If you'd quit Everquest at PoP, watch this first!

Back when Rizlona and Aradune launched these two servers were going to be "PoP-Locked" mid-90s dance craze jokes aside, this would have been a mistake in my opinion but they obviously had data to back up the decision. (I originally incorrectly said thornblade and mischief were going to be pop locked, this is incorrect)
Now, Darkpaw did backtrack on this and remove the terminal expansion lock on these servers before launch but these are the reasons I think you personally, should also consider not locking yourself out of content beyond planes of power.
Everquest, contrary to popular belief, did not end with Luclin. In fact, it didn't even end with Planes of Power. Everquest continued on to many exciting, lore, and feature-rich expansions well beyond the terminal point for many past Everquest players (including myself, once upon a time.)
With Planes of Power around the corner on Thornblade and Mischief, it's as good a time as any to talk about why you should keep going if you're enjoying yourself.
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[@Redbeardflynn]

MMO's aren't dead, and Everquest is proof: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pInGZmeVh9uLb8U

[@Chrisxantixemox]

The toughest thing is that for new players or players just returning, while you are trying to level and learn your class, there is almost no one else to help group up. Everyone else is either multi-boxing or paying for power leveling services. So by the time you do manage to level yourself up solo, you have no idea how to play a role in a group, or god forbid a raid. And people are extremely toxic to anyone who gets something wrong during a group/raid.

[@BoomerElite4u]

As someone who plays a ton of P99 and almost exclusively solos there, I think another problem is how bad soloing feels on TLP. Guards aren’t really viable camps, and most camps that would traditionally be solo’d aren’t soloable because they’re in zones that are seldom instanced and even when you do find an open camp, the exp feels abysmal compared to grouping. Soloing on P99 never felt like gimping yourself, and I guess that’s why it’s popular. On TLP it just feels bad.

[@mgaming7]

EverQuest art is fantastic. It feels like it should. Zones have a distinct feel because the art conveys that. Love EQ art.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I think they really did an incredible job with conveying the different planes in pop with the zone art.

[@arentak2773]

For me, after killing Gods, having random bears in Natimbi hitting harder then said defeated Gods just..seemed wrong.

[@nulltheworm]

You see this in so many games, and it's super frustrating. Like WoW, for example. We supposedly saved the world countless times. Defeated dragons, ogres, demons, etc. We're called to the "afterlife," and spoken to as heroes of great ability ("Mall Walker," heh). But then... you end up having to do dumb quests like feeding bugs and cleaning up after them. It's dumb. I get why it's the case. The relative power and difficulty levels aren't really supposed to reflect the lore. It's just game mechanics to keep the player going. Like, you're not really a level 85 high-elf, or whatever. You're a very powerful high elf. The 85 is like behind the scenes math to gamify it. But it still feels weird at times.

[@Trendle222]

Exactly!! was really stupid

[@ehliaskarim1520]

Great and thought provoking video. I started right after Kunark came out and quit around 2004 right before Discord. I came back and tried to restart playing EQ about a year ago and unfortunately, it just didn't seem to hold up. 2 of the biggest things that hurt me coming back were 1 - The difficulty seems to have been reduced greatly overall. It takes something away from the game. The achievements feel less like real achievements (like in EQ of yore) and more like rote tasks and so on. Some quality of life changes I found in good taste but much of it seemed like some needless additions, some expected but still less-than-welcome cash grabs and other such things. Part of what I loved about EQ was how hard it was because that difficulty created shared hardship and a real sense of community. One of my favorite memories as a DE SK was a very helpful HIGH ELF cleric who helped me drag my corpse through Nektulos when I thought my body would rot and I'd lose everything. 2 - This brings me to my 2nd point, EQ feels to be, what I would now call a glorified single player game with online capability VS. The true MMO experience from old EQ. The old EQ forced player interactions from a young age (low level), from navigating Norrath via finding a wiz or dru to port you to the hustle and bustle of the East Commons Tunnel trade hub (the old makeshift Bazaar before Luclin existed). I'm not against progress per se but much of what I found added 17 years into the game felt unnecessary and frankly unwanted. Maybe if I had been introduced to it gradually I'd feel different but just because the frog doesn't notice that the heat is rising, it's still gonna die once that water gets up to temp. This video intrigued me enough to get me to try 1 more time, so I'll give EQ 1 more try for old times sake. Nice vid

[@Redbeardflynn]

Very good points. I think eq went through many phases post pop, some were food some were bad. Some of the most difficult times I've ever had in eq were the last 4 or 5 expansions both in raids, solo(not viable), and groups. Eq becomes a different game many times over and I think the main thing that goes away you kind of hit on: the world shrinks due to travel in both luclin and then pop and it never recovers. I am truly honored that you'd consider giving eq another shot after my video, thank you so very much for saying that! It's a bit of a unique experience atm but thornblade and mischief are in pop right now and will soon move on to GoD. That might be a way to get the post pop experience though the random loot could be aggravating.

[@Szriko]

I know this is deeply old, but I don't understand the 'difficulty reduced' kind of comments. EQ becomes so, so, so painfully 'difficult' the higher up in levels you go...

[@ehliaskarim1520]

@@Szriko when I talk about difficulty, I’m referring not to the difficulty scaling of fighting mobs at higher levels but in the gameplay being made easier through “Quality of life” changes. I used quotes because some QOL things are mostly for quality of life and are great, like replacing the boats with translocators, giving all classes the origin AA, and adding a map, etc. these things make the game a little easier but mostly cut down on excess time and tedium. On the other side of things, you have things they added like Mercenaries and the auto-grant AA function and so on which arguably could be said to mostly just reduce difficulty. So I’m not referring to the difference in difficulty at level 1 vs 50 (during original era) or level 1 vs 125 (in current era), I’m talking about the difference in difficulty between the eras themselves.

[@grandoccultist9887]

You nailed this on the head. The game is fantastic in modern times, you cant just jump into it, it needs to be phased in.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Thank you! Yes it can really get very overwhelming if you go from the early game as your last experience to live.

[@scubanc73]

I know this is a very old video but I just now came upon it and it resonated extremely well with me. I played EQ when it launched and quit just before Kunark launched... honestly can't remember why I left but came back about 2 months after Kunark and created a druid. I ended up finding an old friend from my first guild and joined his and that was my raiding guild all the way through PoP. I got kicked to night shift at work and it meant I could no longer raid (we raided 6 days a week) and to me that was all I wanted to do. I sat down on a rock in Plane of Tranquility and logged out for the last time. Over the years, my dad started playing the game I enjoyed so much and he used my character a bit. I came back briefly during Dragons of Norrath but it just wasn't the same game. My dad and I even played P99 green when it launched and while it was fun for a while, it didn't bring that enjoyment I remembered. My father passed away end of 2021 and I revisted my old druid that my dad had played. He even kept my original planar raid gear I had when I quit. Nostalgic was an understatement but the game around me wasn't... it was an entirely different world. I tried playing again and was so confused and overwhelmed with the amount of stuff (similarly I tried EQ2 again, same thing). I decided to join the Mischief server here recently and it's satisfying an itch to play but it's still not the same game. Until I start raiding again, I honestly don't think the game would ever compare. This server is a few expansions beyond PoP and I raided everything through PoP so I guess I'll end up looking for a new TLP when it launches. It's impossible to describe the feelings I have about Everquest, afterall, it's just a game. I've played hundreds if not thousands of videogames since my first Atari. I love lots of games but EverQuest has held a place in my heart that no other comes close to. I know I can never re-live those old days when it first launched in 1999 because it's now 2023. That game was a work of art in that era, it still is on many notes but if that game were to release like that today it probably wouldn't work. Channels such as this allow me to remember the game for what it once was... and I thank you for that.

