Travel in Norrath

               ==Overview==
As the world of Everquest 2 has grown, so have the modes of transportation you can choose. There is travel throughout to world using of intra-zone (from one zone to another) and inter-zone travel (travel within various regions within a single zone). This guide will provide you with a basic understanding of the many travel options you have as well as, describe the types of personal transportation you can use, like mounts. It will ''not'' cover abilities or spell-based travel like the Call to the Guild Hall. Once you have a basic understanding of the various modes and types of travel in Everquest 2, it's much easier to locate and use them as your journey continues. 

:'''Note:''' for those who chose to play on the Time-locked expansion (TLE) servers many of these travel options may '''not''' be available yet and/or may '''never''' be available (e.g. no flight on the PvP TLE server). Access to zones and travel is based on the expansions added to those servers as well as server-specific rule sets aimed at capturing the nostalgia some players have for older game mechanics. In some cases, different mechanics may apply to TLE servers too; for example, mounts on the TLE servers have slower, varied speeds. See the [[Server Types]] page for more details on travel and other TLE-only limitations. 

In essence, it can be said there are three modes of transportation you will use to travel:<br>
*'''Personal travel''' is any type of transportation that you must equip to use, like a mount or charm, and spells that can be cast for travel. <br>
*'''Instant travel''' is any mode of travel in which you see a loading screen when you leave one zone and enter a different one (often referred to as "zoning"). This is typically done by clicking on an object in the world like a bell, portal, or globe.<br> 
*'''Automated travel''' is any mode of travel that you do not need to steer and during which you do not need to worry about enemies attacking you. In most cases, this happens after you hail an NPC in a zone and choose a location to travel to within a zone.

==Mounts==
[[File:Character_Window_Mounts_Tab.jpg|thumb|Any mount you get will appear in the Mounts tab of the Character Window. Press C to open the Character window. ]]
Mounts are personal mode of travel. When you get a mount, it will automatically appear in the Mounts tab of your character sheet. In order to equip a mount, you must open the Character window (press C to open it) and drag the icon of the mount you want to use into the equip slot. After it's equipped you will summon the mount using the saddle icon in the character sheet (an ability you can also drag to a hotbar for easy access). 
:You have the freedom to choose an appearance for your mount my dragging a of the same category into the appearance slot to the right of the equip slot. Many mounts provide stat bonuses for adventure or tradeskills, but (like all [[Appearance|appearance-slot gear]]) you will only get the benefit of the stats when they are equipped in the normal gear slot. 
====Four Mount Categories====
While the look of mounts varies, there are four categories that serve different purposes. This is due in part to the way zones have been designed over the years; some have greater height (like a ceiling in a real house) than others. For example, [[The City of Freeport]] and [[Qeynos]] still have a low height limit, even after major updates to them. All mount types will function like ground mounts in areas where their use is limited by zone "ceilings". All mounts have a level requirement for use.  
*'''Ground''' mounts are any mount that never leaves the ground level when you travel over the terrain. The are some situations in which you can not use them; generally this applies to areas like dungeons and you will automatically dismount on entry, but for the most part, ground mounts can be used in any larger zone within the game. You can use a ground mount beginning at level 1. 
*'''Leapers''' (or leaping mounts) are any type that allows you to jump extremely high in the air to cross great distances and are often used to get past chasms or leap up the ridges of mountains. You can use a leaper mount beginning at level 30.
*'''Gliders''' operate in a manner not unlike a hang glider in the real world. When you go off the edge of a cliff or ledge of any kind, they glide through the air and require special attention to steering in order to use them effectively. You can use a glider mount beginning at level 60. 
*'''Flying''' mounts do exactly what the name implies. They allow you to fly through zones which are designed for flight. While they can be used in some of the zones that were added with early game expansions, their use is typically used in newer zones. You can use a flying mount beginning at level 85.<br>
[[File:Nightmare_Flight_Wings_(Equipped).png|thumb|152px|An example of a Station Cash flight "mount" in the form of wings.  ]]
There are many ways to get mounts in EQ2. 
*You can buy many from a [[Horse Merchant]] (with normal plat, gold and silver) in most zones with player [[Housing|housing]]
*By completing various quests (listed in a section below)
*From numerous faction merchants (like [[Koros Splinterlimb]])
*By using the /claim command in-game to get [[Veteran's Rewards]] or from buying certain game expansions
*With special currencies like [[Loyalty Point Token]]s and during many seasonal events like [[Frostfell]]. 
*In some dungeons and raid zones.
*Or you can buy mounts from the [[Marketplace]] with Station Cash (real-world money).

