Feldon The upcoming Age of Discovery expansion will include the Mercenaries feature. These player-controlled (or perhaps just guided, depending) NPCs will help players in groups or raids, for a small fee. You can read a lore-based/mock interview with one of these upcoming mercenaries at EverQuest2.com:
Recently, we have caught word that mercenaries will start to offer their services in Norrath come the end of the year. We were lucky enough to grab an interview with one of these soon to be job-seeking mercenaries! Her name Vittia Direshadow and she is a Teir’dal Shadowknight. She’s quite scary-looking but assures me she will not try to kill me.
Q. What made you want to become a mercenary?
A. My extensive study with the Dread Guard was extremely worthwhile but not inexpensive, and tithes to Innoruuk are not cheap either, so when I finished my training I found myself with debt still to repay. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of a loan broker in Neriak, I can assure you. So, I started work as a mercenary to pay my debts, and have come to find it a valuable source of income as well as an excellent way to see the world and learn new things.
A fun look at mercenaries, but will we see Froglok mercenaries? I’d like to see something some from around the world.
This will be both good and bad for grouping I guess, depending which side you are on.
If you’re having difficulty filling a group, the mercernaries will get a group going instead of disbanding.
On the other hand, this 4-guildies group I joined tonight, who was LFM may use mercenaries next time and there goes my grouping opportunity.
People say this was great in EQ1. But this isn’t EQ1. In EQ1 even outdoor “trash” mobs were dangerous. This would be a great help for grinding through the levels when the population isn’t what it used to be.
But in EQ2, I don’t see this helping new players grind levels at all. It’s not like you’re going suddenly to be able to solo dungeons as a duo. And you don’t need mercenaries at all to do the “golden path” questlines unless you refuse to wear anything but treasured.
So I think in EQ2 the mercenaries will help fill groups, and soloers are not going to benefit from it as much as they think.
Cute. But I’m not really into cute, I’d rather have information. All the silence and then this? Just doesn’t sit well with me.
Actually, Flirpy, this would let me solo dungeons as a duo, on my paladin. He’s level 51, and back at 49 he was able to fight in Permafrost by himself, just too slow to be worth the progress. A partner would have let him clear most of it, I’m pretty sure. Would I rather group with people? Definitely. At the level range I’m at though on my characters, that’s not going to happen.
If they add swimsuit mercenaries I’m all over it!
What’s worrying is that mercenaries can probably be summoned to a group as soon as you want them.. no need to wait for zone, or CoV. This makes them even more desirable over real players.
I’m not complaining though… I can see a 2-3 real player group doing better with mercs than a full player group. It’s easier to coordinate two or three players than six. :/
And if I understand well, you NEED 3 real players for a six man group.
3 boxing and 3 mercs u mean 😀
I never played EQ1, but do they allow me to hire 5 mercs? 2 healers and 3 DPS if I am the tank.
Or is it limited to only one merc per played character?
Even if you have to run to FP to pick up a merc it will be better than LF chanter for an hour. Some places still need more than an SK and an Inquisitor to clear (thank God!).
Preference for me will be:
1. Average non-asshat player with > Thurg + and solo DoV jewelry+
2. Merc for support or 2nd healer role.
3. Well geared and capable asshat for primary tank, healer or dps role
4. Try the zone short handed even with very low chance of success
5. Ultra casual player with purchased or naked toons who want ME to explain what spells they have. Some of these HAVE to be trolls messing with people…NO ONE could be THAT hopeless @90.
6. Poorly geared asshat who want goes on about how badass they were LAST expac in their fabled armor while they need on any loot (any class, even twice on same item), but never put any on. These guys play like a level 20 noob and keep talking about how WoW is better because its not hard like EQ2. (I’ve only met 2 of these on my server lately & their lotsa alts).
So, I mainly see mercs taking spots in groups that would normally stay vacant even IF SOE doesn’t nerf them horribly to make the vocal ones in the lower part of my list happy. No matter HOW nerf mercs are empty spots are still an option. The only way those folks will always get groups is if heroic instances REQUIRE a full PC group to zone in and open chests.
They said af Fan Faire that the only way a mercenary would be better than a real player ist when said player was AFK all the time. So…let’s hope for the best. However, this will only solve the “now we need a chanter/bard” problem, maybe the “now we only need a healer” problem…I would not trust any mercenary to tank any of the current high end instances.