From the SOE Live website:

SOE Live Exclusive: Get a First Look at EverQuest Next!

On Friday, August 2nd, attendees at SOE Live will witness the unveiling of the highly anticipated EverQuest Next! Be among the first to see game features and development plans during a keynote address by Director of Development Dave Georgeson and members of the EverQuest Next team. Following the keynote, SOE Live passholders will be able to ask questions and learn more in-depth information from the developers during a number of panels.

Whether you're a long-time EverQuest enthusiast or just curious about the next big thing in gaming, don't miss this exciting chance to get your first look at EverQuest Next. SOE Live is the only place for all the insider information, so register today!

as per the SOE Live schedule, Friday's keynote is scheduled for 11:00am:

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Keynote Address

More details to be announced. You won't want to miss this!

Celebrity Ballroom

SOE Live Early Bird Registration ends May 22nd and rises from $129.00 for the weekend to $149.00. NOTE: Anyone who registered in the past few days and was charged $149.00 will be refunded the difference.

From EverQuest2.com:

Calling All Player Panelist Hopefuls!

SOE LIVE Player Panel submissions are OPEN!

The biggest hit of SOE Live last year was the inclusion of player panels for the first time. We loved 'em, YOU loved 'em, and they'll be back for 2013! We'll have panels on Friday, Saturday, and now Sunday as well!

We are looking for panels on any subject that will be of interest to SOE Live attendees. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Managing a Guild
• Guild Leaders Support Group
• How to run a raid without losing your mind
• L337 gameplay tactics (in any SOE game!)
• How to win in PvP
• Roleplay in the 21st century
• Running an in-game event
• Cosplay tips and tricks
• Why SKs are overpowered (just kidding!)
• Player Studio
• Fan Sites
• Livestreaming - how to!
• Making videos
• Fan Art and/or Fan Fiction
• Mastering the art of... ?
• Another amazing topic that we've never thought of!

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In case there are any doubts about just how big a deal EQNext will be at SOE Live, if you haven't already read it, Linda "Brasse" Carlson's SOE Live blog leaves no doubt on the subject:

This year, it’s all about EQ Next. The Dev team is madly writing code, making art, and preparing to reveal a ton of news about this long-anticipated game world. While we will do our best to livestream or record the keynote and panels, there is nothing that beats being there, in person, to get the breaking news and then ask your very own questions.

Player Panels were so popular that there was no doubt they'd make a comeback:

Keep an eye on the SOE Live schedule as we fill it out. May is the month for panels – dev has been asked to submit their sessions already, and in a week or two, we’ll open our call for player panel submissions!

After the jump, the remainder of her comments, plus beefcake!

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From Twitch.tv:

It's official! SOE Live 2013 Registration is now OPEN!

SOE Live Gains a Few Hours

The planned events will sound familiar to SOE Live/Fan Faire veterans, but the schedule is a bit different.

The popular Player Panels are returning this year. But due to their popularity, and how crunched for time the devs have been in years past trying to squeeze everything in, you'll notice that SOE Live activities will spill out well into Sunday afternoon this year, with Developer and Player Panels stretching until 2pm. I'm booked to fly out at 12:30pm so hopefully there aren't any crucial panels I will miss. As it is, I'll have to duck out of the Dev Brunch early to hail a cab.

Give it a Rest!

It looks like SOE listened to us about the dueling Keynotes last year which meant that we were busy with activities on Thursday, Friday AND Saturday night, so the second Keynote has been pushed to Friday morning. Friday evening we have from 5pm-8pm completely free before the Pool Party starts.

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If you didn't immediately rush to Google Planet Hollywood and explore their website when the new venue was announced for SOE Live 2013, well, SOE has put together some facts about this year's locale...

From the EQ2 Forums:

Join us this summer at our new SOE Live venue - Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas! Here are some highlights about our new home for these four fun-filled days in August:

• The Pleasure Pool - Our annual pool party will be taking place at Planet Hollywood's pool, "The Pleasure Pool," located on a sixth-floor rooftop! The pool area offers breathtaking views of the Las Vegas strip, including sights of the famous Bellagio fountains, located across the street.
• Miracle Mile Shops - Planet Hollywood is connected to the Miracle Mile of Shops, a grand shopping experience with a variety of stores and dining options, as well as live shows in the V Theater.
• Convention Area + Casino - The main convention area, where SOE Live will be held, is closely integrated with the casino area of the resort, so guests will be able to be part of the Vegas action while still staying close to SOE Live events!
• Central Strip Location - Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino is centrally located on the Las Vegas strip, which makes visiting other nearby hotels, restaurants, and attractions easy for all guests!

