EQ2 or WoW??

S

ScYcS

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I'm looking for a MMORPG.

Far back i used to play Anarchy Online, DAoC and a little bit the original EQ. In none of these i ever reached really high levels (I'm an altoholic), but i enjoyed them all.

So now, after a long break from MMOs, I'm ready again.

Since i enjoy dungeon crawls and solo play a lot (besides socializing with others; yeah, that is possible), I wondered which is better EQ2 or WoW? Are the spells/abilities in any of the two games repetitive (e.g. the next iteration of a spell is just the same as before, but more powerful) or are they different when you gain levels? The most boredom i get from leveling just to find out that the brand new ability is called "greater Fireball" instead of the already present and overused "fireball".

Example: I really enjoyed the pet classes in all games, but also hybrids such as Mentalists in DAoC. Actually i pretty much like all classes except healers.

Does anyone have experience with both games and can point me in the right direction? And no, downloading the trial is unfortunately not possible because of my slow connection....Also, i don't care if the "endgame" is bad in any of the two because i either won't reach it anyways or "endgames" are pretty much boring in these games anyways....

Thanks all!
 
Based on your post, I'd say try WoW. It's much more alt and leveling friendly. The massive grind begins at 60, but from what you desribed I would think you'd probably like the 1-59 game. I didn't care for alts in EQ but nearly every class in WoW has a good degree of fun and utility to it so it's easy to be alt-happy.
 
never tried EQ2, but WoW will end up like this in the end game:

You either do Battlegrounds or Raids or both.

If you do Raids, you are one of 3 things:

1) Damage Taker
2) Damage Dealer
3) Healer

If you do Battlegrounds, you will:

1) Run the same 3 battlegrounds over and over
2) hit a certain rank a realize that in order to rank up higher you need to quit your day job
3) realize that after you reach Rank14, you've wasted a good amount of your time just to have other guys envy you.
4) you will not get chicks this way

But hey, that doesn't stop me from playing WowW

:D
 
Xeero said:
never tried EQ2, but WoW will end up like this in the end game:

You either do Battlegrounds or Raids or both.

If you do Raids, you are one of 3 things:

1) Damage Taker
2) Damage Dealer
3) Healer

If you do Battlegrounds, you will:

1) Run the same 3 battlegrounds over and over
2) hit a certain rank a realize that in order to rank up higher you need to quit your day job
3) realize that after you reach Rank14, you've wasted a good amount of your time just to have other guys envy you.
4) you will not get chicks this way

But hey, that doesn't stop me from playing WowW

:D
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Ok, sounds boring. But i think i might not reach that "endgame" anyways. Never have in any mmo (well, except guildwars, if you count that as mmo). Don't need chicks, too old to go on the hunt and i think my wife would'nt let me anyways ;)

PS: EQ2 does sound quite soloable actually. Could it be that they changed it a lot lately? At the beginning of EQ2, it was always said that you can't solo in EQ2 past level 20. That certainly seemed to have changed. Anyone?
 
well it seems that MMO's might not be for you? if anything find a MMO that is hosted on free servers, so there is no monthly fee or anything
 
Xeero said:
well it seems that MMO's might not be for you? if anything find a MMO that is hosted on free servers, so there is no monthly fee or anything
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?! why would you say that?!
 
well i'm not sure how other mmo's are, but the ones i have played so far:\

CoH, L2, WoW seem to be geared towards end game content alot.

You stated earlier that you dont really play a character up to the end game.

Unless there are MMO's out there that are about the journey and not the destination
 
From my experience, most of them are actually about the journey. I really hate so called endgames, because really the game already has ended, people just don't know it yet.

For me, leveling a character to 75-80% of the limit is the best experience. Usually, the last 25-20% is very tedious and i lose interest. That's when i create alts. <shrug>

Nothing wrong with exploring and enjoying the game as it is instead of trying to level as hard and as fast as you can to end up at some max level limit and having nothing to do but the same raiding from then on until eternity....
 
well if that's the case, i'm sure EQ2 might be more interesting.

WoW definitely has the journey feeling, but alot of times you just wanna rush through it and go to end game, cause thats where the Phat Lewts are at
 
Xeero said:
well if that's the case, i'm sure EQ2 might be more interesting.

WoW definitely has the journey feeling, but alot of times you just wanna rush through it and go to end game, cause thats where the Phat Lewts are at
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Thanks a lot man. You might not know it, but you just helped me a bunch making my decision. EQ2 it is.
 
