Feldon
With hardly a moment to spare, we will soon find out where the EverQuest II: Sentinel’s Fate expansion will be available for purchase as a Digital Download. We will be releasing the distributors and the links to their sites tomorrow morning after 9am PST. It will be up in this thread about 9:30am PST as soon as I walk in the office. The list will be updated as more information comes in, but will be good to get everyone started. — Kiara Current wisdom indicates that if your IP address is recognized as being outside of the United States...
Feldon
Didn’t I promise the Battlegrounds news would slow down? Oh well… In response to concerns that 6 vs. 6 is too few players to set up an adequate defense in the Battlefield of Ganak: Capture the Flag Battlegrounds scenario, the number of players is being changed to 12 vs. 12. This should also hopefully address the issues of spawn camping (AoE root/nuke players as soon as they revive). as a defense perimeter can be setup to protect your allies.
When I launched EQ2Wire at the August 2008 Fan Faire, I had no idea that we would become a popular destination for (nearly daily) EQ2 News and Commentary. And so it is an interesting coincidence that the release of Sentinel’s Fate will mark the 18 month anniversary of EQ2Wire. What better way to celebrate than to give away Sentinel’s Fate Retail keys to our readers? Contest Concludes The EQ2Wire Sentinel’s Fate Contest concluded on February 16th. We awarded 10 Retail and 2 Collector’s Edition product keys! Terms and Conditions There were 10 first prizes and 2 grand prizes. The...
Download the EQ2 Battlegrounds Promo Video Download Battlegrounds Video Justin did a fantastic job on this Battlegrounds video and it’s one of the better EQ2 promos I’ve seen. You may remember he also did the stunning GU54: Will of a Tyrant video (Download in HD) which got a lot of positive comments on different forums. It’s nice to see promotional materials that do a great job selling the game. Hopefully we’ll see more like this! EQ2BattlegroundsWire? Ok I promise we are not renaming this site to EQ2BattlegroundsWire. 😉 We’ve had a lot of news about them lately, but we...
There has been some talk on the EQ2 Forums both in PvP circles and elsewhere, in the Beta forums, not to mention EQ2 Flames, with a lot of concerns about how fairness is going to play out in the Battlegrounds. There have been suggestions that people will exploit and game the system as a stepping stone to progress further in raiding. I am not taking sides in this, but so far I am reasonably happy that these issues are being watched like a hawk. Parts 1 and 2 of what should probably be a 2 part post. 😉
We have discovered some ancient writings which may yet hold the answer to a puzzle.
There has certainly been a lot of gnashing of teeth on EQ2Flames and the EQ2 Forums that Battlegrounds, Battlegrounds Armor, and the PvP ruleset is going to “ruin” raiding in EQ2. And there have been plenty of naysayers saying PvP wasn’t strong enough to sustain multiple PvP servers, or that Arenas never really caught on, as proof that there is no need for Battlegrounds. As for me, the prospect of being robbed on the way to the bank, or being unable to turn in a quest due to roaming murder squads, just isn’t why I play this game. I...
What are Battlegrounds? Battlegrounds is a new feature launched on February 25, 2010. Battlegrounds are a Player vs. Player (PvP) environment which take place on a completely separate server from the regular PvE and PvP servers. It roughly coincided with the release of Sentinel’s Fate (Feb 16) and Game Update 55. Tokens Each of the 3 Battlegrounds have their own unique Token. These tokens can be spent at the Battlegrounds Merchant in Qeynos Harbor or North Freeport. Multiple tokens from different zones are required to buy items. Just by participating in a Battleground, you will earn at least 1...
From EQ2 Forums: Greetings Norrathians. Starting at 4:45am PST Antonia Bayle, The Bazaar, and Sebilis will come down for an estimated 5 hour downtime. During this time, the database software will be upgraded to address lag issues. We will update this thread as needed should any issues arise. Thank you for your patience!
