Don Woods
2009-02-01 01:42:10 UTC
(Available on the web as http://www.icynic.com/~don/EQ/age.faq.htm)
Last Updated: October 31, 2008
Latest Changes:
* Added Seeds of Destruction to the list of expansions, but with scant
description of the content.
* Updated various items to reflect recent changes to the game. Since it
might be interesting to see which of the recent changes affected things
basic enough to be mentioned in the FAQ, here's a list. (Some of these
actually changed a while ago but the FAQ hadn't caught up.)
* Under "how has the game changed", noted even fewer consequences for
dying, still higher level cap, and addition of mercenaries.
* Players on the Firiona Vie server can have more than one character
per account.
* In discussing guilds, noted that much high-end raid content now is
instanced, making scheduling of targets less of an issue.
* Removed most of the details about LDoN in the "how has the game
changed" section, turning it into a summary of instanced content.
* Updated various UI instructions, such as how to turn off detailed
character models and how to change text colors.
* Described the Potion Belt as an alternative to hotkeys when the items
are inside your bags.
* Noted "/hidecorpses npc" as an alternative to "all" or "allbutgroup".
* Rewrote the section that warned about needing to re-memorise spells
after dying, saying instead you keep your spells but lose all buffs.
* Mentioned that mercenaries, like pets, stay targetted on the corpse of
the last thing they killed, so you can assist them and then use /loot.
* Removed various warnings against accidentally looting your corpse.
* Changed the tip about leaving "Temporary" items on corpses, replacing
it with a warning that this no longer works (since you keep your gear).
Also reworded the definition of CR (corpse run) in the Glossary.
* In the Grouping 101 document, noted you can set group roles, which
affects mercenaries' behavior and also enables the MA target ring.
* Mage-summoned gear is no longer needed for corpse runs.
* Added resurrection to the abilities of Druids and Shamans.
* Noted that mana checks and buff checks can now be done directly by
viewing the other player's bars and buffs, though having the other
player report his status may often still be more efficient.
* Added a section on Mercenaries in the Grouping 101 document.
* Mentioned "/assist someone" as an alternative to targetting the someone
and using a generic "/assist" key.
* Mentioned /discipline alongside /cast and /doability for use in socials.
* Removed the warning that PC descriptions set up for viewing via /inspect
go away when you zone; that bug's been fixed for a while.
* Assorted other minor cleanup.
This FAQ is the work of the community of the alt.games.everquest newsgroup.
If you would like to visit this newsgroup but don't have usenet access, you
can access it through this portal at the Erollisi Marr community forums:
http://www.erollisimarr.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=64
If you see any errors or invalid links in this FAQ, or if you want to submit
content to be considered for inclusion, please contact the current Keeper of
the FAQ, Don Woods, at age-***@icynic.com. I will edit submissions as I see
fit for correctness, size, or style. I will not add any in-document credit
for any work submitted. This is not because I am ungrateful, but because
this FAQ is the product of many different people, over a very long period of
time, and I am simply unable to track them all down to provide proper credit.
It just doesn't seem right to give credit to some people and not to others.
============================================================
Contents
1. General Questions
2. Questions about EverQuest
3. Questions about How to Play
4. User Interface
5. Chat Channels
6. Posting in alt.games.everquest
7. EverQuest II
8. Miscellaneous Tips
9. Glossary
10. Useful Links
11. Comical Links and More
Note: In the web version of the FAQ, clicking on a question in the list
of questions takes you to the answer, and clicking on the question in the
answers section takes you back to that section of the questions list.
1. General Questions
1.1 What is the FAQ for?
1.2 What is the newsgroup for?
1.3 I think something in the FAQ is wrong. What should I do?
1.4 Where can I find the FAQ?
1.5 Why do you repost the FAQ every month? Why not just post a link to the
updated web site?
2. Questions about EverQuest
2.1 What is EverQuest?
2.2 What do I need to play the game?
2.3 What are these expansions I keep hearing about?
2.3.1 What is Ruins of Kunark?
2.3.2 What is Scars of Velious?
2.3.3 What is Shadows of Luclin?
2.3.4 What is Planes of Power?
2.3.5 What is Legacy of Ykesha?
2.3.6 What is Lost Dungeons of Norrath?
2.3.7 What is Gates of Discord?
2.3.8 What is Omens of War?
2.3.9 What is Dragons of Norrath?
2.3.10 What is Depths of Darkhollow?
2.3.11 What is Prophecy of Ro?
2.3.12 What is The Serpent's Spine?
2.3.13 What is The Buried Sea?
2.3.14 What is Secrets of Faydwer?
2.3.15 What is Seeds of Destruction?
2.4 What is EQ Macros and where can I get it?
2.5 Where are the EverQuest servers located?
2.6 There are so many servers! Which server should I choose?
2.7 What is the newest server?
2.8 What are the special servers all about?
2.8.1 What was EverQuest Legends?
2.8.2 What is the Test Server?
2.8.3 What is the Zek Server?
2.8.4 What is the Firiona Vie Server?
2.8.5 What is the Progression Server?
2.9 I bought a set of EQ disks and created an account. Can I give the disks
to someone else so they can create an account, too?
2.10 What are "veteran rewards" and how do I get them and use them?
3. Questions about How to Play
3.1 What do all these acronyms and jargon mean?
3.2 What is the best race/class combo to play?
3.3 Can I change which deity I worship, or become Agnostic?
3.4 What are the Priests of Discord for? Can I become a PK on regular
servers?
3.5 Can I transfer a character from one EverQuest account to another?
3.6 It would really be helpful if I could use Notepad or the web while I'm
playing. How can I switch out of EverQuest to a different window
(Alt+Tab) and return to the game?
3.6.1 How do I get Alt+Tab to work for Windows XP?
3.7 What is a hotkey?
3.8 How do I make a hotkey?
3.9 How do I make a spell a hotkey?
3.10 What is a social?
3.11 How do I make a social?
3.12 Where can I get an up-to-date list of commands and/or emotes?
3.13 Where should I hunt given my level/class/race?
3.14 How can I make money to buy spells and armor and stuff?
3.14.1 That's taking too long! How about I just beg some money?
3.14.2 Well, how about just buying plat then?
3.15 Why can mobs hit through walls?
3.16 Hey, I can't even play at all! The servers are down! What gives?
3.17 Why did I get chewed out for inspecting someone?
3.18 How can I send a message to my friend on another server?
3.19 Can I ignore someone on another server?
3.20 What is grouping about? What am I supposed to do in a group?
3.21 All those expansions, plus regular free patches that have tweaked the
game... I've heard that EverQuest's game balance has changed a lot since
it first came out. Is that true, and if so, how so?
3.22 What is a "guild"?
3.23 What is being in a player guild like?
3.24 What is autosplit and why is it unfair?
3.25 What is "stat food" and how do I use it?
3.26 What are the different languages used for in the game, and how do I learn
them?
3.27 What is "Fabled" all about?
3.28 The game keeps crashing! How can I fix it?
4. User Interface (UI)
4.1 How can I increase my frame rate to make the picture move more smoothly?
4.2 How do I change the colors of the text?
4.3 How can I see where I'm going when my map window fills so much of my
screen?
4.4 What's the key that opens the such-and-such window? Or whatever? And
can I change it?
4.5 What else can I change about the User Interface, and how?
4.6 I've heard I can use a different User Interface (UI) from the one that
comes with EverQuest. How do I do that?
