EQ2: Recent Events; Thoughts

A lot has been happening in the world of EQ2, and I’ve been rather lax in commenting on it or in any way otherwise even acknowledging it, but I now feel that there is enough substance to create a sizable post of commentary.

First of all, the biggest change in recent time is that EQ2 is now entirely Free-to-Play (F2P).  This differs from the previous business model of only 1 server being F2P (Freeport; how apt.)  Now, all servers follow a model similar to Freeport.  I won’t go into the specifics, but essentially, you can opt to continue to pay the general subscription fee of $14.99/mo. and receive all available content just as before.  Other options are Silver and Bronze memberships which have similar limitations to them as when EQ2X existed solely on the Freeport server.  You can read all about the matrix and pricing plans at EQ2players.com

So far, the expanded F2P seems to have drawn some former players back into the fold, and perhaps a few genuinely new ones.  Server loads appear to be high, for the most part.  The website was redone in tandem with the announcement, and now displays server population and status.  There is some question as to the actual load threshold that determines what “high” population means, and skepticism about how many players are concurrently logged in.  The developers have not commented definitively on the question, but Smokejumper remarked that it will likely take time for players to try EQ2, that a flood of new players is not the expectation.  However, at least for the first two weeks, it does seem that some servers are experiencing a resurgence in population.

The next big piece of recent news is, of course, the addition of another expansion, Age of Discovery.  AoD is different from any previous expansion in that it is a set of features rather than a set of content, the two biggest being mercenaries and the dungeon maker utility.  The expansion was released simultaneously along with the free game update in which Freeport was given a facelift.

I’m going to talk about mercenaries, first, because I feel that they are far and away the best addition.  Mercenaries are archetypical NPC’s that you can hire (an initial fee, and then a recurring, lesser fee, every half hour) to join you in your quests.  There is essentially one of each type: a healer, a mage, a tank, and utility.  They vary in some cases between city faction, but are generally similar.  In Freeport, you can join with an Inquisitor, a Warlock, a Shadowknight, a Brigand, a Bruiser, or a Dirge.  I’ve only played with the Inquisitor, so far, a ratonga named Stamper Jeralf, who is found in the dockside inn in East Freeport, but he seems suitably powerful and very helpful to have along.  In fact, I’ve been able to take him into Blackburrow, the Wailing Caves, and Fallen Gate, so far, and duo quite well.  Your mercenary levels up with you, and comes with a lesser array of abilities than an actual player would have, but all of the essential abilities are there, and you can inspect them from the mercenary tab of your Persona window.  Every so often, they will gain new abilities, too.  You don’t need to buy them gear, they don’t take any of your gold or loot, and they don’t cost you experience.  You can, however, dress them up in cosmetic gear from your own inventory (which stays in your inventory) and give them basic AI instructions — for instance, who to assist, who to protect, and how to act in general.  Unfortunately, this appears to be completely bugged, as they generally take a very active role in combat regardless of what you tell them to do.  In fact, sometimes this can be frustrating, as they will relentlessly attack NPCs even when you would prefer that they stand back and do nothing.   However, this will presumably be fixed, and in the meantime, having your own personal healer along, or tank, or DPS, is far preferable to spending time alone in a dungeon, or trying to put together a group when you have limited time to play.  So far, I’ve been able to fully explore all three dungeons with just myself and the mercenary, and gain the achievement kill in each one (i.e. the Blackburrow Champion, Emperor Ree, etc.)  It’s been a nice way to gain alternate advancement points, too.  I can level up to, say, level 28, then turn my slider to 100, and clear a place like Fallen Gate, without greying much, if any, of the content.

The next big addition in AoD is the dungeon maker.  This is a system where you can a.) collect dungeon items, avatars, NPCs, and furniture while adventuring in the real world, then b.) use them in 1 of 4 pre-made dungeon maps.  It works similarly to houses in that you can’t actually design your own layout (much to my dismay, and others) but can work within a defined space.  Over time, new dungeon maps will be added, perhaps even as findable items.  You can also add flavor text to the NPCs you place, give them names, and create a shadow of a storyline.  Full scripting abilities are not available, though.  This isn’t a tool like the Neverwinter Nights toolset or the Morrowind toolset.  Your dungeons, once created, can be uploaded or “published” and then other players can run through them. Initially, you could only choose to play as “avatars” — the developers cited balance issues as the reasoning.  However, more recently, it was announced that soon, actual players would be able to run through dungeons.  No details were given on how balance would be addressed, but it seems plausible that the level will be scaled.  Players don’t seem entirely happy with the dungeon maker, and three reasons appear over and over: 1.) the pre-made maps, 2.) the heretofore lack of ability to play as your own PC, and 3.) the limited method of placing objects, which can be tedious.  Once published, a dungeon can be rated, just like houses, and players can scroll through lists of them, and choose to visit.

AoD aside, Freeport was given a revamp, which included basic re-texturing, a new color scheme, the removal of zone lines, and new questlines based on race.  I have not been able to experience much in the way of the quests, yet, but the removal of zonelines makes the city seem much more alive — and larger, of course. The new color scheme, dark gold and brick red, makes the city a bit more grand and less of a dump.

The major inclusion in AoD, however, was the addition of the Beastlord as a new class.  The Beastlord is a scout class, with its own skill trees, combat mechanics, and abilities.  It is far and away the most mechanically interesting and engaging of the classes in EQ2, and it would be interesting to see the same depth applied to other classes, over time.  Not only can the beastlord tame pets, called “warders,” but each family of warder has its own set of abilities, and there are 16 families.  Each warder will gain points that can be applied to its own tree, and the more you use any one family, the more bonuses you receive over time.  Warders gain experience and level up on their own, as well.  Beastlords have a complex combat mechanic that works in tandem with their warder to find or create a weakness, and then exploit it using a number of class-specific skills.  These are in addition to the normal combat arts, and have their own hotbar with a special icon.  Its hard to explain on paper, but essentially you can use two sets of skills at certain times.  Overall, my limited time with the Beastlord showed me that it is a powerful and diverse class, and depending on which warder you use, it could presumably be a tank, a DPS, or a utility role.  Primarily, however, it seems to be a DPS design.

There’s a lot happening in the world of EQ2.  Unfortunately, I still find it lacking the spark that drew me in all those years ago.  Some players have suggested that a “Launch Day server” — where the game retains the mechanics and challenges inherent at original launch, right down to the details, as well as time-matched progression through expansion content — would be very desirable, and while I am not wearing completely rose-colored glasses (I remember some of the more tedious exclusions, such as some basic UI functionality omissions, which made the game truly annoying at times) I have to agree that a large part of what is missing is a feeling of challenge and exploration.  I don’t mean challenge in the sense of ‘What uber raid guild can take down this super retarded-hard mob?’ but rather, the every day challenges like ‘How do I make my way around this expanse of heroic mobs to get to that cave over there?’ or ‘Wow, I wish could run faster [but 130% is kind of stupid.]  Maybe I can finish that quest to get that awesome item I keep hearing gives you an extra 40% speed.’  Yeah.  That kind of challenge.  I know there are other games out there that meet this desire, last I heard Darkfall was one, but other games aren’t really what I want, either.  I’ve invested a lot of time into my characters, and a lot of money.  To throw it all away is inevitable, at game death — but until then, I’d really rather see something of the old school brought back.

That aside, I am interested to see where it goes in the future, not only with the new F2P model, but with development of content and development of new features.

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