Hello. I'm probably super late to the party, but I'd like to try Everquest. I saw it on Steam in the MMOs section and started downloading it since it's free to play. If folks could help me out with some questions, I'd really appreciate it. 1. Is the game dead? I'm sure this gets asked a lot since the game is 15 years old and all. But, what are my odds of actually finding people to group up and level with? As I understand it, it's pretty hard to level solo and grouping is almost a requirement? 2. How free to play is it, exactly? Will I be extremely handicapped unless I pay? 3. Which server should I consider joining? I'm on the East Coast. I'd like a server that has a decent population during prime time EST. 4. What class should I choose to make me desireable to group with or will help me get invited into a guild? I tend to lean towards tank-like characters in MMOs, but I'm pretty flexible. I don't mind playing a support class if it means people will invite me into their groups and guild. 5. Is there anything in particular I should be aware of before I attempt to play? Some specific pieces of advice or knowledge that dooms new players who are unaware of it?
1. Nope, it's very much alive, get in a good family guild and you'll find groups. 2. You can get very far while free to play, but you will get handicapped and dependent on your guildies 80+, it can be done, just hard. 3. I'm biased, so I'd say our server The Rathe. 4. I encourage you to try all the classes, and not worry to much about the choice, it's what's fun to you that matters. 5. YES! I warn you, and take this very seriously, EQ is very addicting, especially when you in a good guild.
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to me. I appreciate your answers. The game is nearly downloaded now and I suppose I'll be trying it out in about 15 minutes or so. I'll see if I can make a character on The Rathe server. I think I will also stream my experience on Twitch just for laughs.
Well I'm on right now too. Currently streaming at twitch.tv/sneakythedragon Only in the tutorial of course, bonking rats on the head and taking their fur.
Hey! I'm pretty sure I saw you online last night and said so in guild-chat. I'm Pitterpatter in The Eternal Darkness on Rathe. Roxx did a bang-up job answering your questions and it's awesome to see someone trying the game out for the first time. Personally, I played about 14 years ago and only returned a few weeks ago so I'm having a very similar first-time experience as the one you're having. To answer your questions: 1) The game definitely isn't dead. Even at the low-levels (in my experience on the Rathe server) there are people who enjoy the social aspect of grouping even though it's very easy and probably better experience gain to solo with a mercenary (molo). Just speak in the New Player channel "/1" and ask or try "/2" for general chat (although I'm not sure if this is accessible to free-players) and you should be able to find some folks around your level. 2) The difference between free-to-play and paid isn't really noticeable (in my experience) until later in levels. My highest character is lvl 65 right now after a few weeks of playing and trying other classes. 3) Definitely join The Eternal Darkness guild on the RATHE server! That's where we play and there's lots of folks who are either trying the game for the first time or are returning after VERY LONG hiatuses and are in the same boat as you. 4) Every class (in my limited experience) can find its place in a group. EverQuest was famous a long time ago for the TRINITY (tank, healer, crowd control) and every group had to have at least one person in one of those "roles" to be successful in a dungeon-delve. Something similar holds true today EXCEPT for the fact that hybrid classes seem to be able to fill those roles easier than they used to. For example: 14 years ago you pretty much needed a warrior for tanking, a cleric for healing, and an enchanter for crowd control and the other 3 slots were fluff / dps / hybrids. Now (and please, veterans, correct me if I'm wrong): you can use a paladin, shadow knight, or warrior as a tank (possibly even rangers in a pinch for a small group?), or even a tank mercenary, or maybe a mage tank pet. Probably not in hard dungeons or raids...but for group content? Lots more flexibility I think. ROLES (as I understand them): For healers I think clerics are still the kings of keeping folks alive but shaman and druids have all kinds of utility stuff that clerics don't bring to the table and can fill those roles pretty well with heals and buffs and nukes and damage shields...etc. For Crowd Control the enchanter and bard are basically the only two choices...I think. For DPS (damage per second) you can pretty much pick anything - for mana-based spell casters the wizard and necromancer are awesome and the magician is right behind them for TOP DAMAGE (I think...hehe!) -- for melee damage attack based DPS you can try the berserker or rogue. For "PULLING" - yes "pulling" is a mechanic that exists in this game. It's customary for a group to kind of sit in one spot and "camp" and hopefully the spot is SAFE from wandering patrols and random agro mobs. the PULLER's job is to deliver door-to-door service monsters from their spawn points back to the group. Monks excel at this job with their FEIGN DEATH (shadow knights and necromancers also have feign death), but I think rangers can also do this job really well with their snare and ranged / bows. For Hybrid you can pick any of the remaining classes who offer a really unique gameplay experience as some combination of the other classes - ranger (druid / warrior?), beast lord (shaman / monk?), monk (off-tank / puller) What I would recommend to you is - instead of picking a CLASS you like - find a role that you ENJOY or think you might like...and try it out. Playing those roles in a GROUP will offer a very different experience than trying to play the class solo with a mercenary. this is just my limited experience and probably uninformed opinion...LOL! I hope it helped!
