Beginners Guide

''This is an outline for a Beginners Guide for EQ2. Although this game is advanced in years, I think it would be good for the community if EQ2i provided some guidance on getting started with the game. I plan to write this up over the coming days and weeks, but feel free to tinker with it.'' Sassinak 23:25, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

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

Downloading the game using the patcher
You can download all or part of the EQ2 game over the internet. If you are 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.
 * EverQuest II Installer (Size: 15MB)
 * Everquest II Manual in PDF Format

Choosing Your Race

 * ''Main Article: Character Race


 * Customizing your appearance
 * A note about alternate models
 * Choosing your class
 * Considerations when choosing your home town

A Tour of the Game Screen
The EQ2 game screen is extremely customizable, but is quite functional out-of-the-box. Let's go over the main elements of the default game screen:

A Tour of the Main Menu
Bring up the Main Menu by clicking the square EQII button, or by pressing the Escape key when nothing is targeted. The following table gives a brief explanation of each Main Menu item, and shows the keyboard shortcuts for each item. A few menu items are omitted because they aren't relevant to this beginner's guide.  Credit: EQ2 Knowledge Base 

A Tour of the Options Window
There are so many settings to customize in EQ2, all found in the Options Window. But right now, let's focus on something that immediately impacts your first play session: the Performance Options.

You can access the Options Window from the Character Select screen, in-game via the EQII menu, or by pressing Alt+O. Usually the Performance Options are the first thing shown when you open this window, but if not, you'll find it by clicking "Display" on the left-hand side of the Options Window.

Moving with the Keyboard
Move your character with the WASD or arrow keys - your choice. The left/right directions rotate your character. You can strafe by holding Ctrl, or with the QE keys.


 * Tip: The [NumLock] key will start and stop auto-run.

Mouselook and Camera Control
EQ2 gives you a free mouse cursor, so you can click on screen elements or world objects. You can "mouselook" by holding down either mouse button. If you've used [NumLock] to auto-run, then you can use the mouse buttons to look around and steer while auto-running.
 * The left mouse button lets you look around without changing your character's direction.
 * The right mouse button lets you look around and also changes your character's direction.
 * Holding both mouse buttons down makes your character walk forward.


 * Tip: The mousewheel zooms your camera in and out. If you zoom in all the way, you'll enter first-person view.

Combat Lock and the Camera
When you're auto-attacking, your character is locked facing his target. This feature is called auto-face. Moving sideways will only make you circle around your target. This can be disorienting for new players, so experiment with it in your first few battles with your new character.

With auto-face, you can still pan your camera around with your left mouse button, but the right mouse button won't let your character face away from his target. If you want to break off from your target, either stop auto-attacking, or use the forward/back keys to turn away.


 * Tip: If you really dislike "auto-face", you can disable it in the Alt+O Options Window.

A Game of Quests
Since the game is called Everquest 2, you shouldn't be surprised that the game is focussed on quests. In fact, after creating your character and entering the game world, the first thing you are faced with is a quest. So before we discuss the game's mechanics, let's cover the quest system.

Quest Feathers and Waypoints
A glowing feather floats above the head of any NPC who has a quest to offer you. If you open your map window by pressing the M key, you'll also see blinking circles showing the locations of all quest starters in your vicinity.

To receive the NPC's quest, talk to the NPC by clicking on them with your mouse button. Notice that your mouse cursor changed to look like a chat bubble when you pointed at the NPC. EQ2 uses branching dialogue with chat bubbles, so click on your conversation choices until the "New Quest" window appears. The "New Quest" window shows you the level of the quest, a summary, and the reward that you'll receive for completing it.

The Quest Journal and Quest Helper
When you accept a quest, it is recorded in your Quest Journal. Press J to bring up your Quest Journal. Here you can read the quest's summary and track your progress through its steps. When you've completed the quest, it will be moved to the "Completed" tab in your journal. You'll usually have several quests in progress at the same time, so each quest will be listed in the upper part of the journal.

In the top corner of your screen is your Quest Helper. The Quest Helper shows the current step in the quest that is highlighted in the journal. When you receive a new quest, the Quest Helper automatically switches to it. Only one quest is shown in the Quest Helper at a time.

When you do something to advance a quest, you'll receive a text message in the middle of your screen. Your Quest Helper will also show the update text for a few seconds, before going back to the quest that's highlighted in the journal.

