"Why not WoW?"

What does EQ2 still do better than any other MMO?

World of Warcraft is widely regarded as the most popular MMORPG in the world (excluding Asia for you Lineage fans) so obviously it has been setting the standard for recent MMO's and is the biggest.  Something I see frequently on the EQ2 forums that bugs me to no end is people attempting to determine which game is better.    People, they are different games, which share similar mechanics because they are MMO's.    Every game uses ideas from other other games because....brace yourself....they work.    I couldn't blame SOE for taking an idea from Blizzard, anymore than I could blame Blizzard for taking an idea from NCSoft.   So what makes EQ2 so great?   Now I'm not going to sit here and arrogantly declare how much I know about MMO's.   I've played Ultima Online, Everquest 1, Starwars Galaxies,  Horizons, and most importantly World of Warcraft.   What does that mean other than I can to talk about the old days of riding a boat for a half hour to get to Freeport (that was the way it was and we liked it)?   Not much really, however I think there are a few areas
I think Everquest 2 is head and shoulders above other MMO's.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

One of the most noticeable areas where Everquest 2 excels in is its graphics engine.   Advanced well beyond any other released MMO, it renders objects in a crisp realistic manner.  When reading a few EQ2 vs WoW articles from other gaming companies I did notice one or two actual gave WoW the edge in graphics.   I'm not sure what they hoped to gain by ramming their nose up Blizzard's tail but I do know I've found it baffling.   I've provided two images below:

Things to See and Places to Be

The premise that keeps us all playing these MMO's is the continuation of that "treadmill" with reward and punishment based on performance.   We don't like a plain treadmill though, we want one that requires us to wait an hour for a creature to spawn.   Maybe a visit to 12 different locations surrounded an army of Goblins or  gathering 200 resources at a painstakingly slow place.   Regardless of your choice, well written and placed content is critical to the continued interest of the player.

This is something I think EQ2 has done better than any other game I've seen in recent days.   There are quests by the hundreds to be done and I've rarely found myself without a completely full Quest Journal.   There are also a number of zones.  The old world does at times feel a bit small and constrained but the new Desert of Flames expansion has added huge areas to explore   Rewards aplenty and more stuff to kill than some First Person Shooters, Everquest 2 provides countless hours of things to see and do.

Please note, I'm not saying other games (especially WoW) have done a poor job with this.  WoW in particular when I played, however was sorely lacking in expanded content and has only recently announced an expansion

Who are the People in your Neighborhood?

Community is a crucial part of any MMO.  All the pretty graphics, all the cool uber items, all the pvp, and all the quests in the world can’t help an MMO with no community.  It’s the people that make it what it is.  Without the people, you can just play any single player game and have the same effect.

EQ2 has a rather unique community.  By and large an older and/or more mature group of players frequent EQ than other MMO’s.  This is due, in large part, to the nature of the game.  It’s more cerebral and less go forth and slash than other games, and therefore attracts a different crowd.  Additionally, the developers and community managers work together to keep a thriving community running on the game message boards.  EQ2 has a whole forum devoted to building community.  Or at least, that’s what it’s been turned into.

The people you play with are what keep you coming back to the game.  Through all the changes, nerfs, combat revamps, and general angst of a growing game, it’s a healthy thriving community that keeps you coming around.  A close knit guild, a regular group, even just one good friend you log on to see, it makes a world of difference for every MMO.

To sum it up, all MMO's are different in fundamental ways, and appeal to diverse groups of people.  But for me, EQ2 is the best for the things I've described and many more that I can't possibly begin to list.  Can I play other games and enjoy them?  Sure.  But EQ2 is always going to be my favourite.