Free Heroic Character on EQ1 until March 31.

I stopped playing EQ1 right about the time of the launch of WoW. I played a monk on the nameless server which when they did the free server transfer moved on to Maelin Starpyre with my old guild Crimson Tempest. Was good times. I actually downloaded EQ1 a few months ago to check it out but I couldn't get past the dated graphics. =)

Lots of GREAT games out there that are older so have dated graphics. I would rather play a game that is well thought out but not so great looks wise, than to play a beautiful game that has NO replay value whats so ever. Just me.

No doubt it was horrible. But some of my fondest memories are sitting in placing like the basement. I didn't appreciate it then since that was all there was but today there's hardly any reason to talk to anyone about anything which I do find makes focusing on the bad parts of a game so much more easier.

The new progression server coming this summer would be an excellent place to start since everyone will be starting at the beginning. And I believe they will be locking it at LDoN with expansions opening every twelve weeks until that point.

I'm not even bothering because I know I'll never play it. I tried it several years ago but couldn't get into it; the mechanics, UI and graphics are just too antiquated, sorry. If the only reason someone is going to EQ1 is to get a free character, they're probably not going to suddenly start playing EQ1, either. It's been running for 18 years; anyone that wants to play EQ1 is already there, really.

Nameless vet here as well! But yes, the dated graphics is why I can't go back...

Do they have instanced dungeons now besides LDoN? Did they continue instancing after LDoN or drop it?

There are a few more that have been added over the years but I couldn't name them. Been a huge amount of expansion since I fully played. But LDoN is still up though I haven't played in one for years now. And they've even added instanced raids on one of the TLE servers. Not sure if there are any on Live but I wouldn't be surprised.

EQ1 is like a fine piece of art. It is Picasso. Surrealist. Cubist, maybe. It is appreciated by many so much so that EQ1 population exceeds EQ2 population. Some people love Minecraft, others despise it. This post is more of a service (save people $$ if EQ2 gets Sunset before EQ1) and not comparison with EQ2.

Yes. They actually have a huge feature called Heroic Adventures (since Call of the Forsaken). They are basically instanced missions/quests in various parts of zones. The instancing feature is a huge deal on TLP servers (3-7 day lockouts for raid mobs). Most of the fun anniversary quests from the past 6 years are instanced missions and would be a good place to start.

http://everquest.fanra.info/wiki/Heroic_Adventures

I wanted to try the free character but my launch pad won't work for EQ1 I keep getting launch error

Thanks Benito that looks like something I would like doing. I remember the old dungeons being camped 24/7 by other players. If you wanted some gear you had to buy it from them.

I still like EQ2 ( still a lowbie ) but it doesn't hurt to create the lvl 85 and save it for later if needed.

Here are some common troubleshoots:

From EQ1 Dev JChan:

Open Control Panel > Internet Options

Click on the advanced tab on the far right
Scroll down to Security Settings
Check Do Not save encrypted pages to disk
Make sure Use TLS 1.0 is checked

From Customer Service:

"The issue you are currently experiencing is commonly related to a caching issue with the game's launchpad. In order to possibly resolve this issue, go to your game's folder and find the launchpad.libs folder. From there, delete the launchpad.cache folder and try accessing the game once again.

If this does not resolve your issue please reset your Internet options by following these instructions: Go to Start > Control Panel > Internet Options > Click the Advanced Tab. On the Advanced Tab Afterward click Reset > Delete Personal Settings > and click Ok. Then go back on the Internet Options and on the advanced tab, scroll down to Security and un-check "Check Server Certificate Revocation" and "Do Not Save Encrypted Pages to Disk" then click on Ok.”

Source: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/launchpad-was-unable-to-connect.226047/

Unfortunately, I don't have much experience here. If you are still having errors you may want to post for help on EQ1 Forums and other players will be glad to help you out:

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?forums/player-support.12/

Bump.

bwahahaha

My first experience with EQ1 back in 2000. I spent 3 months soloing. Never met anyone in game. Then one day, I fell down a pit of high level toons. You had to get your corpse, and I could never get it. 3 months of my time and gear gone in a snap. The worst feeling I've ever had playing a game.

