everquest-2
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Ten Ton Hammer's guide to EQ2's pantheon of deities
Both EverQuest and EverQuest II let players choose deities for their characters. This feature's primary purpose in the first EverQuest was facilitation of role-playing, but in EQ2 a player's choice of deity (a feature added in the Echoes of Faydwer expansion) has gameplay implications as well. It's a really cool idea which was born in the old text MUD days but which finds only rare application in modern games.For those who play EQ2 and want to explore Norrath's vast pantheon of deities, Ten Ton Hammer has a terrific guide. It lists all the deities with descriptions and lists of their alignments, the quests you can do in their names, and the miracles they'll grant you.Walk with Mithaniel Marr, my friend.
Rise of Kunark dungeon xp raised
There's been a lot of back and forth in the EverQuest II community about the xp gain via grouping in Rise of Kunark dungeons. Fingers were pointed, and we gave Scott Hartsman (EQ2's Senior Producer) a chance to rebut. Said Mr. Hartsman, in our discussion piece from last week: EverQuest II is not a game about sitting in one place and grinding. You find the activity that defines the core of your game, then you make sure it's the part you polish the most, then you make damn sure it's rewarding. That activity is questing. Tipa's response to Mr. Hartsman's statement clarified the issue from a segment of the player population:EQ2 was always about two things: Dungeon crawls and getting loot. Quests were just things you could do to make the effort more rewarding ... Most of the quests in my journal I never get around to doing, unless they result in an upgrade for my character. I don't think I'm alone in this.Apparently, she's not. Today, the word on the official forums from Mr. Hartsman is that dungeon XP is going to be increased, at least through this holiday weekend. He is clear about the reason: bringing parity to quest xp gain for dungeon grouping.We've been keeping an eye on both the objective, globally recorded experience data from the first week of Kunark being live, as well as the subjective feedback regarding Kunark experience grants, through the many styles that people play. Many of you have pointed out that the exp given from dungeonning feels too low. In the live environment, we agree that is the case. The data backs this up as well. In making the reality more aligned with the overall goal, Kunark dungeon experience gains have just been boosted on all of the live servers. We'll keep up with this ongoing balance issue as the developers and players work this out.
Exclusive EQ 2 item for MOG readers
Massive Online Gamer is looking to reward (or bribe, depending on how you look at it) their subscribers who are also fans of EQ2. The first one thousand people to purchase a subscription will have access to an exclusive in game item. Now there isn't much info on what the item actually is, although it looks like a combination between a shield and wall art, so either might be a possibility. Either way, who doesn't like free stuff?A year subscription costs $16.99. It's really not that bad a price considering you get 6 issues of the magazine. Those interested can subscribe online.
And the first EQ2 player to reach level 80 is...
Stratics reports that the first player to reach level 80 on EverQuest II's live servers is the Monk Taucher of the guild Second Dawn on the Najena server. The word is that Taucher reached level 80 at 7:37 AM EST on Thursday the 15th of November; that's approximately 36 hours after Rise of Kunark -- the expansion that raised the level cap from 70 to 80 -- went live.Taucher won a $100 reward from the community for being the first to level 80. He wrote a couple of brief posts in the contest's stickied thread at the EQ2Flames forum. He said in his post announcing his accomplishment, "I'm sure I'll have a lot to say when I wake up at some point, but right now I've been playing for pretty much 39 hours straight and I just want to go to bed."This is not the first time a power gamer has blown everyone away with a marathon play session to reach a new level cap. Back when The Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft came out, a 24-year-old Frenchman progressed from level 60 to level 70 in just 28 hours with the help of his guild mates.
Scott Hartsman of EQ2 gets profiled
Now that EverQuest II's latest expansion Rise of Kunark has been released, you'd hope that Senior Producer and Creative Director Scott Hartsman would be able to take a bit of a break -- but you can be sure it won't be too long, because its obvious that he really digs his job. TenTonHammer has a two-page interview with Hartsman that isn't so much about EQ2 as it is about the man himself.In the article, Hartsman discusses how he broke in to the industry -- his first industry job was with a text-based online RPG at the age of 15! -- his favorite games of the past and ones that influenced him, things that he does outside of work, and even some tips for anyone that would like to get involved in the gaming business. On this, he mentions that being competent with algebra comes in very handy, something that not everyone may realize.Even if you've never heard of Scott Hartsman, its a worthwhile read to hear what things are like on the other side of your favorite pastime. The link below will take you through to TTH's full developer profile.
The Daily Grind: So many games, not much time - What are you playing?