4.7 How do I get the UI I have downloaded to work in EverQuest?
4.8 I play a warrior and do not need a caster or mana bar with my character.
How can I change this?
4.9 My UI does not work after the last patch. What happened?
4.10 I want to design and code my own UI. How do I go about it?
4.11 Sony changed the default UI and I liked the old one better. Can I change
it back?
4.12 What are audio triggers and how do I use them?
5. Chat Channels
5.1 What are chat channels?
5.2 How do I join/start a chat channel?
5.3 How do I leave a channel I have joined?
5.4 Can I automatically join a channel every time I log in?
5.5 How do I stop automatically joining a channel?
5.6 What are some current serverwide channels?
5.7 I've joined too many channels and now the text is flying by too fast!
What should I do? Can I have separate chat windows?
5.8 How do I find out how many people are in a channel and who?
5.9 Can I send text to a channel without knowing the channel number?
6. Posting in alt.games.everquest
6.1 I posted one innocent little question, and got flamed. Why?
6.2 So does that mean that I can't ask any questions here at all?
6.3 What is top posting, and why is it so hated here?
6.4 I've noticed a lot of unfriendly posts coming from the same people. This
newsgroup sure has its share of jerks, eh?
6.5 Will everyone hate me if I make an off topic comment or post?
6.6 I posted something I heard was true, and then some guy jumped all over me
for being wrong! Why did he make such a big deal over it?
6.7 What else should I know about newsgroup etiquette?
7. EverQuest II
7.1 What is this EverQuest II game that I hear about?
7.2 Does this mean that the EverQuest I am playing is ending?
7.3 Can I post about EQ II on alt.games.everquest?
7.4 How can I find out more about EverQuest II?
8. Miscellaneous Tips
8.1 Performance / Raid settings
8.2 Spellcasting
8.3 Corpses and other Targets
8.4 Socials and Speaking
8.5 General
8.6 Lost Dungeons of Norrath
8.6.1 How do I earn/spend points in the LDoN camps?
8.6.2 What is the Adventurers Stone for and how do I get it to improve?
8.6.3 What are some general LDoN tips?
9. Glossary
9.1 What abbreviations and jargon show up in the game?
9.2 What other abbreviations and jargon show up in the newsgroup?
10. Useful Links
11. Comical Links and More
============================================================
1. General Questions
1.1 Q: What is the FAQ for?
A: This FAQ is designed for a newcomer to the game Everquest and/or to this
newsgroup, but long-time players may also find useful tips, particularly with
regard to game features added after they learned how to play, as well as
various tools and techniques they may not have happened to encounter. It
attempts to answer some basic questions about the game, but owing to the
complexity and depth of EverQuest, it is not possible to answer all queries.
If you have a question that requires more detail, there is a list of URLs at
the end of this document that you might like to visit. (Or, of course, you
can post the question to the newsgroup.)
1.2 Q: What is the newsgroup for?
A: For the discussion of all things related to the game of EverQuest. Other
online games are occasionally mentioned, but generally only in passing or for
purposes of comparison. The particular "other game" called EverQuest II is
best discussed in alt.games.everquest2, and this FAQ does not cover it; see
section 7 for more on this.
1.3 Q: I think something in the FAQ is wrong. What should I do?
A: The current keeper of the FAQ is Don Woods, which is to say, me. I'm
relatively new to the game (started in late 2003) and don't have anywhere
near enough time to play, so I rely on community input to help me come up
with answers. If you see something wrong in the FAQ (or just have a
suggestion for an improvement), the best way to let me know about it is
either to reply to the thread that FAQ was posted to, or to send mail to
age-***@icynic.com. If you send mail, please include FAQ or EQ or EverQuest
in the subject so it'll be sure to get past my spam filters.
1.4 Q: Where can I find the FAQ?
A: A text version of the FAQ is posted to the newsgroup once a month; the
subject will always be the date of posting, but the "Last Updated" line will
show when significant changes were last made. The FAQ is also available as
a web page (with active links to answers, etc.) at
http://www.icynic.com/~don/EQ/age.faq.htm.
1.5 Q: Why do you repost the FAQ every month? Why not just post a link to
the updated web site?
A: Though some people read this group through the EMarr forums or other
web sites, a.g.e is actually part of a larger medium called "usenet". Usenet
predates the web by over a decade, and as such there was originally no place
to which to refer people for things like FAQs. Though things have evolved
somewhat, it's still the case that some people reading usenet groups do not
use a browser to do so, and thus it remains the convention that FAQs are
re-posted at regular intervals (commonly once per month). Posting the FAQ
also ensures that archive sites such as "Google Groups" will have up-to-date
copies on file in case the FAQ web site were to vanish suddenly.
If you're reading this in a web forum, you might bookmark the FAQ web site,
and take the monthly post as a signal to check the site and see what's new.
The web version generally has links from the "what's changed" section to the
more significant actual changes.
2. Questions about EverQuest
2.1 Q: What is EverQuest?
A: EverQuest is a real-time 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing
game (MMORPG) run by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). Another equally
accurate way of describing EverQuest is to call it a graphical MUD.
2.2 Q: What do I need to play the game?
A: Ideally you should check Sony's web site regarding system requirements,
since they are subject to change as the game evolves. But here's what Sony
said as of fairly recently:
Minimum Required Specs:
* Windows(R) 98/2000/ME/XP
* Pentium(R) II 400 equivalent or greater
* 256 MB RAM
* Graphics card: ATI Radeon 7500 / NVidia GeForce 1 equivalent or greater
* DirectX Compatible Sound Card
* 28.8k + Internet Connection
* 4X Speed CD-ROM
* 500 MB Hard Drive Space
* DirectX 9.0c (November 2007 version or later)
* EverQuest Classic and a valid EverQuest account
* Note: Not all Direct 3D cards are supported. See site for list.
Recommended Specs:
* Windows(R) 98/2000/ME/XP
* Pentium(R) 4 equivalent or greater
* 512 MB RAM
* NVidia GeForce 3 / ATI Radeon 8500 equivalent or greater
* DirectX Compatible Sound Card
* 56.6k + Internet Connection
* 16X Speed CD-ROM
* 2.5+ GB Hard Drive Space
* DirectX 9.0c (November 2007 version or later)
* EverQuest Classic and a valid EverQuest account
Note that your graphics card and system need to support Direct X 9.0,
and that Windows 95 is no longer supported at all.
You will also need a valid credit card, or a pre-paid game card. (In some
countries you may be able to link your game account directly to a bank
account.)
2.3 Q: What are these expansions I keep hearing about?
A: Expansions add new content to the game: new locations, new quests, new
monsters, new skills, and also new user interface features. If you want
access to the new stuff, you have to buy the expansion, but you can also
keep playing the game without the new features. Like the original game,
you only pay once for the expansion; your monthly fee doesn't change. Most
recent expansions to EverQuest have included all previous expansions as part
of the package, making it easier for new or returning players to get up to
date on content.
There have been fifteen expansions to EverQuest so far: Ruins of Kunark,
Scars of Velious, Shadows of Luclin, Planes of Power, Legacy of Ykesha, Lost
Dungeons of Norrath, Gates of Discord, Omens of War, Dragons of Norrath,
Depths of Darkhollow, Prophecy of Ro, The Serpent's Spine, The Buried Sea,
Secrets of Faydwer, and most recently Seeds of Destruction, released in
October 2008. For a while there was an expansion every six months, but
more recently that's been scaled back to once a year.
