Game Update 41 available on EQ2 Test Server

It's the time of year again where EverQuest II's Norrathian residents prepare to celebrate Frostfell, and the Gibblegibbers make their rounds of the major cities to offer quests and presents for the holidays. If you simply can't wait to get in to the Frostfell content, then you don't have to -- Game Update 41 has gone live on the test server, and Frostfell, among other updates, is in full swing.

Apart from the Gibblegibbers, the update allows you to visit the Frostfell Wonderland Village to craft presents, do more holiday-themed quests and purchase Frostfell items. Gardy Giftgiver, the famous Frostfell elf, also makes a return and will provide one gift each day per character.

It's not all Frostfell with Game Update 41 though, and there is a large list of changes and fixes in the test notes. It looks like there are a lot of important things on the list, too many to comment on them all, but here's a few: the Sarnak language primer can now be purchased, lava damage can be resisted, Exquisite Chests will always contain a Fabled item, Armorers and Tailors can make better Mastercrafted armor at all levels, and you can harvest while being attacked again. Phew! The rest of the exhausting list of updates has been posted after the break for your convenience.

FROSTFELL

Happy Frostfell, Norrath! Visit the Gigglegibbers Gh'lad Tydingz and G'shugahplum in South Freeport, North Qeynos, Kelethin, Neriak or Gorowyn for some holiday quests and the chance to earn a Frostfell tree and wreath.

Enter the Magic Closet in Qeynos Harbor, West Freeport, Haven, Kelethin, Neriak or Gorowyn to travel to the Frostfell Wonderland Village.

Here you can gather presents to craft wondrous Frostfell goodies, see if reindeer really know how to fly, purchase Frostfell goods, and even assist Mr. McScroogle and Queen Bunny with some important tasks.

Don't forget to log in each day and claim your extra-special Frostfell present from everyone's favorite Frostfell elf Gardy Giftgiver!

GAMEPLAY

ABILITIES, SPELLS, and COMBAT ARTS

ITEMS

FACTIONS

QUESTS

TRADESKILLS

PVP

INTERFACE

• Adventurers have recently discovered strange, reflective shards in various of the more dangerous dungeons around Norrath. After intensive research and experimentation, Norrath's tradeskill societies have discovered a way to work this magical metal into a mirror with unique, soul-capturing abilities.

• High level crafters in good standing with their respective tradeskill societies will be able to acquire this recipe from their city's local tradeskill faction merchant.

• You can now store an Achievement Profile in your home, using a device crafted from a primary component obtained in high level dungeons. You can store one profile per device, and they are usable from within your own home.

• The finished device cannot be traded and will need to be crafted using the commission crafting system if you are not yourself a high level crafter. (See the tradeskills forum for reminders on how commission crafting works.)

• Linguists of Norrath, rejoice! The militaristic language of the Gorowyn sarnak, Gorwish, is now available for purchase! Check with a nearby language vendor to see if they have managed to find the new Gorwish Language Primer.

• You can now resist the damage done by most lava. Be careful! Some areas of lava may be more potent than others.
  Coin, status and faction quest rewards are now given immediately when a quest is complete rather than waiting for the quest reward to be accepted

• Chests containing items less than Fabled will no longer appear exquisite, even when they do have Fabled-quality coin rewards.
  Casting a beneficial spell on a hostile target without a target should now target the caster instead.

• Drag will no longer allow you to drag "stationary" objects.

• Intervene should now be included on the fighter training skill merchants

• Conjurors and Necromancers will now receive a new spell to shrink their primary pets' size.

• Brawler and Necromancer feign death spells can now be toggled off, and no longer have to be explicitly right-click cancelled.

• Fixed an issue with Swashbucklers' Sleight of Hand and added additional hate reduce or hate gain for the target of the spell

• Ratonga - Instruments of the Underfoot should now properly benefit weaponsmithing.

• Doppleganger - The pet will now mitigate damage which should make it last longer in raid situations.

• Troubador 'of Magnetism' Set: Armor set now increases the proc effect by the mentioned amount, 5% upgrade should be visible on equip.

• Items with the effect Assassin's Thirst no longer grant a base 2% increase to combat art damage. They now add +35 to combat art damage.

• Slight modification has been made to the damage range on Trakanasaur's Tooth. It will no longer have quite as wide of a swing in damage variance.

• You now have color choice when selecting your cockatrice pet. If you have already claimed your cockatrice you can examine it to choose a new one.

• Tribunal, Bertoxxulous, and Karana deity cloaks now have appropriate deity heraldry.

• Cockatrice housepets now have additional interactions.

