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EverQuest is bigger than EverQuest 2Dec 5, 2020 - EurogamerEverQuest is bigger than EverQuest 2, it turns out. EverQuest, the ground-breaking fantasy MMO that launched over 20 years ago in March 1999, currently has more subscribers, more monthly active players and makes more money than EverQuest 2, which came out 16 years ago in 2004. The factoid comes from a company called Enad Global 7 (EG7), which recently bought EverQuest owner Daybreak in a $300m deal. Read more Developers and industry legends on the games that defined the last 20 yearsSep 5, 2019 - EurogamerAs Eurogamer turns 20, we thought, you know what? It's not all about us. It's also about the developers, the people behind the virtual magic that inspired the creation of Eurogamer two decades ago. Without the developers, we wouldn't be here. And so, we thought we'd ask a few of them (20, in fact!) to pick the games that defined the last 20 years, and see what would come of it. We approached a broad range of people, from top executives and legendary talent to tiny indies. We asked them to pick a game that defined the last 20 years, but left it up to them to interpret the question. It could be a game that defined the industry, that meant a lot to them professionally or personally, or is just a favourite. We're delighted with the responses (thank you to everyone who contributed!). There's some fantastic insight here, super cool anecdotes and the odd surprising choice. We hope you enjoy it! Read more Summer Spectacular 2019!Jul 1, 2019 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/258d386c6a5869742c5d9caaa7baee07bd4d8ecb.jpg Summer Spectacular! Get ready for all the bonuses, gifts, and deals you can handle, because Summer is here and so is the Summer Spectacular! Log in and enjoy it all beginning July 1, 2019: Bonus Rewards! Status, Guild XP, and Currency rewards will be doubled throughout the event. Members, your already-doubled membership currency bonus is doubled AGAIN during the event. This includes Ethereal currency! Member Gifts! Log in and visit the Marketplace for a very special (and free!) Scorched Sky Carpet Mount. This will only be available during the event. Members only. Marketplace! SALE! Most Marketplace items will be 20% off. And don't forget, as a member you always receive an additional 10% discount off the sale price. Excludes Spell Research. PLUS, all past Mercenary, Familiar, and Legends of Norrath bundles are back in the store through the Spectacular. The Summer Spectacular begins at 12PM PT (noon) on July 1, 2019, and ends at 12PM PT (noon) on July 8, 2019. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/b721256f02f77efcecb3dce043f477be9d8ddd70.png Fire Up! Scorched Sky Celebrations Return!Jun 26, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsScorched Sky Celebrations Are Back! The pyres of the Scorched Sky Celebration have been ignited once more, and worshipers of Fennin Ro and his son, Solusek Ro, can be found celebrating their gods across all of Norrath! During this special celebration, the devotees of Flame are offering a chance for all to rejoice in the primal power of Fire and Flame, with no grudge towards those who have embraced other deities. They believe that within the flames all mettle is tempered, both literally and figuratively. That which is weak, distracting, and fleeting will be burned away in battles against fire elementals, leaving only the strong, pure, and resilient. From Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 12:01 AM PT until Monday, July 8, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT, you'll be able to join the devotees of Flame for this fiery celebration. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/072c98553415b7df40a2553d5ff4666a2d5e2001.jpg If you're looking to learn a bit more about what's in store before facing the inferno, read on for details about the celebration's unique events and rewards! Where to Celebrate: You can partake in the fiery festivities by finding a fire worshiper in one of the following areas: Antonica The Commonlands Darklight Wood Lavastorm The Pillars of Flame The Sinking Sands Butcherblock Mountains Great Divide Tranquil Sea Quests: Lend a hand in kick-starting the celebrations or help care for cold-bloodded creatures attracted to the flames in the following quests: Festive Fireworks - Speak with a Fireworks Coordinator in any player city. The Heat Is On - Speak with Limora Roamhill in Darklight Wood. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/8b73648e84979f9bfc53b90f78d773f204382c89.jpg Achievements: Face the fire elementals to become tempered by the flames and earn a title! The Scorched Collections: Complete this event collection and you'll be handsomely rewarded! Corilac Gems Buyables: There are a number of new, red hot items that you'll be able to purchase during the celebration including: Frock of Flame Armor Crate Cracked Lava building blocks Petamorph Wand: Ravenous Hellhound Fire-themed house decorations A variety of hot plushies And more to get you fired up! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/9001f54854f9e9689cadd580047b40740d94d93b.jpg TLE Servers: No participation on Kaladim. Want to learn more about the events and rewards available this Scorched Sky? Take a look at some of the helpful guides available from these fiery Fansites: EQ2 Traders Corner EQ2 Furniture The celebrations are all ablaze, so head on out and enjoy the Scorched Sky before the festivities end on July 8, 2019! Producer's Letter: Summer 2019Jun 17, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsHail, almighty Norrathans! Summer is upon us and we've got updates for you! We are all really excited for what's coming this year, including the 15th Anniversary of EverQuest II and our expansion. And we've got plenty coming up between now and then! Legendary Ethereal Item Drops and New Expert Dungeons! This summer, play in new Expert versions of the heroic dungeons in the Chaos Descending expansion for awesome lewtz! It’s a good idea to use this opportunity to get leveled up for...reasons…too! Check out this Fabled item from an Expert dungeon: https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/eff887110e9f3089b73e28bee0f8df09bfe8fa2e.jpg You also may want to look for some best-in-slot items in the Chaos Descending Public Quests as of the June 18th Game Update too. Vagueness intended. Both the Chaos Descending Public Quests and Expert Dungeons begin June 18, 2019. Here's a look at a couple of the tasty Ethereal armor items dropping this summer. Whoa. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/63cdefd57f08fc8fc74d872742bbec0e8c0159e9.jpg Nagafen PVP Server Seasons The first Nagafen PVP Server Season 1 will come to an end on June 18, 2019, with the Game Update and will kick off its Season 2 on July 16, 2019. The team will be making some changes and tweaks based on Season 1, so keep an eye out from posts from the team as we move along! Let’s Celebrate Pride! This year, you can get our Pride-themed bunny familiars from the in-game store for free from June 21, 2019, until July 31, 2019. As a studio, we support every gamer who contributes to our community. Show the love! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/b14c5a9e026a6c0e59cab5671129b25a7fe75979.png The Scorched Sky Celebration Heats Up! For the second time, worshipers of Fennin Ro and his son, Solusek Ro, will be celebrating across Norrath with Scorched Sky celebrations! The celebrations begin June 26, 2019, and end July 8, 2019. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/3953123/072c98553415b7df40a2553d5ff4666a2d5e2001.jpg What's new with Scorched Sky this year? The Ember merchants have 31 new items available, including a whole new building block set and an armor crate! New Quest: The Heat Is On offered by Limora Roamhill in Darklight Wood. Returning Features: In-game mail to announce the event. Ro worshipers are found fire dancing, summoning fire elementals and praising Fennin and Solusek Ro. Tempered by Flame - Players defeat fire elementals (level scaling) found in areas of the world where followers of Ro are located. Defeat fire elementals to earn Coin of Ember. New "Corilac Gem Stones" event collection. "Festive Fireworks" city quests. During this special celebration, the devotees of Flame are offering a chance for all to rejoice in the primal power of Fire and Flame, with no grudge towards those who have embraced other deities. They believe that within the flames all mettle is...New Expansion: Chaos DescendingDec 12, 2018 - Community Announcementshttps://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34023932/da069bd9da973e088f34a6deca3e4b82c89e875b.jpg Hail, brave heroes of Norrath! A mystery of celestial proportion threatens the order in the Elemental Planes, and chaos looms. Balance must be restored. Norrathians, return to the Planes of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth as you have never seen them before. Gain new strengths, learn new abilities, and hold your own in battle against the Planes' ceaseless denizens and their masters. Will you be strong enough to defeat the gods upon the elemental thrones? EverQuest II’s fifteenth expansion, Chaos Descending, is now available! https://youtu.be/M-UDFrg5YXE Want a more in-depth look at the new lands you'll be exploring? Take a moment to review our preview articles before diving into the new expansion content: Chaos Descending Expansion OverviewMyrist, the Great LibraryDoomfire, the Burning LandsVegarlson, the Earthen BadlandsEryslai, the Kingdom of WindAwudior, the Unresting Waters https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34023932/35333ed2f81dffec419de4fe5b8219d97b0cdbcb.jpg https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34023932/e0c2d636696e1523ca1cb8927b239f2a6207bc0d.jpg https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34023932/5b8adfc67f0b3b34ebd4fcb0a1188d3c4edf3f31.jpg https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34023932/9e555b704719e523a309b399f977dce09e4e2544.jpg If you're looking to read up on the turmoil that is descending upon the Elemental Planes, you can visit the Chaos Descending expansion page to learn more! Plus, if you're an All Access Member, you'll also recieve an additional 10% off of the expansion and more! You can learn more about All Access perks here. We'll see you in the Planes! EverQuest & H1Z1 company Daybreak suffer more layoffsDec 8, 2018 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun Daybreak Game Company, the H1Z1 and PlanetSide 2 mob formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment, have laid off an unconfirmed number of staff. It’s the second wave of layoffs at Daybreak this year, and a real tough