EverQuest

EverQuest is a system developed by Verant Interactive and Sony Online Entertainment (SOE ) marketed Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game ( MMORPG).

It's set in a fantasy world called " Norrath ". Since the publication of several extensions have been published, which constantly increase the world. You begin by selecting the server on which you want to play. Then, it selects the character creation from different races and classes his favorites and enter the game world. On each server, up to eight characters can be created; to play an Internet connection is required. The paid full version a monthly fee to the operator (SOE ) is to be paid; the basic version for Windows is free since March 2012 and runs on Mac OS X via Boot Camp ( software) or emulator. Besides Ultima Online EverQuest is one of the classics of MMORPG.

In 2004, the successor to Everquest 2 was released, which, however, can vary considerably from Everquest and is also directed to a different audience. As a spin -off also published in 2003 a real-time strategy game called Lords of EverQuest.

Plot and gameplay

EverQuest is playing on the fictional planet " Norrath ", one of its moons - " Luclin " - and the planes of the gods of Norrath.

As a player explores the world one, form alliances with other players or occurs in guilds. The character development is done not only by the rise to new levels, but also by improving the equipment. The maximum level, including the seventeenth expansion, level 90 is on the server for Macintosh users is 65, the highest level. To be better, a player must, along with his guild, work their way through the extensions have been published.

Since 10 July 2005, all races and classes start in a starting dungeon, at the same time replace the original offline tutorial. After the basic commands learning there is always the opportunity to leave the dungeon and enter the central zone travel ( Plane of Knowledge ). From this area there are port stones at any former starting city. No later than the eleventh stage is reached it is no longer possible to enter this dungeon start regularly. Of the various cities start then run many subsequent quests in the world of Norrath.

With the quests and the achievement of new zones, the player is brought closer to the history of Norrath and its gods. Many stories that lie behind the attainment of new zones and quests, form a dense narrative background for the actions.

Not with all classes, it is possible to reach the maximum level alone. For this purpose, up to six players strong group then needs to be formed. Depending on the zone and equipment stand the possible class combinations are restricted under certain circumstances.

The best equipment and the most powerful spells are only obtained in the so-called "Raids " ( see below). It may happen that in the attempt to defeat such an opponent, all participants of the raid, the group "die". Some scripts are so complicated that it takes many attempts to a guild can defeat this opponent for the first time.

When a character dies in EverQuest, the effects are not serious. The character loses experience points, abbreviated " XP " for English experience points, and can thus also lose its current level again, if he has not yet gained enough experience in the step. If a cleric is nearby, this can revive the character and thus a part of the experience points to restore. With the revival of the equipment loose character is teleported to his body and equipment. However, he is not fully used for a short time as the revival effect lowers the values ​​of strength and skill, but also wisdom and intelligence. If a cleric is near or cleric also died, you have to go independently to the often dangerous rescue equipment; unless one has the ninth extension and can have someone call with the equipment in the guild lobby against money brought his body.

Unlike EverQuest 2 EverQuest carries only the late character of the "burden" of the XP loss. This loss is immediate, and if a resurrected by a cleric is not possible, even permanently. Since a step loss is possible through the XP loss, one must, before entering some specific zones apply to the level restrictions, sufficiently far advanced to be the necessary step. Otherwise it could happen that even the revival not enough XP returns and it is not possible to enter the zone to get to the equipment.

Breeds

The following races are playable in the world of Norrath:

Good Breeds:

  • High Elves (English High Elf)
  • Dwarfs (English Dwarf )
  • Half-elves (English Half Elf)
  • Wood Elves (English Wood Elf)
  • Halflings (English Halfling )

Neutral Races:

  • Vah Shir ( cat people )
  • People (English Human)
  • Gnome ( Gnome engl. )
  • Barbarians (English Barbarian )
  • Erudite ( high people, engl. Erudite )
  • Froglok ( frog -like creatures )
  • Drakkin ( human / dragon hybrids)

Evil Breeds:

  • Dark Elves (English Dark Elf)
  • Trolls (English Troll)
  • Ogre ( Ogre engl. )
  • Iksar (lizard people )

The Drakkin and Froglok are not available on the Macintosh server Al Kabor.

