Everquest 2 (2016)

klash2def

Okay so now that the dust is starting to settle for EQN.. I started to get that classic MMO itch again but I really can't play wow anymore so the next best thing for me was to go back and give EQ2 a shot.

What are the chances  that a lot of people still play and also since EQN is closed do you think DB is going to put more focus on updating EQ2? I know they just announced the spring update for it.

My question are for people who do play.. what's the community like these days? Are people coming back to the game now that EQN is done?

I heard there are a lot of bitter people..and people arent too helpful..true or false?  whats a good server to roll on? 
Should I sub? 

Lots of questions but just kinda need a general idea of the state of the game

phoenixfire2

I have the same itch.  Not sure if I want to play some EQ or EQ2 though.  I'll be going for the sub when I decide.

Soki123

klash2def said:

Okay so now that the dust is starting to settle for EQN.. I started to get that classic MMO itch again but I really can't play wow anymore so the next best thing for me was to go back and give EQ2 a shot.

What are the chances  that a lot of people still play and also since EQN is closed do you think DB is going to put more focus on updating EQ2? I know they just announced the spring update for it.

My question are for people who do play.. what's the community like these days? Are people coming back to the game now that EQN is done?

I heard there are a lot of bitter people..and people arent too helpful..true or false?  whats a good server to roll on? 
Should I sub? 

Lots of questions but just kinda need a general idea of the state of the game

EQ2 is a gem, IMO. I find now Maj Dal server is great, not bitter people and helpful as hell. Server is busy as well. Subbing is the only way I ll play EQ2, and my wife and I are currently subbed atm. We have the last 3 x pacs and mini expansion to go through. That said, we love the game with us 2 and mercs when there isn t a lot of grouping going on. We have our own little group basically.

A lot is end game heavy but theres a lot of systems in play to alleviate that. Joining a guild isn t hard, theres a good guild finding system, and you ll want to join one if you re into raiding.

I personally think it s one of the best on the market still, and we re having a blast playing it again. The Heritage quests and Signature quests alone keep us busy, as a lot of rewards are stuff to put into our houses, which I love.

Hope this helps.

scorpex-x

If you like the Everquest type system try FFXI, it's an everquest type mmo with better graphics (if you edit the registry to update the screen resolutions it looks great).

It's not a game that holds your hand at all though, you 100% need to check wiki and reddits to be able to play the game without getting completely lost in what to do.

Grimula

come on Over to the Maj'dul Server  Everquest 2     has a high population still

TONS of guilds to join and nice people to meet and play with  ^__^  still my favourite MMO to raid with

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Amathe

There are many, many good things about EQ2. And it has one of the best and nicest player communities you will find. 

It does not, however, in any way, shape or form remind one of Everquest.

You have to take EQ2 as it is, not as a true successor to Everquest. 

nationalcity

wait for pantheon... It's eq reskinned otherwise I guess eq2

klash2def

hmm okay thanks for the suggestions.. I'm going to roll myself a new toon and try to reconnect again! 

I appreciate the feedback.  

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Kiyoris

nationalcity said:

wait for pantheon... It's vanilla eq reskinned otherwise I guess eq2

corrected to be more precise

Honestly, this is maybe my biggest gripe about pantheon.It doesnt incorporate any of the changes made to EQ after the immediate launch.

Mikeha

I will always have a love for EQ 2. Its the only themepark mmo I have ever played that had real depth and immersed me in the world. 

flizzer

Kiyoris said:

nationalcity said:

wait for pantheon... It's vanilla eq reskinned otherwise I guess eq2

corrected to be more precise

Honestly, this is maybe my biggest gripe about pantheon.It doesnt incorporate any of the changes made to EQ after the immediate launch.

And this is what the EQ vets are so excited about. I wonder, however, if there are enough to make Pantheon successful.  I never played original EQ and have no desire today to play such a game.

Saelem

I tried to play it last week but it seems to freeze after the patch download on the loading screen

Kiyoris

flizzer said:

 I wonder, however, if there are enough to make Pantheon successful.  I never played original EQ and have no desire today to play such a game.

This is the question. And I have very strong doubts.

SoE (daybreak) launches a classic server every couple of months, and they are only mildly successful at launch, and then quickly the population drops.

The most successful classic servers are the ones that are the least classic-like. The ones where they add defiant armor and add newbee quests, where less zones are locked, where there is fast OOC regen.


I think the hype behind Pantheon is a lot of this:

hercules

i used to play eq2 and tbh i think its better then eq1
however before i left maybe 1-2 expacs back the standard of the expansions have certainly dropped from the earlier days but still extremely fun

phoenixfire2

Kiyoris said:

nationalcity said:

wait for pantheon... It's vanilla eq reskinned otherwise I guess eq2

corrected to be more precise

Honestly, this is maybe my biggest gripe about pantheon.It doesnt incorporate any of the changes made to EQ after the immediate launch.

