Feldon 
UPDATE: This article has been corrected to state that this is not Game Update 66, which is expected later this spring, but a mini-update which is internally being called Game Update 65.5.
From Holly “Windstalker” Longdale, Senior Producer of EverQuest II on the EQ2 Forums comes news of a game update which we can expect on February 26th, 2013.
Greetings Norrath!
It’s been an exciting time for us since EverQuest II: Chains of Eternity went live. We are charging full steam ahead with creating more rewarding, memorable experiences and have redoubled our efforts to tell stories better than any other game.
Speaking of memorable experiences, we are leading up to Erollisi Day with live events that run Feb. 7 to 20. This year there are nine new achievements, new items — including a set of flying wings, and new reward choices.
Since December, we’ve been hard at work crafting the “long view” for EQII to forge a really great year for our game. And I am comfortable telling you we have really great stuff coming into the game this year. At the same time, we are watching and listening to the community to resolve issues and fix bugs.
We are starting the year with a Game Update on February 26.
First, we have some new content that’s a Two-Group dungeon set in Wurmbone Crag. We have heard the community ask for X2 content and so the team went to work on it late last year. Now it’s ready and is being tested.
In this same update we are also adding a Raid version of Dreadcutter — the ship zone in Ethernere — with fun raids and new items.
Also, in our ongoing efforts to improve our game, we added enhancements to inventory management with new Bag features. You can now easily sort, deposit, and even categorize your bags. Now when you loot a specific item type, like jewelry, it will drop into your Jewelry bag! You can even dump a small bag of items into a bigger bag, or swap bags. The Bag Options button will be added to the Bag Window for ease of access. You can also quickly sort your inventory from the “Sort” button on the character window, or by typing /sort_bags followed by either “Name” or “Level” to sort by name or level, respectively.
The team has also created daily, weekly, and monthly objectives that offer real and useful items for playing the game. Think of this like a Loyalty program that gives you rewards AS you play the game! This came out of our team wanting to improve upon our Veteran Rewards system that simply required you to wait for your account to get older to get some nifty items. We will still offer a commemorative item for old and wise active accounts each year, but our focus will be on building great rewards into the new objectives system. We will follow up with a more detailed look at the system in the coming weeks.
Last, but certainly not least, are some significant updates to PvP. Not only are there balance tweaks, but new blue adornments with passive and proc effects (several grow in power the more you have), new armor set bonuses, and more. To give you details, we’ll put together a separate article and post on that.
Exciting news on the team front too. Kyle “Kander” Vallee is now charging ahead as the Lead Designer of EQII as Akil “Lyndro” Hooper becomes the Creative Director. And to help keep the game in greatness, Nathan “Kaitheel” McCall is now an Assistant Lead Designer.
We will be sharing more details soon too as we prepare our big content update (GU66) for Spring!
Sincerely, as always,
Holly Longdale
Producer, EQII
Game Update 66 is still down the road and along with more Velious content, we will hopefully see the result of those Class Feedback threads on the EQ2 Forums. Xelgad doesn’t give a date, but did want to clear the air that these changes aren’t coming in the February update:
An update to prevent confusion: The focused feedback changes aren’t going with the February 26th update – they’re coming with a later one. Sorry about that!
Summary
- Wurmbone Crag: Nox Incessit x2 raid zone in regular and challenge
- Dreadcutter: The Pirate King x4 raid
- Objective-based addon to existing Veteran Rewards program
- Balance adjustments to PvP and new blue adornments.
Sour about that.
Good to see SOE springs for those quality calendars (lousy smarch weather)
So in 3 weeks, when we’ve forgotten this letter…
I don’t think SoE will ever win with their community.
Release it too soon: Oh god another rushed out update with broken zones. Quality before quanitity SoE! Stop being greedy!
Delay it or place it a few weeks later: Are they trying to bore us? Seriously why is this taking so long to come out? Should be out by this week or I’m leaving!
aka the rest of CoE. Nice to see them adding some more raids though, especially an x2.
I can’t phantom 24 people trying to walk around Dreadcutters … and if it’s as easy as the Solo/Heroic we’ll only need 6 people for the raid 🙂
I’m not sure how they can make DC as a x4 work. I could maybe see it as a x2 especially if they had the 2 groups working to take down targets in different parts of the ship at the same time. Other than the main deck and possibly the captains room it just seems too crowded for 24 people. If they can make it work I’ll be happy. I guess as a bonus it should be fast to clear, they can’t fit that much trash on board unless they make it some type of spawning ring event.
Those were exactly my thoughts about a DC raid zone. Seriously, of all the zones, the team picked that one for an x4? Hopefully you can go over the side to kill some big killer fish, or something. A whale, maybe. Sea monster?
Otherwise, it’s a bit cramped. Imagine all the adds on the deck, with 24 people trying to find space to swing a sword. Eek!
Cramped x4’s is nothing new or even frowned upon… Widow Mistress anyone? or how about; RL says “EVERYONE stuff yourselves int this corner and /assist target” due to knock-backs or what have you.
To the DC 4x walk now to the port side of the ship (that’s the left side) on the main deck. Look down. It’s an inexcessable hold. On the starboard side of the ship (that’s the right side) near the mess hall is an inexcessable door. There can be a more levels/space available then what you have in solo and heroic.
they should just switch in make DC the x2 and Wurmbone crag the x4
(although I can see the hilarity of 24 people trying to maneuver those ramps -Lol)
I hope we will be able to upgrade the Praetor’s Immortal Dirk to the Brutalizers Imperial Dirk. and for the trade in and maybe an extra 500. Seems only fair. The Praetor’s Immortal Dirk is just trash at this point because I can’t upgrade it and it cost me 4500 havoc marks AND a Brutalizers Immortal Dirk which cost 1500 for a total of 6000?
When it cost only 500 for the Subjugators Imperial Dirk with no weapon trade which you then turn around and get a Brutalizers Imperial for 1500 with the trade in…you’ve spent only 2000. Thats a better weapon for 2000 as opposed to the 6000 that I have spent on a lesser weapon. When I got the Praetors Immortal Dirk, there was no upgrade. That was it. And I don’t get to upgrade it? Am I missing something?