As this is a MMORPG, your gameplay will center around the development of your character. Before your character's adventures can begin to unfold, however, you'll have to create him or her. You get to choose from 10 races: Barbarian, Dark Elf, Dwarf, Elf, Erudite, Gnome, Halfling, Humans (Eastern and Western) and Troll. You can play as any of 14 different classes, each with their own requirements, advantages and disadvantages: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Enchanter, Magician, Monk, Necromancer, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Shadowknight, Shaman, Warrior and Wizard. Mind you, each race has its own set of classes that they can choose from. As for personalization, when you're creating your character, you get to choose from four different faces, four different hairstyles, four different hair lengths (bald, short, medium and long) and eight different hair colors, depending on race. Then, name your character (with a yet unused name) and choose a server to play on and 'voila!' you're ready to start adventuring!
As a new adventurer, you will begin your story (and your game) right where you need to be. Talking to the NPC characters in your vicinity and taking note of who they are will help you out quite a bit as you proceed. You will be assigned a (very) mundane task as your first quest. Don't worry, the quests will get a bit more intricate as the game goes on. The idea here is to get you used to how the game plays. (NOTE: If your first quest DOESN'T seem ridiculously easy, take a second look at it - you might be reading it wrong or you may have overlooked someone important in your area. The first quest is always ridiculously easy.)
Your early adventures will be simple quests indeed, interspersed with a bit of 'varmint' hunting - seems pest control is a much needed and lucrative enterprise in Norrath. Not only will you be building up your fighting skills and your experience, but you can loot the corpses of your fallen enemies and sell things such as bat wings, eyes of newt, etc. to merchants in town for a quick buck or two. Be forewarned - the further you venture from the relative safety of civilization, the more dangerous your enemies are likely to be. When in over your head, it's always best to have friends; there's safety in numbers, you know.
In addition to the run-of-the-mill slaying of mythical beasts and seeking rare treasures, there's now the extremely exciting ability to do day-to-day things such as fishing and jewelry making, with new trade skills in Everquest Online Adventures - introduced as an update to the game, you can now learn non-violent types of behavior and can advance through levels. This allows you to develop characters that aren't so 'one dimensional' and make them interesting - as well as give you something to do other than run around killing things.
