The Name is All Wrong

So you're all hyped. You've come from the world of Norrath that you know, and hear that they're going to be creating a parallel universe 500 years in the future. Great! You're all set, right? You have been playing EverQuest for years, and really know how to play several different types of characters and so you just know that you're one foot ahead of the gang when the newest game comes out, right?

Wrong. To be honest with you, the biggest confusion factor with this game is the name! The only similarities between EverQuest and EverQuest II are:

- They're both set in a fantasy setting
- They both are in the world of Norrath
- They use some of the same names for classes and races (which happen to be throughout much of fantasy lore as well, should those be called EverQuest too?)

Beyond that, it's all new. They should call it "The Shattering, Norrath's Devastation, a new chapter in the EverQuest saga" or something to that effect. Why? This game is completely different. We're first going to start out with the basic differences:

Character Customization

Complete customization, from skin tone, to the shape of your nose. Adjust your height (to a certain degree, we don't need to have a wood elf standing as tall as a troll!), your hair style, the shape of your face, your eyebrows, and quite a bit more.

Gone are the days of starting up your character, and like DnD, you plug in a certain combination of numbers to specialize your strength, wisdom, and other modifiers.

Guilds

The guilds actually have an impact on the world they "live" in. You will actually play an important role in society rather then just a group of people banning together for different reasons. When you and your guild members do good things, you gain respect and even the NPCs will show you notice. Just imagine, you walk into town, there are 2 guards standing guard near the entrance and upon seeing you, they bow in respect.

You can rent rooms and houses, and even own houses for the guild. And yes, it will cost you, and you will need to maintain the house. Artisans to the rescue!

I remember being in EverQuest, and the guild that I was in was a family guild, meaning we didn't really do a lot of raids,

but we were there for each other. We joked around and helped each other out, joined quite commonly into groups and hunted. It was about the comradery of the of the people that kept everyone together, rather then the loot and spoils.

EverQuest II has a place for that which is separate from being in a guild. You now can just become a family! Share the same last name and have a place of dwelling with people that you would like to consider as a part of your household.

Because families have now been separated from the category of "Guild" you can now be a part of a family and a guild at the same time.

Classes

This is 500 years in the future. The gods have left or are in hiding, the Plains of Power are not accessible, and by now, so many have intermingled due to the destruction that the shattering of Luclin wrought upon the lands of Norrath that I can't imagine things being any other way then how the developers of EQII have made it. Anybody can be anything. But not only that, this EverQuest sequel has implemented a system that allows you to multi-class much like DnD.

What does that mean, exactly? You can be an artisan as well as a druid, and they don't overlap. Meaning you can be both a lvl 44 druid and a lvl 25 Sage Scholar.

Not only that, but the actual use and balance of the classes are completely different then EQLive. First of all, when you choose a main class (i.e. Scout, Priest, Mage, Fighter, etc.) you have skills that all of the others have. So if you are a Scout, and choose to be a rogue, you still have similar skills that a ranger will have, making it so that both are effective in a combat situation as a scout.

The Archetype system and grouping. lending to Role-Playing?

Like most of the mmog games out there, one of the main focuses is the encouragement of grouping. EverQuest II is no different in that aspect, but what IS different is the way they've created the archetype system in relation to a group.

So you're looking at the classes and trying to figure out, what the heck is the difference between the ending sub-classes? It's a matter of preference. How do you want to play the game? Everyone is a bit different, the thing is, not one subclass is going to do an end result better then the other. What matters is the class archetype that they are. So you need a Mage, right? Call for a mage!

The greatest thing about this is that you have a choice. It's not a cookie cutter way to play, it's a way that YOU want to play the game. They're giving you every tool you could wish for to role-play if that's your liking!

There is so much more that is just plain different. It's hardly anything like the original EverQuest. It's more dynamic, immersive, and well rounded.

This is just touching the tip of the iceberg. I've decided to write a series of articles to really give you a full idea of all the aspects that I've seen so far in this game. So, quite on purpose, I've left out a LOT in this article in a way of explanation as to why the name should be something other than "EverQuest II". Stay tuned for the next article in this series.

Leonai_art
Webmaster of eq2.lqgaming.com

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