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There are 5 parts to this review, please use the pulldown below to browse sections or simply hit "Next" at the bottom of each section to continue

 
An Owlbear
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Author: Holly M.
Date: 4-18-02
Subject: Game
Manufacturer: Verant Interactive/Sony Entertainment

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The latest expansion for EQ, titled Shadows of Luclin, offered a great many improvements and advancements in the game. As with each expansion the graphics were more striking than the last but the minimal system requirements to smoothly navigate through these lands were rather large. Still, if you have the power to run Luclin I highly recommend it. The installation of it brought a fancier introductory splash screen with an auto play option upon completion of the patch update, new high quality models for each race in the game and new graphics for all armor. New spells and quests were also added of course. If you do not have Luclin installed you not only can't venture to it, but you're shut out from seeing the the captivating graphics which greatly enhance the playing experience. However, if you prefer the older models and plan to install Luclin you will have the ability to turn these features off. This is helpful for reducing lag and playability problems should your machine run slow post installation.

Porting to Nexus! The figure in the center of the light is the NPC casting the spell
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The ability to personalize your character's features was also included with the installation of Luclin. Effective only on the new models players can change the appearance of their character's face, hair color/style and eye color. Previous to this when creating a new character folks had the option of choosing between a few predetermined faces with their own select hair and eye colors. For those of us who'd been playing for some time and seeing our own character's faces and features running about this advancement was very exciting. The chances of running into someone who has the exact same eye color, hair style/color and face is still possible but the chances are greatly reduced making your character that much more unique.

Fly me to the moon!

Travel to Luclin is different from any other continent. Because, according to the storyline, it actually resides on a moon no port spells were offered nor is there a boat to take adventurers there. Instead, players go to any one of the major Wizard spires and Hail (type /h with who you're hailing targeted) the NPC there. Typically this NPC will be specific in race to the zone they're in.
Nexus
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For the Kunark port, they're Iksar, for the Greater Fay port, they're a High elf and so on. Once the NPC has been hailed they'll give you a little information about why they're there which is to port you to Luclin. Then they will ask you if you wish to "journey to Luclin". If you repeat those words exactly back to them they'll give you a gem resembling a diamond which is the component required on your person for the port process. Although it has been known that folks could get ported without this so beware if you're hanging out chatting with friends at the spires as you may wind up sitting in Luclin! Soon after receiving the gem and talking with the NPC you'll see some magnificent spell effects and be whisked away to a place called the Nexus, which is the port-in location for Luclin. Kudos again to Verant for this place, once you're there you have access to different hallways containing NPC Wizards ready to take you to any of the continents at the cast of a spell, for free! Although being a Wizard I hate to promote such things but my cleric alt sure does enjoy it!

Previous to Luclin adventurers were forced to travel by boat, port, or on foot to get from one location to another. As was long suggested by players, Verant finally granted people the option for a horse. Again, if you do not have Luclin installed you will not see this. Purchasing a horse can be a rather costly event. The cheapest runs about 9k platinum. For those unfamiliar with the game the smallest unit of currency is a single copper piece. 10 copper equals one silver piece, 10 silver pieces equal one gold, 10 gold equals 1 platinum. The prices can vary some depending on your character's charisma. If you're financially able to obtain a horse I'd suggest doing so. Depending on how much you're able to spend on one they can dramatically increase a player's speed which often helps with both travel and getting away from sticky situations.

One of the many types of horses now available in game
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Roooooaaarr! Introducing the Vah Shir

Like Kunark, Luclin offers a new playable race known as the Vah Shir, distant relatives of the Kerran cat people near Erudin, the Erudite city. Along with this race came the very first introduction of a new class in all of the expansions, the Beast Lord. A hybrid class of Warrior and Shaman this class has the ability to melee or play the role of the tank as well as summon a pet and cast Shaman type spells. This class is not limited to just the Vah Shir race, however. All races which could previously be a Shaman now have the option to be a Beast Lord as well.

Because there is a new playable race packaged with Luclin the level ranges for zones vary greatly. Areas close to where baby Vah Shirs begin naturally have a lower range in levels, but there are plenty of places for mid to high levels to roam and explore as well.

A Grimling Miner
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Another appealing feature for high levels is the new Experience system. By the time a character has reached the 50s they've most likely had several experiences with some of the most exciting zones and creatures in the game. They've also likely developed a good understanding of the classes and how the game works. Therefore, it's not uncommon to see some with a slight case of arrogance. Verant, being well aware of this, enabled a new 51+ experience system which gives high level players an opportunity to receive such titles as Sir, Baron/Baroness, and Master, as well as further improving rates in their skill of expertise. It is also something much appreciated though as most likely you've poured a great deal of blood, sweat and tears into a character if you took the time to get them into the 50s. Unless, of course, you get twinked or powerlevelled.

All in all I have very few complaints about Luclin. The new graphics and features added included alot of changes I didn't think we'd ever see in EQ. I did run into a little trouble in the beginning in that my first port there resulted in such lag that my machine froze. From there out I wasn't able to log in using the character which was stuck there. It turned out my motherboard apparently had some sort of conflict, so I logged her in on a friend's machine and had no trouble getting her out. I did have to upgrade my system eventually, of course I didn't just upgrade it for EQ... but once I had it seemed to run smoothly and effortlessly.






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