Here he comes, the mushroom man, the mushroom man, the mushroom man.

Game Info

Publisher

Sony Computer Entertainment Developer

Verant Interactive Genre

Online Origin

U.S. Net Support

YES Accelerated

YES Release

March 16, 1999 Minimum Requirements

Win95/98

P166MHz

32MB RAM

D3D or GLide compliant accelerator card w/ 4MB RAM

500MB hard drive space

28.8k+ Internet connection

Windows compatible sound card



Well, at least if you're stranded on a rocky island you'll have the pleasure of becoming better acquainted with these two.



What would you do for a Klondike bar? Would you wear the head of a polar bear on your own head?



Hey man, you're getting dead bits of flesh all over my sword.







EverQuest



We take a look at phase 4 of the beta test. Over 20 new shots and 3 QuickTime movies inside.



March 1, 1999



03/01/1999 Phase 4 of the beta test started on February 10th and ever since then Trent, Jason, and myself have gotten reacquainted with our EQ addiction. There's been many a night (and even some extremely early mornings) at the office when you could hear the phrase "let's just make one more run into Crushbone before leaving" repeated more than a dozen times. We've been playing the beta since the early days, keeping tabs on the progress of EQ, and we agree that it's getting better every day. There are over 25,000 people in the latest phase of the beta test and, with its release in just over two weeks, we know those of you out there who have yet to explore the world of Norrath are interested in what's new in phase 4 ... and we're more than willing to fill you in on the latest developments. One of the biggest improvements in phase 4 is the addition of sound for nearly every action in the game. Earlier phases of the beta only included sparse sound support ... a tense musical score to accompany combat, a fancy little ditty when you entered the Halfling city of Rivervale, and the like. But phase 4 offers full sound effect support. The undead howl with maniacal laughter, swampy ground mushes under your footsteps, and mana crackles when mages casts spells. You even hear a rustle when you open your backpack to retrieve a stored item in phase 4. Verant has also added support for A3D and EAX in some of the latest patches, so the sound environment is becoming fully developed at a rapid pace. The programmers have also finished a lot of the quests that were missing in phase 3 (although, sadly, they still haven't implemented any of the magical Monk headband quests past the orange band). Phase 3 felt mainly like a hack-n-slash adventure as you were basically delegated to the role of monster slayer extraordinaire. Although the game still revolves around combat as a means to gain experience (as most RPGs do), you can also gain experience by completing certain tasks for NPCs. And it's much easier to actually get a quest in phase 4 as the keywords to inquire about are now enclosed in brackets. For example, a NPC might tell you "I need the [potion of Azraguard] to continue my experiments on magical weapon enhancement. Simply ask about the "potion of Azraguard" and you might be given a clue as to where the concoction can be located. Graphically, EQ is coming along quite nicely and there are noticeable improvements in several of the game areas over phase 3. The designers have added more realistic lighting, improved and tightened some of the textures, and added entirely new items. Many of the creatures in Norrath look better than they did in phase 3, and there are even entirely new creatures. Phase 4 has also seen the addition of several environmental effects like lazy, hanging fog in the entrance to the underground city of Kaladim and dead trees in the deserts near Freeport. These scenery improvements combined with the updated sound effects make for a much more realistic and immersive gaming environment A number of new skills have been activated in phase 4. These include pottery, baking, jewelry making, and smithing. Although these skills were available in phase 3, PCs weren't able to use them yet. Now, with ore, a mold, and a forge, smiths can fashion their own suit of armor. Since several thousand new testers were added to phase 4, Verant now has six servers up and running: a test server where the old-timers play, a Player vs. Player server, and four others. Each of the regular servers has an average of about 700 people on at peak hours, with the test server and PvP server attracting less of an audience. The most interesting of these in terms of role playing may be the PvP server. Although PCs can opt to become player killers (meaning they can kill and be killed by other player-controlled characters in the game world) on any of the servers, the PvP server is dedicated to those who want to role play in an environment where everyone is a potential victim or death-bringer. Overall, we're incredibly impressed with the progress of EverQuest and we're waiting to see what the final holds in store. Verant has already taken the final code to the presses and EQ is slated to hit the retail shelves on March 16th. If you want to learn more about EverQuest, be sure to read the rest of our massive preview and check out our recent interview with producer Brad McQuaid. -- Tal Blevins 01/04/1999 Well, we've been getting lots of emails asking us what makes a good party in EverQuest, so I thought I'd focus on group adventuring in today's EverQuest update. Being 11th level now, I've had the opportunity to travel to nearly every corner of Norrath and meet several wanderers in the various lands in EverQuest. I've been in a lot of different parties and I've generally enjoyed the company of most of the beta testers I've meet online. Most are very helpful and are quite courteous to other party members. You do occasionally run across a kill-stealer or experience sapper, but this is more the exception than the norm. Parties in EverQuest are limited to a maximum of six members. There are several advantages to forming large parties. The most obvious is that you can take on more powerful creatures or greater numbers of lower level opponents. Party adventuring also means you'll be traveling in numbers, so this can be a good way to increase your skills while keeping within the safety of others. Of course, there are also some disadvantages to large parties. First off, since experience is split between everybody in your party, you tend to gain levels slower than if you took on baddies by your lonesome. You'll also have to wait for everyone to get organized, healed, and magically boosted between fights. While doing this, there's typically a long drawn-out conversation with lots of EQ jargon that you'll only understand after playing the game for a while. A conversation between kills might go something like this: Talmadge: gk ... ready for another? Mielia: need to med Atyr: oom Talmadge: oom? Atyr: out of mana Talmadge: k Trimark: get a load of that wood elf ... woo hoo Talmadge: calm down boy :0) Atyr: 3/5 mana ... go get one Mielia: ready Talmadge: hunting Talmadge: got one Trimark: one jumped me ... come back quick tal Atyr: uh oh ... can we take 2? Talmadge: i guess we have to Mielia: help ... he's on me Trimark: back up ... i'll take 'em Talmadge: well, trimark's dead ... run!!! ... and so on A good party is one with good balance and it should include brawny warrior types as well as a few brainy spellcasters. It's always good to have at least one 'tank' character -- someone who can dish out damage as well as withstand a good bit of punishment. Obviously Warriors fall under this category, but some other good choices for tanks include Monks, Paladins, Rangers, and Shadow Knights. Rangers also prove to be handy as they can track specific monsters. This is a very useful skill if you're looking for treasure that can only be found on particular creatures. It's also a good idea to have one or two healers in the party. The tanks especially like this as they are the ones who take the brunt of the damage. The healers are best left on back ranks, adding support to the Warrior types and only stepping into melee if the situation becomes particularly hairy. Clerics, Druids, and Shamen are the best choices, but higher level Bards, Paladins, and Rangers can also aid in the healing process. Spellcasters round out a balanced party and they offer powerful ranged and area attacks. The best offensive spellcasters are Magicians, Necromancers, and Wizards, but almost all of the mana throwers have some offensive spells ... even Clerics. Although not spells per se, the songs of the Bard can also be useful while in combat as some can boost the combat effectiveness of every member of the party within a certain range. Another potential problem that arises with party adventuring is how to split the loot. Although there's supposed to be an autoloot function in the final version of EQ that will split the booty evenly among party members, this function does not work in the beta. Usually this problem works itself out though and most of the parties I've been in take alphabetical turns looting corpses. I hope that gives you a little insight into group adventuring in EQ. In closing, let me give a hearty 'Hail!' to everyone I've adventured with: Trimark, Cestusdei, Vorpal, Kordolina, Darthen, Briaana, Aildain, Alustriel, Hakamer, Xeev, Palin, Rajin, Bini, Artok, Malkav, Vexx, Aelfwine, Dardack, Sanadar, Asdre, Molan, Pythed, Kanaf, Clannad, Kendrel, Bruegyhr, Rzack, Haladmer, Viyy, Baranar, Gruffin, Talon, and Rayn. If I missed some of you, forgive me ... but it is a big world out there. See you in EverQuest. -- Tal Blevins 12/15/1998 Let's Go: Norrath, Pt. 2 Today's EverQuest update describes the remaining six cities of Norrath. Ak'Anon

