnt use ehehe.
Having fear cast on me for the first time in kith and being unable to control my character and wondering what the hell was going on... was so scary!
Training giants and zombies onto DE' in the commons...
Standing in a corner diagonally and opposite the Qeynos bank on the market side of the lake with my Necro and casting fear on other players to see them run into the water and watch them drown... ehehe
Casting charm on players and making them attack guards... both spells nerfed after a while of ppl doing that.
Camping the DE guards in Nek Forest LOL
Ganking everyone in Qeynos hills with my Necro and then some high level guy offering 150 plat for anyone that killed me... had an entire zone trying to get the bounty.. was fun but scary...
Living in the sewers beneath Qeynos and paying other low level peeps to bring me food and drink...
Obviously sunk to new depths by that stage. I couldnt go out in the open without having guards chase me thru half a zone to kill me and many times i got dead just short of the sone line.
But it was the people I met and whom i grouped with that made life fun and easier to an extent in EQ1!
Some great friendships to this day from back then.
Everyone in groupd would pass any loot across to whomever needed to msot in the group... that was really good i thought... now and then you'd get the greedy types and the ninja looters... but overall most of the ppl were really cool about sharing the loot.
Played EQ2 when it came out but it wasnt the same... Wow sucked, vanguard was a let down. And others just arent even worth mentioning.
I too played on Rallos Zek and miss the days & long nights of old. No gaming experience since has ever given the moments of exhilaration, terror or camaraderie as EQ did. I remember my 2 sons and I huddled over the monitor during our very first EQ session and being completely amazed that there were other real people running around and talking to us!
There was a huge learning curve we had to overcome, we had no maps of the zones, so long corpse runs were a norm! Even my Bard locate corpse song used to run me into mountainsides in BB or have me running in circles. I killed goblins for blood and brains to sell for 1 plat each and ran from the Wandering Greenblood till I could finally kill him and get his insignia!
My guildmates and I became fast friends and we relied on each other - rallying to help if we were PK'd, looted and corpse camped and helping each other out of perilious situations. Those that had mapping skills shared their knowledge; we chat each other up in different languages for hours to learn them. Sometimes we'd jump off the towers into Lake Rathetear just for fun or explore the zones for secluded spots. There were cupcakes to bake for weddings and birthdays and ale for all!
Adventuring was fun and frustrating, As new players, every zone was a challenge and sometimes terrifying. The high level players were mentoring for the most part without giving up secrets. The GM's usually responded quickly and they were regarded with respect.
Oh well, now I am melancholy. I truly miss those old days and joined the Progression Servers to try to recapture it, but somehow it is not the same. I've never found a guild to rival the friendship in the VK. One sweet note is that my sons have chosen to play EQ over WOW and now are working their way through the new expansions. I am glad the game is still out there for them to play and enjoy.
Comments
Not for EQ.
It is true for 95% of the games I remotedly enjoy, as I leave them when I was bored/done with them.
But I never was bored/done with EQ. I left, because raiding lack this much.
The bad memories, for EQ, clearly outweight the good ones. And most of them are directly linked to raiding.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Not for EQ.
It is true for 95% of the games I remotedly enjoy, as I leave them when I was bored/done with them.
But I never was bored/done with EQ. I left, because raiding lack this much.
The bad memories, for EQ, clearly outweight the good ones. And most of them are directly linked to raiding.
I agree with you that raiding became far too important in EQ Anofalye. And i can tell that you truely hate raiding by all your posts, i am no fan of it myself.But at least in early EQ, even up through Luclin i dont feel that you ever had to raid. There was plenty of content even at max level that you could do with a group and even solo if you were one of the right classes.
You could not get the best gear without raiding but that is a different topic. I think we disagree on this one because i dont think you should get raid caliber gear if you dont raid, but then you should not need raid caliber gear if you dont raid.
Yes, it was very good times back in EQ1. My favorite game of all time. Its a shame EQ2 didn't have the same feel to it. Vanguard reminded me a little, but not as much as i hoped. I don't think anything can beat EQ1 fun wise.
Good old days in EQ1, lots of bugs
I remember using my Halfling druid to port to E commons collect all the copper, and small changes and port home for changes (you need a bank to merge copper to silver and gold and plat), only to die at the landing spot of the portal, b/c there is a small step (bug) and I die due to fall with excess weight.
