20 years ago, something happened to the world of online gaming that truly changed how we play MMORPGs today. It came after the birth of one of the classic online games in the world - EverQuest.
For a game that was released two decades ago, EverQuest holds a special charm for its audience. From its set of playable characters, the vast regions and zones, to the storylines, EverQuest is an experience in itself.
Who would have thought that an online game almost 20 years ago remains one of the most popular games of all time? Find out what the game is all about and how EverQuest remains one of the most popular games around.
A Classic MMORPG
Released by Sony Entertainment in March 1999, EverQuest is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that set the bar for many subsequent MMORPGs.
The game has all the nuances and the basics of how MMORPGs would be played today. That includes the party system, classes, zones, and regions, including different expansions and an engaging storyline.
Players choose a race among humans, different types of elves, barbarians, trolls, cat-people, dragon-people, and more. Then they choose a class, a deity they can follow, and a city where they start.
What Is the Game Set?
The game is set in the fantasy world of Norrath where players get to create their characters based on different races in the game.
EverQuest lets the player roam around the open world and carry out quests, hunt monsters, gather resources, create items, trade gold, join guilds and parties, and more.
Each zone in the game offers different geographical features akin to real-life but with more fantastical themes.
Starting Out
Once the player logs in to the game and creates the character, he gets to choose a class. There are more than fourteen different classes that a player can choose and each class has a different set of advantages in the game.
Choosing a Class
Melee classes fight in close-quarter combat and are usually more defensive in nature. Magic wielders such as mages or casters deal more damage using spells but are very vulnerable to attacks.
Priests and Clerics are magic-users that use their healing abilities while hybrid classes perform different tasks and possess a mix of abilities from other different classes.
Choosing a Deity
Players are also required to choose a deity that plays a role in the storyline of the game. Most of the deities you follow will also affect your game as items and weapons are tied to the deity that you worship.
In the game, deities determine a lot including whether monsters in a certain area will attack your character aggressively or not. Now that your character is ready, you will begin at the starting city that you have chosen.
Follow the quests and begin your adventure into the world of Norrath. Join dungeon raids and explore the open world with your friend and finish challenging tasks and slay terrifying monsters for the loot.
History of EverQuest
EverQuest was first developed in 1996 and became available to play to a limited crowd by November of 1997. On March 16, 1999, the game was released and quickly became successful.
It was one of the first multiplayer online 3D games in the market and people came in droves to support and play the game. Soon, the game offered expansions that further extended the game's premise.
They offered more unique features such as additional classes and other zones in the game for players to explore. The first four expansions were released in physical boxes and the succeeding ones were downloadable.
EverQuest's Influence on MMORPG
EverQuest would soon find itself in stiff competition when other MMORPGs were launched around 2005, five years after its release. However, the game was still strong enough to hold its own and was still popular in many parts of the world.
EverQuest would spawn several other games including EverQuest II and expanded further in Europe and many parts of the world.
The influence of the game could not be denied by how much it changed the entire genre. Many other games emulated what made EverQuest popular and built their MMORPG that would rival the game.
Up to this very day, EverQuest remains one of the most immersive role-playing games to play and still receives expansion updates.
Conclusion
There is a reason why EverQuest remains popular to this very day. Its immersive experience and enjoyable content make players return to the game.
If we've aroused your curiosity about the game, you can check EverQuest out on Steam where it's available for download.