I would try EQ2. The leveling in WoW feels like one big walk. 60 percent of the leveling is walking back and fourth for the quests. Try EQ2. Im gonna pick it up.
 
Got EQ2 today and so far i really like it. Just what i was looking for.
 
I haven't played either of them but I'd say EQ2 because it focuses on PvE and PvP in a MMORPG is a joke. That would be the most likely of the two I would want to play.
 
i'd say EQ2 too as well, i really like the trade skill system in EQ2, its alot of fun, and not just a "grab everything and click combine all and go afk" type deal, theres shit to experiement with now!

EQ2 you can solo all the way up to 60, gets harder as you go, of course, it still wants you to dungeon crawl and hit the heroic quests as well, over all its a great adventure game (you'll love just moving onto the next zone over, the difference between commonlands and nek is pretty crazy)

i played wow for a while, sitll wondering why, way too easy, really didn't have to work for any kind of reward, the world looks pretty much the same everywhere you go, theres nothing really cool in the game except nef's balcony and thats pretty much it
 
EQ2 is the better game by far, but because it doesn't have the name Warcraft and isn't made by Blizzard it's not as popular. It's improved a ton since the initial release.
 
On technical merits, EQ2 is a better game. WOW is more soloable and has more ppl (which is kinda essential to a good MMORPG).

Soloing in EQ2 is much harder than WOW (even after they've made it easier). EQ2 makes it easier to look for groups (built-in LFG function) but it's much harder to actually find a group.

If I had 4-5 ppl I was going to play with on a -very- regular basis, EQ2 would be the better game. In most circumstnaces, I'd go with WOW just 'cuz there's more ppl playing.
 
when you do find the others to play with in WoW the content you can do (say with 4-5) is extremely limited, as far as one group content goes, theres almost nilch in WoW, you could do scholo with one group, and well ... you can really only do that so many times, the items out of there that are worth a damn are extremely rare, then you have sunken temple ... end of story, go there once, if you are a warlock get your gem, GET OUT NEVER GO BACK PLEASE, then you have LBRS, wow what a boring grind to get to the end that is, at least they added new bosses/items to it

EQ2 as far as 1group content goes has a lot more you can go through, it has alot of dungeon's built for creeping, and even some out door events you can do as well, i agree having more = almost always better, but in wow's case having more really only falls under raid, or pvp'ing

still the king of MMO"s as far as one group content goes still belongs to EQ1, it may be older but it started out with a lot, and kept adding on to it and to me thats where MMO's are at, one group content
 
As someone who has been playing WoW for a out a month (it was also my first MMORPG) I have found it very enjoyable experience. I'd say I'm a casual player (have a lvl35 human paladin :)) and have never been in a situation where i was like: 'ok so what can I do now?' just because the amount of questing or instancing with friends I can do. The closest I've been to end game is playing on a PTR and that was for about 1 hour, so I can't really comment on that apsect (and many do say that endgame is a whole new game lol). One thing I like about WoW is the updates the game recieves and wih the prospect of the new expansion not too far away I really can't wait. Rather than an expansion being just that, the burning crsades seem like an entire new game with the amount of content being put in (especially for the endgame).
 
JustinSane said:
What server you on?
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I am on "The Bazaar" server. It was recommended by the game if no low population server was available and that's what i chose. I guess you can migrate them later from there?!
 
I've been playing WoW for over a year and I played FFXI before that. I like WoW because it's more flexible overall, but it does have some drawbacks.

Leveling in WoW is done primarily by solo questing, solo mob grinding, or group instance runs. Solo grinding is the fastest path from 1-60, but there are A LOT of lower level instances and content that you'll miss out on if you just grind. You can get rested XP if you log off in a town or inn, so that helps the leveling process. You can level in WoW at your own pace and in the manner that you want. This helps a lot of casuals.

I'm not sure if EQ2 has any PVP system, but PVP in WoW is done in instanced battlegrounds. World PVP has all but dried up. Many times one faction is underpopulated, leading to long queues for one faction and instant queues for the other. The premiere PVE guilds and full time PVP guilds dominate the 60 bracket, whereas twinks dominate the lower brackets. PVP in WoW quite simply a mess. It takes an inordinate amount of time to rank up if you're not in a dedicated PVP squad and the rewards are mediocre. IMO, people PVP in WoW for name recognition and to be in an exclusive club. I hit the next to highest rank this week (13), playing roughly 20-25 hours/week because my guild controls the rankings for my faction and dominates the battlegrounds. I've heard of people burning 12-16 hours a day in PVP on other servers and getting no farther than rank 10 or 11. PVP is either very fun or very frustrating in WoW and this largely depends on who you play with and how good they are. YMMV here.