[@gwendominguez1637]

Awesome Video, is is so nice to hear someone talk about Everquest positively. I have loved and played Everquest for over 20 years now (no breaks more than a couple weeks except when Sony got hacked). I have played almost ever class, I mostly only do group content now, but I have been a raider in a top guild, and chased that beloved "Top of the Class" until it just became a second job. Now I just let others chase that ring and I enjoy my leisure gameplay. I have been everything from guildless to guild leader, homeless to a village, helped new and returning players with Info, plat, gear, mounts (this is one of my favorite things to do). I have made many lifelong friends and even met several IRL. Some call it an obsession, some call it a drug, some call it dumb and a waste of time. I call it my entertainment, my social distancing tool, and my world I run to when this one is making me crazy. I may not play as much as I used to, but I know it is there when I need it. And that is a lot more than I can say about some IRL people I know. I look forward to the new adventures to come, and I hope for many more years...

[@Redbeardflynn]

This comment was such a wonderful read! Thank you so much for sharing some of your story with everquest.

[@Bluesachwill]

I started EQ Agnarr / mangler period. I am dying to get back into TLP but am afraid I missed the mischief bus.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@Bluesachwill I think if you go in with the expectation that the majority of the server is going to be max level you'll be ok. Finding a guild will be important to get you up to speed. The downside of progression servers is the catch up for sure. If you give it a shot I wish you luck and hope you have a wonderful time!

[@Bluesachwill]

@@Redbeardflynn Thanks mate! I was thinking between nec / enc or a melee of some kind, do you have any recommendation considering most are at max and I won't be true boxing?

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@Bluesachwill I'm a fan of necromancer when thinking of soloing because they're quite versatile in that and their dps really kicks into high gear in later expansions and their pets get better and better.

[@greenansatsu4097]

My favorite change and I hope they kept with it, because I had to stop playing shortly after due to life commitments was house of Thule, mirroring the quest and raid lore stories, I was in a raid group from pop to oow and it disbanded, and I just grouped for on and off for a few years, the lore was always one of my most favorite parts but not being in a raid I only got the main story 2nd hand. In house of Thule being able to experience the "end game lore" with my core friends was amazing to me.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Spot on, that was amazing. I remember loving that in House of Thule. I don't think it works out quite the same going forward but group content does take on a new important purpose in all the expansions after it. I can't speak to the last two released, though.

[@chuckchuckerson5364]

I quit in Legacy of Ykesha, with a very brief return in LDON because my girlfriend at the time talked me into it. I really loved PoP, but really disliked the changes that came after, and the player base by this point had been split by the abomination that was/is EQ2 (I gave EQ2 a real chance, I hated it). Recently a buddy and I decided to try retail while we wait for the new TLP, and I gotta say, we are having a blast. It is far better than anything EQ2 offered.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I think eq2 struggled out of the gate, found itself with kunark, then lost its way.

[@justindadswell8610]

LoY was not an upgrade from PoP. Which is why many of us quit. Hell, even Ldon wasn't. I was castrized for taking a shielding earring from there, spent 460 DKP. My largest purchase by far and only had an earring of Ykesha before 120 hp vs 260 and shielding - but was hated for it. The only upgrade that expansion offered and I was hated for taking it, so the upgrade was nothing at the time. EQ players are hitting 100k or more in HP now, so not the game we knew. (rest of my gear was from POP, so LoY - a nothing expansion - going from 120 to 260 might seem like a lot, but monk earrings at the time sucked - so did Beastlord earrings, which is why I was hated - aparentently she was more popular than I - Eats, why my man? He will never read this, lol)

[@blifamansmith3320]

GREAT Video. Love your passion. Will def consider going back to the game from start. Thank you very much.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Such a wonderful comment. Thank you so much. I really hope you enjoy yourself! Feel free to let us know how it's going :)

[@KT-xp1ze]

the music and spell sounds/actual spell graphics are what brought me back, and honestly i like the slower combat vs wow and its break the mouse and keyboard to get that hit in

[@Redbeardflynn]

I really like the slower more tactical combat, too but nothing compares to the instant nostalgia from the midi music!

[@darczee1]

I used to play on agnarr, loved the pop locked aspect. Now i play on thornblade and will listen to your advice and play through the expansions!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. There are some fantastic ones, truly. I still love pop but have very fond memories of expansions like oow, house of Thule, prophecy of ro, serpent spine, depths of darkhollow and many others.

[@christopherg7483]

its been nice to see aradune keeping on going with a fairly healthy pop into OOW EDIT: Just wanted to add, most, if not all of my guild is here for the long haul, we want to make it to live and progress into being a live server and see everything that there is

[@Redbeardflynn]

That's wonderful to hear and such a great way to honor that sever namesake!

[@manadecide]

Hey so I haven’t played since pop. I actually quit a few weeks after the release. I just started up a toon on Aradune and I’ve been having some trouble finding a guild to join. Do you guys accept returning players?

[@novyxl9672]

My guild is on Aradune and we raid 3 days a week. Having a great time

[@SanctuaryLife]

I'd just like to see daybreak cough up 10% and submit to changing the whole engine to UE4/5 and re texture and re-work the entire game one expansion at a time starting with vanilla. I'd love to see Neriak in UE5!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Me too! There's something videos here on KZbin of fan projects recreating some eq zones in unreal and they look great.

[@dantealtamirano1931]

I want to see the opposite, and devamp all the high polygonal models and make them shitty again

[@jasonhenson7946]

Their team is too small for such a large project, not going to happen.

[@SanctuaryLife]

@@jasonhenson7946 that may be true, however I’ve seen fans working solo achieve converting parts of games like half life to ue4 and they did a great job.

[@glothdrogen]

You do know that by upgrading the patcher and game in general to 64 bit that it allows for a lot of interesting possibilities

[@MrGuybrush]

I have no idea of Everquest but good job brother! Keep on rocking o7

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha thank you so much for watching, Guybrush. o7!

[@dr.morbius]

I started playing after Velious and played an enchanter all the way through Luclin and quit in early 2002 because at that time I wasn't in a raiding guild. I came back after the launch of GoD and was hooked by PoP especially the progression. I joined a raiding guild before OoW came out and played all the way until Prophecy of Ro. We raided everything from PoP up to PoR. I quit at that time because raiding took too much time, it was practically a second job, and I wanted to play more casually.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Raiding can be very time consuming! It's not just the actual raids but the prep for them but it was so satisfying. I only stopped eq when thar equation of hard work and satisfaction tipped negative. Thank you so much for sharing some of your eq story and for watching!

[@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy]

Veil of Alaris was one of my favorite areas. I spent a lot of time there bot-boxing. and solo leveling my Necro with kiting. The leveling there was smooth.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I loved some of the Veil of Alaris zones, especially the jungle one, the name escapes me, but it was great for kiting.

[@kmra]

King Mortenson here , Excellent take on the video Red Beard!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Your highness! Thank you thank you for your royal patronage and your kind words. They are greatly appreciated.

[@DannyWelch]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm on Mischief now with a goal to make it past OOW, which is the furthest I've been "in-era". As you said, it's difficult to absorb all of the content when returning on the live servers.

[@Redbeardflynn]

You're in the same spot I was when I was playing Phinny! I ended my first progression server run at OOW. Right after OOW are two of my favorite expansions followed by my least favorite and then a very solid one so I hope you'll enjoy yourself. Thank you so much for watching, and thank you for your comment.

[@ozpunk]

Great video, I really related to the beginning about just turning on auto attack. Is there a video out there explaining burns and combat abilities, etc for all of the classes? That was the biggest stumbling block when I came back about 18 months ago after not playing since 2005.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Thank you so much for the kind words! When I played it was a lot of adapting information from old forums to what my current expansion was and testing things out with people in my own class in the guild. As a berserker I wasn't able to find anything that helped in the mid expansions but around underfoot there were some good guides.

