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Some really good things about EQ2
Theo
Member Posts: 242
Combat. I hated it in EQLive. It was repetitive and involved a minimum of player input. I enjoyed it briefly in CoH, but quickly found that it was really just a matter of hitting whatever power was available as soon as it was available. EQ2 could have gone the same way, but they thought of something truly unique and engaging...Heroic Opportunities.
When playing solo, they simply help me be more effective in combat. Not much new there, though it's more interesting to have a variety of attacks that result in different effects at my disposal. It's in a group that HOs really get interesting. I play with two friends, and we spend every battle trying new combinations of abilities to see what results we can acheive. We've figured out a couple of really useful moves we can execute consistently without too much effort. It helps that we each chose a different archetype, and it REALLY helps that we're all communicating over Ventrilo while we play! HOs make it so a group really has to work together and act as a team to get the most out of their abilities. No more piling on a mob, hitting auto-attack and heading for the kitchen for a few minutes. Combat in EQ2 is a blast, especially in a group!
Crafting. I hated in in EQLive. I loved the idea of it, but I hated having to click a thousand thousand times to create useless items so that I could get my skill up high enough to finally be able to craft something roughly half as good as something I could have bought with a fraction of the money I invested in improving my skill to begin with, or that I could have looted for free had I spent all that time adventuring instead of clicking. In EQ2, I'm already making very useful items, from bags and containers to Apprentice III ability runes. Gone is the endless clicking and countless failed combinations! I wouldn't call the system "dynamic", but it's not unenjoyable.
I love the graphics. I love the flora. I love the voice-overs. I love exploring. I love questing. I love that I get lots of XP for quests, meaning I never have to simply go out hunting random mobs or camping spawns! I love that Antonica is big, but not TOO big. I like hearing about the doom of familiar places and characters from EQ. I like that the economy is new and not flooded with plat, leaving us all scraping our coppers and silvers. I haven't even SEEN a gold peice yet! 
I'd still like better AI. I'd still rather see mob-appropriate loot drops. I'd like more variety in the graphics, particularly in the ability to customize my character's attire with a variety of clothing and armor styles rather than the requisite one style for each type of armor (I'm hoping this will be available at higher levels, but I'm not counting on it). I'd like to see my bow on my back AND my daggers on my belt at the same time (a nitpick, that one).
I had no intention of even playing EQ2, having played EQ beyond boredom, but I'm having a great time in spite of myself!
Comments
Wow, a lot of people on this board have complained about the fans of other games posting spite-riddled assaults on a game they enjoy, yet you might have noticed they're the only posts getting a lot of attention right now. Ironic, no?
I can't do anything but concur wholeheartedly. Combat *finally* emerged from it's usual hack&slash level and has become fun. I like changing weapons from time to time in between fights just to see all different animations. Even the 'specials' look different with different weapons. Try "Kick" (as fighter) while wielding a big stick, looks very good.
I 'touched' 1 gold today, but immediately 'invested' in really good armor, got 15s left but my armor will last at least 3 more levels (am 18 atm).
"This game is about watching eachothers backs but somehow people tend to overlook my back when I'm not online to tell them where it is."