The rewards for end game 40 man or 20 man raids are the most lucrative, but require regular raiding, most nights of the week, at set times. You may spend 100g or more in repairs working on a particular boss before your guild downs him. You also need certain sets of gear for specfic encounters, and these "resistance" sets are difficult to get and are extremely expensive, in terms of time and money invested. Drops are random, thus inconsistency and loot imbalances occur. PVE guilds are also prone to FAR more in game drama than PVP guilds, and it's not uncommon for people to get greedy and leave guilds. A lot of these guilds come and go due to disputes over loot. PVE is the heart and soul of WoW, but it too has a lot of problems.

Technically, WoW can run well on fairly low end or outdated hardware. I'm able to run the game at 1280x960 with most options maxed on my laptop with an X600. I'm also able to run the game mostly maxed at 1600x1200 with some AA/AF on my desktop with a 6800GT. EQ2 and FFXI certainly weren't this easy on hardware for me. However, the servers in WoW leave a lot to be desired. Some are down almost daily (Vek'nilash), some are fairly stable with occasional kicks and lag (Skywall) and some are almost butter smooth (Turalyon). The log-in server in WoW goes down a lot, and this can create long periods where the game is completely unplayable, on most or all of the servers. The log-in server was down most of the day and night Tuesday. I'd have to give the nod to anything but WoW on server stability and latency issues.

Hope this helps :)
 
MemoryInAGarden said:
I've been playing WoW for over a year and I played FFXI before that. I like WoW because it's more flexible overall, but it does have some drawbacks.
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Heh, I actually left WoW after the initial year to go back to FFXI.. kind of surprised to see someone else openly admit that they played that game. ;)

To the OP..

The "journey" to 60 in WoW isn't that bad. It can actually be pretty enjoyable, depending on how you play. If you're not in a rush to hit 60, there are tons of solo quests to do, as well as low-level dungeons to experience with friends. The low-level range BG's (hurray for sandbox PVP) are actually a bit more fun than the ones you'll get into @ 60 (and they've normally got a much shorter queue time attached to them).

Honestly though, it doesn't take that long to hit 60 in WoW. My first char took a lil under 11 days played to get there, and I didn't sit down to grind much at all. Chances are that while you may not believe that you'll ever see "endgame" in WoW.. it'll creep up on you. Really quick.
 
I'm remembering that PVP in WOW is broken...

There's absolutely nothing stopping enemy 60s from coming into mid-20 areas and ganking - your only defense is to stay in town, at which point you might as well just log out, or get your own 60s to come defend you.
 
thats on PVP only servers, if you aren't on one you have nothing to worry about
 
PVP servers are nice in theory. There is seldom any real world PVP because all the lucrative honor comes from the BGs. What you have in its place are death squads of guilds at 60 running around and ganking people. I've been corpse camped for over an hour on a PVP server, and at times it's difficult if not outright impossible to get quests done. I would avoid PVP servers.
 
As this discussion goes on (and that's a good thing, there are prolly more people out there having to make the same decision), i thoroughly enjoy EQ2 right now.

It's challenging and not boring. The graphics are breathtaking and the interface actually quite useable. Crafting (a thing i avoided in all my previous mmos) is actually something useful.

I have to say, I'm very impressed by EQ2. It sure has me going and that's the thing that i was looking for. Not a tedious grind, but something that gets me going and i level on the side. For anyone interested, i made 4 characters so far, one of which is my main character. I just reached level 10 after finishing the newbie island and getting some (god, not some, dozens) quests in Queynos.
 
MemoryInAGarden said:
PVP servers are nice in theory. There is seldom any real world PVP because all the lucrative honor comes from the BGs. What you have in its place are death squads of guilds at 60 running around and ganking people. I've been corpse camped for over an hour on a PVP server, and at times it's difficult if not outright impossible to get quests done. I would avoid PVP servers.
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Someone camped your corpse for more than an hour? There is nothing better for them to be doing? WoW people are just so special... One of my "friends"(actually some annoying dude I've had enough of), was actually bragging how he would run aroung killing level 30s all the time with just one punch like it was the biggest accomplishment of his life.
 
I haven't played EQ2 and I probably won't becaue I dont want to play alone. My friend's computer is too weak to play it :( I'd very much like to try it though!
 
