<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://eq2players.station.sony.com/images/en/logos/destiny_of_velious/EQII_DOV_Logo_500.jpg" width="500" height="258" /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The next addition to the monumental EverQuest II franchise, Destiny of Velious is currently scheduled for release on February 8, 2011. Destiny of Velious will be sold in an all-in-one compilation pack, loaded with the EQII base game, seven expansions and three adventure packs.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://everquest2.com/news/read/082010/3645" target="_blank">Read More</a></p>

<p>Yay Velious! </p><p>SoE, please save us from the muck you dragged us through with these last two expansions.  I think you can do it, I really do.  Less RMT dev work and more Equipment and Itemization work. </p><p>The Lore in TSo was bad but I liked the itemization.  The Lore AND the Itemization are awful in SF.  Don't make the game GENERIC.  I dont want 4 different generic plate BP's that are a tiny bit better than the previous one.  Give us items we KNOW BY NAME.  We know where to find them and who we have to kill to get them.  It's fun.  Read up on it.</p><p>Also that Dark Elf Heritage Armor makes me kind of mad; since I retired from raiding, going for Appearance gear has been at least something to do...don't take that away from me by putting the best looking stuff on SC.</p>

<p>info on beta please =)</p>

<p>How fast will these flying mounts be? Will we want to use them instead of the griffon towers, sokokars, or what have you, to get around?</p>

<p><span style="color: #00cc00;">The Video looked cool, just remember, please no outdoor mazes! Wide open spaces think Commonlands or Antonica Super-sized! I don't mind climbable areas like a lone mountain in the middle <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /> just not for getting to point A to point B. </span></p><p><span style="color: #00cc00;">I know that the Carpets Clouds and various Disks </span><span style="color: #00cc00;">are not flying, any chance of the Sokkakar being one, maybe a slow one?<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></span></p>

<p><cite>Zabjade wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><span style="color: #00cc00;">...</span></p><p><span style="color: #00cc00;">I know that the Carpets Clouds and various Disks </span><span style="color: #00cc00;">are not flying, any chance of the Sokkakar being one, maybe a slow one?<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></span></p></blockquote><p>Hi all!</p><p>Zabjade, do you mean:</p><p>- you know that previous "supposed to fly" mounts won't be flying in Velious. If yes, where have you read that?</p><p>or</p><p>- you know that right now, they aren't. But wich for them to be changed in real flying mounts in Velious?</p><p>From my point of view, if they wan't to make this addition a successful one, previous "supposed to fly" mounts have to fly for Velious.</p>

<p>Also, I was glad to read that among the 6 raid instances they'll introduce in Velious, some of them were designed for 12 players!</p><p>I hope though that if they plan X2 raids, they'll remember the success of WoE and aim that king of raids to casual players.</p><p>They don't have to be trivial, they can be hard, but doable with good gear (MC/Legendary/Token). Not high end raid gear requiring.</p>

<blockquote>•Six Raid Instances – Group up with 12-24 man raids for desirable loot</blockquote><p>Does this mean that the six raid instances will have 12 AND 24 man versions, or does it mean some are for 12 man and some are for 24 man?</p>

<p><cite>Zabjade wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><span style="color: #00cc00;">The Video looked cool, just remember, please no outdoor mazes! Wide open spaces think Commonlands or Antonica Super-sized! I don't mind climbable areas like a lone mountain in the middle <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /> just not for getting to point A to point B.</span></p><p>This =)  & not sure if Dragon Necropolis will be in here, but I would love to see it as a small overland addition (with some dungeons attached or whatnot...)  Pretty please!</p></blockquote>

<p><cite>Dethdlr@Kithicor wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><blockquote>•Six Raid Instances – Group up with 12-24 man raids for desirable loot</blockquote><p>Does this mean that the six raid instances will have 12 AND 24 man versions, or does it mean some are for 12 man and some are for 24 man?</p></blockquote><p>This is what I'm hoping for <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>But we need a confirmation <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

