I am new to EQ though I have been playing MMOs since before EQ. I decided to finally give the original EQ a try at least for 3 months (the all access option I chose). Where is a good place to start? I don't need a progression server for nostalgia for EQ before the later expansions - I have no nostalgia. I also don't need an end-game guild or even a server with much endgame action - I am going to slowly play through the early parts of the game with differing races and classes to get a feel for what this historic game is like. On the other hand I don't want an empty server with few people to chat with and few people to group with before high level. I tend to enjoy low population servers but low population doesn't mean almost totally empty. Are all the "normal" servers empty due to a flood of players to the progression servers - so I should go to the latter even if I have no interest in the progression mechanic? There is a newer progression server which attempts to limit a certain type of multiboxing if I read it correctly - and gives faster xp than the original EQ but slower than earlier progression servers. it also automatically adds expansions on a timed basis with no vote. is this a good or bad choice for a total newcomer? Thanks.
Luclin and Bristlebane are very good servers with lots of friendly people that enjoy helping newbies. There is no need to group before level 70 so most keep to themselves. I've been spending some time in newbie areas all week and there is definitely activity at the low levels. If you're the type to walk up to a stranger at around the same level and ask if you can join, you'll get as many groups as you can handle. Welcome.
Phinny server would be your best bet. It's the most populated server - but it's about to start on the 4th xpac in a month. It will probably take you at around 2-3 months to catch up to everyone depending on your speed. Xpacs unlock fairly quickly. So you won't be stuck in the dark ages for too long.
Thanks. I was thinking of the RP preferred server despite some disadvantages But Luclin or Bristlebane may be better to try. I appreciate the advice about Phinny and would have gone there without even making this post if my primary goal was people to play with. That is a plus but I would rather experience the dark ages and get a feel for the glory that was Everquest. A new Everquest-style game is being developed by people with EQ and Vanguard experience. Pantheon:Rise of the Fallen. Long term I will go there if it makes it to release so I am not planning on what EQ server I want to be on in a year. Meanwhile Daybreak can get 3-12 months of revenue from me and if I join a guild I will be a plus while I am in it.
Bristlebane is the best live server has 5 raid guilds to pick from , has countless family guilds and is one of the most friendly servers in all of EQ .. Also every Thurs and Fri BB also has open raids .... but I am biased of course , cause I love my server Yi Min
I'd say FV, recently during EOK pre-launch, everquest had a bonus week(s) of 150% xp, but on FV its always 150 percent xp so its like a bonus week all the time. I was playing on bristle but I switched to FV once I realized the difference. Language barrier was rough and so was finding the right items for the right price, on bristle I'd join a family guild and raid their gbank for defiant but with xp the way it is you can do a lot of crappier camps and still get decent xp. If you're only giving yourself 3-12 months, FV will get you through the levels faster and if you persevere, some good deals can be made. I'd be careful of putting all your hopes on pantheon. Its still in "early alpha* according to a stream VOD I saw earlier. During a small snippet of that stream that I saw (30 seconds out of 70ish minuters?) I saw someone complaining about fizzling his mana away and I was appalled, that's not a mechanic that needs to stay in the game.
All advice is appreciated - obviously I can't follow it all unless I put characters on FV, Bristlebane and Phinny which isn't necessarily a bad idea. Pantheon is still well away from release although its been in development for over a year. Some people think that having spells sometimes fizzle is a good idea - adds more realism and uncertainty in their view. It is a mechanic that many games have had whether the fizzle possibility is random, based on character skill level for the type of spell being cast or related to enemy action/interference. I don't necessarily agree but having a percentage chance of spell failure in a game is far from a sign that it isn't well developed. By the way pantheon is still pre-alpha though there are hopes alpha isn't far off, to be followed by beta and release.
