Yeah IGN did a very long paper on it and they are in love : http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/08/02/everquest-next-is-real-and-its-amazing Seems very good to me so far, even if graphics are a little bit cartoonish. But i'm hyper hyped for it so far ! Waiting for more and to put my paws on it.
Peeps are bitching to no end about the "no trinity" classes. I don't know, i quite like new ideas, i know in GW2 it was a little bit of a mess in terms of dungeon gameplay but it was more exciting than just having the tank pull everyone, keep em taunted n all, and the heal dealing with everyone. I really don't know how combat will work in EQN and i really hope that they'll get it right : challenging, rewarding, not too messy.
I agree with you on disliking the trinity I feel it's one of those things that is stifling innovation. Granted it was a bit messy in GW2 and even though they said there was no trinity most of the time it was still best to make a makeshift trinity. Most people that back it up come from games where it was simply how you played the game, like EQ and WoW. But fact is it's far from required if the game focuses on dodging and evasion watching enemy movements and such and those things are done well (which one again hasn't been done all that great in the past). That doesn't mean you can't play a tanky class but what it means is don't expect someone else to continuously take hits for you. This may lead to a bit more strategic gameplay as well for example instead of have a tank taunt the enemy you are trying to kill find a strategic vantage point where you can assist but it would be hard for said enemy to reach you. That of course only works for a melee enemy but it's something to think about.
I'll ask google: http://www.mmobomb.com/everquest-next-classes-detailed That provided pretty good answers I think. To fill in the blanks, I've heard the tier system for leveling equated to TSW's leveling where your tier in a class is dependent on the gear equipped. In that game, if you had enough tier 3 gear, you'll likely be strong enough to fight mobs for tier 4 gear. If you have enough experience you can use it to buy the proficiency to equip that next tier of gear. Just a guess that it will be similar but basically, your gear level = your class level. Being able to create your own class is really cool. That is what makes this game (and ESO) so appealing conceptually at the moment.
Even though EQ was my "first" I don't think it will be my last. I've been watching EQ next development and ESO...as of right now I have to go with ESO.