====Mount Speed====
How fast fast you can travel on a mount varies by the category and how they are being used.
*''Due to the user-edited nature of this wiki, the run speeds info for many mounts may not reflect the standardization of speeds that was implemented in recent years''.
*All mounts of the same category have the same speed boosts. In other words, all mounts designed for ground use now have the same speed (in the past it varied), all leapers run at the same rate and leap the same distance, and so on for all categories. 
*While all mounts can be used at the ground level, those ''not'' designed specifically for ground use reduce in speed somewhat when used on the ground. That means that a flying mount that normally provides a 150% speed boost when in flight will only increase your ground speed by 75%. This provides players with the option to use a mount with a slightly slower mount speed when needed. For example, while exploring a region you're unfamiliar with, you may not want to rush by as fast as you would while flying, making the reduced speed preferable. 
*The good news is that you can have multiple mounts, so you can switch between them based on what you're doing too. You can even choose to ride one mount, while having another one for appearance; this feature is useful if you've outgrown the other stats on a mount (like those for increased defense or spell casting) but still wish to show off the look of that older mount. For more on how this works see the article on [[Appearance|appearance gear]].

===Mount Quests===
As you progress in your adventure or tradeskill, you'll encounter several quests that reward you with mounts you can use at that level. At the end of this page, a small gallery with examples of each type is shown. <br><br>
'''This is not an comprehensive list of ways to obtain mounts, but rather a list of some quests all players will typically encounter if they tend to complete content in zones as the progress through game-play.''' 
====Obtaining Ground Mounts====
When you first begin your adventure in the lands of Norrath, your only mode of travel is on foot. As you progress to level 20 you can do a quest for you first mount, a horse that matches the theme of the city you chose when you created the character. Below is a list of starting zones you were able to choose from, with the final quest from a series that must be completed to get your first mount.  
:The [[New Halas]] quest series culminates with [[Sometimes You Feel Like a Knut]]. 
:The [[Kelethin]] quest series culminates with [[Corruptor Thurizil (Quest)]]
:The [[Neriak, City of Hate]] quest series culminates with [[Collecting the Spirits]] 
:The [[Gorowyn]] quest series culminates with [[Frazykyr]]<br>

At level 50, you can begin a [[Sinking Sands Timeline#Carpet series|Carpet quest]]. It ''looks'' like a flying carpet, but it is actually a ground mount that hovers above the ground. "Flying" carpets do have a very useful feature that regular ground mounts do not.  They "reduce the maximum falling speed of the caster", which means you never reach a dangerous vertical velocity and thus can "leap" from ''any'' height without taking falling damage.  This is not only fun but highly useful in many places.

====Obtaining Leaper Mounts====
Around level 30, any player can get a leaper mount in [[Butcherblock Mountains]] by completing a series of quests.
*For those who take up a tradekill, the final quest in the series is [[Over Their Heads]].
*If you prefer to complete the adventure series the final quest is [[Leaping to Conclusions]].

====Obtaining a Glider Mount====
Around level 60 any player can go to [[Tenebrous Tangle]] and complete quests for a glider mount.
*Those who take up a tradeskill will begin a series of quests by speaking with [[Darga Fleetpaw]]. 
*The quest series for those who prefer adventure begins with [[Ferwah Shieldwall]].

====Obtaining Flying Mounts====
[[Great Divide]] offers 2 quest series that give flying mounts after a few simple quests, then some daily "training" sessions. There are separate (but similar in difficulty) lines for adventurers and tradeskillers. 86+ in your respective profession is needed to start either line. Both are completable if you qualify for both.
* The adventure series in [[Great Divide]] starts with [[Border Defense]] with [[Billie]], leading to [[Norbu]].
* The tradeskilling series starts with [[Gnomish Gnegotiations]] with [[Aggi Stonefist]], leading to [[Capru]].
:*Both [[Fae (Character Race)|Fae]] and [[Arasai (Character Race)|Arasai]] characters can do a special quest for a flight ability, [[Blessing of Xegony]].