That's pretty much a good thing for most oldschool EQers.  There are obviously some improvements that should be made such as UI, but gameplay itself should stay fairly true to EQ if they want to lure in the EQC crowd.  EQ was almost all downhill after PoP for me, and I didn't care much for Luclin either, but classic/kunark/velious/PoP eras were the bees knees, probably the majority of old EQ players would agree though some may omit PoP.

phoenixfire2

Kiyoris said:

flizzer said:

 I wonder, however, if there are enough to make Pantheon successful.  I never played original EQ and have no desire today to play such a game.

This is the question. And I have very strong doubts.

SoE (daybreak) launches a classic server every couple of months, and they are only mildly successful at launch, and then quickly the population drops.

The most successful classic servers are the ones that are the least classic-like. The ones where they add defiant armor and add newbee quests, where less zones are locked, where there is fast OOC regen.


I think the hype behind Pantheon is a lot of this:

Is that because players don't want that kind of game, or because most people who would want to play EQ have already done the progression once or many times?  For me, as much as I love EQ classic, I'm not terribly drawn to the progression servers because I've already seen it all many times over many years; and I've leveled every class except druid to max level and have max AAs on a few.  Pantheon will be a whole new game to explore and learn.

Edit: had* max AAs as of the last time I actively played (Veil of Alaris)

GladDog

I think Pantheon is in great shape for pre-alpha without a mega budget.  Their animations, character models and skills will be much more developed as time rolls on.  I'm not guaranteeing I will play it though, as I withhold judgement (and $$$) until I have a chance to try a game, in a almost ready to release beta.  I figure that in about a year, when they get to the beta testing stage, that I'll be making my judgment.  I hope it is as good as everyone expects it to be, but I'm having fun with ASTA, and still subbed to ESO.  ESO and EQ2 are the standards I'll hold this game to; not in precise gameplay, but in fun.  That's why we play games in the first place, right?

If City of Titans releases first, It may be a year or more before I give Pantheon a try.  I still miss City of Heroes, and the superhero genre of MMORPG (more precisely a-played-pretty-much-like-CoH superhero MMORPG) is where my heart belongs!

Kiyoris

phoenixfire2 said:

That's pretty much a good thing for most oldschool EQers.  There are obviously some improvements that should be made such as UI, but gameplay itself should stay fairly true to EQ if they want to lure in the EQC crowd.  EQ was almost all downhill after PoP for me, and I didn't care much for Luclin either, but classic/kunark/velious/PoP eras were the bees knees, probably the majority of old EQ players would agree though some may omit PoP.

A few things basically changed post-PoP. I think many for the better.

-travel became somewhat easier thanks to PoK
-there was less insane static camping for keys
-raids went from sandbag mobs to highly strategic fights, especially with Gates, far less zerg, far more strategy
-most raid zones, especially high-end, became instanced to avoid contested content drama
-the stat difference between raid and group gear was lowered, especially around TSS, you were no longer a demi-God because of one raid piece
-OOC regen was introduced for health and mana, no longer sitting and meditating for 10 minutes to regain your mana

I like post PoP far far more, EQ went from a game solely based on time-sinks, to one where strategy actually mattered, while still remaining true to its core group based interdependence.

The "old school" EQ of camping for weeks to get enough shards for zone access, is something very very few people are going to put up with in 2016.

The "old school" EQ of camping drama and contested content, is something very very few people are going to put up with in 2016.

Kiyoris

phoenixfire2 said:

Is that because players don't want that kind of game, or because most people who would want to play EQ have already done the progression once or many times?

The people who join the classic server are not "blue server players"....they're not players from the regular game that EQ is today.

(well, most aren't, there are always a few people coming from blue to classic, but few)

They're the people who stopped playing EQ 10 years ago, are often very nostalgic, often remember all the good things about EQ, and now are super excited to relive those moments.

Until they actually start playing of course. And those timesinks....are kinda long....very long....they forgot EQ was sometimes ... work. It took effort, it took time.. A LOT .. of time and a lot of grind to progress.

They now have a family and kids..or they do other things in real life that they want or need to dedicate time to....they're suddenly not so excited about the extremely slow progress they are making.

I've tried to help those old school players coming back, by jumping from a blue server to a classic for a few days in the week-end. My friend list of returnees usually has like 20 players on the first week-end, a week later...the next week-end...there are usually about 2 or 3 left. After a month, usually 0.

Expectation are reality are very different, especially when the driving force is nostalgia.

phoenixfire2

Kiyoris said:

phoenixfire2 said:

That's pretty much a good thing for most oldschool EQers.  There are obviously some improvements that should be made such as UI, but gameplay itself should stay fairly true to EQ if they want to lure in the EQC crowd.  EQ was almost all downhill after PoP for me, and I didn't care much for Luclin either, but classic/kunark/velious/PoP eras were the bees knees, probably the majority of old EQ players would agree though some may omit PoP.

