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Everquest I and II expansion beta key giveaways!
What, 24 hours of Tabula Rasa schwag isn't enough for you people? Fifteen days of action-packed sweepstakes not keeping you satisfied? Fine, then -- we'll have to resort to giving out some beta keys to you greedy mofos. Check back later this morning for chances to win 10 EverQuest: Secrets of Faydwer beta keys and 15 EQ2: Rise of Kunark beta keys courtesy of the lovely folks at SOE. See you soon!
EverQuest Online Adventures has gone fishin'
'Tis the season of special holiday events. As you're probably already aware, Sony Online Entertainment has come out with a number of seasonal activities to entertain and delight players in nearly all of their MMOs. Lest it be lost in the shuffle, we thought we'd clue you in on a peculiarly timed event going on in EverQuest Online Adventures, the obscure EQ offshoot available only on the Playstation 2.The EQOA crew has revealed that their Fishing Season event officially started yesterday, and will run through November 15th. Players cast their rods far and wide in search of special "tagged fish" which can be turned into NPCs for special "certificates of participation." At the end of each week, a GM will bestow a prize on the player who has collected the most certificates for a given week. What is the prize you ask? They don't actually say. For the sake of those PS2 hold-outs still playing EQOA on the ol' Playstation 2, how about a PS3?
Race to Kunark with bonus XP Sundays
Our favorite events are ones that net us heaps and loads of experience points. What could be better than that? You have fun, and you become more powerful so you can have even more fun. It's a win-win situation. So we want to point out to all the EverQuest II players out there that SOE is running a bonus-XP event called "Race to Kunark."Players will receive 50% more experience than normal in both PvE and crafting "from midnight to midnight pacific time" on the two Sundays preceding the expansion's launch -- November 4th and 11th. This is a pretty nice boon for adventurers looking build up in so they can vanquish all the new monsters. So if you're an EQ2 player, make plans to order some pizza and start grinding this Sunday. Oh, and check out our overview of what Rise of Kunark has to offer if you're in the dark.[Via Stratics]
EverQuest Patch: Steamfont revamp; Halloween; and new hot zones.
On October 30, 2007 EverQuest got its annual Halloween patch. Also included were the Steamfont revamp we previously talked about and new Hot Zones. The new Hot Zones (zones where you get extra XP in) are:Level 20 The Castle of MistmooreLevel 25 The Permafrost CavernsLevel 30 Trakanon's TeethLevel 35 The Warsliks WoodsLevel 40 The Dawnshroud PeaksLevel 45 Velketor's LabyrinthLevel 50 The DeepLevel 55 The Temple of DrogaLevel 60 Nobles' CausewayLevel 65 The Halls of HonorI'm excited about the Steamfont revamp for nostalgia reasons -- it's my old newbie grounds so that's where my early experiences were. Before I got out into the cruel, harsh world of hell levels. I've been stuck in my mid-50s for years, and, since Droga pretty requires a group, there's little chance I'll be able to take advantage of the Hot Zones.It's routine, maintenance-level patches like these that really make me long for the patches of EverQuest old. You know, the patches where classes got nerfed, Whineplay lit up with complainers, and Abashi tried to convince us Alchemy was working?Ah, EverQuest, I how I miss what you once were.
Legends of Norrath booster drops increased in promo this weekend
If you're a fan of Sony Online Entertainment's Legends of Norrath card game, you're set to have a good time this week. This coming Friday to Sunday is a promo weekend for the collectible card game, with increased drop rates of booster and combo packs. In order to snag them you're going to have to play EverQuest or EverQuest 2, the two games directly connected to Legends of Norrath's lore and gameplay. The card game's booster packs drop normally in those two titles, but this weekend SOE has decided to up the ante and ensure that you'll probably get a reward or two from your time in-game.Players will also have the opportunity to snag two brand (non-foil) new cards in the booster packs, both of which (for the moment) are only available via this promo weekend.