==Common forms of Long Distance Travel==
[[File:Mariners_Bell_Freeport.jpg|thumb|122px|The look of the Mariner's Bells, used to travel within the City of Freeport. ]]
[[File:City_Teleportation_Pads_All.png|thumb|122px|Top row: Neriak and Kelethin's teleoprt pads. Bottom: the teleport pad style for Gorowyn. ]]
===Within Most Cities===
The look of both the Globe of Swift Travel and the Mariner's Bells essentially remains the same, regardless of the zones you find them in. They are most commonly near a dock, though they do exist in some locations away from water. You will find these in most cities near starting zones and on the docks of the zones they are used to travel to and from. Most of these are instant travel and when you use them you will usually see a loading screen as you pass from one zone to another. 
*[[Globe of Swift Travel]]
*[[Mariner's Bell]]
:Cities like Neriak and Kelethin use (city) Teleoptaion Pads that must be right clicked before you select a region within the city to travel to. Gorowyn only has two of these and you simple run over them to teleport from the bottom of the ramp to the top (near the housing, banker, and broker). Because teleportation pads are used in smaller zones, like newer cities, they do not usually have a loading screen or wait.  
*Teleporatation Pads (the look of all three city teleportation pads is shown on the right).

*Travel to all [[Housing|player housing]] has been greatly simplified. For details on how to quickly and easily travel to player housing see the article on the [[Housing & Leaderboards]] window.  

===Within Most Zones===
[[image:Ulteran Spires.jpg|right|thumb|122px|The look of most Ulteran Spires.]]
[[Image:Druid Ring.jpg|right|thumb|122px|The look of most Druid Rings]]
*[[Globe of Swift Travel]] is frequently found within zones as well, because it is used to travel to and from so many locations. Again, it is most frequently a link to zones that can be said to be on "normal" land and continents. 
:The following are commonly located deeper within zones (though a few are near docks as well) and they are typically used to reach any zone that floats like an island in the sky (Overrealms) or higher level zones that exist in other planes of reality. In addition, they can be used to reach locations in many zones on the "normal" landmasses also found on the Globe of Swift Travel, but you will be deeper within the zone; for example, you can travel to [[Enchanted Lands]] from [[Darklight Wood]] using the druid ring. Generally, only one is located within a given large zone, rather than behaving like a linked network within a zone.  
*[[Ulteran Spires]] 
*[[Druid Rings]]

===Automatic travel===
[[File:A_Nomadic_Carpet_Keeper.png|thumb|122px|In order to fly on a Magic Carpet, you must hail NPCs simply named "a nomadic carpet keeper" ]]
When using these modes of travel, you do not need to steer or be mindful of enemies. You do not need to own a mount in order to use these. Though the look of this varies in appearance from zone to zone, the manner in which they function is much the same. It's not uncommon for new twists on this type of travel to show up to suit the look and feel as new zones are added to the world. Listing ''every'' mode of automatic travel would be cumbersome, but the most common examples are given here to make them easy to identify as you learn to recognize them.  
====Examples of Automatic Travel==== 
*If you open your regular map while in zones with this type of travel, the common icon that will show for possible locations looks like a tiny pair of wings or a tiny horse head, even if the travel itself is not specifically one of those styles.
*In most cases there is ''not'' an unlock quest after travel updates were made. Instead, you'll usually hail a NPC, a map will open, and you'll choose a location.  
:*[[Stable Master]]s that stand on the ground, near a horse in many zones like [[Greater Faydark]] and [[Loping Plains]]
:*[[Griffin Tower]]s in numerous locations, but first introduced to players in [[Commonlands]] and [[Antonica]]. 
:*[[Magic Carpet]]s within the [[Sinking Sands]] and related zones. 
:*[[Sokokar]] in zones that were added with the [[Rise of Kunark]] expansion in zones like [[Kunzar Jungle]]
:*Within zones like [[Moors of Ykesha]] you can use steampunk-themed, hot-air balloons to get to most areas.
:*In zones like [[Paineel]] in the Sundered Frontier, you will click on a crystal to go to and from some locations or use a flying disc to get around.
:*In [[Steamfont Mountains]] via Gnomish Hovering Devices.

==Gallery of Quested Mounts==
Shown here are examples of '''quested mounts''' you can obtain via adventure or tradeskill progression. There are different looks depending on the quest. There ''are'' additional quested mounts, but one of each type is shown here for the purpose of example only.  
<gallery perrow="4">
Image:New_Halasian_Courser_Whistle.jpg|Example of a quested ground mount
Image:Scaled_Mountain_Saliraptor_(Equipped).png|Example of a quested Leaper
Image:TamedWindKomoda.png|Example of a quested Glider
Image:Boreal_Gryphon_(equipped).jpg|Example of a quested Flying mount

</gallery>