I know most games have something bad, thats tagged to them. So Iall start from there and work my way up to the good things.

Whats bad about this game?

 1) Even on the most populated servers, finding a group at lower levels is nearly impossible. But i cannot say this is the game's fault. It is a 5 year old game, most people reached the level cap and do only end game dungeons/raids. So you will level up alone.

2) Game looks awesome, but dependent on hardware. You can have a 600 dollars computer and run the game with 60fps, have a mighty high end rig and can see 20 fps. But it's still surprising a 5 year old game looks this nice. 

Nothing else actually. Far more deep and fun then WoW, at least in my opinion.

SoE is bad in their own way if you ever played any of their games...

- Stealth nerfs, incomplete patch notes
- Devs that doesn't know how the game works for a player
- Items that are overpowered/underpowered in certain combinations, for years
- No 'vision', meaning that each expansion is pretty much a remake/new game
- Encounters/Quests that are broken for years
- Takes forever to fix fundamental flaws while cosmetic things are fixed fast
- RMT items that players have been asking for for years that should have been craftable instead
- Lag of course
- SoE really wants your money, anyway they can, Station Cash, Rankings, extra char slots, anything you usually get for free in other games costs money. Not that those things are really needed but nice to have.
- Animations are really bad
- Performance is sub-par compared to how much CPU power is needed
- Bad default UI (get a new one from eq2interface.com)
- SoE language, meaning items/abilities have cryptic descriptions to what they do
- Not many customization options for you character. Robes is the best example, comes in many colors but most are the same model.
- If there is a feature that is new and good in another game it's usually copied to EQ2 but in an inferior way, i.e. not as good

There are more, but just a taste...

Of course there are many good things aswell

The graphics thing is a pain but they have been steadily working on that, especially with the upcoming upgrade to 3.0 shaders and using more of the graphics card instead of being so processor heavy.

Worst thing about Eq2 was the developer Aeralik imo, and he has recently left the company. Honestly can't see how some one taking over his position could do a worse job.

But the worst thing by far is the PvP. They offer PvP servers because people wanted it really bad but it is probably some of the worst mmo PvP around. EQ2 is a strong PvE game, last place I would go for PvP and the first I would go for PvE and raiding.

Everzerg.. The grouplinked mobs in EQ2 just blow. Its like the developers created the game and said play it the way we want you to and no way else.. In most other games players can learn strategies to handle certain situations or split group mobs so they can be tackled differently.. Not in EQ2... they took tactics and player enginuity out of the game.

Along with that Strategies that prevalent in other games that players came up with its like the devs intentionally said no way are we going to allow that to be done in this group.

Ohh yes another thing. Hope you like zoning... Because untill you get to higher levels and some open terrain.. Get used to load screens. ZONING PLEASE WAIT.. the first few weeks of gameplay you will be getting that once every 2 to 10 minutes... its kinda a pain.

Lets see last thing I can think of the classes in the game are really just mirrors for example play a necro its pretty much identicle as the conjuror just with different particle effects and diffferent resists coded.

oops thought of something else. While the graphics arent bad. The world is bland colorless and lifeless (some of  the newer areas at least add a bit of color to the game). It also just isnt meshed together well. There are just to many hard lines.

With all  that being said I will not say that EQ2 is a bad game... Just didnt do it for me... There are much better games available that offer a slightly similar style which are much better games IMHO

IE Vanguard, Age of Conan, Lord of the rings.

I would recommend one of those.

Originally posted by cybertrucker

Everzerg.. The grouplinked mobs in EQ2 just blow. Its like the developers created the game and said play it the way we want you to and no way else.. In most other games players can learn strategies to handle certain situations or split group mobs so they can be tackled differently.. Not in EQ2... they took tactics and player enginuity out of the game.

Along with that Strategies that prevalent in other games that players came up with its like the devs intentionally said no way are we going to allow that to be done in this group.

Ohh yes another thing. Hope you like zoning... Because untill you get to higher levels and some open terrain.. Get used to load screens. ZONING PLEASE WAIT.. the first few weeks of gameplay you will be getting that once every 2 to 10 minutes... its kinda a pain.

Lets see last thing I can think of the classes in the game are really just mirrors for example play a necro its pretty much identicle as the conjuror just with different particle effects and diffferent resists coded.

oops thought of something else. While the graphics arent bad. The world is bland colorless and lifeless (some of  the newer areas at least add a bit of color to the game). It also just isnt meshed together well. There are just to many hard lines.

With all  that being said I will not say that EQ2 is a bad game... Just didnt do it for me... There are much better games available that offer a slightly similar style which are much better games IMHO

IE Vanguard, Age of Conan, Lord of the rings.

