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The Tattered Notebook: Why Velious is so important
This week's Tattered Notebook is a follow-up to last week's column, How not to Sell an Expansion. I rarely write negative pieces, and I'm certainly a fan of SOE and EverQuest II. The main reason I wrote my column is the content in the expansion. If it was titled "Destiny of the Purple Pickled Dragon," I don't think I'd mind the lack of information about the game. But this is Velious, the sacred cow, the golden goose, the holy grail, the... well, you get the picture. Maybe I'm being overly nerdy, but Velious is where I had many MMO memories and lots of muscle atrophy. Now, I know there are several of you who didn't experience the original Velious and are thinking, "Man, she's being a huge nerd, what's the big deal?" So for this week's Tattered Notebook, I'm going to take us back to the year 2000 for a look at why this expansion was so special.
The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: A cozy chit-chat with Thom Terrazas
Welcome back to the Game Archaeologist's third week of our EverQuest expedition! So, OK, we lost a few valued members of our team crossing the wilds of Norrath, but who would ever think that 10 rats could be so vicious when out for vengeance? It comes with the territory, and really, it's well worth the loss of human life if we can educate just one soul on one of the most influential MMOs of all time. Their mothers will understand their sacrifice. We've already taken a look at the highlights of EverQuest and the perspectives of several veterans of the game, which means this week we must be gearing up for an inside look into the machinations of grinding, hell levels, alternative advancement and DKP. For this, we struggled through the Swamp of Sony to find the ramshackle hut of Thom Terrazas -- and he was expecting us. A fight ensued, with many a chicken flung in anger, not to mention a few pokes in the eye, Three Stooges-style. But in the end, Terrazas capitulated and told us everything we wanted to know. Thom Terrazas almost has all his SOE merit badges, having worked on Planetside, Vanguard and now EverQuest in various roles. I was curious -- what was it like to be handed the keys to not just a game, but a veritable institution? Hit the jump to see what Terrazas has to say about his favorite memories, the future of the game, and why EQ hit it out of the park in 1999.
EverQuest II's first Velious rewards brighten home and hearth
Purchasing an expansion for a long-running game is something of a necessary evil. Getting special rewards for having purchased it, however, certainly does help take the edge off. That's the philosophy behind the Velious rewards for EverQuest II, and it's certainly the case for the first two rewards. Revealed today, the rewards make a fine addition to the home of any resident of Norrath, allowing you to spruce up your living quarter with a new butler and painting. The painting is a reproduction of the cover art for the original EverQuest's second expansion, taking place in the same region (Velious, naturally). The new Coldain butler, on the other hand, will serve as a retainer within your house, possibly following you on errands for an hour or so at a time. ("Errands" may well include "killing things and looting corpses," for the record.) EverQuest II players have plenty more rewards to look forward to, but the first pair should be a welcome addition for everyone in the game.
Rumor: EQII's next expansion returns to Velious
It's been a long road getting from there to here, it's been a long time, but my time is finally here. Oh wait, that's from the incredibly sappy theme song to Star Trek: Enterprise. My bad. But it does describe the wait for EverQuest II players to return to their old stomping grounds of Velious from the first EverQuest. That wait may soon be over, as ZAM is reporting that SOE has applied for the trademark "EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious." This comes on top of other recent hints, such as the Coldain dwarves in New Halas, so it shouldn't come as a total shocker to EQ II fanatics. The Scars of Velious was EverQuest's second expansion back in 2000, which featured the titular continent where snow, ice and dragons abounded. A decade later, and players may be able to return to their old stomping grounds to see the familiar sights, as well as the (undoubtedly) great changes that have come upon this land. Head over to read the speculation and news on ZAM.
