Hey guys. I have played EQ 1 since beta. So, intimately familiar with that game. I did try EQ2 briefly when it launched. Played for I think a month, and gave up on it. I remember it being really buggy with lots of mechanical issues with the game. So, I stuck with EQ 1 since. However, I am wanting to jump into the game again and give it another shot. Apparently all the long standing issues have since been resolved some 15 years ago or whenever it launched (thank goodness). But, when I made a character, I was instantly confused. Omg, it's so different from EQ 1. I found the wiki to help me out, but I was wondering if anyone has any other resources for an actual Newb to the game to figure out how it all works rather than fumbling through it for the next week? I am mainly wanting to play for something fresh (to me), and also because it's a pretty game with all the settings maxed out (omg I forgot how pretty this game is). So, I wanted to give it a good try to get immersed a different way. Still going to play EQ 1, but thought this would be a nice alternative game to get into since I enjoy the everquest world so much. Also, is it worth it to get into the game at this point? I read that it's dying, and EQ 1 is pretty much the one out of the two that is thriving to this day. Any truth to that? Any input or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
It is a dying game. The climb is rather steep and I imagine a true newb will be really intimidated. The journey along the way could be a ton of fun if not in a hurry to reach the endgame. I returned to live servers about a year-and-a-half ago and was quite intimidated. I was a returner and got boosted to 110 where I tried to play catch-up after being gone for 6 years. Ultimately I found the TLE (similar to EQ1 TLPs) more familiar to the game I left behind. It certainly won't hurt to give it a try and see what you think, especially if you are all acces anyway. EQ1 is also my primary but I like hopping around EQ2 from time to time. Someone else will have to chime in and tell you about live more. TLE is more my cup of tea, at least for now.
I disagree that the game is dying, just the few neh sayers that come to the forums and try to make it so. Live is hugely fun. Although yes you will have a ton of catching up to do. But if you enjoy questing then just take your time and enjoy the game. You don't have to rush to end game unless you want to.
you can always look up each level areas quests timeline, the rest should really fall into place. HQ quest orders, signature, tradeskill and the likes, it should all become apparent after a little while there are still a few good casual guilds out there with a wealth of knowledge if you ever need a direct helping hand at those levels, depending on the server perhaps?
Oh and one more thing, can EQ2 be Molo'ed to the end game? Or do you need groups past a certain level?
Maj'Dul is the most populated. And yes I've soloed with very little grouping. Honestly though it depends on your play style. There have been things I couldn't do with a group and I've had to mentor down and go back later and do them. If you are someone like me who likes to putz around, see the sites, and do every quest I can and not worry about being the best out there. You will do just fine.
The basic engine works the way it has worked since LU13 or so. But new releases can be quite buggy, this was true of Chaos Descending and Blood of Luclin especially. Usually by the time I've worked through the quest lines, most of the bugs are straightened out, but... not always. OTOH, I have been playing EQ2 since near the start, so obviously I like the game. During the SOE Long Downtime of Doom, when Sony was knocked out by the massive DDoS for weeks and weeks, I played every MMORPG I could find, and none of them compared to EQ2 for me. First and foremost, bookmark the wiki's Solo Timeline. Other helpful resources: EQ2i Timelines Category This is the page where all the timelines the wiki has are listed. Want to know what dungeons are available at which levels? Want to see what Heritage Quests are out there? etc. EQ2i Tradeskill Timeline The fastest way to level your crafting is by doing tradeskill quests... they give tradeskill XP! Plus the XP you get while actually crafting for the quests. Lots of these quests have nice rewards, too. EQ2i Harvesting - A Gathering Obsession Timeline Harvesting is a dreary drudge for some folks, or a relaxing zen experience for others. Whichever, you do want to harvest a little all along the way, and Quo Augren is there to help guide you through. His quests also rewards pretty good cash for a low level player. EQ2 Traders Corner I don't know what Norrathian crafters would do without Niami Denmum's page. There is TONS of useful info here for crafters and interior decorators. EQ2 Furniture This is like the showroom catalog for all house items in Norrath. If you decorate much, this is THE site to bookmark. Dragon's Armory Look up your character (data pulled from Census, in your Character Window on the Options page is where you control whether your info will be visible or not). Hovering over each stat tells you what that stat actually does. The caps are not right anymore, it needs some updating, but a very handy resource. EQ2U Run by the most excellent Feldon, EQ2U also pulls data from Census. I find it really helpful to be able to look at a lot of my characters stats, spells, Achievements and such from here. EQ2U Item Search This is a great search tool. It allows you to look