Up to 70/75, you won't notice much difference between F2P and All Access. There are some differences, but a F2P account can easily compensate. The differences, in AA counts and prestige items mainly, will start to cut in more and more, and by the time you are in grouping range of max level (say 10-15 levels) you will feel the pain. People still carry F2P accounts as bots at max level, though. Play whatever class/race you most enjoy. Try them all, if you wish. I can't really emphasise this enough, as it does show, when recruiting for a high end guild, if someone doesn't really like the class they are playing. Your reputation is important. EQ is a remarkably friendly MMO, and you will get a lot of help if you chat freely and are generally helpful and form groups. Join a decent guild early on. Don't be afraid to explore, there is no hurry to "win" EQ.
Thank you guys/gals very much for your helpful answers, I very much appreciate that you took the time to answer me! I ended up making a froggy cleric on The Rathe. His name is Frawggy and he's orange. If any of you see me around, please don't hesitate to say hi! I'd love to make as many friends as I can. As for grouping, I met a player in the tutorial at level 5 and we leveled through the tutorial together. After we got out, he kinda blew me away with how quickly he leveled. I think he's about level 40 now and I'm level 20, hehe. But, he's been very kind and helpful, giving me advice, helping me do quests, giving me buffs to make me run faster and stuff. Thanks Rumbull! I'd love to group some more with folks. It's a little lonely on my own, my mercenary is not very talkative.
Witchcraft, the channel numbers are the order you joined or auto-joined them, but yea f2p should always be /1 for Newbie channel as they get auto-joined to it and only it. Silver and higher can join other channels. I generally include CC (Enc and Brd) as pullers. Especially Brd, some of the tools they have make pulling a named across a zone and only the named a very likely possibility. Not to say that it's easy for them, but a skilled one can do it, as long as it's not a dungeon or confined, maze-like space to travel through. Even then who knows, they get lots of cool songs and AAs. And monks are melee not hybrid, but similar to Rng can tank in a pinch and are high dps as well. But what you listed are the top of line. Classifications are somewhat confusing, since some are developer based and some are player based, and each individual class can often fill multiple roles, but not all of them at the best level. I'll shut up now, 'cause I'm feeling like babbling, and could on and on about non-sense. Mostly, just wanted to point out the channel numbers, and why most people type channels as /general or /serverwide.sk:sk or whatever, to show what the name /join name is and declare it a channel, since the numbers are just ordered, and only go 1 to 9 or does it go 1 to 0. /shrug. 9 seems to be the max to me, but it's been a while since I maxed out on channels. I generally stick to 3-6, less if I'm raiding. Yther Ore.
^This! Joining a friendly guild will even make solo / moloing seem less alone. Even /general can make you feel alone cause some people like to argue in there rather than be helpful and when a group of them gets to arguing they seem to dominate the channel. Also, from what everyone says The Eternal Darkness is a very friendly and helpful guild, and I personally like Roxanna's attitude about helping others out. Leveling speed is more about familiarity with the game. And there is nothing wrong with going slower to help learn more about the game. Enjoy the first time leveling up as much as possible. Most of the great memories come from the first time experiences of stuff. Orange and in Hunter Orange, so you don't get shot by some drunken Ranger? j/k Yther Ore.
@Witchcraft If you call "crowd control" the ability to mez and memblur, then saying that only enchanters and bards can do that is correct (I think ) . Druids and Shaman have snares, roots and push backs that can also help with getting extra mobs out of melee range and druids can lull if it's outdoors . Before I started playing a bard, my druid was an excellent puller in many situations. But yes, my bard can pull a named across a zone and not bring extras . My point is that a skilled player has many tools at their disposal and can provide some coverage in "other areas" if they really know their class well. @Sneaky Dragon, As some others have pointed out - focus more on what you like to play when it comes to class and race. If you don't like what you play, you won't enjoy it. Guilds and groups won't be able to overcome that.
Actually druids, rangers, clerics, paladins, enchanters, monks, bards all have a lull. Rangers make pretty good crowd control and pullers with their two push/root/blur spells (which enchanters have as an AA). Realistically most classes have some form of crowd control and pulling. Even clerics and pallys can lull to pull and root to crowd control. Bards have the most tools for pulling, followed by monks. Enchanters have to most tools for CC, followed by bards. This. The most important part of picking a class is picking one that you find fun to play.
