Please excuse me as I ramble, I've just got various thoughts I'd like to get down and I won't be surprised if most won't want to read through them. I remember buying that cardboard box (which I'm sure is still kicking around somewhere) for EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark and having one of my parents roar at me; after discovering this game required a monthly subscription. That wasn't normal back then, particularly given online time had to be rationed out; as no one could phone the house during play and we were charged by access time. Getting AOL later helped ease that, though it was replaced by "goodbye goodbye" and roaring about AOL timing out. Not recognising online play as internet activity. This game had a particularly steep learning curve, turning into a sudo-survival game for me; as I fought to stave off starvation. I probably should have paid notice to the warning of high difficulty for the Iksar, I just liked lizards. Eventually I learned what made money and importantly where to buy food. Everything seemed to kill you, easily. But the challenge is what made it interesting, every victory was worthwhile. Eventually I settled as a high elf enchanter because I just liked the idea of the class. Everquest to me wasn't so much a game with an objective as a fantasy world simulation. I didn't get too far level wise, mid 30s I think, I had a bad habit of restarting. But I had a lot of fun exploring and generally messing around. People would say "You're still here!?" but did they have trade skills of my level? I think not. If I had to travel by boat to gain access to spells or items not available locally, it was a genuine risk. You were genuinely terrified of dying in the middle of nowhere out at sea and not being able to retrieve your corpse. But nothing ventured then nothing gained, when you did make it back with your prize you were thrilled. It actually felt like you achieved something to travel to foreign lands and make it back in one piece. Being the enchanter with clarity made people want to group with you. Everything in the game was well earned. If I wanted to improve on my newbie clothing, I had to spend hours hunting down giant spiders. Collecting their silk, turning it into swatches, turning that into clothing, ensuring my skill was high enough so it didn't all go to waste... All while eating the batwing crunchies I made, from bat wings I purchased during one of those risky trips by boat. Everything you had, had effort invested into it, which made it meaningful. When you've been micromanaging your storage, producing your first bags that open up all this space is meaningful. Making clay jars for your bank storage was meaningful, all the money and time invested into getting your skill high enough so you could have these nice things. The expense of training up your jewellery craft skill, so you could equipped your own magic items, was meaningful. While I didn't get far into the game, I enjoyed investing many hours and continued to buy expansions as they rolled out. Eventually, at some point, moving on. So fast forward to today and I'm feeling nostalgic, I wonder whatever happened to Everquest. Amazingly enough it's still going so I give it a shot. My have things changed. I don't think I've ever felt so overpowered in this game. Not only was I gaining levels at a breakneck pace during the tutorial area, but I was managing to crush things several levels higher than me. The whole "what do you want your tombstone to say?" message has lost its significance, hasn't it? Other players were just background noise. I soloed everything, all the way through the tutorial, including the big bad at the end of it. I questioned how there were player corpses laying around, because nothing was a real threat unless you went out of your way to go over your head. But this is the tutorial, so it must be hand holding just for this area... One thing that shocked me in particular was the availability of magical equipment. I mean, this is the first silk clothing you had to grind giant spiders to make and this is something they just give you early in the tutorial... right. Seems craftable items have been totally outclassed by quest freebies now, making it rather redundant to train your trade skills... I took it inflation has reared its ugly head, because by the time I finished the tutorial; I had 80 platinum from selling mob loot. I also 'just found' a large backpack in a random barrel, the same barrels that dropped bows that sold for plat. But surely the cost of items in the shops have risen to reflect this abundance of money? Erm, no. I immediately found merchants sold things like food and backpacks you'd otherwise have to work towards when I last played; at pretty much the old prices. So you felt stinking rich and could fill out your bank with expanded storage pretty much immediately. But at least... we're out of the tutorial, so no more hand holding, the real challenge starts now. Or not. Still one man armying my way through everything, I haven't had to group for any of the challenges thus far; virtually nothing is a genuine threat. I'm soloing con-red mobs with pretty much no fear. I think the only way I could die is if I purposely attacked something 5+ levels above me. I mean, I'm a spell caster, I shouldn't be able to take the hits I'm taking... So I'm level 28 now, without trying; you level up really fast now. I levelled up so fast my spell skills were lagging behind, so at one point I decided to go fishing in a crocodile swamp and cast spells to skill up. You'd think being surrounded by crocs would have been a worry, but I found they couldn't actually kill me; despite still being con white/blue at the time. My healing merc could out heal the damage and my animation dealt with them in time, so I just kept fishing and casting... I feel sorry for healers who previously would have been desirable to group with, who have been automated by widely available mercs who do a good enough job... Not that anyone actually needs to group any more, it seems. Like I know I am only very early game, and they have probably sped things up to get new players into the later game content earlier, but does it get any better? Because I've already given up on progressing my trade skills, because the local rats drop better loot than you can craft even at later skill levels it seems. You have to understand, part of the fun for me was the investment of effort to obtain things, it made those things meaningful. I never really explored the later game, so fast forwarding past the early game doesn't suit me. Where is the threat? Where is the risk vs reward, the sense of accomplishment? You knew your place in the original Everquest, you were "only human" and if you wanted to take on bigger challenges; you needed to form a experienced team. This is like any other game now, it's a power fantasy were even as a spell caster; I'm some sort of unstoppable hulk who can take hits all day. Am I pre-judging things too early, or is the rest of the game basically this with higher stats? Don't get me wrong, the original EQ was also a grind fest. But with a lot of the side stuff trivialized and everyone running around in their own bubble, I'm not sure if it's still for me at this stage.