<p>Mmhm...  Dozens of new armor sets...  30 new creatures...  six raid instances...  hmm hmm...  300 new quests?  Want to buy book-to-quest ratio!  Come on... can we get ONE dropped book quest, even if it's at .015%?  ):  There've been worse to farm for!  Just one... come on~</p><p>Interesting stuff, though!  I'm looking forward to some fun!</p>

<p>Conspicuously, neither additions to AA or level cap were mentioned.  Most seem to think there will be additional AA to earn but not a level cap raise.  While details might not be available yet, can someone confirm that there will be additional AA and/or levels to earn?  Thanks.</p>

<p><cite>VALKOR wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Conspicuously, neither additions to AA or level cap were mentioned.  Most seem to think there will be additional AA to earn but not a level cap raise.  While details might not be available yet, can someone confirm that there will be additional AA and/or levels to earn?  Thanks.</p></blockquote><p>Initial release: Level 50Desert of Flames: Level 60Kingdom of Sky: Level 70Echos of Faydwer: Level 70Rise of Kunark: Level 80The Shadow Oddesey: Level 80Sentinel's Fate: Level 90</p><p>If their <em>recent</em> pattern holds up, there won't be a level cap increase.  Also, pretty sure they said at Fan Faire that it would be level 90, but more AAs.  They also said that the Velious dungeons would start at level 86 which would support them keeping the level cap at 90.</p><p>Here's a <a href="http://eq2wire.com/2010/08/06/live-blog-everquest-2-destiny-of-velious/" target="_blank">link to the live blog Feldon did from Fan Faire over on EQ2Wire.com</a>. </p>

<p>SOE... Please don't mess this up.  I, and many like me, hold Velious as a fond MMO memory from EQ days.  I retired from EQ to play EQ2 and have been pretty disappointed with the last 2 expansions (although RoK was great for me).</p><p>Do yourselves a favor and poll the EQ players about what they loved about Velious and check that against what you are doing now.  I see a push for things like flying mounts and zone quantity, but that in no way lines up with my expectations as a person who played and raided through that expansion in EQ1.</p><p>Velious in EQ1 was the first truely great expansion.  Although RoK was good, Velious brought on truely epic quests, raids and content.  Zones were absoluetly huge in comparison to previous content.  Quests like the Coldain Shaw and Coldain Rings were so epic they are still referred to today.  TBH, I've yet to see any event in any game as impressive as the 10th ring war of the Coldain Ring quests.  The whole server would converge just to watch back in the day and there is nothing like that in game now... and that's a shame.</p><p>Beyond the paragraphs I could go into about this paticular content, I'll make two points about expansions in general:  </p><p>1 - I hope this is a FEB release because you guys plan to have itemization (including graphics) done BEFORE release.  Getting a disco on loot that looks like the last tier junk loot is beyond disappointing and unforgivable.  If it isn't done, don't release it. </p><p>2 - Keep in mind some guilds will blow through this content almost immediately, especially if easymode is available on dungeons.  Everyone will push through EM first for progression updates, then go back for HardMode.  So the message?  Don't introduce a bottleneck mob that can't be killed because the last tier stuff isn't finished with testing.  Have the contect done on release or don't release it. </p>

<p>Oh hai, forgot one important thing.  It sucks now that anybody (even PUGs) can raid ALL of the content.  Return to the Sleeper days and give raiders a zone they earn access to. </p><p>...and if you guys make tier 1-2-3 raid armor with 1-3% increase per level and crap graphics again... well, just be prepared for backlash.  Remember how Sleeper weapons had a proc that no other weapon in game had... yeah, there you go. </p>

<p><cite>DiotrumFGK wrote:</cite></p><blockquote> 1 - <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">I hope this is a FEB release</span></strong> because you guys plan to have itemization (including graphics) done BEFORE release. </blockquote><p><cite>Amnerys wrote:</cite></p><blockquote>The next addition to the monumental EverQuest II franchise, Destiny of Velious is <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">currently scheduled for release on February 8, 2011</span></strong>.</blockquote>

