I’ve been playing EverQuest 2 since beta, and I am pretty well hooked. When it comes down to it, this is really all that matters in an MMORPG: is the game interesting and enjoyable enough that I look forward to logging in night after night, and am I willing to pass over most other games in favor of the MMO in question? Well, as I write this, my Half-Life 2 CD sits gathering dust on my desk, alongside of Doom 3. Many releases that I’d been looking forward to all year I’ve hardly touched because I’d rather be playing EverQuest 2.
The story of EverQuest 2 takes place 500 years or so after the events of EverQuest. The land has been shattered by the destruction of the moon of Luclin and the ensuing earthquakes and debris impacts upon the land. What used to be known as Antonica is now a series of smaller islands. A player is not allowed access to islands that they are not experienced enough to fight on.
Access to new areas can usually be obtained by completing a fairly in-depth quest, which often ends with a battle in one of the many instanced zones. The access quests in EQ2 are some of the most interesting quests in the game, as they usually contain a good deal of storyline and the final battles are always a challenge, provided you are in the proper level range. If you fail to complete the access quest, players are usually granted access to the zone automatically upon reaching a certain level. The access quests simply allow you to play there sooner.
Sometimes access limitations (or flagging) are given a bad rap, but I think EQ2 has implemented it quite well here. If a player is unable to complete the access quest then they probably would find nothing on the island that they would be able to defeat. Every access quest I've done so far can also be completed by a single group, which is a great way to do it. There's no need for a large guild raid every time a player needs access to a new zone.
Raiding in EverQuest 2 is quite different from most other MMRPGs. Raid size is limited to 24 players, which put significantly more pressure on the players to perform their roles well. There is little room for snoozing at the keyboard during EQ2 raids. Your guild may also begin obtaining raids at a very early level. There is plenty of raid content beginning at level 20 or so, and continuing up to level 50. Most raid zones are instanced to help eliminate disagreements and squabbles between guilds competing over rare spawns.
EverQuest 2 has the best implementation of instances zones I have seen in an MMO to date. There are at least two types of instanced zones. The first includes nearly every zone in the game, which will automatically spawn a new instance of itself if it becomes too crowded. It is not uncommon to zone in to one of the more popular areas and be given a choice of two or three instances to pick from.
The second type of instanced zone is a private area for as little as one player, up to a full raid of 24 players. Single-player instanced zones include areas such as the proving grounds to advance your character class and your personal apartment (every player gets one for a small fee). Single group zones are typically part of a quest and can sometimes be quite large, containing hours of content for the group. Raid zones allow more players to group together, supporting from 12 to 24 players.
There is sometimes a time limit to these zones to prevent players from farming them. In EverQuest 1, rarity was enforced by having important mobs spawn very rarely, resulting in player in-fighting and severe competition in some cases. This rarity is enforced in EverQuest 2 by the time limits on a player. This allows everyone who has earned it a chance to the attempt the content without the rewards becoming trivialized by over-farming.
Personally I don't enjoy crafting, but the crafting system in EverQuest 2 is very extensive. The gear that can be crafted is equal in quality to all but the rarest of loot, so crafted gear is no longer second class to looted gear. The actual activity of crafting has become much more involved than simply clicking a "Combine" button as well. It is essentially another game, where the player's actions and skill will directly impact the quality of the crafted item. Severe mistakes at the crafting tool can, and do, result in the death of the crafter.
EverQuest 2 is best played with a group of friends or a guild. Almost all of the important quests require at least a group to complete, so if a player isn't good at making friends in-game, they need to bring their own. It would be quite difficult for an isolated player to do anything of substance, since so many parts of the game require interaction and cooperation with others. From crafting to access quests, the solo player will find himself at a severe disadvantage. A solo player could probably level to 50, the current level cap, without any help, but they would probably miss 75% of the game's content.
Compared to other MMOs available right now, EverQuest 2 is an excellent game. I think its primary shortcoming is also one of its greatest strengths, and that is its complexity and depth. Players do not begin to see the depth of this game until level 20 or so when they begin to find some of the new zones and instanced areas, and even then it opens up gradually and requires some initiative from the player.
If a player assumes that all there is to EverQuest 2 is a level grind, then unfortunately that is probably all they will find. But if a player comes to the game looking for an in-depth adventure, they will be able to find it here.
Achievement is a big part of what MMOs are all about, and without long-term goals to work for people will lose interest. These goals are given value based on their rarity and the difficulty in achieving them. How a game makes obtaining that goal difficult is what can make the difference between a fun game and a tedious bore. EverQuest 2, through new game mechanics and design, has removed the more traditional (and boring) difficulty barrier, the time-sink, and replaced it with the requirement that the player be skilled at the game itself and in forming relationships with other players in the game.
SixSigma works in the software development industry and has a wife and a young son. He has been gaming since he was a young boy, and likely will continue until his old, arthritic hands are no longer capable of delivering an online beat-down. SixSigma is still waiting for those virtual reality games that he was promised back in the 90's, but for now is happy with a good MMO or FPS.
