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EverQuest II: From the Eyes of a Noob
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com Correspondent Daniel Stull files this report gathering information and advice from long-time EverQuest II players and presenting it through the eyes of a new player.
While the title of this article is a bit long, it explains much. I am essentially a complete newbie when it comes to Everquest 2, having only played the trial when the game was first released, and I only played the first Everquest for a month. I wanted to learn more, and, though Sony's Everquest 2 website provides a lot of information concerning the classes and races of the game, the only real way to get information would be to go to a source – an Everquest 2 player who has enough experience to put things in perspective for me. As a matter of fact, I ended up finding multiple players who gave me a wide range of information, all of it vastly useful.
Read it all here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Well I certainly hope you received constructive criticism from players and didn't just trust the word of those players who believe that SOE can do no wrong. There are those to whom SOE is a God of sorts and are complete unwilling (or unable) to acknowledge that neither SOE or EQ2 is perfect. SOE has made many promises about EQ2 which they have not kept. When this game was first released, the players were made grand promises of 4-5 adventure packs (small 2-3 zone expansions based on the lore of the game) and 2-3 full expansion per year with the level cap reaching 100 in just a couple of years. Here we are 4 years later with a total of 4 (or maybe 5) adventure packs, a few revamped zones and 4 expansions. The level cap goes up every 2 years, but the content of the expansions only takes a few months to complete and to max out your level. Therefore you are left with the choice of starting an alt and playing it, being bored with the game until the next expansion comes out in 6 months OR go play another game (which appears to be the favorite choice of player right now) which makes for low server populations which causes other concerns, like grouping and raiding)
I don't know if you have been told, but a few months back SOE introduced the long awaited "epic" weapons into the game. Supposedly the best and hardest weapons to obtain in the game. Players were assured by SOE that NO ONE would be given any clues to the whereabouts of quest starting points or strats on completing the quests. As it turns out, certain developers who were also members of a guild named Ne Plus Ultra on Guk Server and gave their guild inside information of how to complete these quests. They completed these quest in 4 (YES FOUR) days. They cheated to get a world wide first. Other players on all servers DEMANDED the heads of the developers who gave out the info....SOE remained silent and to this day, it appears that not only are those developers still employed by SOE, they still work on the EQ2 project and at least one is still in Ni Plus Ultra....So in essence, SOE has condoned cheating in EQ2..
Now, everyone knows about RMT (Real Money Transfer) that is selling in game items and coin for real life money...Most honest players would never do such a thing, opting for actually EARNING their gear and coin in game. For the longest time SOE frowned on such a practice, even banning accounts that were caught selling items, and shutting down some EBAYesque sites that were promoting these sales....Then a funny thing happened. SOE realized that they could turn a profit from RMT without actually calling it RMT...hence the LoN card game was developed. Essentially you can get these cards in 2 ways...you can loot them and use them or sell them for in game coin OR you can go to the station store and BUY them for REAL MONEY...there is a chance with every card to win an in game item....So essentially, the more cards you have (or buy) the greater you chance of getting an in game item...SO it's almost exactly the same as just going to one of the online auctions and buying the item with real life money....With SOE making a profit from the sale of course...
Now I know I will get flamed for posting this, people will tell you not to listen to me, that everything I have posted here is a pack of lies and some will try to justify SOEs action (or inaction). I like to refer to these people as bootlickers....some call them fanbois....for these people SOE can do nothing wrong...Some will say there is cheating and RMT in ALL MMO games, which might be true, BUT we aren't talking about those games, and because someone else does it, doesn't justify it...