Collections

 * Main Article: Collection Quests

While adventuring in the world, you'll come across the occasional sparkling light on the ground, labelled with a '?' question mark. This is a collectable object. Click on these "shinies" whenever you find them. The collectible will be added to your inventory; you can then add it to your collection.

Collectable objects are categorized into collections. When you complete a collection, you can turn it in for a significant experience reward and (usually) an item. Completing collections is a great secondary objective in EQ2, and is an obsessive pastime for some players. There is a very large number of collections to be found in Norrath! Collections are a significant source of experience points and achievement experience, and can improve your character's rate of progress.

To add a collectable to your collection, click its name in the chat window, or inspect it in your inventory. Your quest journal will pop up, showing any collections that the object can be added to. You can keep track of your collections on the Collections Tab in your quest journal.

Resistances

 * ''Main Article: Resistance

The Knowledge Book

 * Main Article: Abilities

Bring up your knowledge book by pressing K.
 * Overview of abilities
 * Harvesting skills

Your Skills

 * ''Main Article: Skills

Understanding Your Enemy
Since EQ2 is a game, sooner or later combat is inevitable. Death has its consequences, so you'll want to choose your opponents wisely.

Selecting a Target
To judge a creature or interact with it, you must first target the creature. Target a creature by clicking on it with the mouse arrow. You can also press the TAB key to cycle through all potential targets in your field of view. Clear your target by pressing the ESC key, or by clicking on the background scene.

Your current target is highlighted in a few ways - a targeting ring rotates around its feet, and a targeting arrow hovers over its head. The name of your target is also shown in your Target Window. The Target Window gives you several pieces of information to help you decide whether to get involved with it:
 * The creature's name and level.
 * Whether it wants to attack you. A red outline means the creature is aggressive toward you.
 * Whether it is unusually weak or strong. (See "How To Judge Your Target" below.)

How To Judge Your Target

 * ''Main Article: Consider Guide

Point your mouse cursor at the Target Window to see additional hints about the creature's strength and disposition. These hints are basically just spelling out the information that was already visible in the Target Window.

Reading the Target Tooltips will help you to judge whether you want to mess with each creature that you run across. Here are some things that you'll want to consider when you read the Target Tooltips:
 * You want to fight creatures who are equal to your level, or weaker.
 * You don't want to fight Heroic creatures unless you're grouped with other players.
 * Some creatures are grouped together into groups; you'll have to fight the whole encounter at once.

What Does Heroic Mean?
In simple terms, a Heroic creature is extra-strong for its level, and will put up a grand fight. A Heroic encounter could also be several normal creatures grouped together. If you were way above its level, then you might defeat it by yourself; but typically players group together to fight Heroic encounters. Heroic encounters are more rewarding than non-heroic encounters, both in terms of experience points and treasure. With great risk comes great reward.

The Target's Target
As an extra bonus, EQ2 shows you who the creature is currently targeting. The Target's Target is a valuable piece of information whenever other players are around, or if you have a pet. It tells you who is the victim of the creature's actions. The Target's Target window only appears when it's useful - generally when the creature is in combat. It'll show up when you target other players, too.

Implied Targeting
Here's something a little more advanced. If you were to cast a beneficial spell on your enemy, EQ2 assumes you want it to land on the Target's Target instead. Similarly, if you were to cast a harmful spell on your friend, EQ2 assumes you want it to land on the Target's Target instead. This is called implied targeting. With implied targeting, you're letting someone else choose your target for you. Thanks to this feature, you don't need to change targets to cast a heal spell - and you can assist another player just by targeting them.

Combat Mechanics
EQ2 takes a common approach to combat, whether your character is a spellcaster or not. You can always auto-attack to inflict melee damage, but most of your effectiveness comes from pressing buttons to cast spells or perform combat arts.

Generally, battles in EQ2 are decided in 30 seconds or so. You should spend most of that time pressing buttons to perform abilities. Your enemies will also be casting spells or combat arts against you - generally once every 6 seconds or so.

Health and Power
You have two main resources to manage: Health and Power. They are represented by the red and blue bars next to your character's name. Managing these two resources is quite straight-forward: Your opponent's health and power are displayed in two places: in your Target Window, and also above their head. You can judge how the battle is unfolding by comparing your opponent's health against your own.
 * You lose health each time an enemy damages you. If you run out of Health, then you die.
 * You use Power to cast spells or perform combat arts. If you run out of Power, then you can't use any of your abilities - all you can do is auto-attack.

