End-game questions

[Konkrete]

I decided to go ahead and buy the game after playing the trial for several days.  I have some questions about the end-game that will determine how long this game will last for me.  I played DAoC for several years and WoW for a few years and I had various reasons for quitting both, but they were related to problems with the end-game experience.How soloable is the end-game content?  I know raids have to be made for large groups.  I don't expect to solo those.  I do expect to have plenty to accomplish and plenty of things to do to make progress with my character as a solo player.  This was not existent in WoW.  The only way to progress at the end-game was to get better gear through raiding.  I'm not counting PvP gear because PvP was horribly imbalanced in that game and I'm not playing on a PvP server in EQ2.  DAoC had a good end-game, which I would like to attribute to stat-caps.  It wasn't too difficult for a solo player to earn enough money to buy crafted gear that would put them on a competitive level with every other player in PvE or PvP.  Raids still accomplished something by giving players that one piece of "uber" gear to build a template around and fill in a few gaps in their stat-caps that they would otherwise leave open while using crafted gear.How good is the raiding system?  If I want to play X class, will I get into raids?  DAoC had no limits on the number of people that could join a raid, which seemed to make it more friendly to everyone.  With the exception of a VERY few (dragon, final fight in SI epic dungeon) encounters, more people usually meant a smoother raid.  WoW was horrible for players who wanted to customize their character.  If I wanted to play a DPS tank, I wouldn't be raiding with any serious guild.  In WoW you HAD to be ONE specific build and spec to maximize yourself for raiding.  Their Outlands expansion only made instances more technical and more difficult which made it nearly impossible for PUG's to complete content, which leads me to my next question about this game.How good is the end-game (small) group content?  In WoW, I remember waiting for HOURS on end just to get a group for BRD or something similar.  They had a quest line that forced you to go to that specific dungeon so you could access the raid content.  After people completed the quest, they never had a reason to go back to that dungeon.  Am I going to run into any roadblocks like this in EQ2?

[Konkrete]

Bump...

[gi]

<cite>Konkrete wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I decided to go ahead and buy the game after playing the trial for several days.  I have some questions about the end-game that will determine how long this game will last for me.  I played DAoC for several years and WoW for a few years and I had various reasons for quitting both, but they were related to problems with the end-game experience.How soloable is the end-game content?  I know raids have to be made for large groups.  I don't expect to solo those.  I do expect to have plenty to accomplish and plenty of things to do to make progress with my character as a solo player.  This was not existent in WoW.  The only way to progress at the end-game was to get better gear through raiding.  I'm not counting PvP gear because PvP was horribly imbalanced in that game and I'm not playing on a PvP server in EQ2.  DAoC had a good end-game, which I would like to attribute to stat-caps.  It wasn't too difficult for a solo player to earn enough money to buy crafted gear that would put them on a competitive level with every other player in PvE or PvP.  Raids still accomplished something by giving players that one piece of "uber" gear to build a template around and fill in a few gaps in their stat-caps that they would otherwise leave open while using crafted gear.</p><p>How good is the raiding system?  If I want to play X class, will I get into raids?  DAoC had no limits on the number of people that could join a raid, which seemed to make it more friendly to everyone.  With the exception of a VERY few (dragon, final fight in SI epic dungeon) encounters, more people usually meant a smoother raid.  WoW was horrible for players who wanted to customize their character.  If I wanted to play a DPS tank, I wouldn't be raiding with any serious guild.  In WoW you HAD to be ONE specific build and spec to maximize yourself for raiding.  Their Outlands expansion only made instances more technical and more difficult which made it nearly impossible for PUG's to complete content, which leads me to my next question about this game.How good is the end-game (small) group content?  In WoW, I remember waiting for HOURS on end just to get a group for BRD or something similar.  They had a quest line that forced you to go to that specific dungeon so you could access the raid content.  After people completed the quest, they never had a reason to go back to that dungeon.  Am I going to run into any roadblocks like this in EQ2?</p></blockquote><p>I will try to answer this from my perspective </p><p>Soloability.</p><p>Theres a lot of solo content that is doable at the end game. There are also Guild writs that can be soloed to gain status for you and your guild. Also some lower level HQ's (heritage quests) are easier to solo  to do when max level.</p><p>Raiding</p><p>Raiding, although I raid I am probably not the best to comment on how good the content is etc. As I have not seen it all.</p><p>However I would say ( and many would disagree) that any class can be good on a raid. Its the player that makes it good/bad.</p><p>Group.</p><p>Plenty of group content at level cap to explore and do. Including dungeon instances, Epic Questlines, and normal quests. There is currently more content and level cap designed for Group play than for Raid.</p><p>Final thoughts.</p><p> Yes there are those that see the end game as the endless pursuit of better gear and armoursets. But personally that is not what keeps me coming back to this game. The people I know in-game and also that I Roleplay keeps me interested and coming back for more.</p>