2.3.1 Q: What is Ruins of Kunark?
A: Commonly called Kunark, Ruins of Kunark was the first EverQuest
expansion to be released. It included a new continent with many new zones
to adventure in, with lots of new dungeons, items, mobs, quests, and spells,
plus a new race that players could choose to play, the Iksar lizard-men.
People with this expansion also were allowed to advance beyond level 50 (up
to level 60), which was previously impossible.
2.3.2 Q: What is Scars of Velious?
A: Commonly called Velious, Scars of Velious is an expansion similar
to The Ruins of Kunark, including another new continent with new zones,
dungeons, items, mobs, quests, spells, level 60 cap, etc. However, it
was geared towards higher level players (level 30+) and did not include
a new playable race.
2.3.3 Q: What is Shadows of Luclin?
A: Commonly called SoL or Luclin, this expansion added new zones on the
moon, including new hunting areas for all levels, and four new cities. It
added the beastlord class and a new playable race, the Vah Shir cat people.
It added Alternate Advancement abilities as a new way to spend experience
(especially for characters who were already at the level cap and thus could
not use experience to gain levels). It also added the Nexus spires to
somewhat facilitate transportation, The Bazaar as a place to trade items
with other players, and new, more detailed player character models.
2.3.4 Q: What is Planes of Power?
A: Commonly called PoP, this expansion raised the level cap to 65, greatly
expanded the Alternate Advancement options available, added the ability to
form raids of up to 72 people, and added a very efficient transportation
system, with direct teleportation between the Plane of Knowledge and most
major cities. It provided additional hunting grounds for levels 46 and up.
2.3.5 Q: What is Legacy of Ykesha?
A: Commonly called LoY, this expansion added expanded bank space, in-game
maps, armor dyes for all slots that show a graphic, the story window, a log
journal, Frogloks as a playable race, and a few new hunting zones for levels
40 and up.
2.3.6 Q: What is Lost Dungeons of Norrath?
A: Commonly called LDoN, this expansion provided "instanced" dungeons. An
instanced dungeon can be accessed only by the group that activated it. To
activate a dungeon, the group must have at least 3 members, and the members
must all be within 10 levels of each other. (Originally the limit was seven
levels.) Dungeons have missions that must be completed within 90 minutes,
or 120 minutes for a lesser reward. A win or partial win grants each member
a number of Adventure Points that can be spent in the Wayfarer camps (which
is also where missions are assigned). LDoN also introduced the concept of
"augmentations", which are items that can be combined with other gear to add
stats or abilities.
2.3.7 Q: What is Gates of Discord?
A: Commonly called GoD, this expansion added a large tradeskill-oriented
boat/city zone, as well as the berserker class, plus normal and instanced
zones aimed at characters level 50 and higher. It added a "tribute" system
where one can trade plat (game money) or items for buffs by talking to an NPC
in the character's home city. It also added "Leadership Experience",
wherein the leader of a group of three or more members, or the leader of a
raid, can choose for 20% of the experience they earn to be diverted into
Leadership Points, with which they then purchase various abilities that
enhance the performance of people in their group, including later groups.
(Only members who also have the GoD expansion get the direct benefits of the
group leader's Leadership Abilities.)
2.3.8 Q: What is Omens of War?
A: Commonly called OoW, this expansion raised the level cap from 65 to 70,
and added new zones for the high-end crowd. It added quests for upgraded
"Epic weapons", voice macros, more Alternate Advancement skills (including
one that will provide an extra spell slot, and ones that let players have
more active buffs), new player titles, and a "task" system which is a series
of specialized individual quests geared towards characters of most levels
(with varying degrees of success). It also expanded the tribute system from
Gates of Discord to let tribute be shared by all players within a guild.
2.3.9 Q: What is Dragons of Norrath?
A: Commonly called DoN, this added new, mostly high-level content off the
Lavastorm Mountains. Players can go on "missions" (sort of a cross between
tasks and LDoN adventures) for crystals that can be traded among players and
cashed in for special gear. It also added the Bandolier and Potion Belt for
quick access to selected inventory items, Guild Halls (with guild banks and
other useful features, including some available to non-guilded players via
the Guild Lobby), the ability to set up a Buyer in the Bazaar, and cultural
tradeskill-related quests at many levels. DoN also introduced in-game
mailboxes, which are available to all players whether they've purchased the
expansion or not.
2.3.10 Q: What is Depths of Darkhollow?
A: Commonly called DoD (or DoDH), this added new, mostly high-level content
(for levels 45+) off Nektulos Forest. Players with this expansion can also
form groups that, regardless of their character levels, can take on "monster
missions", where they take the role of monsters in an instanced event (such
as a dragon defending its lair); success in these missions yields rewards
for the "real" characters. Characters can also get "spirit shrouds" that let
them take on "monster" forms with different abilities (e.g., a cleric could
play as a warrior-type monster, or vice versa). The expansion also added
"evolving items" that become more powerful as their owner gains experience.
2.3.11 Q: What is Prophecy of Ro?
A: Commonly called PoR, this expansion added new, mostly high-level
content (levels 60+) in zones and missions accessed from Freeport and the
Desert of Ro (both of which were revamped as part of the release of PoR).
It also added player-settable traps and "auras" (spells that set up an
area-effect buff), the ability to destroy certain walls and other objects
in the new zones, increased bank space, and some new tradeskill quests.
2.3.12 Q: What is The Serpent's Spine?
A: Commonly called TSS or just SS, this expansion added the Drakkin
race and their starting city, Crescent Reach (which can also be used as a
starting city for new characters of other races), plus other new zones off
of Highhold Pass. The level cap was raised to 75, and the new zones
have content for all levels 1 through 75. Many other changes were made
at the same time as TSS but are available without buying the expansion, such
as reduced downtime when out-of-combat and faster accumulation of Alternate
Advancement points. This was also when the color system for identifying
monster levels changed to include gray. (TSS was also the first EQ expansion
without "of" in its name!)
2.3.13 Q: What is The Buried Sea?
A: Commonly called TBS, this expansion added new content off Toxxulia
Forest for levels 70-75. It added "guild banners" that guilds can use to
let members teleport quickly from the guild hall to wherever the guild is
raiding, and a similar mechanism called "campfires" that can be used by
"fellowships" of up to nine players. The Buried Sea also added an inventory
slot for a new "Energeian power source" that affects all Energeian-based
(also known as "infusible") gear you have on.
2.3.14 Q: What is Secrets of Faydwer?
A: Commonly called SoF, this expansion raised the level cap to 80 and added
new clockwork-themed content off the Steamfont Mountains, aimed almost solely
at levels 75-80. SoF introduced items that bestow "heroic" stats, which
automatically raise the corresponding stat caps to allow increases beyond the
normal caps, as well as granting various additional benefits.
2.3.15 Q: What is Seeds of Destruction?
A: Commonly called SoD, this expansion raised the level cap to 85 and added
new content set in the distant past, aimed almost solely at levels 75-85.
It introduced "mercenaries", NPCs that you can hire using in-game money and
add to your party. Other details are sketchy as the content is not yet
well-explored.
