So let's suppose EQII fell into my lap this weekend...

[Mastema]

I love the PvP servers. I made a char on Nagafen when it launched and had more fun in the month I played (had to take a break when work got busy) than I did in all the previous time playing on PvE.

It can be a gankfest, but if you roll with a group it's a ton of fun.

[Marcus]

I have a 39 nearly 40 Necro on some server which I cant remember off hand right now but I have not played for nearly a month. EQ2 is good but I dunno something about it just wears off after a while for me. This char is the highest I have been in the game and really I just dont think I like it all that much.

My Account is still active and all but I dunno I think I just got burned out. The levels seemed to have slowed down a lot ( more so then WoW at the same level ) and finding groups is a pain in the ass. I mean who wants to log on for 45 min and try and find a group then have to log an hour later? Not I!

Yeah you can solo and all that but a lot of the time soloing sucks because the game was not built on it and it took a revamp to make it that way.

Its not a bad game and there are a fuck load of quests but for me right now its more of a bleh kinda thing.

[Mike Hussey]

Fry's has EQ2 for $9.99 if you have one nearby.

Lorini

Do NOT buy the original game. The Kingdom of Sky expanson includes the original and while most of the content is for levels 60-70, it includes the achievement point system which starts at level 20 and some freeby stuff. If you can get a DVD version, even better, it comes on two DVDs instead of 9 CDs.

[Marcus]

Do NOT buy the original game. The Kingdom of Sky expanson includes the original and while most of the content is for levels 60-70, it includes the achievement point system which starts at level 20 and some freeby stuff. If you can get a DVD version, even better, it comes on two DVDs instead of 9 CDs.

Yeah I agree with this. The achievement system is actually pretty good because is just free stat points starting at level 20. I couldnt find the DVD version of it though so my copy came on like friggin 9 CDs which sucked. Dont worry about the Desert of Flames expansion as you dont need it till you hit 40 or so ( if you do ).

[Tyjenks]

I wasn't sure if the DVD version at my local stores had KoS so I got the 9 CD version. Wheeeee!

So far so good. Level 8 and level nine in tradeskills. Whatever that means.

There is a lot to the crafting system and it could become tedious or cumbersome, but I rather like the variety at this point. While initially crazily confusing, I like the system for crafting, but I think I have a lot more to research about it before I can wrap my brain all the way around it.

I have just about finished all the isle quests. All the skills and thingies are still a bit overwhelming as I was very used to WoW's system. It was more streamlined, but in a good, efficient way. And what's with no manual at all? Couldn't they have least pretended and hit the high points in a brief manual that doesn't really say much?

I seem to be getting a bunch of lag. Not sure if it a function of server issues or EQ2 being a hog, but I almost never had lag with WoW. I dialed down some of the display settings and it seemed to improve. Need more tinkerin'.

[HRose]

Someone remembers the shortcut to see the connection details (like lag) in EQ2?

I think I managed to open it once and then I never managed to do it again. And in the options I never found anything.

[TheWombat]

PvP is why I'm still playing EQII as fervently as I am. For all the flak thrown at SOE (some of it rathered well deserved) they are doing pretty well in this area for EQII.

Last night, for example, we were in Cazic Thule, a 40-50ish zone with oodles of quests and lots of mobs ranging from relatively benign to hairy named epic multi-group monstrosities. It's also not an instance, which in my book is good, because it makes it one hell of a contested zone. We had my Warlock, my wife's Fury, a friend's Guardian, and another couple we play with brought a Warden and a Swashbuckler (that's mage/DPS, healing/buffing/DPS, tank, healing/buffing/DPS, rogue/DPS) and we were eventually joined by a Templar (plate-wearing pure healer/buffer) for a full six person group.