Classes

Not every race can choose any class. So good races is denied access to evil magic as they use shadow knight or necromancer, conversely, an Iksar are not a Paladin. On the other hand, the proliferation of clerics is not tied to " good or bad " but to the " development " of each breed.

  • Bard ( Bard )
  • Berserk ( The newest class)
  • Beastlord ( Beast Lord )
  • Thief ( Rogue )
  • Druid ( Druid )
  • Illusionist ( Enchanter )
  • Cleric ( Cleric )
  • Warrior ( Warrior )
  • Mage ( Magician )
  • Monk ( Monk )
  • Necromancer ( Necromancer )
  • Paladin
  • Shaman ( Shaman )
  • Shadow Knight ( Shadow Knight )
  • Ranger ( Ranger)
  • Sorcerer (wizard)

The class of Berserk is not available on the Macintosh server " Al Kabor ".

Permitted Rassen-/Klassen-Kombinationen

Craft

Every race and every class can learn every craft in EverQuest and bring the championship Up to 3 exceptions. The exceptions are the gnomes who can learn the only race in EverQuest the craft of equipment manufacturing ( tinkering ), shamans are able to learn the only alchemy ( alchemy ) and thieves, the only ones who poison mix can learn ( poison crafting ). The remaining crafts are free to all.

In Everquest, the maximum possible level is linked as a craftsman with the stage as an adventure, so that a niedrigstufiger character can not become a master in the craft arts.

There are players who see their goal is to maximize all craft skills, they are no longer on the help of other players in the production of special objects dependent. Around the manufacture of objects, a cross-server community has found ( see links).

The gods

In the world of Norrath gods play a very important role, since clerics get their magic power by their deity. Therefore, the mythology of Norrath is also greatly expanded. Among other things, the gods are divided into two different levels - the main gods and Low. The difference between the main and the Low gods is the one that a character as a deity can only have one main God. The Low gods serve to consolidate the history and mythology of Norrath. Almost every deity you can visit in your zone and defeat if you bring enough friends, and after EverQuest reading only the projection of God in the "real" world is defeated.

Traveling

At the beginning of the game traveling on Norrath was very tedious. If you were not a druid or wizard who can teleport and others with the help of spells at certain places, you had to get around on foot. This is a rather lengthy process in Norrath today. If you have not had the desire at the time to change over to another continent, it could happen that you had a journey of several hours ahead. The boat company owned namely only two ships that took about two hours to cross the Ocean of Tears and return to the port of departure. Due to the synchronization difficulties boats and rafts are now no longer implemented in the game. In their place, NPCs have been placed on the piers, the teleport to a command towards the player to the corresponding jetty. With the expansion " The Serpents Spine " part, the ships have been implemented again.

With Shadows of Luclin traveling was a bit more comfortable because of Norrath five so-called " Spires " were established, with which you will be teleported to the moon, and then subsequently either to seek his fortune, or with the counterparts of the Spires back on return one of the five places in Norrath. It still, however, often had long marches to the desired zone in front of him, which could only be accelerated with the help of RunSpeed ​​spells that can be cast only by certain classes, however, or with horses. These have also been added to the game with this add -on, but the really fast horses for many players were not affordable.

With the Add -on Planes of Power traveling was really comfortable, as were now inserted in all hometowns and some other zones so-called " port blocks", with which one directly teleport ( with just one click) in a central city, from which one has all the possibilities, as quickly as possible to get to almost all the places of the game.

The network of Travel stations was again tight as in any so-called LDON camp is an NPC with the extension Lost Dungeons of Norrath ( LDON ), which can teleport the player in almost every other LDON - Camp at a trigger set. For some time, there is also a NPC in the guild lobby, portet one in every 5 LDON camps. A port back to the guild lobby of the 5 camps out, is not possible.