MemoryInAGarden said:
PVP servers are nice in theory. There is seldom any real world PVP because all the lucrative honor comes from the BGs. What you have in its place are death squads of guilds at 60 running around and ganking people. I've been corpse camped for over an hour on a PVP server, and at times it's difficult if not outright impossible to get quests done. I would avoid PVP servers.
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They add flavor, I'll give them that much. Just remember, for every 60 out ganking, there's someone like me out ganking the gankers.

Then I corpse camp the corpse campers.

I have fond memories of Strangle Thorn Vale. :D
 
those lvl 60's ganking lowbies are usually undergeared and suck at their class. They get a nice rude awakening when they gank my lowbie, I log my Tier 2 raiding warrior on and counter-camp them for an hour.
 
These last couple comments in this thread made me believe i did the right thing to go with EQ2....
 
I played both. EQ1 was my first MMORPG and i played it religiously for 4 years.

EQ2 was very very disappointing when it first came out, i played the free month then dropped it.

Wow only kept my attention for a couple weeks as it seemed way too "noob" and easy.

I went back to EQ2 recently and WOW things have changed for the better. They definitely picked up some ques from WoW and made the game a much more enjoyable experience, and IMO it is now the best MMORPG around. People giving it 2nd chances will agree.
 
4saken said:
I played both. EQ1 was my first MMORPG and i played it religiously for 4 years.

EQ2 was very very disappointing when it first came out, i played the free month then dropped it.

Wow only kept my attention for a couple weeks as it seemed way too "noob" and easy.

I went back to EQ2 recently and WOW things have changed for the better. They definitely picked up some ques from WoW and made the game a much more enjoyable experience, and IMO it is now the best MMORPG around. People giving it 2nd chances will agree.
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True... I went back a few months ago, and the game is completely different. I absolutly love it now.... 55 wizzie on Najena server here.
 
XOR != OR said:
I have fond memories of Strangle Thorn Vale. :D
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NO! Just today I was mega ganked by horde attacking the rebel camp. STV is HELL! One good thing about PVP servers however is the spontanaeity (sp?), you simply never know if you well get attacked in contested territory etc. which I think is fun.
 
This ganking doesn't happen on non-pvp servers, if you were worried about that, then i'm sorry :(

PVP servers are great, how ever, if you do not get in on the early start and get your early lvl's done with fast while everyone else is doing it, its going to be hell later on, too much greifing will happen once people get 60 and become bored

i remember when WoW first released, it was so much fun, not the lvling part about it, but when you got to STV there was a mega clash of pvp, just because it was so easy to get involved with pvp people were doing it left and right, it was such a busy place, now most of those paces with fond memories are baren and barely played :(
 
I've played EQ2 and WoW both. EQ2 for about 4 months then quit and picked up WoW for 2 months.

WoW is more friendly to new and casual players but otherwise comes up lacking. I lasted about 6 weeks in WoW and had 3 different toons before I got bored with it. One of the problems I think is that its too solo friendly. Very little player interaction unless theres an elite quest to be done then you might get a few people to group to do it, but that only lasts a few min and these groups are usually frustrating since everyone is used to playing solo and nobody knows how to work with each other. I'm mostly a solo player, but sometimes it's fun to get a pickup group and go somewhere you couldn't go otherwise. This isn't the case with WoW. You may be surrounded by 1000s of other players, but they might as well be NPCs because they're all doing thier own thing in thier own little world.

EQ2 has a lot more depth to it as far as a game goes, which makes it more complicated and harder to get the hang of. It has a lot of quests like WoW and the rewards are decent. The animation in EQ2 seems a little off though, it's not smooth, its jerky and fake looking. The combat is decent and the classes offer a lot of variety and strategies. Unlike WoW you can get a group almost at will and go somewhere if you want to or just solo the night away. More player interaction and people actually know how to work with each other.

All in all EQ2 is the more rewarding experience as far as an MMORPG goes.
 
bildad said:
The animation in EQ2 seems a little off though, it's not smooth, its jerky and fake looking.
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I've seen this said a few times now and it makes me very curious, I played EQ2 from release for around 10 months, had a break, went back for a few months and have now cancelled again due to lack of playtime but I have always thought the animation was superb and very smooth. I wonder if it's one of the many settings somewhere affecting it? Anyway, can you explain in a little more detail exactly what you mean by the comment?

Thanks,

Dano.
 
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