Many EQ2 players received received an e-mail this week like the following. A few people thought it was a hoax or phishing scam due to the typos, while others pouted about not receiving a copy. Either way, if you are flagged for Tears of Veeshan on your account, then on February 28th you’ll receive a pair of Nightmare Flight Wings.

also on Twitter:

Do you own the Tears of Veeshan expansion? You’ll receive free Raident Nightmare Flight Wings on 02/28! [RadarX]

— EverQuest II (@everquestii) February 20, 2014

Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions we are seeing about the new EverQuest II expansion Tears of Veeshan. This article will be updated as more details are found!

How do I get started in Tears of Veeshan?

The Tears of Veeshan expansion begins with the Tears of Veeshan: The Eternal Broodlands Signature quest, which you will receive an in-game mail about, and which you can pick up in either Qeynos or Freeport. Once on the quest, you will begin a path that takes you to the Vesspyr Isles.

How to travel directly to the new zones without doing the quest lines?

• If you are in a guild hall, you may travel by Druid Ring to Vesspyr Isles. Player-summoned druid rings may or may not show Vesspyr Isles as a travel option. This has been reported as a bug. Tinkerers may also craft a [eq2u]Wormhole Generator: Obol Plains[/eq2u] and then fly to the druid ring there to travel to Vesspyr Isles.

The Embargo on EQ2’s Tears of Veeshan expansion news dropped today at noon, so here’s your opportunity to read writeups (with some interview questions from Holly, Akil, and Carlos) about the expansion by the lovely MJ Guthrie who works hard to keep EQ2 on the front page of Massively and for that we have much respect!

• Dragons Take Flight in EQII’s Tears of Veeshan today

and here’s a writeup by Curse who also got to ask some developer questions…

• EQ II’s Tears of Veeshan Expansion Takes Wing

We’ll be back tomorrow with our EQ2Wire Tears of Veeshan: Frequently Asked Questions article tomorrow — promise!

EQ2 ZAM has released their full coverage of Tears of Veeshan including an overview of the entire expansion, and extensive details about everything new to explore, as well as detailed writeups of all the new quests!

• Read Tears of Veeshan Coverage @ EQ2 ZAM

From the EQ2 Forums:

Sony Online Entertainment, LLC (SOE) today announced the launch of EverQuest®II: Tears of Veeshan™, the 10th expansion for the hit massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). The Tears of Veeshan expansion features engaging new content, including a compelling storyline to experience, a new overland realm to explore, massive dungeons, dragon-themed Alternative Advancements (AAs), the new Channeler class, and a host of challenging quests and items.

The US EverQuest II servers are back up as of about 10 minutes ago and it looks like Tears of Veeshan is live! No word on when EU servers will be up.

Tears of Veeshan offers new Tradeskill quests, tradeskill collections, recipes, new tradeskill apprentice recipes, purple war runes you can craft, and Gemstones which can upgrade Advanced Solo and Heroic gear as well as many other new features. There’s also a great change to building blocks and a new pack pegasus.

From Niami Denmother of EQ2Traders:

There is quite a bit going on regarding crafting in the Tears of Veeshan expansion, and since one of the SOE Dev team, Caith, went to the trouble of putting together a master list for us for beta, I am taking that list and running with it.

Continue reading at EQ2Traders!

Here are the Update Notes for the Tears of Veeshan expansion (ie Game Update 68) from the EQ2 Forums:

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!

Features:

• New class – Channeler!
• New Dragon-themed AAs
• AA limit increased to 340
• New overland area, Vesspyr Isles – Adventure, amenities, quests, collections, and more!
• Nine new dungeons
• Two new raid zones
• More Tradeskill and Tradeskill Apprentice Items
• New PvP item tier

From Cyliena on EQ2 ZAM:

Qeynos and Freeport are under assault by the forces of the Awakened. Kerafyrm has possession of the Tear of Veeshan. The commander of the New Combine army lay in his grave, with his daughter, Antonia Bayle, grief-stricken and alone.

The darkest days are coming to EverQuest II. Ages End is just around the corner.

Over the past month your EQII ZAM team has toiled away on the Beta server, working to bring you the coverage you’ve come to expect.

Continue reading at EQ2 ZAM…

EverQuest II: Tears of Veeshan launches tomorrow, and one of the benefits of an Open Beta is, we don’t have to wait for any pesky embargoes to take a look at what zones players will be journeying to in less than 24 hours. NOTE: All screenshots in the article were taken by me.

Tears of Veeshan includes nine new Instances which are available in both Advanced Solo and Heroic versions. The new solo/heroic zones are all accessible from the Vesspyr Isles (which are another realm of the Ethernere, sharing vestiges of the Tenebrous Tangle).

