EverQuest II Two Decades of Norrath Await

Twenty-one races, twenty-six classes, and the two choices interact: a ratonga necromancer and a dwarven guardian are barely the same game. Classes split into fighters, scouts, priests and casters, and each plays differently even inside its family. A ranger shoots from far off, an assassin closes in for sudden single-target damage, a dirge sings songs that hurt enemies while helping allies. Some classes clear crowds slowly, others delete one foe at a time. Progression runs deep too: hundreds of levels, Alternate Advancement trees for specialisation, and gear sets to chase. You can play good, neutral or evil, and the world treats you accordingly. It is a lot to take in at first, but the first hours sort themselves out quickly.

Norrath is handcrafted, zone by zone, and it shows. Dozens of continents and realms hold quests, dungeons, bosses, lore and secrets, and the cities and landscapes still land even where the graphics show their age. There is no fast travel from anywhere, and that is part of the point. Away from the map, there is a quieter pleasure: earning a home, filling it with thousands of placeable objects, crafting the furniture yourself. Player housing here is unusually deep, and decorating a house becomes its own long project. Guilds, live events and regular expansions keep the world moving around you.