Just be sure you know both sides of the story before you decide to become a hard core EQ2 player. From my standpoint (I have been playing SOE games for 10 years and MMOs and MUDs for many more than that) EQ2 is in decline. Every year several other game developing companies release new titles to compete with SOE and every year more and more of SOEs player base is chipped away...New players for EQ2 are far fewer than those who leave (if this wasn't true the server populations wouldn't keep declining). Many people have become disenchanted by the lazy way in which the game is being developed. New expansions are using canned, recycled content from other expansions, gear and weapon itemization is completely unbalanced and they have put little to no effort in player retention (case in point, Age of Conan was recently released. Instead of releasing a new full expansion to curb player exodus, they tried to get players who had already left to come back by giving them free expansions, while totally ignoring those who stayed loyal and didn't leave.) The game hasn't been advertised in the media since the release of the first expansion and if you go to a big box store like Best Buy or EB Games, you probably won't be able to find any EQ2 game or expansion software on their shelves...
Finally, EQ2 has become one of the easiest MMO games to play in the market. SOE has bowed to the hand holding crowd who want their games to be fast leveling, no risk, with instant gratification. There is little to no death penalty in this game, you can play just a few hours a day and level to max in just a few weeks, and you can see and do most all of the adventure content in 3-4 months. Trade skilling has become nothing more than pressing a few buttons and running to the broker to buy ingriedients. The market has dried up for most trade skill made items and only a few artisans can actually make any money with it...
Other than that, the game is just fine...Just remember, don't get caught up in the hype and what ever you do, DON'T think SOE is the beginning and end when it comes to game development. They sell a product for profit just like any other corporation. They do as little as possible to turn the greatest profit they can make. When EQ2 becomes no longer profitable, they will pull the plug on it just as if were a defective car...
Good Luck..
What is this?
Really.... what the hell is this?
They congratulate themselves for features introduced 4 years ago. Give away guides on how to start a game, when the game has been around for 4 years now.
They introduce the less priority improvements like voicechat and the likes, insist on propaganda about the CARD GAME instead of improving and implement real inovations and revamping the old world / finally fixing the broken AA trees.
And now we have here the EQ2 point of view of a noob??
Are this guys living on old memories or what? Wake the hell up, if its not too late for all pagan gods sake!!!!
We need real JUICE not this!
I am not sure how either of those two posts addressed the point of the article.
Enjoy your time in EQ2, it has a good friendly community.
Yes it is not being run as a charity. And yes, they have probably made some mistakes. I mean they only release expansions four times as often as Blizzard does, so obviously the development team is just spending all their time leaking info to their buddies.
And, no, I don't play EQ2 anymore.
I only did really play EQ games but i love them i think EQ2 deserves a fair chance if you don't like i you don't if you do you could at least make it the 2nd mmo you platy if you play more than one but enjoy any game you plat as long as your happy with what you get then more power to you ther only way you know is if you play it
I am in the same situation as "Ohreally", I ve been holding an active account with SoE for 8 years, and used to play EQ1, EQ2, SWG and Vanguard.
Of those above Vanguard is the one that stands as a game with potential, but too few people plays it so I left too.
At the moment I canceled my Station Pass, cause non of the games deserves my money.
Anyway coming back to EQ2 I believe that SoE doesn't understand a simple matter.........people is not stupid.
They sneaked a RMT system in the game and shove it down the throat to people who hate those things, by calling it with a nice name (LoN card game), this was actually the last straw.
In short that's whats wrong with EQ2, if SoE want to take notice good, otherwise it s their loss:
1) Last 2 expansions are absolutely crap (in particularly RoK). Too solo oriented, too super casual focused, took the challenge out of everything. The WoW transformation didn't happened I am afraid.....casual people still play WoW and people like me plays nothing....thanks to SoE.
2) LoN (Legend of Norrath) card game was an absolute disgrace. Sneaking RMT system in a game where comunity is overall against this kind of things is very dangerous indeed. Hope they scrap this shit.
3) WoWisation gone mad, I mention it early. At launch EQ2 was a nice challenging game. Then Smedley decided to go where no one else went before (apart for other 200) and try to copy WoW by transforming Eq2 in a souless game.
4) Lack of details in the world. Most of the new zones looks bump mapped and textures are bland and boring. Generally there is a lack of details that won't allow you to immerse yourself in the world.
5) Not enough customization. I think there are only 2 models of armor for each type (Cloth, Leather, Mail and Plate), which for a 4 y/o game is pretty poor. People want to look different and look like an hero.