[@Classic_DM]

Great video. I come back every year or so and dork around with my PoP bard and end up stopping. Even with a Mercenary, gearing has me lost.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Thank you so much for watching and for the kind comment. I totally get where you're coming from. The gear wheel marches on even when we don't play and on live or progression servers it can just get very overwhelming. One of the things I always do is go look at zam to see what the group gear is for the expansion level I'm at. It helps narrow down the focus a little bit.

[@connorleggett9483]

I love seeds of destruction lore I think it’s some of the best ever the reason why is they had realized with the past couple expansions they had done some of the lore fell short and they got one of the original guys who made the lore for the game to come back and help for that expansion and he knocks it out of the park

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh yes! Seeds of Destruction is often overshadowed by mercs but it has some great lore and great raids!! Thank you so much for watching and for leaving your comment

[@BubbleoniaRising]

I quit around the Omens period after raiding time and came back a couple of times to play a new character here and there. My favorite memory was doing the Flux staff quest and completing Staff of the Four, fishing in the plane of Nightmare, and running Kunark newbies through Dalnir as a dungeon wizard. I am too far behind to catch up with the new TLPs but I hope I get to do it all, one expansion at a time someday. Watching your channel is a nostalgic rush. Thanks for being awesome!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Yelinak is only a few months old, you might be able to catch on with it now before PoP! Otherwise I'd fully expect a new slate of progression servers next year around April-May. Thank you so much for your kind comment! Here's hoping you get to experience all those expansions one at a time. It's a great experience.

[@ishtarrak13]

Great video - makes me want to go dust off my 3 ring binder with the printed off maps from EQAtlas! The other component that players quitting at PoP miss out on is the much improved raid mechanics. Starting with Gates of Discord, the raids became so much more involved. Inktu'Ta is still one of my all time favorite raid zones of any MMO.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh! Eq atlas, I remember trying to figure out zones in kunarm using landmarks and printed out eq atlas maps. That brought back memories. Raid mechanics are definitely something that improve ans become more interesting as everquest advances in expansions. So many balance fights...and fights with traps and charges. Thank you so much for watching!

[@CiphecDec]

I quit as soon as Luclin released. The character graphics removed the individuality of each race. Also the velious graphic armor was so great after that only through skins were you able to not look like every other leather or plate or cloth character out there. Oh yea they added dyes but honestly that was not a big enough variance to the look of a player. As soon as luclin came out I swapped to Everquest 2 and the tactics your talking about here were prevalent on everquest 2 out of the gate. While it did to some seem like a button masher and it kind of was in certain ways it really stepped up each classes roles and made the essential to kill the top tier mobs. I went back to Live several years later and 15 expansions in and felt lost and when I did raid it felt so taxing with 15 to 30 minute fights. For those of us who did Velious raiding half of the tactics were in the initial engagement. After that you C-heal chains, rogues unloading disciplines at the second half of the mobs life, Tanks Defensive and when they die have a Ranger bump while the next tank has heals rolling on them. Wizards running in with there bane spells and blowing up dragons. I found that enjoyment in Everquest 2 until the Paineel expansion. Now I find enjoyment back on a Velious capped server.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Luclin was perhaps the longest raid fights I can remember because they just bumped up hp on most things. I remember there being a lot more mechanics in pop and then going forward. With eq2 I think I gave up on it at about the same time. The number bloat and skill bloat ended up getting to me. I tried going back to eq2 about a year ago and it seems to have only gotten worse.

[@CiphecDec]

@@Redbeardflynn Eq2 didn't know what it wanted to do. They first had Mitigation as the primary stat for melee, then they gave everyone presence and that was the new big must have on equipment, and finally when they brought out luck i was threw my hands in the air and said I'm done. I loved playing an Inquisitor, The fact that I knew being one of 2 inquisitors in my guild at the time that I was the ender of all fights.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@CiphecDec I think eq2 wanted to be both eq and wow at the same time

[@CiphecDec]

@@Redbeardflynn 100% Daybreak / Sony who ever owned it at the time was Thirsty for money.

[@MaxxHDROM]

"my burn hotkey is auto attack".... Yes

[@FirstNameLastName-okayyoutube]

I already left a couple comments but I got to the park where you mentioned about the loss of the camp and absolutely! Even the fellowship campfire system could be reused and slightly enhanced with a new camp mechanics but have it be intuitive based on old ways of doing things

[@Redbeardflynn]

Apologies for the delay in getting to your comments! Yes, I really enjoyed the fellowship campfire system when it unlocked on Phinigel but it was a bit unwieldy, especially with needing to swap people out. I understand why the limitations were there, but it'd be nice to tweak it a little bit.

[@GES1985]

I miss that kelethin / crushbone / chessboard / lagged off boat and lost at sea feeling.

[@Redbeardflynn]

This made me think of the first time u went to the over there on that boat. What an experience that was.

[@GES1985]

@@Redbeardflynn I remember it clearly. My lvl 11 high elf paladin, excited about making it to the docks. Amazed that a boat was going to come pick us up. Loading OOT! Swimming? No land in sight? Fml!! HEEEEEELP! Swam for an hour before I found an island.. probably was swimming against the zone wall the whole time. Found an island, explored it, got chased by a giant spider and ate by a shark.. went back for my body, same lag into water. A druid came to help. Tracked me down, gave me SoW and Lev, and brought me to the docks. Haha. Freeport was a maze

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@GES1985 haha that's amazing!

[@raouldegrunt2685]

I played from Ruins of Kunark right until Everquest 2 was launched, which was around LDON I guess. The reason didn't really have to do with EQ1 itself, but most a part of our (Dutch -talking) guild going there as well. A couple of months ago I started on P99 again and now my brother and I are on live playing very casually. My absolute favorite in-game moment has to be getting my Bard 1.0 Epic. I logged in after a slow night going out, at 1:30AM, just to see if anybody was online. I got a message from someone that the Undead Bard, near Trakanon, was up and we formed a raid party. We even wiped in between, after which I managed to find a Cleric and another character in PoK to join the raid. In the end, we managed to finish my Epic at 7:30AM in the morning. What began as just looking if anyone was online at 1:30AM turned out in me getting the last rare spawn and finishing my epic. However, now I am 42 years old father of 2, with a full-time job and just don't have the time to play anymore. So I just enjoy the game for relaxation now.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I think you and I both quit original eq around the same time. I moved to eq2 as well! I only experienced the later expansions when I came back for progression servers. Thank you so much for sharing some of your eq story, I absolutely love hearing about everyone's gameplay history and how they view eq now further along in their life. Thank you for watching!

[@themadgamer4571]

Got my first 1.0 and 2.0 ever on Mangler. Back in classic fighting in Mistmoore, I always thought the lore with Mayong was really cool, he was my favorite elusive villain in EQ. Then come DoDH felt like it continued the lore from classic just as you said, and I really enjoyed what it had to offer. Lore wise past PoP, DoDH was sure the best imo up to TSS where I am currently at.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Yes! I *loved* the MM story and DoDH was very exciting from that lore perspective. I found TSS to be very interesting, too and I think you have some more exciting story points to look forward to in future expansions!

[@garrett3117]

Yeah. After DoDH I dipped for WoW full time due to pvp tbh.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@garrett3117 were you a bigger fan of open world pvp or instanced (bgs, arenas...etc) ? when I played wow honestly the main thing that kept me was bgs and arenas

[@garrett3117]

@Redbeardflynn All tbh, but when I quit for WoW FT we're talking classic (so bgs + open world pvp like Tauren Mill/Southshore battles). I was a damn good rog, (oh to have those 16 yr old reflexes again! Though I still got it, (mostly) as my EMU experiences have shown recently) and was __ away from rank 8 @ 42 when they removed Pvp Titles. First Frog Rog to 70 on Emarr (didn't know til I did it), had another server first but forget. My main RL bud just sucked as a pally, so aside from the mace OH from the arena I never went further. Should have tried my hand @ Arenas w/ DK, as Unholy was ridiculous. 0.5 sec CD reduction, Bone buff, Anti magic circle, a respectable pet, etc. Quit right b4 Cata, came back a few yrs later, fell in love w/ DPS spec of Monk.