We landed on the docks in the Feerrot without meeting any Freeps (Freeporters, the "other side" if you are Qeynosian characters on a PvP server). As we made our way through the jungle to Cazic Thule, our Swashbuckler kept tracking up to see if we would run into any enemies. We played a cat and mouse game with some higher-level groups (we were all mid-high 40s) and got to CT intact--only to find a raid group (multiple groups) of Freeps on the steps. Luckily they went somewhere else, leaving us to deal only with a lone group of Freeps inside CT. We fought a couple of spirited battles in the "foyer" as it were, and chased them deeper into the zone. We caught up with them on top of the great ziggurat temple thingy at the top of the zone.

There, they were doing just what we wanted to do--an event consisting of a chain of groups of mobs that come one after another, culminating in a battle with a named mob that drops very nice gear (and progresses a big quest). We hit them while they were heavily engaged, and slaughtered them. We then spent the next half-hour or so fighting off counterattacks from atop the temple, until they got wise and moved off (these were largely even fights, with them having the edge in levels but us having the edge in gear and spells). We then went ahead, did the event, got the loot, and all the while kept an eye out for interlopers.

We then went down to the dungeons under the temple, a maze of corridors where you can easily wander into another group by surprise. Just the other day we had been in there without a scout and had been jumped and annihilated by a Freep party. Today we did the jumping, obliterating a couple of groups that we came upon. There's nothing quite like dropping a group root on a bunch of bad guys who are struggling with nasty heroic mobs, then unloading a series of group AoE attacks....

What makes it better is that we cleaned up on gold and some items from the folks we killed, which only made us more sensitive to the fact we could lose our newly gotten gains just as easily. So we always had to fight with one eye down the corridor to make sure a stealthed group didn't materialize on us in the middle of the fight.

On the way out we got into another running fight with a group of Freeps that was looking to quest in CT. We were leaving so we didn't stay around long, only long enough to kill a few of them and send them packing. Usually, as we're outnumbered on the server it seems, we get the short end of the stick, but this time we were doing the thwacking, and it felt good.

Stuff like this is pretty much an everyday occurrence. You can't solo effectively unless you are a stealther, and even then good luck doing much beyond ganking a few even stupider soloers. But in small groups (I often run in a trio) with the right make up, you can harvest, quest, and grind well enough. If you don't like always looking over your shoulder, in ways that even WoW's more or less open PvP doesn't demand, and if you don't like being shut out from zones because an enemy raid is there that night, it wouldn't be for you. But there is nothing quite like fighting or sneaking your way into an enemy held zone to finish up quests, then falling on unsuspecting foes and getting away with it. There's a real rush in having to risk getting exp debt, losing money, and losing items just to go out and harvest your raw materials. It's even dangerous to buy your crafting recipes after 50 because the vendors are in open PvP contested areas, sometimes camped by people trying to get gold from buyers. Being in a guild is a must after 30 I think; it really helps.

All in all, it offers me most of what I want from PvP in a way WoW never did. DAOC had a different but equally exciting model I think, but few others games I've tried do.

[Tyjenks]

Holy Fudge there is a lot going on.

Anyone know a good crafting site that shows where to get items, what makes what and the like a la Thottbott?

[Marcus]

http://eq2craft.computersims.com/

[Tyjenks]

Thanks ranvarian!

[Marcus]

Oh yeah and if you dont have more then 1gig of ram then get more. 1.5 should be ok and 2gigs is kinda the sweet spot.

[TheWombat]

2GB makes a huge difference, indeed. The spell effects are IMO very well done, but can be a performance killer.

[Tyjenks]

Aha! For some reason I thought I had more. Shows you how many graphics intensive games I play. I only have 1 Gig.

[Marcus]

Well there are very few games that need that much so its more the exception then the rule.

[Sidd_Budd]

While I'm sure more RAM would help, I don't have any major issues playing EQ2 with only 1 GB. My graphics card isn't great either (6600 GT). I generally play in a window with the display performance profile set to High Performance; often I can get away with better graphics (Balanced) outside of cities.

