Everquest 2 Extended

Being a somewhat long time Everquest 2 player, i was bound to try sooner or later the f2p version of the same, Everquest 2 Extended.

First off, what can a f2p get out of this version of EQ2? Well check out the list here if you want to know. From my point of view the Bronze membership will allow some solid game play out. Experience speaking a Bronze member can reach the level cap, 90, with just the limitation the game offers. I do admit some can be a bit annoying like the bank and gold limits but besides that, it's doable. 

Now what's the trick here then? The fact that you can only use adept gear and only adept spells. This will hinder probably the game play at max level since, first off, DoV rewards are all legendary, so no gear for you. And then all dungeons will require a better geared character, so i guess doing those can be a challenge.

There are several options to break off some limitations from the Bronze member, like buying bank slots or equipment unlock, but that of course, will require some investment.

But if you are interested on giving EQ2 a try, i think this option is a very good one.

Personally i haven't played that much yet, so i haven't noticed any other limitation that could prove hindering. I will try to see how far i can go with not putting any money here.

Back on LOTRO

Since the forced downtime for EQ2 (and all SOE servers for other games), I've taken my time to get some game play off LOTRO.

I've been playing on the Evernight euro server, with a new champion I'm creating, which is now already level 47. I managed to pass those dreaded levels from 20 to 30, doing those boring North-Downs and Lone-lands quests. Eventually i managed to get to the revamped Evendin, which on the contrary to those other 2 zones, was very well done for my satisfaction. All quest hubs were done to make sure all quests you would get, would be nearby each other, to avoid having running all around the map. So that would allow a much more faster income of experience, and faster leveling. There is even a complete set to collect as reward, and token exchange, which is very good for a level 35ish to 40 player. I believe every player who starts this zone around 30, will most probably be done with it around 40. There is lots to do there. And if that isn't enough, to the south of the zone, there is Annúminas which will give players some more quests, some repeatable to grind some tokens, and a big zone to fight off forces of evil. My only regret is that the level 50 set you get from these tokens you acquire in Annúminas, are just a pain to grind. Mostly because you need like more the a thousand of these for just a single piece. That, for a solo player will most likely take near an year to get the full set, which is beyond reasonable. I do realize that this system is made probably thinking on F2P players, who don't have Moria or Mirkwood (at least that's the only reason i think off), but for me it's a shame, cause i would really like to that for my characters also. If Turbine doesn't drop down the prices, why not make those tokens bound on account for another alt? That would be a good option, in my book. There are dungeons in Annúminas that probably would make this process faster, but with no groups to do it, it's hard to get those pieces. And what happens in Annúminas also happens with the other level 50 zones, it's just not worth the effort. And it's just a shame in my opinion...

Besides that, I've been enjoying the ride to Middle-Earth once again. From adventuring to crafting, I've been doing all, and so far it's been great. I do plan on near future to start doing some grouping for instances, because that's what i want to try there. The content group from LOTRO.