The Shadow Odyssey Pre-Order Starts Tuesday, October 14, 2008

[Kiara]

Let's try this again, shall we?

EverQuest II's fifth expansion, The Shadow Odyssey, will be available for pre-order starting Tuesday, October 14th, 2008!  EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey is an all-in-one compilation pack featuring five expansion packs and three adventure packs.  New players and veterans alike can journey through a massive amount of exquisite content unlike anything ever before seen in EverQuest II.  The Shadow Odyssey stretches well beyond the fantasy realm and propels the EverQuest II world into a new era of excitement and adventure.  The latest expansion provides content for players level 50-80, including more than 20 new zones and an achievement point increase to 200.

Read more!

[ke'la]

Now that we know what Digital is going to get... is the free Fan Faire expainsion attendiees get consitered a Pre-orders for the "Void Pet" reward?::EDIT::also how fast is the Dire Bear?

[Dawnmeadow]

Once again overseas customers get left out...

 I didn't get the Buryinai and now I won't get the Dire Bear either...

If SOE isn't going to bother stocking retail copies in AUS, how about making it so I can get the same reward through digitial download?

I have NEVER found a game store in Sydney that has even heard of EQ2 let alone stocks it, and believe me, I've tried!

I think it's really time that overseas customers are given the same privledges as those who play in the States (and I'm sure that some of them even are in the same boat!!).

[Oatheac]

Wow, the Void Beast house item...That item alone could make people rather buy Digital Download instead of retail. (I'm assuming it doesn't come in pre-order retail version.)I had thoughts of canceling, at least.

[Torvos]

I have two accounts, so I plan on ordering the download for one, and the box for the other. I really don't care about having the void house item or dire bear on my second account though, so I was wondering if I got the DD for my main account, and the pre-order box for my second account if I could use the pre-order code for the bear on my main, and still have the void beat and bear on my /claim list?

[ke'la]

Torvos wrote:

I have two accounts, so I plan on ordering the download for one, and the box for the other. I really don't care about having the void house item or dire bear on my second account though, so I was wondering if I got the DD for my main account, and the pre-order box for my second account if I could use the pre-order code for the bear on my main, and still have the void beat and bear on my /claim list?

If they are seperate codes I believe you can. Kinda like you can still add the Collectors Addtion Origanal Release code(if you can find one) and get the baby dragon.

[Alvos]

Terranwolf wrote:

Wow, the Void Beast house item...That item alone could make people rather buy Digital Download instead of retail. (I'm assuming it doesn't come in pre-order retail version.)I had thoughts of canceling, at least.

Yeah I'd rather have the void beast than the bearwarg thing, and since there's no sign of the retail version on amazon-uk yet I'll probably have no choice but to go for the digital download anyway. Not that I particularly relish the idea of hauling down several GB of data over a 2meg line...

[ke'la]

Dawnmeadow wrote:

Once again overseas customers get left out...

 I didn't get the Buryinai and now I won't get the Dire Bear either...

If SOE isn't going to bother stocking retail copies in AUS, how about making it so I can get the same reward through digitial download?

I have NEVER found a game store in Sydney that has even heard of EQ2 let alone stocks it, and believe me, I've tried!

I think it's really time that overseas customers are given the same privledges as those who play in the States (and I'm sure that some of them even are in the same boat!!).

I don't know if you have any guild mates you trust with your money(Via Pay Pal or other protected money transfer), but one option you could use is ask a guild mate from the US(if you have one) to buy the game for you and send you the Pre-Order and Activation codes... as those are the only importaint parts... again only if you trust them.That said it is SoEs job to get thier game on store shelfs, and they have a hard time doing that in the US, so I can understand your frusteration... I also don't understand why the D2D download is US only(can't you download other titles from outside the US from them?)

[ke'la]

Alvos@Lucan DLere wrote:

Terranwolf wrote:

Wow, the Void Beast house item...That item alone could make people rather buy Digital Download instead of retail. (I'm assuming it doesn't come in pre-order retail version.)I had thoughts of canceling, at least.

Yeah I'd rather have the void beast than the bearwarg thing, and since there's no sign of the retail version on amazon-uk yet I'll probably have no choice but to go for the digital download anyway. Not that I particularly relish the idea of hauling down several GB of data over a 2meg line...