Regenerating Health and Power

 * ''Main Article: Food and drink

Health and Power regenerate automatically - slowly while in combat, quickly when not in combat. It is not necessary to sit or stand still to regenerate. Your food and drink directly affect the rate that your health and power regenerate, when not in combat. If you get hungry or thirsty, then your regeneration rate becomes very slow!

Entering Combat
You'll enter combat mode whenever you perform an aggressive action against another creature. When you're in combat mode, a small "crossed swords" icon shows beside your character's name. Being in combat has a few consequences to your character:
 * Run speed enhancements are disabled.
 * Regeneration of health/power is minimal.
 * Other players are limited in how they can assist you.

Leaving Combat
Normally, once in combat mode you're stuck in combat mode, until the enemy is dead or has given up chasing you. Alternatively, you can choose to leave combat mode at any time by breaking the encounter. To do this, click the "Yell for Help" button that was placed on your hotkey bar, or type /yell.

When you break the encounter, you gain the benefits of being out of combat - namely run speed, regeneration, and assistance from others - but you also forfeit any rewards for beating the encounter. That means no loot, no quest updates, and no experience. Your enemy won't stop attacking, though - you'll still have to finish the fight or escape from it!

Death
When your health drops below zero, you die. (Rarely, you might fall unconscious first, but recovery is unlikely.) When you die, your view remains where you died, and you're given a list of revive locations to choose from. The revive location is a safe spot, but might be far away. Alternatively, another character could revive you at the location of your death. Characters who can revive you are priest classes and a couple of others.

Regardless of which way you revive, you will have to face the consequences of death: EQ2 does not have "corpse runs" or "debt buyback" as seen in other games. You revive alive and breathing, with all of your equipment. There is no reason to re-visit the location of your death.
 * 1) Resurrection sickness afflicts you for a couple of minutes, which reduces your effectiveness in combat.  It's a good idea to avoid combat until the sickness has passed.
 * 2) Your equipment becomes 10% closer to being unusable.  You can address this by asking a Mender NPC to repair your equipment.
 * 3) You receive an experience debt.  This shows up as a small red line on your XP bar, which you will have to earn at a reduced rate.

Threat

 * Main Article: Threat

Spells and Combat Arts
Spells and Combat Arts are where you get most of your effectiveness from. They consume power when cast.

What's the difference between a Spell and a Combat Art? Not much: Otherwise, we can talk about Spells and Combat Arts interchangeably. For the rest of this section, we'll just call them "Spells".
 * Spells must be cast while standing still. Your spellcasting may be interrupted when your enemy attacks you; your Focus skill affects your chance of being interrupted when under duress.
 * Combat arts have shorter cast times than spells, and can be cast while on the move. They can only be interrupted by a stun.

Learning Spells
Each time you gain a level, you learn a couple of new spells. Your new spells will enter your Knowledge book automatically each time you level up; there's no need to visit a trainer to learn them (until level 50). Most spells are replaced every 14 levels, so you'll accumulate a few hotkey bars worth of spells before you start replacing your old ones.

The Apprentice/Adept/Master levels
EQ2 allows you to upgrade most of your spells. You do this by finding spell scrolls and scribing them in your Knowledge book. Just as you might find better equipment on your adventures, sometimes you'll find scrolls that teach you a better version of your spells.

You receive basic versions of your spells automatically when you level; these are called "Apprentice I". Each spell has eight more ranks that you might conceivably find in the world. Each rank is slightly more powerful than the previous. An Adept I spell is a common upgrade, while a Master I spell is a rare and precious upgrade.

The most practical way to improve your character's performance in combat is to upgrade your spells. You can purchase minor spell upgrades from merchants in the city, but you can buy better spell upgrades from other players through the broker system. You'll get meaningful upgrades at a reasonable price by buying Apprentice IV and Adept I spells. (If you're short on money to buy spells, read our suggestions on how to raise money in the Community section below.)

Buffs
Buffs are beneficial spells that are persistent: they stay active when you cross zones and even when you log out. Almost all buffs in EQ2 last forever, and don't need to be recast until you die. Almost all buffs require you to group with a friend in order to share them. Buffs are shown in two windows on your game screen:
 * Maintained Spells Window: These are buffs that are produced by you.
 * Spell Effects Window: These are all effects that currently reside on your character, in a sorted list.  Every buff in the Maintained Spells Window is also listed here.

