I miss Everquest!

[Ferocity]

After all those new on Classic WoW release, I realized that I miss EverQuest, and I am trying to fight myself , because I was quite addicted to those games.

Anyone can say in general how are EQ1/2 nowadays? How is playerbase, how is content? Last time I played was like 5 years ago. Does EverQuest II now have their own EU server(s) (I remember I had to play on US)?

[dwightyo39]

A couple years ago I tried a new eq server (classic style). It didn't feel the same. The community consisted of premade groups camping everything.

[stellvia]

There is still a small but dedicated playerbase to the new expansions, but all the real "excitement" if you could still call it that are indeed from the Progression servers. Unfortunately for you, the last big wave of them started like 1-2 years ago. So while there are a few, I believe all of them are at least to PoP now. One at OoW about to push into DoN. Agnarr is supposed to stay at PoP though and never progress, so if you wanted to get a nostalgia fix, it might be worthwhile putting a month or two in on Agnarr. Ragefire was the first of the more recent progression servers, but the same guild (Twisted Legacy) that turned Fippy progression server into cancer went to Ragefire and overran that one as well. Its basically their personal playground now and the rest of the playerbase fucked off to greener pastures.

[Coombs]

Go to project1999. The retail servers have item shops for experience potions and transmog gear, and the entire game uses the newer graphics. Project1999 makes it an authentic experience. There are several issues that are glaring. An economy with no gold sink is out of control, raiding with batphones and no instances means endgame is just too much for a person with a job. Raiding doesn't take long, but waiting for the bosses to spawn and being the first guild to engage isn't possible with career. Other than that to level through the server and experience the dungeons again is well worth it.

[ro9ue]

I always get that feel, go back for like a day or two, and re-quit lol.

It's still always worth it to scratch that itch tho. Even if I just go and re-explore Crushbone or something.

[Height]

What I liked most about EQ1 was the danger in the open world, the slower experience gain, and the differences between all of the classes. I'd play a game that had those three aspects included with many modern mmo conveniences sans a few things that kill the social aspect.

[Ferocity]

So today I reinstalled both EQs, messed around with EQ2, because EQ1 is down for patching and maintenance.
All my saved UI is gone, so I was trying what is where, especially if to consider dozens if not hundreds of various abilities on each char XD

At least they don't seem to change much, unlike in WoW, when I logged in and noticed that over half of my abilities on each char is gone, and other half is working differently. In Everquest it is just a matter of remembering rather than relearning max level toons...

I also miss MASSIVE questlines from Everquest II, they are truly Epic and Massive.

[Pull My Finger]

This is actually a 100% logical thing to happen. Once Blizzard announced they'd finally do Classic WoW, the serial moaners had to go a further step back. It's not really about truly *wanting* these things. We know that.

[Ferocity]

This is actually a 100% logical thing to happen. Once Blizzard announced they'd finally do Classic WoW, the serial moaners had to go a further step back. It's not really about truly *wanting* these things. We know that.

Everquest II is in many ways several steps forward from WoW:
1. Professions - they have their own Level system, crafting system, Stats, Gear, etc.
2. AAs (slightly similar to WoW talents), tons of them.
3. Graphics probably too... Maybe with Legion upgrade, they are on par, can't judge them, as I play on Low Quality Settings.
And much more.
What concerns Everquest, it still has a special feeling to it, which is hard to describe. It is still quite a solid game, though I will probably have more fun in EQ2.
And... Can't people play games just because they like them? People can't play older games than WoW, because they like them?

Probably it is hard to imagine, but there were many, many games before WoW existed... And this is Video Games subforum, after all...

[sarym13]

Don't have much knowledge on EQ2. I played it only briefly back in 08.

The current state of EQ1 isn't too bad. Live is obviously a shadow of its former self, but the servers are active. Nothing compared to WoW, but with Mercenaries(NPC's that fills a player role) you only need 3 players to have a full group.

They have severely reduced the gap between raid and group geared players. I remember back around the PoP days grinding out in BoThunder with a group of mostly Baz geared players. Only capable of really doing 1 mob at a time, struggling on nameds. Then seeing a Ele/Time geared group pulling 3-5 giants at a time and outright destroying them. As I said though these days on Live the gear differences is not much different. Performing group tasks / missions and occasional named drops will putt you fairly close in gear comparison to Raiders, obviously raiders having the upper hand. Its sorta like WoW now, but obtained differently.

Classic side of EQ, as someone said they routinely come out with TLP (Time Locked Progression) servers which start at classic and unlock expansions after x amount of time that expansions' main boss is killed. But they are no means an authentic classic experience. They're just simply locked expansions. Fairly fun to do and they have a lot of differences compared to back in the day, such as instanced versions of raid zones. So ANY guild can raid and not worry about the top dog guilds going in and hogging them all. And they allow "picks" of zones. So if say, Unrest has over 20 people. A new pick of it will open players can go to. When that pick reaches 20 players a new pick will spawn, and then despawn when the overall player threshold falls below 20 for each opened pick.

And then the absolute closes Classic EQ experience you can get is called Project 1999. Its a Emulator/Private server and I know Private Servers aren't allowed to be discussed here so I won't get much into that. But the current owners of Everquest have acknowledged Project 1999 and green flagged it so they have nothing against it. Worth checking out if you want the absolute closest Classic EQ experience.

[Pull My Finger]

And... Can't people play games just because they like them? People can't play older games than WoW, because they like them?

Probably it is hard to imagine, but there were many, many games before WoW existed... And this is Video Games subforum, after all...

For Fuck's sake, what a load of swollen, puffy blah.

Water is wet
fire burns
everything was better back then
Snowflakes falling.