[Gladiia]

<p>I wouldn't say there is a ton of solo stuff to do at end game, but there is a bit.  Lots up till you get close, and then some other little things.  There is tons of group content in the last tier,  lots of instances and dungeons, and some of the loot in these end game group instances is fairly close in comparison with some of the raid gear that can be aquired.  </p><p>Raids...well, as of recently pretty much any class has benefits in a raid now, but still some are needed more than others, so rolling x class will not guarantee you will easily and quickly find someone to raid with.  </p><p>Either way, regardless of how you play there is TONS to do on the way to end game, and still lots to do at end game - especially for groupers (isnt that a fish...).</p>

[Crib92]

<cite>Konkrete wrote:</cite><blockquote>I decided to go ahead and buy the game after playing the trial for several days.  I have some questions about the end-game that will determine how long this game will last for me.  I played DAoC for several years and WoW for a few years and I had various reasons for quitting both, but they were related to problems with the end-game experience.How soloable is the end-game content?  I know raids have to be made for large groups.  I don't expect to solo those.  I do expect to have plenty to accomplish and plenty of things to do to make progress with my character as a solo player.  This was not existent in WoW.  The only way to progress at the end-game was to get better gear through raiding.  I'm not counting PvP gear because PvP was horribly imbalanced in that game and I'm not playing on a PvP server in EQ2.  DAoC had a good end-game, which I would like to attribute to stat-caps.  It wasn't too difficult for a solo player to earn enough money to buy crafted gear that would put them on a competitive level with every other player in PvE or PvP.  Raids still accomplished something by giving players that one piece of "uber" gear to build a template around and fill in a few gaps in their stat-caps that they would otherwise leave open while using crafted gear.How good is the raiding system?  If I want to play X class, will I get into raids?  DAoC had no limits on the number of people that could join a raid, which seemed to make it more friendly to everyone.  With the exception of a VERY few (dragon, final fight in SI epic dungeon) encounters, more people usually meant a smoother raid.  WoW was horrible for players who wanted to customize their character.  If I wanted to play a DPS tank, I wouldn't be raiding with any serious guild.  In WoW you HAD to be ONE specific build and spec to maximize yourself for raiding.  Their Outlands expansion only made instances more technical and more difficult which made it nearly impossible for PUG's to complete content, which leads me to my next question about this game.How good is the end-game (small) group content?  In WoW, I remember waiting for HOURS on end just to get a group for BRD or something similar.  They had a quest line that forced you to go to that specific dungeon so you could access the raid content.  After people completed the quest, they never had a reason to go back to that dungeon.  Am I going to run into any roadblocks like this in EQ2?</blockquote><p>Soloer for end game:  If you are a pure soloer you will not have enough to do to keep you busy for long.  In addition, the gear from solo play is designed for the soloing character.  You will not get uber solo gear from solo quests nor solo mobs.  You might get the odd Master Chest which will have a Master spell in it but that's about it.</p><p>Raiding - Not all classes are equal and I would research the class forums to get a perspective on which classes are useful and which one's aren't.  Too much to go into here and give a proper explaination.  If you choose the wrong class you will either sit alot or not get in a raid at all.</p><p>Grouping is decent at the end game level.  At lower levels it's lacking due to the fact that we are at the end of an expansion and many folks are at max level.  In other words, expect to look longer for a group until you hit T7.</p><p>There is one heroic quest line that is required for a Raid Zone access.  It's in the Fallen Dynasty adventure pack.  The final task is to go to Nizara and kill the boss in the zone.  You will then have access to the antichamber for Cheldrak.  I wouldn't say that Nizara is a one and done zone because it is still relatively challenging (It's been nerfed alot so not as difficult as it was) and the loot in zone is pretty decent.</p><p>I personally enjoy all three aspects of the game.  I blend the three so that I don't get tired of the game.</p>

[Konkrete]

Sounds like I won't be sitting and waiting for raids or a specific group instance, unlike WoW.  That was my main concern.  It seemed like that was the only thing to do in that game.  Sure you could solo for faction to get ONE item, but chances are that item would get replaced much faster IF you got in the right raid.I do like the sound of this game having more group content than raid content.  In my experience with other MMOs, it is easier to join a group than to join a raid.

[TaleraRis]

There is no true soloable end-game content. Once soloers complete the handful of solo quest lines out there, our options are limited. We hit a ceiling where solo content ends with the exception of grinding on solo mobs in an outdoor zone. From this point, we can go back to old heroic content we couldn't take before, which is most likely grey by now, completing old quests and seeing places we couldn't before. We can farm cash and go to the broker for gear obtained from groups and raids so we can go "solo" group instances. Or we can run through the myriad of group instances available at and around the level cap. You aren't going to progress very far with your character as a solo player, or find many things to do at the level cap.