I also joined in with a physical copy of Kunark, and remember being terrible at it and enjoying every morsel of hard-fought experience and gear. What you're missing is that most people leveling a new character aren't looking to recapture that kind of experience, or even have that option given the lack of people in lower zones on live servers. Over time the early game has been paved by feature after feature, with no effort to balance it to make it challenging. Eventually Everquest devs just threw in the towel re: early game and released heroic characters you can buy that come fully equipped and at a relatively high level. Ex: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/making-leveling-easier-on-live.250856/ You might get a taste of the experience you're looking for on a Time Locked Progression (TLP) server when it releases, but it's a heavily nerfed experience compared to original EQ. Otherwise, get to max level and try do new content. It's not the same kind of difficulty you remember, but it does have its challenges that are unique to EQ.
They changed the game to be very casual to be more in line with other games. It is still a big challenge later on though, but you have to get through a lot of levels to get there. The first 50 levels are a joke, then it starts getting harder every 10 levels.
If you want more of that experience you described at the beginning, try a TLP server. No tutorial, no Defiant gear. It's much more like it was in the beginning.
If you used your merc thru all this then that could be part of the easy path you had. Merc healers do a good job when they are not on strike. I also returned to the game after years away and found live servers hard at my then level of 75! Made a character in tutorial to learn all the new stuff and that was very easy so I figured I wanted the old original EQ experience. I made another character on the then current TLP server. Logged in, found friends. Died many times. Remembered how hard it REALLY was and ran back to the live servers with my cats tail between my legs. Although all those people who play on TLP keep wanting the dev's to make it easier lol, I can see why. Try some solo stuff without the merc. Or at least give it till what most folks consider the worst levels in the game 60-80. Many many players quit during those levels and there are numerous posts about how hard the game is at those levels. Tradeskills are still in demand - in fact if you excel at them you can do this quest: Artisan Charm - AC: 30 STR: +25 DEX: +25 STA: +25 CHA: +25 WIS: +25 INT: +25 AGI: +25 HP: +225 MANA: +225 Endurance: +225 SV FIRE: +20 SV DISEASE: +20 SV COLD: +20 SV MAGIC: +20 SV POISON: +20
yes they made it a more casual friendly game. The first 60 levels will fly by but from 60-100 will take some work. As others have said if you are looking for an experience like it was back in 1999/2000 try the TLP servers. Though there have been "quality of life" changes. No corpse runs, no hell levels, no xp penalties for certain race / class combos, etc
The challenge comes at much higher levels. TLP servers are simply tedious but not particularly difficult
99% of population is at level cap now. With only very few exceptions, low level folks you saw in the tutorial have max level characters backing them up. Long ago, one depended on forrming groups with others to tackle content. Today, once you are out of the newbie areas, you could go for hours without seeing another player. So, they heavily streamlined lower levels. Especially with journeyman tank merc, you can literally fly to 50+. Past 60, things slow down. Around 70, you practically hit a wall. Defiant that dropped like candy or could be found real cheap, dries up. Mobs start hitting harder and your merc is not getting stronger at same pace. At lvl 30 a tank mob can solo reds while you are nearby fishing. At around 75, a white con will rip through your merc without some adequate healing. In the 90s, even a light blue can be a challenge. At 110, a white con mob will rip through 200+khp worth of runes and 150+khp of life in a few seconds. Tradeskills are definitely a thing at the top. Crafted gear from latest ecpansion is second best to what one can possibly get from group content. Of course, just attempting a single recipe can easily set one back 15+kpp in vendor materials only - not counting the mob drops.
Thank you for all the responses. The best bet to get the closest towards the sort of experience I'm looking for sounds like one of the TLP servers, I don't mind it being slow and difficult; that's the experience I remember. I'm walking around like a zombie in my current game. The closest thing to make me worry was accidentally pulling two level 34 mobs as a level 29. Mezzing the other made it manageable, even then I hadn't visited the POK for my latest spells; I was just trying to ding 30 before paying a visit. I'm going to lose interest at this rate because the threat level is so low, plus the defiant gear is too overpowered to make investing time in early trade skills worth it. To be honest I didn't know what terms like 'time locked progression' was about initially, but I'm willing to go all access if it means getting closer to the original experience. Nostalgia is what brought me back after all, I don't think I'd be happy rushing to a later level to get any challenge. Coirnav sounds like the best bet as it is on The Ruins of Kunark with classic experience, so I'm going to give that a go.
Yep, TLP or an is as close as you'll get to Everquest. EQ live is a different game. Good in it's own way but after 20 years it's an entirely different beast.
