GU59: In-Game Calendar and Ready Check!

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News, Game Updates & Maintenance, Grouping, Live Events, Raiding

In-Game Calendar

If you have longed to be able to organize Guild Events into an in-game Calendar, post a Raid Schedule, or get a reminder on which City will be visited next by the roving City Festival, you’ll be pleased to see the addition of a Calendar in Game Update 59. The calendar will be populated with Live Events, possibly Server Events posted by Community Managers, and also your Guild leadership will have the ability to add events (it’s gained a new permission under Guild Ranks).

Ready Check!

From the Update Notes:

Raid Leaders can now initiate a ready-check by right-clicking the raid window. Raid members in the current zone will be asked if they are ready and the results will be displayed in the raid window as well as in raid chat.

This will be a great addition for Raid Leaders to be able to make sure everyone is back from AFK, and probably also a good way to find out who’s watching TV (or worse) rather than paying attention. 😉

NOTE: This is a PREVIEW. Additional features and tweaks may occur to render these screenshots outdated.

   

New Destiny of Velious Heroic AA Tree

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News

How Many Points, Where Can I Spend?

Destiny of Velious increases the number of AAs you can earn from 250 to 300 points, and adds an entirely new “Heroic” tree where additional AA points can be spent.

  • The first row of 3 abilities in the Heroic tree are common to all 24 classes. You can raise your Main Stats, Ability Mod, Health/Power. You must first have spent 200 points in the other trees (Subclass, Class, and Shadows).
  • The second row of 3 abilities in the Heroic tree are also common to all 24 classes. You can increase your Crit Bonus, Potency, and/or Ability Reuse. You must have spent 225 points in all AA trees combined and 10 points in Heroic.
  • The third row opens up your Subclass (Enchanter, Warrior, Crusader, Predator, Druid, etc.) abilities which require 20 spoints spent in Heroic and requires 250 total points to have been spent.
  • The fourth row is your Subclass End line abilities. This requires 48 points to have been spent in Heroic, and 275 points to have been spent in all trees combined.

As you can see, you can boost whichever stats you want, and you can buy up several abilities (most are passive buffs).

GU59: Mechanics / Itemization Changes

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News, Game Updates & Maintenance, Grouping, Itemization, Raiding

Big changes to Mechanics and Itemization have coincided with the last 2 expansions and Destiny of Velious is no exception. Today we delve into changes to:

  • Procs (Item Effects)
  • Adornments
  • Critical Chance
  • Critical Avoidance
  • Primary Stats (Stamina, Intelligence, Agility, Wisdom, and Strength)
  • Health
  • Power
  • Melee Range
  • Multiattack
  • Ability Mod

Destiny of Velious Zone Difficulty List

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News, Grouping, Raiding

Here is our list of dungeons and raid zones from Destiny of Velious and some difficulty indicators provided by developers updated with player feedback. Updated for Game Update 62.

Destiny of Velious Solo Zones:

Great Divide (86-90)
Eastern Wastes (89-90)
Crystalline Breaks (solo)

Instanced Group Zones:

Crystal Caverns: Collapse

Tower of Frozen Shadow: Shadowed Corridors
Tower of Frozen Shadow: Umbral Halls
Tower of Frozen Shadow: Haunt of Syl’Tor

Velketor’s Labyrinth: Forgotten Pools
Velketor’s Labyrinth: The Ascent
Velketor’s Labyrinth: The Fortress Spire

Kael Drakkel: Iceshard Keep
Kael Drakkel: Throne of Storms
Kael Drakkel: Temple of Rallos Zek (EM)

The Fortress of Drunder: Spire of Rage
The Fortress of Drunder: Strategist’s Stronghold
The Fortress of Drunder: Tower of Tactics
The Fortress of Drunder: Echoes of War (EM)

Kael Drakkel: Temple of Rallos Zek (HM)
The Fortress of Drunder: Echoes of War (HM)

Contested Group Zones:

Kael Drakkel

Raid Zones:

Tower of Frozen Shadow (x2)
Velketor’s Labyrinth: Kraytoc’s Fortress
Kael Drakkel – Throne of Storms: Hall of Legends!
Temple of Rallos Zek: Foundations of Stone

The Fortress of Drunder: Sullon’s Spire
The Fortress of Drunder: Citadel of V’uul (x2)
The Fortress of Drunder: Tallon’s Stronghold
The Fortress of Drunder: Vallon’s Tower

Access Quests

With the exception of Crystal Caverns, all Destiny of Velious group and raid instances have access quests which must be completed to gain access to the next in the series.

