Welcome to MMOCrunch’s new weekly column: MMOries of a Gamer. Here, we’ll tell you our memories and experiences with many MMOs, sharing stories and sometimes funny events lived in our favourite virtual worlds. Through countless hours of playing our games, we all treasured many stories and good moments. This is the place to tell your stories. Feel free to post your remembrances of the topic game of the week, so we all can read them. This week we start with a classic: Everquest.
Everquest launched in 1999, but it wasn’t till one year later with the releasing of Kunark that I started playing. Despite some time playing Diablo and some fails trying to get UO, my online experience was at least short. That’s why my eyes rolled when I saw the Kunark box in a mall. Where I live we didn’t see anything of EQ till the first expansion. All of a sudden I was dreaming of exploring unknown places, having endless adventures. Of course, I had to buy the game… my MMO life was about to begin.
I installed the game and launched it but then it asked me to make an account in order to play. After some time figuring out how to do all those, by then weird things, I managed to get to the loading screen and I promise my heart was close to stop when I first saw Norrath. In a rush for getting into the game I had created a ranger, didn’t pay attention to character creation at all, my thirst for exploration into Norrath was insane.
After some minutes getting familiar with the controls of the game, I decided to move around and explore a bit. I was in some kind of hidden refuge beside Jaggedpine Forest, close to Qeynos. All I had in my inventory was a sword and a candle so I equipped the sword but didn’t manage to equip the candle. Such a noob! I went directly to find a zone out or any other place to explore, ignoring every NPC around till I found a cave, apparently leading to an open area. I entered the cave and the loading screen appeared once more. After some seconds, wondering what could I find beyond, suddenly I was blind, couldn’t see anything. I got nervous and moved around, so I ended up absolutely lost and blind. I was there for ages! I decided to try and ask for help in the chat and a kind soul responded. I cannot even start to tell you how embarrassing it was to walk with my new friend, telling me where to go through the cave. Every time I crashed against a wall, he told me exactly how to turn to face the tunnel once more and keep on moving. Finally I saw the loading screen and made it out.
I was in Qeynos surroundings, basically a foothills area. The player guiding me out the cave explained to me how to equip things, like the candle, then bowed when I thanked him and an immense smile came to my face. That was the first time I experienced cooperation with another human being through an MMO and the feeling was unforgettable.
So what could I do then? Exploring! I was amazed by the tremendous graphics EQ had, the landscape was gorgeous, the trees, a river, the grass… a rat! Yes, dear friends, my first combat was with a rat and it killed me! I was such a big noob. I knew absolutely nothing about how to play EQ, but I was brave.
Later on, I managed to avoid the rats and many gnolls, but finally two of them, cruel and evil, spotted me and I started to run like hell. I was scared to death, don’t know why, maybe the experience was so new, so astonishing that I couldn’t think properly. I ended up finding the entrance to a dungeon and suddenly the loading screen was there again. While loading the new zone I was wondering if the gnolls would chase me through the areas. I entered the dungeon and saw many players surrounding me. In that moment, even before catching my breath, I read in the chat:
-”TRAIN TO ZONE, MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!!”
All players left at once except one standing right in front of me with a cryptic AFK written above his head. Then, like twenty gnolls appeared chasing another player fleeing, curiously forming a train. All the creatures started to hit the AFK player to death. I then rushed forward to find a safe spot, to hide myself, I had to flee! What I first saw was a hollow tree in the middle of the area. I thought it was the right place but, right in the moment I entered into the hole, I noticed it was a trap! I fell through an invisible hole in the ground and appeared in the middle of a pond, underground and surrounded by many, many gnolls that killed me mercilessly in less than a second.
The place was Blackburrow and it took me five days to recover the corpse, but that’s another story.
Do you have any stories you’ve lived in Everquest? Did you see something special you want to share? Have you ever laugh hard at any funny event in game? Go ahead and post your experiences with Everquest!
More to come next week on MMOries of a Gamer: Shadowbane.