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From the Station forums:

On Thursday, April 25, 2013 we have two exciting webcasts scheduled for you:

4:00pm -- EQ2 Scars of the Awakened and More!

4:30pm -- SOE Live Registration Opens!

Our first broadcast is at 4 PM! We’re just a few days away from the launch of EverQuest II’s 66th game update, Scars of the Awakened! Host and EverQuest II Producer Holly “Windstalker” Longdale will interview Akil “Lyndro” Hooper (Creative Director), Tim “Haohmaru” Heydelaar (Art Director), and Dave “Maevianiu” Kish (Senior Programmer) to share a few final details about “Scars,” as well as talk about what else the EQ2 team will be working on next! Have a question for the team? Make sure you share it on the EverQuest II forums!

Then at 4:30, you’ve been asking us for months and now we’ve got it for you… registration is opening for SOE Live! Brasse will chat with Jen Belfield (Marketing Services Director) and Casey Roberts (Marketing Services and Events Specialist) to give you the details on registration, tournaments, panels, Live Quests, in-game items, the Keynotes, and MORE! Do you have SOE Live questions for the gals? We’ve got a place for you to ask them.

Join us on Thursday, April 25, 2013, at 4:00 p.m and 4:30 p.m. US Pacific Time* on Twitch TV! These webcasts are expected to last about 20 minutes each.

If you're still on the fence about SOE Live, or just haven't made all your arrangements yet, have you considered making a short video about your preparations for the event?

From EverQuest2.com:

SOE Live is just around the corner. What are you looking forward to? How are you preparing for it? How do you spend your time once you're there? Whether you're a first-time attendee or a seasoned veteran, share your best conference "survival tips" in a short video, and you may be chosen to win a trip to SOE Live!

Video Assignment:

• Come up with an original idea for a video about how you plan to prepare for or participate at SOE Live. This can be in-game, out-of-game, or a combination. You can make it funny or serious -- whatever you want it to be! Just make it your own, and make it stand out!
• If you've never attended SOE Live, you can still participate! Your video can also focus on general travel or convention attendance tips.
• Create a 30-second video showcasing your "Survival Tips" for SOE Live.

Read more about this Video Contest.

Alas, I'd make such a video but it would consist of searching the house for all my camera batteries, chargers, cables, accessories, etc.

From Gninja on the EQ2 Forums:

Just thought I would drop a few notes in here before everyone starts asking.

Q: How can I access the new raid zones?
A: The raid content in this update is closed beta. You will not be able to access this content as general population.

Q: How can I join the closed beta?
A: Feel free to shoot myself or one of the other developers a private message on what sort of raid content you would like to test and what you can offer in terms of times and players/classes. If we feel you are good fit we will extend the invite. Keep in mind not everyone will be accepted.

Q: Are the any X2 zones in this update?
A: Short answer, no. Long answer, There are two contested X2 encounters out in Cobalt Scar but no full X2 zones.

UPDATE from Gninja on why Siren's Grotto Raid Beta Testing is private, and a count of the number of names within the zone:

There are 7 main bosses and 2 sub bosses. Yes trash drops loot. The zone buff packages are tougher then normal mode stuff in CoE all the way up to hardest in game for the challenge mode (of which there are 3) We are limiting this to invite only because we do not want folks in there just learning the fights. Instead we will be testing the different aspects of the fights with different guilds to make sure everything is working.

If you are attending SOE Live this summer (August 1-4, 2013 @ Planet Hollywood Las Vegas) and haven't booked your room yet, there's another reason to book early.

It looks like Caesars Entertainment wants to do their part to sabotage the economic recovery in Vegas by tacking on $15-25 extra Convenience Fees PER NIGHT on all of their hotels.  They claim that these fees will include internet access (wired only), a daily newspaper (25 cents), the printing of boarding passes (doesn't everyone just use the airport kiosks or show their e-mailed pass to the person at the gate?), and local phone calls (I don't even).

