With all the excitement surrounding the revelation of EverQuest Next, it’s a trifle easy to overlook EverQuest and EverQuest 2. But neither is a game that is worthy of being overlooked and if the new expansions and forward-looking vision of the teams behind each are any indication, both titles still have a million stories to tell and no plans to fade to black. During SOE Live, we had the chance to sit in on a pair of panels that laid out the basic details about both EverQuest’s and EverQuest 2’s forthcoming expansion. Here’s what we learned:
EVERQUEST: CALL OF THE FORSAKEN
EverQuest really has set the stage for the past 15 years of MMOs. It truly was amazing to see so many fans at SOE Live that are still playing this iconic game so many years later. The best part is the EQ team does not disappoint delivering its 20th Expansion Call of the Forsaken which is targeted for this September.
)
The team really wants to bring the game back to its grassroots and return players to Norrath proper. Forsaken also will conclude the long story arc of the Fall of Fears trilogy. The story goes into the House of Thule arc and brings players face to face with the Goddess of Shadow, Alara.
Two of the main zones players will go through in the expansion are the Dead Hills and Neriak the 4th Gate. Players will be fighting against the Bixies. They can also choose a faction with either the King or Queen of Neriak.
One feature that got a huge uproar from the crowd was increasing the number of shared bank slots. The game will also be updating the mercenary advancement system. They really want players to be able to get the most of out their mercenaries and are allowing for more freedom with points spent. You will be able to equip mercenaries with items and now you can review their statistics.
The other piece of the expansion puzzle is the Heroic Adventures system which now tracks your experiences in the zone you enter based on your group. This way every time you enter a zone it will be different from before.
If you buy Call of the Forsaken, the team did mention that a new update will also be coming at the beginning of the year which will be free for players to tie the story lines together. They also said for the anniversary they will be launching new race and class combinations. EverQuest continues to remain a strong game in the MMO space. It is great to see SOE supporting the fans and community so strongly for a game that defined the term MMO for many people.
EVERQUEST 2: TEARS OF VEESHAN
The next expansion to EverQuest 2 is an ambitious one that will involve a lot of raiding and dungeoneering, but with a purpose. The focus of the EQ2 team, according to Senior Producer Holly Longdale, is to tell more and more of the story. To that end, every activity in which players participate furthers that goal.
)
Tears will feature a lot of new content including a new overland zone, solo and heroic dungeons, new raids, new quests and missions and much more. In addition, players will be able to try out the new Channeler class, a leather wearing priest that uses a bow.
The story will focus on the Tear of Veeshan and the Fall of the New Combine taking place immediately after those two events. Players will enter a zone called the Eternal Broodlands where dragons go when they are taken from the world at large. The dragons exist there and the terrain around each is themed around their particular power. Players can also be sent into Draconic Threads that may take them to the past, present or future, all being unknown until the player arrives.
Tears will feature seven new dungeons: Temple of Veeshan with three wings and a flyable interior; Nexus Core, Chambers of Stasis, Stratum of Protectors; The Fractured Hive; High Keep; and The Pickclaw Depths.
But don’t think that development of EverQuest 2 will stop here. The team told us that they have plans for more content, more fabled dungeons, more stories. They will finally wrap up Age’s End, create an overhauled Dungeon Finder and add... dinosaurs if the final picture we were shown is any indication.
Keep your eyes on the EQ2 site and MMORPG.com for more EverQuest 2 news as it happens!
More EQ1 and EQ2 coverage:
