A History of EverQuest - The MMO That Made The Genre 

Greatest game experience I ever had to this day.

Launch day was EPIC. Everyone in the game was level 1 and didn’t know where anything was located. A sea of corpses outside the gates of Freeport, dead from fighting snakes, beetles, etc. We made our own maps on graph paper, we developed the in game chat and abbreviations that are used in gaming to this day, we developed the economy on each server. It was interesting to see how each server would operate economic activity slightly differently and independently. We shared across servers what worked and what didn’t. To say that EQ influenced the industry is an incredible understatement

No matter how many may come after, and no matter where you end up...you never EVER forget your first love.

Spent many years seeking that same feeling I had playing Everquest 20 years ago and could never find it again. I still think about it some times. RIP, Brad.

RIP Brad, you made one hell of a game.

I think what made it so unique was that both online gaming and the gaming community were still in their infancy, creating the perfect sense of awe that can never be recaptured. It took me about a year to get to level 40, not even knowing about "endgame", just having a great time.

Still playing EQ 21 years later. I can't get enough of this game.

To this day the intro music makes me tear up. I need to get back to project 1999. Can't thank those guys enough!

When I was 11 a family friend showed me an amazing new game and I fell in love immediately. Bashing rats and bugs outside the gates of Qeynos, getting smacked around by holly windstalker in the hills, looking for my corpse in black burrow... It was amazing. It took me a long time to convince my parents to spend money not only on a new pc but a subscription fee too, but towards the end of the ruins of kunark expansion I finally started my journey as an Iksar monk. EverQuest was something special to me and I see it's influences everywhere I look. EQ was so far ahead of it's time that developers are still trying to perfect the idea over two decades later.

I miss the feeling of logging in to EQ back in the 90s. It was so visceral.

Agreed, EQ is felt across the industry, and unfortunately hasn’t been tapped into as it should have been over the years. And Brad McQuaid is a legend, may he Rest In Peace.

The golden years of mmorpg. This was such a magical experience back in the days.

Thanks for the video. I started playing a few weeks after launch, played for almost 7 years. Met my now deceased wife on EQ. She was soloing as a paladin in LOIO and she had cool dyed plate on. I had just leveled up as a shaman and had a new set of buffs and was buffing people up at the windmill. I started following her around and buffing/healing her while hiding behind trees and hills. Little would I know 5 years later we would be married and have our own child. Just amazing. That's the power that was EQ, randomly buffing a stranger just because. I remember guild mates toons names better then I do friends from the same time period. ( Xukulis, Dhriten, Trentar, Luzzon, Waterlillie, Sscout, Seraphinian I could go on and on) I lead a guild on the Tunare server, met a few of my guildmates in real life a few times. Made memories I will never forget. Downloaded P99 5 days ago and I still love this game! Completely changed my life. ❤️

Firing up that black and white open beta cd and fishing in felwithe all night because it was so dark and terrifying..like no other gaming experience I have ever witnessed

I got goosebumps when I heard that loading screen music. It has been so long :O

I just started to play Everquest a few days ago, and I'm loving every second of it.

I lost almost 10 years of my life playing Evercrack!! Had so much fun playing my Necromancer and basically lived in Lower Guk. Made the mistake of joining a west coast raiding guild that demanded 6 hours of your time ever night to raid. Was a blast and would love to play again. Never clicked with Wow as I found it too cartoony after EQ.

started in '99 and literally playing EQ right now.

This January marked 21 years of EverQuest for me. I don't play often anymore due to being an old geezer with a family now, but I've been playing for freaking HALF MY LIFE now. No other game will ever hit like EQ did. I've realized that chasing that dragon is futile. Logging in for the first time, and seeing Greater Faydark teeming with other players, and the realization that those were _other real people_ in 2001 blew my damn mind. The spell effects, the people running around all over, getting killed by a bat. It was great. Wandering around and seeing Felwithe for the first time, that music hits, and then I contact my friend all excited "I FOUND A NEW CITY!" Running from Zarchoomi to turn in Crushbone Belts. Everything about EQ was absolute magic. A hearty hello to any Firiona Vie people, the old OOTS crew, Kelethin Legions, and Prophetic Alliance. Kundow is still around, he's just a lot older and slower now.