Nestled in the heart of the Steamfront Mountains, Ak'Anon is home to the mechanically inclined Gnomes. The Gnomes have crafted a bevy of robotic creatures and humanoids to assist travelers to Ak'Anon. The clockwork guides are particularly useful for visitors of this strange underground city. Ruled by King Akanon, the Gnomish city the only town in Norrath to boast it's own zoo. The land surrounding Ak'Anon is filled with active geothermic geysers, which the Gnomes use to power their mechanical inventions. All visitors to the Steamfront Mountains should be sure to check out the famous Gnomish windmills and the ancient dragon skeleton, if you can get away from the sights of the city. Felwithe

Felwithe is impressive indeed and many a soul have traveled far to gaze upon its wondrous architecture. The High Elves built their immense city deep in the Greater Faydark Forest, so it may take some time to find the Elvish city if you are not familiar with the area. Felwithe's solid stone design and ivy covered walls remind you that the city, like the Elves, has been around for a long, long time. Like the Erudites, the High Elves are a highly magical race and they too use teleporter gems to access certain parts of their city. There are also a number of merchants in Felwithe and travelers can find almost anything they could imagine here. Freeport

Freeport, like its name suggests, is a port city lying on the edge of the Ocean of Tears. Several ships depart each day from Freeport to the ButcherBlock Mountains and, although Freeport is known mainly as a Human town, because of it is a major port you will encounter many different races in the city. Set in a rough and dangerous desert environment, beginning adventurers are encouraged to stay near the city gates under the close protection of the highly skilled city guard. Of course, Freeport offers a number of unique sights, such as the Arena, the Temple of Marr, and the docks. If staying overnight be sure to book a room in the Jade Tiger Inn. And if you get thirsty you can always walk next door to Tassel's Tavern and order a delicious frothy ale. Kelethin

Also in Faydark, Kelethin is the home to the Wood Elves. Kelethin is built high in the tress, so visitors with vertigo would do best to avoid a trip to Kelethin ... the effects could be deadly. To get to Kelethin, the Wood Elves have devised an ingenious elevator system using a platform attached to the entire trunk of the enormous trees found in Faydark. There are a number of platforms connected by suspended bridges and wooden walkways. And it doesn't help that the Faydark is often dark and foggy, further cutting visibility for us races without infra or ultravision. Although all you'll see is mainly trees and vegetation, the view from the heights of Kelethin is truly amazing. The Wood Elves are generally hospitable and kind to strangers, and their buildings are conveniently labeled with simple names such as Fletcher and Tavern so you'll know exactly what merchant you're visiting before you walk in a shop. Oggok

Like the Trolls, the Ogre city of Oggok may not be for the faint of heart. Be prepared to see random body parts and skeletons if you visit Oggok ... a testament to their power. If you do want to start trouble, this might not be the place to do it. The guards in Oggok are some of the strongest in Norrath ... and they come well armored. The heavy stone slab construction in Oggok also proves that the Ogres are not a race to triffle with. However, the Ogres do like to party after the day is done and the taverns in Oggok serve some of the strongest potables around. Qeynos

Qeynos ... beloved Qeynos. My home town. After spending so much time in the ButcherBlock Mountains I'm beginning to miss the place. Like Freeport, Qeynos is a port city with service to Erudin. Because of its proximity to the ocean, it often rains in Qeynos and afternoon showers are not uncommon at anytime during the year. Qeynos is definitely one of the largest cities in Norrath and, again like Freeport, you can find a variety of races housed within its walls. When traveling to Qeynos you'll want to take time to see the beautiful Temple of Life, the clock tower, and the gruesome prison. Plus the open markets are a great place to find useful items. Word of note: the Gnolls are a large nuisance in the area and I suggest you kill one whenever possible. -- Tal Blevins 12/11/1998 Let's Go: Norrath, Pt. 1 Today's EverQuest update describes some of the cities you'll visit while in the land of Norrath. Look for Part 2 of the Norrath travel guide sometime next week only on IGN-PC. Erudin

Located in the Toxxulia Forest, Erudin is a major bastion of knowledge in Norrath and the famous Erudin Library is located here. Aptly named, Erudin is home to the Erudites, a race brimming with innate magical aptitude. The city of Erudin is one of the most beautiful in the land, with polished marble architecture and elaborate fountains lining its walkways. The Erudites also have a unique way of travelling to the different parts of their city. There are a number of teleporter gems scattered around the city making travel a magical experience unto itself. Accommodations and contacts can be made at the Vasty Deep Inn, where you'll often find groups of Erudites discussing philosophy, spell research, and weaving tales about their latest adventures. Along with their natural magical abilities, The Erudites are also well known for their gem crafting ability. Be sure to check out Sothure's Fine Gems if you're looking for that special ring or amulet. Grobb

In the heart of the Innothule Swamp, Grobb is not a city for the weak of heart ... or stomach for that matter. Not known for their eye for beauty (at least to the other races of Norrath), the city of Grobb is decorated rather sparsely, and squeamish visitors may be disgusted by the lavish array of body parts strewn about the pathways. Of course, it pays to be cautious when visiting Grobb ... not only because of the native Trolls, but the numerous lava pits scattered around the city means you'll definitely have to watch your step. The Trolls are also not known for their kindness to other races, which may be due to the utter disdain that the other civilizations in Norrath feel toward the Trolls. Halas

