Everquest 2 Quick Reference: Base statistics for each race

Races in EverQuest II
Race	Strength	Agility	Stamina	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Good Races
Dwarf	30	15	30	10	15	15
Fae	15	30	15	25	25	25
Froglok	20	20	20	20	20	20
Halfling	15	30	20	20	20	25
High Elf	15	25	20	30	25	25
Vah Shir	25	25	25	15	15	15
Wood Elf	15	30	20	15	25	25
Neutral Races
Aerakyn	25	30	20	20	20	15
Barbarian	25	20	25	15	20	10
Erudite	15	25	20	30	20	20
Freeblood	25	25	20	20	20	20
Gnome	15	25	15	30	25	25
Half-Elf	20	25	20	20	20	20
Human	20	20	20	20	20	20
Kerra	25	25	20	15	25	15
Ratonga	20	25	20	20	20	15
Evil Races
Arasai	20	25	15	25	25	25
Dark Elf	20	25	20	25	20	20
Iksar	20	25	20	15	25	20
Ogre	30	10	30	10	10	5
Sarnak	25	20	20	20	20	10
Troll	20	15	30	10	15	5

Everquest 2: Choosing a tradeskill class

If you’re just starting with crafting in EverQuest II (EQ2), choosing a tradeskill class can feel overwhelming. Each class specialises in making certain items, and your choice will determine what you can craft as you progress. Here's a simplified guide to help you decide.

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Understanding Tradeskills in EQ2

• What is a Tradeskill Class?
  Tradeskill classes let you craft items like gear, potions, and decorations. These classes are separate from your adventuring class and progress independently.
• How Do You Choose?
  At level 10, you select an archetype: Craftsman, Outfitter, or Scholar. At level 20, you specialise into one of nine final tradeskill classes.

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Tradeskill Classes at a Glance

The table below summarises each tradeskill class, their archetypes, and what they specialise in to help you pick the one that aligns with your interests or needs.

Archetype	Class	Specialisation	Why Choose This Class?
Craftsman	Carpenter	Furniture, house items, storage boxes	Ideal for housing enthusiasts who enjoy decorating.
	Provisioner	Food and drink for stat buffs	Great for providing consumables to support adventurers.
	Woodworker	Bows, arrows, shields, totems	Perfect for utility items like speed or invisibility totems.
Outfitter	Armorer	Plate and chain armour	Essential for crafting gear for tanks and Scouts.
	Tailor	Cloth and leather armour, bags	Suitable for outfitting Mages, Druids, and inventory needs.
	Weaponsmith	Metal weapons and crafting tools	Focused on melee weapons and tools for harvesting.
Scholar	Alchemist	Potions, poisons, cures, Fighter spells	Vital for adventurers needing consumables or spell upgrades.
	Jeweler	Jewellery, Scout spell upgrades	Combines wearable gear with Scout support.
	Sage	Mage and Priest spell upgrades	Ideal for those who want to focus on magical spell crafting.

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Tips for Choosing a Tradeskill Class

1. Think About Your Main Character:
   If you’re playing a specific class, consider a tradeskill that complements it. For example, if you’re a Mage, Sage might be useful for crafting your own spell upgrades.
2. Consider the Economy:
   Certain tradeskill classes like Provisioner, Alchemist, and Woodworker produce consumables that are always in demand, making them great for earning money.
3. Explore Housing or Utility:
   If you enjoy decorating or creating useful items, Carpenter or Woodworker may be rewarding options.
4. You Can Always Create Alts:
   Since each character can only master one tradeskill class, many players make alternate characters to cover multiple crafting needs.

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No matter which tradeskill class you choose, crafting is a rewarding and integral part of EQ2. Pick a class that aligns with your playstyle or goals, and enjoy the journey!

Everquest 2 dictionary: Stances

In EverQuest II, stances are combat modes that significantly alter a character's playstyle by adjusting offensive, defensive, or utility capabilities. They allow players to adapt to different combat scenarios and roles effectively.

Key Features of Stances

• Purpose: Stances enhance specific attributes, such as damage output, defence, or support, based on combat needs.
• Activation: They are usually toggled abilities that remain active until switched off or replaced.
• Class-Specific: Certain classes, like Fighters and Beastlords, have access to stances to customize their performance.

Examples of Stances

Fighter Stances

• Defensive Stance: Enhances survivability by boosting mitigation and threat generation while reducing offensive capabilities. Ideal for tanking.
• Offensive Stance: Increases damage output and offensive stats at the cost of reduced defence. Suitable for solo play or damage roles.

Scout Stances

• Stealth/Combat Stances: Enhance burst damage or grant abilities while in stealth mode.
• Positional Stances: Provide bonuses for attacking enemies from specific positions, like behind or to the side.

Beastlord Stances

• Feral Stance: Focuses on maximizing damage output with offensive warder abilities and primal attacks. Ideal for solo play or DPS roles in groups.
• Spiritual Stance: Balances damage with healing and utility, enabling support abilities like group heals. Perfect for hybrid or support roles.

General Effects of Stances

Stance Type	Benefits	Drawbacks
Offensive Stance	Boosts damage, accuracy, and critical chance.	Reduces defence or threat management.
Defensive Stance	Increases survivability with higher defence and resistances.	Reduces offensive stats or abilities.

Practical Tips for Using Stances

• Match the Stance to the Role: Use an offensive stance for maximum damage and a defensive stance when tanking or facing challenging opponents.
• Adapt During Combat: Swap stances mid-fight to respond to changing situations.
• Understand the Trade-offs: Balance the benefits and drawbacks of each stance to optimize performance.

