I thoroughly enjoyed my foray onto my first TLP server when Ragefire and Lockjaw were recently launched. I made a few posts about it and stepped away due to learning that a new server would be launching soon – and did not want to “lose” my time investment. At the time I left EQ it was the first game I had paid a subscription for since WoW a few years ago, and it was a great investment. The “fun” return on a 1999 based game for all intents and purposes is quite ironic in this current world of amazing and free games. The hook was initially nostalgia, but afterwards, it just proved to be a better game for my tastes.
So, with the December 9 launch of the Phinigal Server I am proudly announcing my return to EQ. Again. And for a long haul.
Starting in three months.
This time the expansions are locking at a rate of 90 days, no vote. This is great. I hope they stop expansions before craziness of mercenary NPCs (and whatnot) make it into the game, but who knows. The 90 day start time for me is my always conundrum of what-character-to-play-AND-STICK-WITH-THIS-TIME and to which i have it down to Enchanter or Wizard. Kunark starts in 90 days, Enchanters get Breeze at 16 in that scenario, and leveling to 30 just got infinitely better. If I sell myself on the Wizard (which was the most fun I had in EQ in forever) then I start early – if not, I get 90 days to avoid over camping (and finish off Fallout 4). Or, if I be sensible and roll a Cleric for free groups and loots I can start right away too.
The True Box server is actually being supported by the program makers of multi box software. I was digging deep on some googling threads where the owners of the programs were encouraging their paying users to not violate the ToS  on the new server. Some even publically announcing they wouldn’t be using their time to write code to fix any blocks Daybreak puts up. A prominent dev of that software even mentions he thinks that it could bring down EQ boxing completely on all servers if they push hard on the Phinigal server, when there are every other server you can box on at Daybreak’s support. Fun and odd balance that relationship is, and will be fascinating to see how things play out.
To clarify, all True Box means is that multi-boxing on one PC is now banned – you can pull out 3 separate laptops with three keyboards and still do it.
Gaming life is good – Fallout 4 is fun for what it is, TSW continues to drive a great single player experience stuck in an MMO (imagine if it was built like Fallout where your choices impacted the world permanently and you could actually solve some of these mysteries? Missing out on a huge opportunity!), Star Wars: Battlefront is a great time waster and soon I’ll have EQ to itch my true MMO gaming desires. Â I find myself with not much to add to the conversation, but also nothing to complain about. I’ll take that.
Mercenaries were the single best addition to EQ ever in my opinion. At a rate of an expansion every 3 months Phinagel will get to Seeds of Destruction, the expansion that added them, around the Spring of 2019. I guarantee that if the sever is still running then most people left playing will be very glad to see them.
Which is the expansions that TLP players start dropping off? I always wondered if it was because of the Mercs (or just if once the TLP get close to live, people go back to live?) I am guessing TAGN has a history lesson somewhere. I am curious at what point people start leaving. I had several months of great fun on Lockjaw and only stepped away because I knew this server was coming.