Feldon 
Tomorrow, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of EverQuest II, the 11-year Veteran Reward will become available to all EQ2 players who have been around since day one. Why 11 years? The first four expansions (Desert of Flames, Kingdom of Sky, Echoes of Faydwer, and Rise of Kunark) each granted 90 days of bonus time, so add it up, and you get 11-year Veteran Rewards for a 10 year old game!
From Afista on the EQ2 Forums:
It’s been ten years since some adventurers first came ashore on the Isle of Refuge. For some, there’s nothing more memorable than the first time they set foot on the pristine beach while seeking refuge from the turbulent seas. The island was a place of new beginnings, where allegiances formed and adventurers learned skills that would help them survive in these new lands. Well, now it’s time for adventurers to return home where their journeys all began. On Tuesday, November 4, 2014, the Isle of Refuge Prestige Home will be available and adventurers will be able to have their very own private piece of history!
The Isle of Refuge Lore
What we know now is the Tranquil Sea was not at all tranquil when most of us last set foot on the Isle of Refuge. Some decades before the Shattering that tore the moon Luclin apart, a series of violent quakes lasting for several years threw Norrath back into upheaval and tore apart the once-familiar continents. During these years the seas were impassable and the loss of life was incalculable. In the aftermath of these cataclysms, there were refugees all across what became known as the Shattered Lands, and Qeynos and Freeport signed the Pact of Tserrin agreeing to accept and give shelter to any refugees who sought it.
Duke Ferrin’s Far Seas Trading Company fleet was the largest in operation and one of the few with strength and skill enough to survive in the still turbulent seas. They used a cluster of islands as the base of operations for the rescue efforts, and ships of the fleet delivered a nonstop stream of refugees to the isles for recovery and training before delivering them to the mainland. Refugees could speak to Ambassador Saera or T’Kirr to learn more about which city they would to make their final destination. The cities of Qeynos and Freeport, both struggling to rebuild, paid a generous fee to Duke Ferrin for each refugee delivered, and Duke Ferrin was equally happy to accept money from both cities without bias.
It is rumored the Far Seas Trading Company also established a secret stronghold among the other islands in the region, but since no other fleet was able to navigate in the dangerous waters, that has remained only a rumor until recently. As time passed and the situation in Qeynos and Freeport stabilized, the payment for refugees dropped and eventually the Far Seas Trading Company announced their services were no longer needed and closed off access to the Isle of Refuge.
The Isle of Refuge Prestige Home
The Isle of Refuge Prestige Home features many aspects of the Isle of Refuge that adventurers have always cherished! Enjoy the familiar sounds of the Isle as you explore each area and watch the skies transform, as daylight turns to darkness.
The sandy coastline includes the familiar docked ship, a furnished water-side hut, and an excellent view across Razortooth Bay. Take a swim in the bay, if your dare, and discover the sunken relics on the sea floor!
Head inland to re-discover Malvonicus’ Mage Tower, complete with the basement-instanced space, and practice your combat skills at the training grounds. An open-air pavilion is also waiting for ex-refugees to once again walk across the wooden planks. Will your tradeskill apprentices and house actors bring action back to these once bustling centers of trade?
Embark on a journey across the Isle and down the path of the once goblin and spider infested woods. The High Chieftain’s Treehouse still stands just beyond the bridge and overlooks the meadow waiting to be explored. There’s beauty in the serene waterfalls, but the shadows are dark and foreboding. Are you brave enough to explore the depths of the cave instance that was once Grimgosh’s Lair or venture in the cemetery at the Unlucky Recruit’s End?
Obtaining the Isle of Refuge Prestige Home
Whether you’ve just revisited the Isle for the first time in a decade or are just seeing it for the first time, you’re probably wondering: “How do I get my own Isle?!” We’ve got great news, because this home will be available to players a couple of different ways.
The Isle of Refuge Prestige Home will be awarded to players who are ten-year game veterans as the 11th Veteran Reward! Each veteran account will receive one deed for the Isle of Refuge Prestige Home. Players will be able to claim their deed and then obtain their very own Isle of Refuge home in either Qeynos of Freeport.
It’s understandable that all refugees did not wash ashore together at the same time. Brave adventurers arrived and sought refuge on the Isle for many years. So that all Norrathian refugees may have the opportunity to own this marvelous home sooner rather than later, we’re also making the Isle of Refuge prestige home available on the Marketplace as well!
New Items!
In addition to the Isle of Refuge prestige home, there will also be a variety of new house items available that can help you bring your isle to life! Ten-year veterans will also one Isle of Refuge Population Pack per account, which contains a selection of the creatures and personalities that you may have encountered on the Isle of Refuge in times past. Some of these items will also be available individually on the Marketplace for players who wish to add additional items to their homes, but some of them, such as the replicas and the High Chieftain plushie, are unique to the veteran population pack. The Isle of Refuge Population Pack will include one of each of the following types of plushies, house pets, and replicas.
