For instance I dont feel a lot of rift's souls play all that differently than each other and people say that game has tons of variety to it.
Concerning the people that say the above statement. I'm pretty sure WoW was their first mmo.
Edited to stay on subject lol
The population at low levels is mainly the reason I quit playing.. Have several 20+ but just cant get anything going. The graphics are alright I guess.. It does look really fake though, like the godzilla of MMOs lol
I am not sure why anyone would say that EQ2 is ugly or uninteresting. If you turn graphics up to high quality and tweak it out in the advanced options then the game just looks beautiful. Does anyone know that EQ2 supports 3-D? Try that out and i would think you'll have a different opinion of the game experience. As far as the other things to do in the game if you happen to not want to grind for combat exp you can convert combat to AA exp to get beefed up,tradeskill,collect,harvest for rares,go into dungeons after mentoring and have some fun in those old dungeons you miss, decorate your house,raid in some very hard Epic dungeons,pvp which still needs evolving,do festival tasks and quests, or just Everquest in general in some of those zones you missed when you were younger ;-) . If you get bored with EQ2 then i think you may be limited in using your brain power...just saying. God bless and happy adventuring in whatever game you play.
I am not that fond of Sony either. They should definately market the game more to increase population but I am happy with things as they are so no worries for me.
My biggest problems with EQ2 were the fact that while the game has like 24 classes, probably not even half of those are worth playing, and the game almost requires players to download custom UI pieces just to be able to play the game properly, especially if you play a scout-archtype or a healer.
Also, I was pretty disappointed upon hitting level 80 to learn that my ranger was so incredibly gimped in comparison to similar classes (was two years ago, still is today), and switching to Assassin, in addition to having to foot the bill for enrmous spell upgrade expenses and armor, means I would be forced to learn how to play what is considered by many the most difficult DPS class in the game. Not a fan of the spell rank system either or the epic weapon grind.
Not even half of the classes are worth playing? Out of 24 classes perhaps there are 3-4 that would be tailored to a very specific playstyle.
I started playing EQ2 at launch and have left and returned numerous times. The only add on I installed was EQ2 maps and that was a convenience thing absolutely nothing that was required "just to be able to play properly." I have a 90 Templar, an 87 zerker and a full line up of toons above level 40 and my fiance has toons around the same levels. I have, nor has she, never installed any UI pieces to help me along. I am curious what additions you are referring to that are required to play properly.
As a Ranger you did chose one of the few gimped classes, as you metioned. However, the Assassin is by far one of the more difficult classes to play. Any class that you pick up at level 80 will be a bit of a challenge at first. I know this first hand because i betrayed from a Guardian to a Zerker at level 80 as well prior to the level caps. I believe Rangers ended up getting quite a boost when the pvp instances were introduced and all you saw running around were Rangers for a while.
Most games have a "spell rank system" that you mention and some find that the quest for their epic weapons is a refreshing change from the small tasks most games consider "quests" nowadays.
It seems as though the game just wasn't your thing and that's cool. However, I am sorry to say that the problems you mentioned with the game aren't problems at all.
I am not sure why anyone would say that EQ2 is ugly or uninteresting. If you turn graphics up to high quality and tweak it out in the advanced options then the game just looks beautiful. Does anyone know that EQ2 supports 3-D? Try that out and i would think you'll have a different opinion of the game experience. As far as the other things to do in the game if you happen to not want to grind for combat exp you can convert combat to AA exp to get beefed up,tradeskill,collect,harvest for rares,go into dungeons after mentoring and have some fun in those old dungeons you miss, decorate your house,raid in some very hard Epic dungeons,pvp which still needs evolving,do festival tasks and quests, or just Everquest in general in some of those zones you missed when you were younger ;-) . If you get bored with EQ2 then i think you may be limited in using your brain power...just saying. God bless and happy adventuring in whatever game you play.
No matter how high you turn up your settings, EQ2's visuals suffer from two major issues:
First is shader 1.0, and a currently-botched shader 3.0. Nearly everything in the game looks matte and dull unless set in the proper lighting. It becomes really apparent at night time in most zones, when most things aren't casting shadows and all of a sudden everything looks completely flat.
The other is the god-awful character models. While the anthromorph races are all extremely well done, the humanoid models are all poorly proportioned, this includes SOGA. Depending on your choice, you may end up with skin or hair that looks like it was made out of clay as well. Don't get me started on the Sarnaks or the Freebloods.