stuff up with a lot of modifiers so you can find JUST the armor your toon might want for the next three levels, etc. If you're looking to increase a specific stat, you can look for items with that stat in your level range. Don't know where to find that spiffy item you saw someone else wearing? Look it up here, there's often crowdsourced info on where that item drops. EQ2U Collections I am an obsessive shiny hunter. I find this an extremely helpful resource in finding where that ONE shiny I need drops. Also, it's led me to collections I didn't even know were out there. EQ2Map This is THE ONE THING you absolutely should install, even if you don't use other tools or mods. The in-game maps lack a certain je ne sais quoi. EQ2Map has maps for zones where the in-game maps have none. There are waypoints for tons of things, and you can do a search for a waypoint if desired. EQ2Interface Everything you see in the EQ2 window is XML. When the game released, it actually CAME with EQ2UIBuilder.exe, which made it easy for people to mod. Here you will find whole entire modded UIs (I like ProfitCE and DarqUI, myself, YMMV), mods for just single windows (I use several of these), and odds and ends that are helpful. The Athenaeum - EverQuest 2 Lore Some things have changed in the 500 years between EQ1 and EQ2. The lore is what helps you relate back to the original EQ, and understand why the world of Norrath is what it is today. Optimizing Display PerformanceThe EQ2 Display Options are large and confusing. This guide is helpful in getting the prettiest picture while still maintaining a decent framerate. The game certainly doesn't have the number of players it did ten years ago. But new content is still being released. We aren't pining for the fjords just yet. Maj'Dul is the most heavily populated server. Antonia Bayle is the roleplay-encouraged server, and probably has more guilds that are active with lower level players.All the Live servers are going to have most of the population at end-game (level 120), but people start new alts, new players come to the game, etc. I would not recommend starting out on Isle of Refuge (a Free Trade server), simply because the only grouping is in guilds, and it's not the easiest thing in the world over there to find a guild. I have not personally played on Rivervale, the other Free Trade server, but you can't transfer on or off of Rivervale. The Time Locked Expansion (TLE) servers do require paid membership, but are really best for a new player when they open a new one, because there are lots of players at your level. The current TLE server, Kaladim, is several expansions in, but if my experience on Fallen Gate (the previous TLE) is anything to go by, there will still be people playing alts or new to the game at the lower levels, just not as many. You can totally SOLO to end game. Having a merc makes it faster. When I start a new class, I usually play it from level 1-level 20 or 30 without a merc, just to learn the class, then I buy a level boost to put it at end game. Lots of folks play in the Agnostic Dungeons, which will take you to level 90. I haven't, and I don't recall what level they start. But basically, the dungeons scale to your level. Other folks with more knowledge in this area can fill you in on them better. I do know folks use them to power their way up to 90, though. Welcome to EQ2!
Wow don't know what to add after Sigrdrifa's great & very inclusive post! But I would recommend playing on Skyfire Server, only because that is my main one; I have 18 characters on it & 2 on Kaladim that I don't play much. As per how to get back into the game I'd recommend joining a guild for help right ingame and of all the guilds my various characters belong to = I recommend The Forgotten Souls Guild because they are very helpful to all members. But here is a list so you may pick your own guild on whatever server you join: https://eq2.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Guilds Good Luck! Bon Soire!! Break a Leg!!!
Second the recommendation on joining a helpful guild that plays in your time zone. Having people to actually talk to and ask questions of will decrease your learning curve exponentially.
You have been given tons of good and very helpful advice, especially from Sigrdrifa. IMHO, Tanto has given you some of the BEST advice possible. Absolutely do NOT use a leveling boost. Many new players use the bauble and are instantly lvl 110. HUGE mistake if you are new to the game, as you really need to learn what your toon and the game is all about. Have fun learning your class in both questing and tradeskilling, as well as the in and outs of your race and how it interacts with your class. I am a solo/molo player myself and have had no trouble playing, even before we had mercs. Taking a little extra time to listen to the NPCs and learn the lore will be especially enjoyable for you b/c of your EQ expertise. I agree with other posters...have fun and play YOUR game YOUR way because that is the key to EQ2 happiness.
I have played this game since 2005, mostly as a solo artist, and there is so much in this post that I either didn't know or plain forgot. Thank you, from this veteran EQ and EQ2 player, for this!
The game is still in active development, so it's not dying. It *is* in a sad state, but it's limping along. EQ1 is definitely in a better state in terms of playerbase, by a lot. If you already have a paid sub from EQ1, play on the progression server here, it's a mess, but less so, and far less work to do to get caught up.
