EQ2's First Expansion Anounced

[Findarato]

SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES THE FIRST EXPANSION PACK

AND SECOND ADVENTURE PACK FOR EVERQUEST(r)II




- Desert of Flames and The Splitpaw Saga Bring Even More Excitement To
the Growing World of EverQuest II-




SAN DIEGO, CA - May 4, 2005 - Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a
worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming, today
announced EverQuest(r)II Desert of Flames(tm) and EverQuest(r)II The
Splitpaw Saga(tm), the first expansion pack and second adventure pack,
respectively, for the critically acclaimed MMO EverQuest II. Scheduled
for launch September 12th 2005, Desert of Flames has a suggested retail
price of $29.99 and will be showcased at the upcoming Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. The Splitpaw Saga will be
available only via digital download for just $7.99 and is scheduled for
release June 28th 2005.



"Through our regular live updates for EverQuest II we've not only added
a couple thousand quests and dozens of new adventure instances, we've
changed the way people play our game with new features," said Scott
Hartsman, senior producer, Sony Online Entertainment. "Expansions and
adventure packs, however, let us do even more. In Desert of Flames we've
created a home for some great new player versus player gameplay, with
some unique twists. The Splitpaw Saga does more than tell an interesting
story; it also includes the addition of dungeon instances that scale to
your group's level. Both of these additions to EverQuest II let us do
things we've never done before and we're excited about our plans for the
next six months."



In Desert of Flames, players will experience exciting gameplay-changing
features and can explore never-before-seen areas filled with new quests,
monsters, and loot. Desert of Flames is centered around the newly
discovered, vibrantly colorful city of Maj'dul. Set in an Arabian Nights
theme, players can choose to battle in special new arenas either against
other players or against creatures in a new style of player versus
player combat. Other exciting features include a dozen new zones and
epic encounters, over 40 new creatures, a level range increase to 60 for
all players and new voice-over emotes for player characters.



The Splitpaw Saga is the second adventure pack for EverQuest II,
following the success of EverQuest(r)II The Bloodline Chronicles,
released by SOE in March 2005. Adventure packs offer players
downloadable story-rich content whereas expansion packs add gameplay
changing features and large amounts of land. The Splitpaw Saga leads
players through a series of event-based zones by using moveable planks,
crates, and barrels. These zones add both replay value and cater to
players of all levels since the content dynamically scales to the level
of the group.



*Valid Station Access subscribers may download adventure packs at no
additional charge. Expansion and adventure packs require the full
version of EverQuest II to play.



Please visit http://www.splitpawsaga.com <http://www.splitpawsaga.com/> and
http://www.desertofflames.com <http://www.desertofflames.com/> for more
information.



About EverQuest II Desert of Flames

EverQuest II is the next generation of massively multiplayer gaming, a
huge online world where thousands of players come together for adventure
and community. Featuring breathtaking graphics and a vast, beautiful
game world to explore, as well as voices for almost all non-player
characters, EverQuest II sets new standards in gameplay and immersion.
Desert of Flames is the first expansion pack for EverQuest II.



The salt flats, mesas, spires and dunes in EverQuest II Desert of Flames
provide the backdrop for exciting new adventures that will tell the
tales of the people and creatures found in the Desert of Ro. Players of
all classes can collect new creatures and pit them against each other in
special arenas in the newly discovered city of Maj'Dul. Rather than
watching the battle from the sidelines, players become the champion,
slinging spells and wielding weapons in a variety of combat scenarios.
Player characters can also take their chances against these fearsome
creatures, or even challenge other players in battles for fame and
glory. For the first time in an MMO, players will be able to scramble up
crumbling cliffs in search of treasure and adventure in thrilling new
zones all set within this colorful Arabian Nights theme. With new epic
encounters designed for levels 45 and up, and the rumor of fearsome twin
metallic dragons, there are plenty of exciting new activities for
everyone to enjoy in EverQuest II Desert of Flames.



Key Features

* Arena champions: Take the form of new exotic creatures, or
fight as yourself, in battles for glory against other creatures or
players.

* New movement: Search for treasure and find adventure in new
areas by climbing up and down walls for the first time in an MMO.

* Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in a battle or expand
your social circle with new voice emotes.

* Guild vaults: Share the loot of a hard won battle with the
rest of your guild members.

* Level range increase: Now play up to level 60!

* New land: Discover over a dozen new zones and epic
encounters.

* New creatures: Test your combat skills in battles with over
40 new fearsome creatures.





About EverQuest II The Splitpaw Saga

In The Splitpaw Saga, players will explore the collapsed caverns and
twisted tunnels of Sundered Splitpaw. Throughout this adventure, the
truth behind the dungeon's mysterious demise is uncovered by using
moveable planks, crates and barrels to work through a series of
intriguing event-based zones. A ferocious clan of cannibalistic gnolls
will stand in the way as players seek to destroy the greatest threat yet
in Norrath's new history. Experience the adventure right away and meet
new challenges a second time around since the encounters scale
dynamically to match your level. The Splitpaw Sagas is a unique
adventure pack with an exciting storyline and plenty of action that solo
players, groups, raids can enjoy for months to come.



Pre-order Features

* Unlock the mysterious abductions of surface dwellers with the
use of a glowing crystal shard that will increase in power as you
progress through the adventure.

* Gain access to your own solo instance and earn rewards before
the full adventure begins.



Key Features

* Two new dungeons with twelve additional instanced zones.

* Event-based adventure that takes you through 12 different
solo, group and raid instances surrounding the story of Splitpaw.

* A variety of new creatures to encounter.

* Dozens of new scenario-based quests that take you right into
the action.

* Dozens of new tradeskill recipes.

* Moveable Objects: Freely move crates, planks, and barrels to
solve puzzles and move through the rubble-strewn caverns.

* Interactive Environments: Chop your way through barriers and
use exploding barrels to destroy enemies or blast your way through
tunnels.

* Dynamic Content: Your foes scale to match your level! Face
the dangers that Sundered Splitpaw presents all the way from level 20 to
level 50.



For more information, please visit http://www.everquest2.com
<http://www.everquest2.com/> .



About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a subsidiary of Sony Pictures
Digital Inc., is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer
online games, with a subscriber base of over 750,000 active accounts
around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling
entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and
wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises, EverQuest(r),
EverQuest(r) II, Champions of Norrath(tm), and PlanetSide(r), as well as
for developing Star Wars Galaxies(tm): An Empire Divided(tm), SOE
continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of
active player communities while introducing new genres on various
entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional
development studios in Austin, TX, and Seattle, WA, SOE has an array of
cutting-edge online games in development.



EverQuest is a registered trademark and The Splitpaw Saga and Desert of
Flames are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. SOE
and the SOE logo are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment
Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their
respective owners.

[Dolby]

Looks like some really nice features coming in the expansion. Although I'm a little disapointed that only 10 more levels have been added.

[Sir Taleisin The Seer]

so rock climbing and rooster fights... woopty.

[Shadoerider]

Well if they launch 10 levels every 6 months which is what I see them doing there should be plenty of leveling for everyone

Especially since the xp needed to get those levels are going to be a reall pain

[Laffs]

"sigh" .... and at what lvl may we take part in this new sh.... erm stuff lol

I got the bloodline when it first came up for download... and could not even get near the damn place solo and that was at lvl 30...... Since then I have a lvl 24 SK as I thought my monk must be a bit of a wimp lol..... Maybe I try again since the con system been changed a bit now....... But this is not somthing me going to update with untill I can get into the first one lol....

Even Walling Caves in the CL, yes it a low lvl dungeon but you realy gotta make a run for it to get into there!, the mobs outside are a lot bigger than whats at the ent inside.... As for Fallen Gate its the other way round... You think ah this easy (once you get access) and then quickly get wiped by some low life mobs lol..... I dont think a balance has been reached by SoE as yet with the zones...

As for just upping the lvl by 10, I think that makes sense personaly.. It gives them time to work on more content other than just changing the lvl of mobs in some zones... like they did to Splitpaw on EQ live that was my fav hangout now it a real high lvl dude zone.... Anyway enough complaining lol

In all mixed fealings about this new DL.

