Launch Day Plans: Everquest 2 New TLE Server Wuoshi
Today is the big day of the launch of the new time locked expansion (TLE) server Wuoshi in Everquest 2. The server launches at 12 noon PST (3 p.m. EST) today, Tuesday, June 9th, and I have been learning a ton about Everquest 2 and its systems leading up to this launch event. During the past week, I have tried multiple different versions of Everquest 2, from its retail servers to the origin server, testing the mechanics and trying to find the class and playstyle I want to employ upon the Wuoshi server launch today. After meticulous planning, I have decided that I will start my race and class as an Erudite Fury, a priest archetype that has both good damage, utility, and healing. This choice was made after trying out a Berserker, Mage, Ranger, and Necromancer. While all the classes are certainly fun and unique, the Fury class just felt the best and most fluid to my playstyle.
Launch day of a new server is always hype in my opinion, no matter what game you are playing. It is an opportunity for new players who have yet to play Everquest 2 to get a taste of the early game rush. It is also a great point for returning players and veterans players to also have fun, trying things perhaps they never tried before and strategies that they want to test for optimal gameplay progression. For me personally, I would categorize myself as a new player for sure, and this last week I started formulating some plans for myself that I believe will prove fruitful.
One of these plans involves choosing my starting location for the best possible early game start, and I have determined that the Neriak region of the map will be the best place for me to go. Each of the classes I tried before settling in on the Fury were placed in different starting areas so that I could see how each area compared to each other. Neriak and the Greater Faydark seemed to be the best out of the 4 that I tried, with Neriak being a little more organized and streamlined than any of the others. I have instructed anyone who watches my stream to go Neriak as well in case we wanted to group up and do some content with each other eventually.
Another reason for choosing Neriak is because the starting area of the game is very close to the capital city of Neriak, known as the City of Hate. This is important because the quests that are available for gathering and crafting require you to eventually go to a capital city, and with Neriak being so close, I can begin my crafting professions relatively early. I have big plans to be a gatherer and crafter in Everquest 2. This is something that I normally do not choose to focus on in any MMORPG until later in the game, but Everquest 2 has hit a sweet spot for me with its gathering and crafting, and so I plan on making that a pretty important part of my early game progression. The Neriak crafting area is easy to navigate once you understand the map, and everything I need to gather, and craft is in a relatively compact area that does not require me to run around too much to get things done.
Depending on the difficulty level of the new server, the initial plan is to clear out the whole region of the Neriak starting area until level 20 on a solo basis. This should be doable after trying some solo gameplay on the more difficult origins servers but still should be harder than the retail servers due to the fact that Mercenaries (NPC Battle Companions) will not be available from the start on the new server Wuoshi as they are on the retail servers. Mercenaries are exceptionally strong and they really did help me level up and clear content fast on retail, so there may actually have to be an adjustment to more group-oriented play earlier than I expect.
One additional difficulty we will face compared to the retail Everquest 2 servers is that the update that highlights regions on the map of quest objectives will not be available for the new server of Wuoshi as that was not live at the time of the starting expansion of Wuoshi. As a TLE server, not all expansions are available from the start, meaning, the quality of life, races, classes, and events of retail servers will not be available until the expansion unlocks on Wuoshi at a future date. The unlock cadence is approximately every three months for a new expansion to unlock, so we may be waiting a long time for any quest related QOL features. This is another trigger for me to group up with others since I will have a harder time knowing what to do for each quest. Luckily, there is a map addon that people are recommending to at least get some points of interest on the map for ease of finding certain objectives, and I will be downloading it myself shortly.
Depending on the reception of the new server and how populated it gets, it always is possible that I decide to create a guild for my community and for new members of my twitch stream to join in on the fun. I ultimately want to ensure that before I create a guild, I would want to spend a good amount of time in Everquest 2, because committing to a guild is a big responsibility that I do not want to take lightly. There are some career Everquest 2 players out there that would be a huge asset to any guild, and it would be great if I could partner with them in the creation of any such guild so that everyone can learn from their well of experience. I would also want to delegate a lot of the guild operations to others so that I do not get overwhelmed with my own duties, both in game and through streaming, to ensure everyone has a great time and is supported in their adventures in Norath.
With that said, today is a big day and I am excited for it. Hopefully everyone who decides to join us in the new server Wuoshi has a wondering time doing so, and the key thing to remember is that it is not a race. The journey is the best part of these types of MMORPG games. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to the destination, just enjoy the journey while you get there. With that said, I have a number of errands to run before this new server launches, including a very important DR appointment to start my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), as well as going on a walk, heading to the gym, and buying some groceries. I will see you all shortly at 3 p.m. EST in the new server Wuoshi!
Until next time,
Blackboa