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How is the community in EQII? Harsh and immature? (like wow imo) Or close and helpful? (ffxi)
The community is very friendly and helpful. You'll find that EQ2 has a bit more mature crowd than the other 2 games. And since there is no Kill Stealing (of sorts) or open PvP, you don't have to worry about people ganking you. If you ask for help in a polite and courteous way, you will usually get some.
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How is it to get game money in EQII? Is it very slow and difficult to make ends meet?
Money is slow at first, but quests make up for that. Just by doing quests, you can get armor, weapons, jewelry, food/drink, coin, and even some furniture for your room. Eventually you will be making good enough money to support what you need to buy.
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How many people play EQII?
Hmmm, tough one. I think the last count was somewhere around 300,000. Individual server population can vary also. Some are full, others are barren.
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Is there any PVP? How does it work?
Yes, in a consentual way through dueling. Both parties agree to duel, and you can even use a trade window to wager something. The winner gets the spoils. You can also just duel for fun with no wager. In the Desert of Flames expansion, there is a Arena where you can even assume the role of a monster and do battle.
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What is the max level you can get? How long would it take to get there if you played just a couple hours a day on average?
With the Desert of Flames expansion pack, the max level is 60. On your casual schedule, you could reach that in about 6 months. But it also depends on how many quests you decide to do. If you just grind it out and do no quests, then you could reach it in a few months. If you take the more fun road of quests and lore, you can stretch it out to 6+ months. My casual playing took me about 10 months to get to 50. But I was not trying to reach the end fast. I've done hundreds of quests and helped my guild reach level 21.
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Are you forced to group or can you solo all the way?
There is an abundance of solo mobs. Sometimes I can't take 3 steps without tripping over some mob. There are also many group and heroic mobs for the more adventurous or groups. Yes, you can solo all the way if you want, but solo mobs drop a lower level of loot. Group/Heroic mobs drop better loot.
Try
this free playable demo of the game to see firsthand how it works. But remember it is just the tip of the iceberg - the real adventure awaits!
Crafting is very involved and allows you to make many items that are better than any non-epic loot drop. Like adventure class, you can only be one type of artisan. The recipe system is partly based on different classes being supportive of others. So you may need an Alchemist to make a special oil, a Carpenter to make a special staff, then you take those and make your own item.
Crafting is like combat. While you are making an item, you may have a sudden "event" that will take away from the quality of the item. Sometimes they can damage, or in rare cases, kill you! You have "buffs" that you can use to counter those events, allowing you to make pristine (best) items.
For more tips, scroll down a bit to find other posts from others. I even posted the top 10 things I wish I had known.
Good luck and hope to see you on Najena!