8 years ago I thanked Everquest for 5 wonderful years of adventure and then moved onward to a new game. EQ had been moving in a direction that was not for me, and I never imagined i would be writing this return letter... limping home to Norrath. But should I? I know alot has changed. News has filtered down to me from various sources. All i want to know is if there core gameplay still exists... the wonderful group dynamics that I remember - careful pulling, steady tanking, alert crowd control, essential debuffing/buffing, blazing dps, vital and measured healing; as I've tried to tell the new MMO players in games like GW2: There never was a "Trinity"!! It was more like a OCTA-INITY. lol. I miss it. Does it exist still? Or is EQ now a solo faceroll with group content feeling like a AE dps mess? I want to explore dungeons, etc. I want danger. I want to worry that if i go deeper into Old Sebilis I may never return alive. I want to experience any new content with fun players and personalities. Also, I hear there is a progression server... but for subscribers only? I'm gonna test the waters carefully before subscribing, so maybe if there are any progression style, group focused Guilds recruiting FTP players, I'd love to apply. Lastly, does Terris Thule still exist as a server? That's where I had played. Thank you.
Terris-Thule is now merged with Prexus and Karana and the Rathe - it will show on server lists as the Rathe. EQ has had a lot of changes since you left, and I'd certainly say it's worth the cost of a Free/Silver account to stick your toes back in the waters. I'd suggest running a new character through the tutorial (Mines of Gloomingdeep) to get a feel, and maybe do some of the Hero's Journey quests in Crescent Reach/Blightfire Moors - and take some nostalgia trips into the old zones. Role specific abilities have been spread more between classes now - so almost every class has a short term mez, for instance, and some roles have switched around a little, like bards being the preferred puller class (FD pulling being considered too slow). With very high hp and dps mobs now, pulling singles is considered more important than crowd control (not a good change, I know). The death penalty has been considerably reduced, too - you still lose exp the same way, but corpse recovery isn't an issue, and getting a rez is far simpler. At the lower levels, mercs eliminate the need to wait for a group, but they do mean that levelling is even more of a solo game than it was. Progression servers require a Gold sub, yes.
The game can still be played as it was in the past, but it doesn't need to be anymore. CC isn't an issue really, except in specific instances/zones. High DPS is more important as mobs need to die fast in order to keep the mana pools of the cleric from running out, and the tanks seem to excell at tanking for short bursts. Bards/enchanters are superb pullers, with bards edging out the single pulling due to fade but the enchanter still ruling the crowd control (though it's not nearly as important as it was.) As said above, pulling singles is the typical route and almost any character class can pull those. The only thing required now due to recent nerfs is a tank and a healer. You can use a pet tank, player tank, or merc tank. You can use any of the healing classes or a healing merc. So pretty much there is no trinity or duo required at all. Any classes can group together to do group content, as long as they have mercs to fill in the gaps. Enchanter+warrior+cleric is still a powerful trio, but they really aren't necessary at all for most content.
The game has moved forward, but still with the same ethics and morals of the old game. Classes do what they're supposed to do, not 2 or 3 different things, though admittedly, some can do more than they used to. Pullers are essential for new content, as are tanks and healers. They have mercenaries now, so if you can't find a cleric, you can have a merc take that role for your group. People use them ALL the time. But, don't be discouraged, a player is ALWAYS better than a merc. Progression servers are for Gold accounts only, I believe. There are tons of benefits to being a Gold account, and I carry 2 simply because of those benefits. Everquest has always been a superior gaming experience over other MMO's, in fact, many MMO's have lost their way, so they don't have the longevity, then there are other wildly successful games that are simply popular because they are easy, and let's face it, fun. Many times those things don't go hand in hand, at least for me, I like there to be some kind of difficulty to the game, and EQ offers that. Even when you get all the great gear, and all the flags and weapons, the game can still be challenging. IN other games, once you have the gear, 90% of the game becomes trivial. No so with EQ, guilds still complain about retuning raids at the end game for the last expansion, not even the latest!! But, yeah, EQ. Better gaming experience over the other games, even with it's antiquated interface and yesteryear graphics. If all it took for a game to be quality was better graphics, we'd have a ton of great games out there, but unfortunately, we don't. The new model for games is to make it pretty as can be, short run to max level, then say PVP is where it's at. No it's not. PVP is not why I play these games. I was wildly successful at PVP in all the other games and yet here I am playing EQ. That should say something.
I returned last summer and have been working my way up through the levels. Let me try to answer your question more directly than the others: The classical game did indeed have some unique dynamics. Compared to other games on the market, the classical game required teamwork as opposed to a free for all. If you are looking for those specific dynamics in the current game, you are going to be a little disappointed at first. The game has evolved, various functions have become more (or less) important, and the classes are not as rigidly distinct as they once were. Once you get past the superficial changes, though, you will find that modern EQ still places a higher premium on teamwork than other games. The dynamics have evolved, and the reliance on certain classes has been reduced, but the end result is not that much different. It will help a lot of it you can approach the current game with an open mind. Some people come back to the game hoping to re-live their experience from 10 years ago. It's not going to be like that. Sure, you can go visit your old haunts, but it's old content now. For the most part, it's going to be empty now. If you want to experience the modern game, you need to embrace the modern content. Finally, don't be turned off by modern features like mercs and gear customization. Mercs are good for filling gaps, but for the most part they aren't very competent. If you rely on a merc healer to keep your party alive under difficult circumstances, you're playing with fire. As for gear customization, the modern game can look like a freak show (or a circus, if you're feeling more charitable). A lot of people obviously don't grasp that looking "different" isn't worth much if you look stupid. Some of the mounts and merc models will make you wince (and wonder about the person who actually uses those models). But all of this is just superficial stuff.
Thanks Borek. searching around the forums, I've read many of your posts and gotten very solid info on the state of the game. SOE should really put you on the payroll. Soloing with henchmen isnt what I'm interested in. I want both of the capital M's in MMORPG to mean something. And the broadening of the class roles doesnt thrill me either. Classes in games today feel like a different shade of grey; the only difference seems to be if your character wears a robe or metal armor, swings a sword or a stafff... meh. Plus I wanted to remake either my bard, necro or beastlord and I'm restricted from those classes so I guess my trip home wont happen. I think I'll just take a long break from MMOs in general. Thanks again to all who took the time to reply. Gamers helping other gamers - right on. GG and have fun all.
I think you are taking the above statements a little to extreme. Soloing with mercs aren't required, although with any long term game, there are more people at the top. Inventions such as hot zones (a defined path of leveling with exp bonus) brings more people together in the lower levels than previously - and the tutorial is still pretty populated, especially considering you can play through it in an hour or three. The class broadening isn't nearly as bad as you seem to think. There are major differences in classes still. Only tanks still tank, DPS is still far and above beyond non DPS. The differences are simply that there are a few grey areas. An example is that a bunch of classes get a tick or two mez ability. Can that replace an enchanter? Not in the slightest. Can it give your group time to survive a bad situation, evac, etc? Sure. The shared features are more for forgiving content a little more around the trinity, imo. If you still remember your old account info or want to call SOE, I bet your old chars still exist. Additionally, what other game can you easily try out for 5-10 bucks that could potentially last you as long as you want, if you want to just unlock a class? Play what you like, but EQ is definitely not in the extremes that you are worried about.
Play on Test server until you decide (free access to expansions, etc). Not much of the M's you want, but you can still see if you enjoy those classes enough to buy them.
I just want to agree with the other couple of responses to this; EQ still has far greater class distinction than other MMOS. Yes, it can be soled to a large extent, but that's a good thing, not bad, as it supports the MMO aspects of the game. If you can recover your old account, which SOE will cooperate with you on, then your old characters are still available. And, as Toquillaw has said, Test gives you access to create any race/class combo you wish.
Welcome back and good luck Everquest is still going strong and has one of the best player community's out there !
