Not being a raider doesn't exclude you from "end game" which EQ2 has almost always been good about. If you reach max level and join heroic groups (dungeons) regularly you can amass a full suit of quality gear. Dungeons are 6-man and range in difficulty from entry-level heroics to 'hard mode' heroics. There are also contested zones in this expansion which are dungeons that have respawning bosses/monsters where multiple independent groups can be mucking around in. In this expansion there are new "Event" heroics which are shorter versions of dungeons that focus around one gimmick in a secluded area. They're faster and usually give better (but less) loot.
That's the non raider end game. If you're into raiding and join a progression guild, all it means is you tackle a harder version of those dungeons which require 24 players coordinating over microphones. They're all pretty much the same settings, but the bosses are MUCH more difficult to overcome and usually require that everyone is paying close attention. But not everyone is into that. The token system they have in place lets you transition from hard 6-man dungeons into entry-level raiding (or hard mode raiding if the guild is vetted and willing to gear you up). And if you never want to raid you can still experience most of what the expansion has to offer.
Long answer to a short question. I think it boils down to what you consider end game.
Unfortunately the crafting isn't as involved as it used to be. Sure.. vanilla crafting was a little convoluted. You had to forge the hilt, pommel, blade, and cross-guard of a sword which all required smaller bits before you made the sword, and if you fucked up on any step you damaged the quality of the final product. This made "mastercrafting" with rare materials pretty intensive as the crafting wasn't just press 3 buttons repeatedly, get good result. That's what it is now. Press 3 buttons repeatedly, pay little to no attention. It's sad.
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Topic: Everquest II: Altar of Malice (11th expansion!) (Read 1277 times)