Races of EQII: The Bad

Races of EQII: The Bad

MMORPG.com EverQuest II Correspondent Vernon Reich writes this overview of the races available in SOE's EverQuest II. In this part of his article, Vernon looks at the Evil aligned races.

EQ2 has nineteen races for players to choose from, and evil is the largest chunk of that, weighing in with seven races. The evil races of EQ2 are a diverse bunch, with reptiles, dark elves, fae folk, ogres and trolls. They also have the best range of starting locations, able to pick their hometown from three very different cities.

Here's the rundown of the Evil races.

Freeport is the primary evil city, with the most developed content and range of quests. Freeport has four quarters, racial slums for each race except Sarnaks and Arasai, and almost all of them have housing and quests. For the new player, if you take the ship instead of levelling up on the Outpost of the Overlord, you'll find quests levelling you up fairly well, and giving you a racial history lesson as well. If you instead let the evil newbie island wet your feet, You'll get a decent set of equipment and a fairly fun time levelling up to about sixth, along with three collection quests.

Either way you start, Freeport also has several adventuring zones inside it's walls, ranging in level from around fifth to the high teens. The city is fairly easy to navigate at the lower levels, using a teleport style system of dock bells to ferry you from the most frequently used zones.

Neriak was brought into the game for free, along with the Arasai race. Unlike it's sister city, it only has one zone, but there are still teleporters (actually called teleporters!) located in the four quarters of Neriak. Along with not having to zone, Neriak also has a centrally located crafting and banking area, and is popular with people who have long load times from Freeport's zones. If your race can start in Neriak, you'll jump into the game in a small nearby town called Hate's Envy. It's a small little town with a series of quests that will take you all the way to twentieth level, and into the Butcherblock mountains. The Arasai have to start here, but transferring to a different city (of the same alignment) is as easy as finding the ambassador for the city you want to join and doing a small quest.

Gorowyn is the newest city of the batch, and the most diabolical in it's design. A hollow volcano criss-crossed with elevators and gondolas to join different levels together, Gorowyn can be a challenge to a new players patience. On the other hand, it's very scenic, and like Neriak, can be a boon to players wanting to craft, since the crafting hall is centrally located and adjacent to the cities housing. Picking Gorowyn for your starting city will land you in the Timorous Deep, an area at war between the Aviak's and the Sarnak. The introduction quests are fun, and have an involving plot (like forcing you through a battlefield!) and the equipment rewards are great. Sarnaks have to start here, but becoming a Freeport citizen is as easy as finding the Freeport ambassador in the lowest level of Gorowyn.

Arasai were once normal Fae, twisted by the evil magic of the Queen of Neriak and forced painfully into the service of the dark elves. They share many traits, notably the ability to glide from any height and wind walking, bursts of speed that stack with other speed bonuses (except mounts). They also have Ultravision, a vision mode that makes everything high contrast purple. Arasai have to start in Neriak, but Freeport is only two zones away, so it's not too difficult to switch if your determined to do it, or just hate underground cities.

Arasai Racial Traditions

• Escaping Dive: Decreases threat from an aggroed mob, teleports Fae to a random spot in 10 meters, only works in combat.
• Fae Flight: Increases movement speed in and out of combat by 5%, stacks with magical effects, but not mounts.
• Dark Envy: For a short time, Arasai strike harder, cast faster and has a better chance to crit with melee and spell attacks.
• Magic Protection: Gives a permanent 3 points of magic damage mitigation.
• Aerial Dodging: Permanently raises defense by 5 points, user Double Attacks on 2% of all melee attacks.
• Arasai Savvy: Adds 5 to intelligence.
• Glide: The Fae can jump farther and glide longer, doesn't work while mounted.
• Neriak Precision: Raises Artificing of Arasai by 5 points.
• Arasai's Endurance: Raises in-combat power regeneration by 1 per tick.
• Transmography: Increases transmuting skill by 5 points.

Dark Elves are hate worshipping versions of their surface cousins, and as such have a warped sense of beauty and no sense of fair play. They start out in Longshadow alley in Freeport which they share with nobody. Like High Elves, they have night vision, but not Infravision. Instead they have Ultravision, a purple colored high contrast night vision. Being vicious and cunning, Dark Elves get a small speed bonus while sneaking or invisible. They also have the Fae ability of slow fall, and can glide down from any height as long as the ability is toggled on. They can also choose to start in Neriak at Hate's Envy or Gorowyn at Timorous Deep.

Dark Elf Racial Traditions

• Furry of Innoruuk: For a short time, the elf strikes harder, casts faster and has a better chance to crit with melee and spell attacks.
• Hateful Mind: Increases Max Power by 3% permanently.
• Knowledge of Neriak: Adds 5 points to casters intelligence stat.
• The Foci's magical Protection: Raises mitigation versus magic damage by 5 points.
• Shadow Slip: Reduces hate from current monster and teleports Dark Elf t a random location within 10 meters.
• Innoruuk's Gift: Raises Piercing skill by 5 points and the elf will Double Attack in melee 2%.
Poison Expertise: Gives 25% more uses out of poisons.
• Poison Crafter: Increases the success chance of alchemy by 5%.
• Fueled by Hate: For a short time, the dark elf adds 10.8 out of combat mana regen. per tic and 5 points of magic damage mitigation.
• Pursuit of the Arcane: Reduces the poer cot of all Sage reactions by10%.

