Some kind of big release went out in EQ2, so they’re offering folks free level 100 boosts to a character of choice. I’m so very far behind in content (I actually have never done any content beyond the 50s in that game) that the content itself doesn’t concern me one bit.
However, I have a stable full of alts that for some reason I can’t let go of. They all have huge undecorated houses, even the whole Isle of Refuge, and vet rewards for over a decade, still 5K Station Cash Daybreak bucks (whatever) and yet, I sadly let them gather dust.
Maybe I’ll make it a goal to spend more time exploring EQ2 this year.
Anyhow, despite not actually playing the game, my ears still perk up every time they give away a character boost. I’ve actually boosted 5 characters (including the one I just did last night) over the years, at varying levels.
Last time they offered this, I put out a poll on who I should boost because it’s a hard choice! My little Fury Rawring won… but I actually never played with him after I boosted (figures).
This time around, I knew there was no question who I wanted to boost. My Froglok monk, Chirrupp, is the only character who didn’t have access to a flying mount (which I love so much in EQ2). All my other characters may be low leveled in their battle classes, but I spent a LOT of double XP weekends grinding their crafting classes to 90, soully for the flying mount, back when I was actually in a guild and had the means to.
What I didn’t know was when I boosted her, that she’d not only get flying without having to go through the flying quest (yay), but that she’d also get this… whatever it is… dragon-like flying mount. (Faeralith, The Obedient One)
This is also good, because while I have other flying mounts she can use, I think this one fits well, and is really the only character of mine that it would fit. I just don’t see Ratongas flying around on things like this. 😀
So, yeah. Free level 100 boost.
If Daybreak is trying to remind me there’s a game where I put a lot of time and money and have a huge amount of alts and content I’ve never seen… I guess it worked. I always feel a little ashamed that I haven’t done more in EQ2 than I did.
But there are just too many games!! I guess the reality of it is that I’ll probably keep the client updated, but log in next time they give away another free character boost. Eventually, I’ll get all my characters leveled that way if I’m patient! 😀
Thanks to Bhagpuss and Telwyn I learned that EQ2 was giving away a free level 95 Heroic upgrade to any character who has not already recieved said upgrade before. I have 3 level 90 heroics, including my “main,” so this is fine with me as the more alts I can level the better. And I have a lot of alts…
In fact, I have SO many alts that I don’t know which one to choose! So I need help!
I don’t know anything about how EQ2 classes play at higher levels, but I’d want something that I can have fun soloing with. I generally enjoy melee, but now days, I’ve gotten used to ranged DPS as well.
I went through the list of alts and trimmed it down to these possibilities. So that there is no bias, I’m listing them in alphabetical order.
The name. Somehow I managed to hold on to the name “Benjamin” even through the server consolidation.
Nostalgia. He was the first character I rolled on Freeport when the game went F2P – I literally got in at the moment the servers went up to snag this name.
Cosmetics – the staff and mount I don’t think are available in game anymore.
I hear Wizard becomes a beast at higher levels (how well does it solo?).
Cons
The highest level character that I’m looking at boosting. Maybe I should pick someone lower?
Unsure of how fun Wizard will be at higher levels for solo content. Are they too squishy?
Pure nostalgia here. Zento is the oldest character still existing in my roster, created in December 2004 (I re-rolled my Ratonga main several times after launch).
I don’t have a higher level healer class… but I don’t really do group content, and only care about solo-ability.
Cosmetics – he has a cool cloak I got from Legends of Norrath that I don’t think you can get elsewhere anymore.
Cons
Not sure how well Warden solos at higher level. Is it fun?
Is the nostalgia factor enough to warrant this choice?
This is my original character, TsuYa Tai, often just called Tai.
Please excuse the old art. I haven’t drawn any large up-to-date color pieces of him recently (bad me). The wings are optional, but the scythe, snark and grumpy attitude are not.
Tai is a character who created himself over a decade ago. I say “created himself” because he started out as a one-time walk-on character when I was first writing the Dreigiau fantasy series. That turned into a side character, then a head-strong main character, and now one of my most well-developed and most-played figments… including in MMO games.
I am a gal who often plays a guy character in MMOs, but there’s nothing funky going on there. I’m simply an author who really enjoys trying to recreate my characters in a variety of worlds and see how close I can match MMO character creation to the real thing.
I decided it would be interesting to explore all the different versions of Tai I’ve created over different MMOs and games. So, I logged in and screenshotted, or found existing screens, of him in all the games I could remember and still had installed. I know there’s a few I don’t have due to being no longer on my computer (Arche Age, Dragon’s Prophet) or not running anymore (Vanguard).
I tend to recreate a number of Tai’s characteristics if I can:
melee DPS (scythe classes if possible)
dark hair
shortest character height
wears blue (if possible)
sometimes a face scar (if possible)
The following more or less a comprehensive list of Tai’s character over the years of gaming.
Guild Wars 1
Tai’s first MMO iteration was in Guild Wars 1. I had a necromancer version of him at first, but when the Dervish class was released, it was almost perfect for him. Scythe, twirling battle animation, blue robes. Yeah, this did a good job in representing his character.