[@nutsforjeeps1]

Great Video. I early expansioned a cleric but played mid and later expansions with a rogue got my 2.0 on both. Some of my most fun was getting Void G in SoD a truly epic experience that I don’t think a lot of people did.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Ooooh yes! SoD is definitely an underrated expansion. Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment.

[@vanman2099]

This is a solid video, good quality, good information. Seems like you should have a lot more views and subscribers for how well this is put together. You mentioned things you wish carried onward into the new Everquest expansions, did you make a video on that? I quit around Omens on live, I've picked up progression servers a few times but usually bail at depths of dark hallow because the guilds we're in usually just try to rush level and cream the raids and I start to feel like I have no clue what I'm doing and that's a bad feeling and experience when you're racing to beat the expansion before other guilds. I used to enjoy the downtime between raids where you'd go try to box or group some crazy fights with your raid gear or crush a lot of AA quickly. I've been really thinking about trying to make it through a full progression at least checking in each expansion leveling, doing some of the raids, so this video was helpful but I would really like to see a video on some of the difficulties I'm going to face being an OG that's never gone passed Depths, some of the shit I'll be missing, maybe some of the nuances, etc. I remember trying to join the live servers again when they had mercenaries and I was just like baffled by that change alone because part of the challenge of leveling was trying to find groups and stuff.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Such kind words, thank you so much for watching and for leaving this comment! I totally see what you're saying about the level rush, with usually only 3 or 2 months per expansion guilds feel a need to max out as soon as they can and then farm end game raids. I think you're on to something and I'll try to make a video in the coming weeks about what kind of things you need to prepare yourself for from GoD through live on progression in more detail. The next two weeks have different videos planned but that just gives me time for research! Thank you so much for watching and thank you for the video idea!

[@vanman2099]

@@Redbeardflynn thank you so much for replying, over the last 15 years I've logged in a handful of times to the live server only to be overwhelmed with all of the changes, the game was nowhere near familiar to me, it's always been EQs way to not give much direction on where to go or start unlike something like World of Warcraft you login to a game after not being on for awhile and you get about 45 notifications of quests for the newest expansion to get you started. If you remember the movie 50 first dates, at the end they make her a video so each morning she wakes up she can watch a compilation of what's happened in her life after the point where she has no memory. I almost need something like that, like "Okay you remember Gates of Discord, here's the next expansion and all of the new stuff, and here's the next expansion and all of the new stuff. I've tried to research this on my own but the best I could find was allakhazam by expansion with overviews and such but it's all meaningless to me. If you tell me you've added xyz system in an expansion but don't show me what that is or how to use it, then it's just useless to mention it. You seem to have this content creation down pretty well, you might be able to compile all of the research so that it makes sense since you're familiar with all of the expansions you'd almost be like a translator for us. No worries if you're busy but you might be the Obi-Wan Kenobi of EQ.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@vanman2099 I think for so long eq has been looking at players still around and not on getting players to come back they haven't had the time to make a system like that but I agree it'd be very helpful. I'm going to take a look at each expansion and see what some of the most important things to know are and reach out to some old guildies as well.

[@EQOAnostalgia]

I agree. Solid video.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@EQOAnostalgia very kind! Thank you so much.

[@ShadistikExekutionDramus]

I miss ETF "Epic task force" days where we helped random players get their epic weapon raiding done!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh wow that's amazing! I think I may have seen that once or twice back in the original non progression days. I love that!!

[@ShadistikExekutionDramus]

@@Redbeardflynn so many precious memories and friendhsips, even divorces lol

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@ShadistikExekutionDramus haha! Oh no well I guess every great adventuring party eventually ends, right?

[@KraxThebOld]

I started crying at "my burn hotkey is auto attack" lol

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha thank you!

[@pauld6222]

Although you put out a very well done video, and I enjoyed watching it, I feel you, as being a good deal younger than the old school players, don't fully understand. When this game 1st came out, it was unmatched by anything seen before. There is a certain charm about those old school zones. We loved running on zone walls to avoid danger, we loved camping items in a room for hours on end, we enjoyed going on raids, buffing up, and throwing on our auto attacks and having our heal rotations. The server was a real society with real drama. Everyone either knew, or knew of each other. People leaving guilds used to be big news and spread on the server like wildfire. The whole server was more tight knit than anything ive ever seen in any other game. We weren't all on discord and in voice chat, we typed to each other. Not having all these silly rotations made it possible to converse and share laughs and get to know one another. While I respect your point of view, the view your looking at the game from is quite a bit different than mine. Nothing will ever replace old school EQ for me and alot of the older players. I do believe the new content looks great and wish EQ the best of luck moving forward, but its just not the same anymore.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Thank you so much for your comment! I actually started playing Everquest back in 2000 with Kunark and played through original launch of Legacy of Ykesha, quitting then and moving on to other games like EQ2, SWG, WoW, GW2...etc etc. There's a reason I kept coming back to Everquest and it was the social aspect of it. I fondly remember best of the best tourneys in Commonlands and not having maps, using eqatlas. I remember verant, sitting in chat waiting for servers to go live. I do have lots of memories of the old version of the game but I also have some lovely wonderful memories of progression servers which showed me EQ I never experienced as I wasn't a raider back then. I remember being scared initially of voice chat and wishing I could go back to loosely formed raids and text chat. I greatly appreciate your comment, thank you so much for sharing.

[@pauld6222]

@@Redbeardflynn You have no idea how many times I wanted to come back and play. Once again, awesome video. I can tell you have the same passion for the game I once did. Its truly is a one of a kind experience.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@pauld6222 I've been looking for my personal next "EQ" for about 20 years. I have some other games I loved like Ultima Online (before EQ), SWG, Eq2 for a while. I'm hopeful for Pantheon but also trying to moderate my expectations because I think I sometimes set the bar too high.

[@sm-lh8hv]

@@Redbeardflynn unfortunately with data mining , publicised open alphas/betas , leaks and hackers you will never have another EQ , the reason "new" mmo's dont have the same feel is you know about everything before it comes out theres no real exploration , i dont think a new mmo will ever live up to what EQ offered at the time

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@sm-lh8hv that's a fair point and one that could probably be examined in another video. You can't look past individual circumstance, either. We were all at very different stages in our lives when everquest came out.

[@barrasdh]

I hate you. You prance around and make your little feel good video and now I am hooked once again! Damn you! If you old likeminded quitters decide to delve into the world of Norrath again, I warn you that Everquest is just as addictive as it has always been and if you think it was a time sink when you left, wait till you see all the content you have in front of you... Good luck and I just may see you in game : )

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha this comment took a turn after the first three words I gotta say! Thank you so much for your comment and I really hope you enjoy some of this incredibly addictive game as you say. There's a reason I'm making videos about a game I started all the way back in 2000!

[@Nick-wz1sg]

Good content man

[@Redbeardflynn]

Really appreciate that, thank you so much!

[@amalgam5107]

Started playing live again around a month ago after 18 years. Very lost but trying to figure it out!

[@housefullofransackery3505]

Subbed for the burns bit 🤣 well reasoned

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha I appreciate that very much. Thank you!

[@Dadaph]

Cool stuff. I originally played EQ from Kunark to PoP back in 2000-2003, but at some point I had to move on from the game, as I played way too much, and quit my high lvl 56 paladin. Love the world and lore of Norrath, though, so been trying getting back to the game once in a while, but it never stuck, and now I'm just so overwhelmed I can't even find my way to the old starting cities. Played p1999 for a while, and will probably return to that too at some point because I love the Kunark/Velious era the most, but I'm also curious to see the journey EQ has gone through so I hopefully won't get too overwhelmed... they add new progression servers every once in a while, right? I kinda want to play from the beginning just so I can get used to the new zones too...