2.4 Q: What is EQ Macros and where can I get it?
A: EQMacros was a program whose purpose was to provide a way for users to
circumvent some of the more tedious aspects of the game. It also dispensed
with some character disadvantages, such as night blindness. Third-party
macro programs, such as EQMacros, tend to be frowned upon by both SOE and
a large number of players. Therefore, they will not be discussed in detail
in the FAQ. This is a controversial subject in this newsgroup, and has been
argued to death. Posting questions on this subject is generally discouraged.
2.5 Q: Where are the EverQuest servers located?
A: The entire EverQuest universe (at present, about 25 separate worlds) is
run on approximately 1,000 servers. These are located in an onsite
datacenter and at AT&T CERFnet (in San Diego). The Antonius Bayle server
is located in the UK. The servers Venril Sathir, Kael Drakkel, and Sebilis
are located in Europe.
2.6 Q: There are so many servers! Which server should I choose?
A: For the most part it doesn't matter; the game is the same on all of them,
except for a few special servers. Characters generally stay on whichever
server they start on (moving them costs real money), so if you have friends
who are already playing, you may want to play on the same server they're on.
All the servers, wherever they are located, tend to have players from all
parts of the (real) world, but depending on where you are you may find that
some servers have more or fewer people playing at the same times you do.
(More is usually better!) The most recently added server tends to have a
slightly higher concentration of novice players and somewhat fewer top-level
characters, which has both good and bad points.
In early 2005, various pairs of servers were merged, presumably with the goal
of making it easier for players to find other people to group with. Each
merger came with a one-time opportunity for players on the affected servers to
move their characters for free to another server, so this was an opportunity
for friends on different servers to bring their characters together.
Incidentally, the servers tend to be named after deities and other major
characters from the game.
2.7 Q: What is the newest server?
A: The last regular server added was Morden Rasp in February, 2004. This
server allowed transfers from other servers from the very start, so never
really had a "virgin" economy, and was merged with the Povar server in 2005.
The last server added that did not allow transfers is Stromm, added in May,
2003. While this server's economy was not "contaminated" by an influx of
transfers, it has had enough time to be considered mature.
The newest servers overall are currently the Progression servers.
2.8 Q: What are the special servers all about?
A: The special servers include EverQuest Legends (now defunct), Test, Zek,
Firiona Vie, and the Progression servers. These have different rulesets
or conditions that change the gaming experience to varying degrees from the
regular servers. In general, all the special servers except Progression have
lower server populations. Your regular subscription fee lets you keep
characters on all of the current servers, regular or special.
2.8.1 Q: What was EverQuest Legends?
A: EverQuest Legends refers to the now-defunct Stormhammer server, a premium
service server. Players had to pay extra to be able to create characters on
Stormhammer, where the game included various bonus features and increased
dynamic content and customer service via GM-driven events. The Legends server
was shut down in early 2006, with existing characters being offered a chance
to transfer for free to regular servers. Note that the Legends server is not
related to the collectible trading card game, Legends of Norrath, which was
introduced in late 2007.
2.8.2 Q: What is the Test Server?
A: This server is designed to be a place where the developers can see how
potential changes to the game will work when regular players interact with
them. Players on Test often get to see new developments to EQ before
people on production servers do (if the changes get implemented at all).
They also play on the most unstable server available. The Test server is
frequently taken off line, with and without warning, and there can be small
rollbacks where minutes or hours of gameplay may be undone. Also there
is a chance that SOE might elect to do a total character or equipment wipe.
To date, there has never been a character wipe, and there was one total
equipment wipe. To access the Test server you must go into your EverQuest
folder and run the application TestEverQuest.
2.8.3 Q: What is the Zek Server?
A: This is a server on which all players are subject to Player versus Player
(PvP) gameplay as well as the Player versus Environment gameplay. There used
to be four such servers (Sullon Zek, Rallos Zek, Tallon Zek, and Vallon Zek)
with varying PvP rules, but due to declining population they were merged in
early 2005 to form a single server, Zek, using the Rallos Zek ruleset. Many
people love the PvP experience, while others hate it and consider the Zek
inhabitants to be among the worst "griefers" that EQ has to offer. While it
is up to the new player to decide their feelings on this matter, many would
consider it a good idea for truly new EQ players to get a handle on the PvE
aspects of the game before having to deal with the added challenges of PvP.
2.8.4 Q: What is the Firiona Vie Server?
A: Firiona Vie is a "roleplaying preferred" server. This server has
several special rules including a limit of three characters per account (the
limit was one per account until late 2008), Trivial Loot Code (TLC) where if
a mob is gray to anyone in the party that killed it then any loot tagged
Lore or Magic disappears (poof!), the ability to trade many items tagged "No
Trade" on other servers, and a lack of Common Tongue (each race starts with
their own racial language, and Common is replaced with Human). The old
rules about alignment grouping restrictions and language learning have been
lifted. SOE doesn't enforce any roleplaying rules, though several
members of the server do with varying degrees of commitment.
2.8.5 Q: What is the Progression Server?
A: Two Progression Servers, called The Combine and The Sleeper, were opened
in mid-2006 as a way of recreating some of the experience of playing the
game as it evolved. These servers used the same rules as the regular servers,
but most of the content (zones and quests) was not available until players on
the server accomplished certain key events, such as defeating top encounters
from the earlier content. This is based mostly on the expansions that have
been added over the years; thus, no content from Ruins of Kunark or later
expansions (and especially the easy travel and other amenities offered by
the Plane of Knowledge) was initially available. Many long-time players
returned to give these servers a try, and they were also an interesting way
for new players to start out on a more equal footing. As more advanced
content was unlocked, populations apparently waned, and characters on The
Sleeper were merged into The Combine server in March 2007 (by which date the
servers had advanced past Lost Dungeons of Norrath into Gates of Discord).
2.9 Q: I bought a set of EQ disks and created an account. Can I give the
disks to someone else so they can create an account, too?
A: No. The disks let you install the game on any number of computers,
but to play the game you need an account (the station name and password you
use when you log in). To create a new account you need a special "code", a
string of letters and numbers that came with the disks. Each code can be
used to create only one account. You can use the account from more than one
computer (though only one at a time), so if you go to a friend's house you
can bring your disks, install EverQuest, and log in and play using the same
characters you play at home. But to create a separate account, with a new
set of characters, you must pay for a new account creation code (e.g., by
buying another set of disks).
2.10 Q: What are "veteran rewards" and how do I get them and use them?
A: Veteran rewards were added in May 2005 to reward long-time players, but
newer players may also reap some benefits. However many years your account
has been active, you can claim the rewards on that many characters, and each
of those characters will get as many rewards as the number of years. Thus,
if your account has been active three years, then each of three characters
can claim the first three veteran rewards. The rewards are things like
double experience for half an hour once per day, recover full hit points and
mana once per three days, etc. You can read full details at
http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=50003&month=042005.
To claim the rewards on a particular character, log in as that character and
type /veteran. You'll be asked to confirm, because the choice is permanent,
counting toward your limit of characters eligible to claim the rewards. To
use the rewards, go to the Alternative Advancement window (via the button in
the bottom left of the Inventory window) and select the Veteran tab. Select
a reward and click the Hotkey button to make a hotkey that you can use to
activate the reward. (If you find the names confusing, you can create your
own hotkeys and use /alt activate ### to invoke them. Do "/alt list" to get a
list of activated AAs, including the veteran rewards.)
When activated, some vet rewards show up in your buff window (and presumably
count toward the maximum number of buffs you can have active). However, they
are immune to being dispelled, and their timers continue to count down even
when you're in the Guild Hall or Lobby.