Stances
Melee classes receive special buffs called Stances. You should always have a Stance active if you're one of these classes - so make sure you select one. You'll get to choose between an Offensive Stance or a Defensive Stance, but only one of them can be active at a time. Once activated, your Stance stays active until you change it (or die).

Concentration
There's a limit to how many buffs you can maintain. You have 5 Concentration slots; these are the five bars shown below your character's name on the game screen. Melee classes generally don't run out of Concentration slots, but priests and magicians can run out. Concentration Slots force you to choose which buffs are most important to you and your group. Generally, the choice is between buffing yourself or buffing your friends ; you probably won't run out when you're alone and only buffing yourself.

Heroic Opportunities

 * Main Article: Heroic Opportunities

Heroic Opportunities are combinations of spells that produce a bonus effect. When you perform them yourself, you get a minor bonus. When a group of players performs them together, the bonus can be quite significant.

Heroic Opportunities are started by a starting ability that you receive at level 5. When you use that ability, you'll see the "Heroic Opportunity Opener" appear on the right-hand side of your screen.

(more info coming soon)

Developing Your Character
EQ2 offers you numerous ways to develop your character. There's much more to the game than just gaining levels. We've already touched on some of them, such as Collections and Questing. Let's go over them in a little more detail.

Experience
The most obvious way to develop your character is to earn levels in his class. You gain levels by filling your experience bar with experience points. There are several ways to earn experience points in EQ2:
 * By killing a non-trivial creature
 * By exploring a new location for the first time
 * By completing a quest

Tradeskill Experience
In the previous section, we described adventure experience. There is also tradeskill experience. Your character has a second experience bar for tradeskill experience, which earns levels in his tradeskill. You can see this second experience bar in your Persona Window (press [P] to open it).

You earn tradeskill experience by crafting items. See the section below for details.

Achievement Experience
Starting at level 10, you'll earn a third type of experience: achievement experience. At this point, you'll have three experience bars. You can see your Achievement Experience bar in your Skills Window (press [L] to open it). This experience bar goes toward earning Achievement Points. See the section below for details.

Vitality
When your character is well-rested, he earns twice as many experience points from every victory in combat. When you benefit from vitality, you'll slowly consume it. If you play for long periods of time, you may run out of vitality. Casual players tend not to use up their vitality, and therefore are always earning double XP. (There is also tradeskill vitality, which affects experience from crafting items.)

How do you regain vitality that you've "burned"? Simple - it regenerates about 1% every hour, whether you're logged on or not. It takes about 1 week of real time to accumulate 100% vitality (if you started with none).

There's a little yellow arrow on your experience bar, which shows you the point on the bar at which your vitality will run out. If you have lots of vitality, then the arrow is probably pointing at the end of the bar, meaning you won't run out of vitality until next level. Point your mouse at this arrow to see a tooltip about your vitality.

Debt
When you die, you incur experience debt. This debt shows up on your screen as a small amount of red on your XP bar. While you have debt, your combat victories will only give you half as much experience as usual. Debt will evaporate over a period of hours if you were to wait, but you can repay it immediately by killing a handful of monsters.

Achievements

 * Main Article: Achievement Abilities

Achievements are the principle way of customizing your character. You'll begin earning Achievement Points at level 10, and you'll spend these points to receive Achievement Abilities (often abbreviated as AAs).

You earn Achievement Points by accumulating Achievement Experience. Achievement Experience is a separate pool from your regular Combat Experience, and has its own XP bar.


 * Spending points
 * Respeccing

Traits and Traditions

 * Main Article: Traditions

Taking Up a Tradeskill

 * Main Articles: Tradeskilling and Tradeskill Timeline


 * Overview of mechanics
 * Recipes and work orders
 * Getting started

Harvesting Nodes and Shinies

 * Main Article: Harvesting

Your Home City

 * Main Article: Category:Cities

Threat

 * Main Article: Threat

The broker system

 * Main Article: Broker

The commission system

 * Main Article: Commission System

Buy a House

 * Main Article: Category:Housing

Buy a Mount

 * Main Article: Mounts

Learn The Languages

 * Main Articles: Category:Languages

Earn Status

 * Main Articles: Category:Factions, Status points

Choose a Deity

 * Main Article: Category:Gods

Change Your Alignment (and maybe your class)

 * ''Main Article: Betrayal Timeline

The Quest Lines

 * Main Article: Category:Solo Timelines

The Lore of Norrath

 * Main Article: Category:Lore