If you like ice and snow, Halas may be the town for you. There's certainly no shortage of the white stuff in Halas. The native Barbarian population seems to have adapted to the cold perfectly, often wearing less clothing than many of the other races of Norrath. Personally I've found the traditional Barbarian dress (knee-length kilts for men and skimpy leather corsets for women) does little to protect normal Humans like myself from the elements. If you are in the market for clothes while in Halas, be sure to stop by Mac's kilts. Or if you're looking for another way to warm yourself, you can grab a nip at McQuaid's Bar and Stout or McDonald's Fire Cider, a fine establishment run by Brandyn and Hetie McDonald. Obviously, the local Barbarians are a hearty race and many of them stand over seven feet tall. Kaladim

Kaladim, the city of the Dwarves. Nestled in the scenic ButherBlock Mountains, Kaladim is rough and dark, but extremely comfortable ... although visiting Kaladim may cause some of the taller races a bit of neck pain as you must constantly bend down to avoid hitting doorways. Dwarves are very proud of their heritage as is apparent by the enormous Dwarven statue set atop the city gates. The Dwarven Smiths of Kaladim produce some of the best armor and weaponry available in Norrath, but the prices here certainly aren't cheap. You can get outfitted with some great wears at Redfist's Metal and the Everhot Forge, but you will pay a hefty price. You may also want to stop by Gurtha's Wares, a general store that carries everything from Fire Beetle Eyes to Cloth Shawls. If you do, please by sure to give Gurtha and Yaptongue a hearty 'Hail' from Brother Talmadge. Other sites of interest in Kaladim include the gem-filled mines and the palace of King Kazon Storm, who may even grant you an audience. Neriak

The underground city of Neriak is dark but beautiful. There are as many tales and mysteries surrounding the city of Neriak as there are individuals in Norrath. As home to the Dark Elves, many of the other races have never visited Neriak. However, the Dark Elves do live harmoniously with several other races in their city including the Ogres, Trolls, and even a smattering of humans. Neriak offers one of the most unique taverns in Norrath and visitors will not want to miss a chance to visit The Blind Fish, which features a two-story aquarium built right into the wall of the bar. There are also several tapestries lining the walls and dartboards for your amusement. If you're hungry, stop by Diana's Bread and Butter, run by Sal and Tal (hmmm...) Drana, two human implants into the city. Of course, visitors to the city should be prepared for the unique look and feel of Neriak. Like Erudin, Neriak is a very magical city and there are several colorful phantasms and illusions spread throughout the city. Rivervale

The quaint village of Rivervale is home to the hairy-footed Halflings. A race of law and order, you're sure to run into several deputies and marshalls while visiting this city. You may even run into Mayor Gubbin while in town, a rosy-cheeked man who's constantly spreading good cheer. And there are several sights outside of the city you shouldn't miss, like the surrounding dome-shaped Halfling hovels and the Great Wall. Several large towers located outside the city proper offer amazing views of the surrounding countryside. -- Tal Blevins

11/24/1998



Okay, I've finally hit seventh level. I can walk around the Dwarven lands with relative impunity, I can walk past goblin encampments rather than run and I don't have to ask Tal to loan me a few coins every time I need to buy food. The monsters that used to provide me with the experience I needed, rats, bats, skunks, and the like now offer me no significant experience gain whatsoever. I now have to face off against fully-grown goblins rather than their children, freshly raised Dwarven skeletons rather than those that are beginning to crumble with age. With my character coming into a sort of experience adolescence, I have freedom that was denied to me previously. And with this freedom comes questioning. Is there more to life than killing goblins for their coins? Once you've managed to survive to sixth or seventh level, you'll be ready to start exploring the world around you with a little more confidence. Everquest is full not only of monsters to kill, but also of beautiful hidden locations, other player characters, and as the name would suggest, quests. As much as I'd love to tell you about some of the individual quests in the title, there's no way to do so without either giving away a game secret or running the risk that the quest won't find its way into the final version. Suffice it to say that they work much as they would in a real world situation. Ever now and then you'll run across an NPC who, when hailed, will ask you to perform a task (make a delivery, find another person, etc.) for them. Sometimes these tasks are easy, but often they involve journeys that are extremely dangerous indeed. The payoff, other than the enjoyment of having finished them, is experience (from whatever you managed to kill on the way), and sometimes items or cash. I know this is all pretty vague, but you do have to keep in mind that Everquest is still very definitely a beta, and lots of stuff is still changing. So what about the hidden locations? Well, we managed to uncover an ancient temple deep underwater, complete with engraved columns, and a mysterious entrance that is just daring me to give it a go. The problem at this point is that as a Dwarf, I started with absolutely no swimming skill at all. Although I've improved to about 25 over time, that still doesn't exactly make me Mark Spitz. Just to get to the entrance I have to use up about half of my air supply. I need that half to get back to the surface without drowning. So here's the rub - there may be air inside the temple, in which case I'll swim in, go past my halfway mark, but ultimately be okay. Unfortunately, if the air isn't there, I'll drown, leaving my body (and therefore all my items) inside of cave, so far in that I'll die again if I try to recover it. I've spent the last few hours trying to come up with a solution that suits both the adventurer and the coward in me. So far it's not going so well... Speaking of death, a lot of you have written in to ask me about just what it is that makes death so bad in Everquest. Well, other than running the risk of leaving all of your belongings somewhere that you can't get to, you also take a pretty stiff experience reduction every time you buy the farm. At early levels, this isn't such a big deal but as you progress through the levels, the experience hit you take when you die gets more and more severe. I recently tried to help out a newbie who'd bitten off more than he could chew. It turns out that he'd bitten off more than I could chew as well and I wound up loosing about a fifth of the experience towards seventh level that I had accumulated. Fortunately, by the time I got back to my body (right now you have about eight hours to get back to your bod before it disappears for good - low level characters have much less time) the beastie had found other adventurers to munch and I was able to retrieve my belongings without having to tangle with him again. Safety tip - don't tackle the basilisks until you're very sure that you can beat them. So how else have I been spending my time? Well, thanks to a few friends online, I discovered more about the language system and have been putting it to good use. I started the game with an 'excellent' rating in both Dwarvish and Common and had a smattering of Gnomish as well. For the most part, everyone in the game speaks Common to each other. It's quick, it's easy, and everyone understands what you're saying. Lately though, I've been keeping my speech turned to Dwarvish. This started out as a sort of nationalistic pride thing, but I've discovered that it can be entertaining as well. Since I spend most of my time in the Dwarflands nearly everyone understands me, and I get to make fun of Tal without him knowing what I'm saying. The only problem is, due to his constant exposure to the Dwarvish tongue, Tal's skill in that language is starting to improve. Pretty soon I'm going to have to quit telling everyone that he's my valet. Okay, that's it for now... Be sure to check back tomorrow. We're going to start a contest that will offer up a beta test slot in the Everquest game for two lucky winners. How's that for cool? For those of you who are in the beta test already, thanks again for your help and support over the last few days. -- Trent C.Ward



