GETTING STARTED IN EVERQUEST

How to start from Zero and begin your journey to Hero.

Just starting and new to the show? Then Gloomingdeep is where to go! -- Bonzz
 

New to EverQuest?

Returning to EverQuest after a long hiatus and basically starting over?

Starting fresh on a TLP server where coin and gear is scarce?

Starting a new Character Class Type you have never played before?

Made a new Persona and need to get it up and running?

Making a new Character for the first time in ages and aren't sure where to start?

Well! You have come to the right place!

EverQuest is the innovative MMORPG that started it all.  EverQuest is a humongous, ever-evolving game that has social aspects along with a myriad of play style options, activities and pursuits.

Abandon the 'I want it now' approach and you just might find that EverQuest is a fun and enjoyable past time, that you will want to keep playing (or may find yourself coming back to after testing the green pastures of other games that were not actually greener, after all)!

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FREE TO PLAY VS ALL ACCESS

ACCOUNT CREATION                    DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL EVERQUEST                    CHARACTER CREATION

GEARING UP                    LEVELING UP                    SKILLING UP

BOXING                    HEROIC CHARACTERS

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FREE TO PLAY VS ALL ACCESS

1) FREE TO PLAY : Before you get rolling, you should understand the differences between Free to Play (aka F2P) and All Access (paid subscription).

You can absolutely 100% play EverQuest for FREE.

If you do so, however, it does mean that limitations are imposed on your Account / Characters.

These Limitations include:

You can expand on, or work around some of the above restrictions, without going All Access, but it does require purchases (Marketplace, Loyalty Vendor...), Quests and Player-to-Player Trades to do so.

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2) TEST SERVER AND FREE TO PLAY: If you are Free to Play (or Silver), you can Play on the Test Server.

If you do, most all of the restrictions are removed!

About the only restriction that does apply is that you will not be able to play in the most recent two (2) expansions.

In short, if you are Free to Play, the best server to play on might just be the Test Server.

If you created your Character on a different server, you can use the command /testcopy to 'copy' your Character to the Test Server, albeit not necessarily 100% as is (see here for what gets copied over).

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2) ALL ACCESS: You can also opt to pay for EverQuest, aka All Access.

If you do, all the restrictions noted above are eliminated. Additionally, you also get a 10% reduction in Marketplace prices and 500 FREE Daybreak Cash that you can claim every month.

If you decide to go All Access, see Step 3 in the next section below.

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ACCOUNT CREATION

1) FREE ACCOUNT: Before you can start playing EverQuest, you will need to create an account by way of a simple registration process with Daybreak Games.

All you need have do is 'Register' to create your Free to Play Account.

To do this, simply go the EverQuest web site, here.

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2) ALL ACCESS ACCOUNT: You can use Krono, acquired from other Players (gifts, trades, purchased with Platinum...), instead of adding a Payment Source.

Obtaining and using (clicking / claiming) a Krono will credit you for one (1) month of All Access (the Krono will be expended... go poof). To maintain All Access in this way, you will need to continue to acquire Krono each and every month, otherwise your account will revert to Free to Play.

For details about Krono click here.

Even if you do not intend to go All Access, you will still need to do this if you intend to make any purchases from Daybreak (such as an Expansion, etc.), at all.

If you decide you want to go ahead add a Payment Source, you will need to provide much more specific information.

To do this, go to the Daybreak Games web site (here).

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3) SUBSCRIPTION (AKA MEMBERSHIP): Now that you have established a Payment Source, you now need establish 'membership' (subscribe) to finish making your account an All Access account, if that's what you want to do.

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DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL EVERQUEST

1) DOWNLOAD: Once you have registered, you now need to Download and Install EverQuest in order to play.

2) INSTALL: Once the 'EQ_setup.exe' file is fully downloaded to your computer, you can install EverQuest.

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3) PLAY EVERQUEST: An EverQuest shortcut (Icon) will be added to your Desktop.

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CHARACTER CREATION

1) CREATING A CHARACTER: If you are playing EverQuest for the first time; or playing on a Server for the first time; you will need to create a Character.

Or, you can just crate a new Character because you want to, for what ever reason.

Character Creation is limited to how many Character Slots you have.

2) CHARACTER SCREEN: After you log in and select a Server, you will be taken to the Character Screen.

If you all ready have Characters on the Server, you will see them listed here.

If you do not have any Characters on the Server, you will need to create a Character.

