Producer's Letter -- Looking Ahead!

[Windstalker]

Greetings Norrath!

The time has come! We are very proud to announce our next expansion, EverQuest II: Chains of Eternity!  

The team is hard at work developing our ninth - yes, our ninth - expansion and implementing the finer details, several of which I will go into here.  When the expansion launches, Norrathians will pass into Ethernere, the realm of the afterlife, where all spirits pass after death on their way to their final resting place.

 

Recently, something has gone horribly wrong in Ethernere and it is bleeding through in the mortal plane.  Over the summer months, evidence of ripples between the realms was in evidence as items with ethereal energy appeared upon the dead.  As the tears between the realms widen, it will be up to the heroes of Norrath to save the immortal and mortal realms from collapse!

 

The adventures in this expansion will be great ones! The team is spending a lot of time ensuring that you experience the story, rather than merely read it, so I won’t give it all away in this letter.  As for features and details, we’ve got a lot to crow about.  We hope players enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed weaving it together.

 

Cross Over to More Content

In two re-imagined Ethernere overlands inspired by Feerrott and Loping Plains, players will find a region in chaos.  The natural ebb and flow of spirits passing through the Ethernere to each spirit’s final resting place is corrupted and on the edge of destruction, threatening every mortal’s life and afterlife.  Through the trials of nine new instanced dungeons, players will attempt to mend the end of all things.  Prelude content and dungeons give insights into the threat from the other side while telling all new stories - including advancing the story behind the Ages End Prophecy.  Players meet new creatures from the beyond and face a whole host of new challenges.

 

Lots of Quests!

In this expansion, the signature, or main, storyline quest will be available to everyone no matter how they play the game.   Every player tough enough to access the expansion content will have the opportunity to see how the story ends, and raiding guilds will have opportunities to take part in special events that support the story.  Even when the main quest line completes, players gain access to benefits as a result of their heroic acts and get rewards for replaying content.

 

Adventure and Tradeskill Levels Increased to 95

We are adding three more levels onto the cap which gives us a lot of opportunity to create new spells, recipes, and Prestige Abilities, our next feature...

 

Prestige Abilities

Each subclass will get access to new Prestige Abilities.  Our engineering and design teams are hard at work creating new abilities that will set a new bar for players and for creating events.  The new abilities give players more tools to tinker with in combat, and designers too. 

Tradeskill Prestige Abilities

We have started implementing Tradeskill Prestige abilities too.  These allow our tradeskill classes the ability to become specialists in their chosen craft in a variety of ways.  We’re still creating these and excited about the opportunities that will open up for our tradeskillers!

 

Guild Level to 95

To provide new benefits, we wanted to increase our Guild Levels .  We will speak more to that when we are further along with the implementation.

 

Organic Adornments

We have a new adornment type in development!  These Organic Adornments, as the name suggests, will gain experience with the player and grow more powerful as a result.  There will be many to choose from so players can focus on how they want to increase the power of their characters.

 

Loot and more loot

Of course, there are going to be plenty of items in the expansion for players to discover. This is a very strong content expansion with lots to do and find.  We heard our players ask for fewer features and more content that builds on the core game so we’re doing just that.

 

Extra content

At the same time as we’re focusing on the expansion, we are still offering live content prior to the expansion.  We are releasing the first areas of Sleeper’s Tomb in mid-September which we refer to as the “Prelude.”  This advances the world story as players find entry into the tomb. 

 

We have another event that we’re keeping under wraps that releases closer to the expansion and then, of course, there’s “Chains of Eternity” itself releasing in November.  We’re even releasing additional free content at the same time that the expansion launches.  Players will discover that avatars are once again making an appearance in Norrath. These avatars are different from those who appeared in the past.

 

All in the all, the team is driving hard to bring the players awesome content -- time and time again. I’m among a team of perfectionist gamers making a game for gamers. It’s been incredible to see them work tirelessly for excellence and everyone’s entertainment.  Hard not to be romantic about gaming...

 

There’s more to come in the details, of course, but we have been bursting at the seams to tell you what we can...and now we have.

 

We invite you to come on this crazy ride with us.  We really think you’ll love it!

 

 

[Vinyard]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Windstalker]

P.S. We will be adding window recipes for tradeskillers with the expansion, as well as others...thought I'd mention it given the recent marketplace release.

[Ulrichvon]

Please use font sizes readablde by old men.

[Vinyard]

Windstalker wrote:

P.S. We will be adding window recipes for tradeskillers with the expansion, as well as others...thought I'd mention it given the recent marketplace release.

And heroic scarecrows....they will make an appearance, yes?

[Kinya]

Windstalker wrote:

 

Cross Over to More Content

In two re-imagined Ethernere overlands inspired by Feerrott and Loping Plains, players will find a region in chaos.

