Several years ago I played a huge commercial MMO, but was extremely casual about it and didn't really enjoy it. More recently I played a huge MOBA but got tired of being shafted by ditchers and am taking a break from MOBAs now. I decided to try EverQuest rather than EverQuest 2 because of the smaller client download and less resource use (I have an old tower that can't handle the most recent games). I hope I like it enough to stick with it, as my life is kind of on hold until some medical procedures get done in August and September and I need some way to pass the time for three more months. If anyone is interested in being ingame buddies with an EverQuest newb who is fairly familiar with how MMOs in general work, I'd love to hear from you.
I am not sure how much research you have done but right now is a great time to join. There will be a new server opening up later this month which will make finding a group really easy but that server will be locked meaning you wont be able to see any of the current content. There are other TLP (Time locked progression) servers also and content unlocks after a certain period of time. You can play on the "live" servers for free and have access to all but the two most current expansions. At the low levels it can be difficult to find a group but you can at least learn the ropes for free before deciding between a TLP or live server. There are heroic characters which will get you instantly to level 85 if you want to "catch up" and make it easier to find a group on live if that's where you want to play but I highly suggest playing your class at lower levels, doing the tutorial zone to learn the in game features and trying to get a feel for the game at lower level content before doing this option.
it sounds like the OP should look into Agnarr, the new TLP server releasing in a couple weeks. This would be perfect for him if he has never played EQ, it should keep him entertained for at least a year or two, then if he wants to progress further, he can always jump ship and transfer to another TLP server (if DBG allows it, which I'm sure they will), or just get a free heroic level 85 character, which DBG will likely offer again during the next EQ anniversary.
The TLP server sounds quite tempting, because it would feel like starting to play EQ right when it was first launched, wouldn't it? But first I have to get used to the interface, which is substantially different from what I'm used to. I like how complex it is and how much there is to learn because I feel pretty motivated to learn it and it'll keep me nicely busy. (And one thing I want to learn is all the different hotkeys I need to know in order to minimize the clutter of windows on the screen. I'd like to get to the point of having no more than one largish window open at a time.) Buuuuuuuuut...I'm having a bit of a practical problem. My graphics card was six years old, but at least it was a dedicated 1-gig graphics card. It hopelessly died about half an hour ago. I popped it out and am using Intel HD Graphics now. With the resolution at 640x480 I can probably manage it, but it ain't gonna be pretty. And my tower is so ancient taht wasting fifty bucks on a replacement graphics card isn't worth the money. Might as well save up to buy a new right. (Or build my own from parts, because the only thing I'd screw up is the CPU paste for the heat sink, and I think I can get help with that.) Any advice you guys have on Canadian vendors of parts would be deeply appreciated (I could buy from American vendors or from overseas, but it's simplest if I buy Canadian). I'd like to put together something that will last me about five years without needing significant upgrades, and if it can handle EQ2 and further development on EQ2 over that time then I'll be plenty happy.
There are pros and cons to the TLP. Yes a TLP will feel more like EQ when it first launched. Agnarr will be launching later this month but a few things to consider about that server. The plus size groups will be plentiful and you will get to experience all of the content from that era without any issues. The down side it is permanently locked meaning you will only get to experience a very small part of the game. Depending on your personality this may not be an issue if you wanted to reroll on another server once you got bored doing the same content over and over again. Personally I would suggest one of the other TLP servers so you don't fall to far behind. I imagine you should still be able to experience most of the content Agnarr has to offer and then you can continue to experience new content as it is unlocked. Before you do any of this though I would play around a little on one of the live servers for free so you can get a feel for the game. Sorry I don't know much about computer parts. I know there are several places online. In terms of game play have you tried playing with your dedicated graphics card to see how the game runs? Your best zone to really test out game lag would be the guild lobby especially on a raid night. There can be hundreds of toons all packed in there which will bog down slower machines. Every time I buy a new computer that is the first zone I take toons to and see how many accounts I can log in before it becomes choppy. If you can navigate there during peak hours you should be fine.
One of my computers is 8 years old and couldn't run EQ or anything DX10, LOL. So, last year I bought the GTX 750ti with 2gb ram on it and was able to run EQ with graphics maxed out and record my EQ videos with shadowplay. My other computers are and i5-6xxx and and AMD A6-xxx something or another and both run on the intergrated graphics. So, if your computer can support a low end card like the GTX 750ti, get it and you can also enjoy most DX 11 games too.
