EQII or not? Jumping from the Original...

jmjones_1

I'm a huge EQ1 fan but recently had to quit in for lack of yime. I'm now ready to jump back in the fray, but I can't seem to decide if I should stick with EQ1 or try out the new game. I was a big PvP fan on the TZ Server of the original, so any information everyone has on how the games compare would be great. I know the visuals are supposed to be superb, but how about the character advancements, abilities, tradeskills, and all of the rest? My love for EQ1 was the many many choices one had to enjoy the game. Anyway, any help appreciated!

***I just dont want to waste time on the new one if it's not at all like the first, if you catch my meaning. And a little background, I was a Cleric (LvL 67) when I quit playing, so I know and experienced most of everything except for the high level PoP zones (Eles & Time) and the high levels of Gates. So anyway, I'll quit rambling and let everyne respond. 

Wickes

Made that jump myself a while back (Xegony 65 cleric, elementals, etc.).

It’s all personal, of course, but I love it, as do most of the friends who came over with me ... not all though, some are mostly playing EQ1. Then a few souls tried, er, something else But they’re rapidly trickling back.

It’s certainly not the same game, but it does really feel totally like Everquest to me ... just a later version. This game is more user friendly, and certainly a bit dumbed down from early EQ1 - not as compared to current EQ1. EQ2 is heavy on quests. Tradeskills are more elaborate. There is some exp "grinding", but certainly less than in early EQ1, and certainly not enough that bothers me. In any event, you can also gain a LOT of exp from questing.

EQ2 was changed after release to be a lot more solo friendly. My 25 Templar solos extremely well now (better than my EQ1 cleric could ever solo), as do most classes (the usual non-solo classes, e.g., monks, may find it a bit difficult to solo).

EQ2 is not focused on huge raids at all. Even the raid portions of the game (and from what I hear there is an incredible amount of excellent high end stuff - I am not there, obviously) are tailored mostly for 24-man raids.

Many many things are different, e.g., spells. I would say playing a cleric feels basically the same (a healer is a healer, eh), but I feel like I have a very different toolbox, and my friends say the same of their classes (most playing the same classes they played in EQ1).

I’d check out the freebie trial if I were you ... nothing to lose. It only allows you to play on the newb isle, i.e., to level 6 max, but it does give you a decent, if small, taste of what the game is like. Or, if you plan to keep EQ1 running, just grab the station access deal ($21.99/mo) which covers both plus SWG and Planetside.

Nihilanth

If you liked EQ1 you may or may not like EQ2. You said that you are a big PvP fan. Sadly EQ2 does not have any PvP at the moment (neither did EQ1 at launch) but I honetly think it will eventually.

Yes, in my opinion the visuals are amazing. One of the things that really gets me is how dynaminc the character's faces are. For instance, if you are standing still and someone runs by you, your character's head will follow them automatically. Also, the character's face's arent static images. They have mouths that open and a full bone structure. If you look you can see that even while not moving your character is constantly moving his jaw or something. It's pretty cool IMO.

The character advancements are nicely done too. For the most part everone of the same class will have the same skills. You get a skill or two every time you level for no cost. However, every few levels you get to specialize your character in some way. You can raise their resistances to a certain kind of attack, you can give them more health or mana, increase their regen rate, and there are even race-specific traits that you can pick at certain levels. Not only that but there are Training options every 10 levels which are generally specialized versions of buffs or attacks that you have that look different and are signifigantly better. For instance, at level 20 my paladin chose Chesgard's Divine Portent as his training option and it is still one of my best attacks at level 30 because your skills get better as you gain levels.

The tradeskills are AWESOME. I LOVE the tradeskilling in the game. There is an artisan class tree just like the adventuring one (oh another thing that different from EQ1 is that you can only start as a preist, fighter, scout, or mage but then you narrow it down at lvl 10 and then again at lvl 20 to get your final class). Depending on what you pick you can make radically different things, each with their own advantage. When you craft things there are different levels of quality. It isn't like in EQ1 where you either made it or you didn't. In EQ2 you get crafting "buffs" which are invaluable "spells" that you cast while crafting. They all do different things and work for only certain kinds of crafting. For instance, one might increase progress at the cost of some power and another might increase durability at the cost of some progress. If you are a serious tradeskiller I think you will love the system in EQ2.

As for the rest, well....there is a lot. The grind IMO really isn't nearly as bad as most people make it out to be, nor is the zoning. It all depends on your play style (and you computer when it comes to loading). For the most part I think if you liked EQ1 you will like EQ2, although there is a chance it's not for you. They did dumb down the game a little so it is easier to level than it was in EQ1 but it is still a challenge. One cool thing that you would have though, coming from EQ1, is noticing all the differences between old and new Norrath. I have only played small bits of EQ1 so I don't know everything about it, but I know that a lot of my guildees played it and they love going around and seeing things they remember from EQ1.

All in all, the game isn't without its flaws (what game is?) but it's a hellofa lot of fun and I just love playing it. If you want to try it for yourself you can download the Trial of the Isle of at FilePlanet and get a basic idea of the workings of the game.

Hope that helps!

Kane

As a person who couldn't get into EQ1 due to its painfully slow learning curve and gameplay, I think EQ2 is a HUGE improvement. Its not the action game that WoW is (though I enjoy the quests and story in WoW), but its not the time sink that most traditional MMORPGs are. It fast paced without feeling like your being rushed. The Heroic Opportunities done in combat, IMO, make the combat better than just about any other MMORPG out there (only WoW comes close). The tradeskills, on the other hand, beat even the mighty Horizons (which has good crafting at the cost of all else). Crafting is as fun as combat, to me. Hope that helps.