EverQuest II

Great mmorpg tones to do i play on the anashti sul Origins server that takes you back through classic and the first few expansions totally worth it. Just like the old days where players relied on each other to get far in the game. cant speak for the live version but the origins is top notch mmorpg fun

I have played this game for 20yrs and will probably play til the end. No better housing in any other mmo.
This game still releases new content every year.
They just started up the "Origins" server where you play as it was then, mostly.....the fish don't chase you across the zone out of water like in the old days and you don't die tradeskilling 😜 That being said it is good to see it busy again, but I will take it anyway it comes.

9/10 for being an all time favourite of mine and for being incredibly versatile in how you can play it.
Every minute aspect of this game has been fleshed out to such a degree that it functions as multiple games in one.

This is possibly the hardest game to review.. and the score really depends on what aspects you are trying to enjoy here. Be it early game, Questing, Raiding, Lore hunting, collecting mounts/familiars/armor sets/shinies, building your own house or just chatting with other people.

The game itself is very well crafted, you can tell that hundreds of thousands of hours went into making this beautiful world and designing its thousands of quests and events.

The graphics do admittedly look old, there is defenitly no HD ultra realism here BUT that doesnt mean it looks bad. It all fits together rather perfectly and for being such an old game they really held up well even for todays standarts. Just dont expect any 4k textures..
Most of this games charm actually lies in its graphics and in the level detail.
If you take your time to explore the world it can really feel like reading a book, and you are a part of it.

The gameplay is amazing. You get to choose between dozens of different classes. Each completely unique in their abilities and usefulness in a group setting.
Some classes and character races are locked to being "evil" some are always "good" and others count as neutral, which means they get to choose. This makes it so your character will always thematically fit into the region you are playing. No ogres or shadowknights in a good aligned city.
There are 5 different starting regions, each of them completely different and unique. My favourite is Kelethin for its Fairy/Forest setting

Some of the things you can do in Everquest:
-Explore ~20-30 different zones
-Finish ~10k quests
-Decorate up to 4 houses per character (There are probably over 100 different houses to find and even more you can purchase)
-Become a crafter and choose between Carpenter (Decorates your houses), Weaponsmith, Armorer, Provisioner (makes temporary Food), Tailor (Light armor + bags), Woodworker (Ammunition and Temporary Buffs), Jeweler (accessories), Sage (Skill upgrades) and Alchemist (skill upgrades)
-Collect every Mount you can get your grubby little mits on. There are probably around 50-100 that you can earn through quests and events, another ~150 when you visit a stable and EVEN MORE on the marketplace for real money.
-Finish every Shiny collection you can. "Shinies" are little yellow orbs on the ground that you can pick up to recieve a random item from a collection. These collections, when completed, give you items that you can use on your character, to decorate houses, or complete further collections and can fetch a hefty penny from other players.
-Collect every set of unique looking armor in the game (There are hundreds, possibly thousands of them)
-Change your characters size with the help of obtainable items and become as small as a speck of dust or even as large as entire buildings. (Becoming Larger is by far the more difficult and really shows dedication)
-Try to finish every Raid in the game. (There are at least a couple hundred of them and some are very hidden/unknown) Raids can vary from "kill everything" to "kill everything in a very specific order" or "solve a bunch of riddles with no help". The wiki is really your best friend for this.
-Walk around the City and roleplay with others. The game has a relatively deep emote system and you can also create your own emotes ( "/emote tips his hat" will become "CharName tips his hat") Roleplaying has fallen out of fashion a little but its still very much appreciated by the players and I have never had a bad interaction with anyone. When Everquest 2 was in its prime it was very common to find people just standing around in the cities telling the whole world of their guilds achievments and self-made lore. IMO one of the best aspects of this game.
-Explore the Lore of this game. There are whole guilds dedicated to this task and, correct me If iam wrong, they are still not finished after all these years. And I dont mean because of new expansions (which there are, the game is still getting annual expansions) but because some lore is REALLY REALLY REALLY hidden. A random note, with 1% drop chance, from a level 5 enemy in Antonica might just elaborate on why the gnolls are hated throughout the lands. Its seriously obscure stuff but that makes it all the more rewarding when you find something. Roleplaying with the proper lore knowledge is pretty much the highest art in this game.