EQ changed my life. Got me into D&D and made me a bigger nerd. I’m eternally thankful for it. Thank God for P1999.

Eq was special bc of the socializing aspect. This was before social media. I was such a little troll back then, I miss it.

Loved my time in everquest, no other game had a community like EQ. I feel like anyone that ever played eq is part of like a brotherhood, like the bond that everyone that has fought in the same war like nam vets such. We all didn't serve together in the same place or even at the same time, but everyone that partook in eq has an experience that is uniquely their own, yet totally relatable by anyone who has put time into the game. We all could exchange endless "war" stories, almost everyone's stories are worth hearing because the type of emotion that is unleashed when an eq player talks about their best times and worst times of is addicting and reminds us of our own stories. It is an experience that anyone that wasn't apart of can never truly understand no matter how many videos they watch or eq players they talk to. Doesn't matter what other mmo you played, none of them had the true undeniable magic that eq had. Sure there were fun times in other mmos, but nothing will ever top the experience we all had in eq. I have Eq memories burned into my head that will last longer than shit I did in "real" life. I have no interest in reliving my life, but I wouldn't mind being able to relive just my time in EQ, as weird as it sounds it was some of the happiest times in my life. It's not that life sucked that badly, tho life does suck, but that is true for everyone if we are honest, life never truly goes the way we want it after all. However EQ wasn't great just because it distracted us from our mundane lives, it was a type of consciousness experience that is most honestly like a drug shared experience. I mean even before the days when people started using voice chat more, back when most of us just stuck to text chat in game, the connections we made were still so deep. It is only natural when you literally have to sit in a spot in game for hours and you and your party/guild/strangers you met that day, form a bond and trust each other with their lives and times as everyone did their part to make the gameplay as smooth as possible, no one wanted to be the weak link, yet no one was an ego maniac and was more than willing to help others get better. It wasn't just the gameplay, you would talk about all sorts of things, the serious things, crack jokes, talking, all you had was the talking. The gameplay was honestly stale outside of some raids, but you wouldn't know it by how long we all could sit there and play it for hours on end. I honestly could write a book about my time in EQ, not sure it would be worth reading, but it is honestly a subject that my passion for will never die. I've played so many other mmos over the years since then, but it's like chasing the dragon, despite some really fun times and meeting some cool people, nothing ever came close to my time in EQ and at the same time EQ is something you can never go back to, it was just a perfect place in time. My only real regret is losing contact with some of the great people I have met in EQ, people that I am sure I could have been friends with for life if I really wanted to put in the time, but at the end of the day I've always been kind of a drifter, I'll give you my all until I don't and move on to other things almost with out warning. Still I wouldn't trade my memories from eq for anything. The connections I made in that game, the experiences I had, the conversations I shared, the good times, the bad times, some of them rival the actual shit I've done my life because everquest really was so much more than a game, it was a state of mind and you either get that or you don't, and if you don't and missed out on eq during the glory days, I truly feel sorry for you and can only hope you found a similar online experience elsewhere. The internet is such a cesspool these days with toxicity and such and just generally over crowded, gamers are different, mmo is pretty much a dead genre for a reason. However my time in eq showed me, when used right, the internet truly is a great thing that can connect people from all over the world of all ages and truly let them bond ego to ego in a way you just can't do in real life because of well, the distractions that come with real life. Eq was truly the perfect example of how we can use the internet to essentially mind meld with one another and get lost in virtual reality and in a way be are truth authentic selves that no matter how much you try, you can never quite be who you truly want to be in real life, but in eq, you could really just be you, what ever that was, you could be you and you knew everyone else was there being themselves as well. No greater community has ever existed or will ever exist again, it really was the perfect marriage of time and place and if you were lucky enough to be there, then you were lucky enough to experience a true utopia that will stay with you the rest of your life.