11/20/98



We've been getting a flood of letters asking us when are we going to cover the magic system in EverQuest. Since we've been focusing on developing our two Human Monks and a Dwarven Warrior, our faithful readers thought we would totally disregard the arcane arts. Bah!!! We still have a few tricks up our sleeves. We have indeed been playing a few spell casters and checking out the magic system in EQ. It just takes a little more time to get the hang of the magic system in any RPG ... brute force is always easier to dish out than it is to use your mental acuity. Plus the fighter types tend to rise through the beginning levels faster than magic wielders. So, without further ado, here's our EverQuest magic guide ... To start out, let's just run through a basic description of the spell casting classes. There are a total of nine magic wielding classes in EverQuest broken down as follows: Six pure spell casters -- Cleric

Holy priests and priestesses who call upon their deity to provide assistance in the form of healing, defensive, and a few offensive spells. Druid

These masters of nature magic are more at home in the expanse of outdoors rather than in crowded cities. They specialize in defense and ability augmentation magic. Enchanter

As the name suggests, Enchanters specialize in magic which enhances individuals and items. They also know how to charm creatures magically and can learn a few damaging spells. Magician

As the conjurers of the arcane world, Magicians have the ability to produce various items such as food and friendly Elementals. They also pack quite a punch with offensive spells. Necromancer

Evil spell-casters specializing in death magic. They often employ the undead to aid their dark causes. Shaman

The Shaman class is similar to the Cleric class, but is often found in the more primitive races such as the Barbarians, Trolls, and Ogres. They specialize in healing magic, ability enhancement, and a few offensive spells. Wizard

As seekers of magical knowledge, Wizards are the strongest users of offensive magic. They also utilize transport spells with great adeptness. And three hybrid classes -- Paladin

A combination of the Warrior and Cleric classes. Righteous crusaders fighting on the side justice and light. Good at combat as well as healing and undead destruction spells. Ranger

A mixture of the Warrior and Druid classes. Able to put up a good fight as well as call upon the powers of nature to defend themselves if needed. Shadow Knight

A melding of the Warrior and Necromancer classes, Shadow Knights are dark beings who utilize evil magic. The Necromancer is to the Cleric as the Shadow Knight is to the Paladin. Each of the spell wielding classes begins EverQuest with two scrolls. These vary with class but include such spells as Minor Shielding and Shock of Frost for Wizards and Minor Heal and Courage for Clerics. Casters also begin with a spell book in which they must scribe their scrolls before using them. After spells are scribed they are in your spell book permanently. If you wish, you can commit your most frequently used spells to memory. Along the left-hand side of your viewscreen are eight notches which may be used to store memorized spells. It takes some time to memorize spells, but it is extremely useful to have certain spells at your fingertips. To cast a spell, simply target the person (including yourself), creature, or item you want to magically affect and click on the appropriate spell from your sidebar or spell book. The spell may fizzle if your skill is too low, wasting precious mana. And if you move or are struck during casting your spell will definitely fail. The most important thing to spell users is mana, or magical energy. Casting spells takes mana. The more powerful the spell, the more the mana cost. So what do you do when you run out of mana? Meditate. All spell casters must relax and get in tune with their magical power sources to recoup their mana. It is wise to find a safe place to meditate as, during meditation, spell casters cannot react to their environment. This means no movement and no talking, less the meditative state be broken. They can only hear what is going on around them. Every race allows some type of spell casting class, but certain races such as the Elves and Erudites are more adept than the Trolls and Ogres. New spells are available to casters about every four or five levels. So far we've seen 1st, 4th, 9th, 14th, and 19th level spells available for sell in the various towns of Norrath, the EQ gaming world. I'm sure there are spells above 19th, we just haven't encountered them yet. Of course, our most developed spell caster is only 11th level now, so it's not like we've really been on the search. To learn new spells, you must first purchase scrolls from the appropriate dealer. But these pages of arcane knowledge don't come cheap. 1st level spells will run you about 1 gold a piece. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is quite a hefty sum for a beginning player in the world of EverQuest. And, as we get closer to 14th level, we're looking to pay about 4-5 platinum (40-50 gold) a piece ... ouch!!! Since we've had the most experience with a Barbarian Shaman character, we'll give you the low down on a few of the spells you can expect to see from this class. Feet of the Cat

Increases your agility making you harder to hit. Frost Rift

An offensive spell which freezes a target for approximately 15 points of damage. Gate

Along with Bind (which all spell casters can get at 14th level - it binds you to a certain city so, if you die, you don't automatically start at your home city), one of the most useful spells around. Gate allows your character to teleport back to their home city. Serpent Sight

Allows those races not naturally endowed with superb night vision to see in the dark. Spirit of the Wolf

Allows you to move twice as fast as usual. The charm of magic may only be realized at higher levels as mana-channelers often have a more difficult time gaining experience than fighter types in the early days of adventuring. Warriors begin with more hit points, higher stamina, better defense, and better combat skills while magic users tend to start with weaker weapons, less defensive measures, and weaker offensive skills. However, higher level spell casters can pack quite a punch and can enact extreme defensive measures such as becoming invisible. It really is hard to hit something if you can't see it. Of course, because of EverQuest's heavy emphasis on traditional role-playing, the best adventuring party is one which combines warriors and offensive spell caster as well as healers. Well, that about does it for IGN-PCs exclusive coverage of EverQuest. We've had a two week exclusive on EQ, so expect to see the Net flooded with EQ articles next week. But don't forget who brought it to you first and who has the jump on everybody else. Check back with IGN-PC on Monday for our next EverQuest update. -- Tal Blevins



