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The Tattered Notebook: Pitfalls of powerleveling in EQII
Two weeks ago I closed my handy tips and tricks guide by encouraging players to shun power-leveling in EverQuest II. At that point, I touched on the issue by talking about how you miss so much of the game by skipping all the stories and lore in the quests. I even cautioned that people hesitate to group with someone who doesn't yet know his or her class. But the reasons to avoid it go so much deeper than what I mentioned there. There are definite pitfalls when characters are power-leveled, even for the folks who have other max-level characters! Some may be wondering why this topic is hot enough at the moment to warrant more of my attention. As those of you who read level 1-9 chat already know, there was recently a massive surge in power-leveling services and a population explosion of max-level characters, all due to the unexpected consequences of combining the new experimentation crafting prestige line with playing as your character in the Dungeon Maker. While this latest power-leveling scheme has been negated (thanks to last Tuesday's patch), many folks are feeling the fallout of using the service.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Pre-launch checklist
I'll just come out and say it: The month or so right before the launch of a highly anticipated MMO is simultaneously ecstasy and agony, full of love and loathing. The waiting sucks, but the anticipation is delicious. The enthusiasm from the community is electric, but the heated emotions can be toxic. The discussion is fascinating, but the know-it-alls are annoying. Personally, I kind of wish we could be at launch-plus-one month right now, just so that the frenzy of insane opinions will have died down and we can just, y'know, play the game without feeling as though we were in the middle of a verbal rugby match. Like any MMO, RIFT's going to have its positives and negatives, but I feel that this launch is going to be something we haven't seen in a long time: a solid, stable MMO that offers up a complete package. That pleases the Justin. Since I can't whip out my magic remote control and fast-forward to April, I propose we do the next best thing. Let's open up our imaginary quest logs and run down a checklist of seven "To Dos" and a few "To Don'ts" to help us prepare for RIFT's release. Planning can be fun! Shut up, it can be!
