Character Creation

From EQ2i, the EverQuest II wiki

Contents 1 Choosing Your Race 1.1 Considerations When Choosing Race 2 Customize Your Appearance 2.1 Your Alternate Appearance 3 Choosing Your City 3.1 Choosing the Right City 4 Choosing Your Class 4.1 Choosing Your Favorite Class 5 Choosing Your Server 5.1 Choosing the Right Server 5.2 Moving to Another Server

Preceded by: Installation Everquest II User Guides Navigation Bar Followed by: The Game Interface

After watching the EQ2 intro movie, your first activity will be to create a character. If you've already created a character, then feel free to skip ahead to The Game Interface guide.

Character creation involves the following steps. We will discuss each of these steps in this guide.

1. Choose your race
2. Customize your appearance
3. Choose a home city
4. Select an adventuring class
5. Choose a game server

[edit] Choosing Your Race

Main Article: Character Races

Your first choice is to select a race and gender. EQ2 gives you a huge list of fantasy races to choose from. Each race has a distinct appearance and unique starting stats.

Your choice of race determines which starting cities are available to you. For this reason, we suggest that you have a look at the discussion on Choosing Your City, below. (It's possible to change your character's city later in life, but doing so takes some effort.)

Good Races	Neutral Races	Evil Races
Start in Qeynos or Kelethin	Start in several cities (varies)	Start in Freeport, Neriak or Gorowyn
Dwarf Stout and sturdy but brash, known for their bravery and devotion Fae Friendly and light-hearted, they enjoy playing tricks on the unwary Froglok Morally virtuous, they strive to purge villainy and corruption Halfling Amiable to anyone willing to share a warm meal and a grand table High Elf Benevolent but arrogant, they strive for order and discipline Wood Elf Pleasant and friendly, they are fierce protectors of the woodlands	Barbarian Hearty and strong, they are loyal companions and unforgiving enemies Erudite Eschew all ties to their less intellectual human ancestry Gnome Constantly tinkering with devices both mystical and technological Half Elf Caught between cultures, known for their independent spirit Human Diverse and adaptable, sometimes wise and sometimes foolish Kerran Their docile demeanor masks these fearsome and powerful predators	Arasai Children of hate and dark magic, they take pleasure in torture Dark Elf Sinister and cunning, the embodiment of evil and maliciousness Iksar Harsh but disciplined, they delight in cruelty and conquest Ogre Aggressive brutes who show their opponents neither sympathy nor mercy Ratonga Agile, crafty, and surprisingly charismatic, little is known of their past Sarnak Unflinchingly dedicated, bred and altered to be the fiercest military Troll Care only about satisfying their hunger for food and lust for battle

[edit] Considerations When Choosing Race

Race has little bearing upon what your character is capable of, and gender has no effect at all. Feel free to choose whatever race you find interesting, and discover its benefits and drawbacks as you play the game.

Each race has certain advantages and disadvantages in terms of their starting stats, such as strength and intelligence, but these differences lose their importance by the time you progress to the mid-levels. Each race gets certain innate abilities, and certain racial traits to choose from. These are described in the Main Article.

Each race can choose any class that is available. Your alignment will restrict which classes are available to you (and your race may dictate your aligment). A Race/Class comparison chart is available here: Race/Class Comparison

One of the lasting differences between races is their height. All races run at the same speed, but tall races give the impression of being slower, because their viewpoint is so high above the ground. This might influence your choice of race. You can change most aspects of your character later, but you can't change her/his race unless you're willing to part with $25 worth of Station Cash (as of October 2009)!

[edit] Customize Your Appearance

Everquest 2 was one of the first games with detailed face customization. Although you cannot change your body shape, you can make a unique appearance thanks to the large number of hair styles and colorations available. Some races also get to customize certain visual accessories, such as horns, crests, eyewear, tatoos, or scales.

Your appearance choices made here are not permanent: you can visit a Barber Shop within the game world to purchase a makeover whenever you wish. There is a cost associated with this, which is out of reach of the lowest level characters.

