The state of the current EQ player.

[KB]

[Kellenial]

[Brohg]

[Kellenial]

[Maccuul]

[Yesak]

[Samanna]

The usage here definitely goes in waves, cresting with each release, and slowly tapering down until the next one. See http://crucible.samanna.net/usage/ and

[Tharkis]

<-- what you would call a lifer. I'm in EQ for better or worse

[Tarnnok]

Is it me, or are those crests right around the times expansions are released?

[Naagruz]

On the contrary, I see many players who are brand new along with older players who are just now getting into the raiding aspects of the game for the first time. Quite a few of the newer players I have come across are younger siblings who have inherited accounts from some of the original players.

I don't really see the game stagnating at all. For better or worse, many of those "lifers" have continued to alter the game dynamic by picking up more accounts and multi-boxing. While these are not new "real" players entering the game, they allow the game to still be played at a certain level.

[Ungkor]

3 things:

Expansion released
1. brings back old players that might not remember everything.
2. brings in new players that really don't know anything.
3. long time casual players that haven't learned alot of details about the game, might 'move up' or join a guild appearing 'newbish' to the guild/older players.


I know that each expansion I often see 1,2,3 happen, with 3 happening at a more or less steady rate, and 1 and 2 peaking each expansion release.

You'd be surprised what the average casual player knows about the game: very little:) Spell details, counters, resists, ac vs attack, etc... much of that comes from being in a raiding guild. If you've never done that, chances are you have never bothered to learn many of those details.

[KB]

[Bethiana]

Once EQ stops shoving expansions down your throats every 6 months and condenses servers again, start worrying. Until then, new blood does, indeed, still come in. The difference is, with so many other MMO choices out there, it went from being a flood to a sprinkle. Another thing to remember is that EQ isn't also very noob-friendly unless you know someone or happen to get into a family guild that still does well at early levels. I remember about two months before I left a friend and I were goofing around on alts in a lowbie zone when we came across a Shaman our level, invited her to group and found out two things: first, she was a fellow Shamangina and second ... heshe was a true noob. When we finished up our grinding, my friend and I logged into our mains and proceeded to twink the everliving hell out of them and gave them some advice.

Just be kind to the new people you do meet, evne fi thye cnat splel gud or are doing everything horribly, terribly, ohmygodwhatareyoudoingyousimp wrong. You could make the difference between someone who leaves the game or someone who stays and becomes knowledgable.

They may be unsalvagable spurts of human refuse that should have been euthanized, but it's all a gamble. In that case, pity the fools ... pity them hard.

[Ckingmore]

[Micker]

[Ckingmore]

[Fenier]

[Tharkis]

[Galelor]

[Tharkis]

[angrif77]

[Samanna]

[Brohg]

[Bethiana]

[Jooruus]