Remembering a Norrath gone by
Adele Caelia of MMORPG.com recently began a new feature, focusing on the reminiscing done about the older content in EQII. She listed off some of her favorite memories from playing the game, and then went around the game to interview players and what they remembered best about their early days in Norrath.A lot of players remembered game elements and how they first wowed them, the first ride on a flying carpet, their first time conquering The Icy Dig. Others connected with the social aspects of the game, the first time they joined a guild, and in many cases, that is the guild they are in down to this day. Most of my fond memories of EQII are of a crafting basement and the injuries I sustained creating suits of armor. Ah, those were good times.
EQ2 helps teach English in pilot study
You may pick up the odd new word here and there playing MMO's, but a recent university study has used the game EverQuest II to reinforce the entire English language. The article was noticed by one of EQ2's senior producers Scott Hartsman on his personal blog. Hartsman muses that people will always find new ways to use code or software to achieve things that they had not been designed for, but also says that this particular use of EQ2 "wasn't something that was on the radar".There were a number of reasons that EQ2 was chosen by the Northwestern University researchers for their project. They had considered World of Warcraft too, but in the end EQ2's clear descriptions and labeling made it the ideal choice. Everything is explained in detail in the game, and most items and places have extra labels on them. The researchers said that there is simply a lot more text in the game than in WoW.
EverQuest: Steamfont receives a makeover
As part of the live update on Thursday, October 25, Steamfont Moutains, the Gnome newbie grounds are getting a graphics overhaul. At the rate it's taking SOE to revamp zones -- about one zone every two years -- EverQuest should get rid of the 1999 graphics sometime around the year 3000.Now, normally I'd scorn a game company upgrading a "likely not used much these days zone," except for the fact that Steamfont is one of the few EverQuest zones I have sentimantal attachment to. This isn't hyperbole: if it wasn't for Steamfont, I would have quit EQ. You see, the first newbie zone I tried was Greater Faydark, and the combination of falling to death from the heights of Kelethin to loosing my corpse in the dark areas, Gfay was an all-around unpleasant newbie experience. Determined to give the game an honest try -- just convincing my wife to let my try a subscription-based game was a challenge; I couldn't just quit -- I rolled Gnome Necro and stepped into Steamfont.
New monsters revealed for EverQuest II expansion; producer Scott Hartsman weighs in
MMORPG.com has posted part one of their Creature Feature article, in which they had a chance to chat with Everquest II senior producer Scott Hartsman about monsters being introduced for the game's upcoming expansion, and about bringing new monsters to an MMO in general. The feature will have two parts, and cover five new monsters from Rise of Kunark. The two nasties that we meet in this episode are the Burynai Casters and the Devourers. These races both debuted in the Kunark expansion of the first EverQuest. Fans will recall that the Burynai are usually located deep underground -- if you see one walking above ground, you can be sure there's a cavernous tunnel nearby. Devourers seemed to show up all over the place, but I always wondered what the heck allowed them to float in mid-air. Regardless, a very cool-looking mob.Hartsman's contributions to the article are insightful as he discusses ideas, balancing and time frames when bringing new creatures to MMO's. He also reassures us that beyond the five monsters featured in the two-part series, there are plenty more to discover in EverQuest II's new expansion. Click through to the full article below, and we'll let you know when part two goes up.
EverQuest II upcoming expansion details: Set sail for the Rise of Kunark
Since we've now heard that pre-orders are becoming available for the fourth expansion to EverQuest II, expected to be released November 13th, let's take a look at what players will have to look forward to. Rise of Kunark will focus on the continent of Kunark, including its dragon-lizard inhabitants, the Sarnak. Veterans of the first EverQuest game may remember these annoying fellows, introduced during its first expansion, and be keen to relive old memories by relentlessly hunting them down all over again. But this time around, you can expect them to have a little help.The Sarnak will be greatly bolstering their numbers, as for the first time they become a playable race. Sarnaks will have their own new starting city located in the islands of the Timorous Deep, and the surrounding areas will support advancement to around level 20. The Kunark mainland is designed for the upper echelon of levels, and the expansion itself includes an increase of the existing level cap from 70 to 80. Along with the raising of the level cap and new race, other highlights of Rise of Kunark include an increase in the current achievement point limit of 100 to 140, and a new player mount, the Kunarkian Rhinoceros (which for some reason instantly brings to mind Donkey Kong Country and the rampaging Rambi) to traverse the lands upon. There will of course be new dungeons and raid encounters for the high level folks to sink their teeth into, with Veeshan's Peak (making its return from the original EverQuest) for the top raiders. You can read about the expansion or pre-order the game from Sony's Station Store. Those that pre-order will receive a new pet for their house, a Burynai Seeker. If you wanted to give the game a go before the expansion hits, EQ2's main page includes a download link to a 14-day free trial.