On the left side of your screen, you will see some buttons / selections. Using the image to the right, they are for:

  • (1) The type of account you have (i.e. 'Free Player' aka Free to Play, All Access...);
  • (2) A list of any Characters you have all ready created on the Server, with how many a notation of how many Character Slots you have (bottom of the window), along with a 'Buy Slot' option, if available, to purchase another Character Slot;
  • (3) A drop down menu to see how many Level 85 and / or Level 100 Heroic Characters you have available to use (if you don't have any, and want one before you create a new Character, there is a 'DB' button on the bottom right side of the screen that you can click that will take you to the Marketplace);
  • (4) The 'Upgrade Character' will allow you apply a Heroic (from #3) and 'upgrade' any Character you select (highlight) in the second window;
  • (5) The 'Create Character' button allows you to create a new Character, if you have the Character Slot (#2) to do so (see below for more on creating a new character);
  • (6) The 'Delete' button allows you to literally delete any Character you select in the Characters window (#2), but be warned, this is permanent if you do this;
  • (7) The 'Enter Tutorial' button will allow you go into the Tutorial (Gloomingdeep), but only if you are low enough Level to still be allowed in;
  • (8) The 'Return Home' button will allow you to log in at your home city, rather than where ever you were when you last camped, or instead of the Tutorial;
  • (9) The 'Reset UI to Default' will revert EverQuest to the original default User Interface (I suggest you never check this box, as any personal changes you have made will be replaced and you will have to re-d0 / reload them);
  • (10) The 'Go All Access' button will open your browser to the EverQuest web site, to allow you to set up All Access, if desired (if you are all ready All Access, you will not see this button);
  • (11) The 'Quit' button will take you back to the Server Select Screen, so you can change servers.


 

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3) CHARACTER CREATION SCREEN: If you select the 'Create Character option (see above), you will then see the Character Creation Screen.

Using the image below:

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HEROIC CHARACTERS

1) HEROIC CHARACTER PURCHASE

Heroic Characters were added to the game during the Call of the Forsaken expansion.

You can purchase either the 'Level 50 Heroic Character,' 'Level 85 Heroic Character' or the 'Level 100 Heroic Character' via the Marketplace (type /marketplace in game). As of this typing, they list for $25 (2,500 DBC), $35 (3,500 DBC) & $40 (4,000 DBC) respectively. They can be used on a Character you all ready have or to create a brand new Character.

You can also potentially acquire a a 'Tradable: Level 85 Heroic Character' or a 'Tradable: Level 100 Heroic Character' from other Players, instead of purchasing one.

This purchase stays credited to your Account. If you delete a Heroic Character, the Heroic Character Boost should become available for you to use again. It just can't be used for more than one (1) Character at a time.

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2) APPLYING HEROIC CHARACTER BOOSTS: Making a Character a Level 85 of a Level 100 Heroic is accomplished on the Character Screen / Character Creation Screen.

See above.

Level 85 Heroic Characters can not be applied on a TLP Server until the Call of the Forsaken expansion is unlocked on the TLP Server.

Level 100 Heroic Characters can not be applied on a TLP Server until the Torment of Velious expansion is unlocked on the TLP Server.

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3) NEW HEROIC CHARACTERS: When you create a new Character (explained above), you start at Level 1.

However, if you purchase or acquire a Heroic Character Boost (or all ready have one credited and available to your account), you can instantly create a Character that starts at Level 85 or Level 100, instead of Level 1.

Heroic boosts are most beneficial when applied to a brand new Character (see above).

Level 85 Heroic Characters get:

Level 100 Heroic Characters get:

Your first Heroic Character (on an Account), and only that first heroic Character, will also get:

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4) APPLYING HEROIC TO EXISTING CHARACTERS: You can apply a Heroic Boost to any Character, existing, newly created or of any level!

While Heroic boosts are most beneficial when applied to a brand new Character (as noted above), you can also apply them to existing Characters.

With existing Characters, Level 85 Boosts are more beneficial when applied to Characters that are not yet Level 85.

With existing Characters, Level 100 Boosts are more beneficial when applied to Characters that are not yet Level 100.

There is not much benefit to applying a Heroic Boost to an existing Characters that are all ready above the Level that the Boost provides.

However, if you do apply a Boost to an existing Character that is above the Level of the Boost, this is what happens (what you can get):

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SETTING UP

1) PRE-REQUISITES: Now that you are ready to go with EverQuest, I strongly suggest you do some pre-requisite setting up before you start adventuring.

If you do, I 100% believe, going forward, that it can and will save no small amount of frustration, grief, time and effort. It will improve your overall EverQuest experience.

I actually know more than one (1) long time, experienced, max Level, max AA Players, who, to this day, on a daily basis struggle from their own disorganization / preparation / habits. Not only are they frustrating themselves and wasting time on a daily basis, but they are cutting in on their own play time... and even the play time of others, who may be waiting on them to get it together!

So, spend the time and start your 'good' EverQuest habits now! It can be tedious to start with, but once certain things are 'in place' playing EverQuest is a much better experience.