Other than those issues, I agree that EQ2 has some of the best content to offer and I'm excited to see where they go with it. I just wish they'd fix shader 3.0 and if not revamp the character models, at least redo the skin and hair textures for non-SOGA.
tho like others have said they may have "24" classes you could get rid of 1/2 of those because they played basicly the same as their evil counter part.
I disagree with this...I think most have a very different feel to their counterparts. Even so, if you want to say they have 12 classes with 2 alternatives to each class, its still more variety than most other games.
For instance I dont feel a lot of rift's souls play all that differently than each other and people say that game has tons of variety to it.
I agree with you teakbois. The evil classes were more focused on offensive abilites while the good classes were more focues on defensive. SK vs Pally, Swash vs Brig, Inq vs Temp, Troub vs Dirge, Defiler vs Mystic. Some were completely ifferent playstyles; Coercer vs Illy, Ranger vs Assassin. Then there were the neutral classes that did their own thing. Now I think a lot of them have moved into the neutral category than there were at launch but there are still very distinctive aspects to each class.
As a person playing rift at the moment I agree with you about the rift soul's as well. If you want to tank you roll a Riftstalker with some mix, a Pally or Reaver with some mix, or a Just with your mix. You have HoT healers (Warden), DD/AoE healers (Sent), and the "bubbler" (Puri). You get some customization with the small amounts of points left to spend in two other trees but for the most part they are only supporting your primary soul or role. There is some more wiggle room with DPS but you will still run into similar issues.
I played EQ2 at launch, didn't like ti much, played wow for 6 years, recently quit, and have been trying every free mmo now to fill some time, i tried EQ 2 last week, and my observations.
1. People still play, on the free server at least, i never saw people not on, not recruiting for guilds, etc. And this was at a variety of times, from 4 am too 5 pm. People at the higher levels were often trying to find people to group with as well, and the population seemed very friendly.
2. Graphics are not bad, but not great. I remeber when it came out, around the same time as wow(if my memory is right) and i remarked that it looked much better. But now, WoW has that cartoony thing down, and EQ 2 kinda looks like an old pc game. And it is an old pc game, so no harm there i'd say, but it isn't going to amaze anyone.
The next thing was a negative, but only for me, and i totaly admit this would be a postive too some people.
3. It's big...it's a little too big honestly, but it's had a lot of expansions and has been out a long time. It feels a bit intimidating to try and play the game when you see the world map. The quests are fine, but they didn't seem to do the breadcrumb thing that you see in the other mmos these days, leaving me kind of confused about where to go at times. Especialy when people told me i had options, and i was like "What? I do?"
4. AA seems like a neat idea for when you hit max rank, but it isn't as exciting for leveling. Maybe i didn't understand the system?
As i saw it, and it wasn't explained too in depth in game, you get normal xp, and AA xp, which comes from stuff like doing certain quests, doing collections, and killing named mobs. The character building comes from AA, as you level they just give you new spells.
And on that note, the spell system was kind of weird, you get a spell, but can then get a book that gives you a better version of that spell, or something.
A lot of this is stuff i vaguely remeber from launch (except AA, im almost postive that wasn't in the game at launch), but have forgotten now and they didn't do a great job of explaining, i also only played to about level 15, so i obviously missed a ton of game.
It's definetly not bad though, and for people who are looking for a giant world to explore, it's a pretty nice one.
I have to agree with EQ2 looking ugly and outdated.
I have a beast of a computer and can play other mmos on extreme quality in raids but even EQ2 has its moments when it stutters. The character models arent too bad well the SOGA ones anyhow, its just the scenery and animations that look terribad.
Other than that I have really enjoyed EQ2 and over the years have always played other mmos and still come back to this game because theres just something about this game that I really enjoy.
I have to agree with EQ2 looking ugly and outdated.
I have a beast of a computer and can play other mmos on extreme quality in raids but even EQ2 has its moments when it stutters. The character models arent too bad well the SOGA ones anyhow, its just the scenery and animations that look terribad.
Other than that I have really enjoyed EQ2 and over the years have always played other mmos and still come back to this game because theres just something about this game that I really enjoy.
If you play EQ2 with all its bells and whistles on, I'd say the game rivals AoC and Vanguard. Dunno why you think it looks ugly and dated.
Um sorry but i disagree because Vanguard is no where in the same league as AoC graphics wise.