[End of part 1 of 5]
Last Updated: October 31, 2008
Latest Changes:
* Added Seeds of Destruction to the list of expansions, but with scant
description of the content.
* Updated various items to reflect recent changes to the game. Since it
might be interesting to see which of the recent changes affected things
basic enough to be mentioned in the FAQ, here's a list. (Some of these
actually changed a while ago but the FAQ hadn't caught up.)
* Under "how has the game changed", noted even fewer consequences for
dying, still higher level cap, and addition of mercenaries.
* Players on the Firiona Vie server can have more than one character
per account.
* In discussing guilds, noted that much high-end raid content now is
instanced, making scheduling of targets less of an issue.
* Removed most of the details about LDoN in the "how has the game
changed" section, turning it into a summary of instanced content.
* Updated various UI instructions, such as how to turn off detailed
character models and how to change text colors.
* Described the Potion Belt as an alternative to hotkeys when the items
are inside your bags.
* Noted "/hidecorpses npc" as an alternative to "all" or "allbutgroup".
* Rewrote the section that warned about needing to re-memorise spells
after dying, saying instead you keep your spells but lose all buffs.
* Mentioned that mercenaries, like pets, stay targetted on the corpse of
the last thing they killed, so you can assist them and then use /loot.
* Removed various warnings against accidentally looting your corpse.
* Changed the tip about leaving "Temporary" items on corpses, replacing
it with a warning that this no longer works (since you keep your gear).
Also reworded the definition of CR (corpse run) in the Glossary.
* In the Grouping 101 document, noted you can set group roles, which
affects mercenaries' behavior and also enables the MA target ring.
* Mage-summoned gear is no longer needed for corpse runs.
* Added resurrection to the abilities of Druids and Shamans.
* Noted that mana checks and buff checks can now be done directly by
viewing the other player's bars and buffs, though having the other
player report his status may often still be more efficient.
* Added a section on Mercenaries in the Grouping 101 document.
* Mentioned "/assist someone" as an alternative to targetting the someone
and using a generic "/assist" key.
* Mentioned /discipline alongside /cast and /doability for use in socials.
* Removed the warning that PC descriptions set up for viewing via /inspect
go away when you zone; that bug's been fixed for a while.
* Assorted other minor cleanup.
This FAQ is the work of the community of the alt.games.everquest newsgroup.
If you would like to visit this newsgroup but don't have usenet access, you
can access it through this portal at the Erollisi Marr community forums:
http://www.erollisimarr.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=64
If you see any errors or invalid links in this FAQ, or if you want to submit
content to be considered for inclusion, please contact the current Keeper of
the FAQ, Don Woods, at age-***@icynic.com. I will edit submissions as I see
fit for correctness, size, or style. I will not add any in-document credit
for any work submitted. This is not because I am ungrateful, but because
this FAQ is the product of many different people, over a very long period of
time, and I am simply unable to track them all down to provide proper credit.
It just doesn't seem right to give credit to some people and not to others.
============================================================
Contents
1. General Questions
2. Questions about EverQuest
3. Questions about How to Play
4. User Interface
5. Chat Channels
6. Posting in alt.games.everquest
7. EverQuest II
8. Miscellaneous Tips
9. Glossary
10. Useful Links
11. Comical Links and More
Note: In the web version of the FAQ, clicking on a question in the list
of questions takes you to the answer, and clicking on the question in the
answers section takes you back to that section of the questions list.
1. General Questions
1.1 What is the FAQ for?
1.2 What is the newsgroup for?
1.3 I think something in the FAQ is wrong. What should I do?
1.4 Where can I find the FAQ?
1.5 Why do you repost the FAQ every month? Why not just post a link to the
updated web site?
2. Questions about EverQuest
2.1 What is EverQuest?
2.2 What do I need to play the game?
2.3 What are these expansions I keep hearing about?
2.3.1 What is Ruins of Kunark?
2.3.2 What is Scars of Velious?
2.3.3 What is Shadows of Luclin?
2.3.4 What is Planes of Power?
2.3.5 What is Legacy of Ykesha?
2.3.6 What is Lost Dungeons of Norrath?
2.3.7 What is Gates of Discord?
2.3.8 What is Omens of War?
2.3.9 What is Dragons of Norrath?
2.3.10 What is Depths of Darkhollow?
2.3.11 What is Prophecy of Ro?
2.3.12 What is The Serpent's Spine?
2.3.13 What is The Buried Sea?
2.3.14 What is Secrets of Faydwer?
2.3.15 What is Seeds of Destruction?
2.4 What is EQ Macros and where can I get it?
2.5 Where are the EverQuest servers located?
2.6 There are so many servers! Which server should I choose?
2.7 What is the newest server?
2.8 What are the special servers all about?
2.8.1 What was EverQuest Legends?
2.8.2 What is the Test Server?
2.8.3 What is the Zek Server?
2.8.4 What is the Firiona Vie Server?
2.8.5 What is the Progression Server?
2.9 I bought a set of EQ disks and created an account. Can I give the disks
to someone else so they can create an account, too?
2.10 What are "veteran rewards" and how do I get them and use them?
3. Questions about How to Play
3.1 What do all these acronyms and jargon mean?
3.2 What is the best race/class combo to play?
3.3 Can I change which deity I worship, or become Agnostic?
3.4 What are the Priests of Discord for? Can I become a PK on regular
servers?
3.5 Can I transfer a character from one EverQuest account to another?
3.6 It would really be helpful if I could use Notepad or the web while I'm
playing. How can I switch out of EverQuest to a different window
(Alt+Tab) and return to the game?
3.6.1 How do I get Alt+Tab to work for Windows XP?
3.7 What is a hotkey?
3.8 How do I make a hotkey?
3.9 How do I make a spell a hotkey?
3.10 What is a social?
3.11 How do I make a social?
3.12 Where can I get an up-to-date list of commands and/or emotes?
3.13 Where should I hunt given my level/class/race?
3.14 How can I make money to buy spells and armor and stuff?
3.14.1 That's taking too long! How about I just beg some money?
3.14.2 Well, how about just buying plat then?
3.15 Why can mobs hit through walls?
3.16 Hey, I can't even play at all! The servers are down! What gives?
3.17 Why did I get chewed out for inspecting someone?
3.18 How can I send a message to my friend on another server?
3.19 Can I ignore someone on another server?
3.20 What is grouping about? What am I supposed to do in a group?
3.21 All those expansions, plus regular free patches that have tweaked the
game... I've heard that EverQuest's game balance has changed a lot since
it first came out. Is that true, and if so, how so?
3.22 What is a "guild"?
3.23 What is being in a player guild like?
3.24 What is autosplit and why is it unfair?
3.25 What is "stat food" and how do I use it?
3.26 What are the different languages used for in the game, and how do I learn
them?
3.27 What is "Fabled" all about?
3.28 The game keeps crashing! How can I fix it?
4. User Interface (UI)
4.1 How can I increase my frame rate to make the picture move more smoothly?
4.2 How do I change the colors of the text?
4.3 How can I see where I'm going when my map window fills so much of my
screen?
4.4 What's the key that opens the such-and-such window? Or whatever? And
can I change it?
4.5 What else can I change about the User Interface, and how?
4.6 I've heard I can use a different User Interface (UI) from the one that
comes with EverQuest. How do I do that?