11/18/98



Okay, after a week of promises, we can finally give you decent details on what it's like to travel in a party. We started out yesterday evening with my Dwarf fighter in Kaladim, the city of the Dwarves, and Tal's Human monk in Qeynos, a Western Human town. These two population centers were not only separated from each other by vast distances, but by a really large body of water as well. Even so, as a fourth level fighter, I felt like I had enough experience under my belt to get out of any sort of danger that presented itself, so I set out to join up with my Human buddy so many miles away. First off, let me just start out by saying that I had no business trying to do what I did. A fourth level Dwarf should stay close to home, looking for adventure and gathering enough gold to buy a little bit of armor. Instead, I set out along a small path that led from Kaladim to a small port village on the west coast of the Dwarven isle (it's also the Elven and Gnomish isle, but who cares about them?). Here I moved to the end of the docks just in time to catch a huge ship that was leaving port, bound for the city of Freeport. The sight of the city drifting away behind me with nothing but open sea ahead was a little bit intimidating for me as I'm not exactly the greatest swimmer in the world. Soon I was so far away that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. After a few game hours (about ten minutes real time) I found my self at a small port village. I was expecting a lot more from Freeport, but I chalked it up to the poor creatures' inferior engineering ability. I popped into a store at the end of the dock to grab some food (I had depleted quite a bit on my journey so far) and came out just in time to watch the boat sail away as I waved goodbye. It also struck me as somewhat unusual that the craft was travelling in the same direction we had been travelling before instead of turning around to go back to Kaladim. Oh, well... Maybe it turns around later. Ten minutes later the full realization of what had just happened washed over me. I was on a very tiny island in the middle of the Sea of Tears. This was only the first of many stops on the journey between Kaladim and Freeport. I was marooned on an isle with no monsters, no adventure objects, and no player characters. I stood at the dock to wait for the next boat. Unfortunately, I also discovered that boats only show up every 48 minutes or so (that's real-time folks). To help the time go by faster, I bought a fishing pole and some bait and sat on the dock for a big wait. By the time the next boast showed up, my fishing skill had gone from zero to 16. I would never be hungry again. Soon (after another near catastrophe) I found myself in Freeport, which was, I have to admit, pretty damn impressive. After a few aborted attempts to brave the dangers that lay in-between Freeport and Qeynos (big spiders I can deal with, but Griffins??), I eventually started telling my troubles to a friendly wizard who was kind enough to Gate me (nice spell that) straight to the city gates. Now all I had to do was find Tal in this land of lanky, oversized freaks (and you know how Humans all look the same...). After a few minutes of using the /tell command to talk back and forth, we managed to meet up with each other. We were finally ready for some team adventuring. I was also in a big hurry to get out of the city limits as Dwarves are fairly rare in these parts and I was becoming a bit of a tourist attraction. I was getting more than a little homesick. Having used the invite and follow commands, Tal and I were now officially a party. Unlike many games that force you to travel together in this mode, Everquest's party dynamics are actually pretty open. The only difference between being in a party and not being in a party is that you'll see a chart with the current health levels of your party members shown and you'll share experience for monsters killed when you're together. Other than that, you're free to whatever you like. Tal and I spent a few minutes easily dispatching together some of the monsters that had been difficult for us to take on separately. Soon we decided we were ready for more. We followed a path of dead adventurers to a huge cavern entrance carved into the side of a mountain wall. We found out from some of the adventurers hanging around outside that this was the home of all the Gnolls that had plagued the Human community for so long. We quickly teamed up with another monk who was looking for companions and headed inside ready for anything. After a few minutes I realized that the other two were no longer behind me. I found them about twenty paces back running into walls and bumping into each other. It turns out that Humans are almost blind in these caves. I handed each of them an eye that I had cut out of a Fire Beetle I had killed earlier. These eyes retain their luminescence and cast enough light to increase my weak eyed companions visual range to the point where they were at least able to follow me through the twists and turns of the cavern. Looking over at Tal's screen, I was really amazed at the amount of difference in the screens of my Dwarf with his Ultravision and Tal's Human without. Where his screen, even with the extra light source was almost black, mine was filled with all of the details of the cavern around me. I can't understand how Human children manage to live to 'maturity.' The cave was littered with the corpses of adventurers who had tried to conquer it before. Picking past the bodies, we soon found a door that looked like it could have something important behind it. I eased it open and saw five Gnolls standing together in a small room. As I double clicked on each one of the creatures in turn, I discovered that each of them were a higher level that I was, and at least two of them were a much higher level than me. Tal, trying to see pushed forward. I yelled over to him sarcastically, "Just run in there and start hitting, we don't need a plan." It turns out that sarcasm doesn't work so well in chat. Tal, taking me at my word rushed into the room and unleashed a furious set of blows on the nearest Gnoll. In the mad seconds that followed, Tal was killed almost instantly, falling under repetitive blows of 25-35 hit points of damage. The monk who was travelling with us disappeared followed by three veryangry Gnoll pursuers. I was reduced to about a quarter of my health and threw myself off a large cliff into a body of water below to escape the disturbed monster's fury. Soon I realized that it was not enough. My back to a wall, I watched in horror as the Gnolls braved the leap and followed me into the water. Unable to escape, I soon died under a rain of fierce attacks. Then things really got bad. It turns out that each spirit is bound to the land from which it comes. When the darkness passed and I was resurrected, I found myself back in Kaladim. Unwilling to face the dangers of the Human's land again, I decided that it was Tal's turn to come to me. He found a wizard willing to transport him to the Dwarven city and soon we were together again. This time we had enough presence of mind to ask our spell slinging benefactor to cast the bind spell on Tal. This spell would bind Tal's spirit to the Dwarven city so that, in case of accidental death, he would reappear here instead of in his native land. For better or for worse, Tal was now an honorary Dwarf. We spent the next few hours wandering the countryside together, travelling as far as the High Elf city of Felwithe, but never leaving the body of land that we were on. Tal was the first Human that a lot of these Dwarves and Elves had seen, and made several friends as we wandered through the different towns. In addition to taking on challenges like the Goblin warriors who were camped outside of Kaladim's gates, we also spent a little time giving aid, vocal, military and financial to some of the newbie players around us. Eventually we jumped up to level five (levels are coming much slower now) and I ran back to town to improve some of my skills at a training center. While there's no doubt that Kaladim is the greatest example of civilization that has ever existed, I must admit that as a race, we're not much for religion. Although we do have our share of clerics, we don't have any among us who are willing to give up the trappings of life to become a monk. This meant that Tal was unable to train his character with his newfound improvement points. It was time for another journey back to the land of humans. Armed now with a new sword and some nice leather armor, I headed back to Freeport with Tal to continue our adventure. As we got ready to catch the boat, we caught up with a group of three high level adventures who were waiting to make the journey as well. One of the jolly crew, Kyllum, was a gargantuan troll who was into dancing and collecting rare armor. To help pass the time, we all jumped into the ocean for a quick swim. I really wish the pictures had come out. It was really funny. Okay, that's it for now. By our next update (which will probably be written by Tal) we should be able to give you some more info on a few of the areas that lie outside the city limits and a few of the more menacing creatures that live there. Thanks again for all the letters. -- Trent C. Ward



