Noob here! Why should I play Classic EQ?

[Haldiri]

Hey Everyone,
I’m a complete noob to EQ... well almost. The original EQ was released when I was in college. I didn’t really play a lot of games during this time of my life because I was just trying to make it on my own and get through school. I remember taking random jobs just to pay for school. But I do remember vividly one summer. It was July 1999. I was with my college room mate and we took a summer and stayed at a friends house in FL to earn some extra cash for school. I remember going into this guys room. He had a PC setup in his bedroom and there he was playing... yes, you guessed it, “Evercrack”.😀 At the time I didn’t know much about it. The game had only been out a few months. This was early morning and there I saw his character on screen wacking on a tree with a stick, or a club or something, IDK. There were a few others (in game) there with him. I picked up the box and was like, “ oh , cool game, Man.” Shorty after that, me and my roommate left for the day. We were running errands and it was nice to have a day off to relax. We got home that night around 10pm. We went in his room to see what he was up to, and there he was in the same place, wacking on this giant tree. Except now it looked like there where 20 other characters on screen (could be off there) all attacking this giant tree. I’m like, “Dude, you’ve been doing this for over 14 hrs! Maybe you should take a break?” We teased him a little about it. At the time, I just couldn’t understand what could be so compelling that he’d spent his entire Saturday in that same spot. I thought to myself, “well, that’s commitment.” Me and my roommate moved on and didn’t say much more about it. It’s not something I ever considered getting into bc we just didn’t have time for that kind of thing. Years later, around 2006-2007, I got more into gaming again and started trying out different MMO’s The genre was much more popular by this time and they were popping up everywhere. Over the years, I’ve tried quite a few of them and some of them are entertaining, but eventually, I lose interest and move on to something else.
Recently, I’d been thinking more about it and even texted that buddy of mine from years ago and asked him what he thought. He didn’t say much, just that it was a special time in his life and that there really isn’t anything quite like it.
Of course that intrigued me, so I looked into it some more and realized the game went free to play quite a few yrs ago. I downloaded it and I’m currently playing a Halfling Rogue. I’ve enjoyed it a bit. Haven’t gotten too far. Only level 8 and just figuring out the mechanics because it is very different from modern games. But the free to play game doesn’t seem like what I remembered seeing and the micro transactions are a bit annoying and I realized quickly this is not really the same game from 1999. I dug a little deeper and stumbled across project1999. So, here I am. Sorry for the long introduction, but I felt like it was important to explain how I got to this point. I’m intrigued by it all, and have enjoyed this fantasy world, but I’ve also been told how brutal it can be. So, my question now is, tell me why I should or should not play EQ Classic. Again, I’m very intrigued, but before I purchase a copy of the Titanium Edition, I thought I would post here, check out the player community, and go from there. Let me know your thoughts. I appreciate it.

~Haldiri

[Tunabros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fCv...nel=MorrolanTV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Db...level1undercon

watch these

get inspired

play all day

ascend

[Haldiri]

Originally Posted by Tunabros [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fCv...nel=MorrolanTV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Db...level1undercon

watch these

get inspired

play all day

ascend

Really good info. I watched the first video. I haven’t watched the second one, but I will. Thanks for the links!

[greenspectre]

While the nostalgia factor would be lost to you, there are still plenty of reasons one would pick up p99 in 2020. I, for one, like the challenge of this game. It's not on-rails like modern mmo's or modern games. For the same reason you'd play a platformer from the 90's because it wasn't like "HEY PRESS X TO JUMP OVER THIS PIT" you'd play EQ because it isn't like "HEY GO SEE THAT GNOME IN THE CITY FOR YOUR LEVEL 5-10 QUEST". You gotta find that shit out for yourself, or play WikiQuest. Half of the fun of this game is research and planning- where are you gonna go next? What quests are you gonna work on? This game does NOT hold your hand.

The roleplay aspect of your character really shines in this game too. Each class is so incredibly different than the others, that the typical "Tank/Healer/DPS" trinity sometimes doesn't even apply. Otherwise Enchanters and Bards wouldn't even be classes. I played WoW for a hot minute but when my girlfriend at the time was like "Yeah I play a druid because they can be Tank, Healer, or DPS" I was like "wait what?". Your class choice DEFINES your play experience in this game. You roll a different class and it's seriously like you're playing a different game altogether. There's also a surprising amount of depth to each class despite them being more specialized than other MMO's-

Playing an enchanter? Have you learned how to charm-solo? Manage a charm pet in a group? Fear-kite? Can you break a 4-spawn camp? You rolled a paladin? Ok, so you can tank, do you know BLIND is your best aggro magnet? Do you know how root affects aggro and spacing? Do you have Charisma gear so you can pacify and double as a puller? The list goes on. It sounds daunting, but you'll learn as you go and each new thing you learn makes you TRULY feel more powerful. Playing a character in Everquest means you WILL get immersed in that character in a way I simply haven't experienced elsewhere.