time to be laid off. It’s the usual “optimising our structure” sort of reason. Daybreak say they’ll continue to run their current and are working on new games too. (more…) EverQuest is getting another expansion - guess how many we're up to now?Oct 31, 2018 - EurogamerA milestone 25th expansion pack has been announced for 19-year-old online game EverQuest. It's called The Burning Lands and will be released 11th December 2018. What's left for a 25th expansion to add? A luck statistic, luckily, as well as six new expansion zones themed around the planes of air, smoke and fire. You can see these in an archived Burning Lands livestream below. EverQuest today is obviously a different place to when it launched in 1999, when it was queen bee - the MMO all other MMOs aspired to be. Today the herd has moved on, to WOW and beyond, but the committed veterans remain. And they remain to raid, it seems. EQ still goes in for big-numbers raids, you see - raids with 40 people or more. WOW scaled back to 25 players years ago in an effort to make raiding less hardcore (it takes a lot of organisation getting 40 people in one place at one time). Read more… New DLC Available - EverQuest II: Tears of VeeshanNov 12, 2013 - Product ReleaseEverQuest II: Tears of Veeshan, all new content for EverQuest® II Free-To-Play. Your Way.™ is Now Available on Steam! EverQuest II: Tears of Veeshan features tons of engaging content and will place heroes amongst the dragon dead in the Eternal Broodlands. After rediscovering Yelinak, now the steward of Vesspyr Isles alongside other fallen and familiar dragons, players learn of the time/space powers behind the Tear of Veeshan stolen by prismatic dragon Kerafyrm the Awakened. With Kerafyrm’s fearsome power looming over Norrath, players are called upon to shine light into the darkness brought on by the Awakened’s draconic army, and set the stage for a new Age to begin! New Expansion Available - Everquest II: Chains of EternityNov 13, 2012 - Product ReleaseChains of Eternity, an all new expansion for Everquest II, is now available on Steam! The 9th expansion to the revolutionary franchise contains must-have features such as level increases, prestige abilities and new game items only available with this expansion, such as adornments that become more powerful with your character. Also, explore new content in two overlands in the spirit realm, and experience adventure with new dungeons and quests. Put right the imbalance in the Ethernere! Sony Online Games To Start Letting Players Add Their Own Items To The World, And Make Money Off Them TooSep 6, 2012 - Kotaku Over the past couple of years, Sony Online Entertainment has transitioned all of their MMORPGs into free-to-play games, relying on microtransactions and a cash shop to make their money. Now, they've announced a plan that would let players make real-world money from SOE's cash stores, too. The Player Studio will allow players—for now, of EverQuest and EverQuest II, with other games to be added—to create and upload their own in-game items, after which SOE will consider adding them to the shop: Once complete, players are encouraged to name and create a description for their item, describe how the item will fit into the prospective game's ongoing narrative storyline, and submit it to SOE for review and possible inclusion in the SOE Marketplace. If a player-created item is selected for inclusion in the SOE Marketplace, SOE will share 40% of the net amount it receives from the sale of the item with the player that created the item. Not every novice will be able to participate; creating the items and working with the geometry requires a certain amount of proficiency with modeling programs like Maya or 3DS Max. SOE president John Smedley clarified in a tweet that users will not be adding stats to items themselves; while players can submit suggestions with their designs, items selected for the shop will be balanced for in-game use by the SOE team before going live. Back in my EverQuest II days, creative home decorators were making palaces out of crates and rugs. I can only imagine what they'll get up to with the actual item geometry files in their hands... SOE Player Studio SOE's E3 Line-Up Includes That Interesting Piece of EverQuest II TechnologyJun 1, 2012 - Kotaku Publishers are rolling out their E3 line-ups just as the big convention rears its massive head. We've even had some somewhat-surprising, but really-not-that-surprising reveals come of these announcements, too. Today SOE announced their stock of games to be shown on the showfloor, including the expected suspects like PlanetSide 2, updates to released titles, and several new MMOs. But what's most enticing, to me at least, is the new EverQuest II tech—SOEmote—that has facial and voice recognition built in. See below for the full line-up. PlanetSide 2 First hands-on play with PlanetSide 2, the highly-anticipated MMOFPS. PlanetSide 2 takes all the groundbreaking features from the original game — massive multiplayer battles, distinct empires to rally around, and enormous continents where intense ground and air combat unfolds — and adds features that modern gamers have come to expect of the FPS and MMO genres. To dial up the E3 experience to epic levels, PlanetSide 2 has enlisted video game personality TotalBiscuit to live cast directly from the SOE booth at 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday, June 