<p><cite>Dethdlr@Kithicor wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><blockquote>•Six Raid Instances – Group up with 12-24 man raids for desirable loot</blockquote><p>Does this mean that the six raid instances will have 12 AND 24 man versions, or does it mean some are for 12 man and some are for 24 man?</p></blockquote><p>4 24 2 12.</p>

<p>Thanks for the link, Dethdlr.  "Level 90 but more AAs" was kinda floating in the blog but it makes sense that they'd stick to the pattern.</p>

<p>whoa, those mazes reminds me of DC's comicbook universe, Darksied's homeworld "Apokolops"</p>

<p><cite>DiotrumFGK wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Oh hai, forgot one important thing.  It sucks now that anybody (even PUGs) can raid ALL of the content.  Return to the Sleeper days and give raiders a zone they earn access to. </p><p>...and if you guys make tier 1-2-3 raid armor with 1-3% increase per level and crap graphics again... well, just be prepared for backlash.  Remember how Sleeper weapons had a proc that no other weapon in game had... yeah, there you go. </p></blockquote><p>Please don't do this.  Weapons and armor that 3 people will ever see are bad.</p>

<p><cite>kcirrot wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>DiotrumFGK wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Oh hai, forgot one important thing.  It sucks now that anybody (even PUGs) can raid ALL of the content.  Return to the Sleeper days and give raiders a zone they earn access to. </p><p>...and if you guys make tier 1-2-3 raid armor with 1-3% increase per level and crap graphics again... well, just be prepared for backlash.  Remember how Sleeper weapons had a proc that no other weapon in game had... yeah, there you go. </p></blockquote><p>Please don't do this.  Weapons and armor that 3 people will ever see are bad.</p></blockquote><p>Unless you're one of those 3 people. Then it's spectacularly awesome.</p><p>I think what he's getting at is for them to include items that everyone <em>really</em>, <em><strong>really</strong></em> wants but only a relatively small number of players can actually get because it requires a sigificant amount of time, cooperation and teamwork that you typically only see in a dedicated raiding guild willing to put in months of work to get there.</p>

<p><cite>Arandar@Everfrost wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>kcirrot wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>DiotrumFGK wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Oh hai, forgot one important thing.  It sucks now that anybody (even PUGs) can raid ALL of the content.  Return to the Sleeper days and give raiders a zone they earn access to. </p><p>...and if you guys make tier 1-2-3 raid armor with 1-3% increase per level and crap graphics again... well, just be prepared for backlash.  Remember how Sleeper weapons had a proc that no other weapon in game had... yeah, there you go. </p></blockquote><p>Please don't do this.  Weapons and armor that 3 people will ever see are bad.</p></blockquote><p>Unless you're one of those 3 people. Then it's spectacularly awesome.</p><p>I think what he's getting at is for them to include items that everyone <em>really</em>, <em><strong>really</strong></em> wants but only a relatively small number of players can actually get because it requires a sigificant amount of time, cooperation and teamwork that you typically only see in a dedicated raiding guild willing to put in months of work to get there.</p></blockquote><p>I understood his point.  I just don't want them to do this.  In fact, I think it would be remarkably foolish for them to do so.  I have no problem with raiding, but I don't want it to be job.  I have no problem with them creating loot that's statistically better than anything else.  But it shouldn't be so good that it requires folks to make raiding a second job.  In addtion, I think they should make raiding more accessible, not less.</p><p>This desire to turn this game into a niche for hardcore raiders is abhorrent to me.  I'm hoping the devs don't go that way.  If they do though, no harm, no foul.  There's plenty of other games out there.</p>

<p>Wondering how they will deal with flying mounts on pvp server? Ppl already escaping fights much too easily already...</p>