Destiny of Velious Beta NDA Lifts, Just Kidding!

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News

EQ2Wire has spent the past several weeks working on articles for release when the Destiny of Velious Beta NDA drops. This includes features on Itemization and Mechanics changes with Developer Quotes, previews of Public Quests, the new Dungeons and Raid zones, new graphics features such as Ambient Occlusion and Sunshafts, as well as an awesome AA browser that lets you browse the new AAs in Destiny of Velious. We have also been preparing a special Destiny of Velious Flying Mounts video which would show you the new flying Gryffons, talk a little bit about the quest to acquire them and showcase how well they do in both old and new zones.

UPDATE: Please see our article Destiny of Velious EQ2Wire Coverage Update regarding our continuing coverage of Destiny of Velious.

Destiny of Velious NDA Lifts

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News

From EverQuest2.com:

The Destiny of Velious NDA has officially lifted! If you participated in the Beta test, you’re now free to start talking about Destiny of Velious. We hope you enjoyed the new expansion as much as we’ve enjoyed working on it.

Please remember that all posts made on the Beta forums are still protected under the NDA and should not be shared publicly. In addition, screenshots were disabled in the Beta test so any images taken by bypassing the disabled screenshot feature also fall under this restriction.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Beta test. We appreciate all your feedback and we can’t wait to see you in Velious next week!

GU59/DoV: Tradeskill XP Changes

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News, Tradeskill

In a change that has so far received mostly positive feedback, Destiny of Velious will likely alter the methods Tradeskillers will choose to level up most efficiently. While the Destiny of Velious NDA remains in effect, Domino has been allowed to share this change with the community to provide an opportunity for feedback before Velious (and its associated game update which we are calling Game Update 59 — SOE has yet to name it).

Most tradeskillers level up by first crafting new recipes (thus receiving a 200% Crafting Pristine Bonus), and then move on to writs (Rush Orders or Work Orders), and also fill in the gaps with other Tradeskill quests which have been added in the last 2 years. Tradeskill classes especially the scholars (Sage, Jeweler, Alchemist) have always been at a huge advantage here because of the number of new recipes earned with each level.

After the jump, Domino‘s posting on the EQ2 Forums about the upcoming Tradeskill XP Changes:

DLGamer Europe Deal for EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News

Kerane has brought to our attention some special pricing by DLGamer for past customers and families to purchase EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious at a discount. The official SOE (and Direct2Drive) price for the Destiny of Velious expansion is 34,95  €.

EverQuest ® II Destiny of Velious ™ All-In-One X2 (Familly pack) 59,99 .

Two copies of EQ2 for your friends/family.

And according to an e-mail received by Kerane:

All who ordered the previous expansion from DLgamer can buy Destiny of Velious for 31.99 €“.

If you did not receive such an e-mail from DLGamer, shoot them an e-mail and see if you can get this deal. Alas, the only place to purchase the Destiny of Velious: Collector’s Edition is through SOE.

Lucan D’Lere Getting Crushed — Server Merge Update

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance

From the EQ2 Forums:

The Lucan D’Lere and Crushbone servers will be taken offline at 12:00am PST on Wednesday, February 16th [Thursday 16 Feb @ 8:00] and will be offline for an estimated 24 hours. The merged Crushbone server should be back online sometime around 12:00 am PST on Thursday, February 17th.

The following services will be affected for all EQII servers during this downtime and may experience interruptions:

  • Cross-server chat
  • Chat channels
  • In-game mail
  • Friends Lists

We apologize for any inconvenience and will resume all affected services when the merge is complete.

and this update:

Lucan will be coming offline at 9pm PST [05:00 GMT]  to prepare for the merge.

Destiny of Velious Webcast #4 Set for Friday February 18 @ 4:00pm PST

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News

From EverQuest2.com:

Upcoming Dev Chat Webcast #4:

This Friday, February 18th, members of the EQII Development Team will join us again to give an exclusive tour of Destiny of Velious!

  • Friday, February 18 at 4:00 pm PST [Midnight-1:00 GMT on Feb 19]: Live Tour of Destiny of Velious! Join members of the EQII team for a live walkthrough of the new expansion. Producer Dave “Smokejumper” Georgeson and Game Designer Paul “Cronyn” Molina will be on hand to give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Destiny of Velious.

