Hi Folks....After a long spell away from the game, there is just a few questions to ask before returning to Norrath. Is it worth starting the game with the Chaos expansion? Will this expansion allow me to start my new character in new player zones compared to the old starting zones from the past? Example, Isle of Refuge Finally, the age old question, which server has the highest population for a UK PvE player to join up. Thanks.
Unless you have your old downloads/DvDs, the only way to go is to buy the current expac or wait until November when the next expac comes out. I wasn't here years ago, but here are the starting zones I have been in. Kelethin, Frostfang Sea, Iksar villages ( don't remember the name), Freeport. Overlord's Island. Darklight Forest. No idea on the servers.
Thanks Geroblue. I don't have the DVD now after all this time. So I guess if I download the free version of the game, there would be a lot of the gameplay missing.
I just came back after a 3 year break and first of all, it's great to see some renewed interest in EQ2! Now to answer the questions I can, as a fellow returning player: If you mean boosting a character with Chaos Descending, it's a really good time to do that! The latest expansion is 50% off until November so you can buy the collector's edition for pretty cheap that comes with a 110 boost. I boosted an alt instead of paying for a server transfer, and since there is a summer promo event going with tons of free goodies, she's coming along nicely. I won't overwhelm you with information, but know that you get a full set of gear at the beginning of Chaos Descending and there are 7 more weeks of nice items from the in-game event. You will need some guidance though as there are a lot of new systems you may not be familiar with since you last played, I highly recommend finding a friendly guild if you go this route. It is not impossible, and I don't mean to discourage you at all, but it's a lot to take in at first. I want to also point out - you DO NOT need to buy any expansions if you want to try the game for a bit before committing to Chaos Descending and are starting a character from scratch. As far as new player zones, there haven't been any since Frostfang Sea, aka Halas. But since you're asking about 'Isle of Refuge' I'm thinking that will be new to you. Do be aware that due to the age of the game, you won't be seeing many others in lower level areas. As an alternative to this, you could try the Time Locked Expansion (TLE) server Kaladim, which is currently locked to Desert of Flames and therefore has a much higher lower-level population. If you subscribe, you get access to both TLE servers and Live so you could always roll on each and see which strikes your fancy. I don't know much about European servers, sorry. Best of luck!
There is only one EU server which is Thurgadin. Kaladim in the Time Locked Expansion Server for PvE which is currently on Desert of Flames, there is a moderate to large EU population on Kaladim, Nagafen is the Time Locked Expansion Server for PvP. For Live servers, MajDul is the most populated. Antonia Bayle is the RP server, if you choose there, make sure to join the RPLFG server so that you are in touch with the RP players. Welcome Back to Norrath, enjoy your journeys, and have fun.
Unless you're some super Hardcore gamer, no. - The FtP expansions will let you level up to 100 and max(?) AA. - In ~1 month, the pre-order for the next expansion will start. Unless DBG changes its years-long policy, once you pre-order you'll have access to all expensions - up to Chaos Descending All stater areas (Neriak, Kelethin, Halas, Gorowyn and the evil/good versions of the Isle of Refuge) are part of the FtP game anyway. This one is easy as there's only one Euro server left : Thurgadin. Obviously they're Euro guilds/players on the US servers too (if you don't mind the extra latency) but assuming you're playing at "normal" Euro hours, it would be off-peak for these servers.
Just to be clear, you can play up to the AoM expansion without buying anything. You don't need to have the DVDs either, you just download the game from the website. Unless something changes, nothing past AoM will be added as F2P. If you want to play more than AoM, then you will need to buy the most recent expansion.
