In this, the first of a two-part look at the EverQuest Progression Servers, Community Manager Laura Genender talks about the project and her experiences in-game.

EverQuest today consists of over 375 zones scattered over 13 expansions worth of area - multiple continents, a moon, alternate planes of existence, dreamscapes, and more. With eight years of evolution and change, the game is vastly different from the three-continent world which opened its doors to thousands of adventurers in 1999. Hunt spots where players once waited in line are deserted; raid targets that were once highly contested are soloed by bored clerics; and gear that was once coveted is now handed down to alts and sold to vendors.

As zones are introduced to EverQuest, they have to offer players new opportunities: new landscapes, encounters, and gear upgrades. This leads to each expansion inflating the standards of gear and experience. Those original +9 Intelligence/Wisdom Golden Efreeti Boots that were once a badge of honor can't hold a card to even mid-level Planes of Power (5th expansion) gear. And EverQuest's original 50 level cap has raised over the years as well, topping out now at level 75. Old-world zones that are made for level 50s - both in gear opportunities and experience - can't normally attract the modern player.

Read the whole article here.