This EQ sever is....?

[FromTheSky]

So... I recently attended the midnight release of Starcraft 2 and while there met an individual who spoke a great deal about Everquest while we were on the topic of MMOs and his discription of what classic ever quest was like is so mind-bogglingly different from mainstream MMOs like WoW that I was amazed and sad I missed out on a great era of gaming. Then I youtub'd Classic Everquest just to get a look at what it used to be like. There was a related video that led me to finding this site.

NOW from what I understand in this "classic everquest" server:

You are (severally) penalized for dieing,
Zones are expansive
Boat rides take time
Is not easy brainless button mashing ( at least not like 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead(and all that within 90 seconds))
If you die finding your body could be difficult.

Or at least something like the above. I'm looking for a more challenging MMO. Is that what everquest is like? :D Hope so cause I'll be a happy leveling maniac if it is.

Any insite would be highly appreciated. ^_^

[veoeluz]

That's one part of it. I think the biggest part about the classic everquest experience is that the game almost forces you to interact with others. Higher level mobs (and some camps) are extremely difficult to solo, if not impossible.

People on this server are in general also very helpful and fun to interact with. No matter what class you are, you can almost always find some way of contributing to the community.

Hope you enjoy the game! :)

[Overcast]

Yes.. and yes..

Although - there is a portion that's a 'grind' to it, of course. You may end up in a zone killing bandit after bandit.

It will be just a smooth grind fest of XP. This is... assuming you can.

1. Break the Camp decently
2. Maintain the DPS to keep the mobs dead enough before new ones spawn

Breaking the camp - no, not at all mindless button mashing. You may need to 'lull' some of the mobs to keep them from assisting the one you pull - or control them when they do come (crowd control) or 'split pull' with a class that can feign death...

Some camps are pretty easy to 'break' - others can be quite difficult. The idea being if each mob spawns every 12 minutes, you'll want to kill one... wait a minute.. kill another... etc - so they don't spawn all at once the next time. Some people seem to have serious trouble with this concept, lol.

Unlike many MMO's mobs are not 'tied' together in 'locked encounters'. Nor is any encounter 'locked' - if you pull a mob, beat on it for 5 minutes and it's at 60% health and some jackass comes and burns it down in seconds - doing more than 50% of the damage - it's his kill.

Not that it happens often - but it can.

Yes, corpse retrieval can be a serious test in dedication, patience, and tenacity. There is no 'soul rezzer' - if you cant get it - somehow and can't get anyone to help... Well, you can keep at it.

I've been persistent enough to always get my corpse back in EQ. (there is a /corpse command that you or other - with your consent /consent helpfulperson can use to pull it to a safe spot)

One thing that's also cool about the game is that you can make decent money just by killing and selling junk - by and large. Unlike WoW - where 90% of the money you get comes from the auction house.

You aren't penalized for deaths at all - until level 5, then you loose XP. No 'debt' or anything - yes, you can loose a level and probably will. Of course, you can usually get it back moderately fast, it just sucks when it's a 'spell level' and you get gimped by one death.

No 'quick travel' - short of being a class that can do that - like a Druid or a Wizard. You'll have to wait on boats, run decent distance, and along those routes - danger certainly exists...

A lot of other - well, LOL!! MOST MMO's - the whole group, like a bunch of lemmings can just charge full speed into many dungeons, and DPS it down. That won't work here. You'll need to learn how crowd control works. Not too difficult at all - although *some people* will make you think it's like advanced calculus.... learning not to break 'mez'. (mesmerize)

[azeth]

So... I recently attended the midnight release of Starcraft 2 and while there met an individual who spoke a great deal about Everquest while we were on the topic of MMOs and his discription of what classic ever quest was like is so mind-bogglingly different from mainstream MMOs like WoW that I was amazed and sad I missed out on a great era of gaming. Then I youtub'd Classic Everquest just to get a look at what it used to be like. There was a related video that led me to finding this site.

NOW from what I understand in this "classic everquest" server:

You are (severally) penalized for dieing,
Zones are expansive
Boat rides take time
Is not easy brainless button mashing ( at least not like 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead 1 1 1 he's dead(and all that within 90 seconds))
If you die finding your body could be difficult.

Or at least something like the above. I'm looking for a more challenging MMO. Is that what everquest is like? :D Hope so cause I'll be a happy leveling maniac if it is.

Any insite would be highly appreciated. ^_^

well i can speak for everyone when i say we are insanely jealous of you as a first time player.

[Aandolaf]

I think one of the main things that makes EQ tough is the learning curve. There is a lot to this game that must be learned before you are successful at playing it.

