They have made the low level game a lot more fun then it used to be. I soloed a wizzy from 1-10 in about a week not too long ago. It took me a month to do that in the olden days. It's an enormous world with deep lore, like nothing else out on the market. I love heading to the Plane of Knowledge and just reading books.
But it will be a love it or hate it affair. A lot of newer players get turned off by the frustrating (out of date, sometimes broken) quests, the cluncky graphics, the archaic system for selling items to other players, the fact that mainly shut-ins get to see the end game, and then fact that roughly half of the classes are horrifically bad soloers. I'd go for the trial and see what you think.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I recommend you play a bard if you play. Bards can solo from level 1, you can run fast as hell, do almost everything other classes can, mass kite insane #s of mobs for sick exp, and you dont require uber equipment. Only 'hard' thing is learning to play a bard which isnt too bad of a curve considering the rewards. All I can say is beg a centi shortsword or something to make it to 18. Once 18 leave brass on over night and then go to bazaar buy a 10 charge sow potion with all your money and go kill bandits in paludal. Just click a charge in the nexus then run into shadowhaven run to paludal and use your horn to AE kite all the bandits. Once 26 from this and you have a decent set of armor, go old world and camp outside splitpaw. Do the whole spawn AE kiting. By then you will be 30s and know what you want to do. You can now charm kite, fear kite, AE Kite, DoT kite, group up with /follow and use a twist macro to twist 3 songs for the group... get xp overnight :-P
I might go back and play just for old times sake Play a bard solo to 60 in my spare time, no twinking all my own skills/money/quests P.S. Is the gnollslayer still in game?
EQ is worth trying just to see how the game works and have some first hand knowledge of its game mechanics. The game is used quite often as a yard stick to measure or comapre other games features - especially on discussion forums.
As the others mentioned, Druids are a good choice to start - self sufficient and an easy class to level and solo.
Originally posted by Dabutt EQ is and will always be one of the original MMO's that started it all. yes you can pick up a game like WoW, EQ2, or Eve where Grinding is not neccacary, but none of those games even come close to the Depth of EQ, in Content and Gameplay. There was never a point in this game, even when grinding, when i was bored, always more to do and more to explore. even once u hit the lvl cap, houndreds of AA's and a seemingly endless amount of bosses and gear to kill and get. EQ2 comes close in content but lacks the gameplay depth, WoW is fun to play but lacks any depth of any kind.
Maybe the reason they dont have the same depth lies in the fact that WoW and EQ2 are like 5-6 years younger then EQ.
"Maybe the reason they dont have the same depth lies in the fact that WoW and EQ2 are like 5-6 years younger then EQ"
Nope, EQ1 had that feeling from Day 1. Im burnt out on EQ1 from being in a 5-6 day a week raiding guild and havent played in a year, but I played EQ2 and WoW for a month each. Neither have the "magic".
Originally posted by Zuran So, before I give this game a go, can anyone tell me how long it takes to level? I probably won't mind the grinding at first.
Levelling to level 10 shouldn't take that long, and it shouldn't seem like much of a grind. Once you accept certain things that reflect when the game was originally released, like the conversation system (you need to watch for words in brackets, but even then, ocassionally, you have to just guess at what the key words you need to type in are, or the conversation won't go any further). Paladin trainer in Froglok starting area, for instance, has been broken since day one and still is. The word in brackets ISN'T the key phrase at all. God that annoyed the crap out of me -- yet, I kept playing. And that's the magic of Everquest, a magic that hasn't been caught by any of the latest generation games for a lot of us: despite the grind, despite the graphics (actually, originally, the graphics were great, remember the game is NOW old but it WASN'T when it came out), there was just this magic "thing", this undefinable, that kept us playing endlessly (hence the well-known title of Evercrack).
I would try EQ1, certainly. Probably 3 of my top 4 experiences in any MMORPG came from EQ1. Just remember: if you're going to judge it based on whether it looks like EQ2 or a current-day game, and that's the basis for judgment, don't bother. If you're looking for a vast, immersive world filled with wonder and splendor and the ability to explore for yourself, then EQ1 has a lot to offer. Start a few different characters, just to get a look at the different starting cities and the areas around them, to get a "look" at the diversity of the game's geography.
Hehe, I think you should definitely try EverQuest out now if you're interested. They have nice tutorials and quests for the newer, lower end characters now, and they are extremely helpful and you can easily get groups there.
As for the grinding.. you grind if you want to.. it's up to you, of course.
- Tienaere Damondred, 70High Priestess of the Nameless -Onela Damondred, Necro/Ranger of Guild Wars. -Onela, Magician/Wizard of Ragnarok.
EQ is an excellent MMO and very involved in many different fassions. It took me a long time and many more MMO's to realize that. Leveling isn't that bad of a grind until you get past 30 maybe even 40, I was regularly getting 2-3 levels a day playing 3 hours or less a day (not bad for a gamer) But I was a Necro, and 8% of yer level a kill ain't shabby Also EQ has been around for AGES, there's enough Weblore to help out with some of those wonderful "Quest brackets" Look around at Everlore or Allakhazam's they're amazingly helpful. But I digress, If you want to solo pick Necromancer 100% They can solo more readily at ANY level than any other class in the game And those sites give great places to do it, I still have fond memories of the "grind" from 24-29 where I was killing rangers and druids in WC for cash/exp. And As a level 65 Necro (yeah I quit before 70 was implmented I solo'd almost my entire way up (grouping at 62-63 was easier than kiting HOH mobs) But if you're looking for something easy Beastlord is excellent, druid definately, if you're looking for some exciting balls to the wall if I fuck up I'm gonna get smashed play a necro 8) they're excellent.