[@Redbeardflynn]

It can be very overwhelming! There's just a ton of game in eq from all the levels and zones to all the lore. New progression servers historically happen yearly and usually sometime between March and the summer so you might want to start looking as winter thaws next year if you want to catch a ride on a fresh progression server! Thank you so much for watching and thank you for the comment!

[@Dadaph]

​@@Redbeardflynn As much as I love p1999 and that nostalgia, it's such a huge time sink, and I'm just as curious to catch up to current EQ at some point. And while lvling on live was really fast (made it to lvl 30 in 2 days and not 2 months as it took me on p1999), I feel like I've missed out so much, so it just wasn't really enjoyable to play. Progression, at least now, seems like a sweet middle ground, so I'll be sure to jump on the next one that pops up.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@Dadaph I'll be sure to post a video once we get a new progression server with announcement and I'll make videos for each expansion on some of the big changes. Hopefully that will be helpful! I was lucky to be in a guild that had a ton of knowledge and it made it just an awesome experience for me.

[@KingOfNebbishes]

Gates of Discord was really where I left, because it was clearly not for players like me who were more casual. Just reinforced that there was a club, and I was not in it.

[@Redbeardflynn]

That's very fair and gates on release was brutal. It's much more manageable on progression servers now but I think pop and on kind of begins the focus on end game though there is one expansion that I think tried to right that: the serpents spine. Currently the last full game experience expansion and it was actually a really good one! Thank you so much for watching and thank you for your comment.

[@ericveldman6259]

You should do a whole ep on Veal of Alaris, sounds amazing.

[@Redbeardflynn]

It's tasty and goes well with meelee

[@themadgamer4571]

I orginally stopped playing EQ after PoP when LDoN first released. Time travel forward to Mangler TLP. It enticed me to be able to get the nostalgia and see what happens after LDoN. I actually had a lot of fun! I stopped at TSS and started playing again on Mischief because I had always wanted even back in the day for free trade of no drop/no trade items. I knew FV had it but I really like tlps. Now I want to play Mischief past TSS, I really wanna check out Secrets of Faydwer and House of Thule particularly.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh I think secrets of faydwer and house of Thule are two of of absolute best and hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did. Thank you so much for watching and sharing your story

[@Drolkrad1725]

HoT raids are horrible be prepared

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@Drolkrad1725 what made them horrible? The mechanics? I remember liking most but erudin burning...no thanks

[@Drolkrad1725]

@@Redbeardflynn yes sir the mechanics and difficulty of quite a few of the flagging raids. group content was a lot of fun --- also if you like cool mechanics and a high difficulty underfoot is best expansion

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@Drolkrad1725 the raid with the queen damn near broke our guild morale early on in underfoot...holy crap.

[@Acarson87]

the main issue i have is that i want to start at the beginning, but i seem to miss the beginning when it happens. Even weirder, when i finally find out there is a new server, it is nearing or in Luclin already, Life be like that. On top of that its hard to play live because you need to know everything to be decent, and it seems like it is impossible to play live for me.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh I know that feeling! If it helps eq has settled into a bit of a rhythm with these server launches. The most likely time for a launch seems to be spring between March and May. I think there are a lot of variables in play but if you start looking for news in spring you should catch it

[@angelicasanchez5531]

Are you playing the new xpan in may?

[@Redbeardflynn]

I'm in wait and see mode but I'm certain I'll come check out whatever they have to offer throughout the year. The 2022 roadmap has me excited for what's to come for EQ!

[@veteransfarminginitiative7136]

I used to have 5 accounts and 5 box is there anyway to get old dusty accounts back?

[@Redbeardflynn]

If you have access to the email addresses you should be able to. You can do forgot username and forgot password

[@brickhouse6533]

The problem with EQ live now is the level range. So if your not max level your stuck alone soloing. It would have been kool if instead of increasing level caps constantly, but instead recycle your toon back to a lower level with added benefits each time. I think it would bring level diversity back

[@Redbeardflynn]

I agree 100%. The big gap is the biggest detriment to new players or returning players on live atm.

[@mambax4444]

Started at launch .. played until After POP .. After that WoW came out , all the top guilds./ players left . game was never the same after that...

[@Redbeardflynn]

I was one of those that migrated to eq2 at the same time (2004) bounced around a ton of mmos and found my way back for two different long runs at progression servers. I'm glad I got to experience eq through the progression servers

[@nibiru1123]

is it too late to start on thornblade and mischief?

[@Redbeardflynn]

Not at all! Thornblade and mischief are currently in Luclin, it might be difficult to find groups to level up until you get to max so I'd suggest one of the very first things you do is find a guild, hopefully a family one that can help. The downside to most progression servers is they tend to get top heavy for leveling quickly. If you do decide to start I hope you have a wonderful time! Thank you so much for watching.

[@dlear85]

I have been debating trying the next TLP and not quitting before or after pop again.

[@Redbeardflynn]

It'll be interesting to see what the new TLP rulesets are. I think I had more fun post-PoP than pre-PoP on Phinigel. Not all the expansions were great but some really were!

[@jasondolph2785]

I feel like a lot of the people bailing out of post PoP has to do with boxers not being able to keep up with the increased complexity combined with the increased mobility as camps become less and less of a thing. As someone who actively dislikes trying to box, I really enjoy having more and more to do on the single toon I am controlling.

[@Redbeardflynn]

That's a fair point! It definitely becomes more difficult to box as the game gets more active. I also whole heartedly agree about having more to do on a single xhsr being more enjoyable.

[@shivur5073]

Nothing beat the plate visuals in eq

[@Redbeardflynn]

I was a *huge* fan of the old velious textures, but yeah plate looks pretty cool on lots of them, especially like Barbarian.

[@brentritchie6199]

What is the best way to experience all that does it have to be solo?

[@Redbeardflynn]

I'd recommend jumping on the yelinak progression server which just launched for the start to finish experience or you can pick up on some of the other current progression servers that are at various stages

[@brentritchie6199]

@@Redbeardflynn ok will do thanks

[@justindadswell8610]

Just want to know, did you multi-box. DP? multibox was a huge thing back then. EQbox, playing EQ in a multiple boxes on your screen. Did have three computers with 2 instances of EQ playing at a time. Alt-tab was a thing you got use to. Interesting note, Zappo headed Hoss. Yeah, think about that. Also, his wife - did topless pics for loot in NToV. Yes, did happen.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Back on Combine/sleeper (2006+) I duo-boxed an sk/shaman combo because it was easy to swap from casting turgurs to tanking with the sk. I was *very* bad at it.

[@InDebt8]

I believe I stopped at Gates of Discord back in the days when Brell.....was just Brell. Just didn't have the time anymore to truly commit. I played the free version of EQ for a few weeks but forgot about it. Every now and then I get the tickle to come back. Wish they could recover my old account. Previous attempts failed. Miss my rogue and druid. Hot keying macros to corpse pull three, sometime four, bodies at once when the Avatar of War pulls went bad. Splitting some cash while the monk was pulling just to watch him get to heavy to run. Good times.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh wow the corpse retrieval hotkeys! I remember that. They added corpse drag but still kept /corpse and still need to use that on occasion. I don't know that the tickle to return will ever go away but playing through so many of the expansions has dulled it a lot.

[@Buffalo_ill]

Lol I thought the begining skit was about me playing my monk. Took an 18 year break and all my characters are under lvl 66.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Maybe it was? ;) it was totally me coming back in progression

[@seanmartin2382]

LoL DPS and Tanking were NEVER just auto attack...good video sir....I quit at Omens and have been back playing on live for a couple months, worst mistake I made was doing heroic on my old main...even reactivated my old SOE gm account

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha thank you so much! Really appreciate the comment. My very first account I actually lost my name and password after quitting for a few years. So many phone calls and I was never able to recover it! Didn't help that the email was inactivated...oooh AOL we barely knew ye. I'm glad to hear your back playing live. Are you enjoying the new content?