Plushies
Norrathians know it’s not Jaws you should fear in the water, it’s Bladefin! Rest assured this shark will deter unwelcome visitors from entering the waters. You may have encountered some of these creatures during your time on the Isle or in your adventures around Norrath and now’s your chance to bring them into your own home. They won’t walk or talk, but they can be resized. The following new collection of Isle themed plushies will be available:
- High Chieftain Kryx Plushie
- Kneeling Goblin Plushie
- Hawk Plushie
- Shoal Glider Plushie
- Skeleton Pirate Plushie
- Tainted Deer Plushie
- Grove Deer Plushie
- Bladefin Plushie
- Grizzly Bear Plushie
Housepets
Have you longed to see a goblin running across the island landscape once again? Do you want to liven up your coastal environment and have some crabs running down the beach, trying to pinch your visitor’s toes? Well, you can add some interest to your home with these new Isle of Refuge inspired house pets! You can customize names and resize these loveable pets to make them your own personal house companions, and then set them free to roam your Isle home. The following new house pets will be available:
- Goblin Supply Runner
- Coastal Crab
Replicas
Have you been longing to look Duke Ferrin in the eyes again and ask him what happened on the Far Journey to arrive at the Isle? Maybe you’ll want to give Ebik tons of tinkered gizmos so he’ll never again be missing his parts again? Well, now you can! These replicas were created to immortalize some of your favorite characters from the Isle of Refuge. They can’t be resized or flipped, but they will happily stand in one place and speak some of their original dialog, complete with voice over! The replicas that will be available are:
- Ambassador Saera
- Ambassador T’Kirr
- Captain Varlos
- Duke Ferrin
- Ebik Wobblecog
- Deckhand Ingrid
This nostalgic home and new house items will be available starting Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Do you have big plans in store for your own private Isle? We’d love to see what creations you come up with, so be sure to post them in our Norrathian Homeshow Forums or tweet them to @everquestii and use the hashtag #ReturnToRefuge!
After several questions about whether this was really “one per account”, Afista returned with additional details, including the revelation that the house would also be available for StationCash:
The Veteran Reward (which is the Isle house + population pack) is one per account.
Veterans receive the reward for free, but the house as well as some of the new house items will be available in the Marketplace for players who have not yet reached a 10-year status but still wish to access this prestige home. The Character Replicas from the population pack are unique and only available to Veterans. The replicas will not be available in the store.
and on the subject of flying Afista elaborated:
Yes, you are able to fly in the Isle home.
Since the island was never designed for flying characters, they had to do a lot of work to make all of the upper plateaus solid and usable. The team also added in the lake the feeds the original waterfalls in the upper area. There is really quite a bit of usable space up there now. As a player who enjoys decorating, it make me extremely happy .
I’m disappointed that it is one per account. I know which character is getting it though and with all alts automatically getting trustee access coming soon it’s no real loss that the reward wont be per character. It might actually be better since I will only have to keep up with one.
Have they put new vet rewards on the marketplace straight away before? I’m not an 11yr vet but that seems wrong to me… how does that reward 11yr’s of loyalty? God I look back at my recent EQ2 Wire / EQ2 Forum posts and I sound like such a doomsayer at the moment but so many of their recent decisions feels like a cash-grab. It won’t stop me playing because I love EQ2 but they’re definitely hitting a discordant tone with me at the mo.
It’s nice to see the zone back in the game tho, although with it being the new xpac starter zone I can imagine people getting sick of it just as quickly again heh.
article is french translated at http://www.guerrier-celeste.fr/logement-de-prestige-ile-du-refuge.html on 4 november 10h10
Thanks to an idiotic decision many years ago, when I thought I could save money while I wasn’t actually playing any SOE games by cancelling my Station Access, I’ll have to wait until the spring for my 11th Veteran reward. On the other hand, due to being subbed for the other 10 and a half years and often having long gaps when I wasn’t playing much, I have a large hoard of SC for which I have not been able to find much use.
Synchronicity! I’m very pleased to hear the Isle will also be on the SC Store. I assume that the “one per account” rule only applies to the free version? I hope so because I need one on two different servers for the same account.
No worries. They changes how vet reward time works. It’s not from the day you activated the account.
-.- meant now, not “not”
nerve damage is fun
Such a dick move to make it 1 per account AND put it on the marketplace. Im sure people will pony up for it for their alts and so on, but really sony?
The “dick move” is making it 1 per account and leaving the SC version fully furnished. :\ I love having the furnished one and I’d get violent if one r the other wasn’t as close to the original as possible, but I was under the impression that Holly had another version for SC. this is just a case of “Why do the work when we can screw the veterans AND use the same exact thing to get money with no additional work!”
I may be a bit over the top there… but you have to admit, she did say “veteran reward” at SOE, and every other veteran reward has been one per toon. This is a blatant money grab.
I am glad people who had a long wait for 11 year vet can get the house though. :\ hell of a tradeoff, considering it’s the same item.
Not only is it a moneygrab its a big slab in the face.