 

Am I understanding it correctly?? You didn't create any new zones just revamped those already exisiting in game and give them other names?

And please change the size of your fonts...

[Pariel]

Kinya@Splitpaw wrote:

Windstalker wrote:

 

Cross Over to More Content

In two re-imagined Ethernere overlands inspired by Feerrott and Loping Plains, players will find a region in chaos.

 

Am I understanding it correctly?? You didn't create any new zones just revamped those already exisiting in game and give them other names?

And please change the size of your fonts...

LOL - never realised that... 2 old zones with pretty colours and new mobs

Oh and yes... FONT INCREASE please!

[Natsume]

Windstalker wrote:

P.S. We will be adding window recipes for tradeskillers with the expansion, as well as others...thought I'd mention it given the recent marketplace release.

This isteslf is proof that the EQII does listen to feedback. I am excited to see the new free content and what it's going to add to the game. I'm also excited to find out what new benefits level 95 guilds will have, they must be epic!

Thanks for the awesome news!

[Hirofortis]

So Sleepers Tomb - Sept

Unamed content/pre-event - October

Expansion: Chains of Eternity - November

• 2 Overland Zones
• X amount of new quests
• Level increase to 95 (tradeskill and Level)
• Guild level increase to 95
• Tradeskill prestige abilities
• Organic Adornments
• ? Raid zones ?
• ? Instances ?

No testing? Beta?

Currently adornemnts are destroyed with no way to save the progres. What if we get new gear? Are organiic adornments destroyed? 

The ideas have promise but the very aggressive timeline just makes me think bugs, bugs, oh and more bugs...

[Mixxit]

How is this related to Age's End

Why Loping (Mayong?) and Feerott?

[Gigv]

Will there be a new race or class?

Misstiny

[ratbast]

Was curious about the overland zones. It wasnt clear to me whether feerrot was getting revamped, or if it was getting a sister zone. expanding feerrot by giving it a deeper jungle overland sister zone would be great. I am not a fan of revamping(replacing) old content. Also the organic adornments: i see it as very risky and prone to disaster. The details of how they function will make or break it. my concerns are a new "unholy grind treadmill", and "end to sharing war runes with my alt army". dov was very good to me, i got a lot of great war runes early and my alts got a lot of use out of them. making each toon level up their own adornments will basically kill my desire to play alts. imo organic adornments should increase the base item template for that toon (not just the adorn you currently have equipped). organic adornments should not increase much, not be a big grind, and have a low cap on leveling up. leveled up adornments should be tradeable to alts in their leveled up state. Other than that this press release looks amazing. ofc we would love even more details, but this was a lot. Sounds like an expac with a lot of features you wont want to miss.

[ratbast]

Gigv wrote:

Will there be a new race or class?

Misstiny

yes plz.

a new amyg city under the lake at the end of feerrot...or maybe gnolls take firemist gulley after the undead (perfect lore tie in) wipe out the dwarves.

[TalisX1]

Kinya@Splitpaw wrote:

Windstalker wrote:

 

Cross Over to More Content

In two re-imagined Ethernere overlands inspired by Feerrott and Loping Plains, players will find a region in chaos.

 

Am I understanding it correctly?? You didn't create any new zones just revamped those already exisiting in game and give them other names?

Won't be the first time.

http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=446805

Silat

[Xelrek]

Prexus as a choosable Deity please

[KenCoop]

Acknowledging that this is a content expansion and not selling us another "feature" pack is a win in my book.  When comparing this announcement to AoD this looks like a big win for the players.

If they can deliver on 3/4 of what is in this announcement, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Oh, and I really hope when they say 9 dungeons there are actually 9 unique dungeons and not 3 used 3 times each.

[Cyliena]

Alluvial@Antonia Bayle wrote:

How is this related to Age's End

Why Loping (Mayong?) and Feerott?

It's not. That's still to be concluded in whenever we finally get the next/last DoV update.

[Pipsissiwa]

Windstalker wrote:

Even when the main quest line completes, players gain access to benefits as a result of their heroic acts and get rewards for replaying content.

 

Does this mean Grind for Faction?  I hope that isn't what this means as it is seriously boring and a lazy game design way to keep players busy.  Just my opinion but I am sick of it - it has been used since Rime and just isn't fun.   /sigh

Otherwise I am tentatively excited at the prospect of a proper content expansion, assuming I and my fellow European players are still here to enjoy it, and willing to give SOE/PSS1 the extra money after how we have been treated.

[Nahlis]

Looks good, though I would also be dissapointed if there were no truly new zones.