•  The Fractured Hive
•  The Nexus Core
•  High Keep
•  High Keep: The Pickclaw Depths
•  Stratum of the Protectors
•  Ssrez’Ras: Chamber of Stasis
•  Temple of Veeshan: Laboratory of Mutation
•  Temple of Veeshan: Halls of the Betrayer
•  Temple of Veeshan: Vulak’Aerr’s Dominion

NOTE: The difficulty markers above are my estimates, not from a developer.

After six years attending gaming conventions, namely Fan Faire and then SOE Live, one learns to carry a healthy dose of skepticism into any keynote or panel. The Age of Discovery (2011) and Chains of Eternity (2012) panels dazzled us with glitzy new features, beautiful new zones, and tweaks to itemization and mechanics. But by and large, these nips and tucks to itemization have remained in the well-worn rut of “Stamina + Main Stat increasing on a straight line” introduced with the Destiny of Velious expansion.

In Kyle “Kander” Vallée‘s interview with EQ2Talk this spring, he candidly shared his frustrations with Stat Consolidation and his plans to bring back Player Choice and Variety in itemization. But while I had reason to be excited for the Tears of Veeshan Itemization and Mechanics panels at this year’s SOE Live, I wasn’t fully prepared for the daring long-term plan for Itemization with which we were presented. I observed a confident, unified development team laying out their vision for a future in which choice is put back into player hands, and where the complexity that has always set EQ2 apart from more “accessible” games such as WoW is embraced rather than smoothed over.

The EQ2 Team have let us go behind the scenes and see how the art and animation for the upcoming Tears of Veeshan expansion came together.

The hits keep on coming, as Dellmon and Aliscious from the popular EQ2Talk podcast have landed an unprecedented third interview with EverQuest II Senior Producer Holly “Windstalker” Longdale. Their past interviews with Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson, Kyle “Kander” Vallée, and Holly have been a joy to listen to, including the kinds of detailed questions we all wish we could ask these folks.

Don’t miss this week’s episode from EQ2Talk.com!

EQ2 Talk is thrilled to have EverQuest 2 Senior Producer Holly “Windstalker” Longdale back for the third time! Tune in as she lets us sneak a peek at EQ2’s upcoming expansion, Tears of Veeshan. Holly provides a lore primer on the Vesspyr Isles, reveals details about flagging, and talks about the much anticipated Dungeon Finder 2.0. She also offers an inside look at heroic characters, leveling and the new channeler class.

Click here to listen to Episode 72

From Erin Oakley on the EQ2 Forums:

First announced at SOE Live 2013, the Channeler is a new player class coming on November 12 with the EverQuest II Tears of Veeshan expansion. Here’s an overview of this unique DPS healer:

A Priest with a Bow?

You heard right! The Channeler uses magically-charged shots to deal damage and heal their Construct and party members. Channelers can also wear leather armor, allowing them to take a few extra hits and keep on firing.

EQ2 ZAM has checked in with the second half of their Tears of Veeshan interview:

In the conclusion to our interview with the EverQuest II team, we take a look at Game Update 68 features, future updates and Player Studio.

Tears of Veeshan is not the only thing launching on Tuesday, November 12. Game Update 68 is happening at the same time, which will add two new features: Tier 4 Guild Halls and Mercenary Slots.

In the final part of our interview with the EverQuest IIteam we spoke to them about these features, tried to discern some information on the future and briefly discussed Player Studio.

Read the full article over on ZAM!

From EQ2 ZAM:

In the first part of our interview with the EverQuest II team, we take a look at the new content, progression and more.

Tears of Veeshan is quickly approaching, with less than one week remaining to pre-order EverQuest II’s 10th expansion pack. As the launch date of Tuesday, November 12 looms, we took some time to speak with the EQII team about Tears of Veeshan and beyond.

Read the full article over on ZAM!

 

From Ry “Roshen” Schueller on the EQ2 Forums:

Kerafyrm has turned Temple of Veeshan into a floating fortress!

Suspended by Kerafyrm’s magic, the Temple of Veeshan hovers ominously above Norrath. The first Tear of Veeshan has increased Kerafyrm’s power by an order of magnitude, and he is using the power of the Tear to force Temple of Veeshan through the veil between Norrath and Ethernere.

From the EQ2 Forums:

The whereabouts of High Keep had been unknown for many years. Recent events have uncovered its location, but it is no longer the High Keep of legend.

This was posted last week, but better late than never. 😉

From the EQ2 Forums:

Testing for EverQuest II’s 10th expansion, Tears of Veeshan, is in full swing on the Beta server. Not only can you get a preview of what’s to come by heading over to take a look, but also earn rewards that you can claim on your live character!

There are three separate rewards that you can earn for testing different facets of the expansion:

[eq2u]Blessed of Veeshan Reward Bundle[/eq2u] is for testing overland quests in Vesspyr Isles.

[eq2u]Thread Jumper’s Reward Bundle[/eq2u] is granted for testing and completing all of the Heroic dungeons.

[eq2u]Indomitable Reward Bundle[/eq2u] is granted for raid testing with a member of the development team.

So head on over to the beta server and join the fun!