Another option: if you are feeling underchallenged, and think you have a decent grip on chanter basics, go Heroic. Sub for a month, that gives you free 500 points, and a 10% discount, so you only need like 2650 extra points. Instant boost to 85 with all skillls, a set of decent gear, all spells, etc. Do the merc quest in Feerrott, (that one is cakewalk) then see if you can do the heroic augs quests by yourself....
The early game, at least up to level 70, has been sped up a lot. The difficulty is also lessened by defiant gear. But this will eventually change. You will find that red cons are very difficult at level 80+. The namers have nasty spells, dots, stuns, snares, charms, and fears. You will not be able to tank even cons with a cloth wearer, unless you're playing an enchanter again. But even then, only for a little while. As for tradeskills, daybreak games has made tradeskilled armor and weapons very relevant in higher levels. You could probably wait a while before investing in tradeskills if you wanted. Yes the early game has changed, but eventually the difficulty and challenges that you love will come back. Try getting to level 80 before you judge the game too much. And have a good adventure =)
There are different categories of challenges here. Briefly: Risk. Back in 1999 you risked a huge chunk of XP in case of death. Worst case scenario you risked your corpse with all of your equipped gear. In 2017 XP loss is no longer a significant issue (short of a death loop) because corpse summoning and 96% rez are trivially available. You can't lose your items any more because you respawn with them. Inflation. 80 plat at level 11 was a fortune in 1999. In 2008 I can make tens of thousands of plat in an evening on a level 100+ DPS character, but a Bazaar upgrade at that level could easily cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of plat. Time sinks. As others have said, leveling slows down after 60-70. Here are my notes from a few years ago when I leveled a DPS character from 67 to 105. They'll give you some idea of what to expect. Once you get closer to the top, there will be plenty of time sinks: thousands of AA (Alternate Advancement) points, trade skills, progression quests, missions and faction work. The specifics vary from expansion to expansion. Power level relative to mobs. You and your mercs are currently vastly overpowered compared to 1999. Later on it will be the other way around. In 1999 it took a mob a certain amount of time to kill you, so you could try to escape: root it and step back, run to the zone line, cast gate, mez and mem blur and so on. In 2018, if a non-tank class gets agro at the wrong time, he may be dead before he realizes what has happened, much less react. So no, you can't go back to 1999, especially if you want to recreate that sense of dread that we all knew back then. (Personally, I don't miss trying to find a rez in a faraway place at 1am or staying overnight to get my body out of the Plane of Fear, but to each his own.) However, things definitely become more challenging later on.
The progression servers and TLP are over rated in my opinion. They have a few things missing like no defiant and no mercs, but they are still FAR easier than the original game was. Too many changes have been made to make the game easier, and none of those changes get undone for those special rules servers. So yeah it is a bit more like old EQ, mostly because there are people to group with... but it will probably still be disappointing because it is so easy. I think you should stick with the normal servers and just bear in mind that there is nobody to group with until about level 100, so the low levels being fast is a good thing. And it is going to slow down and get harder from about 70+. By 80+ even a full set of defiant gear will mean you die a lot and can't do a lot of things because there is far better gear you need to quest/camp for.
The EQ of yore is gone. That difficulty leveling up is mostly gone. The challenge is on top end, which is 100+ levels away on live. The closest you will find is a TLP server. Coirnav is probably the closest to what you will want. Agnarr is a little faster xp but it’s already basically capped out and won’t have as active lower level population. But even on the TLPs, quality of life changes and general player innate power increase mean that you will not find that same difficulty. It will still be tough starting with nothing, but you won’t have an OP merc carrying you. You will need to find players or solo (which sucks for xp). That’s the best you can hope for. There’s also P99, but from what I hear it’s more toxic than TLPs. Maybe it’s not as bad now, I donno.
P99 is the only server that is close to the original game. Shame they only have 3 expansions and corrupt owners.
TLP might be good for you. However, you come across as a skilled individual, so I just wanted to comment that the high level game on Live servere has plenty of challenges, and a different feel than TLP (arguably more complex). It is really, really good. The game has been retuned to enable people like you reach end game with some haste, however the solo ease that you experience hits a few walls along the way, the first around lvl 70ish. To function in the high level game, my personal rule of thumb is to have 20kish AA, with autogrant (Autogrant gives you most AA up to level 100, so 10k-13k AA, and is an opt in feature). This is no walk in the park, and many do not get past that barrier ;-). Challenge issued... Welcome back to The Greatest Game Ever Made.
I used to know this woman, maybe 15 years ago. We crossed paths again recently. She's not quite what I remember either... Conq
I think that's a good choice based on how you play. As you're probably aware and partially indicated, the highest level is now 110 on standard servers. It was at level 50 in classic Everquest and level 60 in Kunark. The game was meant to take a long time to reach those levels at that time. It still takes quite a while to get to top level 110 if you don't already have a level 110 or two to help. So the balance of getting there given time is still in the game, it's just that it works at a different speed because of so many more levels to go through. Additionally, with mercenaries the speed to level is much faster until you reach about level 70 and then it becomes much slower and you'll need to be grouped. This is the way most have indicated on these forums.