I would recommend one of those.

Hmm...I've raided at the highest levels of this game, and with each and ever encounter I've seen it handled no less than three different ways.  I've seen mobs just blown up, and I've been with PUGs that have had to be ingenious to get past a certian mob.  But ehh...maybe it was just me.

As for the zoning, I'll agree that this at certain times even I said, WTF didn't they just combine those zones.  But remember 5 years ago it was a wise decision.  Now it's like those 3 zones are so small why didnt' they just make them one.  But the zoning isn't bad unless you're still on a dial-up connection or have only 5 kb of ram.

And lastly, a Necro is a conjorour.  One evil, one good.  Just like a Brigand is the same as a swasbuckler.  One evil one good.  Lack of effort on SoE's part, sure, but I will say that once you make it past 30, even like classes really start to break apart.  And when you have 24 different classes a few likenesses might show up somewhere.

Game isnt really that bad, its been out for awhile now so might not be complete neew player friendly.

Just play Vanguard. Smaller community but it offers everything eq2 does and then some. great graphics with no zoning whatsoever (not even dungeons), great classes, better quests, amazing crafting, diplomacy. Development is a little slow and raiding isnt as good as eq2 (yet) but if you want a solid pve experience vanguard is the king. If you want pvp neither are a good choice.

Wow i see some real false accusations of EQ2,i know i played it a lot and played over 5-7 thousand quests over several players.

To start i never once had a quest that was broken.not sure where that came from.As for grouped mobs,there is tons of stuff you can,you are no more limited than any other game.As far as comb at in general you will never come close to touching the complexity and well thought combat of FFXI,but EQ2 does as well as any other game.

I am trying to figure where some of this false negativity comes from,i can only assume ,some quests people don't understand and write it off as broken,because there is some that are hard to figure out,that is a good thing.The ONE flaw i don't like about combat is that i do not believe in multiple mobs period,i believe in FFXI's group versus one hard mob that is impossible to take on solo.I also do not like the HATE metre in EQ2,i feel it is not done right,players should not be body pulling that is ridiculous,again FFXI knows how to do it right.

There are quite a few map glitches,and mobs often aggro through walls,it is all a part of older tech that happened a lot in games from just before that era,so i figure the game is still using the EQ1 engine but revamped to handle better graphics.

EQ2 over all is a VERY good game,most of the things you see in other games are direct copies from EQ/EQ2,there is a ton of starting cities,lots of classes,there is basically a TON of content in EQ2.

SOE aside from what you are lead to believe from haters,actually listens to the player base TOO much,that has forced EQ2 to be watered down a bit,but at this point it won't matter,the player base is smallish and since it is an older game,will not be moving forward,instead it will be in survival mode until SOE makes it's predecessor.

Perhaps it is Smedley the now president of SOE games division in NA,that is holding SOE back,after all EQ was his creation,so i believe his ego is perhaps in the way of letting this game go and possibly improving on VG or a new MMORPG.EQ/EQ2 was the greatest game for it's time,but that time is over.

There are some low level groups to be had if you are on one of the more populated server.  But as far as the general lack of groups, you will find that in this game and anyother that is this old.   Try getting a lower lvl dungen run in WOW now a days. Sure if you have guildies that are working on an alt you may get one , but in general you dont see them too often.   Same goes for eq2.

Originally posted by Wizardry

Wow i see some real false accusations of EQ2,i know i played it a lot and played over 5-7 thousand quests over several players.

To start i never once had a quest that was broken.not sure where that came from.As for grouped mobs,there is tons of stuff you can,you are no more limited than any other game.As far as comb at in general you will never come close to touching the complexity and well thought combat of FFXI,but EQ2 does as well as any other game.

I am trying to figure where some of this false negativity comes from,i can only assume ,some quests people don't understand and write it off as broken,because there is some that are hard to figure out,that is a good thing.The ONE flaw i don't like about combat is that i do not believe in multiple mobs period,i believe in FFXI's group versus one hard mob that is impossible to take on solo.I also do not like the HATE metre in EQ2,i feel it is not done right,players should not be body pulling that is ridiculous,again FFXI knows how to do it right.

There are quite a few map glitches,and mobs often aggro through walls,it is all a part of older tech that happened a lot in games from just before that era,so i figure the game is still using the EQ1 engine but revamped to handle better graphics.

EQ2 over all is a VERY good game,most of the things you see in other games are direct copies from EQ/EQ2,there is a ton of starting cities,lots of classes,there is basically a TON of content in EQ2.

SOE aside from what you are lead to believe from haters,actually listens to the player base TOO much,that has forced EQ2 to be watered down a bit,but at this point it won't matter,the player base is smallish and since it is an older game,will not be moving forward,instead it will be in survival mode until SOE makes it's predecessor.