[TheWombat]

While I'm sure more RAM would help, I don't have any major issues playing EQ2 with only 1 GB. My graphics card isn't great either (6600 GT). I generally play in a window with the display performance profile set to High Performance; often I can get away with better graphics (Balanced) outside of cities.

Cities kill framerate, for sure. I run at 1600x1200 with a custom quality setting that works pretty well. Zoning seems faster with 2GB than with 1GB, but 1 is certainly doable. Windowing also helps.

[Tyjenks]

SO I have my level 13 Barbarian Monk and stuck at 9 Artisan or whatever until I figure what NPC in Graystone (sp?) Yard I need to talk to. Is it simply my relative newness to the game or is there just a whole lot of stuff to do. It is a bit overwhelming with all of the crafting and collecting and harvesting and all the stuff I am picking up and buying bags.

Until I read an FAQ today, I did not know you could affect the negative events that occur during crafting. I was sitting around just watching the little bars tick off. I should have read a bit more somewhere as I imagined all those little tradeskill icons had to do something, but it never hit me to use them.

I think once I get a handle on things I will really enjoy its depth, but if I had not just come off a year of WoW, I would have run out of the house shrieking. Do the developers of a game like EQ II expect to recruit subscribers who are unfamiliar with the genre? It seems like the learning curve is precipitous.

[Charlatan]

Until I read an FAQ today, I did not know you could affect the negative events that occur during crafting. I was sitting around just watching the little bars tick off. I should have read a bit more somewhere as I imagined all those little tradeskill icons had to do something, but it never hit me to use them.

I played this back when it launched, and I couda sworn that if you did the tradeskill tutorial stuff on newb island (in the tower and the basement) that they described how the crafting system worked. Granted, it was only an overview, and it gets a lot more complex when you have more than one action you can take when one of those negative actions occurs, but still, it was a pretty decent introduction to crafting.

If you didn't try it on newb island, then yeah, I have no idea how you'd learn anything unless you surfed messageboards or spoiler sites or the like.

[Tyjenks]

I did a lot on newbie island in the crafting area. I think I was up to level 7 or so when I left. My guess is that in my haste to take it all in, I clicked through some of the important bits. Having 2 kids and a wife makes me want to read text less and make and kill things more. Time constraints and all, ya' know.

[SlyFrog]

I really enjoyed EQII until about level 30, but then it did start to slow down, and we (my wife and I) found it harder and harder to do fun things without a full group.

I valued our experience in it enough to say it is definitely worth a shot. I still like the art better than WoW (yes, I know I'm an idiot, you don't need to say it). I also liked the more "serious" tone of the game world better. Unfortunately, while there may be "more" to do, we found that a lot of it is fairly stupid. I'm thinking of the solo and similar instances in Thundering Steppes, for example, that seem to consist of one long tunnel where you kill three mobs from time to time for no apparent reason, with absolutely no other reason or goal for being in the tunnel.

We got to a point at level 30 where we really could not figure out why we were in instances, and how we were supposed to defeat the heroic mobs that were there. It got pretty close to having a choice of tackling content that was incredibly easy because it was far below our level, or killing stray single meaningless mobs on the general maps.

We had a really hard time finding the right balance, basically, and the game got dull because of it. I'm not so sure it wasn't "us" instead of the game. I would say that when we last played 3-4 months ago, I believed it did still feel increasingly necessary to have a group together to advance much in the game. Most guildies seemed to agree, and understood our reasons for leaving (but maybe they were just being nice).

[TheWombat]

30 is a difficult time unless you have more than one person to play with. I've been very lucky in that I've spent my entire time in EQII (barring the initial exploration of the game when it launched) playing in a regular trio. A trio tips the balance if you have right group (tank/dps/heals). Adding a fourth or more just widens your range, but you can do a lot with three. With two, it's tough. Even with a Conjuror/Warden duo (using the Conjuror's tank pet) we hit a wall on what we could take.