2meg your bandwidth? or your Cap? Cause it should not take much longer then it takes the servers to come up on launchday to download the game with a 2meg line... especally if you use the BETA Launchpad to do it. The Beta Launchpad seems to download FAR faster.

[Doodar]

This http://everquest2.station.sony.com/buyNow.vm Is the site i get sent to when i click on the EQ2 TSO sign in OP. This is RoK expansion site.............

[Iseabeil]

Dawnmeadow wrote:

Once again overseas customers get left out...

 I didn't get the Buryinai and now I won't get the Dire Bear either...

If SOE isn't going to bother stocking retail copies in AUS, how about making it so I can get the same reward through digitial download?

I have NEVER found a game store in Sydney that has even heard of EQ2 let alone stocks it, and believe me, I've tried!

I think it's really time that overseas customers are given the same privledges as those who play in the States (and I'm sure that some of them even are in the same boat!!).

Heh, maybe they could allow international customers choose between two different digital downloads, one normal and one with the retail version

Doubt that will ever happen tho.

[Powers]

Kiara wrote:

The Shadow Odyssey stretches well beyond the fantasy realm

Which is one major reason I have little interest in this expansion.Powers  &8^]

[Rixot]

UK:  Play.com and Amazon UK have The Shadow Oddessey Boxed Version listed and pre-orderable

[Oatheac]

Alvos@Lucan DLere wrote:

Terranwolf wrote:

Wow, the Void Beast house item...That item alone could make people rather buy Digital Download instead of retail. (I'm assuming it doesn't come in pre-order retail version.)I had thoughts of canceling, at least.

Yeah I'd rather have the void beast than the bearwarg thing, and since there's no sign of the retail version on amazon-uk yet I'll probably have no choice but to go for the digital download anyway. Not that I particularly relish the idea of hauling down several GB of data over a 2meg line...

I wonder if they'd do pre-loading. Either way, it shouldn't take terribly long. A few hours probably.Eyenstein@Najena wrote:

This http://everquest2.station.sony.com/buyNow.vm Is the site i get sent to when i click on the EQ2 TSO sign in OP. This is RoK expansion site.............

If you look on there, it states it will open sometime today, October 14th 2008.

[Lethe5683]

kela wrote:

{0}

It wont download at that speed, I have a 3 meg cap which usually runs at 2.5ish but most downloads are only around 500 kbps.

[sENADIN]

I am wondering what the logic is behind having 2 set of different gifts.I want the bear and the pet, why are we forced to choose between the two?decisions, decisions....

[Xevlan]

Just have one question:

It appears that you can obtain the painting house item from both the retail box and digital-download versions, but what of the "Void Beast Pet" and "Dire Bear Cub"?  Will we be limited to having to choose between the box version and DD to obtain one-or-the-other, or will we have an opportunity to aquire both if we purchase only one version?  A developer response would be greatly appreciated.

[Kiara]

Xevlan@Lucan DLere wrote:

Just have one question:

It appears that you can obtain the painting house item from both the retail box and digital-download versions, but what of the "Void Beast Pet" and "Dire Bear Cub"?  Will we be limited to having to choose between the box version and DD to obtain one-or-the-other, or will we have an opportunity to aquire both if we purchase only one version?  A developer response would be greatly appreciated.

The house painting is available with either method of purchase.  The void beast is DD only.  The pet/mount is retail box only.Hope that clears things up for you   even if I'm not a developer

[Warr]

Kiara wrote:

Hope that clears things up for you   even if I'm not a developer

Know it all...

[Kiara]

Warren@Venekor wrote:

Kiara wrote:

Hope that clears things up for you   even if I'm not a developer

Know it all...

I wish, I'd so hook myself up with winning lottery numbers * nod *

[ProperPiper]

My biggest question at this point is this. I read the other day that the release date is Nov 13th, but if you preorder through the given sites, they list the release as Nov 18th. Will we be getting screwed over by preordering by not receiving our retail copies until 5 days after the actual release or was there a misprint on the release date? This is need to know, since I've gone to work sick in order to have the sick days available at launch. I feel a mid November flu bug or such coming on...**cough, cough**....hehe.

