Official EQ2 Q&A Thread

[Grind]

Questions I am looking to have answered if someone knows:

1 - Are there races that can use more than one size of armor (e.g. can barbarians wear both medium and large, elves wear medium and small, etc.)

2 - how does looting work... is it the old warrior loots and keeps all or is it like CoH where loot is randomly assigned to party members

3 - do heal over time and wards stack from same subclass, e.g. if two druids cast heal over time, would both work on same character or only the first one cast

4 - what is guild size cap


Appreciate the info,
Grind

[Big Gulp]

1 - Are there races that can use more than one size of armor (e.g. can barbarians wear both medium and large, elves wear medium and small, etc.)

There don't appear to be sizes.  One size fits all, unisex.

2 - how does looting work... is it the old warrior loots and keeps all or is it like CoH where loot is randomly assigned to party members

You decide whether you want in on the loot, afterwards, a random lottery happens and the winner gets the lootz.

3 - do heal over time and wards stack from same subclass, e.g. if two druids cast heal over time, would both work on same character or only the first one cast

Not sure.

4 - what is guild size cap

Not sure.

[chinslim]

So, ummm, what is the EQ2 "endgame"?

[Sable Blaze]

Trying to find hardware that can acutally run the thing comfortably.

[Resvrgam]

Trying to find hardware that can acutally run the thing comfortably.

$5000.00 later, the quest continues...

[Mesozoic]

Three Gigs: The Quest for RAM.

[Sable Blaze]

From what I"ve personally seen and what I've heard from others more into the hardware than I, I think EQ2 is going to need another generation of hardware to really run well.

I'm going ahead with plans for a 3500+ (or more, price depending...) Athlon64. I suspect one might need an nVidia 7xxx or equivalent to really get things moving in towns. And gobs of memory. Fast memory. Expensive memory.

EQ2 is also more than a bit buggy. 6 months should have the new box ready to run and the game more reasonably vermin free.

Maybe.

[shiznitz]

I upgraded with a FX5700LE 256MB ram vid card + 1GB of new ram (2GB total) on my 2.5Ghz system and performace is still totally meh on medium detail settings. Maybe if I can outgrow the fucking city I can turn things up higher. More than 10 PC models on screen is just a fucking fps killer.

[Murgos]

There is a ridiculously huge memory leak or cache issue in EQ II.  Apparently it wasn't there before the last round of patches before release but it is certainly there now.

Just listen to the whir of your harddrive, upon login it hardly churns at all.  30 minutes later you have to pause when entering a new zone for the swap to catch up.  An hour later and unless your rig is a monster it's stop and go, step, pause, step, pause, etc...

When I just log in I can play in Qeynos without too much pain, within 15 minutes though, forget it.

[Cuular]

Opteron 246 (2.0Ghz)
2GB PC2700 memory
X800XT PE
Ultra 320SCSI with caching controller.

Runs smoothly at 1600X1200 with all graphical settings at high, and a few in the water and lighting set higher.

Sometimes get a little hitch here and there, but far and few between.

Though for most people a system like that is out of the price range.

With the most recent ATI patch 4.11 it has been exceptionally smooth.

[shiznitz]

Shit. I should have forked over the $$$ for a 6800 instead of trying to be cute with the 5700.

[Alkiera]

There is a ridiculously huge memory leak or cache issue in EQ II.  Apparently it wasn't there before the last round of patches before release but it is certainly there now.

Just listen to the whir of your harddrive, upon login it hardly churns at all.  30 minutes later you have to pause when entering a new zone for the swap to catch up.  An hour later and unless your rig is a monster it's stop and go, step, pause, step, pause, etc...

When I just log in I can play in Qeynos without too much pain, within 15 minutes though, forget it.

It's apparently a memory issue of some sort, don't know if it's a leak or what... but it's definately related to memory.  I have 512MB, and what Murgos describes is fairly accurate, tho I can play in some large zones, like Antonica, with little problem for long periods;  once I zone out, tho, I start to have issues.  My buddy you has 768MB of ram, and a lesser video card, doesn't have these issues at all.

Once again, the 'required' hardware is just barely enough to start the game...  recommended is where it's at.

Alkiera

[Sobelius]

So, ummm, what is the EQ2 "endgame"?

My take on a game like EQ2 is that the journey itself is the endgame. If you chew/grind through content just to level, without trying all the small fluffy little details in the world -- like swimming around the water off the East Freeport docks for no reason other than to just 'see what's there' -- or to group with people and enjoy chatting/making comments between fights -- then when you finally do get to the highest leve in the game, you'll look back and wonder why the heck you rushed to get there.

