One downside to the new class/race system is the lack of distinction between races. While this does lend to an easier system to balance, it also takes away a little of the majesty of exploration that you got from the first Everquest. Races and classes feel the same in early levels; however you do get to specialize your class a lot more in later levels to really make your character your own. As you gain levels, you gain new abilities, which can be enhanced with books obtained by monster drops, merchants and other players. You also gain non combat skills, such as fishing, trapping, and mining which can assist with crafting as well as obtaining quest items.
Speaking of, crafting actually can be dangerous, as it can produce crappy items or actually hurt or kill the player. You do get to advance your crafter and specialize as you would in other classes. Other MMO games offer crafting, but few are as dynamic or involved.
Passive effects and spells last a long time in EQ2, which means less recasting (Hooray!) The interface is a standard click/hotkey combat system. Different abilities have different recovery times and different strengths, so your battles often involve a good deal of strategy. Different foes have different weaknesses, so it’s important to have a library of different attacks, and to travel in diverse groups.
There is a new “heroic” attack option, which upon activation deals out extra damage by putting together a chain of attacks. Flying solo, this is pretty handy, although most of the time your group will mess up your heroic attack unless you are working in close accord.
Actions all rely on one refresh bar, so fighters don’t have a recovery advantage over mages. Monsters that will attack you are outlined in red; more powerful monsters are identified by the color above their head. You also have to option to initiate combat, which you’ll have to do early on in the game. Being quick will give you a hefty advantage, so have your hotkeys armed and your finger on the trigger when in combat areas.
Many missions and combat situations require groups to be successful. A lot of non-MMORPG players are reluctant to team up with strangers, but you’ll need assistance, especially in higher level quests, to be successful.
Recovery after battle requires you to keep a supply of food and drink, which will be automatically used after sustaining damage. You actually don’t use food and drink at any fast sort of rate, but it’s always good to replenish your stock when you are stocking up on supplies, because getting caught in the wilderness without the ability to recover is probably going to get you killed. Enemies have a good range, and lock on you for combat. If you don’t have much health, it’s easy to die.