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Today, along with the Press Release announcing SOE Live, we saw the first blog post by Linda "Brasse" Carlson about the new venue, some of the reasons why it was selected, and things we can look forward to improving and returning such as the Bazaar "phat loot" store and Player Panels.

HURRAH! SOE Live 2013 planning is underway! We will release regular updates every month, or even more often as we get closer to the event. Tell us what you want to know about on our forums, on Twitter (@SonyOnline) and on Facebook - we'll get you the answers.

SOE Live is an unparalleled opportunity to exchange information and ideas with all of you and it's just plain FUN - a weird and crazy sort of family reunion every year, each better than the last.

We warmly invite all players of our SOE games, but we'd love to have former players as well, whether you want to meet up with guildies or simply check out what's going on with your old game. Bring along people who have not played our games yet – your extended friends and family are equally welcome to attend! This event is truly a "the more the merrier" gathering.

Kids will get in free again this year, so bring them along!

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News of the new dates and venue for SOE Live 2013 leaked due to a file being pushed early by the SOE Web Team, but now we have an official Press Release from SOE:

SAN DIEGO - Feb. 6, 2013 - Sony Online Entertainment, LLC (SOE) today announced that its annual community fan event, SOE Live, will take place at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino inLas Vegas on Aug. 1 - Aug. 4, 2013. An annual SOE-sponsored event, SOE Live is set to be the ultimate gathering for the SOE community, and provides players an opportunity to celebrate their favorite free-to-play SOE games, including: DC Universe^™ Online, Dragon's Prophet™, EverQuest®,EverQuest® II, Free Realms^®, PlanetSide^®2, PoxNora^®, Star Wars^®: Clone Wars Adventures™, Vanguard^® Saga of Heroes, and a first look at the next game in the EverQuest franchise.

SOE is also playing up the first glance at EQNext with this banner image:

The Press Release continues after the jump...

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So after we posted Brasse's tweets about SOE Live news coming next week, some astute readers checked out the SOE Live webpage and discovered the venue and date had already been posted.

I've done some quick research reading reviews of Planet Hollywood online and while reviews typically trend towards the negative (most people who have a great experience don't post about it), I saw the same type of comments enough times to warrant mentioning them.

• Pro: Centrally located
• Pro: Has a great view of the Strip
• Pro: Easily accessible to Paris and Bellagio. Has decent restaurants inside.
• Con: Rooms have been poorly maintained, while linens and towels are in poor repair.
• Con: Casino is just average.
• Con: WiFi is a heart-stopping $13.99 PER DAY PER DEVICE. For a laptop and phone that's $160 $112 for 4 days.

Of course Bally's had its problems too which led to SOE seeking greener pastures. The choice of convention dates were very limited, and it was rather uncool for some of the conference rooms to be bumped due to another event. The food at the Banquet was atrocious (ice cold hot dogs, burgers, and fried chicken). The sound quality at the venues was so bad that it led John Smedley to curse them out while on stage. The WiFi was only slightly less expensive -- $11.99 per device per day. Thank Bristlebane for LTE.

We'll have to see what the negotiated pricing is. The full price is $169 for Fri and Saturday nights.

It seems like we just left Vegas and already it's time to start talking about this year's event...

Well, @brasse has said we'll know next week, it's in a new venue, still in Vegas, and NOT in October. RT @notarybyt: when is...SoELive2013

— EverQuest II (@everquestii) February 1, 2013

Also it looks like SOE Live will be operating without Community Manager Donna "Danicia" Prior who was heavily involved in planning the 2012 event. And because people seem to think I make things up:

Dethdlr and I were very fortunate to make it to SOE Live this year and further, to present a panel on EQ2U, including the new Achievements feature, and talk a bit about what went into creating this site, what we plan for the future, and how SOE is going to shortly be burying us in a lot more data.

The panel starts with Clif Bate, Director of Commerce Services & Web Presence, and Morgan Bonar Lead Web Developer and Web Producer, PlanetSide 2, and then at the 20 minute mark, we get to the EQ2U bits.

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From Holly "Windstalker" Longdale's twitter:

We are excited to announce we're adding an amazing Ethernere wyvern mount to the CoE Collector's Edition!

and for SOE Live attendees who have been justifiably balking at the $50 upsell to get the Chains of Eternity: Collector's Edition, it looks like there may be some movement on that price:

Also, our Community and Marketing team has exciting announcement coming this afternoon for SOE Live folks looking to upgrade CoE...

