Best Classic Server!

[Tantalar]

what made classic EQ so good was that it was so slow to level and so easy to lose exp if you didnt know what you were doing. This made it so that you would really develop your character and save up PP so you could buy and trade and sell. In a game like WoW you dont really have this long grind. You just sort of reach end game very quickly even if you are not hardcore.

In old EQ it was all about supply and demand. Something was hard to get and it was rare for it to drop. This increased the price of that item. It was actually rare. In WoW it doesnt even matter. When I quit the game it was on its way out (with the first expansion)

I really liked how hardcore old EQ was. If you screwed up and got killed you were punished. It actually meant something to die. Nowadays in MMORPGS everything is just... too easy. There isnt enough brutalizing punishment, and things are WAYYYYY to easy. The oldschool EQ crafting system is incredible and vastly superior to any other system out there. The best way to control a game is by making stuff rare and or hard to come by. I would be in full support of a game just like oldschool EQ where it was even harder to level up because as a casual player I was able to reach level 60 and then sort of feel like I had done all there was to do without even going to most of the world.

The world in classic EQ (well trilogy) is just so huge. This also contributed to the economy because most people back then didnt know where all of the loot came from. Often times it was from zones that I never even heard of. In WoW and new age MMORPGS you can explore the entire world in less than an hour.

Dungeons in old EQ are incredibly intricate. Nowadays dungeons are made up of a few huge boxy rooms. Very straight forward... Nothing elaborate at all - pathetic. Old EQ dungeons are like huge mazes. I easily can get lost in countless zones simply because they are so hard to navigate through and remember where you are (as it should be) This is yet another unmatched quality of classic EQ.

Classic EQ has boats instead of instant teleports - enough said

Raid encounters were EPIC and required tons of people. Id rather have an epic gathering of people who just zerg something than have an actual strategy. Its realistic. Absolutely awesome how old EQ raids used to be. Gather up all your friends and everyone and just run in and sacrifice yourself for the cause. It didnt matter what gear you had or what weapon you were using... awesome

Quests were awesome. Well most of them are silly but quests in classic EQ are really well done and you dont have some glowing path that shows you exactly where you have to go for each step of it. You are not spoon fed like in all these new MMORPGs. EQ was hardcore. Hell, I couldnt even imagine how the hell anyone could figure out how to get the veeshan peak key without a strategy guide lol.

So much content, so many zones, so many different options. Infinite stuff to explore... I have played the game a lot for a long time and there are still zones that I have never been to in Trilogy era. I would rather pay $50 a month to play a populated trilogy EQ server than get a lifetime membership to play every MMORPG out there!

[Yeormom]

The reason you didn't like EQ1 was you had the power gamer outlook. EverQuest was never about trying to max your level when Verant ran the shop. It was about the social experience and progression through content. Everyone didn't have to be 60 to take down high end mobs, even through Velious. If you rushed the game based on level, you really missed out.

It was definately not friendly to those unguilded.

[Felwithe]

I prefer the classic game - I actually like hell levels and slow exp. If you like PvP, then TZ/VZ is the place for you. For blue server fans, the best I've seen so far is Murdersmithy - it's a new server, but it is currently original and Kunark, does NOT have extra exp. I prefer this, because I think old school Everquest has a lot to offer at all levels, not just trying to grind to the top so you can finally have "fun" raiding. The server population is low right now, and I'm not sure the GMs really want it to go too high, but it certainly has possibilities.

[Babul]

Eq as been a milestone much of us played when still new on mmporg games it was an unrepeatable experience, every game that came out after was a sort of clone with minor exceptions.

Sure enough looking at it today even with all the improvement in the UI and some new graphics the game is old.. I mean the combat system is really basic click and wait.. also the mobs have always been way way overpowered , last year i reopened for a bit my account just to seem my lv 50+ SK unable to kill any solo light blue mob without ending almost dead and with these huge downtime every fight..

yes EQ was nice but it had a lot of stupid thing which they still have not fixed it is basically impossible to play it if you are solo and not in a guild.

[bigsol81]

I personally liked EQ for its difficulty.

Back before EQ, I played UO. Before they incorporated non-PvP areas and the whole ridiculous Felucca/Trammel idea, it was somewhat intense. You'd leave town afraid that you might get killed and lose everything. People didn't carry more than they absolutely had to, and you were quick to make friends so you'd have someone to help you if you were in a bind. UO had both strong community AND a strong player-based economy.

EQ was similar. It was hard, it forced you to THINK. Doing quests required you to use your brain and deduce where to go, preferably with a knowledge of the land. By comparison, games like WoW just give you a waypoint "go here, then here, then here" system and simplify everything. EQ just dropped you at your starting town with a newbie weapon and a note that equated to "Go find your guildmaster on your own. Good Luck!"

Games today are too easy and meant for people with short attention spans. Yes, you had to grind for months to get anywhere in classic EQ, but the game wasn't about grinding, or leveling up to get "uber" for most players. I played for two years and only made it to level 37 on my ranger, and I LOVED the game. I wasn't obsessed with leveling, just with finding new places and meeting new people to group with.

Classic EQ was great, despite the characteristics that some might call "flaws".

[Bah1337ed]

You forgot to add how everything you did in that game was so open based as far as their spell system went. Using root spell to crowd control. Having to actually type out words or phrases to npcs to get the next line of dialog

Where is freeport?
Freeport is where?
What about freeport?
When is freeport?
Who is freeport?
Random npc: "freeport is not a person but a city"

Not to mention random guards in highhold who just picked up your things, or being able tgo give your pets items to use.

Simply put oldskool eq was like driving a manual car

Most mmo's today are like driving automatic

[ChaosSlayer]

Originally Posted by Bah1337ed

Simply put oldskool eq was like driving a manual car

Most mmo's today are like driving automatic

eq was more like a rusty bicycle which kept loosing random parts every 5 minutes with no spares ever to be found

[Mexenlives]

i prefer a manual transmission. puts you more "in control" of the car =D

[hawkaya99]

I started my ranger i think on march 23 1999. I played until july i think, not sure. I had accrued a total playtime of about 14 days and my character was level 14.

I find it strange how everyone acts like old eq was somehow boring or horribly mean. Why? I never once thought there was anything wrong with it. I never felt pressured or beat down. I enjoyed myself. Yes, I died sometimes. Most of the time I spent just exploring the area in and around qeynos. There was a lot to see back then!! I spent a lot of time in pickup groups and making friends. The corpse runs and slow experience never crossed my mind!!! So that's why I don't understand why people think it matters - it never mattered to me.

I quit because I wanted to play UO. But I came back in 2000 and have played everquest off and on ever since that time. I've not liked what everquest has become. It's not that things are easier, it's that things don't feel conssitent anymore. I feel lost in the vast array of zones and lore, it almost seems disconnected to me. I think of when I first started playing and everytying was so much simpler back then. Why did everquest have to become so top heavy, why did it have to become so spread out.

[germish]

Hola gang, it's Malicious/Soothe.

Just thought I'd say hey and attempt forums. GPG seems to be great for what I want. I like faster leveling and greater chance of gear dropping, But I have to agree with the previous post. When I played live I was care free. I think I got a Barbarian Warrior to about 52 before I quit live, sadly I switched too SWG, which also died out for me. Then EQ2/WoW/and back too EQEmu. Sadly I'm having more fun the ever on the EQEmu, being able to two box is the greatest. I can actually do something when nobody is online!

Anyways... thanks for puttin up with my crap and letting me play along.