Tune in on Facebook or on Stickam to watch the fourth webcast this Friday!

Also, don’t miss our Destiny of Velious Launch Day Webcast on Tuesday, February 22nd, from 7:00 am PST [15:00 GMT] until 9:00 am PST [17:00 GMT], where we’ll interview members of the EQII Team and count down to the opening of the servers!

EQ2X’s Freeport Server Buckling — Time for 2nd Free-to-Play Server?

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Free-to-Play (EQ2X)

Despite prophecies and predictions declaring EQ2X overpriced and underdelivered, it seems EQ2X’s popularity has nonetheless led it to be a victim of its own success in recent weeks. Several threads on the EQ2X forums about server crashes, instability, and lag have been created which got some reaction from SmokeJumper. Currently, EQ2X runs on but a single server called Freeport.

After the jump, responses from SmokeJumper

Response on Direct Debit as a Payment Option

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Daybreak Cash, Expansion News

I wanted to bring you an update on an issue we raised over the weekend regarding Direct Debit from your bank as a Payment Option for EQ2 Expansions, Subscriptions, and StationCash. Amnerys, EQ2 Community Manager, has raised the issue with the appropriate departments and is seeking an answer. There is no need to panic yet, as no orders have been cancelled or affected.

From the EQ2 Forums:

I am currently in talks with a few departments so we can get this straightened out.

It sounds like the option to use Direct Debit might be removed for purchasing SC going forward. It was the source of a lot of fraud (much more fraud than valid payments) and unfortunately we may lose that option because of it.

As for the pre-order and monthly subs, it seems like Direct Debit should still be an available option for those two types of purchases. I am getting clarification on that right now. Perhaps the messaging that you’re seeing on your confirmation pages is unclear. It is our standard practice to charge for the expansion on the day it launches, but I will make sure that we get a definite answer on whether or not the Direct Debit charges will go through for those purchases.

Thanks for your patience while I work all this out!

   

February 15, 2011 Update Notes

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance, Live Events

Here are your February 15, 2011 Update Notes from the EQ2 Forums:

GENERAL

  • An issue that stops ambient characters in city zones from wandering has been fixed.
  • ‘Follow’ should once again be an option on group member’s right-click menu.

LIVE EVENTS

  • Sister Thog Macgilly will now update the quest “Premonitions of Disaster” even while Erollisi Day is being celebrated.
  • Creatures within the Shard of Love now have a significantly higher chance of dropping love loot while Erollisi Day is being celebrated.

Destiny of Velious Prelude Event Wrapping Up

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News

From Cronyn on the EQ2 Forums:

Heya guys!

I just wanted to let you know that as I shut down the EXP07 prelude event, I’m adding the books available on it to the merchant lists for the sages in Freeport and Qeynos, so they’ll be available if you didn’t get a chance to run through the event.

Also, I FINALLY added part three of the Zul’Urid story to the merchant lists as well – I had meant to do this ages ago, but kept forgetting to do so (I’m old! What’cha going to do?), but it’s up there now.

Anyway, let me know if there’s anything that should be there that isn’t, and I’ll look into it, and will get anything that needs to be there up. Hopefully before the NEXT prelude event in any case.

Anyway, just a heads up for you all – especially you book collectors.

Direct Debit/Bank Payment Option Phaseout?

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Daybreak Cash, Expansion News

In an alarmist posting on the EQ2 Forums, Moonflake of Splitpaw has brought to our attention the disappearance of the Bank Transfer and Direct Debit payment option for purchasing StationCash, monthly Subscriptions, and the upcoming Velious expansion. Bank Transfer may seem unusual in the US for a small amount such as StationCash, subscription, or an expansion, but Bank Transfers and Debit cards are both common means of making even small purchases in Europe.

Payment Options page in Germany (before the changes) showing Bank Transfer (upper right) and Direct Debit (center left).

Notes from Destiny of Velious Feb 11 Webcast #3

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News, Grouping, Itemization, PvP/BG/Proving Grounds, Raiding

Here are some notes from Friday night’s live Webcast of Rich Waters, Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson and Salim “Silius” talking about the upcoming Destiny of Velious expansion, including player-submitted questions. Getting into the mechanics and itemization changes, we get very close to a full transcription as there is a lot of detail and information here. We recommend listening to the webcast to get a complete picture of what was said.

