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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.
Free-to-Play[]
EverQuest 2 is Free-to-Play and does not require a monthly subscription. You are required to create a Daybreak account, and free membership does come with certain limitations. For more details, you can read about the Free-To-Play option and review the All Access Membership features.
EverQuest 2[]
The game content you can access without buying expansions, depends on the most current expansion. Typically, those who haven't purchased the current expansion are limited to the content added in the (most of) the previous expansions.
- Those who buy the current expansion and remain on a Free-to-Play account can access the related zones and gain levels, just like those with an All Access membership.
- If you want to stay up-to-date and play the game to its fullest, purchasing the current expansion is ideal for any type of membership. If you have an active All Access membership, you will receive a 10% discount.
All EverQuest 2 players have free access to content through the Altar of Malice expansion. This includes the base game, expansion packs, and adventure packs. Later expansions, such as Planes of Prophecy and Reign of Shadows are not available to Free-to-Play members. Purchasing the current expansion will automatically entitle you to all of the earlier content.
- You can purchase the current EverQuest 2 expansion as a digital download from Daybreak Games through their official website.
- EverQuest 2 All Access Membership requires a monthly subscription fee. As an alternative to maintaining a credit card subscription, you can use Krono to purchase membership time for your account.
Downloading[]
The EverQuest 2 Launcher can be downloaded directly from Daybreak Games. The game is also available on Steam, however it's generally recommended that you download the Launcher directly from Daybreak. You can add it to your Steam library separately, if you wish.
- EverQuest II Installer (Size: 37MB)
System Requirements[]
Most current desktop and laptop PCs can run EverQuest 2. Here are the minimum system requirements stated by Daybreak Games on their technical support site:
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EverQuest II no longer supports Windows XP or Windows Vista, and only supports 64-bit versions of Windows. As of April, 2024 the game client has switched to using DirectX 11. If you are still using Windows 7, you must install Service Pack 1 (SP1) and the Platform Update. If you are using Windows 8, you must install Windows 8.1 with the latest system updates, which includes updates for DirectX.
If you get an error message indicating that DirectX 11.1 is required, this means either that your GPU does not support the features required for DirectX 11 or you are using an outdated driver. If believe that your GPU does support DirectX 11, check to make sure you have the latest video drivers installed on your system. For more information, refer to this article on the EverQuest II website.
Notes About Installation[]
- This game was created in an era of single-core CPUs and has limited support for multiple CPU cores. The game benefits more from actual CPU speed than number of cores. It is also heavily dependent on your graphics card, and requires support for hardware-based vertex and pixel shading. The game supports Shader 3.0 and was optimized for GPU based shadows several years ago.
- The game will default to using the highest available CPU core. If you are using a system with a 12th generation (or later) Intel processor with efficiency cores (E-Cores), this means it will default to running on an efficiency core which will reduce overall performance. To tell the game to run on a performance core (P-Core), select Options (Alt+O) and Hardware from the menu on the left side. The lower core index values will be the performance cores. Refer to the documentation for your particular CPU to determine if it has P- and E-Cores.
- By default, the EverQuest 2 Launcher will use streaming, where the game will only download those areas you visit, without requiring you to download the complete game at once (which at this time is approximately 24 GB). With streaming, you can usually start the game within a few minutes of launching it. Each time you enter a new part of the world, the game will pause and download the additional data it needs. As you explore the game world, you'll accumulate more and more of the game's content.
- If you have the available diskspace and Internet bandwidth, you can configure the Launcher to perform a full download. This is done by selecting the Advanced Tools option in the lower left of the Launcher screen, and then choose the Select Game Version option. Once you have chosen to perform a full download, the Launcher will begin downloading all of the game files. A full download of the game ensures the best performance and fastest loading, although you will need to wait for the complete game to be downloaded to your PC before you can start playing. You can switch from streaming to full download at any time, however you cannot revert back to streaming without completely uninstalling and then reinstalling the game.
- The game can be installed in any location, and the launcher will recommend an appropriate default location. If you're moving the game to another computer, you should back up all of the files in the folder on your old PC where EverQuest 2 is currently installed. Then begin the installation of the game on the new system, but once it starts downloading files, cancel the download and close the Launcher. Then copy the backed-up files from your old PC to your new PC, preserving the same folder structure used by the game. You can verify everything is where it should be by starting the Launcher, selecting Advanced Tools and then choose Validate Game Assets from the menu.
- It is recommended that you install EverQuest 2 on Windows 10 or later, which already includes support for DirectX 11.1. If you are installing the game on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you may need to install additional operating system updates to ensure compatibility with the current version of the game. It is no longer required for you to install the DirectX 9.0c software.
- Although it is not officially supported on Linux, EverQuest 2 can be run in Linux if you have the appropriate audio and video drivers installed along with Wine 3.12 or later. It is recommended you use the latest version of Wine available for your Linux distro. See the Wine AppDB entry for EverQuest 2 for details.
Game 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 Character Creation.
Major Features[]
- Huge variety of classes and races. Choose from up to 21 races and 26 classes*. Any race can be any class (with some conditions). Four starting cities, each with its own newbie experience. *The Freeblood and Aerakyn races are only available through the Marketplace. The Beastlord and Channeler classes are only available through the Marketplace. more info
- One hundred ten 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. Nearly 8000 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. Seven cities each have unique housing styles. more info
- Relive your past and 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[]
- Many 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. Six or seven tiers of improvement are available for each spell, each slightly more powerful than the previous. more info
- Specialize your character. Earn Alternate Advancement Points by completing quests and defeating notable monsters, then customize your character by spending the 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 matchmaking tools. Specify the role you want to fill in a group, or solicit for players to join your group. Find work for your tradeskill, or hire a player to craft things for you.more info
- Strong guild features. Browse for a new guild, or recruit members to your own guild, using the in-game 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. Prestigious items become available to members of higher level guilds. Purchase a guild hall containing convenient amenities for its members.
- EQ2Players web portal. View other players' information, statistics, and history on the EQ2Players web site. Add your own bio and pictures.
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. 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:
Index of Beginner's Guides |
The Basics |
The Details |
The Adventure |
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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.
- The 2019 New and Returning Player Guide, written by the Daybreak Community Manager, Roxxlyy.
Enjoy the game! Don't be afraid to ask questions, and remember to check this wiki for answers.
- -- the EQ2i Admin Team