5, and Wednesday, June 6, as well as at 11 a.m. PT on Thursday, June 7. Featured live on TwitchTV — http://www.twitch.tv/totalbiscuit — TotalBiscuit will take PlanetSide 2's massive combat beyond the E3 show floor. To stay up to date with PlanetSide 2 news at E3 and for the chance to win SOE products, tune in to PlanetSide 2 news on Twitter at @PlanetSide2 and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PlanetSide2. Those attending can also drop by the booth to receive a special PlanetSide 2 item and beta key. To sign up for beta, players can visit http://bit.ly/L6RpWO. DC Universe Online Hands-on demo with The Last Laugh (DLC 4), featuring an all-new weapon, hours of multiplayer gameplay in the Safe Houses and Headquarters, and new Legends PvP characters. For real-time updates from E3, follow DCUO on Twitter at @DCUO and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DCUniverseOnline. EverQuest II Hands-on demo of the game and an introduction to SOEmote, a new innovative facial recognition and voice technology feature that allows players unprecedented ability for personal expression and role playing in EverQuest II. Featuring revolutionary facial recognition software created by Image Metrics, and integrating Vivox's voice font technology, SOEmote was designed to truly bring the roleplay back to roleplaying games. For real-time updates from E3, follow EverQuest II on Twitter at @EverQuestII and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EverQuest2. Bullet Run Hands-on demo with the killer new free-to-play first-person shooter (FPS). Developed by ACONY Games and available later this summer for the PC, Bullet Run is a team-based multiplayer game that puts players in the ultimate reality TV game show, where contestants showcase their deadly talents in the name of fame. For real-time updates from E3, follow Bullet Run on Twitter at @BulletRunGame and on Facebook at www.f...Make Crazy Faces At Your Webcam And Your EverQuest II Character Will Soon Mimic ThemJun 1, 2012 - KotakuEmotes in MMOs are no new thing. Interacting with players online just isn't the same if you can't dance with them every once in awhile. But EverQuest II, an eight-year-old MMORPG, is getting an even more impressive facelift for even more expressive emotes. Namely, your emotes. No typing, only a webcam that will watch your facial expressions to instruct your avatar to match it. Smile and your avatar smiles with you. Talk, and the SOEmote technology will translate your mumblings into creature-fied versions of itself. The voice part is a little creepy, as you can see in the video above. I might have nightmares of an ogre version of my voice whispering ominous things to me. SOE will be unveiling this new tech at E3 this year, so hang tight for our impressions. Or more accurately, Fahey's impressions. How Fifteen Seconds of Music Hooked Me for Five YearsMar 22, 2012 - KotakuIt was a crappy, gray, rainy day in January, 2005. I was in New York visiting my then-boyfriend, on my the week of break left before my final semester of grad school started back home in Boston. Although I had the luxury of a student schedule, he had to go to work, leaving me to entertain myself for the day. While he ran around the room getting dressed, he swooped by his PC and turned it on. "I just got this game," he said. "I'm pretty sure you'll like it." Dubiously, I peered over his shoulder. "EverQuest?" I said. "I mean, seriously? You know I don't do the whole online gaming thing. Never have." "EverQuest II," he said, "not the first one. It's new. And you should seriously try it," he replied. "I think it's right up your alley. Give it a chance, at least?" And with that he dashed off to the subway, running late. Still in the t-shirt I'd slept in, with my hair a mess and blinking sleepily through my glasses, I plopped myself into his desk chair and launched the game. He'd left his username and password scribbled for me on the back of something he probably should have taken with him. I rolled my eyes and logged in. And then that theme played. That clear French horn, ringing as only brass can. He'd known, I realized, that the music alone would carry me as far as character creation. I was a horn player, and had been for 15 years. I figured: anything that opened so pleasantly, with a theme I approved that much of, couldn't be all bad. So I created a character... and didn't get up from that chair until he came back that evening. By fall 2006, the boyfriend and I had broken up. But I kept the city — New York was my home, for a few years — and I kept the game, playing regularly until 2009 and intermittently through 2010. EverQuest II isn't my favorite game of all time, nor does it have my favorite score of all time. But every time I hear that theme, every time that soaring horn opens up into those brass chords fifteen seconds in, part of me feels like I'm coming home. An MMO changes all the time, but through all the years, all the patches, and all the thematic upheaval that the digital world went through, every time I'd hear the theme start up I'd settle back and relax. If my life had a soundtrack, this would represent three years' worth in my 20s. EQ2 had its problems, but music was never among them. Dying Boy Gets His Own Personal Virtual Wonderland Built by a Game Community in Just Four DaysMar 14, 2012 - KotakuLong-time Everquest