[Troy]

I don't think EQ is harder than, for example, WoW. It just requires more time to get anything done. Time != effort.

[FromTheSky]

^_^ Now I'm pumped to bittorren it up :D. This does seem to be what I'm looking for.

[FromTheSky]

I don't think EQ is harder than, for example, WoW. It just requires more time to get anything done. Time != effort.

Agreed. I'd play Eve but.... its just to much...

[FromTheSky]

Yes.. and yes..

Although - there is a portion that's a 'grind' to it, of course. You may end up in a zone killing bandit after bandit.

It will be just a smooth grind fest of XP. This is... assuming you can.

1. Break the Camp decently
2. Maintain the DPS to keep the mobs dead enough before new ones spawn

Breaking the camp - no, not at all mindless button mashing. You may need to 'lull' some of the mobs to keep them from assisting the one you pull - or control them when they do come (crowd control) or 'split pull' with a class that can feign death...

Some camps are pretty easy to 'break' - others can be quite difficult. The idea being if each mob spawns every 12 minutes, you'll want to kill one... wait a minute.. kill another... etc - so they don't spawn all at once the next time. Some people seem to have serious trouble with this concept, lol.

Unlike many MMO's mobs are not 'tied' together in 'locked encounters'. Nor is any encounter 'locked' - if you pull a mob, beat on it for 5 minutes and it's at 60% health and some jackass comes and burns it down in seconds - doing more than 50% of the damage - it's his kill.

Not that it happens often - but it can.

Yes, corpse retrieval can be a serious test in dedication, patience, and tenacity. There is no 'soul rezzer' - if you cant get it - somehow and can't get anyone to help... Well, you can keep at it.

I've been persistent enough to always get my corpse back in EQ. (there is a /corpse command that you or other - with your consent /consent helpfulperson can use to pull it to a safe spot)

One thing that's also cool about the game is that you can make decent money just by killing and selling junk - by and large. Unlike WoW - where 90% of the money you get comes from the auction house.

You aren't penalized for deaths at all - until level 5, then you loose XP. No 'debt' or anything - yes, you can loose a level and probably will. Of course, you can usually get it back moderately fast, it just sucks when it's a 'spell level' and you get gimped by one death.

No 'quick travel' - short of being a class that can do that - like a Druid or a Wizard. You'll have to wait on boats, run decent distance, and along those routes - danger certainly exists...

A lot of other - well, LOL!! MOST MMO's - the whole group, like a bunch of lemmings can just charge full speed into many dungeons, and DPS it down. That won't work here. You'll need to learn how crowd control works. Not too difficult at all - although *some people* will make you think it's like advanced calculus.... learning not to break 'mez'. (mesmerize)



^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ Yayness thanks for taking time to describe to this extent.

[JaVeDK]

As long as you can handle the 11 year old graphics you'll love it.

[Bubbles]

This game is 100% different if you pick a melee as your first toon ever, or if you pick a priest/caster.

Trust me on this, go priest or caster. ;) Will make everything a lot more bearable down the road, especially starting out untwinked.

[FromTheSky]

As long as you can handle the 11 year old graphics you'll love it.

xD I was playing dungeon siege 2 and an old sega genesis DnD game today trying to fill the void I think that EQ will.

[guineapig]

Also, no maps!!

Well there are maps in the newbi zones (weren't there in classic but that's a client issue).
But once you get out there you will often have no idea where you are going or what's to expect.

You don't have a compass... well you do but you have to gradually skill up the ability to sense your own direction.

You have to learn how to swim. Initially if you jump in water you will be as slow as molasses and need to swim ALOT to get good at it.

Same goes for any skill really. If you are a warrior you have access to 1 handed slash, blunt and pierce as well as 2 handed slash, blunt and pierce. Any skill you don't use will be that much more difficult to use later on on life. Casters have a similar issue with different types of spell casting. Usually not a big deal but it can surprise you if it's your first time playing.

[guineapig]

Almost forgot! Probably the best part about classic Everquest is how specialized all the classes are. There are situations where you will basically need a certain class or class type.

Mana and health regenerates very slowly. Very few classes can speed up their mana regeneration and even fewer can regenerate other people's mana. Melee classes by and large can not heal themselves or if they can it's very slow and inefficient. Certain classes can't solo at all after a certain level.

There is really so much to this, I don't even know where to begin... Trust me.

There are planes that only a wizard can port you to. there are doors that only a rogue can open.

Factions! This game is NOT a black and white good versus evil setup. Everything is different shades of grey. besides your race you have to choose one of MANY deities to worship. (Certain classes can also choose to be agnostic.) Your race and class combination will make you loved by some and hated by others and somewhat tolerated by the rest. Most monsters you kill and quests you do will adjust your faction standing with multiple groups of people. This is very important. You can become despised in your very own hometown if you aren't careful. or you can make it your goal to be accepted in every city in the game!

I could go on and on...

[Edgetiq]

best thing about EQ... hardly any retard kids ala WoW. Although the only downside is more chick play WoW you really have to know what you want in an MMO.

[renegadeofunk]

best thing about EQ... hardly any retard kids ala WoW. Although the only downside is more chick play WoW you really have to know what you want in an MMO.

Yeah, I definitely play WoW for the chicks.

[Edgetiq]

Yeah, I definitely play WoW for the chicks.

It was a joke mate... lol

[renegadeofunk]

Me too!

[FromTheSky]

Almost forgot! Probably the best part about classic Everquest is how specialized all the classes are. There are situations where you will basically need a certain class or class type.

Mana and health regenerates very slowly. Very few classes can speed up their mana regeneration and even fewer can regenerate other people's mana. Melee classes by and large can not heal themselves or if they can it's very slow and inefficient. Certain classes can't solo at all after a certain level.

There is really so much to this, I don't even know where to begin... Trust me.

There are planes that only a wizard can port you to. there are doors that only a rogue can open.

Factions! This game is NOT a black and white good versus evil setup. Everything is different shades of grey. besides your race you have to choose one of MANY deities to worship. (Certain classes can also choose to be agnostic.) Your race and class combination will make you loved by some and hated by others and somewhat tolerated by the rest. Most monsters you kill and quests you do will adjust your faction standing with multiple groups of people. This is very important. You can become despised in your very own hometown if you aren't careful. or you can make it your goal to be accepted in every city in the game!

I could go on and on...


Ahhh so kind of like ww1 :D Epic thanks for the imput I'll take the complexity into mind before getting to level XX and finding out "WHAT I CAN'T USE THAT!?!??!!?!?" ; )

[FromTheSky]

The people here seem mighty friendly. :D Yayness for being able to ask questions and not be trollified by the nearest mod/user ^_^

[Lelroni]

Hi and Welcome to Everquest :). Here are some useful links:

Obviously have this one, but it'll throw it up:
The Project 1999 Forums (http://www.project1999.org/forums/)

Main Project 1999 page
Project 1999 Main Page (good for patch notes, news, etc) (http://www.project1999.org)

This site is decent for looking up monsters loot tables, zones, quests, etc (does not work 100% with this classic edition since some zones were revamped, but you should be able to get by with it)
Everquest Allakhazam [ZAM] (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/)

This is to a thread on these forums with some useful links aswell:
Everquest Classic World Map/Spell List/Research List (http://www.project1999.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1240)

Here's a link to EQ Atlas, you may not be able to look at maps in game, but you can do it old school with these drawn maps:
Everquest Atlas Maps (http://www.eqmacwiki.com/eqatlas/atlas.html)

[cured]

To add to what everyone else said, what separates this game from WoW is it's much easier to have a feeling of accomplishment. Whereas the graphics aren't fantastic anymore, you earn your gear, not have it fall from the sky as in other games. Even the Stein of Moggok I got from a guildie enchanter when I was level 10 was my off-hand until I left the game the first time around at level 53. Some items just aren't easily replaced and some are just plain awesome.

[Jeice]

hard learning curve, in which will be even worse for you if you have played other MMO's (mainly WOW). Leveling does not coming easy, and most classes (unless twinked well) can solo more than a blue con. Its alot of fun to explore and once you understand how hard a corpse run is after dieing on the other side of the world, the game will become alot more entertaining. You always are looking around and making sure your not going to be attack and try to always be ready for something to happen. The game makes you sit on the edge of your seat more than most. The graphics are not all that terrible for how old the game is, and if you want higher res textures there is a guide somewhere to make everything look "better".

[Nedala]

, and if you want higher res textures there is a guide somewhere to make everything look "better".

i couldn assume why anyone didnt want these texture updates even the most hardcore classic fanatic. everything looks really better and doesnt touch any classic feelings ;)

heres the link for better textures:

http://www.project1999.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2482

i couldnt play without them anymore

[utenan]

Wow, where to begin, theres so much to our beloved everquest, most people who read this prolly think the same thing : D But I am going to try my best to give a brief description of the game, and why it is so unique.

The game is very immersive, which is something that I will probably say 100 times. The feel of the game is very unique because of how dynamic it is. You can do almost anything that you want to, from dropping items on the ground, attacking almost any npcs, dieing and losing your corpse, to kill stealing other players. You have a lot of freedom in this game, which doesn't exist in a lot of other games that I have played.