Vanguard is slightly better than EQ2 although they look like they're wearing playdough and AoC just blows them out the water with the graphics that game can display.
I suppose if a computer couldnt handle the graphics they may all look the same.
I posted this on the Vanguard forums about Sony. And this is what I had to say about EQ2 :
EQ2 - Is a good game, however I have many gripes with it :
- They never fixed the coding ( I think the bugs,zoning and ability to play on most computers are worst than Vanguard ).
- They release expansions as it's a new game. Most should be just updates.
- They never look back on there old content, and never fix most anything.
- Free to play is just a trick ( this is just my opinion )
- Merge servers. They are afraid to piss off there very small player base.
- " Yes " they have a small player base. In my time spent in EQ2. I often did a count during prime times for all levels and there were not many active players. I did this for all classes,levels, and three of the popular servers. So they are fudging there numbers. I went Wayyyyy out of my way to do a head count, You would have to trust me on that one.
Adding here on the EQ2 forums :
I'll admit I never made it to end game because I found that I was never a fan of the community. I think there very much into clicks. It's understandable that the hardcore player base are standoffish because NEW PLAYERS NEVER STAY AROUND VERY LONG, so why give them the time of day. Questions will be answered, they will let noobs into there guilds but they don't have the time for them.
Another problem with EQ2 that took me years of on and off play to realize is that Zone play is screwed up and never fixed. Here let me explain :
As in every mmo you have level for zone 1-10, 11-20, 21-30 and so on.......What's strange about EQ2 is that when you out do the 11-20 area and you move on to the next zone and now yr level 21 on up to level 25 you would find that you can't move far from the quest hub for that zone or you would get clobbered by the mobs. This makes exploring ridiculously hard. Before you know it your level 30 and ready to move on to the next.
Planing out your attacks and using your class abilities- well forget it........You can shoot an arrow at a single target and the entire forest mobs you......What's with that ?....EQ2 never fixes there mistakes.
Some people call this hard core. I call it a broken game !
Vanguard is a much better game than EQ2. I also hope SOE sells off there entire mmo product line to someone who cares
hmmmm, a few things.
EQ 2 does have a smaller player base than say, WoW, but depending on your server, your mileage may vary as far as population.
Last night I logged into EQ 2 just to see the changes. Some extremely nice things, especially the new user interface. WoW is it elegant and not in your face.
However, Antonia Bayle was chock full. I believe there was another server that was also very full. And this was later EST.
I"m unsure of your "shoot an arrow..." statement because if there are intelligent creatures in an area and you attack one of them why shouldn't they mob you?
Vanguard isn't a better game, it's a different game. You might think it better but from my experience in both games I feel I can safely say that they play differently and feel different from each other. I do believe that one could play Vanguard and hate it yet love EQ 2. And vice versa.
As far as never looking back at old content, aren't they completley redoing freeport? And perhaps some other older areas? I do see that creating a new character brings you to a more limited set of starter areas so clearly they have been thinking of new players. And of course, last night on Antonia Bayle the new "good" player area was chock full of people.
EQ 2, to me, is cutesey. But, if one likes that or if one can shelve that little person who railes against "cutsey" (like I have done from time to time) EQ 2 can definitely be a great game.
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My only 2 issues with EQ2 is how dreadfully boring questing is and how slow and dull combat is. It's also not streamlined enough for my taste. It's ok to have tons of zones to choose from, but give me an overarching storyline in each zone or something. Plus killing creatures should be fun and reactive, not spam every ability I have until the mob is dead, which takes longer than it should(come to think of it, LOTRO suffers from this aspect as well but that's another topic).
Um sorry but i disagree because Vanguard is no where in the same league as AoC graphics wise.
Vanguard is slightly better than EQ2 although they look like they're wearing playdough and AoC just blows them out the water with the graphics that game can display.
I suppose if a computer couldnt handle the graphics they may all look the same.
I will agree that AoC looks so much better than vanguard or EQ2, it goes Aoc > Vanguard > eq2. But vanguards armor does not look like playdough to me (and I run it at max). Then again, so far I've only played a ranger class and a death knight (or whatever its called, I played too much WoW). But I do love AoC's grapics so much more, armor though not so much.
Too bad the game runs so poorly, otherwise I'd think MUCH MUCH more of it than I do. As is, I think it's decent, but it could be a ton better if they'd polish it up some and optimize performance.