If you made it this far "/emote tips his hat".
Now, after listing everything positive that I could think of..

WHATS BAD ABOUT EVERQUEST 2:
-The biggest thing here is probably the price and its the same as World of Warcraft. To be a "member" you need to pay monthly.
As a f2p player you cant use the global chat (local chat still works), you cant sell to other players on the broker (You can still buy items there), your alternate advancement points will be locked at around half its max (not too consequential, these are not your main skills, just upgrades) and you wont get double experience points (From a long-time players perspective, taking the game slower is actually a positive)
Personally I played this game f2p for the longest time and the only thing thats impactful is not selling on the broker. The economy is very inflated and quests will not give you relevant amounts of money. Just ask a guild mate or even just a random guy in the world and they will help you with some plat.
-The second worst thing in this game are actually its expansions.. While they do keep the game fresh and interesting for some players it also messed with the power curve of your characters. PUT SIMPLY Characters from lvl 1-95 have items with up to +60 Strength (for example). Once you are 95 your items will suddenly jump to +350 and level 130 (the current max) you get like 10.000 and other stats that quite simply take your damage and x10.000% it or add a flat 10.000.000 damage to it.. Its becomes very.. whack and artifical..
I usually play my characters to level 100 and then get bored of them.

All in all I think Everquest 2 is an amazing game and it is almost impossible to pick it up and not enjoy at least some of its features, there has to be something here that even YOU will enjoy. YES YOU! Iam talking to you!
The only "Deal breaker" so to say would be how much time you can sink into it. Nothing in this game will actually try to keep you there but it can easily happen that you enjoy it and suddenly you sank 100h into it and forget write your report or whatever work you got going on. Its actually a common story on here lol

Have been playing this game for 20 years. The quests are great, the zones are immersive, and the housing is the best of any game I have played. There are not many games that after 20 years people are still playing and enjoying. The developers are constantly adding new content and levels. There are guide events 2 or three times a week, live events both seasonal and otherwise. This game has something for everyone, adventurer, crafter, and raider alike. I play this game daily after 20 years and plan to keep playing and enjoying this game as long as I am able. Thank you SonyEQ and Daybreak for such a great game.

EQII is a classic, that stands the test of time. It has deep lore, diverse environments, and a shit-ton of quests that'll keep you engaged for hours. It offers a variety of classes and races to choose from, each with their own distinct visual design, and the community is pretty friendly and welcoming (at least from my experience). The combat is old-school, tab-targeted, but it feels solid and responsive; the crafting systems are in-depth; and the game gets updated regularly (although you gotta pay for expansions and there's an optional monthly sub that offers some benefits like additional character slots, special members-only zones, full access to mail, etc.). Personally, I think the game would benefit from a UI update, as the current one feels outdated and clunky at times.
Overall, it's a nostalgic game, and it's still very fun.

I have been playing the new Origins server with my daughter and we have been enjoying it. I played EQ2 back in the day when it came out, so I had some idea what to expect, my daughter has been raised on the newer generations of mmo's...World of Warcraft and such, so she was not ready for how difficult it can be at times. Granted, WoW classic is pretty hard, but im talked retail WoW...Still, we have tried many classes, gotten to both Qeynos and Freeport, and done some crafting. I really do love crafting in this game, because its like a mini game. There is no guarantee you will get the best from this without trying.
The graphics are not horrible as well, although they are not modern by any means. Still, we are enjoying it and will continue playing it to see how it goes. I will say that when you are in a city, its amazing the amount of quests you get there that are just running you around. Try it out on the free to play, and then if you like it, get yourself a sub and try out the origins, which is hardcore. I havnt tried F2P, but i hear its much, much easier.

EQ2 is one of the greatest games of all time, just play Origins or TLE (Time Locked) Servers. The live game is kind of a mess with a bunch of mechanics and systems duct taped on top of one another. If you've been curious about this game NOW is the perfect time to join the Origins Server