Do you have roots in World of WarCraft?
The first MMO I got hooked on was EverQuest. The harsh nature of the game forced you to bond with other people. Some of those bonds have lasted longer than I played the game. I started EQ seven years ago, and while it's been at least a year since I've logged in, I still chat with people I met in-game even though they've quit as well.Because WoW is an easier game than EQ (we can debate whether WoW is a training wheel game about as long as we can debate casual vs. hardcore), I'm concerned it might not have a long-lasting social fabric. In many ways my EQ guild was like family: we loved and fought (usually amongst ourselves) as much as most families. A guild alliance that lasted not even a year still has people stopping by to say "hi" six years after it disbanded. People stop by their old EQ guilds all the time. A lot of the time it's like old soldiers getting together to talk about a bad situation. "Say, Gan, remember that time it took us ten hours to almost clear Fear, and we wiped near the end and it and it took another ten to get our corpses? Was that a pain or what?" Shared misery can make for some long-lasting friendships. In my EverQuest guild, I had over 2,000 posts on our guild's message boards. In my various WoW guilds I'm lucky if I have 50 over the last two years. One-third of my AIM list is people I met in EQ; zero are from WoW. How about you? How often do you talk out-of-game with other players, and will you keep in touch after you've quit the game? Is it because WoW doesn't have the hardships of other games, or am I just and old fogey remembering the good old days?
Legends of Norrath's upcoming Loot Tournament Weekend
Prepare for cardboard card battle, well digital cardboard that is. The Legends of Norrath Loot Tournament Weekend is scheduled to start at 9 am on October 27th and last the whole weekend. This is a large scale tournament where players can win in-game loot rewards. There will be an entry fee of 10 event passes and each player that participates will receive three Oathbound booster packs, a Lucan D'Lere, Ruthless Tactician promotional card (illustrated by Jim Lee) and a choice of either an EverQuest Scale of Rodcet Nife or EverQuest II Bottled Breath loot card. In order to ninja your free loots just scoot into one of the "Loot Tournament Weekend" event queues and once they fill up the foray will begin and your account is flagged to be banned at a later time. I'm kidding about the banning part, your account is flagged for the goods! You do not have to be an EverQuest or EverQuest II subscriber to play Legends of Norrath. If you can't get enough tournament details check out the Legends of Norrath website. I'm seriously considering entering the Tournament depending on how much the entry fee is. I just downloaded the stand-alone client and it doesn't look bad -- so far, so good, stability wise. I need to get a few games under my belt before I can further comment on the game itself. If it's anything like Magic: The Gathering, I'll probably get hooked and you'll never hear from me again; hey, don't cheer that!