That s the point in developing your character in an RPG. Instead they use the expansions to produce tons of bump mapped and uninspiring new zones (see above)
Yes Age of Conan had an impact on EQ2, but mostly all the problems this game has it's due to the ineptitude of Mr Smedley & Co. for having zero vision and no business acume whatsoever.
To be honest in my experience Eq2 is the second game SoE ruined after SWG, yes in a more subtle way, but it did.
If you played it since the beginning you know what I am talking about, therefore I will be wary playing another of their game, I don't trust their way of making business at all.
One thing is for sure, I won't buy DC Universe or the Agency, it is not my kind of game and I am sure not many people will like them.
Good luck to SoE going to that route, I think it will be a big fail, watch this space.
I am only interested in a EQ3 (or whatever they want to call it) kind of game, but only if it is challenging, immersive and fun to play.........although I doubt SoE is able to produce anything that has all those attribute at once.
So I won't lose any sleep on it.
PS: And for the people who says "If you don't like don't play it", well that's exactly what's happening.......people ain't playing it.
I generally want SoE to succeed and create great games, I know they can cause they created awesome games, like EQ, SWG and EQ2.
Their problem is that they are not good in updating their games, because generally instead of improving them, they ruin it......and that's what they have to address IMO.
it's not as simple as don't play it if you don't like it. SOE is using this new model to develop all of their MMO games. Easy, bland and boring..and the reason they are doing it is because their players let them. They make promises the don't intend to keep, release the game that has serious potential, and instead of developing the potential they trivialize every aspect of it. In the mean time people have poured hours into character development and don't want to feel cheated of their time, so they continue to try to play the game, even though the game isn't what is used to be, and is not living up to promises made by the developer...and BAM.... instant captive audience...the ONLY way to show SOE that their "vision" isn't working is to walk away. It's a game, there is more than one, go play another if you must play MMOs. If you can pull yourself away from the keyboard, go outside, see a movie, a ball game, go to the beach...go ANYWHERE....collect rocks, collect stamps, it certainly can't be any less boring that killing the same skeleton/gnoll/orc models for 80 levels....
Do something better.
Besides, such an article is good for other newbies - which are, in fact, the new blood that may revive the game.
"if you don't like it, dont play it"
Now that's a clever argument. First of all, i used to like it, i was there at launch, i was there for almost 4 years without a break.
I even paid the monthly fee without playing for months here and there, cause i believed devs would somehow turn the game into FUN again.
The game was absolutely gorgeous and fun for the first year, my ONLY character, a Berserker, was REALLY up to his name. I really felt like a berzerker when grouped and boy was i useful in a party, wether tanking or DPSing, everyone respected my class and i felt i did a change, for a change.
Then suddenly, it all became slowly getting worse. Washed down zones in terms of challenge, thundering steppes became a kindergarten place. Solo content is important sure, but taking away the challenge of almost every zone in the game was lame.
Not that i didnt solo, on the contrary, i was soloing almost 80% of the time before, but damn it was hard, but i simply LOVED it.
Then came the usual nerfs, thanks to the whines of some classes, they got what they deserved, better DPS, but my class became more and more equal to others to a point where we didnt have anything better to offer anymore, just a gimped version of other classes.
Then was the pigeonhole system. Only one valid tree in my class was worth the effort, despite all the commentaries, suggestions and ideas of the player base - shouldnt the game be for the players instead for the purse-only?
I saw guilds falling apart, people leaving. Expansions didnt bring much in terms of creativity.
PvP was a joke since the beginning, arenas are empty, challenges became sparse, rewards became obsolete.
The old world became a ruin of what once shined like a diamond. I remember playing EQ2 and WOW at the same time and thinking to myself how much better the fighting system was in EQ2, how much better the community was.
Alas, it is a shadow from the past now. The introduction of Epic weapons was the last straw for me. Besides having 3 AA trees, once again they gave us a 1h weapon option only, with the looks of some crafty dildo that a 3 y.o child could design better.
