The Crystal Ball: What We're Looking Forward To In EverQuest Next

Michael Dunaway
By Michael Dunaway, News Editor Posted:
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Welcome to the Crystal Ball, MMOBomb's new semi-regular column where we pontificate on what we'd like to see in an upcoming free-to-play MMO or what we'd like to see added to an existing one!

Today's topic is EverQuest Next, Sony Online Entertainment's next big thing, which John Smedley says will be “the largest sandbox style MMO ever designed” and “unlike anything you've ever seen.” Expectations FTW!

Skill > Level

Contrary to what some might believe, I don't hate sandbox MMOs. What I “hate,” if anything, about most of them, is the notion that if you play longer, you automatically have an insurmountable advantage over someone who doesn't. Beat me because you're a better player? I can deal with that. Beat me because you're level 50 and grinded out full sets of raid gear? Not so much.

Themepark-style MMOs have mostly managed to eliminate this kind of negative play experience, but sandbox devs still seem to think their players only like ganking underpowered noobs. A lot of them probably do, but as MMOs have matured, so has their audience, and I for one would rather be challenged on a slightly more balanced level.

Sony Online Entertainment undoubtedly wants EQN to be a “big” game, and it likely won't get there by catering too heavily to the ultra-elite, 12-hours-a-day crowd. They'll have to “soften” things a bit so a new player doesn't get steamrolled 10 times in his first hour and quit the game forever.

SOE can use PlanetSide 2 as a template, where maxed-out players only have about a 20-25% numerical advantage over beginners. In a fair fight, two smart beginning players are more than a match for a totally certed-up character.

This isn't to say experienced players won't be better than noobs. Those players will know the terrain, the intracacies of the game system, and yes, have some numerical advantage. But I'd rather have fights be more dependent on skill – and maybe your allies – than on who's better at grinding out numbers.

SWG-Style Crafting

This seems like almost a given. I never played Star Wars: Galaxies, but I've heard former players rave about the gathering and crafting. More than probably any other MMO, crafting required enormous skill and dedication, and master crafters were just as sought after as high-end raiders.

I like crafting in MMOs, but, even more than combat systems, they've started to all feel pretty much the same. It'll be refreshing to get a chance to try something totally new – to me, at least – even if it's just half as good as what the old SWG players have told me.

Forgelight

It sounds kinda generic to say, “I want it to look pretty,” but after spending too much – I mean, some – time in PlanetSide 2, I'm drooling over the possibility of how gorgeous EverQuest Next could be.

As nice as PS2's environments are, imagine what SOE's artists could do with a mist-cloaked swamp brimming with undead or an active volcano or a verdant elven village or other terrain that's more “fantastical” and less “realistic” than the continents of Auraxis.

Now if I could just figure out a way to import my PlanetSide 2 tank into EverQuest Next...

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In this article: Everquest Next.

About the Author

Michael Dunaway
Michael Dunaway, News Editor

Michael Dunaway has been part of the MMOBomb team for years and has covered practically every major Free-to-Play MMO title since 2009.

More Stories by Michael Dunaway

Discussion (18)

Golgo28 10 years ago
Mounted

In all seriousness I'm interested t see how SOE handles trying to make a EQ sandbox mmo.As for all the hate towards the author,it's unwarranted hate.You people hating on the author and the article are the exact ultra elite 12 hrs a day pricks mentioned.I have been playing mmos for years and I literally have played all but a few of the asian ones.Truth is both theme park and sandbox mmos are filled with vets doing nothing but ganking newbies.It's a symptom of the mmo genre being filled with douche bags.All of whom think being elite means you get to be an a$$hole.

I doubt any of the haters here would have written a better article.In fact if any of you really think you know better write a better article.Which none of you will,you'll just keep whining and trashing on the author.Because the haters are nothing more then posers.Easy to criticize when you never tried to do the same thing yourself.And just because you might be the d*ck ganking the noobs and enjoy being a jerk,doesn't mean other players are getting the same experience.And none of you a$$holes talking sh*t about the author are experts so stfu.

To the author you did a decent job with the article,don't let the trolls tell you otherwise.

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A Former EQ Player 10 years ago
I'm looking forward to it not being like Everquest 2. :/

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Okofire 10 years ago
Lol -1

Zakena 10 years ago
if anyone mounted this it would be a virus =/ .

warriorbat 10 years ago
WTF is point of this article? Does author wants to have everything at the start and just go and explore map? And be bored at "end-game"? Did he/she ever played some newer MMO where in PVP you fight with people who have similar gear... Try some new MMO game. It's like normal to go into PVP arena, game sets your level to be same as everyone rest and fun starts. I like to see my progress in game after I spent 6 months playing it and I enjoy things that I accomplish. I love when I level up my crafting skill and get better gear cause I worked for it in game!

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Reavermyst 10 years ago
Seriously... we need to start requiring authors to list their name before spewing rotten info all over the site.

Name (Required) 10 years ago
Also... You do realize Planetside 2 is a shooter, correct? It relies mostly on the aim of the shooter, not TAB-targeting. Even if PS2 had a bunch of "pay to win" overpowered guns, a player with immense skill could still beat out the competition. It happens all the time in other shooters that suffer from the pay to win disease.

MrSnitches 10 years ago
The person that wrote this article is a complete idiot. Theme-park MMOs enable players to have advantages over players playing less, not the other way around. Sandbox games don't have much to do with raiding, if you've ever even played one. THEME-PARK MMOs have raiding, raidgear, and "Level 50's". I'm sorry bud, but at least play MMOs before you try to talk about them.

"I never played SW:G"

I mean, sounds like you've never played a sandbox game at all... Maybe Minecraft, just because ya jumped on the bandwagon.

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