Oh my… that really made me laugh… to see things through inexperienced eyes again is so refreshing!
I do remember my first day in Everquest, I’d been hearing lots and lots about it from friends and I kept refusing to buy it and make a character, knowing I would be completely trapped once I started playing. But there I was on character creation screen, (guys, you can roll your eyes now, females probably won’t) checking all possible hair styles! Took me ages to decide what was appropriate for my woodelf druid, hihi. Anyway, I finished and appeared in a city… up in the trees!!!
- Where do I go now? Honey I need help, come and help meh!!
There was my husband, trying to show me the way to the bank, moving at light speed (on my eyes of course)crossing bridges and running up and down ramps. Every turn he had to stop so I could know where he’d gone… and suddenly:
-Oh noes!
-What? What happened?
-I don’t know, it says I’m dead.
What had happened was I mistepped… and fell off the edge of one ramp. I went SPLAT on the ground, only to discover lots of corpses all around the edges of the city… My thought was: Why don’t they use fences!!!??!
Anyway… after a few days I got the knack of it, and I’m still a gamer today, enjoying the pleasures of mmo’s and friends all over the world.
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:34 amQuote
I also remember my very first day in EQ too !
It was in Nov. 2000 I just had created my Human Warrior and was strolling outside Freeport, being killed by rats (yes this was a baptism of fire in EQ) when I got a tell from someone I didn’t know, asking me what armor I was wearing…
After what it felt like 10 mins trying to answer the tell, I told that person that it was my first char and it was recently created so had no armor at all, ” I’ll be there asap” was her answer.
Wondering what ASAP would mean, and not wanting to ask not to look more noob than what I really was, I kept being killed by rats. After a quarter of an hour someone was levitating (!!) beside me, offering me a full set of bronze armor. This druid also told me something I will never forget “I never thought this game could have new players anymore”
Couple mins later I just got a tell from a HK player (Hong Kong): OMG! You filthy twink! you got a piece of bronze at lvl 1! NG la!!
Me – I got a full set someone just gave me…
HK Guy – Ubbah! grp me la!!
This was my very first experience in MMO gaming, and still love it !
PD: And yes… I didn’t have the slightest idea what twink, ng la, or ubbah meant at the time.
September 23rd, 2010 at 2:01 pmQuote
Ohhh,the good old memories….
September 23rd, 2010 at 3:38 pmI thought it would be hard to remember my first day in EQ, so many years ago, back in 2001, but it is cristal clear in my mind.
I remember my first char, a human DK in Qeynos, i thought i would be a real bad ass, killing rats and stuff, and it was not that bad after all. Guess i was cheating cos even if i had never played a MMO before i had been hearing things about EQ from my friends for a couple of weeks and i got hooked for that reason.
I remember leveling it till level 4 or something, feeling so uber that i had to leave the hills and explore the world around. I cant remember how, but one day i reached a snowy zone with skellies and bears, it was a rocky zone, and i was so scared that i tried to run from some mobs chasing me…………bad idea….
Next thing i remember is me trying to rapel the side of a cliff,and eventually finding me falling to a sure death.
I tried to recover the corpse for a few hours, but it was imposible for me so i rolled a new char.
But that is another history…
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Great stories! Keep’em coming! (:
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:15 pmQuote
he… hehehe… I just remembers another “epic” day in EQ1, I was progressing nicely with my little druid and felt confident enough to go explore. So I ventured away from my home city (the fenceless, n00b-killer tree city, Kelethin) and ventured to Qeynos and the lands beyond: The Karanas.
There was I, happily running and watching and investigating everything when I felt a bonk on my head; a giant was as curious as my presence there as I was to see what the Karanas had to offer. Panicking I ran away in a random direction, it didn’t matter, just away from the stomping gruntling giant who came pursuing me. I was more focused on my foe not to catch up with me rather than where I was running so eventually I reached a river side, (insert big sigh here) and fell off the side of the falls I hadn’t seen. Me and falling, I think that time was the start of a weird jumping-off-cliffs addiction in mmo’s.