I remember using my Ogre to explore a dungeon, I use the mask (name I forgot) to shrink my Ogre, and somewhere deep inside the froglok dungeon I got a flick in the screen, and I lost my shrink property. I was too big to run around or zone out and constantly beaten on to use the mask in time. What next is well known, corpse recovery without the shrinking mask hence walking inside as a big piece of fat ogre and naked.
I remember riding the boat and suddenly I found myself deep under the ocean, I cannot die or kill myself or drown myself, and I can walk around a huge zone with the ocean far up top. It took a long time for me to find a GM to kill me and drag my corpse.
Yeah EQ was such a load of fun, of distress, of frustration, of suspension, of unbelievable guild / group cohesion, of ... it was the first MMO I played for years.
Bugs, Of course there were bugs. MMOs were in the infant stage at that point. I think hell levels were actually a bug that they just decided not to fix, and i love them for it. New games coming out still have bugs, that will never end.
But EQ was loads and loads of fun even with all those bugs.
Besides, if you didnt want to get stuck in doors then you shouldnt have played a big fat butt scratchin Ogre!!!!!
Man i loved Ogres, they were the best and easiest to roleplay of all the races.
Anyone from the old Bristlebane Guild Grobb Squad, i loved you guys!!!! Sadly i played a Haflling and you had strange ideas about eating us so i didnt try to get into the guild.
Groups will prefer peoples with better gear. It is unacceptable that the groups prefer peoples who hardly group. The best group have to desire peoples who group above anyone else (stats-wise, social reasons may affect this choice, but raw stats should favor groupers over anyone else).
See, your grouping game to be successfull, it has to give the BEST grouping tools to groupers, totally, so groupers want groupers; not settle with groupers if they can't find better. Players are simple. If your groups want something else than groupers, than your grouping game is already dead, weither it know it or not is irrelevant.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Bugs, Of course there were bugs. MMOs were in the infant stage at that point. I think hell levels were actually a bug that they just decided not to fix, and i love them for it. New games coming out still have bugs, that will never end.
But EQ was loads and loads of fun even with all those bugs.
Besides, if you didnt want to get stuck in doors then you shouldnt have played a big fat butt scratchin Ogre!!!!!
Man i loved Ogres, they were the best and easiest to roleplay of all the races.
Anyone from the old Bristlebane Guild Grobb Squad, i loved you guys!!!! Sadly i played a Haflling and you had strange ideas about eating us so i didnt try to get into the guild.
Well I must confess I love EQ. In those days, I drop all other forms of time-killing. Oh I was young then.
Ogres, it must be a big fat stinky ogre, what else? I am a good guy in Diablo, I am a good guy in UO, I am a good guy even in MOII. How can I pass the chance to be a bad guy. And to be a bad guy, I must be BAD. Even a troll is not fat enough.
Groups will prefer peoples with better gear. It is unacceptable that the groups prefer peoples who hardly group. The best group have to desire peoples who group above anyone else (stats-wise, social reasons may affect this choice, but raw stats should favor groupers over anyone else).
See, your grouping game to be successfull, it has to give the BEST grouping tools to groupers, totally, so groupers want groupers; not settle with groupers if they can't find better. Players are simple. If your groups want something else than groupers, than your grouping game is already dead, weither it know it or not is irrelevant.
So are you implying that a raider will be of less value then you in a group because he/she is a raider and you are a grouper? I cant believe that is true. I have known many people who raided often in EQ but were outstanding group members.Or are you perhaps saying that it makes you angry that a group will pick a raider who has raid gear into a group before you who does not have raid gear? If you are saying this then of course it is all about the gear that you can not get because you choose not to raid.
Asking for a game that has no raiding what so ever is asking a bit much. There will always be a raiding option in games because there are people who like to raid. Plus bringing in raiders is good business, those people really like to play for long periods of time.
The best way to make a game is to have all play options available. I believe group content should be the largest chunk but there should be soloability and raids also.
I have really yet to see an arguement against raiding that didnt boil down to "they get great gear that i cant get because i dont raid", and that really isnt an arguement against raiding, it is just envy.
I also remember running around invis as my DE necro in freeport and sneaking up behind people and telling them I was a DE. BTW I played on a PvP server so these people would then search desperately for me to try and kill me =P
I remember my first trek to Kunark, and how awesome it was to dodge the spiders and swim down the river. A real sense of adventure there, unlike these modern games that lead you from place to place. I miss not knowing where the heck I should be, and wandering into a zone WAY too high for me.
Oh, and boy do I remember Lavastorm....