Sokokars Take Flight

First ever flying Blessed Sokokar mount. (heroic version)

[eq2u]Fuzzlecutter’s Bottled Brilliance[/eq2u]

Kander posted this on the EQ2Forums:

Greetings and welcome to the Tears of Veeshan open Beta!

First, let me thank you all for choosing to come and help us. We are grateful for your time, and will see that you are justly rewarded!

We have a lot to test with this expansion, and we appreciate all of you who are helping us.

You can access Vesspyr: the Eternal Broodlands via the dragon rings or druid rings.

All heroic and advanced solo content is accessible directly from specialized entrances in the overland.

Here is the zone list:

• Nexus Core [Heroic]
• Nexus Core [Advanced Solo]
• The Fractured Hive [Heroic]
• The Fractured Hive [Advanced Solo]
• High Keep[Heroic]
• High Keep[Advanced Solo]
• High Keep: The Pickclaw Depths [Heroic]
• High Keep: The Pickclaw Depths [Advanced Solo]
• Izshrash’Khar: Stratum of the Protectors [Heroic]
• Izshrash’Khar: Stratum of the Protectors [Advanced Solo
• Ssrez’Ras: Chamber of Stasis [Heroic]
• Ssrez’Ras: Chamber of Stasis [Advanced Solo]
• Temple of Veeshan: Halls of the Betrayer [Heroic]
• Temple of Veeshan: Halls of the Betrayer [Advanced Solo]
• Temple of Veeshan: Laboratory of Mutation [Heroic]
• Temple of Veeshan: Laboratory of Mutation [Advanced Solo
• Temple of Veeshan: Vulak’Aerr’s Dominion [Heroic]

From the EQ2 Forums:

Open Beta for EverQuest II: Tears of Veeshan will open tomorrow, on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. This is a great chance for players to check out the new Channeler class and new dragon-themed Alternative Advancement (AA) systems for each archetype. We’d love your feedback on these features, as well as other parts of the expansion! Beta will last until the launch of Tears of Veeshan onTuesday, November 12, 2013!

How to copy your Live and/or Test character over to the Beta server:

• You can click the ‘Beta Copy’ button on the character create screen to copy the currently selected character.
• You can log in your character and then use the /beta command.

From the EQ2 Forums:

Hello again, Norrathians!

We are all getting ready to usher in our next expansion, EverQuest II: Tears of Veeshan (ToV)…and not a moment too soon! Open Beta is being prepared now for Oct. 15 and launch is coming on Nov. 12!

In ToV, our next epic chapter unfolds! Kerafyrm, the great, evil prismatic dragon, has stolen a powerful artifact known as the Tear of Veeshan and slain Yelinak – Norrath’s wisest and eldest dragon. The New Combine Army that united Norrath’s peoples is fractured and powerless and it is said that Kerafyrm’s plots now reach far beyond Norrath. In fact, his plans are rumored to reach beyond time and space to all existence! You and your allies will be all that stands in his way.

At last, the EverQuest II: Tears of Veeshan pre-order items have been unveiled. With Beta starting sometime next week, and the expansion falling mid-November, it’s great to get to see these items.

From Tony “RadarX“ on the EQ2 Forums and EverQuest2.com:

The Tears of Veeshan Pre-Order is now available and for a limited time only. Take this opportunity to pick up the new expansion and its pre-order bonus, the Veeshan Loyalty Cloak! As you can see below, this cloak not only says you have great fashion sense, but tells Kerafyrm that you’d prefer he not destroy the world.

And… Tears of Veeshan is now available for Pre-order… $39.95 for the Standard Edition, $59.99 for the Collector’s Edition. 25% less if you are an All Access subscriber.

UPDATE: To avoid any confusion, I have removed the screenshot which showed a $29.99 and $44.95 price for Tears of Veeshan expansion. Those prices are only applicable if you have an All Access account.

SOE Live UPDATE: If you attended SOE Live, then you get the Standard edition free, and there will be an upgrade option to get the CE. UPDATE: This upgrade will be $20.

UPDATE:

The EverQuest 2 Servers will come down on Tuesday, October 1st at 7:00AM Pacific Time* for an update. The expected downtime is approximately 5 hours. 

From the EQ2 Forums:

GENERAL
Memberships have changed!

• We’ve removed Item restrictions from Free and Silver accounts.
• Permanent 10% Mount speed and 15% Coin Loot Bonus to Gold membership!
• Destiny of Velious expansion content is now free for everyone too!

HEROIC CHARACTERS & 1 FREE HERO’S CALL OFFER
Heroic characters can now be created! Answer the Hero’s Call!

From now until Oct. 15, you can take part in our 1 FREE HEROIC CHARACTER ‘Hero’s Call’ Offer. All existing accounts created prior to Sept. 22, 2013 will have access to 1 free Level 85 Heroic Character! All accounts created after Sept. 22, 2013 will get access to 1 free account per household. These free Heroic Characters will be unlocked permanently!