I started in May 99, a friend and I in the 82nd Airborne stayed on post during the four day weekend. We went the PX and purchased this game on a thursday night. I think we played all weekend, slept a few hours, until tuesday morning when we had to do our physical training at 6am.
We both came from Ultima Online and hated getting ganked in pvp, the Everquest rules stated that you couldn't attack another player. Well, we both made characters in a server with (pvp), all of the names looked foriegn to us and we could remember the one with (pvp). Needless to say, we quickly figured out what pvp ment. We spent all summer on Rodect Nife, I think getting up to the mid 30's but then at around Christmas time a new server Lanys Tyvl opened. Some of my new EQ friends hopped servers and started out as "vets".
It was awesome! I felt like a seasoned pro! I made a Erudite Paladin, hoped the boat to Qeynos and began to farm everything that I could to make pp. I remember my first trip accross the world. My friend had a dwarf warrior named Steelhands and we wanted to play together. We spent all night doing research on the internet for maps and tips on how to cross Norath. I got an epic Bard with selo's to take me accross a few zones. What a trip! When I first laid eyes on that dwarven statue at Kaladim....omg...EPIC! When Plane of Fear opened the whole server was lined up out side of the portal. I think there was an un-official raid level of 35 to do the raid. There was no level restriction when it opened. The zone crashed, my phone line sucked, my comp blue screened a few times...what a night.
We all role played somewhat. A bard would be at Freeport Gates reading stories, Druids wouldn't kill animals, all Orgers spoke like Orgers (I thought that's how they all talked, like when you're drunk)...you get the idea....Guides were given quests and promoted in /broadcast. Massive arena duels were the win.
I am 36 now, I guess I was 25 at the time and a Staff Sergeant in the Army, I'm now a First Sergeant and still in the Army. And still playing EQ.
To the staff, thank you for making an awesome, while not perfect or exact, it's still an awesome expierience!
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