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2) LAP TOP VS DESK TOP: You can 100% play EverQuest on a Lap Top Computer (Windows)... or a Desktop Computer (Windows).

So, if all you have is a Lap Top, or a Desk Top... you are good to go! If you have both, or multiple computers, you can install and play EverQuest all of them.

You can even play the same account on any of them, just not at the same time. However, you can play different accounts at the same time, on separate Computers, if you want to box.

If you want the option of playing your Account on either a Desk Top (such as at home) or a Lap Top (such as away from home), keep in mind that the changes that can take place -- every time you play EverQuest -- are not all stored on the EverQuest Servers. Some are stored on your computer (such as settings, maps, advanced loot, spell / song / disc set ups, hot buttons and others).

To keep both computers 'in sync' there are files that can be copied back and forth. However, even if you don't do this, you can still play EverQuest without any huge concerns, really.

Also, keep in mind that the quality of your computer can effect game play (memory, graphics card, speed, etc.). Additionally, the way you connect to the internet can also play into the quality of you game play experience (Wi-Fi vs. Hot Spot vs. directly (wired) connected).

Additionally, since both a keyboard and a mouse are best used with EverQuest, a 'roomy' flat surface (like a desk) is better than impromptu / smaller surfaces. A mouse is also better than a touch pad, in my opinion (you can use a mouse with a laptop).

You will find that the EverQuest window can be a bit crowded, so larger screens are better, but may Players opt to Play with a minimalist number of visible windows, and only open other windows when they need them or want to see them.

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2) FULL SCREEN VS WINDOWED: EverQuest, as of the July 2022 Patch, starts in Windowed Mode.

You can switch to Full Screen, if you want to, on the Display Tab of your Options Window (Alt O), by clicking the 'Switch to Fullscreen' button halfway down on the left side.

Many Players do prefer to play Fullscreen with reasons such as the task bar doesn't pop up, so there is no bar across the top and so forth.

However, what many seem to be unaware of, is that windowed mode may not fill your screen at first, but if you click and drag the corners of the EverQuest window, you can resize it so that it is, in fact, essentially full screen!

There are advantages to Windowed mode. Example, if you use GINA or Discord, you can still pop them on top when you want to. You can open a browser to look something up. If you have more than one instance of EverQuest running, you can more easily swap between each EverQuest window.

Your call.

NOTE: If you have multiple screens, you options expand, such as running two instances of EverQuest with one on each screen and so forth.

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3) MAPS: EverQuest comes with some (not all) generic basic zone maps (hit your M key to open the Maps Window).

Maps are essential for finding your way about, seeing where things are and more.

Players are able to mark maps, add to maps and so forth, using the Map Tools provided. The problem there is that any changes you make to the default EverQuest maps are erased and over written each time you log in to EverQuest.

Thus, you need a Map Folder of your on in the EverQuest directory.

So, right away you should download and install some Player made maps, or start a set of maps of your own. Once done, start working on the habit of updating and adding to those maps, every day, when needed... particularly when it comes to Quest NPC locations, named spawn locations, vendors, traps, and so forth.

For information on using maps; adding to maps; creating your own map directory; where to get Player made maps; and all things mapping... start here!

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4) USER INTERFACE: The appearance and lay out of your EverQuest window is your 'interface' into the world of EverQuest, thus, a 'User Interface' (aka UI).

The EverQuest UI is amazingly versatile. You can put windows where you want them; resize windows; resize fonts; change fonts; change window shapes; minimize or maximize windows; close or open windows; change your view; hide or show models; hide or show corpses; show full, partial or no names; and on an on. I will only go into the basic stuff here. The rest you can figure out as you go along.

Basically, you can... and need to... set up your EverQuest window in a way that suits you, that allows you to play the game in a smoother manner, with less stop and go and faster reactions. Once that is done, you can make adjustments as you go along. 

You will, over time, get used to and become accustomed to your EverQuest window set up, making your ability to react more immediately and know where things are, far more fluid and instinctive. This is a good thing.

Because of this, if you have more than one Character, it might also be a good idea to keep the lay out the same or similar on each Character, because if the lay out is different for each Character you will be less able to react instinctively or expediently.

Once you have any window right where you want it on screen, you want to 'lock' it in place to prevent it from getting moved about as you click on things while playing. This is accomplished by right clicking the top of a window (see #1 in image below) and then selecting the 'Lock' option (#2 in the image below). An asterisk (*) will appear by the Lock Option to show that that the option is in place. This window will now stay in it's current position on your Screen. Even after you close it and then re-open it, it will re-open in the same position.

If the you want a window to always stay open, and don't want to accidentally close it when clicking away on your keyboard, right click the window again, and this time make sure there is no asterisk by the ''Esc' to Close' option. See #3 in the image, above. Thus when you hit the Escape key on your keyboard, the window in question will not close.

