EQ1 player back for EQ2Follow

The character classes are very well balanced, you can (if you choose to) solo most any class all the way to the lvl cap.

Crafting is interesting and diverse without being overly complex. Each item crafted uses a variety of raw materials and requires completion of a series of casting moves (using specific dedicated skill-spells) in order to create the item.

Creating a sword or breastplate for example can take a minute or two and requires player input in the form of the appropriate keystrokes to insure success.

Given your comments, you could well be very happy here. Welcome aboard!

Thanks for the feedback. I made a bard, and am enjoying it so far. The tradeskills are cool, and its nice playing a game where I recognize names and places, even if they have changed significantly.

Calthine: Although I see that it's a big departure from EQ1, I am curious as to how different it is. Can you elaborate a little on that?

I left EQ for EQ2 shortly after launch and never went back so please allow me to toss in a couple points Calthine skipped...

In EQ2, the classes are very well balanced. Everyone can solo right up to the lvl cap and maybe more important, all classes are useful so all are welcome in small groups, full groups and raids.

There is no heavy death penalty in EQ2 - no corpse runs so you won't need to stash an extra set of armor/weapons/potions in the bank as a hedge against the day when you have to slog your way back through 10,000 orcs just to get your stuff back!

Mana returns much quicker in EQ2 - no more sitting down with an open spell book between encounters to wait while your power comes back up.

Everyone is a caster now! - Except with fighter types the spells are called "combat arts"... it all works out the same though.

No more limit of 8 spells mem-ed at a time. In EQ2 you will have access to all of your learned skills through a series of hot bars. Place and keep as many as you like onscreen all the time.

In EQ2 there are two kinds of druid and two kinds of bard. The two druids (warden & fury) are defensive and offensive based while the two bards (troubador & durge) are buff and de-buff based. Also noteworthy, as a bard you won't be twisting any more since your songs all last longer than a third of a second! You will however have a strong support role either buffing yourself & your group members or de-buffing the mobs.

There is still a holy trinity (tank/healer/DPS) but any healer can be a primary healer and while all 6 flavors (2 each - druid, cleric & shaman) heal a little differently, all are welcome in raids and groups. And any tank will succeed in a group setting although guardians are more highly prized for some raids. You can also choose freely from among the many flavors of DPS... most any high damage toon will do well in both a group or raid setting.

Many of the places you remember are still there (although some have a different name now). If you have ever run from Qeynos to the Karanas, I can almost guarantee you'll get a warm fuzzy feeling the first time you head up into the pass from Antonica towards the entrance to Thundering Steppes!

You no longer need to stand in the bazaar to sell your goods. In EQ2 you sell from your home (everyone has access to player housing) and your goods remain on sale even when you are logged out. Other players can buy your goods through the interface or they can come to your home and buy them on the spot.

And speaking of player housing, one of the available tradeskills is carpenter. These are the guys whose primary function is to make beds, tables, chairs and countless other doo-dads for players to use in dressing up their homes. Depending on your interest in this aspect of the game, your personal home can range anywhere from a simple one room apartment to a five room mansion.

OMG I almost forgot... in EQ2 you'll never have to type "TRAIN TO ZONE" while running for your life again!!! The mobs will chase you but they lose interest sooner and you never have to worry about a mob peeling off of you to attack someone else.

And while I'm on the subject of mobs, in EQ2 they don't run away when their health drops. they stand and fight till the bitter end so you'll never be at a disadvantage if you play a character who doesn't have roots and snares.

Oh yeah... and there is one thing that hasn't really changed... DRUIDS STILL ROCK!!!



Edited, Jan 5th 2009 10:55pm by OldBlueDragon