New Beginnings

Ok, for the last month or so I have been spending all of my EQ2 time in PvP. Granted, I miss my 53 main and nuking for 5k or so to steal aggro from almost anyone...But there comes a time when PvE just gets boring. Honestly, I had no intention of abandoning my PvE roots when I started with a group of friends on Vox, but it just happened. There are about 4 of us that started a new guild together and have not been back to PvE since. It just seems so boring to be able to run around any zone and only have to worry about mobs. After spending a month or two watching over your shoulder and using the eyes in the back of your head, it just gets to you. I understand the differences, and regret that my entire guild didn't make the journey with us, we were a great group and I miss them a lot. The only complaint that I have about PvP is the fact that the level ranges are so incredibly large. I understand the need to space it out for challenge purposes. But giving a level 70 the ability to gank anyone that they see in SS or KoS is kind of debilitating to the game, imho. The result will be that the first city with at least 5 players above 65 will have the advantage in every way over the other. Also, I feel that the removal of the mailing system from all the adventuring zones is a little crazy. If you are from Freeport and are in CL or Nek Forest, then why shouldn't you be able to send stuff to yourself. It really annoys me that I spent 5 hours working on a quest only to lose, at the least, half the cash I earned disappear to someone that is 10 lvls higher than me and sees fit to kill me. (yet another reason to change the lvl caps)

Oh well, enough ranting, for now at least. There are a lot of things that I greatly enjoy about the PvP servers and ruleset. The fact that the action is so fast-paced adds to the gaming experience greatly. Also, I enjoy the feeling of an adrenaline rush when I spot someone of the opposite alignment near me and I know it's going to be a fair fight. However, I find myself incredibly angry when the fight aren't fair or I get jumped by someone who is way out of my league, just so they can feel better about themselves. OBVIOUSLY IF I AM IN TS HARVESTING ROCKS I DO NOT HAVE CASH FOR YOU TO TAKE!!! If I did, I wouldn't be wearing lvl 10 Gear at lvl 21...Also, I enjoy the revamped economy that has arisen because everyone has started from scratch. It is nice to know that I can get rares that I need for a reasonable price even though there are countless people on the server that can use them. I have even started tradeskilling with my main in order to make money to buy things, whereas before I always just sold loot and waited until guildies were liquidating their inventories to get rares. I just think that it has done wonders for the cooperative environment in each city when we have to barter for goods and help each other out of tough situations in the adventure zones.

Overall, I would say that for me, PvP has been a great success and, imho, I don't know if I will go back to my main on the PvE server any time soon, and if I do, it will only be to explore the higher zones for when I get my Assassin high enough to go there...

Recent Findings

Ok, so lately they have been making a ton of changes to EQII. By them, I mean SOE. Most of these changes I agree with. I am really pleased by the way that the Wizard Class changed after live update #13. I feel that our class was a little off on our spells and such at the lower levels. I also like the way that they changed the amount of damage spells do. Now that the amount of damage you can do is based on INT rather than just spell upgrades casters will be more apt to do quests for items that build INT rather than just run around nuking mobs all day. A large number of people in the wizard community have been complaining about these same changes, but I think that it is about time that we just accept the fact that game-play has changed and adapt.

Another thing that I want to add is that everyone that plays EQII should find themselves a great guild full of good, fun people. I have managed to do this (Rock On Lollipop Gnomes!!) almost by accident. Last summer I was playing my first major toon after I bought the full version and got off Trial of the Isle. While I was playing the Trial I met a character that I then ran into in Antonica. Next thing I knew, I was a Lollipop Gnome, and the game has never been the same. After joining this guild it became much easier to get a group together of characters my level and to hunt in difficult places. I soon found out that I had joined a really great guild and was able, with their help, to level a toon from 18 to 22 in 2.5 days. The only regret that I have is that I cannot be on-line more of late to have fun with them in their adventures. Good Luck Everyone!

I think when I log back on Monday to actually play, I am going to hit up TS for some more harvesting skill points and then go to Enchanted Lands for some rares. Either that, or hit up Zek with one of my bonus XP potions that I got for being in the game for so long...Until then...

Hobbies

Ok, this is going to be for me to reflect on my EQ experience and then to post on some of the other blogs that I see going on about the same game. I love this game, my character, and my guild. I don't think I could have a better experience playing, unless I had more time and could level my main character faster. The people that I played with the most are now lvls 43-45 or higher and I am only lvl 35 because of college and such. It sucks I know, but hey I will make up for it over Christmas Break...Well...that's all for now...