Feldon 
With the success of EverQuest’s recently launched Ragefire progression server, the idea of something similar in EverQuest II seems to have magically gone from “probably not” and “extremely unlikely” to “We’re doing it!” Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but last week, EQ/EQ2 Executive Producer Holly “Windstalker” Longdale surprised the hell out of everyone by announcing that PvP and PvE Time-Locked Expansion Beta servers (Yes that’s plural!) were coming to EverQuest II.
How soon you might ask Kander?
Sooner than you think. /wink
Ok really… How soon?
Its coming sooner than you think. Announcements are being trained to zone…
Holly “Windstalker” Longdale unpackaged the feline on Twitter.
Happy day!! We're preparing TWO Time-Locked Expansion Beta servers for #EQ2 in early July — one for PVE and one for PVP! Details soon ™!
— Holly Longdale (@TheWindstalker) June 10, 2015
back to Kander:
Beta in July. Yes. I said July. Yes, pvp is getting their own Beta server. Yup.
PvE TLE Server is going to beta in July. PvP TLE Server is also going to beta in July. Yes, they are separate servers.
The PvP Time-Locked Server Discussion and EQ2 Time-Locked Server Discussion (PvE) threads are positively blowing up, reaching some 24 and 18 pages so far. So will players have a voice in any of this? Kander again…
There will be a large post by me with intended changes. There will be polls as to changes wanted. You guys get to name your own server. I cannot give exact dates yet, though, yes they are internally set. lol
Yup. Its going to be glorious.
Soon ermahgerd.
Holly “Windstalker” Longdale has added additional details:
As Kander said, he will go over the details in the forums as we get them worked out. To answer some bigger questions, the following is TRUE:
- Both servers will require membership.
- This is NOT a Project 2004 project. We will NOT have the original stat and class systems.
- Lots of features will be locked according to past releases, i.e. prestige housing, AAs, research, BGs, and a growing list of things we are picking up from feedback.
- We will offer limited marketplace items but want input. We’ll run a poll on some item questions by server type (PvP, PvE).
- We will run a vote on unlocking preferences for each server type (PvP, PvE) pre- and post- launch. We want each server to manage its own destiny according to the players who are on it also.
It’s not truly the classic EQ2 until you need citizenship, start out on a ship being attacked by drakes, freeport still looks like freeport, and no froglocks. lol
I’ll be there.
Very interesting, this may pull me into the game again (if I could get some friends to come back too). While I know some of the technical limitations (drastic changes to combat for example) it would be great to see control of the travel system a bit and and lack of guild halls forcing the classic city interaction that I miss (at least up to TSO but would be fine just leaving it out all together).
While I think this will pull a lot of people back into the game this is going to make the light load servers look even more empty. You are going to spread what few players are on the dead servers across even more servers.
Agree..this will hurt the low server pops!
I also agree this will hurt existing servers but I still think it is a great idea and should be done. The server merges should be done regardless if this server were to open or not. The mythical cross server dungeon finder that’s been in works for years will help a little in a group sense but does nothing for economy, socialization, and feel of not being alone.
I have to honestly disagree. This is aimed at bringing back lost players, I think overall it will be a boon for the EQ2 title and that it will bring back alot of players.
This sounds interesting but I have a feeling it will end up like most other things in this game.. untested, unbalanced and will take ages to get meaningful fixes if at all.
Join us in beta and help get some of those things fixed… 🙂
I”ll be there on the PvE server I want this to work.
+1
It sounds awesome, although it would be great if the current easy-mode combat was left out.
We are working on ways of bringing back the challenge at least to some extent.
imo, combine the servers that already exist into a couple, then add the progression ones. the progression pvp server will bring back a ton of people who quit the game when naggy went to shit.
Well call me uninterested. After I asked several direct questions and was told by Kander that they will no be bringing back the starter isles, nor would they be bringing back the cities like they were at the start of the game. It is just our servers they way they are now, except with some different rule sets. All this will do is cause some of our dying servers to roll over and spin. Folks don’t understand this is an attempt at putting of the end of the game and not giving us more content at 100.
You’re completely 100% wrong. This is absolutely not an attempt at putting off the end of the game nor is it a ruse to not give our players more content at any level.
Sorry. You are wrong.
So where do the the level 100 overland zone and level 100 dungeons we’re getting in November fit into your conspiracy theory?
The EQ2 team always wanted to do a Progression server of some kind, but scheduling and staffing never really allowed for it, until now. EQ’s Ragefire being so successful surprised the heck out of management and so EQ2 team now has the support to do this alongside what they’re already working on.
The servers that launched for EQ One in 2010 we just as populated at the time they launched. So, I guess less people on the payroll made it more feasible? The logic escapes me, and I do love me some Fippy Darkpaw.
Wether you choose to take them at their word or not, it has been stated on the EQ forums that Ragefire was built specifically to hold more than the last progression servers combined and it was so full they still had people in hours of ques. It has defitnely subsided, due to people who lost interest but also because they opened another server. I play on Ragefire everyday and there are still tons of people spread out all over the world.
Eq2 may not see the same results but I know for a fact it will bring some people back that were not going to come back to the current game (myself included). I am disappointed it won’t be a “Project 2004” server but I’m willing to at least give it a shot where as a rum cellar turns me off completely and shows just how far this game has fallen.
So exactly how many folks do we have working on eq2. Then you add a new server to further divide the work out. Who is going to work on the current content, and the special server content. Or will the special server have the content but just locked away.
I am sorry Feldon, but honestly less folks working on the game, and having all these special projects, one has to ask, who is working on all this. I would feel a lot better if they started adding jobs back, but they are already at a skeleton crew.