[@waywardlynx5651]

This is just my personal opinion, obviously, but I have the old models on for several of the races. Old dwarves and trolls have a charm I can't deny.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh for sure! There's a charm to a lot of the original models. Some of it for me is nostalgia but some is also just the difference. Even some of the armor looks on the old models. I remember troll plate being soooo cool.

[@Thelastkingoftwatland]

I've been away from Everquest since 2008 or 2009 I was widely considered the best Shaman in the game. In fact I was a major reason they nerfed the Shaman and also standardized items to slots. Like haste to the waist. I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me. First in the 1999 version is every xpac playable or do they need to be purchased? The second question is if I buy a $14.95 monthly membership. Do I still need to buy the $69-$239 package to get the Xpacs I don't have? In return I can show you how to level any character from 1-50 in like 24 hours by yourself without cheating. Then others have great guides to max you out from there.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Regarding the 1999 question, are you referring to project 1999 (the emulator?) or progression servers. For the emulator, it's all non-profit so as long as you have their required EQ version you're good to go. For progression servers I believe you're good with your EQ download for several years from launch. I think I didn't buy an expansion on Phinigel (2016) until Claws of Veeshan dropped which is the 27th expansion. Most of the game is now included with your download and you can see this when you're on server select it will tell you X/28 expansions you have. Torment of Velious was made free back in June of 2022 so you're good up until the 26th expansion now with the 29th expansion dropping next month (December 2022). If you purchase the new expansion you'll also get Claws of Veeshan and Terror Of Luclin (27 and 28) so really just the most updated Xpac and you're good. The subscription fee isn't required for anything but progression servers but if you want to play seriously you'll want to go ahead and pay the subscription even on a live server to remove free to play restrictions. I hope that helps!

[@Thelastkingoftwatland]

@@Redbeardflynn thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question. I was asking about the EQ Emulation Server vs. The EQ Live Servers? I understand the game as at the top end on the Live Servers so I guess that's where I'm going to play. I've already signed up for the monthly subscription. I have multiple toons and stuff I don't know what to do with yet. Do I need to buy the $69 membership at least? I'm not sure how many Xpacs I'm missing. I think my last was Fay that raised the level cap to 85. Am I wasting my money spending the $69? It seems like for a preorder and all the content I missed it isn't a bad deal. Also as soon as I get in game and double check the zones. I'll give you the 1-50 twenty four hour self level to 50 of any character. This is without mercenaries. With the Mercs I may k ow a couple of zones to grind to 70 and from there nearly everyone has a path to 115. I'm also extremely good at building perfect gear upgrade paths that match or exceed raid gear. I have that type A obsessive personality. I will scribble down slot variations for 18 hours just to get my next set of upgrades. Thanks. I'll be in touch when I check those zones.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@Thelastkingoftwatland As far as I know there's no difference in each Expansion package, they all look like they include past expansions. I'd suggest getting the Expansion for this year rather than going back and getting last year's expansion although they do tend to discount it before the new expansion drops. That type A personality with excel spreadsheets for gear upgrades is amazing in raid guilds! I had a few friends who did that that were luckily the same class as me, made things *very* easy!

[@Thelastkingoftwatland]

@@Redbeardflynn I am far worse than the excel spreadsheets. I do the upgrade path in a spiral notebook. I have this Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind" thing except instead of seeing math problems I see the gear after it has been modified. So my builds may disagree with the spreadsheets but they come out ahead. I've already done the work on paper. Honestly I was never much for raiding guilds but I never had to be. As a Shaman I could solo any dragon in Weatern Wastes at level 60. I could solo, duo or trio most raid mobs. One night the Druid Mechy and I cleared out Veeshan's Peak. We were both like 65. A Shaman can buff, secondary heal. I could buff, secondary heal or primary heal. I never run out of man with canni, regen. Wisdom is secondary. Plus I could CC in a pinch by pulling mobs away and rooting them and DOTing them. And of course you need to be able to damage so besides the DoTs and the right click weps, I keep a high level set of image pet armor and weapons on me. Put him on the Shammy Wolf he does damage without usually getting himself aggro. And if I should pull aggro I can tank in a pinch. Maxed out AC DeX, defense, and max stamina I can take hits from a mob, even a raid mob in a wipe while the Cleric rezzes a tank and then I can still safely buff him fully. I would do a,raid guild if it wasn't some crazy Nazi shit where a teenager wanted me to call him Sir. I tend to prefer the laid back guilds where if I accidentally say a 4 letter word, people don't yell there are children in here! It's not like I swear every other word but I do like to joke around and sometimes one will slip. I can give a lot to a guild. I can teach them how to level their alts. I do Alchemy, Smithing I'm not greedy I always pass along my extra gear. I'm total need before greed in groups. Even if the item benefits me most and is in my upgrade set, I'll still roll on it and be happy for the winner. I'm a good guild mate. I'll probably drive people crazy when I first get back with questions, but I'll make up for it in my play. I just need to be in an adult quild where nobody tries to scold me. Oh one last thing you should know. I have a terrible sense of in-game direction. If there is some really patient guy who can meet me to auto follow that saved probably years of me wandering around lost. If someone just gets me to the mob I'll make sure it gets dead. I do like to coordinate with the spreadsheet guys before a raid. They can give me an idea of the mobs and bosses we will be facing and if I need any special setup for that particular raid. I don't ask them how other Shaman are playing. I ask about special abilities. Like the mob may cast an AOE poison or curse, so I will heal the Clerics right away and regen them. Then the tank, then me and work outward.

[@W0lfinn]

Loving the videos, but its May-lay, not Mee-lee. Hate to be that guy, just thought you might want to know. Or you could be doing it on purpose to make me twitch. ;p Keep up the great vids, just found the channel, and loving hearing stuff on games I have played in the past.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh you're far from the only one! 😭 I also mispronounced "veil" Thank you for the nice words!

[@timothytoler9065]

Every time they come out with progresssion servers, the pops of the previous progression dwindles.. they just need to make a new EQ or make an EQ classic with upgraded graphics.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I've been wanting that for years and had hopes for eqnext along side concerns. Unfortunately the concerns materialized and not the hopes. I think those drops in population pops might be something that's causing them to try new things like the aocs and random loot free trade and accelerated expansion unlock servers. Hoping to keep it somewhat fresh, perhaps. That's purely speculation, though. Thank you so much for watching!

[@jamesroe8159]

A lot of the drops in population is cause all the krono farmers bounce to new servers and get their bit armies rolling ASAP.

[@timapple9580]

I heard you say ME LEE and I instantly had to take to google to see if Im been saying it wrong all these years.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha apparently it's me, it's been pointed out so much I now say "may lay" in my sleep. You're good !

[@timapple9580]

​@@Redbeardflynn thats totally legit I get ya, for years I pronounced Riposte alllll wrong. XD great video! appreciate you

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@timapple9580 Haha thank you so much for the kindness. I'm also totally not looking up how to pronounce "Riposte"....

[@andrewhinkle160]

Pretty frustrating coming back to EQ on Yelinak in PoP era before LDoN. Thought I was gonna be able to catch up easy, nope! This is the golden era for me since I started EQ right before PoP went live in 2002.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I'd love for EQ to add in a mentor mechanic like EQ2 but toned down.

[@andrewhinkle160]

@@Redbeardflynn Started boxing and sped things up.

[@draqattack7146]

Am I super bad if I don't play past Velious?

[@Redbeardflynn]

You could blow up *so* many more things past velious my friend and there aren't even lazers to separate you from your party fighting the boss.

[@jeffpetrimoulx6806]

I don't recall any lore. Guess I was too casual of a player, I only made it to 45 during POP

[@Redbeardflynn]

I think that's one of the possible failures of releasing "end game" focused xpacs. You wouldn't have even been able to get I to plane of tranquility until 46 and most of the content was really 50+ so the lore sadly wasn't there. Thank you so much for watching!

