Down to Business

Pieces like these were always fun because they weren't meant to be showcases of a character's highest power loadout, or even when they "retired." You'll notice this Half Elf Rogue is wearing banded, which is a fairly common armor set in the game that many - especially in the emulated server - might skip right over. However, this player wanted to capture a moment from when he played. A time when his character was just using banded armor. A simpler time. A nostaglic piece.

It would feel like an oversimplification to say that the entire game experience - closing in on 30 years from its original launch - is an experience rooted in nostalgia. After doing these pieces and this entire project, I can confidently say that there is much to discover to those who have never played the EverQuest franchise.

There are game mechanics, designs, zones, character models, and systems that really stood the test of time. Hidden areas that if you didn't look for a third time would have a player miss a sprawling, massive, loot-filled dungeon that might take them a full day to traverse. Cities with complicated faction and area politics that affect travel routes or access points. Unique cultural designs that really differentiated themselves and all felt tied back to a lore that loved the genre.

Seems like a lot to pull from a guy with pointy ears, stretching on a glove like an extra from The Princess Bride. And, it might be. But it might also just be scratching the surface.