The Test server is a rather special server that sometimes feels like it is neither fish nor fowl. It does have a lot going for it however. If you are relatively new to the Test server, or you are considering making a character or three on Test in order to help out with certain events, read on! Test is a special server with a very small permanent population and a large number of seasonal visitors whenever there is a live event or major feature to test. Characters on Test are not wiped and you cannot copy to the server at this time. Before we get into the benefits of playing on Test, here's some additional basic information. Accessing Test Sign into the launchpad, and click the Version information in the upper left corner. Then switch the dropdown in the center of the window to Public Test and then hit the APPLY button. Test will do a full install to a subdirectory of your main EQII server. If you are comfortable doing such things, you can make a copy of your EverQuest II directory and drop it into a subdirectory of that directory called “TestServer”. If you aren't comfortable with that, my recommendation is to patch when you are not going to want to play for a while – over lunch, overnight, etc. You cannot have the same account logged into both a Live server and Test at the same time. But I Have All My Character Slots Filled on Live! Never fear. Since Test is a separate client (“region”) than live, it has a separate character count. You have as many character slots available to create Test characters as you have on a live server. If you have 12 character slots available on live servers, you will have 12 separate character slots available on Test. Chatting Once On Test While new folks are automatically added to the General chat channel, there is another chat channel that you will want to join. We use the “/test” channel quite a bit because it is a cross-server channel. (From Test, you simply join chat channel Test. From live servers, you would join Test.Test.) This cross-server channel lets you have access to a few more people than you have in general chat, which not only makes you feel less alone, but also helps to coordinate things that need extra bodies. Live server folks who are also testers often keep an ear on this channel for requests for help, and can often hop over to Test as needed. How to Report Bugs One of our functions, of course, is to test content that is dropped onto Test before it hits the live servers. For everyday bugs and normal patch content, the /bug command is your first resort. For live event content (Frostfell, Tinkerfest, etc), there will be a sticky post in the Test Server section of the official forums, and you will want to post issues with that content there. (It can't hurt to also /bug it, but the threads get watched pretty carefully by Kaitheel, and he'll announce fixes and patches in that thread.) When reporting a bug, try to provide all the details needed without getting overly chatty about it. (“Quest ____, Step ____. When you click on X, it does not give the expected update” is a lot better than “I was trying the new Frostfell quest and it wouldn't update for me.”) So What is So Great About Test? While such a low population server isn't for everyone, if you tend to be an independent sort with an eye for detail, it is a great way to help catch some bugs before they hit the live servers, and be part of a small helpful community. Want to start from the ground up to revisit old content? Want to test events at a lower level to be sure that a live event is friendly to all levels? Test has a permanent xp bonus going. Some folks will level lock specifically for event testing, others just want to try out a new class from the beginning, and both are easy to do on Test. Tired of “reinventing the wheel” and only want to test higher-level content? Every character on Test has a free level 110 adventuring bauble and a level 110 crafting bauble dropped into their inventory. Be aware that the adventuring buff bauble does NOT come with gear or coin, but you can get level 110 gear from the gear crate in the Blinding. Coin will come with a few quests, and you will find that at least the old-timers on Test tend to price things at or near cost to help folks with gearing up. There are also bags of platinum to be had from the loyalty vendor if you are a member. Test has no real economy, so the folks who come over and price things like they would on live servers get a lot of stares from the rather coin-poor testers. If what you need isn't on the broker, and is something that can be crafted, oftentimes a request on the /test channel will find you someone willing and able to make the item if you can replace their fuel costs. For the Decorators If you are a tester, whether as a random visitor, or as a permanent member of the community, and you need furniture for your home or guildhall, check in with Foiwom or Kasa to get access to our furniture giveaway dungeons. We give away many thousands of pieces of furniture every year, and as of the fall of 2020, we have one dungeon crammed full of free furniture and another one ¾ full. Anyone on Test is welcome to ask for access to the dungeons, with our only request being that you do not just grab stuff from there and broker it. The entire idea is for testers to share excess furniture gained from testing, etc. with other testers. Need Guild Help? Many guilds on Test are small private guilds. At this time, Heroes of Test is the only public guild accepting members, though that may change at any time. For those who want to have their own private guild, but need access to crafting equipment and the like before they get their guildhall setup, Heroes of Test (HoT) has a publicly available guildhall for ports, crafting, etc. You can find them in Gorowyn. (Those guildleaders on Test who decide to have their guild publicly available to new members can also post here, but for now, there is at least HoT for any orphans out there.)
Like many I have setup a guild for my own toons on test, I do have my guild hall in New Halas open to public access, under Blood Bane. There are a full set of Elaborate Craft Stations, And most basic Crafting Amnesties, IE Fuel and Recipe Merchant. Will Be adding more as I level guild slowly. ( 42 Currently) There is a Bell for POM/Myrist/Anchorage As well as my housing portal. All set to Visitor. Need anything im usually On Dumadu My Carpenter or Uyar My SK
as anybody can see the people on test help each other to get ahead . We even are building up our own raid force .
Touché, mums! As I withdraw leaving nothing behind for anyone to say I was a good or bad guy... to those that crossed my paths I may have been a forward upfront but never from behind even if some wanted me to do that.