[@BerraLJ]

Started playing in may 2001, never been a speed leveler so right now my highest char is 87, and i did heroic most of them so yeah getting to 85 with 5k+ AA sure is confusing :)

[@Redbeardflynn]

I think that might be the biggest downside on progression servers for anyone who wants to take their time. It's a bit like Indiana Jones running away from the giant stone ball. Slower progression servers have come out but they seem to suffer population wise. Thank you so so much for watching and for leaving your comment :)

[@BerraLJ]

@@Redbeardflynn Not even played on progression servers, i enjoy the live one, doing some random stuff, been to MMM which i saw you had in the video, okey xp, not super easy but doable and money and loot is not bad. But as you talk about in the video, at 50 i knew places to go, jumping to 85, bit lost on where to explore, but it will come to me i am sure :)

[@randylothrop975]

Omens of War was my favorite expansion in EQ. Second favorite? Gates of Discord. Least favorite? Velious.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Spicy take! I love it. Omens of War is definitely an underrated expansion to me. The zones were very cool and I loved the npc models it brought in, same with Gates of Discord. I know it played a bit fast and loose with some of the traditional fantasy elements but that was no different than say what WoW did with their first expansion. Anguish remains one of my favorite raid zones, too!

[@j-sin3344]

Lol yea about the jumping in after a number of expansions have gone by, soo much is different than what I expected. I played 99 when Lanys T'Vyl server was brand new. Played thru PoP and what ever was next w/ Overlord Mata Muram. WTFever it was. So leave around 2007,08 ish came back 2019, boom my head was spinning, I had 3 Heroic lvl 85s to use, so started playing again. I wasn't even able to get out of the starter trainer zone. Anyway, zoom to last year, I now have 4 lvl 115 (need to get 120) playing classes I always wanted to, exploring zones I always wanted to, exacting violent revenge and retribution on all the PC/boss mobs that slaughtered me time and time again. I love it as much or more that I originally did. So much so that I got.my 85 heroics to 95 and then created 4 more toons rrom 0 and played thru 115. I ways hated the xp grind, probably the worst in any MMO and I've played the top 6 or so. It's easier to level now because the are different and unique ways to lvl, so slow is an option and fast is too, when a daily can get you 25% of a level, up to 105 or so, it's easy to incorporate that into grind mob farms etc. Also nameds are everywhere, which makes loot upgrades possible. The mobs are tough in some instances, but like any other games you can find an easier softer way. I just came to say, sorry it took so long to get to the point, that the game is excellent a lot of fun, my 20 yo son who grew up on WoW, plays lots of games, installed EQ last year and plays here and there. There's free to play, if you want to pay, there also ways to get tokens w in-game money. IDK its a great game and they are actually putting in an excellent effort IMO continue to put out a high level of entertainment, oh and it's 23rd anniversary now, so log in F2P and maybe you can get the 85 heroic char upgrade, they did give them away in anniversary celebrations in the past. Thanks, love the content! My $0.02

[@Redbeardflynn]

A wonderful $0.02 it was too, thank you so much for sharing. They'll also be upping heroics to lvl 100 soon instead of 85 so that should take some of the level gap pressure off! Very nice to know you can get 25% from dailies up to 105. I know the Heroic Adventures they added were great for exp for a while then they kind of fell off.

[@ethelwolfe]

I quit playing when PoP came out. I will never forget the friendships and good times that it brought to me, my older brother, and my guild mates. It was the BEST MMORPG out there during those times. Heck, I'll go on a limb and say it is definitely better than WoW!

[@coreyjohnson152]

Bro do some eq lore videos. Some expansion lore over view would be cool, I don’t know any past pop but have always wondered.

[@Redbeardflynn]

That's something I'm definitely considering. If I end up doing that I'll have to give you credit!

[@cristy7381]

Slightly older video but I'll chime in: 1. The bedrock of EQ lore is really dragons, Giants, and gods. Once you kill the gods and slay all the dragons that's kinda it. GoD was a deviation from this and people just weren't as interested. 2. GoD was a rushed, broken, and buggy expansion that broke the backs of raiding guilds (hello Uqua). It was also ugly compared to PoP. Once GoD was retuned it was actually a great expansion, but it came too late. Raiding guilds were the voice of the community back then and once they rebelled, everyone followed. 3. Both PoP and GoD were raid expansions and not nice for casuals. A lot of the casual content today is a response to those mistakes. If you don't have an avenue for new players, your playerbase will churn out. 4. Raid mechanics got a lot more complicated come GoD and especially in Depths. This was great in GoD and OoW, but bad come Depths where you had to install triggers to warn you of raid mechanics. Unfortunately, the EQ engine just isn't setup for. Humans are visual creatures and in WoW these indicators are very visual, and the engine can accommodate very complex raid mechanics in a very easily digestible package. That's just not so in EQ. People don't like it, so they quit. That's my $0.0000000002

[@Redbeardflynn]

And a great 2 cents it was. I think some of the later expansions did better lore wise by kind of...well, retconning some things. Mayong Mistmoore's path to becoming a God was a really interesting storyline to follow over several expansions (and I believe he returns in the latest one) Thank you so much for watching and for your comment!

[@RetroSnaccDaekin]

Man this video makes me wanna go back but I don't have a community to join.

[@Guyonthecouch420]

I did not play past PoP I was just young but I am back for Mischief and I cant wait to work through it. I heard Mercs let ppl down but I will hold off and see

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oooh! I can't wait for you to experience pop and hopefully beyond. Mercs are a ways off for you, those are seeds of destruction. They're interesting and their usefulness varies my type and expansion. I personally liked them by the time they come out but was glad they weren't in from the beginning. Thank you so much for watching!

[@Bluesachwill]

Hey Jake C, Sam C here. Am I able to start mischief now and still have a lot of players to group with? Thanks mate!

[@dangusprime]

IMO peak EQ is Classic through Darkhollow / Prophecy of Ro, but have played till Underfoot and enjoyed it!

[@Redbeardflynn]

I was a huge fan of house of Thule and oddly enough broken mirror. I can't say how much of that was just the experiences I had with people I was playing with though.

[@Duskwind_]

I'm still playing the same ranger I started with at the launch of the Kunark expansion (Sirosis of Lanys T'vyl) Still having fun, but I only load him up occasionally so I'm constantly playing catch up 😁

[@Redbeardflynn]

That's so cool. Love hearing about that! I bet your created date on that ranger is a massive flex at this point 😆

[@Duskwind_]

@@Redbeardflynn Let's just say that I definitely know how to ranger 🤣

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@Duskwind_ haha perfect!

[@FirstNameLastName-okayyoutube]

Personally the only thing that I would have anything negative to say is the lack of reusing excellent mechanics. Waiting for a boat for 15 minutes doesn't have to be part of a new important dungeon, it could simply go to a fun place that may be a part of a quest turn in or has excellent spots for cybering

[@Redbeardflynn]

I was reading your comment and then laughed out loud at the last bit. I had not expected that twist.

[@FirstNameLastName-okayyoutube]

@@Redbeardflynn lol yeah man i kept finding people sitting down in back rooms back in the day. also sometimes guild meetings. I personally likes to afk in cool spots when id go take a shit.

[@BobBob-kr5wr]

The last thing they added was the luck stat. They also tell you how fast you run. I am unimpressed. The only good thing to come out in the last 6 expansions was mercenaries so I can solo, overseer mini game which is very useful for leveling and a screen that shows your faction standing with everyone. Side note, I made that suggestion for the faction table to EQ when they were asking for feedback and literally they came out with that a few months later so I like to think that's all me. Besides that its shit. Every new expansion the mobs in the newbie zone can literally drop you in under 5 seconds unless you have tier 3 gear and they are slowed. The armor drop is stupid too. Mobs drop an armor that requires a special item to equip. They special item is in a different zone and is generally a rare drop. Its a pain. Nobody cares about the story line if their ever was one. I honestly don't want another expansion. I simply want them to fix the content they already have. Update the graphics. Simplify the trade skills. A lot of the older content you can't figure out because literally their is nobody left that remembers how it works. Remove the requirements that you need a group or a raid to enter a specific zone. I'm max level with max AA points. I should not need a group to enter a zone built for lv 70s.