If raiders are better at grouping than groupers (better gear). Then grouping is not an available option. Best gear, belong totally to groupers.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Can not agree more mate, I really enjoyed EQ1. It was teh jump off point for me into MMORPG's and I stil think it was the best. The slightest improvement in your gear as you state (+1 wisdom or such) was a big deal, not llike most today where you go from 15 wisdom to 500 wisdom in no time flat. And awesome gear seems to be able to be aquired so fast its stupid.
I played a Duid and Necro, and yeah mate I can remember getting a Fine Steel Mace for my Druid as well, and that was a big deal, My necro had a Fine Steell Dagger. Porting players and yourself for bank runs was an everyday thing. I was eventually leader of the guild I was in as we were a progression guild, Lvl 1 to 50 we sat in one guild and when we became 50 we moved to our sister guild which was the raiding one if you wanted to raid. I can remember loggin on and the 1st business of the day was sorting out the guildies, Porting some of the to places, getting alot of them organised for a run into some place for a fingers crossed loot run. Best fun I ever had with my guildies was running DROGA fro the Druids to get the "Shroud of Nature (+6 Wis to shoulders) item from the Goblin Warder if I remember his name rightly. And it was a constested mob constantly LOL many times there would be comments from other players (HE IS MINE!!!!!...But being he was a roaming spawn he was free game by most players, Not realyl able to be camped. Other times would hang out when sort of tied up with some house work sitting at Ice giants pharming alil cash. Rather boring though, Cast 3 dots and root the mob to the spot and wait 1 min for it to die....LOL.
But all in all, EQ1 will always be remembered by myself as my first real adventure into the land of MMORPGS and still thebest I ever played.
Cheers
Tanvaras, Retired 70 Druid (EQ!), Retired 70 Conjuruer(EQ2), Retired 70 Warrior (WoW)
I remember when gear was an afterthought, and grouping was meaningful. You would be in a group with the same people for hours on end, and had downtime to talk and actually build friendships.
I remember my first guild, Well of Souls, and how nice everyone was. It seemed there was ALWAYS someone willing to help out, and as a result I was always willing to help someone else.
I remember being younger and having time to play as opposed to working every day, and having to sleep and pay bills. =/
I remember the slower pace of the game, and how level cap was a dream (which I never reached BTW) and seemed soooo far off.
I also remember dinging 20 and having a GM give me my surname. I remember him denying 1 or 2 before I got mine too =P
I remember gobbies in HH, and getting a sword off of one that I actually used.
I remember getting a Black iron bastard sword, and scarab carapace breastplate from my guild and it being like christmas.
So many good memories from EQ, and there are millions where that came from. I do have hope that one day a game will come out with a world similar to norrath, that can inspire so many emotions. Norrath could inspire Awe, fear, greed, happiness, and so much more. Adventures were REAL back then because they were unscripted, unknown, and you had the freedom to explore at will. I sincerely hope that one day a game will come out to match, or rival EQ but I don't see it happening for a while. MMO's are mainstream now which means that, at least for the time being until the fad passes, there will be a definitive style to all games that come out. It's the same thing with music, or movies. Remember when every stupid movie that came out was about some natural disaster that pwns the world?
Everquest - the Queen of MMO's.
Remember when i sold banded armor in Kelethin convincing people that it was better than the heavy bronce stuff they got from Unrest.
Remember when my guild almost lost everybodies corpses in the Plane of fear.
I started with my best friend who played an Enchantress and I tried a Cleric. She kept casting Mesmerize and i kept wacking the mobs. She said: duno but this spell has no effect at all! (later she was one of the best crowd controllers on the server)
Everquest created a real world, in no other oninge game has it felt so differently to start as another race. Starting a dwarf or a human or a barbarian REALLY was different in the beginning. Halas, Qeynos, Kelethin, Kaladim, Neriak, Freeport, Ackanon - they where all places with their own flair.
Almost all races had their own language, it was never used much as a gameplay feature but it was fun to use for roleplaying. The whole game took advantage of being an ONLINE game: Player interaction was encouraged: selling buffs, meeting in the bazaar tunnel, trading crafting items asking for ports here and there, asking for clarity, finding someone to res your sorry corpse... And downtime, yes - downtime in which you chatted and made friends.
And what we get today?
We are FORCED to play a stupid introduction tutorial the EXACT SAME WAY everyone does. And after that we are pushed to the main town, quest givers lead us the way. To make sure we wont miss any out they are markered on the map. It is so sad that games like WoW and LOTRO completely destroyed the genre for me. Simplifying the amazing complexity of games like Everquest or DAoC to a degree that isnt funny anymore. Less and less diversity, less and less freedom of playstyle, more and more tethered to how someone else wants you to play the game.
oh well, the memories
of the good old days when games where made by artists not an industry.