4.7 How do I get the UI I have downloaded to work in EverQuest?
4.8 I play a warrior and do not need a caster or mana bar with my character.
How can I change this?
4.9 My UI does not work after the last patch. What happened?
4.10 I want to design and code my own UI. How do I go about it?
4.11 Sony changed the default UI and I liked the old one better. Can I change
it back?
4.12 What are audio triggers and how do I use them?
5. Chat Channels
5.1 What are chat channels?
5.2 How do I join/start a chat channel?
5.3 How do I leave a channel I have joined?
5.4 Can I automatically join a channel every time I log in?
5.5 How do I stop automatically joining a channel?
5.6 What are some current serverwide channels?
5.7 I've joined too many channels and now the text is flying by too fast!
What should I do? Can I have separate chat windows?
5.8 How do I find out how many people are in a channel and who?
5.9 Can I send text to a channel without knowing the channel number?
6. Posting in alt.games.everquest
6.1 I posted one innocent little question, and got flamed. Why?
6.2 So does that mean that I can't ask any questions here at all?
6.3 What is top posting, and why is it so hated here?
6.4 I've noticed a lot of unfriendly posts coming from the same people. This
newsgroup sure has its share of jerks, eh?
6.5 Will everyone hate me if I make an off topic comment or post?
6.6 I posted something I heard was true, and then some guy jumped all over me
for being wrong! Why did he make such a big deal over it?
6.7 What else should I know about newsgroup etiquette?
7. EverQuest II
7.1 What is this EverQuest II game that I hear about?
7.2 Does this mean that the EverQuest I am playing is ending?
7.3 Can I post about EQ II on alt.games.everquest?
7.4 How can I find out more about EverQuest II?
8. Miscellaneous Tips
8.1 Performance / Raid settings
8.2 Spellcasting
8.3 Corpses and other Targets
8.4 Socials and Speaking
8.5 General
8.6 Lost Dungeons of Norrath
8.6.1 How do I earn/spend points in the LDoN camps?
8.6.2 What is the Adventurers Stone for and how do I get it to improve?
8.6.3 What are some general LDoN tips?
9. Glossary
9.1 What abbreviations and jargon show up in the game?
9.2 What other abbreviations and jargon show up in the newsgroup?
10. Useful Links
11. Comical Links and More
============================================================
1. General Questions
1.1 Q: What is the FAQ for?
A: This FAQ is designed for a newcomer to the game Everquest and/or to this
newsgroup, but long-time players may also find useful tips, particularly with
regard to game features added after they learned how to play, as well as
various tools and techniques they may not have happened to encounter. It
attempts to answer some basic questions about the game, but owing to the
complexity and depth of EverQuest, it is not possible to answer all queries.
If you have a question that requires more detail, there is a list of URLs at
the end of this document that you might like to visit. (Or, of course, you
can post the question to the newsgroup.)
1.2 Q: What is the newsgroup for?
A: For the discussion of all things related to the game of EverQuest. Other
online games are occasionally mentioned, but generally only in passing or for
purposes of comparison. The particular "other game" called EverQuest II is
best discussed in alt.games.everquest2, and this FAQ does not cover it; see
section 7 for more on this.
1.3 Q: I think something in the FAQ is wrong. What should I do?
A: The current keeper of the FAQ is Don Woods, which is to say, me. I'm
relatively new to the game (started in late 2003) and don't have anywhere
near enough time to play, so I rely on community input to help me come up
with answers. If you see something wrong in the FAQ (or just have a
suggestion for an improvement), the best way to let me know about it is
either to reply to the thread that FAQ was posted to, or to send mail to
age-***@icynic.com. If you send mail, please include FAQ or EQ or EverQuest
in the subject so it'll be sure to get past my spam filters.
1.4 Q: Where can I find the FAQ?
A: A text version of the FAQ is posted to the newsgroup once a month; the
subject will always be the date of posting, but the "Last Updated" line will
show when significant changes were last made. The FAQ is also available as
a web page (with active links to answers, etc.) at
http://www.icynic.com/~don/EQ/age.faq.htm.
1.5 Q: Why do you repost the FAQ every month? Why not just post a link to
the updated web site?
A: Though some people read this group through the EMarr forums or other
web sites, a.g.e is actually part of a larger medium called "usenet". Usenet
predates the web by over a decade, and as such there was originally no place
to which to refer people for things like FAQs. Though things have evolved
somewhat, it's still the case that some people reading usenet groups do not
use a browser to do so, and thus it remains the convention that FAQs are
re-posted at regular intervals (commonly once per month). Posting the FAQ
also ensures that archive sites such as "Google Groups" will have up-to-date
copies on file in case the FAQ web site were to vanish suddenly.
If you're reading this in a web forum, you might bookmark the FAQ web site,
and take the monthly post as a signal to check the site and see what's new.
The web version generally has links from the "what's changed" section to the
more significant actual changes.
2. Questions about EverQuest
2.1 Q: What is EverQuest?
A: EverQuest is a real-time 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing
game (MMORPG) run by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). Another equally
accurate way of describing EverQuest is to call it a graphical MUD.
2.2 Q: What do I need to play the game?
A: Ideally you should check Sony's web site regarding system requirements,
since they are subject to change as the game evolves. But here's what Sony
said as of fairly recently:
Minimum Required Specs:
* Windows(R) 98/2000/ME/XP
* Pentium(R) II 400 equivalent or greater
* 256 MB RAM
* Graphics card: ATI Radeon 7500 / NVidia GeForce 1 equivalent or greater
* DirectX Compatible Sound Card
* 28.8k + Internet Connection
* 4X Speed CD-ROM
* 500 MB Hard Drive Space
* DirectX 9.0c (November 2007 version or later)
* EverQuest Classic and a valid EverQuest account
* Note: Not all Direct 3D cards are supported. See site for list.
Recommended Specs:
* Windows(R) 98/2000/ME/XP
* Pentium(R) 4 equivalent or greater
* 512 MB RAM
* NVidia GeForce 3 / ATI Radeon 8500 equivalent or greater
* DirectX Compatible Sound Card
* 56.6k + Internet Connection
* 16X Speed CD-ROM
* 2.5+ GB Hard Drive Space
* DirectX 9.0c (November 2007 version or later)
* EverQuest Classic and a valid EverQuest account
Note that your graphics card and system need to support Direct X 9.0,
and that Windows 95 is no longer supported at all.
You will also need a valid credit card, or a pre-paid game card. (In some
countries you may be able to link your game account directly to a bank
account.)
2.3 Q: What are these expansions I keep hearing about?
A: Expansions add new content to the game: new locations, new quests, new
monsters, new skills, and also new user interface features. If you want
access to the new stuff, you have to buy the expansion, but you can also
keep playing the game without the new features. Like the original game,
you only pay once for the expansion; your monthly fee doesn't change. Most
recent expansions to EverQuest have included all previous expansions as part
of the package, making it easier for new or returning players to get up to
date on content.
There have been fifteen expansions to EverQuest so far: Ruins of Kunark,
Scars of Velious, Shadows of Luclin, Planes of Power, Legacy of Ykesha, Lost
Dungeons of Norrath, Gates of Discord, Omens of War, Dragons of Norrath,
Depths of Darkhollow, Prophecy of Ro, The Serpent's Spine, The Buried Sea,
Secrets of Faydwer, and most recently Seeds of Destruction, released in
October 2008. For a while there was an expansion every six months, but
more recently that's been scaled back to once a year.