[Nightlord]

Personally, I'm all over this. In case no-one remembers playing Ultima 7, let me fill you in. One of the kewlest aspects of the game was manipulating the environment. You would stack crates, tables, chairs, ect to reach rooftops and so forth. I loved that.
Add in a Gladiator-type form of PvP and I think EQ2 will finally have what the rest of the games have been missing. I keep hearing a lot of ho-hums about this expansion... but on-one seems to be giving up better ideas. I, however, am pretty impressed.

[Brimztone]

Remember EQ1 went from 50 to 60 to 65 to 70 and added AA's in the middle, so this is par for the course

[Dolby]

Originally Posted by Brimztone

Remember EQ1 went from 50 to 60 to 65 to 70 and added AA's in the middle, so this is par for the course

True but from talks with MG on eqii.com during beta the game can go up to 200 levels with no problem. Plus in EQ2 you gain levels much faster then in EQ1.

[Zonx]

Originally Posted by Dolby

Plus in EQ2 you gain levels much faster then in EQ1.

/laugh

Doesn't seam any faster to me, especially considering the lack of EQ1 PLing tactics. I PLed more than 1 EQ1 toon from 1-50 in 2 weeks. 1-30 took roughly 30 hrs of online time IIRC, and that was after all the PLing nerfs

[DankyDaDwf]

i think this is great news...after all they can change add/take away things....its still a very long time till september, i think if we give feedback and everything they will change things....but knowing SOE everything is up in the air

[Sir Taleisin The Seer]

* Arena champions: Take the form of new exotic creatures, or
fight as yourself, in battles for glory against other creatures or
players.

- will be baned on most servers because of betting on fights, and complaints that fights were rigged.

* New movement: Search for treasure and find adventure in new
areas by climbing up and down walls for the first time in an MMO.

- will be pushed back two or three expansions because of programming difficulty

* Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in a battle or expand
your social circle with new voice emotes.

- EQ1 voice overs ( only the darkelfs sounded good )

* Guild vaults: Share the loot of a hard won battle with the
rest of your guild members.

- items will get lost and deleted... oh on accident of course >_>

* Level range increase: Now play up to level 60!

- pointless, EQ2 isn't about the level grind

* New land: Discover over a dozen new zones and epic
encounters.

- zone clone and monster farming

* New creatures: Test your combat skills in battles with over
40 new fearsome creatures.

- half based off orcs, half off goblins

[Despach]

If you are that against it and don't play any more Taleisin why post about it?

laffs I think the new version will be better, they mention the difficulty etc scales with your level from 20-50 etc. So should be alot more accessable to people.

[depechenode]

Once again, I feel they should NOT release new content until the following are fixed:

1) Sounds - The sounds stutter ever since LU8 (actually started in LU7 but WORSE in LU8).

2) Graphics - Female characters STILL do not properly show the horizon moving when they stand or sit.

3) Graphics - Fish STILL sit out of water!

4) Sounds - Custom chest_drop sound only works if SOLO and will not work if in a group.

5) Betrayal Characters - My betrayal character is still greeted as a refugee after successfully betraying Qeynos. Even after talking to the overseers everytime they say "All refugees must..blah blah". FIX THIS it is annoying!

6) UI - BUFF TIMERS, Please re-enable THESE!!!!!!! grrrr...

7) Griffon Error - Ok, thought they fixed this but NOPE, crashed on a black screen just now 5/5/2005.

8) Misc - Anything else that might be wrong that I am missing.

Yea I know, these few things I mentioned may sound petty, BUT why not fix these things. Especially the sounds!! They are more lagged than ever. And I know it is not my soundcard or drivers, because they did not stutter at all prior to LU7.


anywho...

just ranting sorry.

[Despach]

Not noticed any sound problems. Have you tried using a different sound provider in the options menu? Like Dolby or EAX.

What's wrong with the Buff timers?

Can you use the option to only play the same NPC voiceover once to hide the Betrayal bug?

[depechenode]

Originally Posted by Despach

Not noticed any sound problems. Have you tried using a different sound provider in the options menu? Like Dolby or EAX.