<p><cite>kcirrot wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Arandar@Everfrost wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>kcirrot wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>DiotrumFGK wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Oh hai, forgot one important thing.  It sucks now that anybody (even PUGs) can raid ALL of the content.  Return to the Sleeper days and give raiders a zone they earn access to. </p><p>...and if you guys make tier 1-2-3 raid armor with 1-3% increase per level and crap graphics again... well, just be prepared for backlash.  Remember how Sleeper weapons had a proc that no other weapon in game had... yeah, there you go. </p></blockquote><p>Please don't do this.  Weapons and armor that 3 people will ever see are bad.</p></blockquote><p>Unless you're one of those 3 people. Then it's spectacularly awesome.</p><p>I think what he's getting at is for them to include items that everyone <em>really</em>, <em><strong>really</strong></em> wants but only a relatively small number of players can actually get because it requires a sigificant amount of time, cooperation and teamwork that you typically only see in a dedicated raiding guild willing to put in months of work to get there.</p></blockquote><p>I understood his point.  I just don't want them to do this.  In fact, I think it would be remarkably foolish for them to do so.  I have no problem with raiding, but I don't want it to be job.  I have no problem with them creating loot that's statistically better than anything else.  But it shouldn't be so good that it requires folks to make raiding a second job.  In addtion, I think they should make raiding more accessible, not less.</p><p>This desire to turn this game into a niche for hardcore raiders is abhorrent to me.  I'm hoping the devs don't go that way.  If they do though, no harm, no foul.  There's plenty of other games out there.</p></blockquote><p>It wouldn't be so much of a difference to you.  all it would be is that the people who put in a lot of time and effort to the game are able to get something better than someone who doesn't play very much.</p><p>I don't know how you might think about this, but someone who plays 10x as much as you should get something better than you, be it appearence or something they can actually use.</p>

<p>Any chance that you will be bringing a beloved class from EQ to EQ2. I know that I am not the only one that would like to see the return of the beast master (lord). A true icon from EQ would be much loved and played by many here that have crossed over from the original.</p>

<p><cite>gritar wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Any chance that you will be bringing a beloved class from EQ to EQ2. I know that I am not the only one that would like to see the return of the beast master (lord). A true icon from EQ would be much loved and played by many here that have crossed over from the original.</p></blockquote><p>Yeah prolly for 50K station cash.</p><p>Otherwise I see no cahnce of that happening unless the game wasx absolutely hopeless and they used it as a last-ditch effort to gain interest.  The way people are talking now that time wont be too far off...</p>

<p>No.</p>

<p>I would like to see raiding more accessable. I love the battlegrounds Q that pulls from all servers, maybe a raid Q could do the same? If not a pull from all servers at least a pull from the server you are on. No im not a diehard raider due to time schedules I must keep in real life but the 4hrs here and there I can play would be greatly improved if there was such a Q or set up that would tailor to my needs(and others like me) <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

<p><cite>Steppen@Nagafen wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>It wouldn't be so much of a difference to you.  all it would be is that the people who put in a lot of time and effort to the game are able to get something better than someone who doesn't play very much.</p><p>I don't know how you might think about this, but someone who plays 10x as much as you should get something better than you, be it appearence or something they can actually use.</p></blockquote><p>I think you fail to understand just how much the non raiders actually play. I can't raid anymore due to RL concerns even if I still wanted to and I am on far far more than my friends in a raiding guild. </p><p>Now, don't get me wrong, I think raiders should get awesome gear, they should absolutely get items that are unique in appearance. I'm not arguing against that. I 'm just pointing out that just because someone is a non-raider doesn't mean they aren't playing a lot or dedicated to what they are doing. They just aren't spending their time learning raid strategy.</p>

<p>What a crap expansion, again.. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" /></p><p>2 overland zones..</p><p>300quests.. and prolly 100 of them are city repeatables..</p><p>sad,sad..</p>