EverQuest 2
Taii in EQ2 (no three letter names allowed) was a Shadowknight. I really enjoyed the class, but didn’t level him very far. When the free heroic character option came around, I up-leveled him to 80. But I still haven’t played him much since then. I don’t know if there’s a scythe weapon, but I used a generic Specter’s Scythe as a cosmetic weapon override, and gave him black wings for a flying mount.
LOTRO
In LOTRO, Tai is a level 50-something Champion. I couldn’t give him a scythe, so dual wielding blades would have to do. I haven’t played him in a long time, but I was there before the class trees and through a lot of the Champion nerfs and turmoil.
Neverwinter
In Neverwinter Online, Tai is a Great Weapon Fighter. Again, no scythe, but a huge blade makes up for it. I haven’t played this game in a while, but here he is with my much-loved Frost Mimic companion!
Starbound
Not an MMO, but Tai has also appeared in Starbound!
Sims
Tai has been in all my Sims games since Sims 2… I was just too lazy to launch and install all my files to get screens of him in the older games. So here’s a Sims 4 version of him, which you often see in my Sygnus Sims Sunday series!
Guild Wars 2
In GW2, Tai is a Warrior. No scythes in this game (yet… maybe one day?), so the glowing blue greatsword takes its place. Also, black wings cosmetics, though they don’t fly.
Final Fantasy XIV
Finally, the newest version of Tai in FFXIV. Here, his main class is Dragoon due to fun melee DPS and huge pole arm weapons. I think this is my favorite game version of Tai because it matches my vision of him more closely than any other game so far.
How Do You Create Game Characters?
Do you have a consistent character design or character name you use across different games (MMO or single player)? Or do you prefer to randomly roll characters to find something you like – maybe you enjoy variety more than consistency?
Do you ever base your characters off of your own original characters or characters from books/movies/games you enjoy? What’s your method?
This week’s entry for the #NBI2015Safari is in the theme of high fantasy.
Because if a flying, winged rat who is dual wielding sparklers is not high fantasy, I don’t know what is. Get it? High…? Fantasy..? Nevermind.
Flying “mounts” are really the best part of EQ2 for me. I don’t play the game often, and really haven’t made that much progress in it over the past many years, but I love to fly.
I also love this dive bombing shot I got of my Ratonga, Nipp Wayrunner, a few years back.
And here’s another shot of her from a different angle, just so you can see her better.
Not a part of this safari, but equally as adorable, I have to post a screen of Nipp with her bunny mount. Just too cute! 🙂
So, as most folks probably already know, it was announced today that Daybreak (formerly SOE) will be laying off a number of staff. For money reasons, of course. Only, the folks on the chopping block are some of the most passionate people I know on the team, such as Dave Georgeson (Smokejumper) and Linda Carlson (Brasse).
Yeah, I’m sorry folks but it’s true. LM, eqn, eq and eqii are no longer guided by moi. Other dreamers will steer now.
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI may not have written a lot about Landmark lately, but Smokejumper has been a huge part of this beta experience for me. From the moment you launch the game, he welcomed the community and set the feel for the Landmark world. His passion, and the passion of Brasse, shown through in all the games they were a part of. They made it welcoming and inclusive. It was part of what I loved about the community… and their loss will be widely felt.
And while I don’t wish evil on anyone, I marvel that someone as sharply sarcastic as Smed still remains. You can call me out for holding a grudge, but I still haven’t forgotten his snide comments on the “disgusting PVE carebear servers” that would launch with H1Z1, and how he’d just have to deal with the fact that casuals who don’t like KOS PVP are playing his game. That was a total turn off, an absolute contrast to the welcoming feeling I got from games such as Landmark.
The part I’m torn about… do I continue to play Daybreak games?
I know these people put so much of themselves into these creations. I’ve put lots of money and time into some of these games myself (EQ2). Do I leave the games they worked on in frustration of the company’s direction? Or do I continue to play (even if I play very casually) because they did put so much of themselves into these games, that they’d want people to continue to enjoy them, even if they’re not on the team anymore?
Even Smokejumper requests:
Don’t stop loving the games folks. These are your homes and worlds. Make ’em real. I want to play too. 🙂 — David Georgeson (@DaveGeorgeson) February 11, 2015
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It’s rather hard… Where to stand on this? Either way, it’s crushing news and a really bad move (IMHO) for those in charge at Daybreak. I wish the best to those who are being forced to move on. 😦
It’s been a while since I’ve picked up EverQuest 2, and on a fluke, I updated and did some character sorting last night. Though it’s not my main MMO, it is a game that I’ve invested time (and money) into over the past 10 years.
A Little History
I first played EQ2 at launch (I remember all the zone crashes in Freeport!), and while I enjoy it in general, it’s also a game I’ve just never been able to to find my flow in.
You know what I mean, right? That flow when you’re moving through quests, from zone to zone, and enjoying the leveling process as you go. Despite the addition of the golden path a few years back, I was only able to push my main character, my Ratonga Swashbuckler Nipp, to level 55 by normal means.