Some of the things I recall most fondly:
Stepping into out of Grobb and into "da swamp" for the first time in beta-3. I was so overwhelmed by the size of the zone at the time. Kept getting lost.
Running my level 4 mage from Ak'Anon to Erudin so I could do the gatecaller gloves quest. No invis, no bind, one death means I'm back on the other side of the world. It took me 2 hours and while I've killed gods and dragons over my EQ playtime, I still think my gnome run was the most skilled and impressive thing I ever accomplished in an MMO.
Receiving a Black Enameled Mace from a GM as a reward for roleplaying.
My group and I fleeing like cowardly dogs at 19th level from the giants roaming the oasis, right after sacrificing my wife too him.
Myself and another troll Shadow Knight being the only 2 PvP flagged characters on Cazic Thule.
Halloween Event in October 1999. Those were good times. Porting into WC Druid Ring with Grimbone our Ogre warrior (Invis'd) and then taking a faction hit anyway in Kith, when we stumbled across a group of NPC Rangers we had to kill. Getting both the NODROP 1 and 2-Hand Blunt from that event for my shaman. Helping to form our guild on Xegony <Venator Sapentia> and the excitement we felt when the GM tracked down our GL while we're at KFC in SK to tag him, and we finally had a guild chat channel.
~~~~
Khahleen Peredhil, (Retired)
Hierophant of Tunare, Lanys T`Vyl Server
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Reninia, (Retired)
Paladin of Rodcet Nife, Stromm server
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Moyraine Minzwisper, (Retired)
Coercer of Tunare, Tribunal Server
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He's been spotted downtown.
Wow, a thread good enough to get to me to post and quit lurking around
A few things that jump to my mind:
-My first pick up group in Blackburrow. I had no idea what I was doing and managed to lose my group before falling into the underground lake and dying shortly thereafter
-Killing bandits in West Karana for hours on end, looting bandit sashes on your honor. (everyone knows you would pretend not to get one until you got at LEAST two
)
-Avoiding Holly Windstalker at all costs while killing bears for their pelts to make patchwork armor
-Seeing my first high-level character: an erudite paladin in full plate. Easily the coolest looking character I'd ever seen. Caused me to abandon my half-elf ranger for an erudite paladin
-Riding the boat between Qeynos and Erudin and accidentally getting off on the island. Then killing a few dead pirates before trying to kill a wisp without a magic weapon
-Turning my measley 50pp into over 5000pp by buying low and selling high in the East Commons tunnel
-Creating a gnome wizard on the new Firionia Vie server and communicating via emotes in the Greater Faydark because I didn't speak a lick on Elvish
-Most importantly: never being without something to do and never feeling rushed. I played the same character exclusively for a year and a half (albeit no more than 10 or so hours a week) and never broke level 30
Thanks for starting this thread. Great memories!
Wow....I really miss the old days =/ of everquest, I miss dungeon crawling on a friday night....see how far I could get down inside one before I passed out
This has been a great thread to read, but also a very sad one, because it reminded me once again of just how far the genre has fallen since. I had some great times in WoW, mostly on the PvP side, but no game has even come close to matching the feel and wonder of the EQ experience.
When Vanguard came out, I had high hopes, knowing that some of the original EQ designers were behind it. Sadly, I quickly realized that whatever made EQ magical did not carry through to VG. I'm still waiting for a MMORPG that can recapture the magic that EQ had, but I grow less optimistic with each release.
Great memories in this thread! Here are some of mine:
- Porting up to the Plane of Hate with my level 50 rogue for his epic quest and stealthing all the way into the Maestro’s house, going up the stairs and stealing the Book of Souls from his nightstand, which dropped stealth; then getting immediately attacked by banshees and gating out with an instant gate potion just in time and on the verge of death. My heart was racing!
- My first experience with the game as a Dark Elf Magician in Neriak—getting killed multiple times by a rat!
- Leaving my character in the Bazaar overnight and rushing out of bed in the morning to see if I had any big sales while I was sleeping.
- Wandering too far into Iksar territory in the Field of Bone at level 10 and getting hit for over 200 damage by a wandering guard.
- Kurn’s Tower runs and mistakenly attacking the level 30 hedgehog at the top without conning him first.
- The bandit camps at Palaudal Caverns
- Fighting in the Commonlands with my group, only to hear thundering footsteps approaching and see “RUN!!! Hill Giant!!!” in the chat window, right before I turned around to see him annihilate me with a single blow.
