Installation

Welcome to Everquest 2! If you're just considering whether to try the game, see our Overview section to read about the game's major features. If you've already started the game, then you might like to skip ahead to one of our later User Guides. See the Learn More section below for a list of useful User Guides on this wiki.

System Requirements
These days, most computers can run Everquest 2. Here are the system requirements stated by SOE:

Try Everquest 2 for free
A free trial lets you try Everquest 2 free for 14 days. The free trial lets you see some of the newer starting cities (Kelethin and Neriak, City of Hate), and play any race (except Sarnaks) and any class.
 * Free Trial: Everquest II Trial (Size: 15MB)
 * Your trial account is upgraded to Rise of Kunark when you convert it to a monthly subscription plan (i.e. you receive all expansions except for the latest one, for free)

Buy Everquest 2
Everquest 2 is sold as a single all-in-one package, containing all expansions and adventure packs. The CD key can be used to start a new account (with 30 days included), or to bring an older account up-to-date.


 * The retail box costs $20 to $30 and is sold at retail stores such as EB Games and online retailers such as Amazon.com.
 * You can purchase Everquest 2 as a digital download for $40 from Sony Online Entertainment, Direct2Drive, or Steam.

Downloading the game
You can download all or part of the EQ2 game over the internet. If you're an existing customer returning to the game or need to reinstall the game, click on the link below to download the EverQuest II Installer. The installer will automatically update any missing expansions that are registered to your EQ2 account, and can also download optional features such as voice-overs if you wish. Use this option if you already have an account (and it's active).
 * EverQuest II Installer (Size: 15MB)

Downloading the game manual
Sony keeps the Everquest 2 Manual fairly up-to-date in electronic format. It's well written, and in some ways more detailed than this Beginners Guide. You can download the latest version of the manual from the following location:
 * Everquest II Manual in PDF Format

After the Installation...

 * Don't be too surprised if the EQ2 patcher wants to download several hours' worth of updates, the first time you run it. This is normal for a game like EQ2 that gets a lot of frequent free content updates and enhancements.  You might have to wait overnight before getting to actually play the game for the first time.
 * EQ2 can be run from any location - even from a USB drive. You can copy the EQ2 folder from one computer to another, and it will work as-is.  Note, however, that EQ2's folder must be writeable; this means that you may have to run EQ2 as an administrator in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
 * EQ2 can be run in Linux if you have a 3D driver installed and Wine 1.0 or later. EQ2 has a "Gold" rating on Wine, meaning it runs on Linux without any significant issues.  You must avoid full screen mode, and there is a trick to running the patcher.  See the Wine AppDB entry for Everquest 2 for details.

Overview
Here are some of the reasons you might want to play Everquest 2. If you're already convinced, then you can skip ahead to the System Requirements section.



Major Features

 * Huge variety of classes and races. Choose from 19 races and 24 classes. Any race can be any class (with some conditions).  Five starting cities, each with its own newbie experience. more info
 * Eighty levels of advancement. Numerous aspects of character development to pursue. Choose from a wide variety of goals: adventure levels, tradeskill levels, achievement points, quests, city status, guild levels, as well as numerous secondary goals such as item collections and enemy mastery. more info
 * Tons of content. A world that's been filled out through several expansions and free updates. Every level range has several places to adventure in.  Large variety of terrain and settings.  Rich backstory and tons of written lore available within the game world.
 * Heavy focus on quests. Over 6000 quests have been discovered by players. Game rewards are biased toward quests.  Much of the game lore is presented through quests.  A dialogue system helps make the player a participant in the lore. more info
 * Group by choice, not by necessity. Both group and solo play styles are well-supported by the content and the mechanics. Every class has the means to kill monsters solo, and every class has a useful role in a group. more info
 * Rich and interactive Tradeskill system. Every character can have a Tradeskill Class in addition to their Adventuring Class. When crafting items, react to crafting events by using your crafting skills.  Sell your crafting skills to other players using a secure commission system. more info
 * Elaborate Player Housing. Buy, create, or quest for furniture items, then decorate your home with them. Upgrade your home's appearance.  Upgrade to larger houses.  Invite visitors and share your home.  Sell your wares in sales displays to other players.  Six cities each have unique housing styles. more info
 * Mentor your low-level friends. Pretend you are a lower-level character, with all of your equipment and abilities scaled down appropriately.  Group with your low-level friends and give them a bonus to their rate of advancement. more info

