Most reviews cover what it is like to play on the Isle. Anyone can download "Trial of the Isle" and give it a try. It gives you a nice feel for what the game looks like, and some of the basics of the game play. It also familiarizes you with the highly customizable user interface. There is so much more the game offers as you level. I am going to cover some of that.

Everquest 2 lives up to its name. There are more quests than you will ever complete at each level - different types of quests for different kinds of players. I have never felt "the grind" in Everquest 2. You can equip yourself decently, and double your experience by doing the quests. I really enjoy following the storylines in the longer, multi-step quests. NPCs' individual storylines can be very detailed, and often intertwine with the tales of other NPCs. Other times I like to "roam and own." There are many quests that work for that play style as well, and since you can be working on more than 50 quests at a time, you don't need to limit yourself to one questing style. I can solo or group and find quests to complete. It is nice to feel the sense of accomplishment from completing a quest, and get a nice hunk of experience as well.

Many people do not realize how the combat system in Everquest 2 really works. The first question that is asked is oftentimes, "How do I not gimp myself in character creation?" The answer, according to most players, is that you cannot hurt yourself by picking a race/class combination that you like. Your stats all contribute to something in the game. Later in the game, you will have choices to up certain stats, and add new abilities. These, combined with equipment choices, more than compensate for your previous choices. Between questing and random equipment drops, a character can be adequately equipped - but if you want nicer equipment, seek out the player crafters.

Crafting in EQ2 is hands on, and rather enjoyable in a monotonous, soothing kind of way. I have played an Alchemist and a Tailor past level 20, as well as my husband's Chef past 30. I find the crafting to be something I can do when I feel like chatting with friends, or watching something on TV. I feel a sense of accomplishment doing it, because I can use the items or sell them. One can sell their items from their room vault, or from their characters packs when the character is in their room.

I go through bursts of playing. There are some weeks where I can play a lot, and others where I cannot. Vitality bonus helps all players, but it especially helps casual players feel like they're getting the most out of their play time. Characters gain vitality over time, online or off. While the character has vitality, the character gains experience at twice the normal rate. This allows casual players to experience the illusion that they're gaining a large bonus, since they log into larger vitality pools than the more hardcore players, who burn their vitality as soon as it's awarded. It makes it much easier to play in spurts when you accomplish double the "average" experience when playing casually.

Game death penalties are always a hot topic. The EQ2 penalty is designed to be real but manageable in the short term, and lessens if a player gets into one of those "log off and cry" situations. There are actually two penalties. First, the character drops a "shard" at the location of the death. Until the character recovers the shard, stats are lowered. In addition, the experience bar has a small percentage marked in red, and until the red area is filled the experience gained is at half the normal rate. Two things make the penalties easier on casual players. First, all shards are automatically recovered after 72 hours. Another benefit is that the red area slowly shrinks when the character is out of game. These combine to help prevent the dread and frustration that some games cause with their death penalties.

All classes can solo, and some classes can solo better than others. There is content for all size of groups and soloists. Once you understand the con system, it is not too hard to figure out where you should hunt. What I find exciting in EQ2 combat is doing Heroic Opportunity wheels in a group with several classes. I spend most of my time in groups, both small and large. These style/spell combinations make a group, or solo player, much stronger in battle. Cooperation is encouraged and rewarded by completing these combinations. The Heroic Opportunity system is one of the things that makes Everquest 2 my game of choice. If you are new to the game, find friends and try the combinations out. You will be a stronger group for doing them.

Guilds are a great place to find friends and community in EQ2, just as in most MMORPGs. Guild controls and options are great in EQ2. Guilds have status, and every member of the guild can help build the status of the guild by doing quests. It is a lot of fun forming guild groups to do quests for the guild. You can do these quests in non-guild groups, or solo as well, but nothing beats a lot of friends together doing quests and laughing and chatting as they go. At high level Raiding is very popular, and most people raid in guild groups.

There are a couple things I do not like about the game. I do not like the lack of variety in clothing and armor appearance. I do not like the fact that there is no loot with random bonuses. The other thing I strongly believe needs to be worked on is the way people look for groups. I have been in other games where people who are looking for a group can do a search for groups looking for their class. In EQ2 you can only flag yourself as looking for group, and a group can look for you. It would greatly improve the community if groups could search for members as well. My final issue with the game is furniture. Some furniture helps lower the upkeep cost of more expensive apartments, but you can't really use the equipment. All of these issues really disappointed me after playing SOE's SWG. Same company, older game, and none of these issues exist there.

Everquest 2 is constantly being balanced, and content is being added. Adventure packs and events add even more fun to an already great game. I think that this one is a keeper for a long time. Sony's recent combat revamp of the game shows their willingness to continue to change the game for the better. Looking for an MMORPG? Play Everquest 2. It has almost everything that I am looking for in an MMORPG, and if it continues to grow as it has this last year, it will be where I am at for a long time.