EQII Live server merges begin this November

In a move that should surprise no one, Sony Online Entertainment has announced it will be officially merging EQII Live servers beginning this fall. Sixteen shards will be affected, though notably populated servers such as Antonia Bayle, Lucan D'Lere, Nagafen, and Crushbone are not among them (nor are the Live Gamer shards Vox and The Bazaar).

EQII producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson cautions that the merges won't happen quickly, as there is a lot of work to be done. The trade-off is that "bigger population density on a server is just simply more fun for everyone involved, so it's time to get it done," he writes.

For the complete listing, check out the announcement on the official website, and also hit up this thread for more discussion and details.