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  • SOE releases EQII Age of Discovery expansion, Freeport revamp, F2P model

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    12.06.2011

    There are big days, and there are big days, and today is definitely the latter when it comes to EverQuest II. First of all, as producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson says in his newly minted producer's letter, "today we stop requiring any sort of payment." Yes, free-to-play is here (again, and across the board this time). That's just the tip of the iceberg, though. Today also marks the introduction of the much-ballyhooed Freeport revamp along with the rest of Game Update 62, and oh yeah, did we forget to mention the Age of Discovery expansion? If so, the short version of AoD includes the dungeon-maker tool, mercenaries, the Beastlord class, and a ton of customization and collectible updates sure to make your stay in Norrath even more enjoyable. We could tell you about 20 additional alternate advancement points, a new launchpad and website, new social networking integration, and more, but then you'd have no reason to check out the official forums for yourself. Check out the official AoD trailer after the break.

  • SOE talks Everquest II's Freeport revamp

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    11.01.2011

    EverQuest II's new Age of Discovery expansion is coming later this month, and Sony Online Entertainment is introducing the first of its major city revamps along with it. Freeport gets the extreme home makeover treatment in Game Update 62, and though the city will still be recognizable to long-time players, a new SOE Q&A hints that the changes will be substantial. Art director Timothy "Haohmaru" Heydelaar talks a bit about architectural and layout changes, the city's color palette, and the impetus behind the revamp itself. "Now that Lucan has returned, he has exercised his power by turning Freeport into a proud, magnificent city in a bid to attract more followers and to show off his renewed power. This brought about the need for the art changes and coincided with a lot of work the design team was going to do. We also wanted to remove zoning, like players have asked for as well," Heydelaar explains.