We’ve seen some screen shots on the web of the Battlegrounds armor, but it’s been pretty low quality images. We took some images with the maximum graphic settings. This is the most detailed armor EQ2 has seen yet! One surprising aspect of the Battlegrounds is that each of the 3 Battlegrounds zones give different tokens. The Battlegrounds merchants (now parked in Qeynos Harbor and North Freeport) require 30-40 tokens from at least TWO different zones to buy each item. More after the jump…
As of 3:15pm PST (6:15pm EST), the Test Copy server is being rebooted for testing Battlegrounds. From the EQ2 Forums: Battlegrounds are up on Test and Test-Copy!! Teams who win their matches between 5 and 8pm PST every day that the BG’s are up for testing will get an awesome battlegrounds cloak for their characters! As a special Battlegrounds event, several members of the SOE staff will be available for match-ups on Thursday, February 11th from 4 until 6pm PST. Our SOE teams will play anyone who wants to challenge us and (if you beat us!) the winners will...
So far, we’ve spotted a dozen individuals who seem particularly interested in player’s triumphs and exploits in the Battlegrounds. The Tinmizer’s Tinkerers want you to straighten things out in the Gears of Klak’anon The Pirates of Gunthak want to hear of your conquests in Smuggler’s Den The Iksar want to know when you will next face the challenges of the Battlefield of Ganak Each camp offers 2 different quests for their Battlegrounds zone — defeat other players, or complete the scenario. Qeynos Harbor seems to be the quest hub for good characters wishing to participate in Battlegrounds. Those of...
Calthine of EQ2 ZAM is reporting that Battlegrounds are now on the Test Copy server. Here’s the Battlegrounds window: (flip through images) Note: There is currently an issue preventing people from being pulled into the Battlegrounds interface when clicking the “Queue” button. Devs are on the case.
Once everyone logs back into EverQuest II with the launch of Sentinel’s Fate and Game Update 55, you will face many choices. Do you reset your AAs and spend them differently to take advantage of the new endline abilities of my Class and Subclass Trees? We already know that your Kingdom of Sky Class page will be reset on your first login, because points are spent differently on it. Do you start solo questing from level 80-90? Don’t forget to move your AA slider back from 100%! You cannot spend more than 200 AAs until you reach level 81....
As mentioned in the Ustream event last night with Brenlo, and also in an earlier EQ2Wire post, the EQ2 Dev Team have been working hard to make sure there is a logical, smooth quest progression from level 1-90. 1-20 and 70-80 were already pretty trouble free. There have been some longstanding leveling gaps in the low 30’s, high 30’s, and the entire 50-68 range. Calthine has been documenting all the new quests as well as overarching Signature quest “The Legend of Roger Goldie” that runs from level 20 to 70. The Butcherblock dock area has gotten a bit of...
Don’t forget to join us for SOE’s first ever Ustream Beta Tour, on Friday, February 5, 2010, hosted by Alan “Brenlo” Crosby, Senior Producer of EverQuest II. Beginning at 4:00 p.m. PST, tune in to SOE’s Ustream channel to get an exclusive guided tour of EverQuest II: Sentinel’s Fate, through the eyes of the game’s producer. Chat with other viewers as the tour takes place, and get ramped up for the expansion release, on February, 16, 2010. We’ll see you there! Sony Online Entertainment @ USTREAM UPDATE: After 40 minutes, so far we have discovered that UStream + EQ2...
Since there seems to be some doubt… Kiara has reported in as of 11:30AM PDT. The NDA for Sentinel’s Fate is officially lifted! All of you, who have been (not so) patiently waiting can spill the beans! Those of you who didn’t wait and were breaking it all along… Coal in your stockings. This means ANY issues discussed in Beta, in the Beta forums, etc. can now be discussed.
I’m sure a lot of you are wondering. Where’s the good stuff? Where’s the shard gear? Where’s the raid gear? Where’s the Battlegrounds gear? Where’s the detailed analysis of class changes, the new AAs, racial traits, etc.? The meat and potatoes of groupers and raiders that my readers have come to expect from EQ2Wire? Frankly, I’d like to know too. 🙂 However even at this late date, all of these items are in such a state of flux on Beta, that it seems to document ANYTHING at this point would be foolhardy. Beta veterans assure me that there’s plenty...
EQ2Wire got an invitation to go on a tour of the Sentinel’s Fate Beta with the lovely Christine “Kiara” Renzetti, EQII Community Manager, last month and we’re now able to post some screens and details of that tour. We were able to check out the hub city of Paineel, the sprawling open dungeon the Hole, the Vasty Deep Conservatory, and the Erudin Library. I believe the most stunning aspect and lasting appeal of Sentinel’s Fate will be the artwork. The Shadow Odyssey artwork was not my favorite. I found the “void” look of purples, greys, and sharp edges just...
Kiara has posted the following on EQ2 Forums: International customers will be able to DD the expansion on Feb 16th and take advantage of the headstart offer. They will receive the DD version of the game and the things included in that package: These include: 500 Station Cash LoN Fall of Erudin scenario 30 days free play time for new accounts In-game armor piece – Guarding of the Learned The distributors have not yet been announced. We are still waiting on some final requirements to be met. As soon as we are permitted to do so, we will announce...
Mythicals present a significant challenge to EQ2 developers trying to create desirable weapons for players at level 90. Some of the Mythical effects are uniquely powerful and no player would even consider replacing them without getting the same effect with another weapon. For this reason, it was announced at Fan Faire that mythicals would become either an equippable charm, or a clickable item. Already, in Beta, players have discovered that, when equipped, Mythicals would not modify level 81-90 spells (eg. Chimes of Blades III, etc.). The Truth Comes Out Frizznik has posted in the Beta forums that owners of...
Sentinel’s Fate Group Dungeon & Raid Zone List by Difficulty Difficulty Rating Key Easy Easy to Moderate Moderate Moderate to Hard Hard The Hole contested (82-90) Sprawling dungeon with 3 wings of difficulty, most content tailored for 2-4 players. Old Paineel Dartain’s Fortress Tower of Serilis The Hole instances Demitrik’s Bastion (85+) The Outer Vault (88+) Spirit’s Resonance (88+) Vasty Deep The Conservatory (86-88) The Abandoned Labs (90) The Vestigal Cella (90) Erudin Erudin Library (87-89) Erudin Research Halls (90) Erudin Royal Palace (90) The Vigilant The Vigilant: Incursion! (90) The Vigilant: Infiltration! (90) The Vigilant: Rescue! (90) Sentinel’s...
From EQ2Players: Raiding is an important part of gameplay for many and is a part of every MMO. Roger “Patherpanchali” Uzun designs the raids for EQII and Brett “Timetravelling” Scheinert often works with him on these. Timetravelling was kind enough to sit down and give us an overview of the new raids coming with Sentinel’s Fate. We have three x4 raid instances launching with: Sentinel’s Fate: Lair of the Dragon Queen (x4) Perah’Celsis’ Abominable Laboratory (x4) The Palace of Roehn Theer (x4) For x4 content players will discover the Lair of the Dragon Queen first, then Perah’Celsis’ Abominable Laboratory,...
While we don’t have all the details on what perks will be available to Guilds reaching the new level 90 cap, we know that Game Update #55 will add 2 new Guild Hall Amenities. The first is pretty straightforward. It’s a Wizard Portal NPC with all the destinations available from the Ulteran Spires. It does not include the Kingdom of Sky zones of Tenebrous Tangle, Barren Sky, or Bonemire: Realm of Dawn. You’ll still need that amenity if your guildies are making regular use of these zones. The second new Guild Hall Amenity is the Guild Standard Bearer. If...
The Adornments system in EQ2 has always been pretty confusing. And so far, there just have not been a lot of options for certain classes in certain slots for adornments. Each of the 9 tradeskill classes and the 2 secondary tradeskill classes have each made a handful of adornments. necessitating adornment websites to keep it all straight. We are thrilled to see that the Kanga will be updating her fantastic EQ2 Adornments site for Game Update 55. With Game Update 55, adornments have been rebuilt from the ground up. In fact some prized adornments (Parry) can no longer be...