[@Redbeardflynn]

All good points! Thank you do much for watching and for providing your point of view. I appreciate it. I admit I didn't dabble much with the luck Stat. It's implementation confused me as to why it was necessary but I've long been in favor of a Stat squish too to make things like heroic stats and primary stats more reasonable I think luck may have been an alternative when the integers just got too high.

[@BobBob-kr5wr]

@@Redbeardflynn Ya, heroic stats never made sense to me. Simply remove the stat cap.

[@ks123458]

May-lay not me‐lee

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha, cheers. With as many corrections as I've had on this I don't think I'll ever forget....we'll see next time I say it in a video.

[@tehfeer]

People quit after pop because of ldon. The 2 months of ldon was hell. If they release ldon along with pop it would be a lot better

[@Redbeardflynn]

I think that's the plan going forward because they've seen that. Ldon and PoR are rough expansions because of lack of content.

[@jeanmichelexactitude9362]

@@Redbeardflynn Yup, never again i will do a single run in LDoN ! :)

[@blahlbinoa]

I dropped off at Gates of Discord, mostly because my mental health was fucking abysmal and I would just play Everquest for like days at a time with no sleep, which is one of the reasons it took me forever to come back. I always enjoyed PoP, but I never did get up to max level on any of my toons.

[@onicEQ]

I played hardcore (5~8+ hours a day) until OoW. Came back and poked around a few time and got overwhelmed by big numbers in hp and dmg. Numbers more than 5 or 6 digits without separators are impossible to read. Also there were just way to many button to click, way more than bofore.

[@spacezombe]

Is shamans still the best in current times?

[@salvatorearbassio3609]

At 85 tanks just cant keep up with group gear. Probably yhe biggest issue with the game after pop. Might be lack of chanter bars ae mez along with the tank gear problems. Makes the encounters way worse on group geared folks.

[@garrett3117]

Quit @ DoDH. Spent many years on p99 & PEQ respectively. Still playing both, but PEQ atm. Hit up Overrated or Horribad on either server if you want. (Blue on 99) Edit: 19 years since POP, God I feel old!

[@StraightcheD]

Well said, it is all that. I met the best people humankind has on offer in EQ. Also the biggest aholes my imagination can handle in any gaming. I guess that's the charm of EQ, it was such an unmanaged society due to the lack of modern systems.

[@darkwulf2k]

I quit originally back in 04 due to RL stuff getting in the way, then getting hooked on WoW. Granted Gates of Discord was also a part, due to the key unlocking system. I believe i got the Tipt one, but never the 2nd, and never could get a grp for it. Kinda killed the buzz. Went back a while back to a TLP, and was part of a guild where I finally got my first NToV clear, and Vex thal, and emprorer kills. Was fun. I will be tryin both TLPs though prob should focus on one over the other, just not sure where to go

[@Redbeardflynn]

I hope you have a great time on the new TLPs! And yeah if raiding is something you're interested probably stick with just one. I loved getting to experience all that content with a guild in progression. It was so much fun to see things I missed out on the first time around.

[@darkwulf2k]

@@Redbeardflynn I think i am going to try Valinki first, and if I do not like that style, will just go play on Yelinak.

[@Redbeardflynn]

@@darkwulf2k That's a good plan!

[@darkwulf2k]

@@Redbeardflynn just update, like Valinki atm because i could start as, well was vah'shir BL, but decided to do Iksar monk instead, and loving the monk. Yelinak might be something i do once kunark goes live 🤷‍♀

[@Kai0nTheMoon]

I'm wondering how much of the continued lore of EQ has transferred over into the expansions of EQ2, which I played up until about a year ago, and I had played EQ from launch week up until the Ykesha expansion after POP. I am big into the EQ lore (have a Sebilisian Star tattooed on my chest) but it all started to get a bit convoluted in EQ2 and I just lost intertest. They handled a ton of the content poorly, such as the deities, which now years later mean absolutely nothing; granting small bonuses form quests that I doubt anyone has even bothered to do in over a decade. And as a solo player since about 2010 now, playing seemed more like a chore than a pleasure. Maybe when this rumored graphical overhaul comes to EQ I will give it a look again, for old time's sake. Once you walk away for so long, the dated graphics really put a damper on the immersive experience, IMO.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I think eq2 tried really hard to make too clean a break from eq1 lore. You're right on, it felt like it got very convoluted. I tried to follow it for a few years but got lost. That tattoo sounds awesome by the way!!

[@Meydoosa]

I met my partner in game. Shaman and Druid…who knew that could be a hell of a combo lol…

[@Redbeardflynn]

Oh that's beautiful! Love hearing stories like that. And that must be a pretty crazy devastating 1-2 punch on live, especially post-dot revamp!

[@jonathanhughes8679]

EQ never lost its community like wow has

[@jeanmichelexactitude9362]

Yes the core is still on and will forever be. Can't wait for 2023 new UI and servers.

[@commonsensegaming1756]

played everquest up to PoP when they originally released....PoP was a drag and felt like it broke the world. specially on a good vs evil pvp server

[@Redbeardflynn]

I can only imagine what pop did to pvp servers

[@phenolicresinoid]

I'm literally this videos' demographic. I quit after PoP for life reasons. Now I've been playing TAKP PoP locked private server lol

[@Redbeardflynn]

Here's the secret. I made this video specifically for you and to get you to play through house of Thule or so! Thank you so much for watching and for leaving a comment!

[@themadgamer4571]

Why should you play past PoP? Cause Depth of Dark Hollow is actually really cool!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Enough said ! Hah! Thank you for watching and thanks for the comment!

[@KennTollens]

I think I stopped playing EQ just after Planes of Knowledge and switched to EQ2.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I switched over to eq2 originally around the same time. I think after legacy of ykesha. Very glad I came back for progression though.

[@Baxterbrookies]

In my day, Luclin was considered the line for posers and wannabees. Cat people on the moon? HA!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Trolls with alligators? Pah! Four armed aliens more like fourget it. 😀

[@frownbringer]

melee + may lay

[@Redbeardflynn]

Cheers! One of those words I've pronounced wrong my entire life. Can't promise I won't slip up in future videos but I will try!

[@stevenledbetter8591]

I stopped playing after rain of fear I have no idea about any content after that.

[@Redbeardflynn]

That's pretty far! I think after that the expansion that stands out to me is Broken Mirror. Just had a ton of fun in that expansion even though it was very difficult, especially for grouping/soloing.

[@markdavenportjr5129]

Ya I stopped at PoP. But since I hear they are updating the client to 64 bit etc etc early next year I am totally gonna do a 1 year sub for all access. :)

[@Redbeardflynn]

Nice! Yeah I'm very curious to see what happens with the new 64 bit client. Thank you so much for watching and thank you got your comment.

[@usererror4716]

ive done it all, the best is the old stuff

[@_wizen]

Lol. Troll pirates. Like they'd ever follow godslaying up with troll pirates. >.>

[@Redbeardflynn]

They'd never do that...

[@_wizen]

For real though, I've come to the same conclusion wrt this TLP that's hot right now. It's the only way I'd ever get into playing EQ on Live again. I look forward to future random loot drops!

[@Redbeardflynn]

I really hope you'll enjoy the expansions after pop like I did. I won't say they were all gems but some of them are among my favorites all time for different reasons. Your toolkit expands as you continue on but it's not as overwhelming and world changing to be given a new hammer or screwdriver each expansion than it is to walk into a Lowes or home depot ans be told "this is all yours, good luck" The Mayong mismoore lore is very fun to me too