Qeynos-revamp
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EverQuest II's 8th anniversary: Celebrating a pivotal year
What a difference a day makes. And what a difference 365 days make! Every EverQuest II anniversary retrospective notes a number of changes, tweaks, and additions to the lands of Norrath, but none can boast the depth and breadth of changes that have happened over the previous 12 months. Between adding brand-new systems and altering the very landscape itself, Sony Online Entertainment has changed how players relate to -- and even access -- the game in fundamental ways. What's new? For starters, new lands, new sandbox features, a new payment model, and a new class have all appeared over the course of this past year. But that's not all; no one can accuse SOE of just sitting on its laurels because the changes keep a-comin' at seemingly ever increasing speeds. Not only does this anniversary sit literally on the cusp of even more major dramatic alterations (the dust's hardly settled from SOE Live and the ninth expansion, with all of its content, launches in just five days), but two innovations have slid in right under the wire! Whether you've been away or you just want to reminisce, let's take a moment to look over the past year in EverQuest II before we lose ourselves in Chains of Eternity.
EverQuest II's Qeynos Rises patch revamps city, PvP
It's patch day in EverQuest II, and we'll give you two guesses as to the primary feature of the Qeynos Rises update.The city has been remade to eliminate most (but not all) of the loading screens between its various quarters. Like last year's Freeport makeover, the update has given one of EQII's capital cities a new coat of visual polish as well as tweaked the layout of the racial hamlets. New quests have been added, too. Today's patch also features a slew of PvP updates, including "new PvP stats derived from PvE stats, PvP gear that is useful in PvE combat, revised achievements, infamy, bounty, and a new token earning system." There's more, so head to the official EQII website for the full scoop.
The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II's Antonica public quest
EverQuest II's upcoming Qeynos revamp brings many new changes, but one that runs the risk of getting overlooked is a new public quest in Antonica. It's not necessarily a surprise that a low-level PQ would be added, since there was one in the Commonlands after the Freeport revamp. But I actually didn't discover it until I stumbled on a feedback thread in the testing forums. I'm a big fan of public quests because I think they're a great way of bringing people together without the traditional grouping hurdles, so I'm definitely rooting for this little PQ. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll take a peek at the Antonica public quest and see what's in store for Qeynosians with the arrival of game update 64, which is scheduled to hit live servers on July 24th.
EverQuest II's Qeynos revamp goes live July 24th
Say bye-bye to the Baubbleshire. Anyone wanting screenshots of his favorite EverQuest II boroughs will want to log in and get them quick because Sony Online Entertainment has announced the day that Qeynos will be reborn on the live servers. On July 24th, players will log into to find a city with more intrigue and conflict as the Queen and the Circle of Ten struggle for power. Familiar boroughs (such as the Baubbleshire and the Willow Wood) will be replaced by instanced zones accessible only via new racial and class quest chains. The remaining zones will be consolidated, and the entire city will receive a graphical facelift. The announcement also highlights other July plans for EQII, including a preview of the changes coming to PvP and the battlegrounds. There are also tidbits about the changes in class focus effects, notes about tweaks to the New Halas and Neriak starting areas, and a reminder that playing as your character in the dungeon maker should launch this month using the same level-agnostic gameplay as the battlegrounds. Complete details can be found in the official announcement. And for a more personal look at the revamp, check out The Tattered Notebook's tour on test.
The Tattered Notebook: Exploring EQII's Qeynos revamp
Back when the Freeport revamp was first announced, the first question I had was when will Qeynos get a facelift? EverQuest II fans have waited patiently, but finally, this past week, Qeynos got one step closer with its arrival on the test server. The Freeport revamp was a major undertaking, with brand-new architecture, new scalable city quests, and even a foreboding scene with Lucan carrying out his own special brand of justice on the Freeport denizens. But what does the new Qeynos look like? This week's Tattered Notebook features a little tour around town to see what's changed. Read on for the low down!
EverQuest II Game Update 64 revamps Qeynos and PvP
Although EverQuest II's Game Update 63 is only a couple of months old, GU64 is already hot on its heels. But instead of adding new content, this update focuses on revamping features already in-game, most notably the city of Qeynos, open-world PvP, and battlegrounds. Besides the much-anticipated opening of Qeynos by consolidating zones, the bulk of this update is focused on improving the PvP experience both in and outside of battlegrounds. One key aim is to make "player skill [be] the biggest deciding factor in PvP combat, not gear." Changes in store for the PvP-minded are stat adjustments, consolidated open-world and battleground tokens, enhanced open-world PvP as well as battlegrounds, and adjusted crowd control mechanics to better balance the classes. You can listen to the devs discuss the changes related to PvP and the battlegrounds in Sony Online Entertainment's latest community webcast or read more details in the announcement. These changes hit the test server on Tuesday, June 26th, and are expected to go live in the next couple of months.
EverQuest II shares planned updates and changes for June
Although news of late for SOE's flagship game EverQuest II has been focused on the soon-to-be-released SOEmote, the company spilled the beans about other plans in the works for the month of June, including a few changes players have been clamoring for. One bit of news that many players have been anticipating is the release of the ability to play their own characters in the dungeon maker instead of slipping into the skin of other creatures; this feature will open on the test server in the next week or so. Another change already on the test server is the addition of icons to NPC names that flag them as quest updates. Some zones will also get some loving: The two starting zones of Darklight Woods and Halas will receive a new coat of polish, from improved ambiance to new armor sets. More details about the much anticipated Qeynos revamp were also offered; unlike Freeport's revamp, Qeynos's revamp will see the city split into two separate zones. To the disappointment of many players, the neighborhoods will disappear except as quest instances. There will also be improvements made to PvP and the battlegrounds and updates to the core technology. For further details, check out the official announcement.
The Tattered Notebook: Reading the tea leaves of EQII's May update
The paint has barely dried on the Skyshrine Update, and already we're hearing tidbits about what's planned for this month. On Thursday, EverQuest II Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale announced a few highlights that players can expect to see in the May update. The monthly letters are always welcomed by players, and this one announces several changes that should shore up the foundation of the game even more. "More" and "new" are often used when it comes to update announcements, but if you heap too much on the very top, you need to go back and work through some of the older content and features to make sure they can support the burden. Read on for a look at the highlights, which bring a welcome change to Dungeon Maker fans, add a new tool that should make testers happy, and hint at changes to bring about more "low-impact" gameplay.
The Tattered Notebook: Skyshrine, mercs, Qeynos, and shields that roar
For those gamers who have been patiently waiting to hear about GU63, the past few weeks have been a treat. We've shown off a few trailers on Massively, the official site has hosted a couple of team interviews, and even the SOE Twitch TV channel has been focused on EverQuest II. In fact, the recent webcast was the second part of a featured series on the update, and this one took a closer look Skyshrine and also answered a few fan questions. EQII Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale, Lead Designer Akil "Lyndro" Hooper, and SOE Executive Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson sat down to preview what's coming to a server near you. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at the highlights and analyze what it means to both new players and old. Read on for the skinny!