Fast forward. EQ2 toon for 12 years. I fear one day I will try to log in and the game will be gone. Then I will realize, it wasn't just a game, it was 12 years of my life switched off like a light switch.

Despite your personal opinion about EQ2 potentially getting sunsetted (which is just your personal bias and nothing more), I still wouldn't play EQ1 even if that happened. How many times are you going to keep spamming and bumping the same thread from another game's forums, trying to coerce people over there? We get it, jeez. Enough already!

EQ1 can't be doing as well as you're pretending it is, or you wouldn't have to go to another game's forums and repeatedly keep trying to get other people to play it there.

I play both EQs, more so EQ1, although certainly not for its graphics. That dark elf is just ewwwww. At least slap some Hero's Forge on it.

My gut feeling, shared amongst most I play with in both games, is that EQ1's population does indeed significantly exceed that of EQ2. But take away the TLPs and the boxed accounts, and who knows which way the scales would tip. In the grand scheme of things, the populations don't matter. Both EQs have their rabid fan bases, and a free level 85 character in a game where 85 is the new level 1 isn't going to magically bolster EQ1's fortunes. The devs aren't doing this to get players to try EQ1, they're doing it to thank them for sticking with it.

And I still believe that both EQs will sunset together. Let's hope that doesn't happen anytime soon.

You are taking it personally. Perhaps you are trying to provoke an EQ1-vs-EQ2 debate since your original post (which wasn't kindly worded) or you have personal anxieties about EQ2 that you are taking out on me. My reference to EQ2 being Sunset was reiterating a hypothetical point made by another poster here (see Post #17 of this thread by Ruckus).

Furthermore:

(1) The promotion ends in a week. I am not spamming multiple threads. This is just one thread that actually benefits people. I'm not moping about the "State of EQ2" or EQ1 for that matter. I've only rebutted accordingly (better population, revenue) when people - including yourself - take a jab at EQ1 ("too antiquated").

(2) The Heroic Character in this promotion is considered a PAID CHARACTER. It's a 3500 Daybreak Cash value (or equivalent to $35 USD). People can delete their characters and try out EQ1 starting at level 85 as opposed to level 1 now or in the future.

(3) EQ1 is part of the Daybreak portfolio. If EQ1 succeeds, EQ2 can benefit from that revenue stream, and vice-versa. When EQ1 was in the slumps with skeletal resources during Landmark-EQN development, perhaps EQ2 carried us for a bit? I am not advertising Pantheon or WoW or Angry Birds here. If people want to try something else or "take a break" wouldn't it be better if money stays with Daybreak than Blizzard or EA Games?

(4) If EQ1 is in such bad shape why did Holly just announce Agnarr TLP Server and a new expansion for EQ1:

https://www.everquest.com/news/new-progression-server-2017-planes-of-power

I will keep bumping to help people save $35!

I play both EQ1 and EQ2. I grew up on EQ1 and friends from there got me onto EQ2, so now I play both from time to time. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. But I enjoy both for different and same reasons. So play what you want to play and have fun! Why most of us play after all: FUN!

I played EQ1 starting a week or two after release. March 1999 if I remember correctly? Took a six year break with WoW and guess what? Came back to EQ1. Did that for awhile. I decided to play around with EQ2 (what did I have to lose?) and really appreciated the much more organized and intuitive tradeskill system. That was almost 2 years ago I think. This new heroic character is cool and I plan on checking EQ1 out again to see what's "new." EQ2 KA is kinda draining anyways and maybe a temporary swap will do me some good.

And speaking of reminiscing... I remember when you didn't even have a compass and the actual screen of the environment was like 10X6 because of the bulky UI and my screaming 14 inch monitor. Yikes!