Plus killing creatures should be fun and reactive, not spam every ability I have until the mob is dead, which takes longer than it should(come to think of it, LOTRO suffers from this aspect as well but that's another topic).
It's EverQuest II, naturally it takes after EverQuest. And in EQ it's the same way only worse - when they say that a white-con mob has an equal chance of killing you, they're not kidding.
I've been playing EQ2 since September of last year, so year I fall into the addicted category. It has the best options of stuff to do for me: player housing and decoration, an interesting guild system, a good market economy, involved crafting, tons of quest varieties such as crafting writs, exploration quests, PvP quests, etc., lots of fluff, collections, interesting classes, amazing dungeons, lots of potential character development, cool classes, etc.
Also the community is decent. I found a great guild quite quickly. This game seems conducive to having a friendlier community than most. There is still a lot that has to be done in groups, and there is still a player blacklisting system in place for the jerks.
The only really major negative I can say about EQ2 is that it doesn't run that well on my current gaming rig. If it ran more like Rift, I'd be in this game for.. well... as long as they keep it open. As it is now, I am afraid that no upcoming releases really cater to me... the sort of player who likes having a virtual world to run around in. I am hoping that GW2 will be as good as everyone says it is, but SW:ToR is a no-go. Rift, though a really good game, does not scratch all the itches...
For that person who said that the classes all play like one another, that might have been more the case earlier on in EQ2's existence, especially when you had to get to your final class in two stages. Nowadays, you can't say that at all. My conjuror can't solo some of the things a necro can, for example, but I can dish out way more damage than a necro and am better at AoEing in encounters. I am thinking of rolling a necro alt. I doubt I will feel like I am playing exactly the same toon though there are definite similarities. I do see where you are coming from though for the older EQ2... I felt the classes were pretty bland even as recently as two years ago. It took me three tries to get into this game as a result, but threes the charm.
I must say that EQ II does alot of things right, like you mentioned. However where it lacks is in immersion, the zones seems so carefully designed that they feel constrictive and un-authentic. EQ 1 was much better in this regard.
Shame EQ II did not give the same feeling that EQ 1 did.
I played the hell out of EQ2 but i prefer Vanguard by a mile,it's more immersive and open than EQ2 ever was.
Better crating
Better world
Not as much content but still tons.
Better classes(my disciple kicks my Bruisers ass)
Diplomacy.
Better Housing where everything is hand made in the open world .From bricks to wallpaper to carpet,it's all player made.
Vast oceans to sail your ships.
Brilliant mounts/flying
Non instanced Dungeons
The list goes on.
If you have 45 days free and have not tried Vanguard then i really suggest you give it a go.
Agreed, I decided to give eq2 another shot about 6 months ago and started on Halas and was schocked to see how bland the land was , it was like a game from 1995, I played for awhile but it was pale in comparison to the intricasies and depth of Vanguard
If we are just talking in terms of graphics then AOC wins hands down,
We're not talking in terms of graphics at all. I guess you didn't read the OP. Meh....no biggie. I get it, you like AoC. We weren't voting for a favorite really, in this thread, it was really a big time "fan thread," and not about graphics of a game "winning hands down." Good that you voice your opinion though. At least you're not shy!
If we are just talking in terms of graphics then AOC wins hands down,
We're not talking in terms of graphics at all. I guess you didn't read the OP. Meh....no biggie. I get it, you like AoC. We weren't voting for a favorite really, in this thread, it was really a big time "fan thread," and not about graphics of a game "winning hands down." Good that you voice your opinion though. At least you're not shy!
I am sorry you mis read my statement, I said if we were just talking in terms of graphics , I dont think AOC holds a candle to Vanguard in terms of depth of game play. eq2 is another story, I have tried to play several times and just never lasted , I think the longest I went was the fay area because I thought it was beautifull and unique, but the new Halas area is horrible-graphics from 1995 and quests that are an after thought. That is my opinion but I am glad you are enjoying the game . I am waiting for Bio ware to start running their star wars online game as I have immensly enjoyed their single player games
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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My biggest problems with EQ2 were the fact that while the game has like 24 classes, probably not even half of those are worth playing, and the game almost requires players to download custom UI pieces just to be able to play the game properly, especially if you play a scout-archtype or a healer.