It's a good week to have a habit -- a gaming habit. *twitches* Over a bazillion games launched last week on various gaming devices and contraptions. Button mashers everywhere basked in a new shiny flickering game glow, getting a jump start on that lustrous pale skin reflection. I'm already transparent. This Gamingpalooza most likely prevented thousands from functioning in work society at some point during the week -- at least some of you admitted it! Is it a strange coincidence that so many games and patches released on November the 13th? Normally, I would chalk-up World of Warcraft's patch dropping on the same day as two EverQuest expansions as cruel and evil; albeit, one hell of a marketing maneuver to get players that were possibly thinking about flipping to EverQuest II to check out the tasty patch changes instead. But, so many games launched this week, so I'll crumple up my tin-foil hat until my next crack-pot theory emerges. I'm still piecing my head back together over all this MMOG craziness, patches, expansions, console goodness. Maybe, you aren't interested in any MMOGs right now, and you are dabbling in those nefarious console titles like Mario Galaxy or Mass Effect. Maybe you aren't interested in anything at all and waiting patiently for AoC or WAR! So, what's up with you? Go ahead and tell us what games you are playing and perhaps what you are focusing on, that alt, beating the game, crafting? Maybe you are like me and one MMOG is never enough, I'll be busy doing some pew-pew space joobie off angels in EVE (piloting a brand-spanking new ship today), and I'll do some plundering in PotBS. I might hit up some EQ2, but I doubt there will be enough time -- never is.
EverQuest II's senior producer explains the Kunark Epics delay
Massively's Rise of Kunark Beta Tour from early last week had a bevy of details on the just-released expansion. One of the hot-button items among the EverQuest 2 community, it seems, is the absence of the promised Epic weapons from Kunark's launch, a detail we first reported here on the site. TenTonHammer has followed up on player concerns in this area, speaking with EQ2's Senior Producer Scott Hartsman on the issue. Hartsman reveals that, unfortunately, the Kunark Epics are yet another victim of the recent San Diego fires. "What we were faced with was a bug count in which nothing had been touched in a week. When we are in our bug fix mode, the team is capable of fixing anywhere between 13 to 17 hundred bugs in a week, so losing a week is a big thing. At the end of the day it came down to well, we obviously need to focus on the overall launch of our expansion first. Epic weapons are something that yes, we've got a number of them in the bag, but the choice we had to make was, do we launch a game with 1500 bugs and epics that are 75% awesome and 25% less than awesome, or do we launch a game that's going to be as clean as we can make it and then push the epics out on an update? " Folks looking forward to tackling the weapons need not worry, though. Hartsman states that the Epics update will likely be coming just after the holiday season ends. This will give the team time to give the important items the polish they need ... and likely will let designers have a few moments with their families as well.
Yesterday on Massively: November 13, 2007
It's been a busy day on Massively, with the latest EverQuest and EverQuest II expansions, a new patch for World of Warcraft, and a new release candidate for Second Life. Oh, and don't forget our continuing run of exciting contests! For those of you unable to keep up with the days' news around here, we've compiled them into this handy collection of links. Contests WoW giveaway winners Massively's Massive Giveaways: EVE Online Massively's Massive Giveaways: EVE Online, part 2 Massively's Massive Giveaways: EVE Online, part 3 Massively's Massive Giveaways: EVE Online, part 4 Features Cinemassively: Mask One Shots: We miss Halloween Discussion Vanity, thy name is Pet It's as if millions of MMO gamers cried out... Slave to the 'ding' Making fun be worth it
EQII site is cooler than it was 48 hours ago
The official community site of EverQuest II has been updated in preparation for the Rise of Kunark expansion. The update adds new guild roster features, new art for forum signatures, lots of little fixes and additions, and of course support for all the new Rise of Kunark stuff like post-70 player characters and the Iksar race. You can read all the details on the site's news page.The update responds to a lot of user requests. It was due earlier but was pushed back so the expansion-related updates could be included in the same package. The EQII players website is an exemplary MMO community hub, and all this just makes it better. Check out the site and hang out on the forums during the agonizing wait until Rise of Kunark goes live today!
