Everquest 2 and my 1-12 experience

 

I have had a hard time this week choosing which game to log into. I just hit level 45 in Lord of the Rings Online and the Book 10 update is full of things that I really want to see. While I feel I’m in a rush to get to 50 in LotRO and check out the raid dungeons and the PvP zone, I feel much more relaxed when I click on my little EQII icon instead.

It has been a while since I played a MMO by myself and I’m surprised at the enjoyment I am still getting out of it. I play MMOs specifically because I love to meet and group with other people and explore content together. This is the first time I set out in a game to just learn about the world and let the grouping and community take a backseat. As of last night, I have only grouped with one other person and kept my conversations in the chat channels to a minimum. What I am trying to avoid is those jaded few who feel compelled to drop snipes about the game intermingled with their weak recommendations to new players. A time will come when I will need to join a guild to experience some of the larger content but I am in no rush to get there. For now, I am enjoying my lackadaisical approach to discovery.

I will try not to let this journal become an Everquest 2 review. That is not my intention here. I would merely like to track how I see this world that a lot of people have come to love and interpret it in its current state through the eyes of an Everquest newbie. The lore here is obviously rich and I have a lot to explore and learn about, but I hope my experience with other MMOs will help me navigate through the world and bring me atleast a fraction of the fun that I have heard this world can provide.