House-of-Thule
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Norrathian Notebook: The EverQuest franchise through the ages
Our notebook is tattered no longer! We've filled so many pages over the years that it is time to set the dog-eared, fraying sheets aside and take up a fresh new notebook with plenty of room for all the upcoming adventures. And on this fresh new slate, you will see a slightly different focus from that of its predecessor. As you may have noticed, over the past few months, The Tattered Notebook dipped into coverage of more than just EverQuest II. As of this moment, it is official: Our notebook now chronicles Norrath, in all its shapes and forms. These pages will fill with all things EverQuest, from the original game to the next incarnations. On top of the franchise focus that includes four major titles, the notebook is moving back to a weekly time slot every Saturday, so you'll get your Norrathian news more frequently. To kick things off, let's a look at the history of Norrath, from start to sequel to sandboxes, and everything in between.
The Game Archaeologist: Classic MMOs in July
It's been over a month since our last round-up of news, events, and community features covering the classic MMOs we know and love. You wouldn't think that a lazy summer month would contain a lot of new information regarding these older titles, but these past few weeks have been absolutely hopping. We've had several anniversaries, patches, player celebrations, mobile adaptations, and more. I'm constantly encouraged to see how players keep the memories of deceased games and the spirit of currently running ones alive throughout the blogging community as well, so we'll look into that today too.
Looking into the Heart of Fear with the EverQuest team
SOE Live is just a couple of weeks away, but before the EverQuest team heads to Las Vegas, it has launched a brand-new update for the game called the Heart of Fear. It continues the storyline of the House of Thule and Cazic Thule, the god of Fear, that began three years ago. The team led a tour of the new areas and gave some insight into what new goodies players will discover along the way. Check out the highlights of this final chapter in the Thule storyline.%Gallery-194040%
EverQuest starts testing Heart of Fear update
The latest chapter in EverQuest's epic story has gone into beta. The fourth tier of this expansion cycle is called Heart of Fear, and players can check it out on the test server starting today. Heart of Fear's story began back in 2010's House of Thule and continued through EverQuest's various expansions and updates. Once Heart of Fear hits in July, players will finally get to see the exciting conclusion as they go up against the remnants of Cazic-Thule and his stronghold. The update includes the Heart of Fear fortress, new class-specific weapons that can be upgraded, and plenty of new collections, achievements, and missions to explore. Players who were in the Rain of Fear or Shadow of Fear betas automatically qualify to be a part of this test.
EverQuest gets its 19th expansion: Rain of Fear
Not to be outdone by the news of EverQuest II's new expansion and SOE's Player Studio, faithful ol' EverQuest is muscling its way back into the spotlight with its 19th expansion, titled Rain of Fear. Rain of Fear picks up the story from House of Thule, where nasty shards of power are falling from the sky and becoming ripe for the taking. Players will hop across the world to gather these shards and prevent their use by evil forces. Of course, if you're more into numbers than story, you'll be interested to hear that the expansion will raise the level cap to an even 100, add nine zones, 13 raids, 110 quests, and 1800 new spells. SOE also plans to institute an aggro meter, new collection and hunter tasks, fun titles, and an autonomous brokering system to boost the player economy. As with EverQuest II: Chains of Eternity, Rain of Fear is slated for a November release. Players who attend SOE Live this year will get a free copy of both expansions.
The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: Your journeys
I have to say, this month's been everything I'd hoped it would be for EverQuest. As with many of these older MMOs, my working knowledge of EQ was spotty and anecdotal at best, and I'm personally glad to rectify that. EverQuest's always felt like a "You had to have been there" club to me, one that stopped accepting members a long, long time ago. It's great, therefore, to see that there's a thriving community, a rich history and an uplifting future in store for the game. Above everything else, I've come to realize just how crucial EverQuest was -- for better or worse, depending on your perspective -- to the development of the MMO genre for the past decade or so. If SOE never created EQ, just how different would our games be today? It's incredibly hard to imagine. As we continue our EQ month here at The Game Archaeologist, we have two things on the immediate agenda. The first is to share a few of your personal journeys that you emailed my way, and the second is a look at how you can plug in with EverQuest if you've never done so in the past. It turns out, quite fortuitously, that this is looking to be one of the best times to do so. Read on, courageous gamer!
The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The highlights
To many veteran MMO players, the opening horns of EverQuest's score are enough to trigger vivid memories, violent hallucinations, and an unstoppable desire to leap through the computer screen to return to Norrath. It all depends, of course, on which MMO you first cut your teeth, and while many gamers would claim titles like World of Warcraft as their first, there is a large contingent who will confess that EQ was their first MMO lover. In fact, before WoW came on the scene in 2004, EverQuest was the gold standard of MMOs for a half-decade -- it was insanely popular, perfectly addictive, and absolutely revolutionary. It was a giant that roamed the virtual lands of those days, a giant that continues to forge new grounds well over a decade from its inception. It was 1995 when John Smedley realized the potential for online gaming and roped in Brad McQuaid and Steve Clover to start putting together an online RPG for SOE. What began as a small project ballooned into a crazy endeavor as the growing team created a monster RPG the likes the world had never seen before -- a game that would forever shape the MMO genre. This month, the Game Archaeologist is going after one of the biggest treasures of recorded history as we unearth the secrets to EverQuest's popularity, legacy, and longevity. The first step on our journey is to look at some of the highlights that made EQ what it is today.