Also, I was pretty disappointed upon hitting level 80 to learn that my ranger was so incredibly gimped in comparison to similar classes (was two years ago, still is today), and switching to Assassin, in addition to having to foot the bill for enrmous spell upgrade expenses and armor, means I would be forced to learn how to play what is considered by many the most difficult DPS class in the game. Not a fan of the spell rank system either or the epic weapon grind.
Wow.. you couldn't be more wrong. Rangers are pretty powerfull at the moment... I know because my Guild tells horror stories about them in open world pvp and battlegrounds.
All classes can be good. You just have to embrace them and learn to play them properly.
Comments
Concerning the people that say the above statement. I'm pretty sure WoW was their first mmo.
Edited to stay on subject lol
The population at low levels is mainly the reason I quit playing.. Have several 20+ but just cant get anything going. The graphics are alright I guess.. It does look really fake though, like the godzilla of MMOs lol
EQ2 is a poorly performing eyesore, nothing about it's graphics could be misconstrued as anything resembling quality.
The actual content is nice, though - and the variety, terrain size, questing, instances are all well done.
Classes are interesting or fun, the character advancement and skills are top notch - even combat is enjoyable.
I just dislike Sony, and have nobody to play with in EQ2.
(77 Mage/Necro off and on since 2007.)
I am not sure why anyone would say that EQ2 is ugly or uninteresting. If you turn graphics up to high quality and tweak it out in the advanced options then the game just looks beautiful. Does anyone know that EQ2 supports 3-D? Try that out and i would think you'll have a different opinion of the game experience. As far as the other things to do in the game if you happen to not want to grind for combat exp you can convert combat to AA exp to get beefed up,tradeskill,collect,harvest for rares,go into dungeons after mentoring and have some fun in those old dungeons you miss, decorate your house,raid in some very hard Epic dungeons,pvp which still needs evolving,do festival tasks and quests, or just Everquest in general in some of those zones you missed when you were younger ;-) . If you get bored with EQ2 then i think you may be limited in using your brain power...just saying. God bless and happy adventuring in whatever game you play.
I am not that fond of Sony either. They should definately market the game more to increase population but I am happy with things as they are so no worries for me.
Eq2 is my favourite mmo of all time, people complain about what's wrong with eq2, i prefer to focus on what is right with it.
There is a lot they did right with eq2, even though i don't play anymore, my fondest gaming memories come from eq2.
The music, lands and story driven epic quests were the best i've ever seen and i've played a lot of mmo's.
Raiding was fantastic, so many raid zones and group zones, so many nooks and hidden secrets in eq2 it felt like a real world.
The zoning was the only immersion breaker for me.
For me there will never be another eq2, i'm hoping swtor will come close.
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Not even half of the classes are worth playing? Out of 24 classes perhaps there are 3-4 that would be tailored to a very specific playstyle.
I started playing EQ2 at launch and have left and returned numerous times. The only add on I installed was EQ2 maps and that was a convenience thing absolutely nothing that was required "just to be able to play properly." I have a 90 Templar, an 87 zerker and a full line up of toons above level 40 and my fiance has toons around the same levels. I have, nor has she, never installed any UI pieces to help me along. I am curious what additions you are referring to that are required to play properly.
As a Ranger you did chose one of the few gimped classes, as you metioned. However, the Assassin is by far one of the more difficult classes to play. Any class that you pick up at level 80 will be a bit of a challenge at first. I know this first hand because i betrayed from a Guardian to a Zerker at level 80 as well prior to the level caps. I believe Rangers ended up getting quite a boost when the pvp instances were introduced and all you saw running around were Rangers for a while.
Most games have a "spell rank system" that you mention and some find that the quest for their epic weapons is a refreshing change from the small tasks most games consider "quests" nowadays.
It seems as though the game just wasn't your thing and that's cool. However, I am sorry to say that the problems you mentioned with the game aren't problems at all.
No matter how high you turn up your settings, EQ2's visuals suffer from two major issues:
First is shader 1.0, and a currently-botched shader 3.0. Nearly everything in the game looks matte and dull unless set in the proper lighting. It becomes really apparent at night time in most zones, when most things aren't casting shadows and all of a sudden everything looks completely flat.
The other is the god-awful character models. While the anthromorph races are all extremely well done, the humanoid models are all poorly proportioned, this includes SOGA. Depending on your choice, you may end up with skin or hair that looks like it was made out of clay as well. Don't get me started on the Sarnaks or the Freebloods.
