Is Everquest 2 worth playing?

Thankyou so much everyone. Really nice seeing such a positive and helpful community

Well, gameplay aspect aside, which has been pretty much covered here (and which is mostly very good, I agree), you'd also need to consider the technical & support sides of this game (which weren't mentioned yet). And that's (from my experience, been playing EQ2 for around 4 months as a new player before taking a short break) where some things are less fun.
Customer (that is, players) support of SoE is moderate, if not to say rather poor. Especially if you're playing not in USA but in Europe, like Germany. Logging in to the game is not always easy when login servers are not working, and can become frustrating if you don't have the patience to wait for few hours and try again later - and sometimes you're kicked right out of the game while you were doing something, and can't log back in. Some ingame things are rather badly implemented, unlike promised (Chains of Eternity expansion exclusive mercenaries being a good example), which might make you feel being cheated for your money. Crashes in some more graphics-oriented big cities like Neriak, while moving around, unless you have something like at least 8GB RAM... etc. etc.

Bugs are pretty comon today, if you look into new releases of games. Sometimes you get kicked out due to lack of you´re line. Normaly the game is pretty stable, on my computer. If i got problems i can call support (gold recuring), even outside usa and get help (could be faster tho).

I have rarely had issues with connectivity. When I have it's been noted as a gamewide problem and was usually addressed quickly (COE lag & crashing went on longer than such have typically) or something like the recent DDOS attacks.

I have never had an issue getting prompt customer service, despite some of the issues I've contacted them about ended up being something stupid I'd done. I've received far better & quicker customer service than I ever have with a couple of other bigger name game companies.

As for things being implemented in ways 'unlike promised', I'm not sure what Pergor means by that. Particularly in regards to the expansion exclusive mercs. Those mercs are exactly as promised as far as I can tell. The only surprise with mercenaries was mercenary slots being implemented the way they were, which SOE did not break any promises on, just people didn't particularly like the way it was implemented. Thankfully SOE listened to feedback & explained their reasoning & made some adjustments based on player feedback.



Now, this is all as a gold subscribing US customer. Your mileage may vary as a silver or bronze player as I know they receive limited customer service due to their account level. I also have zero experience with CS as a player outside of the US, so can't say they don't run into issues.

If you're interested in a theme-parky game to wander through and see different things then EQ2 is about as good as you'll get right now. It has the widest range of different environments to play through and probably the largest bestiary to observe (and kill) along the way.

So if you're a casual player looking for some downtime from being a mom for 45 minutes at a time then EQ2 is definitely worth looking at.

If you're a game player who really wants to compete against the environment and feel as though you've accomplished something in the process then EQ2, like almost all of the other MMO's at the moment, will likely leave you wanting more. The combat is not particularly interesting and the monsters you will be fighting are not challenging at all in landscape mode.

There's nothing to figure out and really no best play available beyond your basic rotations and knowing when to hit your emergency buttons. It's very theme-parky at this point and you're not likely to feel much of a challenge as you play through the game.

If you group things can get more interesting in dungeons, although many of those are inaccessible on level at this point due to a lack of players at the levels between 20 and 85 or so. If you raid things will definitely be more interesting, however only really at endgame, since old raid content has not been recycled the way some old group content has.

Reading your post I'm guessing that EQ2 will work for you for a while as a cool new environment to play around in. After a while you'll be where most long-term players are now, confined to a small competitive environment and wishing there was more to do.

Personally, having played EQ (way back in the day), WoW, LOTRO, EQ2 and GW2, in that order, I find that EQ2 has a much wider array of attractions. I am particularly fond of the housing/guildhall decorating mechanics, it was this in fact which brought me back after I wandered off for a bit. The graphics are still quite nice even after ten years, and the depth of the lore is impressive (especially considering it is unique to this game, tho I am a huge Tolkien fan!)

I don't recommend playing it till they fix the pvp system they have , Its the worst one ive seen EVER and im an OLD gamer been playing long enough half you weren't even born yet if you are not 95 in this game it isn't even a close match !

This game is FAR more than PvP. That's like saying I don't like Applebee's (Insert random restaurant as you please) because their clam chowder isn't any good. The other things are good and even some of them great, But that one aspect is sub-par so i wont ever go to Applebee's.