SWTOR lore expands with more biographies
The fourth pillar of story has just widened its base this morning as BioWare announced three more supporting characters to the line-up. An Alderaani noble, a tight-lipped Sullustan, and an Imperial super-spy brand the front web page of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Who are they, and what role do they play in the world arc? The Alderaani known as Bouris Ulgo "gave us pants" according to Daniel Erickson's joke at the PAX presentation. However, the truth is Ulgo is the self-proclaimed King of Alderaan. What role does the House of Ulgo play in the conflict on this independent planet? That is yet to be discovered, but we do know Ulgo has gone mad since the return of the banished House of Thule (not the one from the EverQuest expansion -- it confused me, too.) Diab Duin is the Sullustan diplomat Supreme Chancellor entrusted to keep the secret of Aeten II. It is possible the Chancellor believed this quiet pessimist would be over-looked by Imperial spies and assassins, but one this is for certain: the secret of the stygium crystals is safe with him. When one has risen to the the upper echelons of Imperial Intelligence, he loses his personal identity and becomes known only by his code name. In this case, we are talking about the "Keeper." Every unscrupulous deal of assassination or territorial infiltration is controlled by the Keeper. If he fails at his job, the Empire is quick to replace him. To find out more about these spies and nobles of the SWTOR universe, check out their biographies on the official site.
Massively tours EverQuest's House of Thule expansion
The House of Thule. Not to be confused with the Summer Cottage of Thule, or the Awkwardly-Small-Yet-Expensive Inner City Apartment of Thule. Thule's house is a scary place, and it's a place that all denizens of Norrath shall soon be intimately familiar with. Sony Online Entertainment recently gave us a deep tour of its 17th EverQuest expansion, and it's the first time I've set foot in pre-EQII Norrath in years. Luckily I can report that Sony isn't letting EverQuest lie on its laurels. While this next expansion may not sound like much (it's just a house... or is it?), it's packed with enough content to send me through a two-and-a-half hour long developer tour. Plus, I should mention that I only got to see about half of the new zones, and none of the new raids. But why should we stand outside of this lovely home when there's so much madness hidden within? Come, journey with me, and lose all sense of what is reality.
EverQuest opens orders for House of Thule
There's a certain seasonal familiarity to EverQuest expansions, with the game continuing to launch new ones at a steady pace through its twelve-year run. House of Thule, set for release in October, is now available for pre-orders as well as for ordering via digital download. And has become the tradition, not only does it include the newest expansion but all of the prior expansions to the game, making it an excellent purchase to catch up with everything. Aside from a level cap increase, House of Thule is set to include player housing and 13 new zones (one of which will presumably be some sort of dwelling or domicile). The pre-order for the standard game includes a live topiary mount and a 16-slot bag, while the collector's edition also includes a dead topiary mount and a 20-slot bag. EverQuest players are also encouraged to watch the trailer just after the cut, showing off some of the more visually impressive elements of the coming expansion.
EverQuest announces 17th expansion
House of Thule is coming to EverQuest. The game's 17th expansion is planned for an October 12th release and will bring a generous amount of new content and features to EverQuest. House of Thule takes place in a dreamland setting: Powerful leaders across Norrath are falling into dream-induced comas, and it's your job to find out what's happening. The expansion brings a level cap increase to 90, more storage, and new raids, zones, and spells. That's not all, though: House of Thule also introduces player housing, something EverQuest fans have been looking forward to for a while. With just over eight weeks to go until the expansion's release, you've got plenty of time to start saving for your little corner of Norrath. In the meantime, check out the gallery below for a first look at House of Thule. %Gallery-99113%
Fan Faire 2010: EQII flying mounts, EQNext art revealed [updated]
The EverQuest franchise looks to be the big winner at this year's Fan Faire event, as several large announcements regarding the games in the long-running series were featured in SOE president John Smedley's community address. EQ2Wire's Feldon has the details on the short presentation. In addition to restating the features coming your way when EQII Extended hits in mid-August, Smedley discussed the next EverQuest expansion, House of Thule, which adds several new dungeons as well as player housing and launches on October 14th. EverQuest II players will have a to wait a bit longer for their expansion, Destiny of Velious, which debuts on February 8th. The wait will likely be well worth it, however, as flying mounts will be introduced in many of the game's zones. Finally, Smedley revealed a presentation slide labeled "The Future of EverQuest" and preceded to show off the first concept art in-game art from the cryptically titled EverQuest Next, which you can view in our gallery below. He also hinted that more information would be forthcoming as Fan Faire wraps up this weekend. [Update: We received a note from SOE clarifying that the screenshot here is not mere concept art -- it's actual in-game art. Only makes you more curious, doesn't it!] %Gallery-98975%