- Exploring Neriak for the first time with my first character in EQ—a DE Magician. Also, getting my first newbie armor with that character.
- Seeing races I’d never seen before for the first time—especially the first time I saw an Ogre.
- Seeing a female troll—the rarest race configuration in the game.
- Hunting for spider silks in The Feerott and Nektulos Forest to sell in the Bazaar.
- Kedge Keep, the underwater dungeon
- Gnome warriors or SKs with lances—looked hilarious!
- Camping rare MOBs
- Being KOS to so many races as a Dark Elf, and the fun that ensued as a result.
- Going through KOS cities in stealth mode as a DE rogue.
- Knowing you were going to die and furiously trying to type ‘/loc’ before you died to record your coordinates for corpse retrieval.
- Failing to hit ‘/loc’ before dying and spending hours just trying to locate my corpse.
- TRAIN TO ZONE!!!!, TRAIN TO ZONE!!!!
- Pick-pocketing high-level MOBs in stealth mode for the upper and lower parchment halves needed for my rogue’s epic quest, and finally getting them.
- Baking and selling fish rolls to make extra money
- The way some towns just seemed so real
- Seeing a bard kiting about 20 MOBs in Dulak Harbor by running around in a circle with an AoE DOT and snare for 15 minutes
- Nuking with my wizard
- 16 races and 16 classes, resulting in race/class combinations that were rarely seen
- Actually having to wait to heal and regenerate mana
- Truly fearing death and its consequences—not just viewing it as an irritating inconvenience.
I remember playing the discworld mud for about a year or so (must have been 1997/1998 or so) and reading an article in Wired magazine about this "Graphical MUD" called Everquest. Sounded interesting and fun - so I went to the local gameshop and bought a copy of Everquest. The clerk just looked at the box and said "You're in trouble now". Seems like his boss had bought a copy a few weeks before and ended up playing so much he'd gotten fired. It was the first time I ever heard the term "EverCrack".
Got home, installed it and created a human ranger - spawned in Surefall Glade in the middle of the night and couldn't see a darned thing. Just the two odd looking women with these green glowy lights coming from their hands... I had absolutely no clue what to do, whether they were attacking me, if I should attack back (or even HOW to attack back). Logged out muttering about this stupid game and how I'd never play again.
Logged in the next day just to give it one more shot and viola - it was daylight in-game and I could see!!
I must have spent the first hour or so wandering around Surefall before finding the exit tunnel that let me get to the path that lead to Qeynos. I just couldn't believe how BIG the world was... Then finding Blackburrow, why the heck are these people yelling TRAIN (oh crap, now I'm dead and have no clue where I am or how to get back). Being lost, lost, lost, discovering West Karanas and once again being overwhelmed with how big the world was. First time experiencing groups in HHK - everyone took TURNS to loot - kill three, loot three, next group members turn... I remember sitting on the stairs waiting for my turn to get into a group... running up the stairs and to the library to hide behind... dang, some guy in the library to protect us all from the gobbies.
Learning languages on the boats, they were fun, fun, fun times and I miss it like all get out. What made it fun were the actual challenges - it was HARD to play and play well, there were risks to almost everything you tried to do and those risks had actual consequences. You had to build relationships with people over time in order to do almost anything and that was not a bad thing - it's what made the game a good thing.
I don't suppose I'll ever feel that way about a game again given the current state of the industry..
OK, I'll go old-school...
I fished for my first money to buy LEATHER armor!!
At level 6, I had to go meet my guild on the other side of the world in Freeport. This was the first weeks of the game so there were no maps. I ran through the Karanas... I have never been so terrified. I actually somehow, managed to make it to Highhold, and even find my way to highkeep. There was a bank there, so I banked everything and walked out of highkeep, into a cave... and died.
I remember Palladius, the GM of Xegony, giving me my surname at level 20 "Mistwalker" (I was a ranger). He said it was the best name he had heard yet. About 2 months later, the first scimitar of the Mistwalker dropped.
Getting Swiftwind for my ranger was a big deal... Not ever getting he Stone of Hate for Earthcaller was the only thing I regret not accomplishing.
Sadly, the game went progressively downhill from Luclin. The old feeling will never be captured again.
Oh man all those stories. I do miss EQ1. It also was my first online MMO. Haven't found a truly replacement for it. I play WoW now as do many of us old everquesters.
Thanks for this wonderful thread.