What's worse, the stats on the supposedly "epic" item, was simply crap for my class. And the exodus worsened even more.
Washed down tanks betrayed to first class ones (guardians) with almost if not equal DPS to my class.
I was faithful till the end, played my Zerker till the end. How many of you can say the same since 2004?
Im out for now, been out for months now. Still look at pictures stored in a folder getting dust from past memories and remember how great this game was.
How great it was to be a Zerker in EQ2.... but not anymore. Until SOE fixes this game with a 180 degree curve, i will be out.
Ideas? There are plenty in the forums if they listened to players.
Want mine? I got dozens of them, not only for my class but for the game in general. Go check the EQ2 forums, i was there fighting for this game.
Each time i quit the game, i leave my personal comments to SOE. They just dont give a damn anymore.
All i see now is old news, tutorials of playing from scratch, like if veterans didnt know how to use a stick.
This is an insult to the player base and yes, we deserve to complain cause i sure paid my bills till some months ago just to see a dream becoming a nightmare.
I couldn't read the rest. You're tired. Find a single player game for two minuntes. Stop giving them "money for 2004" and take a break.
Do something better.
Besides, such an article is good for other newbies - which are, in fact, the new blood that may revive the game.
It's not going to happen. The ratio of people leaving versus people starting new or even returning is very high. Run through the newb zones, yes there are a few people here and there, mostly flying higher level guild tags because they are alts, not newbs...It's pretty easy to tell. Turn on level 1-9 and 10-19 chat and see how many truly newbish questions are being asked....next to none. There are a few, but not nearly enough to revitalize the game. I am not saying it couldn't happen...if SOE would revamp the newbie zones and ADVERTISE the game I think it could draw a lot of players, particularly those from the Asian markets....but they won't spend the money....their only interest lies in making as much profit from this game while minimizing their expenses. Remember unlike the other game companies, SOEs parent Sony (remember them?) has to justify it's costs and report it's earnings to it's share holders....customers come in second place....
"I couldn't read the rest. You're tired. Find a single player game for two minuntes. Stop giving them "money for 2004" and take a break."
That's what usually happens when people dont have arguments... aint it?
Try more lol
I wrote this article because not only was I the new EQ2 Correspondent, but I am also new to the game. I'm sure there are other players who are interested in perhaps trying this game, and I wanted to share my experience with making a character and perusing the economy for everyone.
I'm sorry you don't enjoy the game. I've been enjoying it thus far, and I'll be upgrading my trial soon.
The contents of this post do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com and its management.
I play it and so do my kids. yes parts are in need of change. I beta'd and played on and off from the beginning.
Played WOW and did not like it. Hoping that WAR will spark some interest when it comes out since I haven't received a beta invite yet.
people need to be less stressed about this, this is not the wife cheating, it is a game like many others out there. Find something you like and have fun.
Great article!
I too am new to EQ2 and have been finding it very enjoyable. I'm sorry to see there are some people who feel so personally slighted by SOE that they find it necessary to respond with massive negativity about the game in reply to an article designed for new players. Why try to spoil new players' fun just because you feel owed something by the company?
To the negativists out there. Just admit it that EverQuest II is stil the best MMO out there.
It offers the most content, most features, most of everything what is out there in it's genre.
Next to EVE Online, but that's a different genre. A very great game too and don't forget (in reply to first negative post) that some DEV cheated a HELL LOT WORSE, with MUCH MUCH and ACTUAL impact on the game world that even made it to the headlines of popular newspapers! And guess what? That DEV is also still working at CCP. And guess what too? Subscription numbers in EVE Online are still rising.
The whole truth with EverQuest II is, is that SOE just simply cannot do anything right. There will always be people complaining.
Me too, Im with EverQuest II since the beginning back in 2004.
I remember the forums being full of whine in how hard and tedious the game was. Mounts being nearly impossible to get (only at endlevel with a tedious plat grind) and thus people complaining about spending 99% of their gametime in endless traveling! Making the leveling even more tedious then it already was.