Vet rewards used to have meaning, to actually REWARD the veterans, either by fancy items, Vanity stuff, houses that nobody had at the same time etc. Not to mention the little grab bag of xp pots(where did they go except on the Smedbucks menu)
Seriously its just a BLAH thing now, its nothing at all
See, to me, it seems like the house was originally intended to be sold on the marketplace first and foremost. Then they figured, hey, let’s just give a free one to the vets for their next year reward.
With how many players have been clamoring for the return of the isle, I never believed for a second that they wouldn’t be selling it.
People that get something for free are the ones that complain the most. Silly human nature.
As a vet that’s had an account from day 1 (though, I didn’t get credit for time on EQ2X, so not sure when I’ll get this) – I’m fine with it being on the marketplace.
Many players wanted this as a prestige home – and for many they are years away from 11 years vet status. It just doesn’t make sense to keep them from having it.
I’m also ok with one per account.
I seemed to recall they recalculated account age to your start date (it used to be that way, then it wasn’t, but now it is again?). Did some googling and found this EQ2Wire article – https://eq2wire.com/2014/01/25/veteran-rewards-recalculated-to-account-start-dates-regardless-of-subscription/
Is this still the case?
I’m fine with one per account–only one character (my oldest, which actually went through the Isle!) was getting it anyway!
As to going on the Marketplace…y’know, I’ll have to see the price. Otherwise I’m oddly cool with it.
This was originally intended to be a vet reward, as announced at SOE live, but since 11 years is a lot of time, they were going to make a version available for SC as well. It’s such a shame they ignored the requests to bring back the missing parts.
I heard a rumor that SOE was trying to stop one-per-character things… but I really am disappointed. :\ Greed or desperation, either way, their direction of behavior has been scaring me for years.
Also, I’m disappointed that the SC version is furnished. The veteran reward I’m thrilled that it’s furnished and almost exactly as I remember it (except for the large missing section in the back) But I honestly thought the one for SC would be unfurnished for the 3 or 4 people in forums that were upset about it being already decorated.
Ah well. At least people who started there in it’s later years will be able to get it without having to wait a few more years.
Still… holey crap SOE… the first Veteran reward that is one per account…. no sale for the expansion, no house in the CE, new race separate from the expansion… doing a great job at making this EQ2 addict of 10 years seriously think IRL will better with out watching Norrath go down the drain. o.0
There are better ways for a company to die than penny pinching itself to death.
I really don’t mind it being 1 per account. Have so many unfurnished houses right now it is just sad. 🙂 Looking forward to this one.
Well, it seems I am the only one that is not seriously GEEKED about this being a VET reward. I mean come on now, not ALL of the EQ2 players are HOUSE GEEKS, DECORATER GEEKS etc. Me personally? I am MOUNT GEEK! Give me a mount cragnabbit! Or how bout making it a CHOICE? Let us choose from the house pack or a MOUNT pack? How about giving us a BG GEAR PACK? For the BG GEEKS of which I also happen to be lol
Just a house for 11 yrs of game play? pffft Not everyone is a decorator so I will never claim this at all.
1 per account!!! …and selling it for SC!!!
Just another way for SOE to gouge the players and give vets the shaft.
For me, the really fun thing about Vet rewards is showing them off – sometimes it’s enjoyable to show off how long you’ve been playing, nothing wrong with that. Some of us are proud to have been there from launch, sticking through all of SOE’s determined attempts to make us leave :).
If more recent members can just buy the reward with SC, it doesn’t make it feel very special at all. After all this time I think those of us who qualify should get something others can’t get, especially since it’s technically ‘fluff’. I also think something like a mount appearance or appearance armour would be a nice alternative or extra – some vet awards have been more than one item. Maybe the house one per account and available for SC and a mount or armour appearance that is ONLY for 11 yr veterans?
Find an alternate source of “Specialness”
Thankfully, as I don’t raid (ugh) and thus don’t have super cool gear, mounts or mercs to show off, I can show off my title for 5500 unique non-repeatable quests completed. It took a lot of work and 10 years to do. Can’t wait till my winged helmet for 6000.
Until I had that, the Vet Reward was the only in-game status symbol I could enjoy. In a game where everyone loves showing off their stuff, it was nice. That’s all.
Strange, I created my account day 1, but only have 10 years, 11 months, 17 days… the hell.
i got 10 year 11 month and 15 days
Does anyone have this house yet ? i remember getting the game Nov 4 2004, but cant confirm its not on the account page anymore
i got 4006 days and still have 15 days to go to 11 years
You can’t enter the tree-house, though it has a door. You cannot enter the lighthouse either, and it has a door.
The basement in the tower, however is accessible. The boat-house is open, so that’s cool.
The boat is there, but you cannot go below-deck (though there are hatches) and the doors on it don’t work either.
I have no problem whatsoever with it being on SC (I have all veteran rewards-played from day 1). Any funds they earn help the game survive the test of time, and its a game worthy of survival.
how do i access the isle of refuge house?