Now, if you are looking for a game to JUST PvP in then yes, EQ2 is unlikely to be your game of choice. But the community is engaging (clearly) and the levelling system is well put together, Crafting is ridiculously fun, the Housing is infinite in it's possibilities. The zones architectures and ambiance are amazing. (Cazic-Thule STILL creeps me out with the Eyeball trees that stare into your soul... judging.. always judging...)

Drunkenshaman, that sounds like a totally cool guild. Grats!

For a free to play game, this has very few restrictions. You can buy the lastest expansion, but as a new player you dont need to since most of the stuff doesnt really apply to new players. Best thing to do is buy the Age of Discovery combo pack from the SC store. (well its no longer called AoD, its the Beastlord/merc/reforging combo).

You really dont need a gold sub to play this game at all. There are no gear nor level restrictions anymore. All the gold sub gives you are a few useless perks. So definitely give this game a try. It is a lot of fun and it really is the best free to play game out there.

As everyone else is talking about gameplay and questing/grouping allow me to touch on the other part you asked about, which is the crafting and decorating aspect of EQ2.
Most of my time is spent either crafting or designing houses. As others have hinted at, it is a vast and varied experience in and of itself. There is actually quite a bit of quest content just for crafters and yes, you WILL forget that there is actual "go out and kill stuff" content if you let yourself become too involved! As many suggested, tour the Housing Leaderboards to see what others have done or pop over into the Homeshow Forum! (We're always happy to have you!) You can build ANYTHING you desire with the furniture and blocks available in game and by looking at the Station Cash Marketplace, you can see that SOE caters to us decorators quite a bit. Each of your characters can own up to 25 houses, and some are meant to be "sandboxes" where you can build things from scratch! As someone else mentioned, there is an in-game market for crafting, and designing homes. If you want to get away from the raiding/grouping aspect and settle down with your carpenter and start building things, there are many guilds available to help you out. (I personally recommend Homes and Tomes on the Antonia Bayle server! )

Personally, I find that crafting/harvesting/decorating is a fun way to spend time in the game and relax w/o having to feel like I have to be "just as good as" everyone else. I'm only as good as I want to be, and on the time frame that I choose. In answer to your original question though, YES YES YES!! EQ 2 is most certainly a good game to join. We have a great community and most of the game is free-to-play w/o too many annoying restrictions. (although I also endorse the thought of paying for one month to try out a "gold" subscription.) Not only that, but there are a multitude of playstyles to explore and help you relax a bit while taking care of the baby! (Congratulations btw!)

Come join us! We have cookies and lots of shiny things!

Best gear comes from raiding but if you don't raid you don't need raid gear.

To be honest, very little of what I've done in Everquest 2 involves raiding, and for exactly the same reasons the OP gave. For me, raiding is a fun thing to do when I have time, and is not the center of my gameplay.

There is a lot to do out there if you keep your eyes peeled.

General suggestions:

1. Get the biggest inventory bags/boxes that you can right away, and visit shop NPCs often. Picking up vendor trash definitely adds up after awhile. Far too many people leave this easy money behind.
2. Prioritize skills and spells when it comes to money. Quest and loot for equipment, use mid-range adornments for your level. Raiding gear is not necessary until you actually start raiding.
3. Do every solo quest you can find. You do *not* have to grind. (Search for threads on the "golden path" for suggested levels for each area to keep your quest journal flowing.) Read the text given so that you know where you're going on lore.
4. Pick up any and all shinies. They are a really good source of income, even early on, and will allow you to start saving money for better equipment without too much effort. You may need a gold subscription to keep the money flowing this way, however.
5. Get a merc as soon as you can. (Not sure if the expansion is still required.) Mercs allow you to tackle old heroic and even some early raid instances while solo.

I'm not saying you have to entirely solo the game. But I've found that in MMOs I'm typically happier if I'm self-sufficient. People don't always want to group for the stuff you want to do. The other problem is far too often, guilds will drag lowbie players trying to learn the story and lore off on instances they don't really know the story behind. I wouldn't go as far as calling them "spoilers", but a lot of stuff seems out of place until you actually do the related quest lines for yourself. I think the lore is far more fun than grinding, and it gives the game more of a "heroic" feel.

Also, download EQ2 maps as soon as you get the chance. Snooping around in instances too big for your character is a fun adventure in its own right, if you don't mind all the trouble you'll get into.

Absolutely