2.3.1 Q: What is Ruins of Kunark?
A: Commonly called Kunark, Ruins of Kunark was the first EverQuest
expansion to be released. It included a new continent with many new zones
to adventure in, with lots of new dungeons, items, mobs, quests, and spells,
plus a new race that players could choose to play, the Iksar lizard-men.
People with this expansion also were allowed to advance beyond level 50 (up
to level 60), which was previously impossible.
2.3.2 Q: What is Scars of Velious?
A: Commonly called Velious, Scars of Velious is an expansion similar
to The Ruins of Kunark, including another new continent with new zones,
dungeons, items, mobs, quests, spells, level 60 cap, etc. However, it
was geared towards higher level players (level 30+) and did not include
a new playable race.
2.3.3 Q: What is Shadows of Luclin?
A: Commonly called SoL or Luclin, this expansion added new zones on the
moon, including new hunting areas for all levels, and four new cities. It
added the beastlord class and a new playable race, the Vah Shir cat people.
It added Alternate Advancement abilities as a new way to spend experience
(especially for characters who were already at the level cap and thus could
not use experience to gain levels). It also added the Nexus spires to
somewhat facilitate transportation, The Bazaar as a place to trade items
with other players, and new, more detailed player character models.
2.3.4 Q: What is Planes of Power?
A: Commonly called PoP, this expansion raised the level cap to 65, greatly
expanded the Alternate Advancement options available, added the ability to
form raids of up to 72 people, and added a very efficient transportation
system, with direct teleportation between the Plane of Knowledge and most
major cities. It provided additional hunting grounds for levels 46 and up.
2.3.5 Q: What is Legacy of Ykesha?
A: Commonly called LoY, this expansion added expanded bank space, in-game
maps, armor dyes for all slots that show a graphic, the story window, a log
journal, Frogloks as a playable race, and a few new hunting zones for levels
40 and up.
2.3.6 Q: What is Lost Dungeons of Norrath?
A: Commonly called LDoN, this expansion provided "instanced" dungeons. An
instanced dungeon can be accessed only by the group that activated it. To
activate a dungeon, the group must have at least 3 members, and the members
must all be within 10 levels of each other. (Originally the limit was seven
levels.) Dungeons have missions that must be completed within 90 minutes,
or 120 minutes for a lesser reward. A win or partial win grants each member
a number of Adventure Points that can be spent in the Wayfarer camps (which
is also where missions are assigned). LDoN also introduced the concept of
"augmentations", which are items that can be combined with other gear to add
stats or abilities.
2.3.7 Q: What is Gates of Discord?
A: Commonly called GoD, this expansion added a large tradeskill-oriented
boat/city zone, as well as the berserker class, plus normal and instanced
zones aimed at characters level 50 and higher. It added a "tribute" system
where one can trade plat (game money) or items for buffs by talking to an NPC
in the character's home city. It also added "Leadership Experience",
wherein the leader of a group of three or more members, or the leader of a
raid, can choose for 20% of the experience they earn to be diverted into
Leadership Points, with which they then purchase various abilities that
enhance the performance of people in their group, including later groups.
(Only members who also have the GoD expansion get the direct benefits of the
group leader's Leadership Abilities.)
2.3.8 Q: What is Omens of War?
A: Commonly called OoW, this expansion raised the level cap from 65 to 70,
and added new zones for the high-end crowd. It added quests for upgraded
"Epic weapons", voice macros, more Alternate Advancement skills (including
one that will provide an extra spell slot, and ones that let players have
more active buffs), new player titles, and a "task" system which is a series
of specialized individual quests geared towards characters of most levels
(with varying degrees of success). It also expanded the tribute system from
Gates of Discord to let tribute be shared by all players within a guild.
2.3.9 Q: What is Dragons of Norrath?
A: Commonly called DoN, this added new, mostly high-level content off the
Lavastorm Mountains. Players can go on "missions" (sort of a cross between
tasks and LDoN adventures) for crystals that can be traded among players and
cashed in for special gear. It also added the Bandolier and Potion Belt for
quick access to selected inventory items, Guild Halls (with guild banks and
other useful features, including some available to non-guilded players via
the Guild Lobby), the ability to set up a Buyer in the Bazaar, and cultural
tradeskill-related quests at many levels. DoN also introduced in-game
mailboxes, which are available to all players whether they've purchased the
expansion or not.
2.3.10 Q: What is Depths of Darkhollow?
A: Commonly called DoD (or DoDH), this added new, mostly high-level content
(for levels 45+) off Nektulos Forest. Players with this expansion can also
form groups that, regardless of their character levels, can take on "monster
missions", where they take the role of monsters in an instanced event (such
as a dragon defending its lair); success in these missions yields rewards
for the "real" characters. Characters can also get "spirit shrouds" that let
them take on "monster" forms with different abilities (e.g., a cleric could
play as a warrior-type monster, or vice versa). The expansion also added
"evolving items" that become more powerful as their owner gains experience.
2.3.11 Q: What is Prophecy of Ro?
A: Commonly called PoR, this expansion added new, mostly high-level
content (levels 60+) in zones and missions accessed from Freeport and the
Desert of Ro (both of which were revamped as part of the release of PoR).
It also added player-settable traps and "auras" (spells that set up an
area-effect buff), the ability to destroy certain walls and other objects
in the new zones, increased bank space, and some new tradeskill quests.
2.3.12 Q: What is The Serpent's Spine?
A: Commonly called TSS or just SS, this expansion added the Drakkin
race and their starting city, Crescent Reach (which can also be used as a
starting city for new characters of other races), plus other new zones off
of Highhold Pass. The level cap was raised to 75, and the new zones
have content for all levels 1 through 75. Many other changes were made
at the same time as TSS but are available without buying the expansion, such
as reduced downtime when out-of-combat and faster accumulation of Alternate
Advancement points. This was also when the color system for identifying
monster levels changed to include gray. (TSS was also the first EQ expansion
without "of" in its name!)
2.3.13 Q: What is The Buried Sea?
A: Commonly called TBS, this expansion added new content off Toxxulia
Forest for levels 70-75. It added "guild banners" that guilds can use to
let members teleport quickly from the guild hall to wherever the guild is
raiding, and a similar mechanism called "campfires" that can be used by
"fellowships" of up to nine players. The Buried Sea also added an inventory
slot for a new "Energeian power source" that affects all Energeian-based
(also known as "infusible") gear you have on.
2.3.14 Q: What is Secrets of Faydwer?
A: Commonly called SoF, this expansion raised the level cap to 80 and added
new clockwork-themed content off the Steamfont Mountains, aimed almost solely
at levels 75-80. SoF introduced items that bestow "heroic" stats, which
automatically raise the corresponding stat caps to allow increases beyond the
normal caps, as well as granting various additional benefits.
2.3.15 Q: What is Seeds of Destruction?
A: Commonly called SoD, this expansion raised the level cap to 85 and added
new content set in the distant past, aimed almost solely at levels 75-85.
It introduced "mercenaries", NPCs that you can hire using in-game money and
add to your party. Other details are sketchy as the content is not yet
well-explored.
2.4 Q: What is EQ Macros and where can I get it?
A: EQMacros was a program whose purpose was to provide a way for users to
circumvent some of the more tedious aspects of the game. It also dispensed
with some character disadvantages, such as night blindness. Third-party
macro programs, such as EQMacros, tend to be frowned upon by both SOE and
a large number of players. Therefore, they will not be discussed in detail
in the FAQ. This is a controversial subject in this newsgroup, and has been
argued to death. Posting questions on this subject is generally discouraged.