Great Recap and Thank you for making this video. Brought back so many memories and I have never found a game nor be as addicted to game as I was to EverQuest in 2000.

No game can compare to Everquest. The memory of having 100+ players race another equally large guild to claim the spawn of whatever, in this case the I believe it was the ring of scale. The named dragons inside the dragon temple in Velious. Getting to see the entrance to the Plane of Mischief inside the temple and actually go in just to see it.

I started playing in September of 1999. Happened to go to Best Buy one day to buy some Sierra games so I could get free trials for sierra’s The Realm and saw it sitting on the shelf. Bought it for 59.99 with the original primes strategy guide, went home, installed it, and the rest is history. Such good times. I was 13 and had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with. EQ played a major part of molding me into the person I am today. The community was amazing and nothing will ever match it. It was just the right place at the right time. I still play today, but have much less time anymore. Mostly just running around reliving the good old days and getting revenge spanking giants in karana or wiping blackburrow out in 5 minutes.

I played many MMOs. EQ is the only one I remember having specific adventures with. First time in Befallen, Unrest, Guk. Getting to the bottom of them and the fear of dying was amazing. First time running from Freeport to Qeynos. First time I killed a giant and a griffin. Also that time I outDPSed everyone in Najena and got Jboots after being there for only an hour. Getting that sick flowing black robe. Or the fungi tunic for my lizard monk. I can't wait for Pantheon.

Man, I miss EQ. I was in one of the later betas. No MMO has sucked me in since EQ died. I wish they'd update it and relaunch. Just hearing the orignal MIDI music gives me chills.

Still go back to P99 sometimes. The game design and concepts are still some of the best ever made. The design that players needed each other to improve their experience beyond gear is a concept that's long lost it seems. I loved the game so much I became a Guide for 2 years. Bristlebane Server. The Halfling High Dive Event still has pics of the event on Allakhazam =D

RIP Brad. Thank you for 20+ years of gaming and the friends made cause of it.

Good vid. Snappy pace and good coverage. Nice to honour Brad with a mention of his passing. Should maybe have mentioned he was working on another MMORPG: Pantheon Rise of the Fallen. He never stopped pursuing his passion.

Great video. I was there in 1999 on day 1, and I'm still playing EQ2 today. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.

That opening music gives me chills all the time.

Great video! My first taste of EQ was in Project99, and even though the game is way past its heyday, I still found it extremely charming and fun. A big plus, no.... A HUGE PLUS I'd like to give the game, is its slower gameplay and dangerous world. Games nowadays, especially MMOs, focus on going fast and consuming content like crazy, while in EQ makes more trivial tasks feel rewarding. The slower gameplay allows me to just camp a few spawn locations while doing some reading or work while I wait for them to respawn. It's an odd sensation to not feel rushed in an MMO, and just take in the world and have fun at your own pace

Great video on a great game. I met my wife on EverQuest. Changed my life for sure. We played EQ for 4 years and EQ2 for 8 years. I haven't been able to fill in the void of this game but the memories and experiences will be with me forever.

Great recap video. I started on Vallon Zek day one - it was a helluva rush. Ended up on Sullon Zek when EQ merged the Zek's. Great game. RIP Brad.

Pantheon is the next Brad McQuaid game he was working on and its progressing nicely. Look it up

Can’t believe I’ve been playing this game for 21 years! Greatest game ever in my books!

I remember when me and my buddies discovered EQ in 99’...we were still on Dial up...we were hooked..for years

I had been trying to find the name of the game "Cyberstrike" for a LONG, LONG time. No one seemed to know what I was talking about. Thank you so much for this lol.

This was seriously a well made video. Congrats! Keep up the good work and you'll grow this channel well!

I still have the Fires of Heaven bookmark in my browser.

