Common(lands) – Weekly Zone Review #1
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A look at the West Freeport gates, fairly ominous from way back here
Clockwork Gamer called a few people out to write up a review of their weekly selected zone. Of course I was pleased as punch, and I’ll continue to do so every week – I think it’s a great idea even if it is just here on my little blog. You can find the link to their post here, and of course maybe you’ll get as addicted to the site as I am. Fairly sure I check it a few times every day even if there are no posts. Commonlands was their first pick. I have to admit, I shuddered slightly when I saw which zone was selected. Of all the zones out there, this is probably one of my least favorite, ranking right up there with Thundering Steppes and a little above Nektulos Forest.
The Commonlands are home to 118 quests. 10 of those are Far Seas Requisitions which drop in chests and don’t actually use the zone, 10 others are random drops from the zone, a few are from examining items, and the majority (as it is with any zone) are from NPC. Adventurers ranging from level 5-25 can find their way through this zone with little difficult– wait, wait. No. Lets be honest here. This zone can be frustrating for a new time player. I spent a lot of time here, and if it wasn’t for the help of Eq2maps, eq2wikia, and the blessing of my track, I’d have spent a lot more then a few simple hours running around. Of course it did bring back wonderful memories of my first jump into EQ2, but lets face it, with zones like Kelethin and the (amazing might I add) Darklight Wood, why even bother any more unless you’re a fanatic quester.
That’s what it comes down to. The quest rewards for Commonlands are sorely lacking in comparison to the newer starter zones out there. It’s unavoidable of course when you release new content. The quests make you run from one end of the zone to the other (for the most part) in search of some elusive mob/node/npc/location that you have to search forever for. Unless you’re blessed with track and a wealth of knowledge you’re going to be there a while. I actually make it a point to start my characters some place else to get their first few levels and then work back to the Commonlands at a later date. There are a few named who give aa, but there’s nothing unique about the zone. I found very few broken quests and that was nice at least. There are quite a few zones that lead off of CL, and they have added things over time like the quest called “The Secret Valley” which leads to an instance in Commonlands. A few quests are miss-tagged as solo but require heroic content, that happens in pretty much every older zone though.
I suppose my biggest issue is the fact that the Commonlands is a HUGE zone, but a lot of the space is wasted. Everything is spread so far out. I understand that this is the look of the zone and it should be this way, but I always wished there was a better way to implement and not loose the feel. I know I keep comparing it to Darklight Wood, but it’s because it’s the newest starter zone out there. You’ll rarely loot an item or a piece of gear in Commonlands that you would actually want to wear. In a comparison, the level 14 gear from Darklight Wood, is far superior to the level 19-ish gear from Commonlands. It’s better off sold to transmuters.
If it sounds like I’m coming down hard on the zone, I suppose that I am. If you’re a new player to the game and have never experienced any of the other beginner zones before you may find this one just fine. If quests are your thing, again you’ll probably love it here although it will take you a good portion of your day to make progress in the quests. Does that mean the zone has absolutely nothing to offer players? No, of course not. The design of the zone is still pretty. It’s great to look out across the land as the sun is setting. The Greater Lightstone Heritage quest has been revamped and every named you need is practically always up now, a change I disliked since it just made things far too simple. Access was removed some time ago for Fallen Gate, and I also disliked that. I miss the way you had to work to gain entry to a zone, now it’s just handed to you on a silver platter. There’s also a high teens instance in the graveyard close to the entrance of the sprawl, that doesn’t require access any longer. If you like that stuff, you’ll love the Commonlands. I still stick with my Darklight Wood zone though for any of my evil characters.
Did You Know:
- Rilkrik at the Crossroads works as the Supplies Officer, and sells treasured and eventually legendary shoes based on your destroyer of orc count
- The Greater Lightstone heritage quest starter is now no-trade, but the wisp who drops it is typically up
- Mooshga gives the best quests around, she’s outside the WFP gates