2.5 Q: Where are the EverQuest servers located?
A: The entire EverQuest universe (at present, about 25 separate worlds) is
run on approximately 1,000 servers. These are located in an onsite
datacenter and at AT&T CERFnet (in San Diego). The Antonius Bayle server
is located in the UK. The servers Venril Sathir, Kael Drakkel, and Sebilis
are located in Europe.
2.6 Q: There are so many servers! Which server should I choose?
A: For the most part it doesn't matter; the game is the same on all of them,
except for a few special servers. Characters generally stay on whichever
server they start on (moving them costs real money), so if you have friends
who are already playing, you may want to play on the same server they're on.
All the servers, wherever they are located, tend to have players from all
parts of the (real) world, but depending on where you are you may find that
some servers have more or fewer people playing at the same times you do.
(More is usually better!) The most recently added server tends to have a
slightly higher concentration of novice players and somewhat fewer top-level
characters, which has both good and bad points.
In early 2005, various pairs of servers were merged, presumably with the goal
of making it easier for players to find other people to group with. Each
merger came with a one-time opportunity for players on the affected servers to
move their characters for free to another server, so this was an opportunity
for friends on different servers to bring their characters together.
Incidentally, the servers tend to be named after deities and other major
characters from the game.
2.7 Q: What is the newest server?
A: The last regular server added was Morden Rasp in February, 2004. This
server allowed transfers from other servers from the very start, so never
really had a "virgin" economy, and was merged with the Povar server in 2005.
The last server added that did not allow transfers is Stromm, added in May,
2003. While this server's economy was not "contaminated" by an influx of
transfers, it has had enough time to be considered mature.
The newest servers overall are currently the Progression servers.
2.8 Q: What are the special servers all about?
A: The special servers include EverQuest Legends (now defunct), Test, Zek,
Firiona Vie, and the Progression servers. These have different rulesets
or conditions that change the gaming experience to varying degrees from the
regular servers. In general, all the special servers except Progression have
lower server populations. Your regular subscription fee lets you keep
characters on all of the current servers, regular or special.
2.8.1 Q: What was EverQuest Legends?
A: EverQuest Legends refers to the now-defunct Stormhammer server, a premium
service server. Players had to pay extra to be able to create characters on
Stormhammer, where the game included various bonus features and increased
dynamic content and customer service via GM-driven events. The Legends server
was shut down in early 2006, with existing characters being offered a chance
to transfer for free to regular servers. Note that the Legends server is not
related to the collectible trading card game, Legends of Norrath, which was
introduced in late 2007.
2.8.2 Q: What is the Test Server?
A: This server is designed to be a place where the developers can see how
potential changes to the game will work when regular players interact with
them. Players on Test often get to see new developments to EQ before
people on production servers do (if the changes get implemented at all).
They also play on the most unstable server available. The Test server is
frequently taken off line, with and without warning, and there can be small
rollbacks where minutes or hours of gameplay may be undone. Also there
is a chance that SOE might elect to do a total character or equipment wipe.
To date, there has never been a character wipe, and there was one total
equipment wipe. To access the Test server you must go into your EverQuest
folder and run the application TestEverQuest.
2.8.3 Q: What is the Zek Server?
A: This is a server on which all players are subject to Player versus Player
(PvP) gameplay as well as the Player versus Environment gameplay. There used
to be four such servers (Sullon Zek, Rallos Zek, Tallon Zek, and Vallon Zek)
with varying PvP rules, but due to declining population they were merged in
early 2005 to form a single server, Zek, using the Rallos Zek ruleset. Many
people love the PvP experience, while others hate it and consider the Zek
inhabitants to be among the worst "griefers" that EQ has to offer. While it
is up to the new player to decide their feelings on this matter, many would
consider it a good idea for truly new EQ players to get a handle on the PvE
aspects of the game before having to deal with the added challenges of PvP.
2.8.4 Q: What is the Firiona Vie Server?
A: Firiona Vie is a "roleplaying preferred" server. This server has
several special rules including a limit of three characters per account (the
limit was one per account until late 2008), Trivial Loot Code (TLC) where if
a mob is gray to anyone in the party that killed it then any loot tagged
Lore or Magic disappears (poof!), the ability to trade many items tagged "No
Trade" on other servers, and a lack of Common Tongue (each race starts with
their own racial language, and Common is replaced with Human). The old
rules about alignment grouping restrictions and language learning have been
lifted. SOE doesn't enforce any roleplaying rules, though several
members of the server do with varying degrees of commitment.
2.8.5 Q: What is the Progression Server?
A: Two Progression Servers, called The Combine and The Sleeper, were opened
in mid-2006 as a way of recreating some of the experience of playing the
game as it evolved. These servers used the same rules as the regular servers,
but most of the content (zones and quests) was not available until players on
the server accomplished certain key events, such as defeating top encounters
from the earlier content. This is based mostly on the expansions that have
been added over the years; thus, no content from Ruins of Kunark or later
expansions (and especially the easy travel and other amenities offered by
the Plane of Knowledge) was initially available. Many long-time players
returned to give these servers a try, and they were also an interesting way
for new players to start out on a more equal footing. As more advanced
content was unlocked, populations apparently waned, and characters on The
Sleeper were merged into The Combine server in March 2007 (by which date the
servers had advanced past Lost Dungeons of Norrath into Gates of Discord).
2.9 Q: I bought a set of EQ disks and created an account. Can I give the
disks to someone else so they can create an account, too?
A: No. The disks let you install the game on any number of computers,
but to play the game you need an account (the station name and password you
use when you log in). To create a new account you need a special "code", a
string of letters and numbers that came with the disks. Each code can be
used to create only one account. You can use the account from more than one
computer (though only one at a time), so if you go to a friend's house you
can bring your disks, install EverQuest, and log in and play using the same
characters you play at home. But to create a separate account, with a new
set of characters, you must pay for a new account creation code (e.g., by
buying another set of disks).
2.10 Q: What are "veteran rewards" and how do I get them and use them?
A: Veteran rewards were added in May 2005 to reward long-time players, but
newer players may also reap some benefits. However many years your account
has been active, you can claim the rewards on that many characters, and each
of those characters will get as many rewards as the number of years. Thus,
if your account has been active three years, then each of three characters
can claim the first three veteran rewards. The rewards are things like
double experience for half an hour once per day, recover full hit points and
mana once per three days, etc. You can read full details at
http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=50003&month=042005.
To claim the rewards on a particular character, log in as that character and
type /veteran. You'll be asked to confirm, because the choice is permanent,
counting toward your limit of characters eligible to claim the rewards. To
use the rewards, go to the Alternative Advancement window (via the button in
the bottom left of the Inventory window) and select the Veteran tab. Select
a reward and click the Hotkey button to make a hotkey that you can use to
activate the reward. (If you find the names confusing, you can create your
own hotkeys and use /alt activate ### to invoke them. Do "/alt list" to get a
list of activated AAs, including the veteran rewards.)
When activated, some vet rewards show up in your buff window (and presumably
count toward the maximum number of buffs you can have active). However, they
are immune to being dispelled, and their timers continue to count down even
when you're in the Guild Hall or Lobby.
[End of part 1 of 5]