What a great game! I still have more fond memories of the time I spent in Norrath than any other game. Percevall Pureheart Paladin of Marr Povar server....1999-2004

Great vid. There's so few good quality videos on Everquest

Still playing, still learning, love the game and your history of it video. Thanks

Great video. There's a strange lack of classic EverQuest history/preservation videos on RU-vid so you're doing the lord's (Nagafen) work. Subscribed.

Nothing has ever come close to the level of sheer amazement I felt when I first logged into EverQuest, in the tree city of Kelethin. It has been a favourite memory of mine ever since. Only thing that sucks about the TLPs is new Freeport which is trash.

Very well done. Thank you, sir. The memories of EQ in it's initial years stay with me to this day. I greatly appreciate your in depth research and reporting of this influential and important part of pc gaming.

People forget about The Realm Online, which pre-dates Everquest and is STILL running to this day. Due to messy programming though, not many updates have been done to the game.

EQ absolutely captivated me. It's still the greatest game I have ever played. My dad bought me the EQ Trilogy and I remember waiting what seemed like years for it to come in the mail. When I finally got the game, it needed to update and it took 4 days on my 56k connection. My friend would call me on the phone and tell me what he was doing in game and where he was at and I would look at the maps in the user manual and try to imagine what he was seeing.

Awesome job on the history. I thought I knew most of it but I was surprised on how much I missed. I played EQ from around 2000-2004 and play P99 off and on since 2010.

Love this video. I played this game a month after it launched from Singapore and had to get the Voodoo card put in at a time. I took my computer it was an HP and got a shop to put it in. As long as I live and as long as my memory holds,( getting a bit old here) I will never forget the first time I logged into this game and saw Surefall Glades. It was magical and no game has come close to the wonder of Everquest that first year I played. Thank you for this video.

I could write a book about all my adventures in EQ. I have a dozen friends now I met in that game. I miss it.

best mmorpg ever period.

This is a great vid, very well made. My first MMO was Everquest and this takes me right back. I subbed and checked your list of videos. It surprised me how few there were, since this one looks so polished. I had assumed you had been making videos like this for a long time. Thanks! Oh, and, Saryrn4life

Great video. Thanks for putting this all together.

Wonderful video, very informative all the way, great work!! You are keeping track of the history! Good deed. Regards from Moscow :)

Great documentary. I really enjoyed re-reading that snapshot of Lum's writing 22 years later!

Wow, I thought that I needed to listen to plane of knowledge music after watching this and you actually included a bit at the end... amazing.

What a legendary piece of history in the industry. It's a shame I was too young to experience Everquest in it's prime.

Everquest’s biggest weakness and its most unique feature, was how hopelessly useless it was to have more than one of certain class in your 80 man raid group. My first character was a Druid- excellent solo character but I found out later that they were abysmal for raiding, and the top guilds on my server had no room for me. I still remember my friend who had leveled with his Cleric, getting the invite to one of the top guilds, and I was iced out based upon my class selection months earlier. All that being said, it’s still such an important game and one of my favorites in my gaming history.

Thanks for such a great video!

Loved this. Never knew the back story before. Well done!

I played mostly project 1999 but even then the music from the intro is so iconic. Thanks for this great vid!

This takes me back! Thank you!

Everquest 1 was great in it’s day. I was there. One of the greatest games I ever played, I wish it was still popular.

Man, you're content is great! Thank you.

First time my guild went into Plane of Fear in early 2000.... we had a 7 hour corpse recovery session.. THAT was Everquest, baby!! I remember seeing a lvl 50 Cleric account selling on Ebay... 40 bids, and it was up to $3600 with 4 days left.... Crazy times.. but that was Everquest!

Thank you for this video, the great presentation made it feel like an actual journey through time!

You gotta do one about Asheron's Call. I miss and love that game.

Thanks for the flashbacks. Anyone remember the Salvation guild on E Marr server? I was Kallisare Trueheart the tanking paladin.