[stellvia]

Go to project1999. The retail servers have item shops for experience potions and transmog gear, and the entire game uses the newer graphics. Project1999 makes it an authentic experience. There are several issues that are glaring. An economy with no gold sink is out of control, raiding with batphones and no instances means endgame is just too much for a person with a job. Raiding doesn't take long, but waiting for the bosses to spawn and being the first guild to engage isn't possible with career. Other than that to level through the server and experience the dungeons again is well worth it.

Just because someone wants nostalgia doesn't mean they want a 100% accurate grind to the original. Ragefire is the only progression server without instances I think. Phinegal and Agnarr are the two most populous ones. You've also always had the option to use the original models in the config menu. Besides, the "updated graphics" were only from Kunark, so its not like there is a huge difference.

[Eleccybubb]

For Fuck's sake, what a load of swollen, puffy blah.

Water is wet
fire burns
everything was better back then
Snowflakes falling.

Not really. I play old games because I want to. Sure nostalgia is a factor but I get just as much enjoyment as playing Altered Beast on the Mega Drive for example as I do FF14 on PC. Games are a hobby for me and nearly anything I play I enjoy. Be it retro or modern.

Nobody is saying it was fully better back then. They are saying the games are fun for them to play. Who are you to decide that they can't have fun? Or play older games because they like them?

This is a discussion about video games and how someone enjoys/enjoyed Everquest. Not how somehow enjoying older video games is a bad thing. But judging by your posting it's clear I shouldn't waste any further time on you.

Although I agree with some of the points @Ferocity made about EQ2. In some aspects it was pretty decent. Sadly WoW was cementing itself as it launched and gaining popularity.

As for Everquest itself I go back and check it out from time to time but I just can't commit to it due to the amount of games I'm already managing. I mean if I could I'd main it in a heartbeat again because I still have my old Ranger.

[Captain Proton]

There is still a small but dedicated playerbase to the new expansions, but all the real "excitement" if you could still call it that are indeed from the Progression servers. Unfortunately for you, the last big wave of them started like 1-2 years ago. So while there are a few, I believe all of them are at least to PoP now. One at OoW about to push into DoN. Agnarr is supposed to stay at PoP though and never progress, so if you wanted to get a nostalgia fix, it might be worthwhile putting a month or two in on Agnarr. Ragefire was the first of the more recent progression servers, but the same guild (Twisted Legacy) that turned Fippy progression server into cancer went to Ragefire and overran that one as well. Its basically their personal playground now and the rest of the playerbase fucked off to greener pastures.

Velious just came out last month/this month on Agnarr actually.

[Ferocity]

Yeah, I heard about Porject99 and such.
But I became quite used to Defiant gear, increased regen and much less reliance on groups, so I prefer playing EQ1 on current expansion servers.

Hard to choose between the two, but EQ2 feels a bit like work with all those dailies, not sure if new expansions are much different. Still, EQ2 is much more player-friendly than EQ1, and I really miss those dungeons as Obelisk, huge cities of undead, Lovecraftian horror dungeons, etc.

I guess I will stick with EQ2

Btw, anyone knows if Tears of Veeshan raids are already soloable in EQ2?

[Keltas]

What I liked most about EQ1 was the danger in the open world, the slower experience gain, and the differences between all of the classes. I'd play a game that had those three aspects included with many modern mmo conveniences sans a few things that kill the social aspect.

If you ever find a game like that please let me know. I miss open world customizable mmos that are truly dangerous. Closest for me lately has been BDO and it really isn't dangerous, and the classes are all basically the same. The best they have is a huge ass world that at least feels like a world.

[Scottyjscizzle]

Everquest II is in many ways several steps forward from WoW:
1. Professions - they have their own Level system, crafting system, Stats, Gear, etc.
2. AAs (slightly similar to WoW talents), tons of them.
3. Graphics probably too... Maybe with Legion upgrade, they are on par, can't judge them, as I play on Low Quality Settings.
And much more.
What concerns Everquest, it still has a special feeling to it, which is hard to describe. It is still quite a solid game, though I will probably have more fun in EQ2.
And... Can't people play games just because they like them? People can't play older games than WoW, because they like them?

Probably it is hard to imagine, but there were many, many games before WoW existed... And this is Video Games subforum, after all...

1. Those were pretty awesome, was a actually fun to craft.
2. While there are tons, just like vanilla wow they are mostly cookie cutter.
3. Eq2s graphics have been trash since it was made, even bc looked cleaner.

[Lodreh]

I miss SWG pre-NGE...

[Ferocity]

So new expansion is about to be released. Anyone knows if it will also be the day when Terrors of Thalumbra expansion will become baseline? That old expansion will actually be new for me I already played Altar of Malice.

I also saw some nice weapon on Broker, which had double the stats of mine from Altar of Malice, and it costed only 10p. Couldn't buy it though, as I am not All-Access Member (not sure if to get All Access or not, as I don't think I will be playing it regularly).

[Ferocity]

So I was looking around in Everquest II before new expansion (and another power jump). I saw people with over 50 millions HP, with damage in 10+ billions.

Someone on forums said that such and such raid boss can be one-hitted now, because he has "only" around 30 billions HP.

It is like around 4 years have passed, HP increased by 100 times, and dps increased by 1000 times, while max level is still 100. My lv.100 character feels like level -100 (minus 100) in comparison to other players. And there I thought that power creep in WoW was insane lmao. Not to say that I dislike it, it is other way around, I adore power creeps and I am fighting my own addiction because I want to go back and one-shot all those heroics which looked harder than impossible back in time. To one-hit solo all those raid bosses who triggered fail mechanics when I tried to solo them before To one-hit all those bosses who 1-shotted me on pull because I wasn't of the right class or something like that XD

To one-hit that dragon in that Epic quest, which required all 4 archetypes, and to 1-hit that leviathan boss!