You will bite, scratch, and claw your way to every experience point. You will go on corpse runs, naked, dodging mobs that can one-shot you, with the hairs on the back of your neck standing up the entire way. The stakes are high, but nothing compares to that feeling when your knowledge pays off and you handle a situation with well-learned expertise and come out on top. You really feel like you earn your victories here.

[Haldiri]

Originally Posted by greenspectre [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

While the nostalgia factor would be lost to you, there are still plenty of reasons one would pick up p99 in 2020. I, for one, like the challenge of this game. It's not on-rails like modern mmo's or modern games. For the same reason you'd play a platformer from the 90's because it wasn't like "HEY PRESS X TO JUMP OVER THIS PIT" you'd play EQ because it isn't like "HEY GO SEE THAT GNOME IN THE CITY FOR YOUR LEVEL 5-10 QUEST". You gotta find that shit out for yourself, or play WikiQuest. Half of the fun of this game is research and planning- where are you gonna go next? What quests are you gonna work on? This game does NOT hold your hand.

The roleplay aspect of your character really shines in this game too. Each class is so incredibly different than the others, that the typical "Tank/Healer/DPS" trinity sometimes doesn't even apply. Otherwise Enchanters and Bards wouldn't even be classes. I played WoW for a hot minute but when my girlfriend at the time was like "Yeah I play a druid because they can be Tank, Healer, or DPS" I was like "wait what?". Your class choice DEFINES your play experience in this game. You roll a different class and it's seriously like you're playing a different game altogether. There's also a surprising amount of depth to each class despite them being more specialized than other MMO's-

Playing an enchanter? Have you learned how to charm-solo? Manage a charm pet in a group? Fear-kite? Can you break a 4-spawn camp? You rolled a paladin? Ok, so you can tank, do you know BLIND is your best aggro magnet? Do you know how root affects aggro and spacing? Do you have Charisma gear so you can pacify and double as a puller? The list goes on. It sounds daunting, but you'll learn as you go and each new thing you learn makes you TRULY feel more powerful. Playing a character in Everquest means you WILL get immersed in that character in a way I simply haven't experienced elsewhere.

You will bite, scratch, and claw your way to every experience point. You will go on corpse runs, naked, dodging mobs that can one-shot you, with the hairs on the back of your neck standing up the entire way. The stakes are high, but nothing compares to that feeling when your knowledge pays off and you handle a situation with well-learned expertise and come out on top. You really feel like you earn your victories here.

Thank you for such a detailed response! Role playing and immersion appeals to me, but the higher learning curve is a little daunting. As I mentioned, I’ve been playing the FTP version of EQ, and although they hold your hand a bit more than Classic, it still has taken some time to figure out even basic things. The UI for one is just so different than modern games, it’s a bit to get used to. I’m lvl 10 and don’t really know what I’m doing. I am fine with taking some time to learn though, if it’s as rewarding as people are saying.

[Donkey Hotay]

Originally Posted by Haldiri

I’m like, “Dude, you’ve been doing this for over 14 hrs! Maybe you should take a break?” We teased him a little about it. At the time, I just couldn’t understand what could be so compelling that he’d spent his entire Saturday in that same spot.

You dodged a bullet a generation ago and now you're back peering down the barrel.
You were supposed to get wiser with age.

[Haldiri]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotay [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

You dodged a bullet a generation ago and now you're back peering down the barrel.
You were supposed to get wiser with age.

Apparently, I did not get wiser😀

[Danth]

Whether EQ is "brutal" or not depends largely on when you grew up and how good you are at video games. It's rough if you mess up a lot, or if you grew up during the "level skip y/n" millennial easymode era. Otherwise EQ's no great difficulty compared to the norms of its era and it's a virtual safe-haven compared to games like Ultima.

It's a slow paced game. It is not always action-packed; there are a lot of slow areas appropriate for a game built during the 90's "world simulator" era. If you want constant activity like you get in a lot of the newer online role-playing games you'll be bored here. If you want a game where you can be playing it while also have time get away from the keyboard to do your laundry or make dinner without having to turn it off, it's a good game for that. You might camp something for four hours but in many cases you're only at the keyboard for a fraction of that time. The game can work around a middle age lifestyle that has a lot of distractions.

The graphics are outdated and in general the technology of the game is obsolescent. No getting around those--you either can tolerate it or you can't.

If you decide to give it a try, the community is usually quite helpful for newer players. Toxicity exists but it's mainly confined to the high-end and that small portion of the game can be wholly ignored if desired.

Danth

[Baler]

Everquest started the 3d mmo on a mass scale. Prior games like ultima online were successfull but not 3d at the time. Everything mmorpg you'll ever play has some roots in lessons learned during classic eq.

Don't give up, use the wiki and socialize! every single player character on p99 is a real life person.

[Shourty]

Oh man, stay away. All you life you have been leveling up but it you start this mess you will de-level your real life and end up with a bald spot, wide hips, neck beard and poke out belly. Abandon all if you enter here.
seriously.