EverQuest II's Aerakyn race is spreading its wings November 11th
A few weeks ago we peeked into EverQuest II's impending Altar of Malice expansion with Senior Producer Holly Longdale and Creative Director Akil Hooper. In addition to touring the zones and basking in the beauty of the artwork while weaving through dinosaurs, I also got a glimpse of the newest race coming the game and gleaned a few interesting tidbits about these scaly, winged creatures. Although not technically a part of the expansion, Aerakyn will become available to players for purchase on the same day that AoM goes live for All Access members: November 11th.
Be a dragon!
With a new race incoming, some players are already trying to determine whether they will bump an alt or just buy a new character slot. It's not just the opportunity to be what is arguably the first real dragonkind in the game (sorry Sarnak!) but the chance to experience the game as one of the very few flight-enabled races. The Aerakyn, like the Fae and Arasai introduced in a previous expansion, utilize their wings from day one. Of course, the actual flight mechanic cannot be obtained until the appropriate level (85), but the wings still work and the race can glide around. Unlike the Fae and Arasai, however, the Aerakyn will get to use their personal wings as all three advanced mount types.
Wings for all occasions
As the Aerakyn, level they will be able to acquire different wing types that serve as the different mount types, including leaping wings, gliding wings, and finally full-on flight wings. Even better, each wing type will have a separate appearance, so if you fall in love with the look of a certain set of wings, you can still use that one for appearance while utilizing the function of a different set.
An added bonus, Longdale shared that devs are working on giving the Freeblood -- the only other races purchased separately in the Marketplace -- similar treatment for uniformity's sake. That means that these vampires will hopefully soon have the four mount types available by virtue of just being Freeblood, each one with a different appearance. I don't know about you, but I sure hope one turns you into a giant bat!
Colors and customization
The devs also focused on the race's overall appearance. Aerakyn have options for facial horns besides the ones on their heads. There will be custom scale patterns (which also stretch along the wings), different wing styles, and a variety of dragon-like colors such as blues, greens, and reds available when creating an Aerakyn. And if you happen to really love long hair, rejoice: Longdale told me that one of her favorite options is a female hairstyle that goes all the way down the Aerakyn's back.
In all, the Aerakyn sound quite intriguing; I would definitely love to play around with one, or in the character generator at the very least. Is the new race enticing enough that players will start seeing whole flocks of Aerakyn starting next week? Will you be rolling a new character to try one out? Let us know in the comments below!
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