EverQuest II Previews

A couple of new previews have emerged for Sony's EverQuest II, both of which are based on the current beta test. The first is at ActionTrip:
Following an introduction to the basic game elements, our small ship sailed into port and I was instructed by the captain to talk to the dock master. In the process of introducing myself to him, I was able to choose which career path I was going to follow. I was given the choice of the normal list of adventure schools such as priest, warrior and mage, but I also had the chance to designate myself solely as an artisan. It is said that there are forty eight different classes to choose from but at this point I had only four at my disposal. After setting Dastrene on the path of a Priest and receiving instruction from the dock master to see if they needed any help in town, I made my way into the fishing village. As I made my way into the center of the village, I caught bits of conversation between NPC's who were going about their business or merchants trying to get my attention to come look at their wares. I have to admit; the voice overs make a much bigger impact and add so much more to the game world than just seeing lines of conversation spill out on the chat window as it does in other games.

And the second is at My Guy Games:
Combat is more or less the same as before, but with the welcome addition of locking on a target. No longer can anyone steal a kill from you as once you attack, that monster is your problem to finish off. Gone are the days of power leveling. Another change in combat is the addition of heroic opportunities. Rather than sit back and watch the fight, you can complete certain actions in order to be rewarded with a special attack. These events are triggered by performing various tasks in combat, and the reward being a special attack or combat buff. For example, with a Warrior, you would use three of your abilities in succession starting with Kick, followed by Wild Swing, and ending with Taunt to create a heroic opportunity attack of Arcane Fury. These can prove to be a huge help and encourage group members to work together to accomplish them. They are also available for the solo hunt as well. The heroic opportunities are a huge addition to EverQuest II's combat system and should be a powerful tool.