EverQuest 2 Review

A stronger emphasis has been placed on players fulfilling their roles while in groups. Actions yourself and other members of your group perform while in combat can trigger Heroic Event opportunities. If an event is started, an icon will flash in the lower right-hand corner of your screen, letting you know that performing a certain action can move the Heroic Event to the next step or complete it, rewarding the group with extra damage to the target, restoration of hit points or some other perk. A subtle system encourages players to pay attention, work together and gain extra rewards for their efforts.

Another not-so-subtle way that players must work together comes in the form of experience debt. While the idea of a player accruing an experience debt when dying, in EQ2 while grouping, it is not limited to the player who dies. Everyone in the group gains some experience debt when a party member goes down, making the aspect of keeping each person alive through each encounter all the more important. Of course, players can choose to go solo but since this is a multiplayer game, you will find completing many of the quests will be much easier with the aid of others, not to mention you will usually have a better time while in a group.

The improved focus on players working well with each other in a group is important since EQ2 focus solely on Player versus Environment. Players who are looking for Player versus Player combat will not find it in game, in any form for the time being. While I am not a PvP fan myself, I do find it odd that SOE has gone to great lengths to setup a world with two major cities, one good and one evil, and then not provide for some sort of conflict for the players based on their allegiance. (Amen. - Ed.) In my old guild in Dark Age of Camelot, there was a definite rift between players whose sole aim was getting powerful enough to go head to head on the battlefield with other players and others who just wanted to go kick some computer-controlled monster butt. Regardless, this will certainly keep some players looking for some PvP action from even giving EQ2 a shot.

For new players, SOE has tried to make the game more user-friendly. Items needed for quests do not take up space in your inventory and you do not even need to search the monster after killing it to collect the item, you simply receive a notification of how many more items you need to collect before the quest is completed. The quest journal used to keep track of your current tasks is easier to read and breaks each quest down into steps you have completed and what you need to do next. 'Borrowing' from SWG again, players can make use of a glowing thread that will help lead them to people or locations in town that they are looking for. And just like in SWG, it does not always work. Many times, I tried to enable this glowing guide and found that nothing showed up on my screen. I was left to find it the old-fashioned way: Screaming for directions from other players in the general chat box.

One final annoyance that I hope is addressed as soon as possible is the character limit imposed on each account. Part of the fun for me in any MMORPG is the ability to have multiple characters spread on different servers. This way I can try different classes and their skills or play with friends who are not on the same server as I am. In one of the strangest/cheapest moves since the '.75 cent per additional character' system of Final Fantasy XI, EQ2 limits you to four characters per account. Total. No, you don't need anymore, so don't ask. And if you do need more than that, well then Skippy, just trot on down to the local software store and plunk down another 53 bucks. Why SOE opted for this system I will never understand, but maybe this character limit will be addressed in one of the twelve expansion packs we'll see over the next five years. (He CAN count! - Ed.)

So where does that leave us in regards to EQ2? On the plus side, the game has some of the best graphics to date for any MMORPG. Granted it comes at the expense of steeping hardware requirements but as gamers, that's the double-edged sword we are forced to deal with all the time. The audio is fantastic with the extra expense and effort that went into getting professional actors for the NPC voice-overs. This will hopefully be adopted by other games in the future. The greater emphasis on group support and class dynamics make for a more rewarding game play as each player really feels like they are contributing to the group's efforts though proper coordination. Also, special mention should be made to the smoothness of the EQ2 launch. Virtually no reports of billing issues, server login problems of issues of lag were reported, however, after doing this sort of things for five years, you would hope that they got these points right (Hello Blizzard? You may want to call these guys next time you get ready to launch an online title.) The downsides are the opportunity that was missed by providing a great setting for a massive PvP conflict and then providing no system at all, a character creation system that has (perhaps) a little too much detail, the silly limit of only four characters per account and the usual complaint that if you don't invest several hours of play daily, you may not be able to keep up with the hardcore players.

Even with those complaints, EQ2 is a game rich with detail, polish and fun, even at this early stage of its release. Players who are looking for a game that rewards them for working well with others will find plenty to do here, just as it was in the original game. SOE has crafted the successor to their original titan with careful consideration to all the things that made the original game so addicting to so many, while trying to mix in new features and enhancements to stay competitive with the other pretenders to the MMORPG throne. Just don't expect to see too much in the way of innovation or earth-shattering new ideas being brought to the table and you won't be disappointed. Now let me get back to the game. Just keep that pesky sunlight and fresh air away from me and I'll be fine.