Massively Sarnak starter quest guide
Let's face it. At some point after EverQuest II receives its Rise of Kunark expansion, you'll be making a Sarnak. Sure, you may not stick with it, or even take it very far at all, but you'll want to at least see what they're like and check out their newbie area. With that in mind, we present to you this sneak peek at beginning life as a Sarnak, including a detailed walk-through of the quests, and the characters and monsters found in this first snippet of Kunark. Whether you want to use the guide to blast through the early quests, or simply check out some screenshots in our quest-guide gallery, click on through for more.%Gallery-10174%
Suddenly, it's as if millions of MMO gamers cried out... and were forced to go outside
Today, three major MMOs are dark: World of WarCraft, EverQuest, and EverQuest 2 for content patches or expansions -- WoW gets patch 2.3; EQ and EQ2 each have shiny new expansions. It's not often the big three are offline at the same time for new content, so this must either be a sign of the apocalypse or product managers imitating carny barkers by jumping up and down yelling, "Play my game, not that other game!" It is our sworn duty here at Massively to remind you there is this thing called the "outdoors" and we hear it's quite lovely this time of year. So, go check it out and get back to us on what it's like, will ya?Of today's releases, I'm looking forward to the EQ2 expansion, Rise of Kunark the most. While the level 70-80 content is too high for me, I'm a total sucker for new starting areas. I've been wanting to roll a necro, so tomorrow I'll check out Timorus Deep with my still-got-the-new-toon-smell Sarnak. The WoW patch is a complete whiff for me since I failed in both getting my alt to level 20 and my main to level 70 -- the fall game review cycle can make for a hellacious schedule for freelancers. So no improved XP or Zul'Aman for me. It's been years since I've played EQ, and, you guessed it, my main is under the level cap so there's nothing there for me, either -- sense a pattern on non-level-capped chars?How about you? How are you spending patch day? What's the over/under on the length of the downtime? Which game are you logging into first?
Today on Massively: November 12, 2007
Broken Toys has mentioned that we put up 40 new posts an hour over here on Massively -- and while I think that's a slight exaggeration, there's certainly enough happening every day that it's easy to get lost. So without further ado, I present our very first daily wrap-up post, compiling all of the days news and information into a single easily-clickable reference. Contests Massively's massive giveaways: EQ2 Rise of Kunark, redux Massively's massive giveaways: EQ Secrets of Faydwer, part 2 Massively's massive giveaways: EQ2 Rise of Kunark Massively's massive giveaways: EQ Secrets of Faydwer EverQuest 2: Rise of Kunark EverQuest 2: Rise of Kunark -- mega information link overload EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: Armor EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: Furniture EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: Harvested resources
EverQuest 2: Rise of Kunark - mega information link overload
Over this past weekend the EverQuest 2: Rise of Kunark NDA was taken out back and shot to death with erasers, mere days before the expansion launches tomorrow. Unfortunately, I only had access for a little over a week (QQ) and haven't had much time to play. This means any in-depth coverage coming from my brain is nil until I patch my sheepish brain later with more played time, but I do have some first thoughts. My first thought: I really should have played more. My second thought: I feel like I owe our readers a bit more than that, so, I ventured out and tracked down information dumps, thoughts, opinions, and screenshots from various sources who really delved in the RoK beta. The consolidated roundup is after the jump. In no particular order and without further ado:[Last Updated 11/12/07 10:30PM PST]
EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: armor
We have one last link to share with you from EQ2 Traders Corner tonight. Previously, in their blitz on EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskill coverage, we featured their new harvested resources and furniture showcase pages. This final page has to do with pimping out your character's appearance (and undoubtedly stats, though we don't see that just yet) in the expansion, with a large gallery of the different kinds of crafted armor.This gallery has front and back shots of males and females wearing what looks like every kind of new armor. As with the furniture catalogue, it contains items of both the common and rare variety. There is one set of chain armor that has been updated in-game and not yet on their page, but apart from that, you should be able to determine what your avatar will look like once you've been kitted out by your local crafter after RoK hits.Have a browse of the armor shots, and stay tuned to Massively for more Rise of Kunark coverage both leading up to and after the anticipated release.
Massively's Massive Giveaways: EQ2 - Rise of Kunark, redux
Fear the mighty Sarnak, new race for the Everquest II: Rise of Kunark expansion. As mentioned previously, we managed to land some hands-on time with the beta for EQ2. Some of the things we noticed (other than some really nice customization options for your Sarnak -- we love the horns) are how the male Sarnak are smaller than the female Sarnak, and how well matched the speaking animations for this race are when paying attention to the vocal emotes/NPC dialogue. For those who haven't been in on the full scoop of what all this expansion entails, we have a fantastic EQ2: RoK beta walk-through that's just chock full of juicy details.But for now, we need to focus on giving out these three last copies of the Rise of Kunark expansion! Yes, three lucky winners will be able to make their very own Sarnaks to engage in fierce battles like the one above. Being a rampaging dragonkin sound like your idea of fun? Then if you're 18+, a resident of the U.S., and are otherwise clear according to the official rules, leave a comment below before tomorrow at 8:15 PM Eastern, and you may wind up with a shiny new copy of Everquest II: Rise of Kunark. Raar!
EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: furniture
Earlier today we linked to EQ2 Traders Corner's article on harvested resources found in EverQuest II's upcoming Rise of Kunark expansion. This wasn't the only hard work that they did to document their creative journeys in Kunark, as we now bring you their tier 8 furniture showcase.There are nearly 60 screenshots in this gallery of brand new crafted furniture, from the expected lighting, bed, table and bookshelf items, to other more unique things such as weighing scales and hourglasses. Some of the paintings that can be made look particularly nice, and will surely be a popular choice for those wanting to shake up the aesthetics of their housing.If you're less concerned with what these items look like, and more with what they can actually do for you, the page also tells us that the common items will reduce rent status by 125, and the rare items by 1100. Have a window shop for things you'd like to buy in the expansion via the related story link, and there is more still to come from EQ2 Traders Corner later on.
Massively's Massive Giveaway: EQ2 - Rise of Kunark
This just in: we've actually been contacted by the fine folks at Sony Online Entertainment, who have given us a veritable plethora of copies of both of their new expansions launching today! This means that we've changed the original prizes from just the one copy we had, to 3 copies -- as well as the prizes for the rest of the day! That said, for EQ2 we couldn't be more excited about this, as some of us were lucky enough to get into the beta for Rise of Kunark. You can trust us when we say that the Sarnak are a wickedly fun addition to the Everquest II stable. The attention to even the little details of the starting area in Timorous Deep on up will impress both old and new players alike. But enough gushing about Everquest II and Rise of Kunark -- for now, anyway. Let's get on with giving you a chance to win your own copy!This hour we're offering three copies of the EverQuest II expansion, which actually includes the core game and all expansions up to this point! So those new to EQ2 and those who've been around alike will be able to use this prize. Full of win, no? All you need to do is leave a comment below and you could be one of the lucky people who walks away with your very own copy -- and the ability to create your very own snarling Sarnak! You must be 18+, a resident of the U.S. and all the rest of the hoopla from the official rules. Good luck!
Massively's Massive Giveaways: EQ Secrets of Faydwer [Updated]
Many, many moons ago, I remember getting a call from one of my best friends; he was crowing about this new game called EverQuest that he said I absolutely had to go get. After all, as he pointed out, not only was it a game (a common passion we share to this day) but it would give us a chance to "hang out" together despite the enormous physical distance between us. Thus began my passion for MMOs -- and EQ will always have a special spot in my heart as my first MMO love. For those of you who also keep your torches burning bright for EverQuest, this giveaway is for you! For this giveaway, we're offering a copy 3 copies of the newest EverQuest newest expansion, Secrets of Faydwer. But don't think that this is only for the people who only own EverQuest already. This expansion actually includes all the prior games in a giant roll up of gaming goodness for both EQ veterans and total EQ newcomers alike.All you need to do to be eligible for this drawing is to leave a comment before 2:00 PM tomorrow (11/13) telling us what your first ever MMO was and how you got into it? Did your friend call you and tell you to go get it right now or they were going to buy it for you -- or was that just me? Of course, you must be 18+ years of age, a U.S. resident, and all the other official rules stuff. Let us know!Update: We've just heard back from SOE who has gifted us with some boxed copies of Secrets of Faydwer. So this giveaway has just gotten three times as cool because we're giving away 3 copies of Secrets of Faydwer instead of 1! Stay tuned throughout the rest of the evening for more EverQuest giveaway goodness!
EQ2 Rise of Kunark tradeskilling: harvested resources
There's not long left now before EverQuest II's world will be expanded once again, and Rise of Kunark is released. Leading up to the November 13th launch, the tradeskill fanatics at EQ2 Traders Corner have put up a ton of great information for crafters in the new expansion. One of their most useful pages details the tier 8 harvested resources found on the continent of Kunark.The names of all the new resource types can be found here, including the rare harvests, as well as a list of transmuting items. Apart from this, the page informs that meats will no longer come from animal dens as they used to. Dens are solely for hides now, and meat will be obtained by killing mobs. We are assured, however, that for those tradeskillers that prefer not to bloody their blades, there is a level-up path for Provisioners that does not involve meats at all. Check out the resource lists at the link below, and we'll feature some more excellent RoK crafting coverage from EQ2 Traders Corner, later in the day.
EverQuest II celebrates its third birthday
Thursday was the third anniversary of the launch of Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest II. In celebration of another year of service, the team put together a retrospective video, interviewing the team about their time working on the game. They talk about the process of making the three currently-released expansions for the game, and give a few tantalizing glimpses of the Rise of Kunark, which is slated for release next week.They also had cake, as shown in a series of pictures posted to the official EverQuest II website. Happy Birthday EQ2. Nice MMOGing.