11/16/98 So here we are again. It's a week later, and so you'd figure that my character would be really powerful by now. Unfortunately, because we received Fallout 2, Sin, and Redguard all last week, this simply isn't the case. In fact, because my character isn't quite what I'd pictured playing, I actually decide to roll up a new one. This goes better than I'd hoped. In about four hours of intense gaming, I've managed to bring my starting character up to level four. Unfortunately, since I'm playing the game as a Dwarf Warrior, Jason and Tal are an entire ocean away. I've made arrangements to get on a boat and meet them for Wed., but for now, I thought I'd describe the world itself in a little more detail and provide players with a mini-bestiary to help them get through the painful beginning hours as quickly as possible. First off, if you can deal with the idea of playing a dwarf, I can't recommend any city for starting characters more highly than Kaladim, the City of the Dwarves. In addition to having some of the best armor and weapons I've seen on the open market (don't get too excited, you won't be able to afford any of this stuff for a long time), Kaladim also offers one of the safest and yet challenging training areas available. Once you step outside the city gates (which are guarded by two sentries inside and two sentries outside), you'll be able to find targets for your aggressions that match your character's level an abilities. Here's a quick list of what I managed to find. Starting players (as we've already learned from past posts) will want to start their fighting careers by killing off as many bats and snakes as they can get their hands on. Although there aren't any to be found in the Butcherblock Mountains (the area surrounding Kaladim), large rats are also suitable targets. These are enemies that just about anyone, regardless of class should be able to take down. Remember (and this is the biggest tip available) stay close to the city walls, so the guards can help you out if you get in over your head. For those players who have chosen a fighting class (monks, warriors, rangers, etc.) another great way to get yourself to second level is by hunting goblin whelps or gnoll pups. Be careful though! Like many of the colony minded monsters in the game, these critters will go out of their way to attack you if they see you killing another one of their kind (actually, goblins and gnolls will go out of their way to attack you for just about anything). One final option for starting characters is to take on the rotting undead. Following these guidelines, resting up between fights and selling off any treasure you might find (snake bodies, bone chips from skeletons, bat's wings, and rat's ears and whiskers can all be sold off for a little bit of cash), you'll be second level in no time, and with a little pocket change to boot. Things get trickier at second level, especially in human settlements. All of the monsters that were so easy for you to kill before are now much easier, but you don't get nearly as much experience for killing them. Although you can just bite the bullet and spend a couple of hours killing the same critters over and over again, the more efficient way to move on is by tackling monsters that are a touch more challenging. Obviously this can be dangerous as well. In both Freeport and Qeynos, you'll have to leave the security of the nearby guards to find monsters that will serve this purpose. In Kaladim, I was lucky enough to find Large Skunks, Worker Scarabs, and Rock Spiderlin' right outside the gate. Human settlers will also want to consider taking on Worker Klickniks, Drone Klickniks, and Fire Beetles at this stage. All of these monsters except for the Large Skunk are community creatures and will team up on you in heartbeat. When you get into a fight, make sure to change to a side third-person view to make sure that nothing is sneaking up on you from behind. If this sort of situation does arise, don't be afraid to make a run for the guards. Dying sucks. The Large Skunk was my personal favorite, but it also offers its own special problems. Skunks stink. Worse still, if you don't kill them really quickly, skunks will make you stink, which will lower your charisma score considerably. The effect wears off after a few minutes, but in the meantime, it's a good idea to stay out of merchant's stores. You're really not going to get a very good deal smelling like that. So now you're level three. Once again, you can spend a couple of hours killing off multiples of the same monsters you've been scraping with, or move up to another level of combat challenge. In the Butcherblock Mountains, the best example of this challenge is the many Aviak Chicks that are running around. Because these critters can dish out a fair amount of damage, and because they're very willing to team up on you, you'll want to be very careful to try and catch them alone (unless you've got a friend - thanks again stranger!!). Near the human settlements, you may want to try and use Giant Rats to fill this experience level. Be warned! These suckers are a lot harder to kill than their large cousins. Another great reason to start the game in Kaladim is that the Butcherblock Mountains are unspeakably beautiful. Once you've gotten up to about third level, you'll be able to explore the world around you in more detail. I headed up trail to the left of the city gates and wandered deep into the woods that cover this hilly terrain. After about five minutes of solid walking time (I couldn't find anything that I really wanted to kill) I wound up at a township on the shores of the ocean. Once inside I talked to a few people and found out that this is my ticket to finding adventure with my friends. I went back outside to start earning enough cash to make the trip. While I wandered aimlessly across the hills, I kept a careful eye out for how steep the ground I was walking on was getting. Although most characters are remarkably sure footed, a fall can cost you anywhere from 10 to 20 hit points of damage (and more if you fall further), so it's very important in areas where you might find yourself in a fight that you keep your footing steady. As I crossed over one ridge, I caught a beautiful sunrise that in turn lit up a golden tower that I hadn't seen before. Unfortunately, as I approached the structure, I discovered that two skeletons, both of which were far too powerful for me to take on just yet, guarded it. Hopefully in our next installment I'll be able to tell you what wonders lie behind that golden door. Okay, that's it for now. Next time at least Tal and I really will give you some tips on party adventuring (it's turning out to be a lot harder to get all of us in one place than we had previously thought) and we'll continue telling you about the wildlife you can expect to encounter. Look for the new info on Wed. -- Trent C. Ward 11/13/98 EverQuest Impressions--Part One: Negotiating with rats, bugs and other low-level vermin. New version of EverQuest--must play. Old characters wiped out in previous beta. Doh. Must make new character. Ugh. Now being wise to the ways of EverQuest (meaning I played the other beta for a couple of weeks), I decided that this time around I was going to be a monk. This decision was not a difficult one. If you're not a monk, you gots to fights with weapons. If you die, you gots to go get your old weapons off your old body, which can be quite a long way away from the city. (You reincarnate in the city, you see.) Frankly, I was tired of doing that. Most of the time I couldn't even remember where I left my body (a pretty common problem when you're running away from monsters in the middle of the night.) So monk it is. Now since Tal "New Guy" Blevins had already decided to start his character in some town called Qeynos, both Trent and I were forced to start there as well, if we wanted to adventure as a team, that is. (And you know New Guys, they constantly have to be watched in a social setting like EverQuest, or they start hitting on the wildlife.) So anyway the first order of business was to get past this measly level one stuff and start building up my character, so I could start using the really cool monk powers, like the WWF Piledriver. So I logged in, opened up my eyes, and found myself in the magical world of Qeynos. At least no one was trying to sell me a fish. Qeynos is a pretty strange place. Most of the inhabitants dress alike, and their singular occupation is beating up on the many snakes, rats, bats and other vermin that swarm just beyond the city gates. Qeynos has a serious problem with vermin, you see. And, as a first level geek, the only thing you can do, really, is stand outside the city gates and beat up on the snakes, rats, bats and other vermin. This is how combat works. Your character has a primary weapon--in the case of a monk, his fist. You