A Tigole flashback to Legacy of Steel
Reader Dbandith sent us this little gem-- it's Jeff "Tigole" Kaplan's old EQ guild page from back in 2002. Back before Blizzard really got started with World of Warcraft, they raided (pun intended) the biggest guilds in a few other MMOs, most notably EverQuest, for developers, and some of those folks became the Blues that we know and love today. I know both Tigole and Alex "Furor" Afrasiabi came from EQ guilds (and in fact, their old guilds still play WoW, and it's gotten them in trouble at least once), and Rob Pardo originally ran Legacy of Steel, the guild that Tigole came from.But this little flashback is extremely interesting, not only for the post at the top of the page-- it's very cool to see a fresh-faced Tigole, one excited about breaking the MMO mold and not a guy concerned with balancing Arena Ratings and an expansion beta schedule-- but also for the expletive-filled post at the bottom. "Fix your goddamn buggy bull**** half-assed encounters," rages Tigole at the EQ staff. And he sounds just like the same folks raging on the forums about Blizzard's current problems, even if their language isn't quite as strong as his.Now don't get me wrong-- Kaplan and Blizzard have done an amazing job, and created one of the best games in history. Fighting over Brewfest bugs (or even one tree of one class in the game) is 1000% better than fighting over the entire act of playing the game itself-- there's no question in my mind that Kaplan and all of the other raiders brought on board at Blizzard pushed the MMO genre light years ahead of where it was back in their raiding time. But it is an interesting sight to see Blizzard devs on the other side of the message board posting button, raging against mistakes in implementation just as so many on Blizzard's forums are today.Thanks, Dbandith!
Breaking News: Casual players hard to define
Let's take a poll. If you consider yourself "casual" raise your hand. Yes, even you in the back-and you thought that webcam was off (and put some clothes on for God's sake). Ok, that's quite a bit of you. Now, if you play more than 20 hours a week keep your hands up.That's what I thought.At the last two Dragon*Cons I've asked that same question on my panels. The numbers come out like this: 90% of the room raised their hands at the first question and 80% of them kept their hands up for the second.You are not a casual gamer if you fall into that spectrum. Since I am laughably a games journalist, I am eminently qualified to use the word the industry uses to define "casual gamers": Peggle. We also have a word to describe people who play Peggle too much, but since AOL owns us I probably can't use it here.When you wonder why Blizzard doesn't do enough for the casual player, or why they focus their attention on the hardcore raider, the answer is simple: Blizzard doesn't have a clear delineation between the two groups any more than you do. It used to be that casual players refused to put in the time to get ahead, while the hardcore raiders were a bunch of catassers who had no lives. WarCraft has drastically blurred those lines. Robin Torres wrote an excellent piece on the differences between casual and raiders here. Let me say I agree with her, but she was a tad too polite.
/silly: Time for Plan B
Sometimes we, as players, do some incredibly silly things. Even after, say, 45-50 levels of dealing with the character, learning the tricks of the trade and the ways of your class, we can still make mistakes which may or may not lead to our certain doom. In the case of our poor Tauren friend in this week's comic, that certain doom is very, very certain and all together rather doomish. Clicking on the big florescent green "Click Here" symbol will reveal this doomed fate to you, but don't say I didn't warn you: There will be doom involved.Speaking of doomed fate, somewhere just beyond this sentence there is likely a link that says (more...) and clicking on it will more then likely provide you this elusive "more" they keep promising all over the Internet. Go ahead, click it. You will see.
Everquest movie moving forward (directly to video we presume)
Since the Gears of War movie wants to be like 300, it should be no surprise that the EverQuest movie wants to be like 300 as well. In fact, they've hired 300 screenwriter Michael Gordon to try and bring some of his magic to the script. Hopefully that doesn't mean someone will be shouting "THIS! IS! EVERQUEST!" throughout the film.Unlike Stuart Beattie, who is writing Gears, Gordon doesn't have an impressive set of credits to his name, other than 300. Couple that with the waning popularity of EverQuest every year, and the World of Warcraft film that is being readied, and it smells like a recipe for video store shelves and Netflix accounts.However, we could be wrong and this could smash box office records, sweep the awards, and bring tears to millions of eyes around the world. We're just sayin' ...
Everquest movie is inc, Avid Arad producing
The Warcraft movie is going to have some competition-- Everquest is also going to be the target of a movie property, and word is going around that it'll be produced by Avi Arad, former Marvel Comics head and the man behind Spider-man and X-men.Michael Gordon is supposedly writing the screenplay-- he was one of three writers who worked on 300 ("This is Norrath!!"), and unfortunately doesn't have that much more to his name yet. Apparently he did the original pitch, though, so maybe he's a player, and word is that the story will feature actual characters from the game itself.I don't want to ruin your day or anything, EQ fans, but I wouldn't hold your breath on this one. I'd love to see a movie starring Erudites and Iksar as much as the next guy, but right now this is looking more like Alone in the Dark than Silent Hill.