On another note entirely... can someone remind me what the level cap was after Velious?  Haven't played since then but thinking of coming back and just wondering how far behind I am. lol

[convict]

Why raise crafting? To make new spells? The 92 gear is/was useless from the start, quested items are better. Mobs need to drop components to make the item, not a chest plate or sword, but the mat. This gets adventurers and crafters working together more, like an MMO.

My biggest question is, are all the mobs going to kick/toss/throw/shoot everyone across the screen/in the air, or are you guys gonna try to do something new?

[Sanction]

Windstalker wrote:

Players will discover that avatars are once again making an appearance in Norrath. These avatars are different from those who appeared in the past. 

Well I hope this is as 'epic' as it was in the past .  Please please make this good or I might not come back from the disappointment.

Also the new adornments sound cool; I'd never turn down a new way to make the bland armor more exciting.

[silkness]

announcement of avatars will bring players back

game is COMPLETELY a different game now from when there were previously avatars

because of this all brought back players will leave again

[Loendar]

I hate to say it - but... 'meh'.

Two overland zones that are likely (not replacing the current) alternate versions of the existing ones with a new color palette and mobs.  And Ferrott being one of my LEAST favorite zones for travel in the entire game? Meh.

Three new levels that will take 15 levels worth of previous tiered experience to accomplish (see 90-92) so that I can get upgrades to spells like I normally would at those tiers with minor power boosts? Meh.

Tradeskills - see above.

I do like new instances - but we are likely looking at three groups of three zones (possibly scaled) like you have with the previous blocks of Miragul, CL zones, etc.  Nothing overly revolutionary there.

Mention of 'events' that raiders can participate in but nothing regarding raid zones themselves ... that is worrisome even though I'm not a hard-core raider. Meh.

There isn't a single element that jumps out at me as I must have and I play ALL types of content - I enjoy solo'ing, grouping with friends and raid twice a week.  I'll buy the expansion because my friends still play and they seem more excited about it than I am - and I like them anyway.  But if it were just me playing, mostly solo, this would be a pass.

With all of that said - I thought the 'game changing' announcement from Smed was today and the Producer Letter was tomorrow based on the time line I read.  I'm *really* hoping this isn't the game changing message because, simply, it isn't.

[TalisX1]

Loendar@Unrest wrote:

With all of that said - I thought the 'game changing' announcement from Smed was today and the Producer Letter was tomorrow based on the time line I read.  I'm *really* hoping this isn't the game changing message because, simply, it isn't.

http://www.everquest2.com/player-studio

That is the announcement they consider game changing.

Silat

[silkness]

TalisX1 wrote:

http://www.everquest2.com/player-studio

le sigh

[Loendar]

TalisX1 wrote:

Loendar@Unrest wrote:

With all of that said - I thought the 'game changing' announcement from Smed was today and the Producer Letter was tomorrow based on the time line I read.  I'm *really* hoping this isn't the game changing message because, simply, it isn't.

http://www.everquest2.com/player-studio

That is the announcement they consider game changing.

Silat

Oh lord.

Maybe it really is time for me to hang up my MMO hat from way back in the pay-to-play MUD days.  It is getting more apparently with the focus on tedious grinding and the things considered revolutionary that what is fun to me isn't fun to the masses anymore.

[Jesebell]

Ok so 9 new Dungeons and Raid "events" does this mean that we aren't getting any new raid zones and just getting events? If these "events" are anything like Ringwar or the dragon spire/ring events you're going to have a lot of disappointed raiders.

This is one of the most underwhelming updates I have seen in a while. I'm not excited. I'm left with a lot of questions that I don't think I'll like the answer to. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Malleria]

Sounds very promising. TBH re-working Loping and Feerrott probably isn't a bad way to go after the blandness (Great Divide) and over-the-top denseness (Withered Lands) we've seen lately.

[denmom]

I would love to be able to do the whole storylines with any of my toons, be they raider or non.

I've yet to start or finish any of them, because they always go into heroic (which is understandable) and end in raid zones.

I remember an idea brought to attention in a FanFaire about two years back: set up a raidzone aftermath, where a rumour of fighting with X named has been whispered about and since the adventurer is known by the Powers That Be in either city due to their exploits, they're summoned and sent out to check things.

This would be a great idea, imho.  A way for everyone to experience the storyline, from non-adventurer to raider.

[Lera]

KenCoop wrote:

Acknowledging that this is a content expansion and not selling us another "feature" pack is a win in my book.  When comparing this announcement to AoD this looks like a big win for the players.

So... you'd rather pay for Ethernere than get Ethernere for free, and pay for the other stuff if you wanted (or, if you didn't want it, not pay for it and still have the new content)?

So much for the "content is free, features are extra" model. I guess people would have felt better if AoD included Skyshrine, instead of getting Skyshrine for free.