Guilding is pretty important in EQII. You really have to get not only a guild, but one that actually fosters forming groups. That's harder than it seems, as a lot of guilds are guilds in name only. Luckily for me, on Venekor I found a group with similar sorts of folks, good level ranges and compatibilities, and a willingness to work together. (The other night we all rolled Halflings and ran nearly naked from Qeynos to Freeport for a group photo; stuff like that isn't necessary but it is fun.) Without the guild, I'm not sure I would have lasted past the mid thirties as it gets really hard without support; that much is true.

The payoff for me has been the PvP, number one, and what I consider a very rich game world, particularly after you get into the areas beyond Antonica/Thundering Steppes or Commonlands/Nektulos Forest. The instances vary; there are some like the rumbler caves and skeleton caves that are dreadful, but there are others that are pretty neat. EQII's strength though is not its instances; WoW has it beat there. The strength is the overall zone design and variety I think.

Keep in mind though that if you play only on the non-PvP servers, while I still think the game is very good, it's a much more even balance with WoW, which integrates some form of PvP on all servers. But EQII PvP, to me, trumps WoW PvP by a mile.

I really enjoyed EQII until about level 30, but then it did start to slow down, and we (my wife and I) found it harder and harder to do fun things without a full group.

I valued our experience in it enough to say it is definitely worth a shot. I still like the art better than WoW (yes, I know I'm an idiot, you don't need to say it). I also liked the more "serious" tone of the game world better. Unfortunately, while there may be "more" to do, we found that a lot of it is fairly stupid. I'm thinking of the solo and similar instances in Thundering Steppes, for example, that seem to consist of one long tunnel where you kill three mobs from time to time for no apparent reason, with absolutely no other reason or goal for being in the tunnel.

We got to a point at level 30 where we really could not figure out why we were in instances, and how we were supposed to defeat the heroic mobs that were there. It got pretty close to having a choice of tackling content that was incredibly easy because it was far below our level, or killing stray single meaningless mobs on the general maps.

We had a really hard time finding the right balance, basically, and the game got dull because of it. I'm not so sure it wasn't "us" instead of the game. I would say that when we last played 3-4 months ago, I believed it did still feel increasingly necessary to have a group together to advance much in the game. Most guildies seemed to agree, and understood our reasons for leaving (but maybe they were just being nice).

[TheWombat]

In the next live update you should see a vastly revamped crafting system that will simplify a lot of what you're facing, though the long time crafters are already calling foul, etc. Still, the general paradigm for crafting is a bit complex. I had to have an experienced player walk me through it all to get my crafting bars set up and all. Essentially, I have several tool bars (accessed by shift+<number>), each with the proper "spell" collection for a specific discipline (artificing, metalwork, chemistry, etc.) Once you get them organized in the right way, it's much easier. It's still mind numbing though.

SO I have my level 13 Barbarian Monk and stuck at 9 Artisan or whatever until I figure what NPC in Graystone (sp?) Yard I need to talk to. Is it simply my relative newness to the game or is there just a whole lot of stuff to do. It is a bit overwhelming with all of the crafting and collecting and harvesting and all the stuff I am picking up and buying bags.

Until I read an FAQ today, I did not know you could affect the negative events that occur during crafting. I was sitting around just watching the little bars tick off. I should have read a bit more somewhere as I imagined all those little tradeskill icons had to do something, but it never hit me to use them.

I think once I get a handle on things I will really enjoy its depth, but if I had not just come off a year of WoW, I would have run out of the house shrieking. Do the developers of a game like EQ II expect to recruit subscribers who are unfamiliar with the genre? It seems like the learning curve is precipitous.

[Flowers]

PvP is why I'm still playing EQII as fervently as I am.

There, they were doing just what we wanted to do--an event consisting of a chain of groups of mobs that come one after another, culminating in a battle with a named mob that drops very nice gear (and progresses a big quest). We hit them while they were heavily engaged, and slaughtered them.