Ps Feign Death only works when you've killed a froglok. GL all
Oh I disagree. I had one of every character type in the game at one point, up to 34.
The easiest was the Bard to solo. There was nothing I couldn't accomplish.
__________________________
"For one who seeks what he cannot obtain suffers torture; one who has what is not desirable is cheated; and one who does not seek what is worth seeking is diseased." - Augustine of Hippo
Comments
They have made the low level game a lot more fun then it used to be. I soloed a wizzy from 1-10 in about a week not too long ago. It took me a month to do that in the olden days. It's an enormous world with deep lore, like nothing else out on the market. I love heading to the Plane of Knowledge and just reading books.
But it will be a love it or hate it affair. A lot of newer players get turned off by the frustrating (out of date, sometimes broken) quests, the cluncky graphics, the archaic system for selling items to other players, the fact that mainly shut-ins get to see the end game, and then fact that roughly half of the classes are horrifically bad soloers. I'd go for the trial and see what you think.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
I recommend you play a bard if you play. Bards can solo from level 1, you can run fast as hell, do almost everything other classes can, mass kite insane #s of mobs for sick exp, and you dont require uber equipment. Only 'hard' thing is learning to play a bard which isnt too bad of a curve considering the rewards. All I can say is beg a centi shortsword or something to make it to 18. Once 18 leave brass on over night and then go to bazaar buy a 10 charge sow potion with all your money and go kill bandits in paludal. Just click a charge in the nexus then run into shadowhaven run to paludal and use your horn to AE kite all the bandits. Once 26 from this and you have a decent set of armor, go old world and camp outside splitpaw. Do the whole spawn AE kiting. By then you will be 30s and know what you want to do. You can now charm kite, fear kite, AE Kite, DoT kite, group up with /follow and use a twist macro to twist 3 songs for the group... get xp overnight :-P
I might go back and play just for old times sake
Play a bard solo to 60 in my spare time, no twinking all my own skills/money/quests 
P.S. Is the gnollslayer still in game? 
EQ is worth trying just to see how the game works and have some first hand knowledge of its game mechanics. The game is used quite often as a yard stick to measure or comapre other games features - especially on discussion forums.
As the others mentioned, Druids are a good choice to start - self sufficient and an easy class to level and solo.
Rahu-Ketu-Puja
"Maybe the reason they dont have the same depth lies in the fact that WoW and EQ2 are like 5-6 years younger then EQ"
Nope, EQ1 had that feeling from Day 1. Im burnt out on EQ1 from being in a 5-6 day a week raiding guild and havent played in a year, but I played EQ2 and WoW for a month each. Neither have the "magic".
Levelling to level 10 shouldn't take that long, and it shouldn't seem like much of a grind. Once you accept certain things that reflect when the game was originally released, like the conversation system (you need to watch for words in brackets, but even then, ocassionally, you have to just guess at what the key words you need to type in are, or the conversation won't go any further). Paladin trainer in Froglok starting area, for instance, has been broken since day one and still is. The word in brackets ISN'T the key phrase at all. God that annoyed the crap out of me -- yet, I kept playing. And that's the magic of Everquest, a magic that hasn't been caught by any of the latest generation games for a lot of us: despite the grind, despite the graphics (actually, originally, the graphics were great, remember the game is NOW old but it WASN'T when it came out), there was just this magic "thing", this undefinable, that kept us playing endlessly (hence the well-known title of Evercrack).
I would try EQ1, certainly. Probably 3 of my top 4 experiences in any MMORPG came from EQ1. Just remember: if you're going to judge it based on whether it looks like EQ2 or a current-day game, and that's the basis for judgment, don't bother. If you're looking for a vast, immersive world filled with wonder and splendor and the ability to explore for yourself, then EQ1 has a lot to offer. Start a few different characters, just to get a look at the different starting cities and the areas around them, to get a "look" at the diversity of the game's geography.
Hehe, I think you should definitely try EverQuest out now if you're interested. They have nice tutorials and quests for the newer, lower end characters now, and they are extremely helpful and you can easily get groups there.
As for the grinding.. you grind if you want to.. it's up to you, of course.
- Tienaere Damondred, 70High Priestess of the Nameless
-Onela Damondred, Necro/Ranger of Guild Wars.
-Onela, Magician/Wizard of Ragnarok.
EQ is an excellent MMO and very involved in many different fassions. It took me a long time and many more MMO's to realize that. Leveling isn't that bad of a grind until you get past 30 maybe even 40, I was regularly getting 2-3 levels a day playing 3 hours or less a day (not bad for a gamer) But I was a Necro, and 8% of yer level a kill ain't shabby
Also EQ has been around for AGES, there's enough Weblore to help out with some of those wonderful "Quest brackets" Look around at Everlore or Allakhazam's they're amazingly helpful. But I digress, If you want to solo pick Necromancer 100% They can solo more readily at ANY level than any other class in the game And those sites give great places to do it, I still have fond memories of the "grind" from 24-29 where I was killing rangers and druids in WC for cash/exp. And As a level 65 Necro (yeah I quit before 70 was implmented I solo'd almost my entire way up (grouping at 62-63 was easier than kiting HOH mobs) But if you're looking for something easy Beastlord is excellent, druid definately, if you're looking for some exciting balls to the wall if I fuck up I'm gonna get smashed play a necro 8) they're excellent.
Ps Feign Death only works when you've killed a froglok.
GL all
Oh I disagree. I had one of every character type in the game at one point, up to 34.
The easiest was the Bard to solo. There was nothing I couldn't accomplish.
__________________________
"For one who seeks what he cannot obtain suffers torture; one who has what is not desirable is cheated; and one who does not seek what is worth seeking is diseased." - Augustine of Hippo