I’ve been playing Everquest 2 for the last 2 months or so, and I just can’t decide if i like or hate the game. There are so many things that Everquest 2 does right yet somehow it seems to fall short on delivering a true satisfactory feeling. The good - Endless content. I don’t think it would be possible for anyone to complete every quest, search every corner, and kill every boss in Everquest. There is simply too much. Jack and I have been playing for 2 months and have yet to break level 40. This isn’t a bad thing. Unlike World of Warcraft and similar MMO’s, the goal in Everquest is not to reach max level and start pvping. There is plenty of PVP at every level or tier. And what makes PVP rewarding is that players drop money. There is also PVP reward armor and titles, but for me, having a player drop their money/loot brings back a certain satisfaction that until now, only Ultima Online had delivered. Now the actual PVP itself is a hit or miss situation. Id say PVP win success is determined based on the following checks - Numbers(in a group), Level, Gear, Achievement Awards, and then skill. So how the fuck is that fun? Well I dont know, but it is. I guess it isn’t so bad due to the fact that equipment is relatively easy to aquire, most can be crafted or purchased either by auction house or pvp reward. What are Achievement Awards you ask? Basically AA is another set of skills to acquire. If you are familiar with World of Warcraft, think of AA as a talent tree. However you do not automatically gain AA just by leveling. It is something separate from a characters level which must be independently leveled through questing/killing boss monsters(Named NPC’s, and various other sources. All in all there is a lot of work that must be done on ones character to make them viable in a PVP situation. However this is completely negated when out numbered in a group.
Like I said PVP is hit or miss in EQ2.
Heres how I would improve it. When I first start a character in a new MMO Game, I choose a class based on its brief introduction. I then compare that class potential to what I enjoyed in Ultima Online. Those are my roots, that is what i like. I want to have a versatile character, capable of melee damage, spell damage, the ability to heal and teleport (recall). All in all I want a character that can survive on his own as well as help out in group situations. Classes in Everquest2, like every other MMORPG on the market, offer usually 50-75% of this potential. Normally you have a priest, a druid, a mage, a fighter, a scout(rogue) and so on. What has happened over the years, is that classes have been nerfed and buffed, and tweaked, and fine tuned, all from player input, and general game progression. This has created classes which are all very balanced and crafted to work best in a group situation. No class has been left in the dark as the abortion child with 1 eye and 11 toes. However, usually every class just completely sucks at one thing. For instance Mages can use melee attacks, but why? Its completely fucking irrelevant. Mages are only given a weapon slot so that the player has one more item he must acquire in order to continue his endless pursuit of +x to Intelligence. Priests are given just insane staying power. Sheild + Ward + Heal + Dot Heal + yadda yadda. But priests just suck when it comes to offense. Then you have teleporting. For some reason, mages and druids always get the teleport spell, but every other class has to hoof it around. This is fucking bullshit. In everquest the Scout and the Mage have the ability to “Evac” Essentially it is an instant cast spell which teleports the Scout/Mage + his entire party to safety. This can be done outside of combat, for instance if a gank party attacks you, you may evac if you haven’t engaged combat. You cannot however attack someone, realize you suck ass, and try to evac to safety. It follows pretty much UO:R recall rules. This is a fucking great ability…. But only the Scout and the Mage class have that ability. This is a huge advantage in PVP, and only 10% of the classes have it. Now for those of you thinking this is what gives a game balance, I say fuck you. It isn’t balance its just annoying.
How do you keep a class based game interesting? Keep the classes. Just let the player decide what skills he wants. Simple. You can call it Scout, Warrior, Mage, Jerkasspigfucker for all I care just let me decide what abilities I bring to the battlefield. Example: Pudrick the Mage - Level 1. Maybe I have 3 abilities, Fireball, Firesheild, Attack. At level 2 I am presented with the option of deciding what new ability I want. Every ability in the game would be available, in talent tree form. So one path to travel down, lets say healing, would have its best spells at the bottom of the tier) This prevents players from having ever super spell in the game thereby maintaining balance. So now from the list of 50+ spells, lets say I choose heal. Now I have Heal, Fireball, Firesheild, and Attack You can even have a skill level for every ability. The more you use it the better you get. (Capped to level or whatever). Basically by level whatever, well say 50 the character path I have taken allows my Mage, to equally heal himself, cast offensive spells, evac(recall) track players, etc. Pretty much take all the abilties that have been created over the last 9 years in MMO’s, and let the player decide what he wants. Maybe you want to be a tank, but you also like tracking, pickpocketing, and hiding. Great. Let the player create off the wall what the fuck classes. But keep it challenging. I should be able to Heal and Tank and Stealth around. It doesn’t mean I can solo a dungeon, it doesn’t mean I can take down 5 players at once. (My level of skill decides that) Balance the obvious elements just let the player pick what he wants to do in the game without re-rolling 5 characters and /following around on a 5 box machine like some stupid ass jap farmer.
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