If this is not your thing -- if you don't like exploring or collecting pixels or socializing or helping others do these things -- there's not much other point to EQ2, IMHO.

[AlteredOne]

So, ummm, what is the EQ2 "endgame"?

My take on a game like EQ2 is that the journey itself is the endgame.

 

EQ felt that way too, until you hit level 50+ and the "raid game."  Does anybody know if EQ2 has the same dynamic, or was that impossible to determine from the beta?

[Kenrick]

Well, I've gotten up to level 12 now with my little dwarf warrior.  I am only playing this game because I was stupid enough to buy it, and I'm trying to at least get my $40 worth.  There is almost nothing I am enjoying about this game.  The world is just..... so...... bland.  I guess the only moderately enjoyable thing for me are the countless quests available, but then again I might as well be playing single player game if that's the case.  I wish I could put into words why this game sucks so much... but it's just so far beyond my verbal comprehension to explain.

Why, Kenrick?  Why did you blow your money on EQ2 less than a week before HL2 came out?  Why?

[Mesozoic]

I am only playing this game because I was stupid enough to buy it, and I'm trying to at least get my $40 worth.  There is almost nothing I am enjoying about this game.  The world is just..... so...... bland.  I guess the only moderately enjoyable thing for me are the countless quests available, but then again I might as well be playing single player game if that's the case.  I wish I could put into words why this game sucks so much... but it's just so far beyond my verbal comprehension to explain.

They should put this on the back of the box.  

Swear to God, I would buy it.

[stray]

Why, Kenrick?  Why did you blow your money on EQ2 less than a week before HL2 came out?  Why?

You're not alone man. I..uhhh..bought it too. Uninstalled it soon afterwards. Bought it the same day as Halo (which I'm not too happy about either). I couldn't resist though. If I don't get into betas, at least for the major titles out there, then I'm bound to shell out the cash.

[Furiously]

Odd - I'm guessing if you never liked EQ1, you will not like EQ2. I like finding out what happened, or laughing at things in the world that are still the same (See tree stump in Blackburrow that dumps you into the middle of some high level gnolls). To me it's storytelling, but I'm convinced that something either clicks in the first 40 minutes of playing or it doesn't.

[Toast]

Ouch..Sorry to hear you are having such a bad time, Kenrick.

I think I like EQ2. But, the early stages are pretty bland with a lot of Fedex quests and disjointed, uneven combat.

What is keeping me hooked so far is my EQ1 nostalgia. I want to keep playing so I can see what Blackburrow and Cazic Thule and Velious have become.

I'm not sure if I will last that long though. The girlfriend is already freaking pissed. I haven't played MMOGs since we started dating, so she is just now getting to see my catass darkside.

[Rasix]

I'm not sure if I will last that long though. The girlfriend is already freaking pissed. I haven't played MMOGs since we started dating, so she is just now getting to see my catass darkside.

Ohh the fun you have in store for you.  MMOPRGs are not good for developing relationships.  

Just wait until you have the extended raid that sends her into fits.  Good times, good times. "Look hon, I got my epic!"  *angry stare*

[kemmyn]

i just had my first foray into Blackburrow last night.  I'm in total opposition to most people here, who said they loved the first 10-12 levels, then it got too grindy.

I really didn't like the first 12 levels or so, now I'm really starting to enjoy it.  I think this will be a fun game, as long as I can stay out of the cities (lag, baby, lag....)

[Soukyan]

i just had my first foray into Blackburrow last night.  I'm in total opposition to most people here, who said they loved the first 10-12 levels, then it got too grindy.

I really didn't like the first 12 levels or so, now I'm really starting to enjoy it.  I think this will be a fun game, as long as I can stay out of the cities (lag, baby, lag....)

Yes, but you also loved the grind that is FFXI. An important piece of background info there. ;)

But seriously, I'm having quite the fun time with EQ2 also and probably will for some time to come.

[Masuri]

The newbie island was the most painful, horrific, excruciating experience I've ever had in an MMORPG.  I almost uninstalled and cancelled right then.  I couldn't figure out what they wanted from me or where to go or why.  Combat was a mystery.  Whoever created that piece of unmitigated crap should be... well, I can't think of anything bad enough.

Then I finally figured out how to hop the boat to Freeport, and it was like a totally different game.  I had quests and waypoints and people to talk to and a grimy little apartment.  The quests sent me all around and I learned the city quite nicely.  I loved all the little quotes the mobs threw at me ("More is good, all is better").  It was very immersive, and I fetched and carried and zoomed around merrily - interrupted by periodic reboots to retrieve my memory when my framerate descended to slideshow speed.  I had some EQ1 guildmates walk me through Heroic Opportunities and what not and it was quite peachy.  I just reached level 10 and chose to be an Enchanter as a prelude to being a Coercer.