Glad to see these two changes based on player feedback.

From Dexella on the EQ2 Forums:

SOE Live attendees will be able to upgrade to a Collector's Edition for $20.00 (or foreign currency equivalent). Please complete the pre-order purchase flow as normal; you will see the reduced price once your credit card is charged. You must pre-order the Collector's Edition on the same account you registered for SOE Live with and you must pre-order before the deadline at 11:59 pm on November 12th.

When the Chains of Eternity expansion was announced, the Collector's Edition goodies were revealed to include Krivix Honorclaw, a Werewolf Mercenary, a healer. Then at SOE Live, players suggested that it would be great to have a choice of healer or tank for the CE, and so the decision was made on the spot to offer a choice of Paladin or Templar for each person who claims the merc.

Today, Holly "Windstalker" tweeted a screenshot of Krivok Honorclaw the Templar, who is a new Werewolf-like race, the Lujien:

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If you watched the SOE Live Keynote/Welcome Reception, or read our notes, you know that today October 29th is the day that Krono are being added to EQ2. This Plex-like currency allows players to trade platinum for a 30-day All Access Subscription (a $17.99 value).

At the Business of EverQuest Franchise panel (read our notes), Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson indicated that this new currency would be a safer option for players to bypass the whole nail-biting "handoff" associated with the current SC-for-Plat trading scheme. It would also help cut out gold farmers and fraud.

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I think dinner is wrapping up. Food choices best described as bare bones. :/

Grand Finale. Also being broadcast on Twitch.tv I believe. Every year, Fan Faire goes by faster.

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The second Coder's Panel was like last year's Geek panel. We got to ask tech questions of SOE devs of all games. It's not for everyone but its one of my favorite panels. I love behind the scenes stuff.

Getting ready for the Banquet, Costume Contest, and any surprises they throw at us. We'll also see the premiere of Dethdlr's winning SOEmote video!

If you have been reading some of the panel notes going "Wha?" I'll be going through tomorrow am before my flight adding in some more meaning and formatting as well as a few more panel photos. They'll be worth a second read.

Later this week you'll see the 55GB (11 hrs) of video get posted on our YouTube channel.

I have some impressions about SOE Live and the direction of the EQ2 team and the upcoming expansion. It's mostly good.

I don't want to misquote anyone, so I am transcribing the most clear-cut questions and answers. Anything else will be in the transcript video.

Question about tradeskillers making kilts and getting more styles.

Q: Freeport and Qeynos lets anyone do writs. Neriak is more picky. Gorowyn is selective as well. Can this be made more consistent?

Q: A Krono is $17.99. Why is it more than 30 days sub costs at Walmart for $14.99?
A: We don't endorse the selling of cards in-game, but it's a completely supported in-game method of trading in-game subs.
Q: Are you going to try to stop selling cards for plat?
A: No.

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Dave Georgeson - EQ Franchise
Holly Longdale - EQ2 Producer
Thom Terrazas - EQ1 Producer

What's this panel about?
* An overview of our current business model.
* What we don't like about it and how we intend to fix it.
- Most of which should come as good news
* Short presentation and then Q&A

We are not going to reveal numbers because of competitors, but we'll give ratios and percentages.

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Headed to Podcasting panel soon. Dellmon of the awesome EQ2Talk podcast on the panel. Will record a video. Already 7 hours (30GB) of vids, including our EQ2U panel, to crunch down and post.

Panel starting now. Dev intros.

Back by popular demand -- CONTENT

* New overland zones
* New Dungeons
* New Raids
* Signature line more accessible
* New type of adornments
* More Prestige abilities
* Level cap to 95

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So for those folks behind on AAs, if you buy Chains of Eternity, you get an item you can claim 2 per account (not 1 per character) that if you are level 90 it dings you to 280AAs.

Waiting for Keynote #2 to start. Supposed to EQ, EQ2, and DCUO.

Brasse talking about nVidia sponsor.

Military gamers on stage. 10, 15, 20 years. This is for an nVidia GeForce 6600Ti card.

DCUO keynote up first. Will come back with EQ2 stuff.

Wrapping up DCUO. Waiting for EQ or EQ2.

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