Stances add strategic depth to EverQuest II, empowering players to adapt their approach to the challenges they face. Mastery of stance usage is a key skill for many classes, enhancing their effectiveness and versatility.

The Virtues of Europa Universalis IV: A Masterpiece of Strategy and History

 "What are we going to do tonight, Brain? Same thing we do every night Pinky—try to take over the world!"
– Pinky and the Brain

If you’ve ever daydreamed about world domination, Europa Universalis IV (EU4) is the game that turns that fantasy into a strategic masterpiece. Developed by Paradox Interactive, EU4 lets you take control of any nation between 1444 and 1821, offering a richly detailed world where the stakes of diplomacy, war, and economics are as high as your ambition. Whether you’re striving to build a global empire or shaping the course of history in more subtle ways, Europa Universalis IV delivers an experience unlike any other. Here are some of the virtues that make EU4 a standout in the realm of grand strategy games.

Deep and Complex Strategic Gameplay

At its core, Europa Universalis IV offers one of the most intricate and satisfying strategy experiences. Players take control of a nation and guide it through history, navigating diplomacy, warfare, economics, religion, and exploration. The game’s mechanics encourage thoughtful planning and long-term strategy over short-term tactics. Whether expanding borders through war, forging alliances, or navigating internal politics, every decision carries weight, and the consequences are often far-reaching. The depth of the gameplay encourages players to experiment with different approaches to diplomacy, war, and development, making each playthrough uniquely challenging.

Historical Immersion with Flexibility

One of the most fascinating aspects of Europa Universalis IV is how it weaves historical events and figures into its expansive game world. The game allows players to control any nation during this time period, and while it is rooted in historical events, it offers an incredible level of flexibility. Players can create their own alternate history by taking an underdog nation and guiding it to greatness or altering the course of major empires in ways that history never imagined. This balance between historical accuracy and the freedom to forge your own path is one of EU4's most compelling features, allowing both history buffs and those interested in creating their own stories to find satisfaction.

Detailed Diplomacy System

Diplomacy is the heart of EU4, and its complexity makes it one of the most rewarding aspects of the game. The game’s diplomatic system is nuanced and multifaceted, with the potential for intricate alliances, rivalries, and betrayals. Players can engage in a variety of diplomatic actions, including marriage alliances, royal marriages, coalitions, trade agreements, and even the manipulation of other nations through espionage and covert actions. The intricacy of the diplomacy system allows for a great deal of player agency and, at times, unexpected outcomes. These relationships provide rich and engaging moments throughout the game, where an alliance can mean the difference between survival and defeat, or betrayal can change the course of an entire war.

War and Military Strategy

Though diplomacy plays a central role in EU4, war is equally significant, and the game does an excellent job of blending military strategy with broader strategic considerations. The military system in EU4 allows players to manage armies, navies, and generals, and the combat mechanics require careful attention to logistics, terrain, and tactics. The game rewards players who understand the nuances of combat, such as understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different unit types, managing supply lines, and timing battles to exploit enemy weaknesses. Whether waging wars of conquest or defending borders, military strategy is central to the gameplay and a satisfying challenge for those who enjoy tactical depth.

Economic Management and Trade

The economic systems in Europa Universalis IV are equally complex, offering a rewarding challenge for players who enjoy managing resources and growing powerful economies. Players must balance trade, taxes, production, and infrastructure development while also managing the needs of their population and maintaining a stable government. The trade system is particularly intricate, with players able to control trade routes, build merchant fleets, and use strategic positioning to dominate global trade networks. Successfully managing a nation's economy can be the key to achieving military and diplomatic success, as wealth provides the resources necessary to sustain armies, influence politics, and fund development projects.

Modding Community and Expansions

Europa Universalis IV has an incredibly dedicated and passionate modding community that continuously enhances the game’s longevity and depth. Mods can completely transform the game, adding new content, mechanics, and even historical scenarios. From alternative history mods to entire new world settings, the modding community offers a never-ending variety of content that keeps the game feeling fresh and exciting. Additionally, the game has received numerous expansions and updates, each introducing new mechanics, nations, and events that further enrich the gameplay. These expansions help to keep the game relevant and dynamic, providing new challenges and opportunities with each update.

Immense Replayability

One of the key virtues of Europa Universalis IV is its incredible replayability. Given the sheer number of nations, historical events, and strategic options, no two playthroughs are ever the same. The game’s procedural nature, combined with its dynamic world system, ensures that players can enjoy countless hours of gameplay without exhausting the content. Whether it’s trying a different nation, pursuing a different victory condition, or exploring a new strategy, Europa Universalis IV has an almost infinite number of ways to play. Every decision matters, and the dynamic world always presents new challenges and opportunities that keep players engaged.

A Living, Breathing World

Finally, Europa Universalis IV excels at creating a living, breathing world that reacts to the player’s decisions. The game's AI controls every nation and plays a significant role in the flow of events. The world feels alive, with countries changing alliances, forming coalitions, waging wars, and engaging in diplomacy in response to the player’s actions. The dynamic nature of the world creates a rich, immersive experience that feels real and organic. It’s not just about executing your own plans; it's about adapting to a constantly shifting geopolitical landscape, where no two games are alike.

Conclusion

Europa Universalis IV stands as a towering example of what a grand strategy game can be. Its depth, complexity, and historical immersion provide an unparalleled experience for strategy enthusiasts. With a detailed and evolving world, intricate diplomacy, and a rewarding blend of military, economic, and political management, EU4 offers a world of endless possibilities. For anyone with an interest in history or strategy, Europa Universalis IV is not just a game—it’s an experience that invites players to step into the shoes of a ruler and rewrite history on their terms.

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