Native Client

A desktop EQOA client for Windows, Linux and macOS — by DabDavis

The native client is an open-source program that plays EverQuest Online Adventures directly on your computer, with no emulator. It is written in Rust by DabDavis and developed on GitHub at DabDavis/eqoa-rust-client-vanilla. It is an independent project, not made by the Sandstorm team, but it connects to Sandstorm just like the PlayStation 2 does, with the same accounts and characters.

Compared with an emulator it is far lighter: a single small file, no BIOS, no patching, and it starts in seconds. The game looks and plays as it did on the console, with a few additions for a PC:

Widescreen, and any frame rate your screen supports
Mouse and keyboard (WASD to walk), or any controller — every key can be remapped
Full screen (F11), a long chat history, and sortable Who and guild lists
Updates itself: when a newer build is released, it is downloaded and applied the next time you start

What you need

Your own disc image of EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers (US). The client contains no game data, and downloads none. If you don't have an .iso yet, step 1 of the Install page explains how to make one from your disc. The European/PAL disc and the 2002 pre-Frontiers disc won't work as the main disc.
A 64-bit computer running Windows, Linux or macOS with reasonably recent graphics drivers (Vulkan, DirectX 12 or Metal). The requirements are modest; a Steam Deck works too.
A Sandstorm account, which you create inside the game on the login screen.

Download

DabDavis publishes one build, called dev, which is rebuilt from the latest source on every change. Download it from the releases page on GitHub, or pick your system below. Each link is the program on its own — there is nothing to install, just a file to save and run.

System	Download	Notes
Windows (64-bit)	eqoa-vanilla-windows-x86_64.exe	Also as a .zip with the README
Linux (x86-64)	eqoa-vanilla-linux-x86_64	Also as a .tar.gz with the README
macOS	eqoa-vanilla-macos	Also as a .tar.gz with the README

The builds are not code-signed, so Windows and macOS will warn the first time you run one. That is expected for a small open-source project; the next section says how to get past the warning.

Install and run

Put the downloaded file in a folder of its own (the client keeps a couple of small files next to it when it updates itself). Then:

Windows

Double-click eqoa-vanilla-windows-x86_64.exe. If SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. You only need to do this once.

Linux

Make the file executable, then run it. From a terminal in the folder you saved it to:

chmod +x eqoa-vanilla-linux-x86_64
./eqoa-vanilla-linux-x86_64

Needs glibc 2.34 or newer (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 35 or later), ALSA (libasound2) and a Vulkan or OpenGL driver.

macOS

Make the file executable and run it from a terminal in the folder you saved it to:

chmod +x eqoa-vanilla-macos
./eqoa-vanilla-macos

If macOS refuses to open it, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway, or run xattr -d com.apple.quarantine eqoa-vanilla-macos once.

First start

1Choose your disc image

The first time it starts, the client opens a file dialog and asks for your Frontiers ISO. It can have any name and be in any folder. The client remembers where it is, so after this it starts straight into the game. (To switch to another image later, drop the ISO onto the program, or start it with the ISO's path as an argument.)

2Enter the server address

The game boots just like the console: loading screens, legal screen, licence, then the title screen. On the title screen choose Network Setup and type the server address:

eqoa.live

This is remembered too; you only do it once.

3Log in or create an account

Choose Play. On the login screen, pick Create User Name to make a new Sandstorm account, or log in with one you already have. Save Account remembers your name and password for next time. Then pick the server from the list, choose or create a character, and you're in Tunaria.

Good to know

Escape opens the start menu, F1 shows and changes the keys and buttons, F11 toggles full screen, H hides the HUD.
A controller works the way it did on the PS2. Plug it in before starting.
The client updates itself. When a new build is out, it is downloaded in the background and starts the next time you launch, or when you accept the in-game prompt. The release page lists what changed.
Your settings, keys and the remembered ISO location live in an eqoa-rs folder: %APPDATA%\eqoa-rs on Windows, ~/.config/eqoa-rs on Linux, ~/Library/Application Support/eqoa-rs on macOS. Delete it to start fresh.
F3 (or Report a bug on the HUD) sends a note and a screenshot to DabDavis's report board. Nothing is sent unless you press Send. Problems with the client itself are best reported there or on the project's GitHub issues; problems with the game world, quests or your account belong on the Sandstorm Discord.
You can switch between the native client, the web client and a console whenever you like — it's the same account and the same characters on the same server.

Credits

The native client is the work of DabDavis and is released under the licence in its repository. Sandstorm hosts this page to help players get started; the client itself, its code and its releases belong to that project. Thank you, DabDavis!

EverQuest is a registered trademark of Daybreak Game Company LLC.

Sandstorm is not associated with or affiliated with Daybreak Game Company LLC in any way.