Anyway, this time I didn’t die! But I was there lying on the ground, unconcious; my heart pumping frantically beause I could see the health of my character going down a bit… then up again a bit more, and down a bit again and then up, recovering slowly, painstakingly slowly my health until I could stand up once more. I could move, but at snail’s pace so I walked into the river because I had to cross it, only to think once I was half way across: Oh noes! Does this river have biting trouts? What if one comes now and starts nibling my toes… it’ll kill me!!! Really, you can’t imagine the anguish until I reached the safety of the other riverside, where I dropped down onto the ground to meditate and rest to full health again.
Now I laught at it, but then, oh oh, how I suffered!
September 24th, 2010 at 10:34 amQuote
Thanks all for your stories! Good ones indeed.
September 24th, 2010 at 5:51 pmCheers.
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Wow, do I have stories. But for now we want to know about my first day on EQ.
What I remember was the very creation day. I went to go see my guild master as we all were suppose to do upon creation, which was in Freeport. At that time I had RL family/friends playing too and a couple of them were over at my house telling me what to do, because I didn’t have a clue. Afterall, I did put all points in strength, well except for the 5 points that I had left over and was told to put them in wisdom, Uhuh, so true.
But anyway…After talking to the guild master, temple of life? I think? well I got the little shirt thing for starting armor and put the training points in umm yes, swimming. Because I saw lots of water around me and I didn’t want to drown.
So, when I was done with the trainer, I jumped in the water and what I didn’t know was, how to swim..so I drowned..
Odd thing is, even now, after 10 years, I still do the silliest noob things.
September 25th, 2010 at 1:15 amQuote
I remember my first character in EQ… It was a High Elf Paladin, I was instantly hooked, killing wasps and such in Kelethin. I came in the game a little late after a friend introduced me to it. Right before the PoP expansion. The world was massive, and this being my first MMO, I was pretty out of my element.
I did some quests to get gear, I remember a druid was standing at one of the platforms that lifted you up into the the massive city in the tree’s! I ran up and hit the H key, as suggested by my friend. She hailed back and a swarm of spells and casting ensued. I realized there were little boxes in my top right hand corner, and wondered what had just happened… My friend told me I had been buffed… What is buffed?
I quickly found out I was killing every orc that moved at that point and made my way to Crushbone. I quickly dispatched the guards outside at the tents and entrance with the help of my buddy. Inside is where I found my new home so I thought! I was greeted by a parade of orcs running straight at my in a single file line. they quickly broke off and dispatched every soul that was sitting at the entrance who did not make it to the zone in time. I quickly panic’d and ran around the corner, fell into a ditch, and seconds later found myself surrounded by angry orcs! Then an overhead view of my husk, with a loading, please wait screen. Good times!
After my recovery thanks to a higher level friend, I must have stayed in there killing every orc I saw for three days. I learned grouping mechanics quickly and took charge of the throne room with a small group of adventurers. We all talked and had a blast while we were slaughtering spawn after spawn! I eventually slowed down leveling there and was told it was time to move on to bigger and badder things. I was comfortable where I was though! The world seemed so huge… after that I spent years exploring the game, there are still places I havent seen its so massive.
I thought it was a programming wonder that they were able to do something like this sucessfully! at level 85 with a ton of AA’s now, I still think its one of the best MMO’s out there :) This will always be my first and favorite. No other game has the strength of the community of Everquest. Everyone was ALWAYs willing to help you out. Go go Rodcet Nife!
September 25th, 2010 at 5:16 pmQuote
My fondest memory of eq was staying up till 6 am in fear, and getting 15 minutes of sleep for school. Then falling asleep in 1st hour, and waking up in 3rd hour. But it was definately worth it, I got some of my ranger set that night! I was the same as Pedro as far as making a class before really reading the description, it was only after I made a halfling cleric that I realized how slow a ranger was! Ahhh good times!
September 26th, 2010 at 1:36 amQuote