I’m a soloist all the way – have never seen the inside of a dungeon in EQ2, and don’t really want to. I got stuck about that point, and just never made it beyond the mid-50s. So when SOE was handing out free heroic upgrades, there was little debate that Nipp would be my chosen character to auto-level to 85. And I… haven’t really done anything with her beyond that. Oops! 😦
Problem With Alts
Part of my problem with EQ2 is that there are so many options that it’s very hard for me to focus on just one thing. This is probably the one game that I have the most alts in ever (aside from my two GW1 accounts). In organizing them last night for EQ2U, I discovered I had 14 characters, and it looks something like this:
Yes, I realize I misspelled “onomatopoeia.” It’s taken on my server. As a plus, though, “Hovering”‘s last name is “Text”.
As you can see, I have issues getting past 20-ish, for whatever reason. You can also see that I have put a lot of effort into leveling my crafters. The reason for that? I love to fly, and it’s easier for me to binge-craft on double XP weekends with all these experience potions I’ve amassed over the years and hit 85 to unlock the flying mount quest… than it is for me to adventure to 85 for the same thing. Plus it, in theory, makes adventuring easier at a low level to have a flying mount.
I have a handful of heroic-leveled characters here, too. Not sure if I got more than one free, or just had the station cash lying around and got a good deal… or something. Don’t remember.
How did I get so many characters? Good question!
A couple of them (Zento and Nipp) were copied over to Freeport when the F2P conversion launched. Later… all servers went free to play, which was kinda blah because I paid for a transfer I didn’t need in the end. But seeing that I like the Freeport server, I can’t complain too much.
Some, like Benjamin and Zemi, were day 1 Freeport server rolls. Others I picked up from working the free station cash offers when they were available – you know the ones… fill out the survey and earn station cash? I picked up several character slots and class unlocks that way.
Some I got back when you could get monthly goodies from Legends of Norrath as a free to play player. I also got a character slot from the “We’re Sorry” package back when SOE got hacked that one time. Actually, I found out last night that I have a free character slot waiting in my /claim box from some sort of promotion, and didn’t even realize it. So I guess character number 15 will be coming soon.
Isle of Refuge = Nostalgia
In the early days of EQ2, when you rolled a new character, everyone started on a tutorial island known as the Island of Refuge. From there, you moved on to either Freeport or Qeynos. When SOE reworked the new character experience later on, they opted to start characters in racial towns, and removed the Isle of Refuge. However, fans have asked for it to return to the game ever since.
Isle of Refuge
Thanks to the Ancient Gaming Noob, I learned that with the 10th anniversary (actually the 11th year veteran reward – don’t ask about the wonky math), the Isle of Refuge has been turned into prestige housing. You can also purchase it in the cash shop if you just can’t wait for the veteran reward to roll around.
I logged in yesterday just to see if maybe, maybe I had one waiting for me. I tend to be a bit behind on veteran rewards because I unsubbed for a long time, and SOE stopped counting unsubbed players for a bit. Again, don’t ask, I don’t remember and it’s all weird. I saw that I had the 10th year reward – something about mercenaries… though I honestly haven’t unlocked mercs yet, so I don’t know how that works – but not the 11th year reward, so I figured I had a year to wait for mine. Meh. 😦
So, instead, I decided to get all my characters situated housing-wise. EQ2 has totally redone the housing system since I last looked, with a panel just for housing, which makes it easier to return to your house from certain locations. Nipp won a free Magical Manor in Halas years ago (I think from Legends of Norrath), and while I haven’t spent time decorating it as I should, I use it as the hub between all my alts, who have Trustee access to it. They all have the Lavastorm Winter Retreat, so I made sure every alt had it claimed and had portals to the Manor. One day I need to figure out what to do with that place – lava and spikes just aren’t my thing.
I went out and purchased Elaborate Tradeskill Stations for my Manor with all the status points my crafters have been sitting on for years (all of them once were members of a guild, but a roster clean has unguilded them now 😦 ). I set it all up, along with a personal harvesting depot in the bottom room of my Manor, and have a lot of interest in working on decorating the place up with my carpenter.
My New Personal Tradeskill Area
I also spent time looking through all the new housing areas – some of them are very nice – with the thought that I might buy a new one if I found the one I liked. Instead, I spent a long time flying around the demo Isle of Refuge, remembering all the fun I had on that island as a newcomer to the game. I had the place memorized… and was surprised how much about it, the encounters and quests, I still do remember. I rarely left that island without making sure I had the two gathering quests completed! Oh, what a pain!
It’s all mine!
Later last night, I was sorting through all the many claims I haven’t yet claimed, picking up a few things here and there, and I saw it: 11th Year Veteran Reward – Isle of Refuge pack!
I was so stoked because I didn’t expect to see it this year, and I was holding back from buying it because I knew I’d get it free eventually! It’s only a one-character claim, but I don’t care. I have my own island now!
I just… don’t know what to do with all of it! I did find that the forest is a good place to release all my loud, wandering house pets, though. 🙂