Game Mechanics

 * Lots of interactive abilities. Combat is interactive for all classes. Each class accumulates more than 20 distinct abilities.  Get bonus effects when you combine your abilities in specific ways.  Combine your abilities with group mates for even better bonus effects. more info
 * Single mechanic for both melee and spellcasting. Melee classes receive Combat Arts just like spellcasters receive Spells. Both types of classes draw from a Power pool to cast their abilities.  All classes scribe their abilities in their Knowledge Book. more info
 * Every spell can be upgraded. Spell upgrades are obtained just like equipment upgrades - either looted from monsters or crafted by players. Eight tiers of improvement are available for each spell, each slightly more powerful than the previous. more info
 * Specialize your character. Earn Achievement Points by completing quests and defeating notable monsters, then customize your character by spending the Achievement Points on new abilities. Choose new Racial Traits and Spell Mastery every ten levels.  Choose a deity and earn unique abilities from them. more info
 * Customize your appearance. Put any clothing that's allowed by your class in your "appearance slots", overriding the appearance of your functional gear. Visit the Barber Shop to change your face and hair.  Use the Dressing Room feature to see what you'd look like wearing any piece of equipment. more info
 * No experience loss or corpse runs on death. Never lose a level from dying. Respawn with your gear at specific revival locations, with a small 'experience debt' to be repaid.  Gear is fully functional until its condition runs out after 10 consecutive deaths.  Restore gear condition to 100% by visiting a mender NPC. more info

Community Features

 * Integrated Voice Chat. Create voice channels on the fly, join community or guild voice channels, or talk privately with another player. more info
 * Built-in mail system. Send messages, items, and cash to other players. Receive mail notifications anywhere, and pick up mail at mailboxes throughout the world.
 * Shared Bank. Share tradeable items and money between all of your characters - even between different cities and alignments.
 * Powerful look-for-group (LFG) tool. Specify the role you want to fill in a group, then examine the makeup of each group that matches. Groups can solicit for additional members, and optionally to fill specific roles. more info
 * Strong guild features. Integrated guild recruitment tool. Excellent guild management tools.  Hosted website and forum provided to every guild.  Guild bank with flexible officer controls.
 * Guild progression. Each guild has its own experience bar and earns guild levels. The guild gains experience when its members perform tasks that earn city status.  Higher guild levels make prestigious items available to its members: new mounts, houses, furniture, clothing, titles, and so on.
 * EQ2Players web portal. View other players' information, statistics, and leveling history on the EQ2Players web site. Add your own bio and pictures.  Basic features are free, while advanced features require a monthly fee.

Evolution and Free Content
Everquest II has been significantly evolved by its development team during the years since its release. Many changes were made to core mechanics, and other new features added. At various times, significant amounts of in-game content have been added, free of charge to all subscribers. Major game updates are currently released every 3 months. Bug fixes and system changes are typically included in these updates.

Learn More
We have a whole set of Beginner's Guides to help new and returning players to become acquainted with EQ2. We suggest the following articles to guide you through the major game features:

You may also be interested in the following resources:
 * Category:User Guides - a list of all User Guides on EQ2i, including the above table for beginners.
 * Category:EverQuest II - our top level category, giving a comprehensive view of all articles on this wiki.

Enjoy the game! Don't be afraid to ask questions, and remember to check this wiki for answers.
 * -- the EQ2i Admin Team