I thought the combat was fun. I grouped a few times on the Isle of Refuge, and I was just so absorbed with being a cleric, that I hardly noticed what was going on with the wheel, lol. Sorry that I can't help much with that, lol!
Oh that reminds me, one thing that I didnt care for... the chat window is not quite as configurable as we are used to in EQ. EQ has all the nice filters and such, and different ways to display info for combat and whatnot. EQ2 doesnt seem to offer quite as many filter options. So while I was trying to learn the game, and how to be a cleric there, it was difficult to follow what the heck was going on with all the spam, lol. I guess I am just so used to soloing...
I had a good time soloing. As a cleric, I had my one good nuke, Strike, and with that I seemed to be able to get it done. From 1st to 10th level, you keep the same nuke, but it upgrades damage each level. You still have to manage your spell Power, which is just what used to be called mana. So in that sense, its not so different from EQ.
Soloing is still quite doable. I did all the quests I could find in Freeport, and had a blast. Some were difficult, and I got killed a few times, but they were all attainable solo. And, you can pick up some nice stat gear on your own too! Sure, it might have been totally gimp gear, but to me, it was great stuff, and really... isnt that all that counts? It really felt like I was doing something, right off the bat at low levels... much better then just grinding!
I didn't advance all the high in level, as I was too busy exploring Freeport, hehe... so I cant comment on the advanced stuff.
I think it felt like Norrath, sure. I was just having a hella good time grouping up and watching the battles. It was just as good as the preview movies we've seen for months now.