Cross server DF is not going to fix this, if indeed so many folks will go to a locked progression server, what happens to the servers we have that already have population problems.
So if the starter isles aren’t there, and Kelethin wasn’t available until Faydwer, Neriak after that, Gorowyn wasn’t there until Kunark, and New Halas wasn’t there before Velious, where DO we start?
They will tell us soon everything we need to know, but my best guess (and hope) would be that they drop us off in Qeynos or Freeport and we use the outlying areas for the first levels; Sunken City, Sprawl, The Caves, etc. The only other option I see would be Neriak and Halas since they both are technically on the old world (or in Halas’ case, close to it) but I really don’t like that idea. While this won’t be a “P2004” server, sticking to classic as much as possible would still be preferred and the pre Commonlands/Antonica zones are more than adequate for leveling, even if not the perfect new player experience.
“…but my best guess (and hope) would be that they drop us off in Qeynos or Freeport…”
I really hope so 🙂
I have been hoping for something like this since I quit the game three years ago. I want to play low level groups again where teamwork counts.
Syrin
Oh I’ll be coming back. I might just kill this server too.
Trying to kill EQ2. Man, I hate to place a label like “internally referenced moron with a strong stupid streak” on anyone, but when you just BEG for it… *boggle*
Instead of mass merges of like to see a unified broker followed by cross server zoning (just skip the dungeon finder bit). Even overland zones are instanced, right?
DK could do it. He doesn’t need sleep, just show him some boobies. 🙂
It was the large success of the recent EQ1 progression server Ragefire that kicked management to allow for this. I believe it’s just going to be time-locking to an expansion.
I’d really love to be on the boat being chased by drakes and land on the starter isle.
Other than that…can’t wait. I’ll definitely start a character on the PvE server.
I hope so that u will not Add BGs! That have destroy the PvP, don’t make do it again 🙁
Such servers is a great idea, many players would joing I’m sure. The only drawback I see for Europeans is servers location. over 300 ms ping is not a fun during a raid:p But I’ll play there anyway…time to time, casualy, but will play.
I will be there. Absolutely cannot wait for pvp in classic. Do I wish I could have 2004 starting areas etc. – sure. Will that disappointment keep me from playing this. Absolutely not.
I’d be very interested in re-subbing for this, in theory. But it sounds like they are gonna screw it up in a lot of ways. (I hope I’m wrong!)
They will “offer limited Marketplace items”… having a cash shop at all heavily defeats the purpose of this in my mind.
Additionally, if they don’t genuinely attempt (I realize a lot of the old code is gone) to make the game as close as possible to what it was, then really – whats the point?
I really hope we see original starting islands/boat ride, original Qeynos/Freeport, zero cash shop presence, strong heroic mob presence in the overworld, etc.
Of course, this is all subjective. But like I said if they arent trying to make it as close to the original game as possible then what really is the point
The point? Does it have to be as it was in every aspect to do this?
Playing original content that is group centric, with original xp gain, limited fast travel, righting pvp wrongs, community driven rulesets, no bg’s and on and on. That is plenty of point for me starting isles or no.
That I will 100% agree with…..the ONLY items that should be available to the players, in game or outside of game, are those that existed at launch. Anything else demeans the attempt.
I’ve always disliked Starting Island, a strange place served one purpouse.
I’m glad it’s gone. But I liked the original Qeynos more.
hope i can start at the isle of refuge and can make the class quest, searching my soul shard and getting group depth!
Cant wait!
As someone who has played EQ2 for a lot of years and quit a couple of times (the most recent in January) the question for me is would this bring me back?
The answer is a definite no.
So what would bring me back?
1. rolling back the single stat decision, back to where stats effected your resists and skill ups where you needed to balance for more than your primary stat.
2. Reintroduction of weight and encumbrance.
3. Removal of the Beastmaster and Channeler classes.
Before anyone starts in, I realise that this would take a lot more resources, probably much more than is currently available to the team. So I do not expect this to happen nor do I expect I will be coming back to EQ2.
I’ll be honest, I’m pretty effing excited.
Is the Locked server in beta, And how do we join it?
Early July.
Count me in with the others as super excited. This will bring me back EQ2 for sure.
Sorry, but if you leave out all the good old stuff that people really want like starter isles, boat rides , the old cities and class-, combat- and crafting systems – why bother at all?!
We don’t want no effin time-locked server with the recent game, we want the old game.
If you can’t give us that please don’t waste your time and ressources on something no one wants and that will devi
de the little community we have left even more.
Appears that Lots ARE excited about the new PVP server… sans boat ride and old home cities
I am excited that DAybreak is listening, and responding to questions, statements, etc , in our forums. I haven’t seen such activity and ideas being sent out in years.. and they aren’t just negative either.
Im watching from afar at the moment if its done right it may,just may bring me back for a couple of months.
How about the crafting mechanics?
Shall I get ready to be killed by forge again?
So pumped for pvp again. I’m betting a ton of players will return if this is done correctly.
Well I’m really surprised at this — since I’ve resubbed (and am playing EQ now )
Will I go back to EQ2 ? I have rediscovered the old game I fell in love with in 2004 back before EQ2 started — will I come back and try this ? maybe — not sure — we’ll see
( but I’m still stopping at Altar of Malice or maybe before — still no campaigns for me )
EQ is not going to have any more expansions either — so I’m not going to be leveling fast in either one on purpose, that’s for sure
I played the game from launch until level 90 xpac. Raided everything and then stopped when the game got weird. I am looking forward to starting new and bringing back all my old friends. My one question is this: can we as a Freeport guild on a pvp server, roll Q toons as FP? Trying to plan out a raid force. Thanks maybe I missed this post.