If there’s one single quest I had to pinpoint as being absolutely essential to have completed at any level, it has got to be “To Speak as a Dragon”. This quest was released when EQ2 first came out way back when, and has been used in every single expansion in key quests all over Norrath.
Lets go back in time, to when EQ2 first released and the level cap was 50. To Speak as a Dragon used to be an epic encounter just to start the quest (it’s since been changed to heroic). You needed to speak the language of giants in order to progress the very first step of the quest – and of course the most difficult aspect of all, you had to go visit Nagafen multiple times in Solusek’s Eye to progress it.
Solusek’s Eye has changed a LOT since release. It was an “end game” zone, and the mobs saw through invisibility. That means to even get to this quest (after picking it up) you needed a full group. It would take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to clear your way down to Nagafen’s lair (remember, this is before the times of any gate potions, veteran rewards, or call of the hero) and there was no short cut port to skip the cave area.
Since that time things have changed. You can bypass a lot of the walking, especially if you know a friend who may be close by that you can port to. The mobs are gray, and while the annoyance of running all over Norrath for updates hasn’t changed, getting around Norrath certainly has.
So why am I doing this quest?
As I said, it’s the “key” quest in pretty much every expansion. You needed it for Prismatic 1.0 (Darathar raid anyone?) you needed it for Claymore. Soulfire. Multiple deity quests (one in specific where you have to speak to Wooshi in an instanced version of Emerald Halls). You need it to convert your mythical weapon into a buff – which is why I’m currently doing it.
Nagafen is one of the most imposing dragons EQ2 has to offer, and the zones leading up to Nagafen’s Lair are absolutely stunning. Everything from Lavastorm, to Solusek’s Eye, to Nagafen’s Lair screams of molten lava and pain. Or maybe that’s just for me, because I have such fond memories of doing my prismatic 1.0. Back when we did x4 raids for legendary weapons and thought they were the best thing since sliced bread.
I really miss those days.
To sneak by them you can walk right up the center where the sign is and neither one will agro. Since they both see through invis this is what I had to do in order to get it in Freeport on the paladin. It’s doable. :)
okay, someone needs to enlighten me as to how to get past the L95 gargoyles that see through invis in front of the tower in freeport, because i can’t see how on earth a L80 is supposed to finish this quest, much less a L50.
I just did this quest for 3 of my alts so I could continue the Epic repercussions quest line, I must say, it was not a fun 4 hours.
I’ve done this quest on most of my toons (and I have 12), and I find it to be an annoying pain each time. :-(
Totally agree on the grandeur of Sol’s Eye, though.
I did this quest twice. And I have to say, I don’t know if I would have finished it even once, had I to find every single one of the runes by myself. I started playing EQ2 shortly after the release of Rise of Kunark, so I never really had to fight my way through Solusek’s Eye.
Nevertheless, this is one of the quests I will never forget. The first time I did it on my Fury in preparation for the last step of the Tunare questline. It was a great way to visit all the places I had not really seen since then, being shown around by more experienced guild members.
The second time, I was just made an officer of the guild and put in charge of tending to our new recruits, I invited several guild members new to EQ2 to follow me on this journey. It was a very fun weekend and I just loved being able to play the tour guide.
So .. very fond memories of this particular quest, even though I never did it as it was “meant to be”.
Don’t forget you can always get summoned there by a buddy! There are multiple ways of doing this even without the call of the vet. rewards, like orbs that are quest rewards in Lavastorm (for Deep Forge quests), and tinkered items, and racial abilities.
/start bitter old crone mode
Yep, it’s essential. And sadly, it’s one I’m not likely to do, ever, on any character. I just can’t take those glass walkways and drops in to the lava. Oh yes, I’ve tried. 5 times so far for the Dragon one — I’ve had to drop Tunare as my deity because I can’t speak to Wushi. To say I’m frustrated and bitter about this would probably be an understatement.
The only way I’m ever going to make it to where I need to be is if the spousal unit sits and the controls and moves my char — and I haven’t quite lost my pride to that extent yet. Vertigo sucks.
The Kingdom of Sky Overrealm zones are another place I very, very rarely go. I’ve got quests up there, but they’re unlikely to ever get finished.
Needless to say, I’m not a huge fan of Odus’ design either. Freaking floating in mid-air freaking design fad for freaking MMOs. /sigh
/end bitter mode
On the other paw, I’m glad you like the place. ;)