Please DO speak up if you want free furniture. It is coming out our ... ears. The main giveaway dungeon is full with 2000 items, plus a bunch of building blocks. The overflow dungeon has close to 1500 items and a bunch of blocks. Really, we want folks to snag what they want to decorate with!
I've partaken of their offer there in their dungeons, and I have to say, they're right! Lots of stuff, OODLES of stuff, all for the taking. Don't be shy! Uwk
And HoT is in Gorowyn? Brilliant idea; I have a guild on a live server that got their guild hall in Gorowyn, and I love it. No need, really, for anything other than maybe a Wizard Spire and a Druid NPC, a tradeskill recipe seller, a Call to Guild Hall thingee, and a housing portal. Everything else: a Banker, a Broker, crafting stations, etc., etc., etc., are right outside the door, and unless you're stupid and make a point to kill off NPCs in every city, the natives there will be willing to talk with you, sell/buy anything to/from you, etc., Good or Evil. Except for housing requirements, I really have a hard time believing that they're considered Evil. ;-> Another benny for specifically being on Test: because our economy isn't as "robust" (or hyper-inflated -- er, diverse) as others, folks can buy the Advanced Volume recipe books from The Bookworm in The Tower of the Moon (second floor; tiny critter that looks like A Strange Cabbage Plushie, unless it's not there any more and you just access the shelves?). I'm not sure if they go all the way up to 110 or 120, but they definitely do to 100. Uwk
I think New Hallas and Gorowyn should be just neutral , (that would also help Exiles) on any server .
Well, New Halas is neutral in every Live server (not sure about the special ones), in that you're not KoS (unless you try killing off all their NPCs, if you're Good or Evil; I've never understood why anyone would do that to one of THEIR OWN ALIGNMENT cities...), but they still won't talk to you if you're Evil (same with Kelethin, as long as you're not on the Royal Level. Then, you're KoS if you're Evil). Some merchants will talk to you in New Halas, especially around the crafting area, but while I think there's a "shady Broker" in a shady area who might deign to talk shadily to you (if you don't have "Broker anywhere" capabilities), I don't think there's a "neutral" Banker there. :-/ When we were debating about which city to get a Guild Hall in, I strongly recommended Gorowyn, mainly due to its splendid, true neutral economy. ;-> Uwk
No Uwkete they are not , you can't use the bank or the broker in New Hallas if you are evil . It used to be when you did the crafting line there you had to bring all the fuel with you too because no merchant wanted your business . So in that regard the people in Gorowen are kinder than those in New Hallas .
Yeah, I'd said that, in a sort of convoluted way up there. ;-> "No Bank or Broker for you" if you're not welcome in their back yards. ;-> At least now, though, you can get fuel from the fuel merchants and sell to (especially Status items)/buy stuff from......Peregrine? one of the Far Seas agent guys, I think. Whoever; he's the big Barbarian dude to the right of the fire pit in the center of the crafting area, and doesn't care if you're Evil or not, he'll still cheer you on. And yeah, I think the folks in Gorowyn are way nicer than in any other city except for maybe Maj'Dul, and you don't have to worry about thieves or flying cops on carpets overhead, and the Bank and Broker and crafting stations are all way easier to get to. ;-> Uwk
Hey all. I've thought about trying out Test to contribute to any bug finding and have some fun while at it. I take it Ftp players are limited only by selling on the auction house ? Any restrictions to high level gear later on? Anything else? Thanks for the info.
I don't really know much about the F2P side of things. I believe you'll be restricted to the AoM expansion and level 100, and may have some gear limits as well? Hopefully someone can chime in on that. If you decide to come over and test with us (and live events always need a mix of levels to be properly tested!), leave me a message on the forums with your character name and I can mail you some bigger bags to get you started off on easier footing. (You can't send email, but you can receive it.) ~Mum
there is no limit to expansions as long as you buy them , so if you buy the latest one you can play all of them . Things have changed a lot what FTP can or not can do . You don't get double coins unless it's announced different . You can't use fast travel . I don't really know what the use is for free to play , of the broker just looked at my silver account and I have full use of the broker , it might be more limited for FtP. It appears I can mail things to a single target , but you can't pick up items from your mail out in the field.
You can mail out with a Silver account? Cool! I wish they'd kept that option around; if they're gonna do F2P as the default and subscription as an option (rather than the other way around...sigh), they ought to expand, not contract, the numbers of F2P account options. :-/ I liked my Silver accounts, once I realized how they worked...there was a time I was too broke to do another $5/month beyond my one Gold, but it finally dawned on me that it would be another ONE TIME $5, not per month. Sigh. Wasted opportunities... From what I recall (I usually don't play my poor freebies; they're languishing :-/), I think Schmett's right on all counts. Uwk
All I needed was $5 one time and I had my silver account , I got 4 of those . Free to play accounts fill up the servers , so people who subscribe have more people to group with . I don't pay through the nose to get geared up on my paid accounts. And some free to play people will go through some great efforts to at least get close to a top performer . Just because you are in the members does not make you a great player , or the other way around .
This is true. Though I do find more options with my Gold and Silver accounts, I must say...still, it's not impossible to be Bronze, just trickier. Uwk
I'm not sure you can talk on custom channels if you're FTP (bronze account), so you might have problems with the /Test channel. I think you can't /tell people that don't have you in your friend list. You might want to give us your IG name when you start so we can add you just in case.
and join a guild that way if your restricted for chats at least you can talk with guild members as a FTP.
