Veil-of-Alaris
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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.
It's official: EverQuest goes free-to-play
Back in December, when EverQuest II made the transition to free-to-play across all servers, many gamers wondered whether its sibling, EverQuest, would follow. Today, the speculation has become reality, and EverQuest will officially go free-to-play in March, which also is the month that the game first launched back in 1999. As the game closes in on its 13th birthday, it's worth taking a look back at this game's amazing history.
[Updated] Celebrate the launch of Veil of Alaris by winning a signed copy of the EverQuest art book
EverQuest's 18th expansion launched yesterday, complete with a level cap raise and plenty of new content and tweaks. Veil of Alaris is an exciting addition to the game for both players and developers, and the EverQuest team has decided to mark the occasion with a little gift. The developers have sent us a copy of EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition, a large hardcover book filled with interviews, art, the original storyline, and much more. There's also one more little detail: our copy is signed by the original development team from 1999. That's right, just inside the cover are the signatures of the 18 people who first created the world of EverQuest. Of course, we're not keeping it for ourselves; we're passing it on to one of you. So what do you need to do to get your hands on this book? Simply leave us a comment here telling us about your earliest experience with EverQuest. It can be anything you like -- people you met, your overall thoughts and impressions as you entered the world, even a particular quest or battle that made you say, "This is it -- I love this game." Leave your comment before this Friday, November 18th, at 11:59 p.m. EST. We'll choose and contact our favorite over the weekend and send the book to the winner Monday. Ready? Head down memory lane, and good luck! [UPDATE: Our winner has been chosen and contacted. Thanks to all who entered!]
EverQuest: Veil of Alaris goes live today
It's been a long time coming, but EverQuest's 18th expansion, Veil of Alaris, is now live. Players can now progress all the way to level 95 while adventuring through a variety of new zones. Guilds can now purchase customizable guild plots and guild halls, allowing them to display their uniqueness through their residences. And of course, there are a wealth of new quests to complete, new monsters to kill, and new loot to pillage. For the full set of notes on what's new with the expansion, head on over to the EverQuest official site, and don't forget to check out our own Karen Bryan's exclusive tour of the expansion.
Massively tours EverQuest's Veil of Alaris with Community Manager Eric Cleaver
In just a few short weeks, EverQuest is set to launch its 18th expansion, Veil of Alaris. The expansion will raise the level cap from 90 to 95, and players will be able to adventure in 12 new zones. In addition, over 800 AAs will be added, and there will be 13 new raids along with new guild halls that can be player-decorated. I had a chance to tour some of these zones with Community Manager Eric "Piestro" Cleaver, who showed off some of the new content that's coming soon to EverQuest. Read on for a look at several new zones and the storylines behind them.%Gallery-138817%
EverQuest: Veil of Alaris walkthrough video highlights the Pillars of Alra
EverQuest: Veil of Alaris is only about a week from release, and SOE is keeping the hype train a-goin' with a new zone walkthrough video. This time around, the focus is on a zone known as the Pillars of Alra, where each of the eponymous pillars of the zone is dedicated to a different school of magic. To get a look at the new zone and hear what the designers of the Pillar of Alra have to say about the area, head on past the cut and check out the video.
The Game Archaeologist and the Classic MMOs in October
Today we're going to start a new feature of this column in which we devote a week to catching up with previous Game Archaeologist spotlights and see what's going on in these classic MMOs. I figured that it was a shame to give these titles a big burst of publicity and then dump them like yesterday's news. After all, if these games' communities are still alive and kicking, and if the developers are churning out new content, then it's worth a monthly mention, don't you think? I won't just be regurgitating news here; I'll also peek at the various official forums to see what the community is talking about and highlight discussions and debates that are of interest. Not every classic MMO will be featured every month in this space, as I'll try to rotate around to make sure they all get their fair share of mentions. October was an interesting month for classic MMOs in that several of them produced extremely newsworthy stories that got front-page mention on Massively. On a special note, I won't be covering Asheron's Call today as we're prepping a special anniversary tribute for later this month!
EverQuest's Veil of Alaris expansion slated for November 15th
EverQuest's graphics aren't the only thing dated when it comes to Norrath! Oooh, yeah, that was cold, but the good news is that we still love dear old EQ, and we'll be checking out expansion number 1,342,756 (actually, number 18) in just a couple of weeks. We know this because Sony Online Entertainment has announced the official release date for the Veil of Alaris content update, which is November 15th. Pre-orders have already begun, and you'll want to check out the official pre-order page to see if SOE's digital carrots are enough to entice you to part with your hard-earned dollars prior to release day.
SOE reveals EverQuest Resplendent Temple video
It's time for another EverQuest Veil of Alaris sneak peek video, this time featuring the Resplendent Temple. The structure is, well, sort of resplendent, and Sony Online Entertainment developers Julie Burness and Rob Cuenca narrate a two-minute trek through the new zone surrounding the majestic centerpiece. The content will be available with EQ's latest expansion, and Cuenca says that the zone pushes the limits of what's possible with EQ's technology. There are plenty of mobs to be found in, around, and under the temple, including a race of pig-people that live off the refuse generated by the temple above (yes, really, and eww). Check out the clip after the cut and head to the official EQ website to learn more about the expansion.