• The Pocket Golem will no longer be quite as powerful as it once was.

• The Mace of the Eluded and The Lava Etched Leaf Blade are now classified as One Handed.

• Virtue's Guard is now a Buckler, and adds +Combat Arts damage.

• Tearful Soulspear: Pestilence will now trigger off any hostile spell damage, regardless of damage type.

• The Residents of Teren's Grasp will now take notice of your amiable deeds and conduct business with you earlier.

• Sarnaks loyal to Gorowyn who are attempting to form a guild from Byrzyk will no longer get an error about citizenship.

• Deputy Nettlebrine will now update her own quest even if the player has the quest "A Thousand Words."

• Pen Keeper Valjik in Fens of Nathsar has discovered that more spotted budlings are necessary for her to make an effective frog stew. Luckily, many more of the budlings have been seen growing throughout the Swamp of No Hope.

• The budlings required for the quest "Frog Stew" now grow a bit larger, which will hopefully make them easier to spot.

• Interception: Removed the requirement to examine the packet of plant food while in New Tunaria. You should now be able to examine the packet in any zone.

• Caretaker Velshin in Gorowyn now will direct new citizens of Gorowyn to their housing in the Wards.

• Classes that can use the Reclaimer's Buckler should now be able to see it as a reward upon completing the appropriate quest.
  Keeper Chorwin in Gorowyn now stocks egg warmers.

• Those who accepted "Cut the Head from the Beast" before completing "Lambs to the Slaughter" should no longer find themselves gated.

• Those who accepted "Danger Zone" from Ireka Nazan before completing "Deliver the Lunch Pails" should no longer find themselves gated for "Deliver."

• Queue's Blyzurite: The blyzurite nodes should now be more plentiful and faster to respawn.

• Final Retrieval: There are now instructions on where the Di'Zok intelligence is in the quest journal.

• Project Xakhiz: It is no longer necessary to "wrangle" the coerced mudfin. Instead, merely netting it will automatically "wrangle" it after a period of 5 seconds.

• Anaphylaxis: Now offers scouts an item more suited to their class.

• You can no longer receive Ganak's Phylactery to spawn Dominus Ganak..

• The totems set up by the spirocs in Butcherblock Mountains should no longer mysteriously vanish when the surrounding spirocs are defeated.

• The spiroc emissary and the aviak emissary, both found in Butcherblock Mountains, should no longer show as Heroic encounters.

• The NPC "Borgil" is less greedy if you decide to pay him to use his mailbox.

• Field Chief Ry'zilk's 4th quest should no longer be given out before his 3rd quest is completed.

• Taskmaster Gax's 3rd quest should no longer be given out before his 2nd quest is completed.

• Sonjaz Manx should no longer respond to invisible characters

• Minegineers in the Mines of Nurga will activate their diabolical creations from further away now.

• Hammin, found in the Bellywhumper Burrows, has given the family trading business over to his son, Blugie.

• Deposits of Pi'ter Sahlt and submerged lost coins should be easier to spot now.

• Gorowyn citizens should now be allowed to do some of the quests they were previously barred from in Feerrott.

• It is no longer possible to share the quests: "A Strange Creature," "Another Strange Creature," "Yet Another Strange Creature."

• Anaphylaxis and Veeshan's Feast should now drop quest item updates to all party members rather than a single group member.

• Search for the Missing: a weary Kor Shaman will talk to Freeport players.

• Armorers and Tailors have discovered ways to improve the quality of mastercrafted armor across all level ranges.

• Harvest nodes in Kylong Plains now require 340+ skill to harvest, like all other level 70+ zones.

• You can harvest once again while under attack from an NPC

• A number of tradeskill writ and recipe issues have been addressed

• The carpenter-made redwood streetlamps have been pruned to a more reasonable size.

• Duggin Brandywine at the Thundering Steppes docks may be looking for a helping hand from travellers with a talent for harvesting.

• Tradeskill skill-ups will once again increase based on your tradeskill level and not your adventure level.

• Bathezid, Danak and Riliss recipe books issued can now be destroyed if you no longer wish to proceed with the writs.

• Carpenters have acquired a couple of festive new recipes, just in time for Frostfell!

• PvP - Killing another player will always reward experience now even if the player has their adventure experience disabled.

• Good players on PvP servers should have somewhere to evac to in the Fens of Nathsar now.

• Pressing ESC will open the EQII menu if there's nothing else for it to do.

• Added "Hide Completed" checkbox to collection quest journal window.

• Added right click menu option in the tradeskill window to disable icon dragging.

• Tooltips can now be disabled in the tradeskill window.