[Another One of These Threads] Questions. Interested in trying eq2 again

anakinsella

So i've played them all (MMOs). I'm one of the thousands that currently goes through the phases of quiting WoW, then returning to it every month or so, but never really finding that 'fun' zone that hits me like a game i'm paying monthly for should.

I'm kind of waiting for Vanguard, and to see what else blizz has up their sleeves for the WoW expansion, but i'm not gonna lie, i've been looking into Eq2. And if it is fun enough, hell i may even stay.

My concern is how it runs, not just in solo but group and raids especially. When you 'raid' in eq2 is it basically like Lineage 2 where you have to turn all your graphical settings down to the lowest when sieging? Is it like a slideshow in raids? And most of all, are the raid encounters fun/challening in this end game?

And on that note, WHAT is the 'end game' for Eq2?

And final question, how is the PVP? Is it worth rolling on a PVP enabled server, or is it just a grief fest? What are penalties for dying in pvp?


Thanks again, becuase i know crap like this is is probably answered every week. But i appreciate it.

dink

Separate set of questions because I'm definitely NOT waiting on Vanguard after I saw it at E3 - well sort of - I want to see it's diplomacy and crafting systems - but more as a study of the genre.  I am looking forward to Gods & Heroes, Age of Conan, and the WoW expansion, so I have different concerns, but I didn't want to create a separate thread that is pretty much on the same subject.

1.  Have they fixed the mob pathing?  I found it obnoxious to have mobs chase as far as they did and to have them all messed up because someone dragged them across the game world, or to have trains pulled on you, or to have mobs that get stuck in walls.

2.  Are travel times better?  It was fine before level 20, but afterwards, I found it annoying that quest givers were so far from the actual quest areas and that so much of the game was travel based. 

3.  Is the content a bit sparse  after level 20 still?  I found it really hard to find quests after level 20 without using an out-of-game site, and I had explored all the areas that I could reach at my level.  What little content was available was often group dependent or required entering dungeons that were frequently messed up by other players (see #1).

4.  What have the expansions added and are they worth buying?

5.  I like grouping, but I don't like being forced to group.  Can I quest solo after level 20 and make progress or am I required to do both at that point (I don't like to grind between quests)?

6.  Anything else I should know?

lomiller

Lots of questions so here goes…

Most people do turn their graphics settings down for raids.  They put more stress on your system and most people run as high as they can go, so turning them down a notch in a raid is almost inevitable.  That said, if you have a decent system you should be able to raid without it turning to a slideshow, you just won’t get the same graphics quality as you would in a normal group.

The end game is a combination of raiding, several long quest lines and gathering AA points.  I don’t know the exact formula, but AA points seem to take about the same amount of time as leveling.  I.E. getting all 50 AA points takes about as long as it would take to get a new character to level 50 and there are another 50 coming in the next expansion.

I’m not a big PvPer but I think EQ2 PvP is good for what it is.  This isn’t a PvP focused game like EVE, GW or DAoC.  For added spice in a primarily PvE game it’s pretty good but if are only interested in PvP there are probably better options out there for you.

How far mobs chase you seems to depend on how much hate you have built up.  If you get an add half way though a fight and have to run it will chase you for quite a ways.  Not for the 4 min it would chase you are release, but still quite a way.  If you are running someplace and happen to get to close to an aggressive mob it will stop chasing you fairly quickly if you just keep going.  Mob pathing in dungeons and mobs stuck it walls was partly due to the way the early zones were designed.  It’s been reduced significantly but can’t be removed entirely.  I do no recall having the problem in any of the newer zones.  

Travel times are to short IMO.  There was an across the board 40% run speed buff quite a while ago which effectively made all the zones a lot smaller.  Keep in mind that travel times in the mid 20’s were always the longest.  After you hit 30 you would just take a boat (bell) to the TS or Nec docks and then catch another to wherever you were going.  In addition to run speed buffs they have added griffon towers in TS and Nec which cuts travel time in those zones significantly.  Travel to KoS is via teleportation spires in the T2-T4 zones, you have to go to the teleporter then wait a few min (max of 5) until the next port.

Content was never really sparse after 20 but a lot of it was cut off by access quests, which have almost all been removed.  It’s easier to spot quest givers now, but external resources are still a good idea because you will probably not be able to find all the best content on your own.  If you can find a couple friends to do them with, the Heritage quests alone are often all the content you can handle between levels 20-40.

Of the two expansions currently released the only one I’d recommend getting right out of the gate is KoS (Kingdome of the Sky) because it allows you to start getting AA points for quests completed and explorations.  If you are just reactivating an account you may want to hold off and get the retail version of the EoF (Echoes of Faydwer) expansion due out in a couple months because it will come with both current expansions.  

                                                                                                            

You can solo all the way to 70, but it will be slower then grouping.  You will also see a lot fewer nice loot drops but probably make more money.