A few things basically changed post-PoP. I think many for the better.

-travel became somewhat easier thanks to PoK
-there was less insane static camping for keys
-raids went from sandbag mobs to highly strategic fights, especially with Gates, far less zerg, far more strategy
-most raid zones, especially high-end, became instanced to avoid contested content drama
-the difference between raid and group gear was lowered, especially around TSS
-OOC regen was introduced for health and mana, no longer sitting and meditating for 10 minutes to regain your mana

I like post PoP far far more, EQ went from a game solely based on time-sinks, to one where strategy actually mattered, while still remaining true to its core group based interdependence.

The "old school" EQ of camping for weeks to get enough shards for zone access, is something very very few people are going to put up with in 2016.

The "old school" EQ of camping drama and contested content, is something very very few people are going to put up with in 2016.

I assume you mean the keying process for vex thal?  Yea it was horrible, and part of Luclin which like I said, I personally didn't care for much and it was when EQ started to slide.  I think the progression system in PoP was fair, though I doubt any game will bring back multiple day/week long spawns required for progression and probably shouldn't. 

For me the magic of EQ was all in the early stages.  Some of my fondest memories are orc camps, kith forest at night, oasis dock, trading in ec tunnel, killing skeletons and ghouls and asps along the wall in EC, jboots quest, lguk camps, treant and druid camps around the druid rings, the music, the sound effects, trains, hill giants/sand giants, first naggy raid, first fear and hate raids, vhalen nostromo (spelling? the single mob camp in south karana), aviak treehouse, quillmane, valuable buffs (SoW, Clarity, Haste etc.) and that's just some stuff from classic, nevermind kunark/velious/PoP.  I have almost zero nostalgia for post-pop era.  Very little indeed.

Most of the convenience stuff you mentioned is required to keep the game functioning today, but in its heyday with a flourishing population not necessary and would have taken away from the game immensely.

There are definitely systems that could be improved upon from EQC, I have no illusions about that, and I don't even want to play a game that's AS hardcore as EQC, today.  I just want a group focused grinder/crawler that doesn't hold my hand constantly with detailed maps, sparkling paths to my destination, no death penalty, no downtime, fast paced twitchy combat, forgettable quests, homogenized classes, every-man-for-himself dps zergfest garbage.  Even something in the middle between EQC and a modern MMO would be glorious.

Kiyoris

phoenixfire2 said:

I assume you mean the keying process for vex thal? 

Yes. The fact Vex Thal was so "exclusive" was one of the reasons why I joined the camp that argued that EQ expansions should focus less on the 1% (even though I was part of the 1%).

Starting with DoN, raid zones made for raiders, were also accessible to groupers. Dreadspire was both a group and raid zone.

Basically, it would be like removing all the raid mobs from Vex Thal, and turning it into a group zone with a different and easier keying process for the group zone. I'm a fan of those things, if only for the lore to make sense to everyone, not only the raiders. Often for groupers the lore didn't make sense, since they couldn't access the zones the lore was talking about.

Theocritus

FOr me all the magic occurred in EQ1 also.....I played WoW before I started EQ2 and once EQ2 was revamped it felt like I was still playing WoW.....Its too quest driven for my tastes......ALso the server I played on was a graveyard but cant remember its name atm

phoenixfire2

Kiyoris said:

phoenixfire2 said:

I assume you mean the keying process for vex thal? 

Yes. The fact Vex Thal was so "exclusive" was one of the reasons why I joined the camp that argued that EQ expansions should focus less on the 1% (even though I was part of the 1%).

Starting with DoN, raid zones made for raiders, were also accessible to groupers. Dreadspire was both a group and raid zone.

Basically, it would be like removing all the raid mobs from Vex Thal, and turning it into a group zone. I'm a fan of those things, if only for the lore to make sense to everyone, not only the raiders. Often for groupers the lore didn't make sense, since they couldn't access the zones the lore was talking about.

Not going to argue with you there.  I personally want a group oriented game.  I think raiding is inevitable and that's fine but I hope it's not the primary focus, as that's already proven disastrous, see: Wildstar.  I understand why EQ mostly pumps out raid content these days, because for the most part the only people still paying their bills are hardcore raiders and boxers that can often be found in older raid content.  IIRC Brad said Pantheon wouldn't even have raids at launch but I think they changed that stance later on.

Kiyoris

phoenixfire2 said:

 for the most part the only people still paying their bills are hardcore raiders and boxers

Yes, multiboxing is a major issue in my opinion.

I love EQ and trinity games, but the achilles heel is multiboxing, and I have no idea how Pantheon will solve this, because it's going to happen.

Post-TSS in EQ is when multiboxing became so widespread, that probably half the population was running around more than one character.


This is my fun chart, I had most fun up until TSS, multiboxing greatly reduced the fun I had after, EQ just felt less enjoyable.