[edit] Your Alternate Appearance

EQ2 has two sets of character models available to choose from. The "alternate character models" were produced by Sony's Japanese studio, more recently than the original character models, and have an Asian theme. The screenshots that you see here on EQ2i usually use the original character models, rather than the alternate models. Many players prefer the alternate models.

• You will choose whether you want to see the world with alternate character models or not (see the Options Window). You can toggle this setting, while playing EQ2, to immediately see each type of character model.
• Other players will choose whether they view your character in "original" or "alternate" form. You cannot control which of your two appearances that they choose to view.
• You can customize your character's "alternate appearance", for the first time, when you reach the Character Selection screen. Barber Shops let you change both of your appearances.
• A few of the less human-like races do not have an alternate model.

[edit] Choosing Your City

Before you choose your character class, you must first choose your home city. All starting cities are either Good or Evil. Your choice of city is restricted by your race. Almost all races have 2-3 cities to choose from. Only five races are restricted to a single city. Your race may have already determined your alignment (see Race comparison). But if you chose a neutral race, then your selection of city will determine your alignment - and which classes are available to you.

Good Cities
Qeynos, The City of Hope: Qeynos stands as a beacon of hope in a world ravaged by disaster. After centuries of devastation and conflict, the forces of good have gathered together in this place to bring order to the Shattered Lands. What was once a small city has grown into a huge metropolis and center of commerce.	Kelethin, Home of the Fae: Built among the green canopy of The Greater Faydark, this is home to the Fae and other folk who wish to live in harmony with nature. Though the city itself is sheltered, can there ever be peace with orcish legions patrolling so near at hand?

Evil Cities
Freeport, the Heart of Darkness: Freeport was once a city of many different beliefs, but it has now fallen completely under the control of the menacing Overlord. Under his reign the city has grown into the capital of a powerful empire, stretching its shadowy influence over the remnants of the shattered world.	Neriak, The City of Hate: Neriak, the seat of the malevolent Tier'Dal empire, lies deep within the Ashfall Crags near Nektulos Forest. The heartless stone that makes up its walls and ceiling withstood the cataclysms that scarred the surface of Norrath. It has arisen now with bared teeth, a gleaming city of magics and merciless superiority - a perfect reflection of Innoruuk's tenets, ruled by Queen Cristanos through fear and sadistic intimidation.	Gorowyn, The Vehement Isle: The Sarnak have constructed Gorowyn, a grand and formidable city, within the heart of a volcanic archipelago in the ocean of Timorous Deep. They allow outsiders, but use caution as you venture through the streets, as tempers can boil faster than the sulphorous water they overlook.

Although Gorowyn is home to the neutral races, and tolerates all outsiders, it is nominally evil and will restrict your class selection to match the evil cities.

[edit] Choosing the Right City

Your choice of city is probably the biggest factor in how much you'll enjoy your first 20 levels. To put it simply, the original two cities from EQ2's release are less player-friendly than the newer three cities. For your first experience in EQ2, we recommend that you choose one of the three newer cities: Kelethin for good players, Gorowyn or Neriak, City of Hate for evil characters.

[edit] Choosing Your Class

Main Article: Character Classes

EQ2 offers a large variety when it comes to character class. You'll have 16 adventure classes to choose from: 8 classes that are specific to your alignment (Good or Evil), and 8 more classes that are independent of alignment. The last 8 classes are unavailable to you because they belong to the opposite alignment.

EQ2 classes are organized in a symmetrical fashion. There are four major archetypes of classes: Fighter, Mage, Priest, and Scout. Each archetype contains two neutral classes (available to anyone), two good classes, and two evil classes. Since you've already chosen your alignment at this point, you'll have four classes available to choose from in each archetype.

