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Did the new Expansion change the game?
JK-Kanosi
Member Posts: 1,357
...because the last time I played it (2007), it was unexciting and boring. I fealt the quest grind immediately after logging in. Maybe it is because I prefer to grind with a group on random mobs. I do appreciate good quests, which is why I love single player RPG's, but I didn't capture that feeling in EQ2 in my first 10-15 levels. I didn't once feel excited to gain the next level or to play the class I chose. I tried out many classes, but they all fealt the same as every class I tried in my previous MMORPGs.
So are the quests still pretty generic, or do they feel epic? Is it exciting to explore the land? Are there places that make veteran MMORPG players say "wow!" Do people group a lot on AB server, because they didn't at lower levels, which was a big turn off. You can find a group in DAoC still at lvl 5 if you wanted one.
Lastly, since the all-in-one pack is $39, I am not sure I want to test my luck again. I bought the game a couple years ago and have all of the expansion except DoF and RoK, so I'd rather download the all-in-one. I'm not a cheap skate, I just don't want my excitement of getting a new rig that can play anything on the market now cloud my judgment or my sense of boredom with DAoC. I kind of feel like I've done it all and seen it all. Not sure if RoK will rekindle that excitement of playing a new MMORPG. Plus, I never was a fan of quest based games, due to the menial nature of the quests NPCs send you on.
Oh, does the free trial include RoK? If it did, I could test the new content on my own and see for myself if it excited me or not.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
Comments
personally I never thought eq2 was forced questing, there was always so many instances and dungeons available that I never felt I "had" to quest.
The all in one is great if your starting out, but you need to realize the content is 1 - 20 and then 70 - 80. You can start in kunark, but the quests dry up around 19 - 22 depending on how many you do and how many mobs you kill.
You cant really come back till 70.
So if you hated EQ2 before... not much has changed, and odds are you wont like it again. However, if you liked it previously, then its definitely worth picking up again.
did you mean you have everything but EOF or DOF?
DOF (desert of flames) was the 1st expansion
EOF (echoes of Faydwer) was the 3rd expansion with new content added for all levels 1-70
you said you last played in 2007 so its hard to say,
because the EOF retail box from 2006 has everything but ROK
if you have not tried EQ2 with the EOF expansion,
I recommend trying the trial to see what the newbie area of Greater Fay is like
the trial does not include Kunark content
EQ2 fan sites
The Kunark content for levels 70-80 is more or less quest based and the vast majority of it solo too
so leveling from 70-80 is mostly solo questing if you level in rok. in the last levels you can start visiting instances and gain some xp there.
overall you have 3 contested dungeons, 5 instances (but i have to say one of them is quite small), so thats not less than in previous expansions. risk/reward is ok for the instances so people keep doing them, but it does not feel right for the dungeons so nearly noone goes to sebilis or chardok unless he needs updates for his epic quest there. (which in the end means you have a lot group content that is not really used).
did you mean you have everything but EOF or DOF?
DOF (desert of flames) was the 1st expansion
EOF (echoes of Faydwer) was the 3rd expansion with new content added for all levels 1-70
you said you last played in 2007 so its hard to say,
because the EOF retail box from 2006 has everything but ROK
if you have not tried EQ2 with the EOF expansion,
I recommend trying the trial to see what the newbie area of Greater Fay is like
the trial does not include Kunark content
I bought the game before EoF ever came out. At the time when I bought EQ2, they only had a box that had the original game + KoS expansion. DoF wasn't included. I've resubbed twice since the time I bought it 2 years ago. I never made it past the first 30 days when I first bought it, because no one wanted to group and I had to run the graphics at below average, and at that time, grouping was paramount for me. I only made it to level 17 that time, but played several different classes during that month. I then returned after EoF came out, since there was a lot of buzz going around for it. I still encountered the same thing, couldn't find a group for the early levels. I'm used to being able to group from at least level 5 onwards, so this was unacceptable. Lastly, I returned after I heard they came out with a new starting area that everyone was starting at now. At that time, it was no ones fault that I quit, but my own. My heart wasn't in the game, because I was playing Vanguard at the same time and was enjoying grouping.
DAoC is a great game and I love it to death, but I've played the majority of the classes up to a high level and the PvP does get old after a while. Plus I want to test my new system. I could play EQ2 above whatever the average setting was last time, but like I said, my heart wasn't in the game at the time.
It's a shame that I cannot play RoK on the free trial. If I could, I would download the trial right now and test it out, making it to where most people like to group at least. I'd probably buy the game at that time, since I love to group, but since they don't have RoK in the trial, I will just pass I guess. Tabula Rasa has a trial and I haven't tried that game yet. Tabula Rasa is also only $19.99 if I decide to buy it, whereas EQ2 is $39.99. Since I want to play AoC in the Spring, I really don't want to spend $39.99 on a game I am not sure I would even like.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
so leveling from 70-80 is mostly solo questing if you level in rok. in the last levels you can start visiting instances and gain some xp there.
overall you have 3 contested dungeons, 5 instances (but i have to say one of them is quite small), so thats not less than in previous expansions. risk/reward is ok for the instances so people keep doing them, but it does not feel right for the dungeons so nearly noone goes to sebilis or chardok unless he needs updates for his epic quest there. (which in the end means you have a lot group content that is not really used).