What's wrong with the Buff timers?

Can you use the option to only play the same NPC voiceover once to hide the Betrayal bug?

I have tried every sound provider they all stutter.

Voiceover once is fine, until you relog.. then you get the voice again. Point was, I betrayed, I am a citizen of the new city, not a refugee. The city accepts my entry, but calls me refugee.

Buff timers - welp, they used to be able to be displayed like the Maintained Spell mod that is avail on this site. Now they do not work. You have to mouse over to see time left and that is not good when in combat. I like seeing my timers at all times without having to move the mouse as it did prior to LU7.

[Laffs]

Yeh you is right the sound does stutter now and some combat sounds stop alltogether at times, well they do in FG anyways.... The griff has always been bugged you seem to get the black screen if you stand on platform and select a place to go at the same time as another person does ... well thats what causes it for me....

Also I do realy agree that stuff should be fixed first likes, Its a bit like putting fuel in a car that has a flat tyre

I must say though the guys on this dev team are a lot more friendly and responsive than the other bunch, I guess if it was down to them they would fix this crap.. but there is always company deadlines etc and sombody above you who "thinks" they know better...

Back on topic a bit....

Yes a more interactive world would be better.... As the only things you gotta work out at the moment is what mob to kill to get the one you want to pop... Oh and also where the hell you should be to make that happen lol

[Tarrant]

There are multiple groups of EQ2 developers. Those working on the expansions and adventure packs don't take resources away from those whose responsibilities include fixing those problems. And no...throwing more people at those problems won't get them fixed any faster.

[Killarny]

Thats what the SWG boards say as well - multiple groups of developers

But, SWG still has bugs from release that plague it - I wouldn't expect EQ2 to be any different.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to capitalism - even if subscribers are lost due to bugs not being fixed, it doesn't really matter, because SOE can just pump out another expansion to get the power-gamers (who will never stop playing) to buy something else.

Has anyone else noticed that the price of Adventure Packs has almost doubled, and they are only on the second one? *tsk-tsk*

Ranting aside, I am more excited about the adventure pack - the expansion sounds like a lot of fluff, and Bloodline seemed pretty cool for a $4.99 pricetag - here's hoping that the third adventure pack doesn't go up another 3 dollars from $7.99.

[Dolby]

Originally Posted by Zonx

/laugh

Doesn't seam any faster to me, especially considering the lack of EQ1 PLing tactics. I PLed more than 1 EQ1 toon from 1-50 in 2 weeks. 1-30 took roughly 30 hrs of online time IIRC, and that was after all the PLing nerfs

Well I dont PL... I just play a few hours a night and I'm lvl 40 now almost 41. I do an average amount of quests with a little more then 300 completed. I've never leveled that fast in EQ1 and I played alot more then a few hours a night.

So dont laugh at me.

[Killarny]

hehe, you guys are going to hate D&D Online

Max level is supposed to be 20, and the leveling is probably going to be really slow. Of course, that means there will probably be more content than most games out there..

[Laffs]

Originally Posted by Tarrant

And no...throwing more people at those problems won't get them fixed any faster.

/shrug

Why's that then... Oh maybe coz they all gotta share the same computer hehe

[Zonx]

Originally Posted by Dolby

Well I dont PL... I just play a few hours a night and I'm lvl 40 now almost 41. I do an average amount of quests with a little more then 300 completed. I've never leveled that fast in EQ1 and I played alot more then a few hours a night.

So dont laugh at me.

Gotta Craft and Quest more

Fetish is almost 29 Necro, 24 Sage with about 360 completed quest. I play in spurts due to modding activities eating up most of my time. I started EQ1 late, so I ground out levels to catch up with friends. Joined a raid guild shortly after PoP release and quit to CoH with my War ranked in the top 10 on the server. Decided to enjoy the content in EQ2.

Oh in EQ1 I also did the entire shawl quest starting with almost zero tradeskills in under a week

[Drumstix42]

Heck, I'm still level 25 but I don't really play much EQ2 anymore. EQ1 is my main game, and EQ2 is just for fun Though EQ2 really is a great game