So far, levels 1-4 = suck.  Level 5-10 = love.  I just ventured out and busted up some orcs in the Commonlands, and that owned.  I can see it becomes a level grind from here on out, but that's what I loved on EQ, so that makes me happy.  I know, I'm a sick puppy.

[Sobelius]

Reached Level 15 Predator and the game has not become a chore or grind for me.

Here's what I've done to increase my enjoyment, and what the game has done:


1. Got it in my head I wanted to play an evil Kerran assassin before I even knew whether this was really possible. I have treated each encounter from his "assassin's" mindset. All of the quests, especially those in Freeport, have given me options to respond from this place of wicked delight. Fun "i'm hooked" moment was when the innkeeper gave me the option of evicting a deadbeat from one of this cheaper rooms.  I did it with some sense of an assassin's soul-killing glee, though was kind of bummed I didn't get the guy's room -- just his bedroll as a quest reward. Still, was for me a moment when I felt the game was going to be fun to play, not just a grind.

2. Turned off the display of my XP bar when I customized my UI. This one act alone has changed completely my experience of an MMORPG. I no longer worry about what level I am or which bubble I'm on or what my debt is. I just play. Levelling is now a pleasant surprise. I focus on what I'm going to do next -- complete a longstanding quest, try crafting, find a group to play with in Fallen Gate or the Wailing Caves -- attempt to talk to that bitch in Zonnvarr's Tower without getting my ass handed to me by 20 tortured souls...explore and map the Freeport Sewers...find more quests in Freeport...I see how much there is to do when I stop looking at my XP bar.

3. Chose to play a scout. The scout's combat options combined with stealth and tracking and great damage output and use of poisons and the way the skills are fitting nicely into playing a backstabbing assassin is making this game fun for me.

4. I tweaked and tweaked and tweaked the graphical settings to get to where my lowly 128 MB GF3Ti200 can play things smoothly, even if only the things near me look pretty. I'm enjoying the game enough that I'm speccing out a new system to get things to run even more smoothly.

5. HOs -- I kind of like these, though even in a duo group we sometimes have a hard time pulling them off. Now that I know how to make them work in groups, though, they are kinda cool -- still not enough to make me think 'new paradigm' but better than simple DAOC style chains.

6. No catassing. I have yet to feel that I'm catassing at any point -- no grindage, no camp the same spot for hours, just a sense of immersion and exploration.

7. No alts. I have not invested any time in playing anything but 1 character. This is helping me contribute my playtime to advancing this oharacter -- I'm usually an Alt-oholic. I usually can't stand doing the same role all the time. But the scout has enough variety to keep me interested.

8. The game does not crash; servers are generally stable but they have more down time than I think is good long term usually once a day or every two days for 2-4 hours in the morning, US time). Down once/week for 2-4 hours is acceptable, not once every day or two days.


Yes, there are still a lot of things I think could be better. For now, though, it's doing what I asked of it: entertaining me without making it feel like a second job or a chore.

[Sable Blaze]

Reached level 14 Crusader and was having a pretty good time, despite the memory leaks and EQlive refugess that insist on camping mob spawns. I never got to browbeat any NPCs into quivering mounds of fearful jello, but did get to idly threaten a few with bodily harm.

Then EQ2 turned my power supply into a silvery puddle on the bottom of my Addtronics case.

Ahh, well. New PS on the way, but too many old friends are heading to WoW, so I'll bow to peer pressure (and the demands of my creaky 300watt PS) and jump ship for the near future.

I'll be back, though...

[Sky]

find a group to play with in Fallen Gate or the Wailing Caves

Love the game, hate the forced groups. A game that treats solo play as anathema is not for Sky. I don't mind grouping, but not being able to do squat in an equivalent level dungeon without grouping is lame as hell.

Lvl 17 Summoner, no grindage except for a bit at the end as I tried to contend with group-only content and got frustrated by the artificial barriers to solo players.

If anyone cares to hear more about my thoughts after a week straight (vacation) with EQ2, head over to grimwell.com's forums. I'm tired of thinking about how let down I am by this great game.

Graphically, I didn't notch back much. Halfway on the animation distance, reduced lighting effects (in number, not quality), most shadows off (which does kill some immersion, great shadows). Running Maximum textures and most other options maxed, 1280x720, 4x FSAA/AF. Looks beautiful. Goddamned whore.