Other than those issues, I agree that EQ2 has some of the best content to offer and I'm excited to see where they go with it. I just wish they'd fix shader 3.0 and if not revamp the character models, at least redo the skin and hair textures for non-SOGA.
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I agree with you teakbois. The evil classes were more focused on offensive abilites while the good classes were more focues on defensive. SK vs Pally, Swash vs Brig, Inq vs Temp, Troub vs Dirge, Defiler vs Mystic. Some were completely ifferent playstyles; Coercer vs Illy, Ranger vs Assassin. Then there were the neutral classes that did their own thing. Now I think a lot of them have moved into the neutral category than there were at launch but there are still very distinctive aspects to each class.
As a person playing rift at the moment I agree with you about the rift soul's as well. If you want to tank you roll a Riftstalker with some mix, a Pally or Reaver with some mix, or a Just with your mix. You have HoT healers (Warden), DD/AoE healers (Sent), and the "bubbler" (Puri). You get some customization with the small amounts of points left to spend in two other trees but for the most part they are only supporting your primary soul or role. There is some more wiggle room with DPS but you will still run into similar issues.
I played EQ2 at launch, didn't like ti much, played wow for 6 years, recently quit, and have been trying every free mmo now to fill some time, i tried EQ 2 last week, and my observations.
1. People still play, on the free server at least, i never saw people not on, not recruiting for guilds, etc. And this was at a variety of times, from 4 am too 5 pm. People at the higher levels were often trying to find people to group with as well, and the population seemed very friendly.
2. Graphics are not bad, but not great. I remeber when it came out, around the same time as wow(if my memory is right) and i remarked that it looked much better. But now, WoW has that cartoony thing down, and EQ 2 kinda looks like an old pc game. And it is an old pc game, so no harm there i'd say, but it isn't going to amaze anyone.
The next thing was a negative, but only for me, and i totaly admit this would be a postive too some people.
3. It's big...it's a little too big honestly, but it's had a lot of expansions and has been out a long time. It feels a bit intimidating to try and play the game when you see the world map. The quests are fine, but they didn't seem to do the breadcrumb thing that you see in the other mmos these days, leaving me kind of confused about where to go at times. Especialy when people told me i had options, and i was like "What? I do?"
4. AA seems like a neat idea for when you hit max rank, but it isn't as exciting for leveling. Maybe i didn't understand the system?
As i saw it, and it wasn't explained too in depth in game, you get normal xp, and AA xp, which comes from stuff like doing certain quests, doing collections, and killing named mobs. The character building comes from AA, as you level they just give you new spells.
And on that note, the spell system was kind of weird, you get a spell, but can then get a book that gives you a better version of that spell, or something.
A lot of this is stuff i vaguely remeber from launch (except AA, im almost postive that wasn't in the game at launch), but have forgotten now and they didn't do a great job of explaining, i also only played to about level 15, so i obviously missed a ton of game.
It's definetly not bad though, and for people who are looking for a giant world to explore, it's a pretty nice one.
I have to agree with EQ2 looking ugly and outdated.
I have a beast of a computer and can play other mmos on extreme quality in raids but even EQ2 has its moments when it stutters. The character models arent too bad well the SOGA ones anyhow, its just the scenery and animations that look terribad.
Other than that I have really enjoyed EQ2 and over the years have always played other mmos and still come back to this game because theres just something about this game that I really enjoy.
If you play EQ2 with all its bells and whistles on, I'd say the game rivals AoC and Vanguard. Dunno why you think it looks ugly and dated.
Um sorry but i disagree because Vanguard is no where in the same league as AoC graphics wise.
Vanguard is slightly better than EQ2 although they look like they're wearing playdough and AoC just blows them out the water with the graphics that game can display.
I suppose if a computer couldnt handle the graphics they may all look the same.
hmmmm, a few things.
EQ 2 does have a smaller player base than say, WoW, but depending on your server, your mileage may vary as far as population.
Last night I logged into EQ 2 just to see the changes. Some extremely nice things, especially the new user interface. WoW is it elegant and not in your face.
However, Antonia Bayle was chock full. I believe there was another server that was also very full. And this was later EST.
I"m unsure of your "shoot an arrow..." statement because if there are intelligent creatures in an area and you attack one of them why shouldn't they mob you?
Vanguard isn't a better game, it's a different game. You might think it better but from my experience in both games I feel I can safely say that they play differently and feel different from each other. I do believe that one could play Vanguard and hate it yet love EQ 2. And vice versa.