Thanks for this video, loved it! Really took me back to lots of mid 90’s stuff like shareware on my monthly PC mags 😂 EQ is hands down my most enjoyable and memorable gaming to this day ❤️

I was pretty young when it came out as I was born in 93 but I still got to play it a bit because my dad played it. Between playing it and watching my dad play it it started my love for MMOs. Good times. Things were simple then.

Great coverage of a pivotal game for me. Thanks for this!

I still remember getting a copy from Best Buy on launch day after school. Was so hyped and so lost.

Ahh good times! Server first kills of Nagafen and Vox when they were unitemized... Leading and coordinating 72 person raids with no voice chat - we learned to type quickly! XP loss on death, I remember my monk going from level 50 to level 45 on one nasty PoFear break in... Ending up too low level to use the portal to try and reenter the zone.

Very nice stroll down memory lane. Some fascinating info here. Thanks so much for your hard work!

I think the simplicity and low key feeling of Everquest and both the times that we lived in when it came out were key in the fun, also community and being more sociable in RL... I think having lost that we have lost the chance to have another EQ.... we will probably just have something like Pantheon for people who remember that and want to experience it again picking up a few people along the way. EQ was the best game I ever played, and EQ 2 was pretty good too. No game ever hits me with such memory and nostalgia and WOW I REMEMBER THAT than when I see stuff from EQ like getting buffed at orc hill lift in kelethin or crush bone and stuff I enjoyed your video a lot! Very good job. Would be cool to see more EQ content of this quality from time to time from you so I sub'd

love the images and research you did. it strikes me as pretty amazing how quickly the mmo genre progressed from about 1999-2004.

thanks for making this!

Great video man!

I'll never again experience anything in a video game like I did that first time I walked out of Felwithe on my level 1 High Elf Paladin into Greater Faydark.

Really well done video there. I am still a subscriber for EQ since 99. No other game has since captured the sense of community we had in that game. You needed help from others to even progress yourself, so, if you were rude or otherwise an ass you either fixed the problem or found another game to play. I kind of miss that. Way fewer chaos entities in the player base.

Rip McQuaid an absolute legend that brought an escape of reality and adventures to be remembered for decades by millions ❤️

I just want to say, i started Everquest 1st May 1999, and I will never forget the first months.

The only game till this day that requires a poopsock.

Great entry about a truly paradigm-changing entry, EQ!

Very informative video, interesting all the way through. I’ve never played EverQuest but I remember seeing the box art when I was a kid wishing I could play it.

Great documentary. Thanks for this.

Damn good video, you deserve more views. Never had a chance to play the game myself since my parents wouldn't pay for a monthly subscription lol but it's good to get the info on all the preceding influences and the press coverage at the time. For some reason seeing people's first impressions of something over 20 years ago fascinates me. I would love to see a similar recap of the ultima or quest for glory.

Great video, I really enjoyed it.

Great video, looking forward to more. Subbed.

Pantheon: Rise of The Fallen is an MMORPG currently in development with the same vision as EQ. Brad Mcquaid worked on it before his unfortunate death.

You kick ass dude. Ty for the video.

Great video! I watched another History of EQ by the NPC guys and yours is miles better. Not only is it better detailed and more well researched, the NPC vid had the wrong photo up in part one for Steve Clover, which wasn't even corrected til part two. Didn't have any sources either, and stole a bunch of footage from p1999 without really crediting them in the video. I play classic EQ on p1999 and was impressed you mentioned them at the end of your vid. Really great video.

Such good memories made in that game. Many friends made also :) Miss Butcher block and falling off the wood elf ramps LOL

Thanks for the flashback 😎

One of the better "history of eq" videos... well done.

The best thing about Everquest was/is the music. It's akin to mario brothers in regards to how it brings so many emotions and memories back from those days when I played in 1999. I still play this game with my original character from June of 1999.

Dang I was 4 when this game came out. Ive been trying to learn more about it since it shaped alot of the games I play today. Good video

Great video! I played MUDs UO and EQ back in the 90s. A cool little look back into the past.