For players who have joined a guild, there is a more chance to travel with the " Dragons of Norrath ." In the one introduced by this expansion, guild hall teleporters with an adjustable target sites located in large areas of EverQuest.

A group in Everquest consists of 2 to 6 players. Depending on the task, it is necessary to pay attention to the composition of the classes in the group. In general, a balanced distribution enables a wider range of tasks and so on gameplay.

A raid is the union of several groups. In Everquest there are several possibilities. Depending on requirements, a raid on 6, 9 or max. 12 groups be limited with 6 members. In the largest raids as up to 72 players are to be coordinated. With the newer extensions raids but are usually limited to 54 players.

Raids, also known as raid groups are formed by particularly powerful enemies to defeat. Because it always involves extensive actions in a raid, they must be thoroughly prepared by the raid line. In a briefing the tasks to individual groups, in part to individual Players, distributed accurately. The newer the extension is in the raid takes place, the more there is less information about the / the enemy, so only a strategy must be developed in order to defeat the opponent sometime can. Most of the raids are organized within a " guild ", but there are also "open raids ", in which players of different guilds, or players without a guild team up to reach a raid target.

Extensions

Since the launch of EverQuest several extensions have been published. Each of these extensions has increased the size of the world (the number of zones) significantly and the game often added new features. For example, the callable in-game map that has been added with Legacy of Ykesha or the port stones, which were introduced with Planes of Power.

With each expansion the achievable for player characters equipment was improved and introduced new spells. Functions, equipment, and often spells that were introduced with a certain extension, are usually not available as long as you did not buy this extension. Even if you call all of the following extensions his own.

The extensions now make up the majority of the explorable areas. Almost all extensions in common is that you have one or more zones, which can not be entered without preparation. The exclusion from these areas may be too low level player or a missing key / a missing Charakterflag. These applications may use to EverQuest players through the various extensions to steer. If the majority of raids, for example, has only the equipment from " Shadows of Luclin ", the raid is not likely to exist at a destination in " Gates of Discord ". To facilitate the connection of something that provides each extension in the open zones equipment that can close the "gaps ". Thus, the relatively easy -to-reach equipment from " Omens of War" certainly replace the hard -to-get equipment out of the end zone of " Shadows of Luclin " and thus enables players who started later with EverQuest, to players that Everquest has long play catch up.

The following enhancements have been published:

Even outside of the extensions is worked regularly in content and presentation, these changes will be disseminated via the patcher and are free.

Special

Ubisoft wanted to get into the business of MMORPGs and was granted a license to build three localized server. These servers were in France ( Sebilis ), in Germany ( Kael Drakkal ) and in England ( Venril Sathir ). The presumption of player was to the effect that Ubisoft EverQuest server built to be entrusted with the localization of the Everquest 2 servers. Official pronouncements on these contexts, it never was.

On June 10, 2005, all localized Ubisoft servers were closed after the number of players who played regularly on these servers, had greatly diminished, and the entire player base on the European SOE server " Antonius Bayle " transferred. Thus, a localized server exists more, "speak" the NPCs in English only.

This was preceded by mergers between U.S. servers with low utilization of servers with high utilization, because the number of players had taken off through the new releases of EverQuest 2 and World of Warcraft.

In January 2004, an online version called Adventures of EverQuest was released as the first MMORPG for the PlayStation 2 the sequel is called EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers, however, appeared only for NTSC consoles, so Japanese or U.S. versions of the PS2.

The only classic ( classic) server is the Mac server, Al ' Kabor (extensions only until Planes of Power).

Awards

Novel reactions

  • EverQuest: The Hour of the Knave, Volume 1 by Scott Ciencin, Panini Verlag, September 2005, ISBN 3-8332-1312-4
  • EverQuest: The sea of ​​tears, Volume 2 by Stewart Wieck, Panini Verlag, January 2006, ISBN 3-8332-1313-2
  • EverQuest: Truth and Steel, Volume 3 by Thomas Reid, Panini Verlag, December 2006, ISBN 3-8332-1386-8
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