As far as never looking back at old content, aren't they completley redoing freeport? And perhaps some other older areas? I do see that creating a new character brings you to a more limited set of starter areas so clearly they have been thinking of new players. And of course, last night on Antonia Bayle the new "good" player area was chock full of people.
EQ 2, to me, is cutesey. But, if one likes that or if one can shelve that little person who railes against "cutsey" (like I have done from time to time) EQ 2 can definitely be a great game.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
My only 2 issues with EQ2 is how dreadfully boring questing is and how slow and dull combat is. It's also not streamlined enough for my taste. It's ok to have tons of zones to choose from, but give me an overarching storyline in each zone or something. Plus killing creatures should be fun and reactive, not spam every ability I have until the mob is dead, which takes longer than it should(come to think of it, LOTRO suffers from this aspect as well but that's another topic).
I will agree that AoC looks so much better than vanguard or EQ2, it goes Aoc > Vanguard > eq2. But vanguards armor does not look like playdough to me (and I run it at max). Then again, so far I've only played a ranger class and a death knight (or whatever its called, I played too much WoW). But I do love AoC's grapics so much more, armor though not so much.
Too bad the game runs so poorly, otherwise I'd think MUCH MUCH more of it than I do. As is, I think it's decent, but it could be a ton better if they'd polish it up some and optimize performance.
It's EverQuest II, naturally it takes after EverQuest. And in EQ it's the same way only worse - when they say that a white-con mob has an equal chance of killing you, they're not kidding.
I've been playing EQ2 since September of last year, so year I fall into the addicted category. It has the best options of stuff to do for me: player housing and decoration, an interesting guild system, a good market economy, involved crafting, tons of quest varieties such as crafting writs, exploration quests, PvP quests, etc., lots of fluff, collections, interesting classes, amazing dungeons, lots of potential character development, cool classes, etc.
Also the community is decent. I found a great guild quite quickly. This game seems conducive to having a friendlier community than most. There is still a lot that has to be done in groups, and there is still a player blacklisting system in place for the jerks.
The only really major negative I can say about EQ2 is that it doesn't run that well on my current gaming rig. If it ran more like Rift, I'd be in this game for.. well... as long as they keep it open. As it is now, I am afraid that no upcoming releases really cater to me... the sort of player who likes having a virtual world to run around in. I am hoping that GW2 will be as good as everyone says it is, but SW:ToR is a no-go. Rift, though a really good game, does not scratch all the itches...
For that person who said that the classes all play like one another, that might have been more the case earlier on in EQ2's existence, especially when you had to get to your final class in two stages. Nowadays, you can't say that at all. My conjuror can't solo some of the things a necro can, for example, but I can dish out way more damage than a necro and am better at AoEing in encounters. I am thinking of rolling a necro alt. I doubt I will feel like I am playing exactly the same toon though there are definite similarities. I do see where you are coming from though for the older EQ2... I felt the classes were pretty bland even as recently as two years ago. It took me three tries to get into this game as a result, but threes the charm.
Playing MUDs and MMOs since 1994.
Agreed, I decided to give eq2 another shot about 6 months ago and started on Halas and was schocked to see how bland the land was , it was like a game from 1995, I played for awhile but it was pale in comparison to the intricasies and depth of Vanguard
Nice game, to bad it's ruined by station cash.
If we are just talking in terms of graphics then AOC wins hands down,
We're not talking in terms of graphics at all. I guess you didn't read the OP. Meh....no biggie. I get it, you like AoC. We weren't voting for a favorite really, in this thread, it was really a big time "fan thread," and not about graphics of a game "winning hands down." Good that you voice your opinion though.
At least you're not shy! 
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I am sorry you mis read my statement, I said if we were just talking in terms of graphics , I dont think AOC holds a candle to Vanguard in terms of depth of game play. eq2 is another story, I have tried to play several times and just never lasted , I think the longest I went was the fay area because I thought it was beautifull and unique, but the new Halas area is horrible-graphics from 1995 and quests that are an after thought. That is my opinion but I am glad you are enjoying the game . I am waiting for Bio ware to start running their star wars online game as I have immensly enjoyed their single player games
How is it ruined by station cash? Elaborate
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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Wow.. you couldn't be more wrong. Rangers are pretty powerfull at the moment... I know because my Guild tells horror stories about them in open world pvp and battlegrounds.
All classes can be good. You just have to embrace them and learn to play them properly.