The game itself is a very social game, because you rely so much on other players, something that is also lacking in other video games. At some points, it is a necessity to have certain classes to accomplish a certain task, theres pretty much a class for everyone, and every class has its unique advantages and disadvantages. (as with all video games, players are brought together to accomplish similar tasks, but it is especially cool on this server, because everyone is here to experience classic eq again, so its really easy to make friends, and create strong bonds with people)

Back to some more immersion factors. You can only talk to the people in a zone with you ( you can send a tell though to anyone in game ), theres no global channles or anything ( any more ) this creates a lot of immersion. There are certain zones, and certain spots in zones, where people will gather, because of the location. For instances, the East Commonlands is the trading hub on the server, it is the most populated zone. There are other popular zones for specific levels, because over time people have discovered that these are the best spots. South Karana is always full of level 20s, oasis is always full of characters in their teens, and so on and so forth. On the other hand, there are zones that are out of the way, or really difficult for their level, and usually empty, like West Karana ( very large zone ), or Kedge Keep ( the zone is underwater ). When you are in a zone like West Karana you feel very alone, and there's usually no chat. On the other hand, East Commons is bustling with activity, and can have more than a hundred people in it. The same can be said for cities as well. Erudin and Qeynos are really out of the way, and usually only have a handfull people in them, but Neriak and Freeport, can be full of people ( they are right next to EC : ). All of this creates a very special feel that ive never seen in another game.

Someone already mentioned factions, but they are very unique, and important in this game. The race you pick greatly effects how you play the game. Evil races are generally kill on sight in neutral or good races cities, and likewise good races aren't welcomed in evil cities. It is safe to say an ogre and a human have different views on how easy or difficult the game is. ( of course there are always ways around stuff, like invisibility, or alternative routes )

Npc's can be quite unique in Everquest. Some creatures are highly resistant to magic, some creatures will assist each other if attacked, some will see through invisibility spells, some have low hit points. The interesting thing is that in Everquest none of this is told to you. You just have to adventure, and figure things out, and learn. Some people previously said that the game has a big learning curve, and this is very true. I personally don't even think of this stuff as I play anymore, because I know the game so well, but just starting out, there is a lot to learn. The game is so dynamic and interesting, especially some of the lore, to this day i'm still learning things about classes and mechanics that I didn't know. I didn't really even scratch the surface here, and this was a long winded, not to informative post : D but if you start playing you'll get to travel down the road that everyone else here has gone down, and will figure it all out for yourself.

I think the real difficulty will be getting through levels 1 - 10. You have very poor skills in casting and melee, you'll miss a lot, and leveling just seems really slow. But outside of that the game starts to pick up and I think you'd be hooked at that point : D i think you would benefit from playing in the region near East commonlands, you could always have questions and get them answered there, and there's a lot of people to help you out if you needed it. If you do start playing just send me a tell and id be happy to help you with anything, hope to see you in game!.

[stormlord]

With classic EQ you have to realize something:

1) You can get hit hard and feel punished when you make some mistakes
2) This is old technology, don't expect the latest advances in software/hardware
3) It's not quest driven like a lot of the modern MMORPGs; 90/10 (90 combat, 10 quest)
4) Getting to max level wasn't as important for most people yet

I'd like to focus on #4 because there're a lot of people that want to zoom to max level because they think that's where the game is at. Most of classic EQ was content < 50. After 50 there's very little until kunark and velious. And even when Kunark and Velious are released in their respective time frames, there's not as much content as you're used to in modern MMORPGS at max level. Again, you have to enjoy the journey to max level to enjoy classic EQ because most of the content comes previous to reaching max level.

And moderate! Don't get caught up in the notion that you need to stay logged in all day. In classic EQ there were no AA's and max level was somewhere between 50-60. This means it took a long time to level. You'll do yourself a world of favor to pretty much ignore your experience bar until you hear that DING noise. That's because, as I've said, there're no AA's to cushion it. Leveling was/is slllllooooowwwww. You shouldn't notice though because classic EQ was not supposed to be played fast.

Imagine if the max level was 25 with no AA's. It would be VEEERRRYYY SLLLLOOOOOWWW.

In classic EQ you didn't obsess about your level for this exact reason. There was no lateral experience. I hate to say this over and over and over. But a lot of people don't understand this.

Don't rush. Some of the best moments happen when you're low level. Besides, when you're 45 and die and have to run 4 zones to get back, you'll wish you were 10 again and in blackburrow for only a 1/2 zone run.