can set your primary attack to auto-run by hitting the 'Z' key, meaning your character will automatically swing at your opponent, with no guidance from you, the player. You might also have a secondary attack--which in the case of my monk is a nifty kick. To use the extra attack, you just click on the button labeled kick. You'll kick, and then the button will be grayed out until you are able to use the kick again, which takes about ten seconds. Now, fights between a first level character with few skills and an inept lifeform like a rat can take a very long time: "Rat misses you. You miss a rat." Repeat that about twenty times. Where things get interesting, however, is when you suddenly find yourself in trouble. Then the game becomes all about survival. Naturally enough, that happened to me. Tal said, "Don't pick on the insects." Naturally, I took a swipe at one, a big spidery-type thing. The fight was going all right, and I had almost killed the thing, which was called a Klick worker or something, until I noticed that someone called Queen Klick Klick was now attacking me too. And although she was the same size as the worker, she was a lot tougher. And so I got out of there. Fast. When you're near town and being attacked by something more than you can handle, the thing to do is run for the city gates. There, the kindly guards will give you an assist, dispatching whatever is nipping at your heels with one of their trusty halberds. Having been axe-murdered by Ultima Online's guards on more than one occasion, these kindly assists were a welcome change of pace. And that's pretty much how EverQuest has been going this week. I think I'm up to level three now, and I'll soon have that roundhouse kick maneuver down. Anyway, Tal, Trent and I will be back next week with some more random blathering about the mysterious world of EverQuest. --Jason Bates 11/11/98 Alright, this installment in our EverQuest preview focuses on what you're experience will be like in the early days of adventuring. All three of us (Trent, Jason, and myself) have created characters in the newly implemented Phase 3 of the Beta test and are exploring the reaches of Norrath. We've all made it to third level and, I have to say, we've now truly progressed from sissy weaklings to fancy gentlemen. OK, we're still pretty puny, but at least now we're not worried about dying every time we step out of town. I started my career as a Wood Elf in the town of Kelethin trying to find Trent so we could join up and do some party adventuring, but I quickly learned that starting your life in the trees can be hazardous at best. Even with infravision I fell off a walkway in the elevated (Elfevated???) city during the night and decided that life closer to the ground may be more to my liking, at least until I got used to the interface. So I started a new game as a Human Monk, a warrior type who fights bare-handed rather than having to rely on weapons. This turned out to be a good beginning character choice since I didn't have to worry about losing my weapons if I was killed ... I didn't have any to lose. I started in the Human city of Qeynos with nothing in my pocket but some bread and a few scraps of paper. I was a novice at everything. I couldn't fight, I couldn't dodge ... hell, I couldn't even beg very well. One of the first things you'll want to do after your genesis is seek out your class guild. The guild is where you can train and learn new skills from the masters of your chosen trade. The Monk's Guild in Qeynos is headed by LuSun. After presenting myself to him as a Monk initiate, he gave me a tunic and showed me a few tricks of the trade. I decided to focus on hand-to-hand fighting and kicking in the beginning, since slaying creatures would increase my experience thereby allowing me to learn more skills. You can also increase your skills by using them frequently - practice does make perfect afterall - but I figured you can't get better at fighting unless you know a little bit about it already, and dying constantly certainly wasn't going to do any good for my character or my ego. Because you'll be fairly weak in the beginning, your early adventures tend to take place very close to home . . . I'm saying within yards. Outside of the Qeynos city gates there are plenty of large rats, snakes, and bats that you can engage in combat. These creatures are relatively weak but, if you do happen to get in over your head, you can always run screaming for help to the guards, who will quickly dispatch just about anything that will possibly be pursuing you. By pressing the 'Z' and 'X' keys, you can set your primary and secondary attacks to automatic and you can dish out your special attacks, like the Monk's kick, with a click of the mouse. After you defeat a creature you can scavenge its ears, feet, eyeballs, etc. and sell them to local merchants for enough change to get some more food and water, which comes in very handy if you're into things like not dying. OK, it's not the most glamorous job in the world, but somebody's got to do it. Soon enough, you'll have gained enough experience to be trained for the next level. So it was off to the guild again for me to find LuSun. Again, I chose to increase my fighting skills a bit so I could be even more of a bad-ass on the fields of Qeynos, but I also put a few points into my mend skill so I could heal myself. My fighting skills are starrting to increase fairly rapidly on there own, so I'll probably stop putting point into hand-to-hand and kick altogether by level three and focus on mend. While you'll still want to stay close to home after reaching second level, you can start scrapping larger and tougher creatures like fire beetles, klicniks (big bugs), and Gnoll pups. Second level can be very tedious and trying. Although you can beat bats, snakes, and rats fairly easily now, you just don't get that much experience for these measly beasts. And battles with beetles and klicniks are rewarding, but dangerous. I found myself running back to the guards like a little girl on several occasions. Because of this awkward stage (I guess second level is kind of like puberty), it takes a while to progress to third level. I've learned several important lessons in the transition from second to third. One is don't attack adult Gnolls. The other is don't mess with the bugs when the Queen is around. She's real mean. This morning, I finally made it to third level. I even feel confident enough now to roam the hills of Qeynos is search of larger creatures that will earn me more experience. Wish me luck. On our next installment of the EverQuest preview we'll give you our first impressions of party adventuring as well as keeping you informed on the lay of the land in Norrath. We've all decided to meet at the city gate in Qeynos and form a party, so we should have a chance to explore even more Norrath. In EverQuest, there's definitely safety in numbers. -- Tal Blevins 11/09/98 Before I get started here, I have to apologize for the lack of new screen shots. Our picture takin' machine is on the fritz, and I wasn't able to nab any today. We'll have new shots for you on Wednesday. Sorry about the pump fake. But, we have included over 1700 new words on the game, so if you're looking for info, this is still the place to be... Enjoy... Okay, as our first installment on Everquest, we've decided to take you through the basic process of creating a character and sending him out into the world. While this will by no means be a complete description of every class and race available in the game (first off, the game's not done yet, and second we don't want to give everything away), it will give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from your first time out in the game. In our next installment (hopefully Wednesday) we'll step out into the game world and start gaining experience, gathering resources, making friends, and exploring our surroundings. The first choice you'll have to make as a new player is what race your character will be. This affects just about every other decision you can make (with the possible exception of your name), so it's important to think very carefully from the beginning about your character concept. Several of the options available to you include Dwarves, Elves (several kinds actually), Trolls, Ogres, Erudites, and of course, Humans. This decision will not only affect which character classes you can pick, but will also have a very serious impact on your character's stats and how well they'll be able to see in the dark. For the purposes of this particular exercise I'm going to go with a Wood Elf. My basic reasoning here is that they're pretty quick, they've got solid night vision, and they're (hopefully) not going to stand out so much that people will stop and stare. Once you've finished up here, it's time to pick a gender. Unlike many other RPGs, character gender