Next to that, some zones were so ridiculous hard and thus required constant FORCED grouping, also causing massive whine on the forums. Hardly any quest was solo'able and over 50-60% of them led you into dungeons that NEEDed grouping!
Death Penalty was severe and the corpsrunning was tedious and frustrating the least to MANY!
People were leaving by the TONS because of the above! Only a few elitish hardcore players / guilds were left and the servers already started to turn into ghosttowns after the first 4-5 months.
So SOE had to do something! They had to make things easier. As the few elitish hardcore players were NOT enough to keep the game vital, healthy and affordable to run on the longterm.
These people, these Elitish Hardcore crowd living in their little dreamworld, still thinking that they are part of a vast majority seriously need to WAKE UP!
How many of the EverQuest II playerbase you think is able to do the TOP END Hardcore RAID dungeons? I know. Hardly 3 to 5% of the TOTAL playerbase!
And yet these Elitish Hardcore players think they deserve a CONSTANT attention and CONSTANT priority from SOE. And oh they make themselves heard on the forums alright. It's becoming sad!
SOE tried to focus on the TRUE MAJORITY of the playerbase. Players that ARE casual, have a RealLife too, don't have time to spend 10 hours a day in the game. Players that play the game for FUN!
Sure SOE screwed up with some things here and there in EverQuest 2 (and please leave the NGE on SWG in the past for a change and move on), but there are plenty of MMO companies that can screw things up a lot better atm. (NcSoft with Tabula Rasa, Perpetual Entertainment in General, FunCom with Age of Conan, Auran Games with Fury, Flagship with Hellgate: London and I can go on).
And the whole Legends of Norath thing. I hate it to the guts too! But guess what, I just ignore the darn cardgame and not bothered by it.
What EverQuest 2 offers today is the BEST game experience a casual gamer can get (and even the more hardcore players)!
The only TRUE problem is, that SOE knows jack jit about Marketing and just plain FAILS on properly advertising their games! And that's the REAL shame in all of this.
They only look within their country the USA, while there is a vast vast potential playerbase here in Europe that could seriously boost the game with subscriber numbers if they ever get of their lazy asses and start advertising their games here in Europe too!
EverQuest 2 is a great game!
Cheers
You wrote a one sided and very biased view of the game and it wouldn't be fair to encourage new players to try EQ2 without them knowing the full story from the eyes and opinions (after all, your article is just your opinion) of other who have been playing EQ2 and other SOE games for a long time.
EQ2 has issues, but it's not so much the game that is the problem. The game has real potential even beyond was it is today. It's SOE who refuses to maximize that potential with lazy developing and out right lies. I think it's only fair that people know up front what has transpired before they send money to a company with a history of lying to their customers....
You wrote a one sided and very biased view of the game and it wouldn't be fair to encourage new players to try EQ2 without them knowing the full story from the eyes and opinions (after all, your article is just your opinion) of other who have been playing EQ2 and other SOE games for a long time.
EQ2 has issues, but it's not so much the game that is the problem. The game has real potential even beyond was it is today. It's SOE who refuses to maximize that potential with lazy developing and out right lies. I think it's only fair that people know up front what has transpired before they send money to a company with a history of lying to their customers....
For crying out loud! He wrote an artcle from the POINT of VIEW from a NEWBIE! Of course he cannot see through all points of view!
Why don't you go back to school, read some good books from world literature, do some classes about analyzing stories, texts, learn about what it is to criticize a text based on skill writing (and why not learn something along the way) - then you might see that you're one lousy troller, whose only drive is to lay down YOUR opinions, hurt by some company, spending his time trying to drag others to the bottom of the pit you are now.
You wrote a one sided and very biased view of the game and it wouldn't be fair to encourage new players to try EQ2 without them knowing the full story from the eyes and opinions (after all, your article is just your opinion) of other who have been playing EQ2 and other SOE games for a long time.
EQ2 has issues, but it's not so much the game that is the problem. The game has real potential even beyond was it is today. It's SOE who refuses to maximize that potential with lazy developing and out right lies. I think it's only fair that people know up front what has transpired before they send money to a company with a history of lying to their customers....