There's nothing quite like dropping a group root on a bunch of bad guys who are struggling with nasty heroic mobs, then unloading a series of group AoE attacks....

It's even dangerous to buy your crafting recipes after 50 because the vendors are in open PvP contested areas, sometimes camped by people trying to get gold from buyers. Being in a guild is a must after 30 I think; it really helps.

All in all, it offers me most of what I want from PvP in a way WoW never did. DAOC had a different but equally exciting model I think, but few others games I've tried do.

Hmm, a man after my own heart. For this level of ganking, most people would have had to play Ultima Online in 1997. I laud your shitheadedness. However, I do find your inability to recognize that the position of "bad guy" shifts in relation to the assholic behavior of the parties to the transaction, and that, whenever you root gank people fighting monsters, the cow is you.

[Marcus]

As for the crafting thing having just gone through it I can say for sure you are really not told exactly how the system works. I think they could have done a much better job explaning it for the real newbie.

[Lorini]

When is the crafting update due?

Lorini

[Mike Hussey]

SO I have my level 13 Barbarian Monk and stuck at 9 Artisan or whatever until I figure what NPC in Graystone (sp?) Yard I need to talk to. Is it simply my relative newness to the game or is there just a whole lot of stuff to do. It is a bit overwhelming with all of the crafting and collecting and harvesting and all the stuff I am picking up and buying bags.

To get past 9 you need to do a quest for a guy in your trading shop. He will ask you to make various things and then send you to see someone who will aloow you to specialise in one area. This lasts until level 20 when you specialise further, but no quest this time. If you can't find someone in a particular area, by the way, you can ask a guard andiuf you spell their name right you'll get a a trail leading to them.

[instant0]

I guess the reason EQ2 PVP is so fun is that they have not implemented Battlegrounds yet.... :-)

I remember reading that you gained Experience and Coin from PVP Kills in EQ2? Or did I imagine that? ... Could you also get quests to kill, say, 100 enemy players for a rewards?

[Hump]

Sadly, we do not here in B'ham, Alabama, but I will find out how close I can get to that.

Doesn't the trial version give you the option to continue playing after its run out?

[TheWombat]

You gain a portion, up to I think 60%, of the coin carried by the person you kill. You also have a shot at the victim dropping an item, of Treasured quality or lower (most generic magic items are Treasured) that isn't atttuned (i.e., soulbound). You gain experience, and status, as well as fame. Fame determines your rank, while status is a fund of points you expend to get stuff and also adds to your guild's ranking.

I guess the reason EQ2 PVP is so fun is that they have not implemented Battlegrounds yet.... :-)

I remember reading that you gained Experience and Coin from PVP Kills in EQ2? Or did I imagine that? ... Could you also get quests to kill, say, 100 enemy players for a rewards?

[TheWombat]

Erm, maybe. The general dynamic in EQII is faction-based PvP. So, you have clearly defined bad guys. Freeport on one side, Qeynos on the other. It's not like UO, where it's FFA gankage. It's a war paradigm, much more so than in WoW really. You have level limits on PvP in many zones, but when you see someone within the allowed range, you kill them. Period. Or try to, heh. It's very accepted behavior on Venekor at least to attack while the enemy is engaged; in fact, it's regarded as good tactics, though naturally no one likees being on the receiving end.

The only assole tactics that get people torqued, other than hacking stuff which is fairly rare despite the screams of "haXxor!", are repeat killings for which you get no status or fame or exp or coin or anything (aka, griefing) and exploiting the level limits by getting higher level healers to toss in what heals they can use without being grouped. Most eveything else is met with a response in kind--you do this, I do that, etc.

Hmm, a man after my own heart. For this level of ganking, most people would have had to play Ultima Online in 1997. I laud your shitheadedness. However, I do find your inability to recognize that the position of "bad guy" shifts in relation to the assholic behavior of the parties to the transaction, and that, whenever you root gank people fighting monsters, the cow is you.