Perhaps it is Smedley the now president of SOE games division in NA,that is holding SOE back,after all EQ was his creation,so i believe his ego is perhaps in the way of letting this game go and possibly improving on VG or a new MMORPG.EQ/EQ2 was the greatest game for it's time,but that time is over.

I don't see many false accuations..... For a game thats trying to stay up to date, their doing a terrible job.  To be honest Wisadry, people like you, being a long time vet is a large part of the problem.  This game needs an overhaul in many categories, the UI, Maps, Chat all need major fixes. But the vets would scream.  Because of the vets, for every new ten people that start, close to all 10 quit shortly after, and you being a vet know this.  Your asking" where does the false negativity comes from " well I just told you !

Their are a lot of starting cities, but most all are outdated, and ppl. should not start in them. ROK starting zone is best. SOE is not listening to the players or they would combine the maps to make sense.  SOE is being lazy because they add new expansions without re-integrating the maps.  Hell, you don't even get a game manual with the box, and PLAYERS have to rely HEAVILY ON THIRD PARTY WEB SITES, TO FIGURE OUT THE MOST BASIC QUESTIONS.

Playing the game on and off for years, and now being able to hold hold my own as far a the grueling learning curve, I could see that the vets and devs. have EQ2 locked down from any changes that would allow new players to enjoy this game !

I like EQ2, but it took years of perseverance to get to that point.

A lot of the landscape graphics are bland and rather disappointing but the game's spell effects are pretty amazing. Overall, however, the graphics don't compare to say AoC or LoTRO.

EQ2's player housing is the best of any MMO, without exception, as is the broker system. I also happen to think the UI is the most customisable as well but some seem to find the need for mods which are available.

Getting a group at low level is really only a problem for those who can't play MMOs without others to hold their hand. If you want to socialise at low level join a guild otherwise the game simply doesn't need to be grouped before at least the mid-levels (the same as every other MMO these days, for better or worse according to your point of view).

For me EQ2 is an excellent game, but I've tired of SOE's business methods both in relation to the grabbing of money and also in relation to the constant re-inventing of the wheel so far as all the core parts of the game are concerned. I never know whether the EQ2 I've settled back into today will still be the EQ2 I'll be playing tomorrow.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend EQ2 to someone who hadn't tried it before, but I'd advise them to be wary so far as SOE themselves were concerned.

Originally posted by page

Their are a lot of starting cities, but most all are outdated, and ppl. should not start in them. ROK starting zone is best. SOE is not listening to the players or they would combine the maps to make sense.  SOE is being lazy because they add new expansions without re-integrating the maps.  Hell, you don't even get a game manual with the box, and PLAYERS have to rely HEAVILY ON THIRD PARTY WEB SITES, TO FIGURE OUT THE MOST BASIC QUESTIONS.

Playing the game on and off for years, and now being able to hold hold my own as far a the grueling learning curve, I could see that the vets and devs. have EQ2 locked down from any changes that would allow new players to enjoy this game !

I like EQ2, but it took years of perseverance to get to that point.

Well you level so fast so it is not really important where you start. I still advice totally new  players to start on the Isle as that tutorial is still the best. The best starting equipment is on the Timorous Deep newbie zone with Darklight Woods a close second, the Tim Deep zone is marred by a horrible starting city (very hard to get around) but if you do the armor quests at level 20 you will be fine and can start wherever you like. The game at the moment is top heavy as most old MMOs but if you are 2-3 people that can group you can do almost all the content and will have a blast. The leveling in EQ2 is best done by a duo or trio.

You get the manual in the software it is a PDF file in your EQ2 folder. It is Everquest still so it is supposed to have a learning curve, you are supposed to spend some time learning your class and your skills, wheter you like it or not is another thing.

Originally posted by Knytta

Originally posted by page

Their are a lot of starting cities, but most all are outdated, and ppl. should not start in them. ROK starting zone is best. SOE is not listening to the players or they would combine the maps to make sense.  SOE is being lazy because they add new expansions without re-integrating the maps.  Hell, you don't even get a game manual with the box, and PLAYERS have to rely HEAVILY ON THIRD PARTY WEB SITES, TO FIGURE OUT THE MOST BASIC QUESTIONS.

Playing the game on and off for years, and now being able to hold hold my own as far a the grueling learning curve, I could see that the vets and devs. have EQ2 locked down from any changes that would allow new players to enjoy this game !

I like EQ2, but it took years of perseverance to get to that point.

Well you level so fast so it is not really important where you start. I still advice totally new  players to start on the Isle as that tutorial is still the best. The best starting equipment is on the Timorous Deep newbie zone with Darklight Woods a close second, the Tim Deep zone is marred by a horrible starting city (very hard to get around) but if you do the armor quests at level 20 you will be fine and can start wherever you like. The game at the moment is top heavy as most old MMOs but if you are 2-3 people that can group you can do almost all the content and will have a blast. The leveling in EQ2 is best done by a duo or trio.

You get the manual in the software it is a PDF file in your EQ2 folder. It is Everquest still so it is supposed to have a learning curve, you are supposed to spend some time learning your class and your skills, wheter you like it or not is another thing.

Learning the class and skills are the least of a new players problems,Zones, maps,travel bells, chat is the worst of any game, UI, is old, and the auction house is ridiculous.  I remember the first time I went to sell something on the auction, it would not take.  After asking in open chat with no help, I finally spammed someone telling me that you have to buy a bag at the auction, and put the item in first, took an hour to get that answer. THIS IS ONLY ONE OF HUNDREDS of stupid little stuff I'm talking about a learning curve. Sorry but your only trying to make the game sound intriguing with using the example of complicated classes and skill, thats not what I'm talking about.

Remember for every 10 that starts EQ2 almost 10 quit shortly after. 

Originally posted by tro44_1

I know most games have something bad, thats tagged to them. So Iall start from there and work my way up to the good things.

Whats bad about this game?

Well, like most MMOs is it rather grindy. You collect your daily shards and so on, crafting is worse than in most game there since you both needs to collect a lot of junk and then play a rather lame mini-game to do something.
 

 It is instanced, some people hate that.

The robes are really ugly and many of the other armors are similar but with different colors.

And the in game cash shops sucks, you can't buy anything actually useful in it but it still sucks to have one in a P2P game.

Otherwise it is a rather fun game, the graphics is surprisingly good for a game that old. It have it´s share of bad things as well as any other game but it is really worth a try. 

Here is a few screenshots:

Originally posted by page 

Learning the class and skills are the least of a new players problems,Zones, maps,travel bells, chat is the worst of any game, UI, is old, and the auction house is ridiculous.  I remember the first time I went to sell something on the auction, it would not take.  After asking in open chat with no help, I finally spammed someone telling me that you have to buy a bag at the auction, and put the item in first, took an hour to get that answer. THIS IS ONLY ONE OF HUNDREDS of stupid little stuff I'm talking about a learning curve. Sorry but your only trying to make the game sound intriguing with using the example of complicated classes and skill, thats not what I'm talking about.

Remember for every 10 that starts EQ2 almost 10 quit shortly after. 

The traveol bells could be better, yes. But I am able to use the action house to have a large store in my house, that is a great feature. The action house is actually really good as long as you understands how it works.
 

As for the UI, if you don't like it are there a lot of custom UIs (profit is good).

The is a learning curve in the game, that is true. But if you can't figure out how those things work you will anyways be in a lot of problems later, some parts of the game is actually really hard. 

Besides if you have any questions, just ask them in the chat. EQ2s community is still the best in any MMO I played and there are many helpful people. You might also need to download the program EQ2map, many quests are hard to figure out on your own.

Still, I am afraid EQ2 is the best MMO I played. It is far from perfect but massive content and good community go far.

I don't think the learnng curve in that game is any more difficult than any other game I've played.  I think that is just something people who don't want to like this game say.  The only way I think this game might be hard to get a hang of is if you've never played these types of games before and even then it would still only be difficult if you've totally avoided any type of computer gaming.   Secondly on this point, it is stupidly easy if you actually read the tutorial that pops up in your face when you make new toons.

And I still don't see how people complain about the graphics or anything in this game, bash it if you want, but until you've read the lore and understand why some lands look the way they do then you should have no reason to bash or complain.

Again, I'll agree with whoever mentioned the starter zones in some of the oldest areas.  The are small and should be linked, but again remember 5 years ago, it was the way to go and did make sense.  Now it seems stupid, but nor does it much mater because as someone else said, you should only be in those zones about 10 total minutes of your exsistance.

It's nothing like EQ1 ......... I bought it and was terribley ripped off. Everquest II = WoW Clone, NOT EQ II.

/end trolling

Originally posted by Predator160

It's nothing like EQ1 ......... I bought it and was terribley ripped off. Everquest II = WoW Clone, NOT EQ II.

/end trolling

The the exception that EQ2 was released 2 months before WoW.

Originally posted by Geeky

Originally posted by Predator160

It's nothing like EQ1 ......... I bought it and was terribley ripped off. Everquest II = WoW Clone, NOT EQ II.

/end trolling

 

The the exception that EQ2 was released 2 months before WoW.

lol you beat me to it...