I didn't feel the article mislead me in any way and who are you to somehow be the watchmen for someone looking to try a new game. He wrote about his experience as a new player and passed on some good basic tips, I felt it was a good intro article and hope to see more from him.
Also it's not like Sony makes a dime from my 15day trial so if it sucks who cares all I have wasted is my own time downloading it.
No, being tired of a game is what happens when *you* played it for four years with only one toon and one profession. You played the game from one dimension, and now you want them to *fix* it? You want them to somehow find it in their hearts to make you the uber class again so you don't have to re-roll a different class?
Seems to me your problem is based in your own laziness. You will not see me support SOE often, but that post was awful.
Then, you kept paying for it?
Wait a minute, the EverQuest II correspondent is just starting the game and has not even subscribed yet?
I just don't understand the logic there.
I do want the "other point of view," however.
Either send me a mail here, or email me at empireof1 at mchsi dot com if you want to express your issues with the game. I want to read what you have to say for an upcoming article.
The contents of this post do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com and its management.
And your view isnt biased? As your view on EQ2's history is YOUR biased view and not mine nor many many other current subscribers within EQ2. Also longterm vets since 2004.
Because YOU didn't like the nessessary changes SOE had to make on EQ2, there are many many other, again current subscribers within EQ2 who applauded these welcome changes and additions to the game.
The writer for this article is a NEWBIE to EverQuest 2! Hence the title of the article! So yes he writes an article about the current state of the game and his current NEWBIE experience!
No one is interested in your trolling, undermining his well written article. You are just as sad as all those SWG vets still bashing SOE in EVERY goddarn thread to date, because of the NGE update years ago!
This Anti-SOE campain has gone on far too long now and is getting beyond sad even.
After all these years we know how you all feel. We know you all want to feed The Smed to the pigs. So get over it!
Me, as one of those SWG vets who was disgruntled and disheartened by the NGE update that destroyed our beloved SWG game fed The Smed to the pigs, dogs, sharks, whatever else available, years ago and moved on!
Cheers
I'm coming from another game. I haven't had a chance yet to buy the game and upgrade my trial.
The contents of this post do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com and its management.
ohreally's post was mindnumbingly long and whiney so I'll assume you read it.
I can personally attest to most of what this very unfortunately upset shill . . er . .poster is saying. The game is easier than launch. There has been a bunch of new content added since launch. Its a great way to make a profit for SOE.
If there is a problem, it's the population. The population took a serious hit from AoC launch. It got so bad that I was mindboggled into canceling all of my accounts. I hate soloing and groups were few and far between. But I am reading now that AoC is a big pile of steaming crap. I have played enough of these since 1999 to know that when people leave that brand new steaming pile of crap, they go back to the best games out there.
EQ2 is still one of the best games out there.
My one piece of advice is do stuff. The ruleset is extremely horizontal. There are a bazillion things you can do at every level. Try stuff. respec. Go to a new zone. This is the brilliance of EQ2. It's sheer size. You don't get that in new games. You get that in old decrepit games like EQ2.
Unfortunately, I will not be joining. I am spending more time with my family. . . .until WAR comes out anyway.
Answer to your first paragraph. Yes, Sony's original vision was a 200 level cap and lots of adventure packs which would cost $5 - $10 each but they decided to do away with adventure packs and release new content/zones with each game update (FOR FREE). Tell me, would you rather buy the adventure packs or get them for free in a game update. I vote free but you can pay if you want to.
Answer to paragraph two. Get a clue, Devs were feeding raid strats to Ne Plus Ultra, not quest info for epic weapons. If you were in the global chat channels on the first day that epics were released, you would have seen how everyone was working together to get their epics. Most NPU member did discover the Mythical version because the quest updates were in high end raid zones and they were almost the only guild clearing that content. (there were a couple of others like Dissolution ).
Anyways... no, eq2 is not perfect but I believe it's the best/deepest fantasy mmo on the market at the moment.