EverQuest Officially Goes Free to Play on March 16
Sony Online Entertainment has officially nailed down the date it will throw open the EverQuest doors to F2P gamers.
Sony Online Entertainment has nailed down the launch date for the free-to-play (F2P) model for EverQuest, and it's exactly 13 years years after its original launch: March 16. Previously the company said the new model would arrive sometime in March, but didn’t set a specific date. It was assumed to be on the MMORPG's 13th anniversary due to the festivities.
"We're celebrating EverQuest's 13th birthday in a big way!" SOE reports. "On Friday, March 16, 2012 we will be launching EverQuest Free to Play. Your Way. EQ's birthday is always a big event, and this year we combine it with one of the most exciting things to happen in the history of EQ. Mark your calendars and get ready for one huge celebration, with 13th Anniversary events and the transition to Free to Play both coming on March 16!"
To celebrate the birthday/F2P launch occasion, Sony will host additional events within the game starting that week and leading up to the Special Birthday on Friday. New items are currently being introduced within The Plane of Knowledge to give existing members a taste of what's to come. Other changes and additions include a revamped EverQuest.com website once the F2P model goes live, and an improved Map system.
SOE is also calling on fans to create their own maps which could be used within the game. So far there are no specific details regarding how map-makers and artists will be able to submit their work, but the company says it will ask for these maps soon. More information about the custom map-making can be found here.
EverQest will likely feature a three-tier structure similar to EverQuest 2, offering a basic free account, a silver account providing extra perks once players spend $5, and a full-blown monthly subscription granting access to everything EverQuest has to offer. EverQuest 2 incorporated the F2P model in December 2011 and initially experienced a 40-percent increase in long-in as a result.
If you really want to play for free, though, and in an official capacity, the EQMac server was made completely free to play recently. All you need is a SOE account, and there is a guide floating around on places like reddit that shows you how to connect to the server if you dont have a mac. Its stuck in time as far as progression goes, but the community there is very tight knit. Good times!
I see no worth to them unless pick up the pace
I dont know what online games you are playing...the only ones I play that look like that are the ones that were from that time frame. Have you upgraded in the last decade?
Counter Strike is one of the oldest games around. First released in 1999 as a mod and now at version 1.6 is still one of the bigger players in professional gaming. Money to be made playing that game. Goes to show that the age of the game doesn't matter.
Yeah I dunno what games you've been playing but I'm going to have to agree with darkerson on this one. WoW is still (somehow) one of the more popular games out there, and it is online, but it was released in 2006.
WoW was released in late 2004.
You do realize that fancy graphics doesn't equal a good game.
Classic Everquest Emulation Project 1999 FTW! The way the game was MEANT to be played.
I might be interested to see how the game has progressed, but I have a suspicion it will be so outdated and craptacular it wont hold my interest long. Plus, I just hate Sony
sorry but vennerant (sp) was still in control of eq development through luclin, and probably had most of the pop stuff in the idea phase.
everquest didnt really get bad till... id say till darkhollow
i have never been one to get into a high level guild and play at the high end of the game... i group with people i knew in real life, and made no real connections in the game for some reason... for me the game was great till aa became mandatory and you had to stop leveling and grind aa because you would be useless without it. and the constant expansion formula of teir 1 and 2 of that expansion was what teir 3 and 4 were in the last one, (besides raid gear) was one of the things that killed the game experiance for me, haveing to play though missions and that crap to get to get keyed the next area... this si the kind of thing that you expected from raid areas in everquest, not normal group content...
its very easy to burn out with this game... not even funny.
they removed the forced group aspect of the game. that was the worst part when i was reasonabley high level in Secrets of Faydwer, i at one point waited over 5 hours to get into a group... never got one, and i was the best non raid melee dps at the time... here is my suggestion for you
play either a mage, or a shadowknight, both of those classes are the best solo you can get in the game... sk requires gear, which should be easy to get through level 70, mage is easily FAR better at soloing than the sk, and FAR more enjoyable to play too.
with the mage, at level 87 i was able to tank names that hit in the 10-12000 range, with my shadowknight, very well geared at level 87 i couldn't even last 3 rounds, to boot i was under 1kdps, while as a mage, you can not only tank better (pets) you also are hard pressed to go under 7000dps... and on monsters that have 250000 to 2000000hp... that is a GREAT asset to have.
here. for any one interested, here is how you will level EVERY character from level 1-60, about the end of the f2p usefulness (you need aa to be a viable player passed level 60, and f2p barely give you enough to be decent at level 65)
1-10 play the tutorial, trust me on that, you will need it if you have been gone any amount of time.
10-20 Blightfire Moors, easily the best place to get exp and relearn parts of the game.
for 20-30, i suggest going to the other side of the moors, or going Goru'kar Mesa, the easy crap
at 31 you can go to city of mist, but really, you want to be level 35 to make sure you can kill everything in the entrance... and you should stay there till about level 50, you can go higher but most of the crap there will be light blue and give crap exp, and with a 15 to 30 min respawn timer.... its a bit of a grind.
at 50, i suggest you head over to a luclin zone, Acrylia Caverns, the problem with luclin is that the hp and ac on the mobs is way higher than old world (original game and 2 expansions) mobs, however if you have decent gear, and are sk, or mage, you should deal enough dmg to make this a VERY good exp zone, have someone show you how to go deeper into the zone as its a bit hidden. do this till level 55, than go full on aa till you max out on what f2p can get.
once you max out and cant get more, go to griegs end, and kill there till you cant level any more off the mobs.
now this is a bit harsh, but really you can only in content through the first 3 expansions because you are in all honesty useless, i suggest that you band together with other f2p gamers, and hit up Vex Thal, its the old raid zone for luclin... that will be fun and a chalange, and could take you about 6 months to level everyone up band together, and take it down... if you chose to pay 5$, you can level up to 70... after than you are useless again.
WoW is quite different from the original launch graphics wise.
Guess what?, I typed this blinded-fold!.