I've heard the same discouraging things after every expansion has been released for EQ2. EQ2 has a plethora of quests, but people skip a lot of it, because it isn't "worth" their time. Kind of turns me off from the game, since I have never played any content above level 15. To be fair, most games that come out with more than 1 area to level for that particular level range ends up with a favorite area and a ghost town area. This is why it is so important for me to get into a game at launch now. I just feel like I am really behind the EQ2 power curb and will never catch up in a reasonable amount of time to the higher levels. Especially if I am wasting time trying to find groups to experience content that no one wants to do.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
ROK includes a newbie area that has the *best gear* in game under 20
- the gear is from solo quests
its also the most popular newbie area due to the insane gear
but no,
it wont compare to the launch of a new game or a new server
Antonia Bayle is the most popular EQ2 server with people of all levels if you decide to try EQ2 again
- and theres also the mentoring system that lets *everyone* group regardless of their REAL level
EQ2 fan sites
I just bought the RoK all-in-one pack and have not been able to stop playing. It is the best MMO to play while waiting for AoC/WAR.
The community is very helpful and you dont have people spamming the chat channel with debates like in WoW.
The graphics take some getting used to. While they are fantastic I haven't really seen any armor or weapons that make your jaw drop. I found the best way to appreciate the graphics is to have a really good computer that will let you play with a steady 40-50 fps on High quality or better, also if you take the time to zoom in on your armor you will see all the detail and artwork that goes into it.
It just isnt as how should i say anime/cartoony as I normally like, but it has grown on me.
For a new player starting with all expansions I would recommend starting as a Fae or a Sarnak to really appreciate how great of a game this is.
i want to correct it a bit, there is about same amount of group content in rok as in previous expansions but most of it is dungeons and instances which are aimed at lvl 80s.so leveling from 70-80 is mostly solo questing if you level in rok. in the last levels you can start visiting instances and gain some xp there.
overall you have 3 contested dungeons, 5 instances (but i have to say one of them is quite small), so thats not less than in previous expansions. risk/reward is ok for the instances so people keep doing them, but it does not feel right for the dungeons so nearly noone goes to sebilis or chardok unless he needs updates for his epic quest there. (which in the end means you have a lot group content that is not really used).
So as i said you solo the game
The risk going into the dungoens are not worth the effort unless,as you said you need updates for quests,which even as a hardened soloer i find very sad,becuase every now and again i do like the odd dungeon crawl.
so leveling from 70-80 is mostly solo questing if you level in rok. in the last levels you can start visiting instances and gain some xp there.
overall you have 3 contested dungeons, 5 instances (but i have to say one of them is quite small), so thats not less than in previous expansions. risk/reward is ok for the instances so people keep doing them, but it does not feel right for the dungeons so nearly noone goes to sebilis or chardok unless he needs updates for his epic quest there. (which in the end means you have a lot group content that is not really used).
I've heard the same discouraging things after every expansion has been released for EQ2. EQ2 has a plethora of quests, but people skip a lot of it, because it isn't "worth" their time. Kind of turns me off from the game, since I have never played any content above level 15. To be fair, most games that come out with more than 1 area to level for that particular level range ends up with a favorite area and a ghost town area. This is why it is so important for me to get into a game at launch now. I just feel like I am really behind the EQ2 power curb and will never catch up in a reasonable amount of time to the higher levels. Especially if I am wasting time trying to find groups to experience content that no one wants to do.
In this week i've found my server runnyeye getting quieter as the weeks gone on,but its been very busy since ROK but maybe its becuase of the easter holidays things are alittle bit quiter this week,time will tell.As Nadia says rightly too,the newbie area in ROK is madness and for me sums up all that is wrong with ROK,the insanely overpowered gear thats there beats the crap out of anything pre-rok,something that needs to be addressed in the next expansion thats for sure.
Quests though as you say theres tons of them,and its up to you if you feel you need to do them i like doing them but i know everyones not like me.
What ever happened to the days of an expansion's new gear NOT outshining the gear from the previous version of the game? I played Everquest through half a dozen expansions and that game seemed to get expansions right. In EQ, your character always managed to hang on to (at least one) piece of really great gear from a previous expansion because it had some specific stat that was better than any other gear, or that would at least act as a good ghetto replacement until you could find the new expansion gear. Back in EQ, you didn't need to be in the previous expansion's l337 garb to enjoy the content of the new expansion...
Look at what Blizzard did with the BC expansion. It practically slapped in the face every character that was forced to be level 60 for a year and a half by putting out 'junky' green drops from trash mobs with stats that could rival or exceed gear found in the original raid dungeons... how was this expansion satisfying to the gamer that had so much free time between expansions that he had 6-8 level 60 characters all equipped with the best raid gear pre-BC.
ALL game companies need to tweak the expansion experience for it's gamers....
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In the 3 pre ROK expansions all gear WAS upgraded but it was done in a way that was gradual,not like the armour you get in ROK which in mny cases is better than raid gear.
This isnt WOW,its EQ2 and i expect better than we got in ROK