[Eshaye]

Kiara wrote:

EverQuest II's fifth expansion, The Shadow Odyssey, will be available for pre-order starting Tuesday, October 14th, 2008!  EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey is an all-in-one compilation pack featuring five expansion packs and three adventure packs.  New players and veterans alike can journey through a massive amount of exquisite content unlike anything ever before seen in EverQuest II.  

Read more!

Awww man I just bought Rise of Kunark for that reason. :S Wish I had held out a bit longer now... Ah well.

[ProperPiper]

I'm sorry....now that I've said it, I can't seem to find what I read that said the release was on the 13th. I would like to know if the sites you can preorder from will be shipping them so that we receive them on the 18th or if they won't be shipping till after the 18th. Again....creeping illnesses need to know.

[Kiara]

Brailey@Lucan DLere wrote:

I'm sorry....now that I've said it, I can't seem to find what I read that said the release was on the 13th. I would like to know if the sites you can preorder from will be shipping them so that we receive them on the 18th or if they won't be shipping till after the 18th. Again....creeping illnesses need to know.

That's probably something that you'll need to take up with the site.

[Taylinn]

Choices, choices, choices, I want it all!Now to find a Canadian retailer that will sell the pre-order....

[Valphine]

This pre-order, is this a digital download? just need to be sure

[ke'la]

Brailey@Lucan DLere wrote:

My biggest question at this point is this. I read the other day that the release date is Nov 13th, but if you preorder through the given sites, they list the release as Nov 18th. Will we be getting screwed over by preordering by not receiving our retail copies until 5 days after the actual release or was there a misprint on the release date? This is need to know, since I've gone to work sick in order to have the sick days available at launch. I feel a mid November flu bug or such coming on...**cough, cough**....hehe.

Word of advice... if you can control when you get "Sick" DO NOT do it on launch day, there is a very good chance the servers won't be up until atleast Noon PST(GMT -. And it likly wont be stable for a few hours after that... though they did much better with the RoK release... wich is why I movedmy guesstimit on the go live time from 2pm PST to Noon PST

[ke'la]

Valphine wrote:

This pre-order, is this a digital download? just need to be sure

There are two types of Pre-Order one from a "Retailer" like Amazon or Gamestop, and another from SoE's Station store. The Pre-Order from the Retailer will get you the Dire Bear Mount, the Pre-Order from SoE will get you the Void Pet. Another wrinkle in the mix is usually D2D also offers Pre-Orders and if they do, they ususally get the "Retailer" item eventhough they are also Digital Download.

[ke'la]

Kiara wrote:

Brailey@Lucan DLere wrote:

I'm sorry....now that I've said it, I can't seem to find what I read that said the release was on the 13th. I would like to know if the sites you can preorder from will be shipping them so that we receive them on the 18th or if they won't be shipping till after the 18th. Again....creeping illnesses need to know.

That's probably something that you'll need to take up with the site.

Any word on weather or not Fan Faire attendees are consitered Pre-Order?Also it looks like the Void pet is 1 per Account... is this correct? because I don't think any of the other House Pet bonuses where 1 per account.

[ashen1973]

Every expansion we have the same problems with ordering in the UK, every year , after release, we have a red-name post that they will look into alternative methods for the next release and yet every new expansion we run into the same problems.

With RoK release a large percentage of people that pre-ordered the retail versions did not receive their boxes until several days after release.

And now it seems we have the usual problems trying to find a pre-order retail box.

Amazon is showing out of stock, I sent them an email and they replied that 'due to low order quantities and supply difficulties we cannot guarantee a delivery date'

Play.com lists the expansion as instock, but the information does not mentiion any pre-order items

GAME do not stock any Everquest products on their website or in any of the local stores I asked in. The manager of the large store nearest me contacted his head office and told me they have no plans to stock Everquest.

ZAVVI do not stock Everquest on its website or in its store. When I asked the manager of the local store about pre-ordering, he suggested I try WoW, which seems to be having an expansion launch around the same time. A fact he was most knowledgable on and I would never have realised if I hadnt noticed the poster advertising all over every store that stocks PC software, the TV advertising, the magazine advertising and even the review on national radio.

A web search for other pre-order locations was completely fruitless.

So it seems us Uk customers (and it sounds like a lot of other non-US customers as well) are left with very limited choices.

Either pre-order the DD version

or

Order from Play.com, a site with extremely bad customer service history and a record of not delivering the goods on time.