That's essentially the same thing EverQuest was doing back in 1999, although obviously back then its opacity wasn't a response to a recently emerging trend. Look at Dark Souls and Bloodborne, which proved that there was still a market for failure and frustration, and teasing players with only the faintest hints and implications. Look at Monster Hunter and Yakuza-both deeply abstruse franchises that have also somehow produced two of the most hyped game of 2018. But in the past couple of years, that pendulum has swung the other way. It's hard to think of a triple-A game that hasn't been saddled with a long, doting tutorial, extremely forgiving respawns, or hell, a microtransaction functionality to skip all the grinding. However, I can't help be captivated by the sheer recklessness of EverQuest. It certainly runs counter to the instincts honed from a life spent in Azeroth. There is a chance that all this is bad game design. Quests are remote and out of the way, so you scout out the realm of Norrath by running away from bigger bad guys, slowly constructing a mental map of hazards and refuges. (Which you better win, because your gear is dropped upon death.) Also, as if it wasn't clear from my half-hour lost in the Erudite starting zone, EverQuest gives you no real direction or means of orientation. You will absolutely end up in a long, long duel with a snake or a rat that will make you question your stamina. The combat itself is also surprisingly demanding.
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There are so many audacious little wrinkles! Your character's level is kept hidden from you, so instead you size up enemy NPCs by 'inspecting' them, which will give you a color-coded prompt in your text box informing you how much of a chance you have in a solo encounter. You venture out into the world to grind on endless kobolds, dodging the occasional skeletons that will smite you in one hit. I'm not sure how the modern EverQuest plays today, but on the progression server there is absolutely no hand-holding. Instead, you are a citizen of Norrath, and your destiny is your own. This is not the way Daybreak (formerly Sony Online Entertainment) goes about its business. The Dungeon Finder app in your UI will transport you to any instance on the globe with the click of a button, Looking For Raid will let you take down Kil'Jaeden with you and 19 other randoms, and in 2018, almost every zone in the game scales to your level. The sun rises on your character in a small camp a stone's throw outside of the capital city, face to face with a man with a yellow exclamation mark hovering over his head.
![what level does aa unlock eq cleric what level does aa unlock eq cleric](https://eqresource.com/news/maidenseyetol.jpg)
When you load into World of Warcraft you're presented with a short in-engine cutscene contextualizing the purpose and spirit of your chosen race. EverQuest gives you no real direction or means of orientation.