I still remember creating my druid Greyleef and stepping out in Greater Faydark and those Wasps gave me goosebumbs.
I still remember my first group in Crushbone and Dvinn wiped us.
I still remember taking my first boat to EFP and got lost there.
I still remember my first raid in Kael Drakkel.
I remember camping those skeletons for ages and ages in The Umbral Plains for my Druid mail set.
I'll stop now..
You know when you play too much MMO's when your partners pants have become a rare drop.
I remember most of those things too. Unforgettable experiences.
This will sound sad, but when this game was in it's prime, it consumed me, and my life faded into insignificance. It was better than life
No now though, hell no. Life > all :P
Still waiting for your Holy Grail MMORPG? Interesting...
Yes, the current state the industry sux big time and although we may not come across another game which will affect us the same way, I do hope one does come out.
Lots of great memories and a lot of bad ones.. but the good outweigh the bad for me.
I recall when i first started. Made a Human Male Warrior in Qeynos. Took me ages to find my way out. Got to lvl 4 then found the Qeynos hills.. decided to explore and found the Karanas... then found the white bridge btwnsth and nth karana... chased by a Grif and got lost... couldnt go back coz it was so scary and so many mobs of all types around... had to shout for some help... heaps of ppl gave me advice on what to do and what to stay away from which was everything lol
Ended up going to High Hold, only to get ganked by a Brawler... and I was thinking and then asking who's this brawler that just ganked me... ehehe i was pissed at the time I decided I was going to kil him once i was strong enough.
At Lvl 9 running to the gypsy wagon in karanas to get my 1st FS long sword and some lock picks. Tho I couldnt use ehehe.
Having fear cast on me for the first time in kith and being unable to control my character and wondering what the hell was going on... was so scary!
Training giants and zombies onto DE' in the commons...
Standing in a corner diagonally and opposite the Qeynos bank on the market side of the lake with my Necro and casting fear on other players to see them run into the water and watch them drown... ehehe
Casting charm on players and making them attack guards... both spells nerfed after a while of ppl doing that.
Camping the DE guards in Nek Forest LOL
Ganking everyone in Qeynos hills with my Necro and then some high level guy offering 150 plat for anyone that killed me... had an entire zone trying to get the bounty.. was fun but scary...
Living in the sewers beneath Qeynos and paying other low level peeps to bring me food and drink...
Obviously sunk to new depths by that stage. I couldnt go out in the open without having guards chase me thru half a zone to kill me and many times i got dead just short of the sone line.
But it was the people I met and whom i grouped with that made life fun and easier to an extent in EQ1!
Some great friendships to this day from back then.
Everyone in groupd would pass any loot across to whomever needed to msot in the group... that was really good i thought... now and then you'd get the greedy types and the ninja looters... but overall most of the ppl were really cool about sharing the loot.
Played EQ2 when it came out but it wasnt the same... Wow sucked, vanguard was a let down. And others just arent even worth mentioning.
Thanks to all those people that played EQ1.
Special thanks to all those from Rallos!
Long Live Rallos Zek!
Axxiss
I too played on Rallos Zek and miss the days & long nights of old. No gaming experience since has ever given the moments of exhilaration, terror or camaraderie as EQ did. I remember my 2 sons and I huddled over the monitor during our very first EQ session and being completely amazed that there were other real people running around and talking to us!
There was a huge learning curve we had to overcome, we had no maps of the zones, so long corpse runs were a norm! Even my Bard locate corpse song used to run me into mountainsides in BB or have me running in circles. I killed goblins for blood and brains to sell for 1 plat each and ran from the Wandering Greenblood till I could finally kill him and get his insignia!
My guildmates and I became fast friends and we relied on each other - rallying to help if we were PK'd, looted and corpse camped and helping each other out of perilious situations. Those that had mapping skills shared their knowledge; we chat each other up in different languages for hours to learn them. Sometimes we'd jump off the towers into Lake Rathetear just for fun or explore the zones for secluded spots. There were cupcakes to bake for weddings and birthdays and ale for all!
Adventuring was fun and frustrating, As new players, every zone was a challenge and sometimes terrifying. The high level players were mentoring for the most part without giving up secrets. The GM's usually responded quickly and they were regarded with respect.
Oh well, now I am melancholy. I truly miss those old days and joined the Progression Servers to try to recapture it, but somehow it is not the same. I've never found a guild to rival the friendship in the VK. One sweet note is that my sons have chosen to play EQ over WOW and now are working their way through the new expansions. I am glad the game is still out there for them to play and enjoy.