I'd encourage some people in qeynos not to pick up gnoll fangs. You level at a slower pace. And you can let other new players have them. They love them. Makes the smile. It's a good way to help the community.

I've been in no rush (all alts < 16). I also realize that when kunark gets here there'll be even less people to keep the new players feeling like they're not alone. I want to still be around in the low level zones.

[Malrubius]

With classic EQ you have to realize something:

1) You can get hit hard and feel punished when you make some mistakes
2) This is old technology, don't expect the latest advances in software/hardware
3) It's not quest driven like a lot of the modern MMORPGs; 90/10 (90 combat, 10 quest)
4) Getting to max level wasn't as important for most people yet

I'd like to focus on #4 because there're a lot of people that want to zoom to max level because they think that's where the game is at. Most of classic EQ was content < 50. After 50 there's very little until kunark and velious. And even when Kunark and Velious are released in their respective time frames, there's not as much content as you're used to in modern MMORPGS at max level. Again, you have to enjoy the journey to max level to enjoy classic EQ because most of the content comes previous to reaching max level.

And moderate! Don't get caught up in the notion that you need to stay logged in all day. In classic EQ there were no AA's and max level was somewhere between 50-60. This means it took a long time to level. You'll do yourself a world of favor to pretty much ignore your experience bar until you hear that DING noise. That's because, as I've said, there're no AA's to cushion it. Leveling was/is slllllooooowwwww. You shouldn't notice though because classic EQ was not supposed to be played fast.

Imagine if the max level was 25 with no AA's. It would be VEEERRRYYY SLLLLOOOOOWWW.

In classic EQ you didn't obsess about your level for this exact reason. There was no lateral experience. I hate to say this over and over and over. But a lot of people don't understand this.

Don't rush. Some of the best moments happen when you're low level. Besides, when you're 45 and die and have to run 4 zones to get back, you'll wish you were 10 again and in blackburrow for only a 1/2 zone run.

I'd encourage some people in qeynos not to pick up gnoll fangs. You level at a slower pace. And you can let other new players have them. They love them. Makes the smile. It's a good way to help the community.

I've been in no rush (all alts < 16). I also realize that when kunark gets here there'll be even less people to keep the new players feeling like they're not alone. I want to still be around in the low level zones.

So true. I rushed my characters through the first time around (circa 1999-2002). That was fun.

I am taking my time this time and seeing so much more of the world, doing so many more quests, getting lost in zones I practically never visited before. Very occasionally I ding and say, ooh, that's cool. This is more fun.

Playing since December, and my highest three characers are at level 20, level 16, and level 5.

[HippoNipple]

There are many differences between EQ and other mmorpg but for me the biggest difference is the questing/leveling system. You don't have to focus on mindless quests. You will only do a handful of quests in this game and it is for a specific item you want, not for exp. When leveling yes there is grinding, but if you are grinding mob after mob.. its actually exciting because that means you are getting good exp and sometimes it can be hard to come by. If you have that feeling that you are grinding.. that means you are doing something right and are most likely excited about the exp you are getting so the grinding part isn't a bad thing. In other mmorpgs the exp grinding is very easy/boring and have to be supplemented with quests that I can't stand doing. You find a group of strangers that need to do the same instance, get the little trinket or item you need and all go your separate ways. This game has such a better dynamic for what it means to have a real group.

An item in this game is also very important because the majority you can wear, and then sell afterwards instead of the item binding to you. This makes the item so much more valuable because you can use it and then sell it later on to another player. Items themselves have a true value and don't turn meaningless after you purchase with coin. You also do not need to replace your equipment that often. For instance, I started the game with nothing, got cloth armor off of mobs around level 1-6. I wore that armor and am currently level 25. I still have some cloth and am slowly getting piece by piece of mid range gear. Then once I"m max level I will be replacing these mid range pieces I'm getting now. That means through the entire game (pre first expansion) I'm really just going for 2-3 pieces per slot instead of replacing all of my gear every 5 levels.

I really like the freedom of being able to level wherever I want, focus on the tough mobs and fights that everquest offers, and forget about looking for gear 24/7. In WoW I based where I was fighting on what gear I needed, or doing mindless quests that gave me no items but exp. There is a lot of reading up and pointless chores I feel like I"m doing with these types of quests. When you are playing Everquest you are always fighting where you want, killing what you want, and working towards something to me at least, is more meaningful then when playing other mmorpgs.

[Tunarian]

Check out www.shelbyfoister.com

I'm actually in the midst of doing an Old vs New write up that explains a lot about why us old EQ vets are discouraged with the state of our genre.