Hallowe'en every day of the year - no thanks!
We talk a lot about the features we want in the game. What about the features we don't want? I don't know about anybody else, but I've been watching the news surrounding the release of Everquest 2 Update 38 with horror. Read with me from the press release. "Upon reaching level 20, you'll be able to access new appearance item slots on the inventory window! Have favorite pieces that are an important part of your style? You can now keep wearing them for looks while continuing to upgrade your primary gear!" Are they out of their freaking mind?! Sure, I like to look good as much as the next player, but let's shift to World of Warcraft for a minute and consider the ramifications of such a change in our world, especially to our PvP-loving brethren. Do you really want to go into a battleground or an arena match and see a paladin standing there smiling at you buck-naked (perhaps wielding a Pitchfork, and wearing overalls for effect) when in fact he's actually wearing a full Tier 6 set? Rattlesnakes have a rattle for a reason. Cobras have their distinctive hood for the same reason. You should be able to look at a player in-game and be able to with some degree of certainty be able to assess their threat to you. I don't think it's such a wonderful idea to allow people to masquerade around as noobs when in fact they may count themselves among the best-equipped players in the game. How many times do you actually target somebody or mouse-over them to see their class? So if you see a dwarf in a robe you think priest, right? If a change like this was ever implemented in World of Warcraft, that could be a deadly assumption. I've got nothing against the Orbs of Deception and Savory Deviate Delight and other such items. Their effects are temporary, and easy to spot. Hallowe'en should be contained to one day of the year. You may wonder why am I freaking out over this when it's not even something going in World of Warcraft. I'm freaking out about it because this is a novel idea that I think will catch on in the MMOG genre. As Blizzard looks to add hairstyles and other cosmetic changes in the future, Sony has approached the same issue from an interesting and novel direction. This is one direction I hope Blizzard never takes. What things do you hope Blizzard never introduces in the game?[Special thanks to Olandu from "Guardians of Azeroth" on Gnomeregan for being my photo model for this article!]
Everquest I and II adds card game Legends of Norrath
How do you renew flagging interest in an MMORPG, especially when there's clearly another top dog? For MMORPG granddaddy Everquest, part of the solution (they hope) comes in the form of a new, digital collectable card game called Legends of Norrath: Oathbound. The first of what Sony says will be a series, Oathbound features 375 cards in 55-card starter decks for $9.99 and 15-card booster packs for $2.99. The game is playable from EQ I or II, thought a stand-alone client is due for free on Sept. 12. You can test your skills (and decks) against others in the Tournament and Casual lobbies that have been set up or you can play against the AI. This isn't necessarily the sort of thing that would make us cheat on WoW, but if you're still a Norrath denizen, it sounds like this would certainly beat /gems.
Today's Fan Fairiest video: EverQuest players tie real and virtual knots
Sony Online Entertainment's recent Fan Faire was held in Las Vegas, which is already known for quirky characters and quickie weddings. However, this was probably the only time the city over hosted both a real wedding, and a virtual one, at the same time. Er, and for the same people. We don't want to slight the Vegas virtual wedding scene, if it exists.Two gamers, who met in EverQuest, tied the knot during the event at the Rio Hotel ... and then promptly went on a six-hour hack and slash raid through an orc-infested dungeon as a honeymoon treat. Okay, we keed, we keed ... but listen to the preacher during the ceremony as he says "we're gathered here today at the beautiful Rio Hotel." Wonder if he's a paid shill.Anyhow, check out the wedding video above (Darth Vader and some Stormtroopers actually lead the bridal procession in), and some costume contest photos in the gallery below. One of these days BlizzCon and Fan Faire need to meet so the MMORPGer's can battle it out for global online domination.%Gallery-5908%