Fighter Classes

Mage Classes

Fighters are the most straight-forward classes to play. They have terrific defense, so they can withstand a lot of abuse from enemies, but they also have decent damage output. They can switch between two stances at will, choosing between higher damage output or higher defense. Combat is interactive and (unlike some other games) each fighter class has several utility abilities. Berserker offensive warrior Guardian defensive warrior Monk group-friendly light tank Good cities only Paladin the healing tank Bruiser high damage light tank Evil cities only Shadowknight the tank-mage

Mages are challenging and dramatic classes to play. They are fragile, and can only wear cloth armor. Each mage gets a diverse set of spells, and a few new spells every level. High damage and powerful effects are characteristic of mage spells. Mages deal damage from a distance, while trying to avoid being damaged themselves, and each mage class gets different tools to accomplish this. Warlock master of area damage Wizard master of nukes Conjurer strong pet & high damage Good cities only Illusionist master of crowd control Coercer master of charming Evil cities only Necromancer strong pet & versatility

Priest Classes

Scout Classes

Priests are healers, and each priest class excels at a different style of healing. Some priest classes are more versatile, while others are more focussed on defense and preservation, but all priests seek to win combat by outlasting the enemy. While priests can deliver damage to their enemies, they have been balanced such that they must necessarily cast healing spells to win most fights. Fury offensive druid Warden defensive druid Mystic defensive shaman Good cities only Templar defensive cleric Defiler offensive shaman Evil cities only Inquisitor offensive cleric

Scouts are challenging in a different way from mages. They deal great amounts of damage, usually from close proximity to their enemy, but they can only withstand attacks for a moderate amount of time. Their fights are short and intense, and some of their attacks require repositioning around the enemy. Scouts perform at their best when a friend is available to hold the enemy's attention. Dirge melee buffing bard Troubador caster buffing bard Ranger master of ranged attacks Good cities only Swashbuckler versatile rogue Assassin positional attacker Evil cities only Brigand offensive rogue

[edit] Choosing Your Favorite Class

When choosing your class, the main thing to consider is what style of play you prefer. Through the various classes, EQ2 gives you the choice of many different types of gameplay. All of the standard types of fantasy characters are available, although they might not have the exact names that you're familiar with.

Regardless of which class you choose, you'll be able to solo and group. One area that Everquest 2 has done fairly well in is class balance. Every class is capable of fulfilling its archetype's role in a group, and every class has the tools necessary to kill monsters solo. Of course, some classes kill monsters much faster than others, and certain classes are more highly valued in groups/raids. But every EQ2 class has at least moderate soloability as well as group utility.

[edit] Choosing Your Server

Finally, choose the Game Server that your character will reside on. If you're planning to play with friends, then you'll want to make sure that you pick the same server that they play on. Everquest 2 will automatically recommend a low-load server for your new character, but we recommend that you choose a high-load server for your first EQ2 experience. This will give you the most fellow players to interact with and learn from. Unlike some other games, EQ2 servers never have queues to login, and player grief is rare, so don't be shy.

There may be communities of your country/language playing in some of the servers - look it up at Google for specialized websites and/or forums.

[edit] Choosing the Right Server

Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing a server:

• If you're playing during off-peak hours, then the servers will probably all be listed at "Light" load. To get a good idea of which servers are busiest, create your character during North American prime time if you're American - use that procedure for others servers also:
  • The French server is called Storms.
  • The German servers are called Innovation and Valor.
  • The Japanese server is called Sebilis.
• You may be interested in PvP (player versus player), but we suggest that you create your first character on a PvE server. Learn the EQ2 ropes in a safe place before you enter the dangerous world of PvP.
• Exchange servers allow the buying and selling of items/characters for real cash. Characters on these servers can never be moved to other servers. Be very sure that you want this kind of server before you choose it.

[edit] Moving to Another Server

Once you've chosen a server, the only way to move your character to another server is to buy 2500SC (Station Cash) which will cost you $25 for the Character Transfer Token. The Character Transfer Token lets you move characters between servers and you change your character's name. If you want to move characters between accounts, you need fill out a petition; it will cost $25 for the transfer.

For detailed instructions on how to purchase a Character Transfer Token in-game, see the Important Notice on Character Transfers for EverQuest II in Sony's Knowledge Base.

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Index of Beginner's Guides

The Basics	The Details	The Adventure
Installation Character Creation User Interface Movement Your First Adventure Exploration	Understanding Your Character Spells and Combat Arts Understanding Your Enemy Combat Mechanics Equipment and Treasure Quest System	Character Development Groups Joining the Community Taking up a Tradeskill Zone Guide Goals