II player Carri Hoover has a son not quite as old as the game is. Sadly, however, six-year-old John Hoover is terminally ill, with doctors estimating he has only weeks left to live. Last Tuesday, March 6, she posted a request to the "Norrathian Homeshow" board on the official forums, a place where players who enjoy decorating their in-game houses and guild halls compare notes. She wrote: This is a depressing post but I need some help. My 6 yr old son has cancer and was recently given 6 - 12 weeks to live. He has a frog that he likes to run around Tenebrous Tangle Island on; however, it is sparse and he has requested to add trees, fences, stairs, animals and all kinds of other items to make his island fun and exciting. Are there any decorators out there that would be willing to assist in adding these items (and any others their imagination poses) to help me make the island even more fun for him. I don't know how much I'll be able to accomplish on my own while still providing him quality time to enjoy it. Fewer than 12 hours later, a team of players had already begun to get materials and systems in place so that players who wished to contribute their real time or virtual money and goods could do so easily. And by the end of the day, Hoover's request had become a rallying point, with players taking it upon themselves to schedule and advertise a server event for Saturday, March 10. And with that, the plans were underway. Community representatives and SOE staff became aware of the plans and highlighted the upcoming event in their community news, as well as on the EverQuest II Facebook page. Players working around the clock joined and power-leveled a new guild (reaching guild level 70 in, reportedly, approximately 65 hours) in order to have access to goods, housing, and amenities ready for the big day. And when it came, they turned out in force. When they were done, young John had a virtual wonderland to call his own, complete with carousel, playground, treehouse, hopscotch field, giant aquarium, menageries, gardens, pirate bed, winter wonderland, and even a rollercoaster — all donated and built, painstakingly, by a small army of decorators. The screenshots posted above are just a small selection of what can be seen in the gallery EQ2 Zam put together to showcase the event. Eric Cleaver, Community Manager for EverQuest II, said in a phone call that it was very safe to say that over 100 players participated, and that "literally thousands of man-hours were put into the event over the course of a few days." He added: Obviously this was a very moving event, a horrible tragedy for the family, and it's very inspiring that the community came together in such a way to do what they could to give the child a very bright day. And that is one of the truly amazing things about these sorts of online communities, that there is such a feeling of love and connection between them. After the event had concluded, Hoover returned to the thread whe...This is the Very Best Reason to Go Back to EverQuest IIDec 22, 2011 - KotakuEverQuest II ushers in a new age of player-created content with its new Dungeon Maker system, a ridiculously easy and entertaining way to amaze and kill your friends. Released earlier this month as part of the Age of Discovery expansion, EverQuest II's Dungeon Maker is a tool that allows a player or (groups of players) to design, publish, and share their own dungeon designs. While it sounds a great deal like City of Heroes' mission architect or Star Trek Online's foundry, building a dungeon with Dungeon Maker actually feels more like getting together with a friend in Halo's Forge mode. I got a chance to poke around a bit with Dungeon Maker before the expansion was released, and I really liked what I saw. The builder picks a floor plan and then wanders about placing items, decorations, and creatures via a simple point and click interface. Monster behaviors can be programmed with a few mouse clicks, making it easy to set a patrol path or plan an ambush on unsuspecting players. Once the dungeon is finished the creator can publish it so others can give it a go. Character levels don't matter here: When you play a dungeon maker game you are given a choice of premade characters to play. Just hop in, play a round, and vote up the dungeons you like the best. Players win tokens good for equipment for playing dungeons, while creators earn rewards for hitting the top of the leaderboards. What makes the feature even more interesting is that certain dungeon layouts and monster spawners can only be found by going out into the world and adventuring, so there's a nifty element of collection on top of all that creativity. The Dungeon Maker is available right now as part of the EverQuest II Age of Discovery expansion. Now Available - Everquest II Free to Play. Your Way.Dec 7, 2011 - Product ReleaseEverquest II Free to Play. Your Way. is Now Available on Steam. Explore an enormous online world where friends come together for adventure and community. Immerse yourself in the game's exciting locales, mysterious lands, intense battles, exciting quests and amazing achievements. Featuring breathtaking graphics and a vast, beautiful and dangerous game world to explore, EverQuest II sets the standard for MMORPG online gaming. Now, you can experience EverQuest II Free to Play. Your Way!™*
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