Iksar are honor bound, evil lizard men. Back before the cataclysm they had a culture similar to ancient rome, in size and appearance, but now they're refugees like everyone else. Iksar have Reptilian Ancestry which lets them regenerate hitpoints faster then other races, Aqua vision that lets them see underwater without vision distortion, and Defensive Coloration, a stealth power that quickly drains your power bar. Iksar can start in Freeport or Neriak, but not Gorowyn, since the Sarnak, who founded Gorowyn, were once the Iksar's slaves.

Iksar Racial Traditons

• Venomous Strike: A poison attack with a decent amount upfront and damage-over-time component. Scales with level.
• Legay of Shissar: Permanently raise health by 3%.
• Honed Body: Increase agility by 5 points.
• Greenmist Salvation: Increases disease mitigation by3 points.
• Tough Scales: Increases deflection and defense by 5 points.
• Venril's Gidance: Increases spell crit chance by 2%, increases Focus skill by5 points.
• Proficient Swmmer: Can breathe underwater.
• Dark Medicine: Raises chemistry skill by5 points.
• Reptillian Grace: Decrease falling damage by 25%.
• Whipstitch: Lowers power cost of tailoring skills y 10%.

Ogres were once big strong dumb brutes, but the conflict with the gods changed that. Now they are big strong smart brutes. As the war leaders of the forces of evil, they can grow 25% larger, but this has no in-game benefit other then looking huge! They also have Ultravision, the purple, high-contrast night vision. Their last racial benefit is 'Rock Thrower', a knowledge of good rocks to grab, resulting in a one second reduction in mining attempts. Ogres start in Freeport or Neriak, their choice.

Ogre Racial Traditions

• Shoulder Slam: Blurs targets vision, knocks it back, and does some damage! Scales with level.
• Rallos Zek's Blessing: Increases mx health by 3%.
• Brute Strength: Raises strength by 5 points.
• Armor of Feerott: Increases physical mitigation by 3 points.
• Impenetrable Mind: Immune to stun for a few seconds.
• Oggokian Aggression: Melee crit chance by 2% and aggression skill by 5 points.
• Battle Rest: Buff that raises strength and out of combat health regeneration.
• Rallosian Readiness: Increases metal shaping skill by 5 points.
• Many Marches: Reduces Sprint cost by 25%, and sprint speed by 10%.
• Oggokian Trade: Power costs for weaponsmithing is 10% less.

Ratonga are rat men, and as such share the Dark Elves bonus to speed when invisible or sneaking. They have Sonic Vision, which is a high-contrast yellow night vision. The most fun of their starting racial abilities is 'Rob', an attempt to steal from a monster in combat with them usually resulting in a standard loot pick for that critter. Ratonga can start in Freeport or Neriak.

Ratonga Racial Traditons

• Poisonous Bite: Damaging atack with damage over time component, scales to your level.
• Dark Agenda: Max power increased by 3%.
• Rodent Reflexes: Agility increased by 5 points.
• Antidote: Increases mitigation versus poison by 3 points.
• Pitiful Plea: Reduces threat priority from a monster.
• Street Thug: Raises melee crit chance by 2%, adds 5 points to piercing skill.
• Poison Expertise: Raises the number of times poisons will activate by 25%.
• Instruments of the Underfoot: Raises Metalworking skill by 5 points.
• Soul Mending: Buff that raises agility and out of combat health regeneration.
• Poison Play: Reduces the power cost of alchemy skil uses by 10%.

Sarnaks are the newest race, sinuous, lanky reptiles that run like Tyrannosaurus Rexs. Like all EQ2 races, they look excellent, and are fun to play. They start with Aquavision, like the Iksar, and get a speed burst ability called 'Hunters Fury', letting them add 50% to their in and out of combat running speed for a brief period. They also start with a one second reduction to gathering times, useful for the crafting lizard in a hurry. They can only start in Gorowyn, but changing your hometown to Freeport is fairly easy and involves finding an npc in the cities lower level.

Sarnak Racial Traditons

• Fire Breath: Area of Effect fire attack, scales with level.
• Reflexive Landing: Reduces falling damage by 25%.
• Herbal Ministration: Increases heal crit chance by 2%, raises Ministration skills by 5 points.
• Spiritality: Raises mitigation versus divine damage by 3 points.
• Jungewalk: Reduces Slow effects by 25%.
• Insight: Increase wisdom by 5 points.
• Stride: Increases in and out of combat movement rate by 5%, stacks with buffs, but not mounts.
• Weapon Prodution: Reduces the power cost of the Weaponsmithing skill by 10%.
• Break Will: Reduces the resistablity of all spells and taunts by 2%.
• Carpenters Touch: Raises sculpting skill by 5 points.

Trolls are tall and fairly hideous swamp dwellers, with a bent towards cannibalism. Having grown up foraging in a swamp, trolls can scavenge (summon) drinkable water nearly at will. Their also tough, regenerating health out of combat much faster then other races. Lastly, trolls have Ultravision, the purple nightvision. Trolls start in Freeport and Neriak.

Troll Racial Traditions

• Brutal Bashings: An attack that throws the targetback, blurs it's vision and stuns it. Scales with level.
• Maniacal Maness: Raises max power by 3%.
• Bog Bully: Raises strength by 5 points.
• Gift of Innothule: Raises mitigation versus disease by 3 points.
• Cazic Thule's Gift: Buff lasting a few seconds that makes you immune to fear.
• Thule's Guidance: Double attack 1% of melee attacks, melee crit 1% more, and raises slashing by 5 points.
• Swamp Breath: Can breath underwater.
• Troll Gourmet: Raises artistry skill by 5 points.
• Tasty Things: Increases the duration of consumed food by 25%.
• Mender of the Mire: Increases armorer success chance by 5%.

That's all Evil has for now, so next stop, Neutrality!