If you do close a window, it can always be brought back up. Most windows can be accessed (brought back up) by way of the on-screen EQ Button (the combined DB (Marketplace) / EQ (Options) Button can not be closed or hidden). Additionally, most windows usually have options to minimize / maximize (#1 in below image), close (#3 in below image) or a 'Help' option (#2 in below image... it pops up a Help window about the window in question). If they don't, the same or similar options can still be accessed by right clicking the top of the window.

 

In short, all of your Windows should have these two (2) options defined, one way or another. Example, you always want your Group Window open and in the same place, so Lock it and un-select the 'ESC' option. You may want to position your bag windows on-screen so they don't open up on top of each other, but do want hitting the Escape key (on your keyboard) to close them, so Lock them in place, but keep the 'Esc' option selected.

You may also consider the 'Fade Level' for each window. What this means is the window can fade to invisibility (see through, except for the words), when not in active use. If you move your cursor to the window, it will become opaque (become full view) again. However, you can also set the 'full view' fade percentage as well. Personally, I don't like windows fading at all, because if you can see something in the EverQuest environment and then try to click on it, you can potentially end up clicking something in a faded window and activate something you did not want to activate.

(1) Right Click top of window to bring up options for the window; (2) Move cursor to the 'Alpha' category; (3) Select one of the 'Level' options to adjust ('Normal' for the 'Full View' setting or 'Faded' for the fade away option); In the pop-up 'Quantity' window, adjust the number to the fade level you want, from 0 (invisible) to 100 (no fade at all).

Below are some windows that you that you may want to position, lock in place and remove the 'Esc' option so remain open (in view) at all times. Any other windows can be positioned and locked in place, but you may want to retain the 'Esc' option, since you don't want them open at all times.

So, set up your screen the way you want it. You can always make adjustments along the way, but the idea is to generally leave it intact. In this way, you become accustomed to it and instinctively know where things are with little to no 'hunt and peck' process. Myself, I am a 'cluttered' window user and I like windows organized around the edges with an open view in center screen. I also have other windows that are positioned and locked in place (all over the screen) but are not always open (such as my inventory, bank and shared bank bags).

Bonzz's UI

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GEARING UP

1) GEARING UP: Once you have a new Character, you need to 'gear up,' meaning to acquire and equip armor, weapons, a charm, a power source, click items, augmentations and similar.

Gear is the primary way that you can increase your durability. Just be aware that many of these items are limited by way Class, Race, Deity and / or Character Level. So, be wary not to acquire an item you will not be able to use! The easy way to tell this is the item name (in the item window) will be in red text, meaning you can't use it.

Updating and improving gear will be a constant never ending pursuit, from the start. The preferred stats you seek on gear will vary by Class type (example, Clerics may give preference to item that boost Wisdom to help increase their mana pool, as well as Healing bonuses / effects to increase how much they can heal for).

You can acquire and update gear as you go along, in the following manner:

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LEVELING UP

1) LEVELING UP: Leveling up, in reality, is just gaining experience by adventuring.

The amount of experience varies by Level, where you adventure, MoB Level's, use of Experience Potions and so on.

Suggestions:

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SKILLING UP

Work on your skills. They may not seem overly important, but they can help in many areas... Combat, Magic, Casting, Tradeskills and so forth.

Some happen automatically (Defense...), some happen if you wield the correct weapons (1H vs 2H...) and some have to be purposely worked on (Languages, Tradeskills...).

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BOXING

You can run the EverQuest program multiple times on the same Computer and Play on more than one (1) Account at the same time.

If you are skilled enough to do this, you can 'box' your Characters, meaning you can play them at the same time, together, so they can help each other.

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If you note any errors, misspellings, item name errors, misinformation or anything that needs addressing on this page -- PLEASE let me know via an in-game EQ Message (Bonzz on the Bertoxxulous server), or post on Bonzz's Discord Server!

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This Page Last Updated June 24, 2024

This fan site is created and provided free (uncompensated, no ads, no sponsors, no registration / log-in), by Bonzz of Bertoxxulous. Images / graphics / sounds on this web site are in-game (EverQuest) captures, originate from Sony / Darkpaw / Daybreak Games (EverQuest) and / or with permission from others (if any). Some graphics may be modified (re-sized, cropped, etc.) from their original form. Any pages that play sounds / music, are intentionally set at low volume. Most of them are under two (2) minutes or less, and should play once and then stop. If any sound / music continues to loop (play over and over), let me know! EverQuest is copyright / trademark / owned / operated by Darkpaw Games, which is owned / operated by Daybreak Games, which is owned / operated by Enad Global 7.