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If you didn’t read all the fine print prior to the launch of EverQuest II’s newest expansion Sentinel’s Fate, then you may not have heard about the overhaul of stat changes. Many players have gotten info here and there in game, but it is still unclear to some what has changed and what it means for all of us.

The Basics

In a nutshell, stats have been somewhat simplified. Previously classes had multiple stats that effected how they performed especially for the hybrid classes, such as the Shadow knight who used strength and intelligence, this meant stacking stats to suit various needs. In the end, players who used their characters for multiple purposes (a Shadowknight who might sometimes tank or sometimes DPS) would have to use multiple sets of gear to achieve the best results for whatever role they were filling.

Now, the classes have a single primary stat that controls all the damage they do:

• Fighters – Strength (STR)
• Scouts – Agility (AGI)
• Priests – Wisdom (WIS)
• Mages – Intelligence (INT)

This means that for the Shadowknight, they previously needed to add INT for spell damage and STR for melee damage now only need STR to raise all damage that they do.

Here is a breakdown of what each stat does now for each archetype:

Resists and Bonuses

In addition to these basic stat changes, there have also been changes to resists, critical damage, and other bonuses. These changes were also made in the name of simplicity so really much of these features were consolidated to make everything easier on the player.

Resists, which used to be a nice long list of various ailments, have now been narrowed down into four categories:

• Arcane Resist – used to be divine, magic, and mental
• Elemental Resist – used to be cold and heat
• Noxious Resist – used to be disease and poison
• Physical Resist – used to be vs. crushing, vs. slashing, vs. piercing

Critical, damages, and healing bonuses have also been consolidated and you’ll see some new terms floating around in game that you may not be familiar with.

Toughness – A PvP only stat that reduces damage taken.  This is a good one to be aware of if you are playing on the Battlegrounds.

Potency – This used to be base damage and base healing. Rather than just raise one of the base stats at a time, raising your potency increases the effectiveness of all abilities. This means that a Fury, who previously had to raise both base damage and base healing separately if they wished to do damage and heal effectively, now only needs to raise their potency to see an advantage for both.

Ability Modifier – Previously this was combat art and spell damage, taunt amount, and heal amount. These are now all under the umbrella of the new name and will affect all of these.

Crit now covers all types of crit. Whether it is critical spell damage, critical healing, or critical physical damage, the crit stats apply to all and will give that bonus to all types.

Alternate Advancements

Alternate Advancements for the Kingdom of Sky class trees (brawler, crusader, warrior, shaman, etc) have changed somewhat. Each line is named by a stat: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Wisdom, and Intelligence. Previously these had more meaning as the first node for each line directly added points to the corresponding stat. These have been completely removed and each line now has one less spot in which to add points. Basically this leaves the names of each line, the names of the stats, pretty much meaningless because these lines no longer effect stats. This certainly does not make the class AA lines less meaningful as you can still add points wherever you feel you need them. It just means that these lines have do not directly alter your class stats. The good news is, you now may add up to 10 points per ability and you don't have to fiddle with adding points to stats you don't want just to gain access to the abilities in the line. Be sure to take a look at what Alternate Advancements are now available for your own class by clicking here.

Your character development trait choices will hold more weight now however. At levels 8, 28, and 48 you are awarded the opportunity to add to a single stat for your character. It might be wise to choose your classes primary stat to raise damage potential.

The changes are good for most players, but inevitably some will be caught in the cross fire. For players who stacked their stats in favor of secondary stats like the SK and his INT gear or scouts who focused on STR for extra melee damage may now have to completely re-gear to take advantage of the changes. Each player should take some time to review their equipment and make any adjustments so that they aren’t losing out. Be sure to bookmark this guide for review and get in game to check out your own gear to see if you are dressed for success!