EQ, EQII, and EQN devs dish on new game content for The Year of EverQuest
With EverQuest Next Landmark on the horizon, EverQuest Next in the wings, and EverQuest and EverQuest II going strong, this truly is the year of EverQuest. There's simply no denying that 2014 will be pretty significant for the franchise; one game turns 15, another turns 10, and the newest turns 0. To help kick of this monumental year, I got to talk shop with producers Thom Terrazas (EQ), Holly Longdale (EQII), Terry Michaels (EQN/EQNL), and Franchise Director Dave Georgeson and hear about upcoming content slated for each of these different projects. As Georgeson put it, "It's going to be a fun month!"
As a bonus, we've also added a video that shows off some of that very content.
EQN Landmark
As much as I would have liked to have it (to share with all of you, of course!), let's get this out of the way at the start: There is still no released date for Landmark's alpha. Georgeson would only say it was "around the corner" and "impending," but that was the most I could squeeze out of him. Michaels did emphasize, however, how alpha testers will be less about testing and more about guiding the development path of this game. Additionally, he talked about the Community Day at the end of the month that will give players a chance to get their hands on a demo of the game and hang out with the devs.
EQ
Today EQ fans will get a major content update called Call of the Forsaken: Hate Rising, which ties into the expansion's story line and includes new missions and new gear. However, the highlight of this update is that all Heroic Adventures are now scaled down to level 85, so even a level 70 can join in on the fun!
In February, players will have new collections, achievements, and quests for the Erollisi celebration. Additionally, all the UI rewards (target of target, NPC health, etc) that players gain from Leadership AAs will now be granted to everyone
Come March, the 15th anniversary celebration will include the newest race/class combinations that were voted on by the community as well as a dev pick; players will be able to play as a Wood Elf, Beastlord, and Froglok Monk. On top of that, players will be able to acquire level 85 Heroic Characters, much like the ones EQII introduced last year. And finally, the Planes of Power zone will be finished and available for adventurers to cavort in.
EQII
Tomorrow, January 22nd, EQII players will get to return to Kingdom of Sky with three new fabled dungeons (Den of the Devourer, Halls of Fate, Vaults of El'Erod), a new raid instance (Laboratory of Lord Vyemm), and a new heroic contested zone (Sanctum of the Scaleborn). Longdale noted that the items dropped in these new areas are itemized as the equivalent to those found in the Tears Of Veeshan expansion.
At the end of the month, PvP will be getting its update, including a new Warzone on the Nagafan server. Then, in the not-too-distant future, players will also soon get to own and decorate their own Oakmyst and Darklight prestige homes, adventure in a new High Keep contested zone, experience an all-new raid zone in North Temple of Veeshan, and get achievements for collections. On top of that, the AA level cap is raising to 350 (an additional 10 points).
When readers want the scoop on a launch or a patch (or even a brewing fiasco), Massively goes right to the source to interview the developers themselves. Be they John Smedley or Chris Roberts or anyone in between, we ask the devs the hard questions. Of course, whether they tell us the truth or not is up to them!