EverQuest: Veil of Alaris preorder bonuses announced
EverQuest's 18th expansion, Veil of Alaris, isn't too far off, and Sony Online Entertainment has announced that preorders are now open. The game comes in two flavors: standard and digital collector's edition. The former includes Veil of Alaris and all previous EverQuest expansions along with an exclusive mount, house decoration items (two paintings and a Resplendent Sword Ornamentation) and a traveler's rucksack. The collector's edition includes all of that, plus another exclusive mount, another rucksack, and more paintings and house decoration items than you can shake a stick at. If you preorder before November 14th, the standard edition will run you $39.99 while the collector's edition costs $59.99. After the 14th, however, the collector's edition price goes up to a whopping $89.99, so if you're planning on grabbing it, you better act quickly.
EverQuest's Temple of the Sea unveiled in new video
Sony Online Entertainment is ramping up the publicity for EverQuest's 18th expansion. The Veil of Alaris content pack is scheduled to debut this November, and the latest teaser on offer from SOE takes us deep inside Rubak Oseka (otherwise known as the Temple of the Sea). In terms of EQ lore, the temple was constructed using an enormous conch shell and is dedicated to one of the greatest heroes of the Alaran people. In the real world, the zone is the handiwork of designers Ed Hardin and Norm Freeman, along with environment artist Alan Bond. All three offer a bit of insight via the latest Veil of Alaris preview video, and you can see it after the break.
Preview EverQuest's upcoming City of Bronze
The development of EverQuest has been a steady constant amidst seas of change, with the development team hard at work on the Veil of Alaris expansion. This 18th update for the venerable game will usher in a variety of updates and improvements -- and, of course, new zones. Erillion, the City of Bronze, is one such region and quite fittingly is the latest zone to have a video overview for players to inspect before the expansion's launch. Narrated by Alan VanCouvering and Bob Painter, the video describes both the original concept of Erillion and the challenges faced in designing such an orderly environment. It had to look as mechanical and orderly as possible, after all, but it also had to look organic rather than just being the same building pasted in dozens of times. Click on past the break to watch the video if you'd like to see the city before you can venture there in person. [Source: Official press release]
Massively Exclusive: EverQuest's City of Tides unveiled
EverQuest is beginning to gear up for its 18th expansion, Veil of Alaris. Along with raising the level cap to 95, introducing new AA options, and a providing a smorgasbord of other new features, the expansion includes a whopping 12 new zones. One such zone is known as Sarith, the City of Tides. We have an exclusive look at this fabled location in the form of a short dev diary video, courtesy of the fine folks at Sony Online Entertainment. The devs talk about the city's unique architecture and the process involved in bringing the city to life. For the full video preview of Sarith, jump on past the cut and take a look.
EverQuest video features new zone from Veil of Alaris expansion
EverQuest's latest content bomb was announced earlier this summer, and Sony Online Entertainment is slowly trickling out the details for the new Veil of Alaris patch. The game's 18th expansion will take players to a land long hidden by magic, and a new video gives us our first glimpse of the environment itself along with some of its ornerier inhabitants. Players will initially encounter the zone while traveling on a giant airship, and among the challenges are mobs made of molten steel as well as deadly free-floating swords. SOE's video clip features game designer David Stewart and environment artist Shannon Parnell discussing their work on the new zone, as well as various fly-through angles of the finished product. Check out all the details after the break.
EverQuest cracks the door wider to peek in on Veil of Alaris concept art
While November is still a ways off, EverQuest players have a lot to be excited for as the title's 18th expansion bakes in Sony Online Entertainment's creative ovens. Today, the company has released three new pieces of concept art -- along with a wireframe model -- to give us more of an idea of what to expect out of Veil of Alaris. The art shows off some of the structures of Alaris, including a costal town and various towers, as well as the mysterious inhabitants of the lands. Alaris will consist of 12 new zones, half of which are raid zones. In addition to Alaris itself, the expansion will feature a level cap increase to 95 and a welcome revamp of the guild hall system. There will also be more armor sets, a cultural armor tier, and the ability to resize hotbars. You can check out all of the concept art goodness in the gallery below! %Gallery-128419%
EverQuest displays new screenshots for the Veil of Alaris expansion
In March of 1999, the upstart studio Verant Interactive created a little game called EverQuest. Who knew that 11 years later we would still see growth from the spearhead MMO of the company now called Sony Online Entertainment? Last week at SOE Fan Faire, the developers announced that EverQuest will see its 18th expansion, Veil of Alaris, sometime in November of this year. SOE promises to reveal more about this about this hidden continent of Norrath in the coming months, In a post on the official forums, the community manager reiterated that the level-cap increase and the guild-hall revamp will be added to the game with this expansion. However, the true reason behind the post was to show off the new screenshots from the land of Alaris. Keep in mind that this game is 11 years old when you gaze at these screenshots of the deadly Resplendent Temple, mysterious Windsong Oratory Crypt, and beautiful Rubak Oseka in the gallery below. %Gallery-128419%