in Everquest (at least at this point) has absolutely no impact on the game - it's simply a choice that's available to you. I'm going with male, because I'm male and feel like I've got a pretty good idea of the way a male character would play. You thirteen-year-olds sitting at home may want to consider this logic very carefully. Next comes the big choice - your class. Everquest at this stage offers fifteen different classes for you to choose from, each with its own perks and disadvantages. Like your race, your class will also have a direct impact on your stats. Here's a few of the choices the game offers so far. - Warrior - Okay, no surprises here, the warrior is the same basic fighter character that is a must in every RPG title. Basically a master of whoop ass, the warrior can use just about every weapon and armor type in the game. They also boast the most hit points of any character class. - Druid - One of the many character classes that have been ruined by most other RPGs, the Druid seems to have finally found a fairly realistic home in Everquest. Druids are at one with nature, and have access to a whole host of spells that can use her bounty to really mess up potential threats. As the protectors of the wilderness, a fact that makes them a great deal less likely to be attacked by wild animals when wandering around the game world. While this may not seem like such a big deal, if you've read Jason and my earlier pieces on this game, it can make a big difference between whether you live or die. Important safety note here: if you attack an animal, it doesn't matter how woodsy you are... he'll fight back. - Ranger - Basically a cross between the druid and the warrior. While they aren't as hot in combat as a warrior, or as good with the local fauna as druids, the fact that they have access to both wilderness survival skills and several different weapon types makes them a perfect choice for adventurers who want to be prepared both indoors and out. - Necromancer - Not exactly the nicest of the spellcasting family, the necromancer uses the forces of death and corruption as his tools. These guys are always evil, and use their dark magic to drain the life force of their enemies. Better yet, advanced necromancers can actually reanimate dead bodies to fight for them in a pinch. - Wizard - The most powerful of the spellcasters offensively, the wizard is one of the purest of the magical classes. In addition to their nasty, nasty combat spells, these highly respected sorcerers have also mastered spells of far-seeing and correspondence. Okay, there are a lot more classes, but it just wouldn't be nice to blow all of the game's surprises right away. As the beta goes forward, we'll start adding more information to our class list. For the purposes of our journey, I'll be selecting the ranger. Basically, I want to play a good character, I like animals, and I want to be able to handle myself in a fight. Okay, now we've made it to the stat selection screen. The decisions I've made already have shaped my character stats to large degree, but I've been given a set of bonus points that I can use to further spend on each of the seven attributes. The attribute list is pretty standard for an RPG and includes: Strength - How physical force a character has at his disposal. This is a really important stat for any fighting character as even the most accurate fighter is going to get the crap kicked out of him if he's only doing a point of damage each time he lands a blow. My character has a base of 65 (Elves aren't known for their brawn). Stamina - Used to determine how many hit points your character has and generally how much punishment they can withstand from the various nasty things in the game world. Once again, this is an excellent stat for anyone who plans to be standing in the way of fast moving weaponry. I've got a 75 in Stamina, not bad for a wispy tree hugger. Agility - Basically, this is how fast you can get out of the way when someone swings at you. When designing a fighting character, you'll usually end up having to choose between having a character with a lot of stamina who counts on being able to slug it out with an enemy and win, or a agile character who decides that not getting hit at all is the best way to survive. I've chosen the latter. My character has a base score here of 105. Dexterity - The offensive side of Agility. Dexterity determines how good you are at hitting things that you're aiming at. In addition to helping with hand-to-hand, it also determines how accurately you fire missile weapons and how likely you are to screw up if hit while casting a spell. I'm doing okay here as well, with an 80. Wisdom - Used for the spellcasting abilities of Druids, Rangers, Clerics and Shaman, the wisdom stat is a basic measurement of willpower. It's also used by all characters to determine how well they can withstand an attack on their mind. I'm pretty strong here with a solid 80 as my base. Intelligence - This is how much book smarts you have. A primary requisite for Wizards, Necromancers and other straightforward spellcasters, Intelligence determines how good a character will be at slinging magic around. Apparently Wood Elf school is pretty solid, 'cause I've got a respectable 75 as my base score here. Charisma - This final category helps determine how well you play with others. While it won't make all thatmuch difference in you interaction with other players (a jerk with a 200 charisma is still a jerk), it will help you when you're chatting with NPCs. If you're really a smooth talker, this skill may cause merchants to lower their prices for you. Whoo Hoo! I've got a 75 which means that while no one will be throwing me out of their store, I'm probably not going to be first in line for a discount either. Okay, now I've got to spend my 20 bonus points on rounding out my character's weaker points. I'm going to spend 10 points on my dexterity (so I'll be more likely to land those important blows) and another 10 on my somewhat slight strength skill. That'll take me up to 90 and 75 respectively which I feel pretty damn good about. The funny thing about stats, is that while they can be temporarily improved by certain magical items in the game, they never change permanently. Don't count on beefing up one of your stats later is what I'm saying here. What you've got now is what you'll have always. Now we're ready to select the appearance our character will have. This is pretty basic stuff... scroll through the choices and stop on one of the mugs that appeals to you. I'm going for a nice woodsy look to match my Paul Bunyan lifestyle. This is also I have to pick a name. To protect myself from the innocent, I'm going to let the game's random name selector do the picking for me. And I'm not telling y'all what it is. Last but not least comes the selection of our patron deity. There are lots of picks here, which change depending on your race and character class. Your choice of deity will automatically put you in certain standing with certain people in the Everquest world. Because of the limitations of my race and class, I've only got two choices available to me, Karana, the Rainkeeper, or Tunare the Mother of All. Being a big fan of nature, I opt for the latter. Now it's time to pick the city I'll start in. Since I'm an elf, the only choice I have (at least for now) is Kelethin, City of the Elves. I click the button, and voila! I'm ready to start playing. Okay kids, that's it for now. One Wed. I'll pop back in, serve up some new shots and show you what life is like for a starting character (hard). Thanks for all the letters I received today letting me know that you were anxiously awaiting my text. Except for that one guy who was riding me. You can go sit down. Oh,by the way... Sony tells me that they're aiming for January 27th as a shelf date for Everquest. Don't forget to save your Christmas money kids... -- Trent C. Ward 11/04/98 Right, so I'm sure a lot of you remember this piece from the last time we ran it, but as that was only up for a day and we now have a two week exclusive on the game, we've decided to start our coverage with this original piece. Keep checking back every other day for more pics and new info on monsters, magic, weapons, items and locations which we'll add on to the top of this preview. You'll also want to keep checking back as we've also lined up a deal to get designer diaries from the team that's making the game. Bottom line? We're pretty much convinced that this is going to be one of the most important titles of 1999 and we're going to everything we can to make sure you get as much information about it as possible. For those of you who wrote us letters offering us support after this piece was pulled the first time, we offer our deepest thanks. It was your mail and your postings on Usenet that helped us get this piece back up. Enjoy! -- Trent



