a question about test server uptime

I and some of my friends are thinking about making a group to play on test server for various reasons, ranging from the bonus xp to actually wanting to test hilariously bugged new content. We have one main reservation, and I'm hoping to get some info from existing Test players here.

There are the horror stories of server crashes on Friday night where Test stays down until Monday morning when Daybreak folks come back to work. We can accept this as a possibility, but is this something that actually happens with any frequency, or is it a once-in-a-long-while sort of experience? Are there other times (just before an expansion, perhaps) where there are often long periods of total unplayability?

When (both in terms of time of day and day of week) is Test usually brought down for updates? We understand that Test could be down at any time for any reason, because "test", but we'd like to make sure our regular play times aren't scheduled at the same time as regular updates are planned.

And lastly: is there anything else we should know that we're unlikely to even think about before being on test?

Test is fun and all but don't expect a robust economy. I moved a few months back and have been happy.

Yeah, we have been warned that the economy is more or less totally busted, and we should be prepared to pretend the Bazaar zone doesn't even exist. That's a downside, but it seems like a fair trade for the other benefits. Thanks for the warning!

If you do start playing on test. Set up traders. We need more of them.

Oh!
That gives me a question, then!

I recall there being talk about test not getting the new expansion without buying it. Truth?

Do you have to be gold to run trader ?

Yes you dont get the new expac for free. Your account will have gold status.

Test can be broken for weeks at a time due to bugs, but it's never been *down* for that long. You could be playing a different game from people on live, for example back when test had that bug where certain zones were simply not available, but you'll still be playing. The main issues for test are, as stated:

* No economy
* No groups because everyone boxes
* No raiding

So it's a nice server to screw around in, but not for experiencing Everquest the way it's designed to be experienced.