Some bullet points:

  • The EQ2 team have the next year of Game Updates planned out with more group zones, raid zones, heritage quests, etc. The first Game Update will add more dungeons.
  • Items will become a lot more modular and straightforward, with procs largely moved to adornments.
  • Group players in Sentinel’s Fate should be able to jump right into grouping in Velious such as Tower of Frozen Shadow.
  • Casual raiders in Sentinel’s Fate may want to test the waters with the contested Kael Drakkel dungeon which falls right before the easier raid content.
  • High-level raiders who are already doing Underfoot Depths should be able to move into the easier raid zones in Velious without grouping, although Kael Drakkel is a good stepping stone.
  • Silius went into detail on the new Adornment scheme including a new type of adornment War Runes.
  • We won’t see new Battlegrounds gear or other PvP content until the Game Update after Velious.
  • A new mechanic on mobs (NPCs) called Critical Avoidance which means you’ll need well over 100% Crit Chance to succeed harder dungeons and raids. This effect reduces your crit (including healing!).
  • Flying mounts start at level 86.
  • On March 1st, everyone will be able to fly as a live event. The gnomes are putting in experimental test pilot tracks in Lavastorm, Tenebrous Tangle, and Butcherblock. You’ll be able to grab a tinkered craft and run through the race against time.

EQ2Mission: Track Named Mobs for AA

Written by Kwill on . Posted in Guide

Launched in January 2011, this new fan site looks promising for players who would like to track  named mobs for alternate achievement progress and keep track of daily missions.  EQ2Mission will not only keep track of which named mobs you have killed, but suggest others in a zone that you might have missed.

Still a work in progress, the author, Quicktiger on Antonia Bayle, has been steadily growing his database.  The site also promises to track items needed, such as master spells and recipe books, as well as the best food and drink choices for your characters. Quicktiger’s site lists daily missions, with the added ability to view future and past missions. The site requires the user to install a logging client.

Find EQ2Mission at http://eq2mission.flame.org/.

Destiny of Velious Webcast #3 Video Online

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News, Itemization

(left to right) Greg Agius [EQ2 Brand Manager] interviews Rich Waters [EQ2 Lead Designer], Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson [EQ2 Senior Producer] and Salim “Silius” [EQ2 Developer, Itemization], about the upcoming Destiny of Velious expansion including reader questions.

Upcoming Dev Chat Webcasts:

This Friday, February 18th, members of the EQII Development Team will join us again to talk about itemization in Destiny of Velious. This will be the last in our series of four Live Webcasts leading up to the Destiny of Velious launch! Be sure to tune in to learn more about the upcoming features and get the scoop straight from the people who work on EQII every day.

  • Friday, February 18 at 4:00 pm PST: Topic TBA

Topics will be announced soon. Tune in on Facebook or on Stickam to watch the fourth webcast this Friday!

Submit your Questions on the EQ2 Forums

Destiny of Velious Lore: Thurgadin

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Expansion News

From EverQuest2.com:

Established by Dain Frostreaver the First after the coldain were driven from their city in the Crystal Caverns, Thurgadin has served as the home for the coldain dwarves for hundreds of years.  Nestled within the northnernmost mountains of the Great Divide, Thurgadin has protected the coldain from relentless attacks, and acted as a welcoming and secure place for many adventurers who visited Velious in the past.  However, the noble city was always under threat, as the Kromrif were determined to wipe the coldain off the face of Velious.

Continue reading at EverQuest2.com…

Massively Livestream Tonight, Upcoming Player Events and Community Party

Written by Feldon on . Posted in Grouping, Live Events

From EverQuest2.com:

A ton of in-game events are coming up, including some run by media sites, some run by players, and some by the Community Relations Team! Have you made plans to attend yet?

Massively Livecast – EverQuest II: Saturday, Feb 12, 9:00 p.m. EST

This week, Karen from Massively will take a closer look at the mentoring system in EverQuest II. She’ll cover the basics of how to mentor down in level, highlight the chronomage system, and then take a trip into Deathfist Citadel, a lower-level instance from the original EverQuest II that remains one of her favorite zones. Let’s hunt some orc! Click here for the Livestream link!

Check out EverQuest2.com for more details of the upcoming Player Events on Antonia Bayle and Lucan D’Lere, as well as the Community events on Feb 15th and 17th.


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