Can't remember where I saw the ad, but after being away from EQ for a solid 14 years I thought I'd give it a try. Like most veteran players, I was a little disappointed in how much easier the game has become. However, what I enjoyed most about EQ remains intact--being able to group with some pretty cool players. The camaraderie is still there, in other words, and the player base still retains some of the old veterans from 1999. This is what I still appreciate about EQ. Reinstalling the game was a nostalgic journey. You can tell who the veterans are because they go to zones like the Common Lands and Freeport, zones which are now ghostlands. They're trying to recapture those same feelings that they had when the game first debuted. Reinstalling the game brought back all of the good memories and I could feel its magic working last night. Healing your merc with complete heal when he has 2% life is quite a feat, but I pulled it off like a boss. But then came the game crash, the website dysfunction, and now the game will not even go to the log screen most of the time. Even when it does, it gives a list of errors, none of which I understand. I would love to play with a real subscription, but occurrences like this make me skeptical. Oh well, at least it was worth reinstalling, even if only to momentarily capture those tenuous nuances of emotion, camaraderie, and challenge. Thank you EQ for bringing back the fun and the memories!

Here is a temporary work around:

Start> Run> Type in ipconfig/flushdns

Then:

Start>All Programs>Accessories>Notepad - Right click - Run As Administrator

File.Open

C:\Windows\Windows32>System32>Drivers>etc>Hosts

At the bottom, copy this and paste it there:

64.37.171.24 lp.soe.com
64.37.170.20 lvs-recap-01.station.sony.com
64.37.169.11 manifest.patch.station.sony.com
69.174.202.136 account.station.sony.com
64.37.171.32 assets.soe.com
63.140.62.141 smetrics.soe.com
64.37.171.29 auth.station.sony.com
64.37.171.22 planetside2.com
64.37.171.22 www.planetside2.com
64.37.171.45 everquest2.com
64.37.171.45 www.everquest2.com
93.184.215.248 eq2.patch.station.sony.com
64.37.171.39 census.soe.com
64.37.171.15 data.soe.com

Then save it.

Now you should be able to log into EQ2 using the launcher.

they didn't pay for their website and they didn't renew it. they are in the process of getting it back now, but it will take awhile to fix the dns and server issues.

It seems that something has gone badly wrong as access to EQ2 and any of their sites is not happing now. I have looked through and seen other info sites where people are posting they are also unable to access the game or any sites as well. :(