From Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson on the EQ2 Forums:

Hail, Fellow Norrathians!

We’d like to talk to you about how we’re delivering new adventures and new features into your worlds in both EQ and EQII.

We’ve listened to you on the forums, across social media, and face-to-face at our many events. There have been some common topics that come up about the things you like and don’t like with what we’ve been doing, and we’re using that information to customize our new direction.

From the EQ2 Forums:

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
Temple of Veeshan: Guardian’s Edifice

• Corrected an issue that would occasionally prevent Tavekalem’s buff, Relentless, from decrementing to zero and wearing off.
• Added messaging explaining the bloodlust ability for Harin, Merig, and Gerid.
• Harin, Merig, and Gerid should give slightly longer time to react to their bloodlust ability.
• In the Harin, Merig, and Gerid encounter “Bloodlust” has been made more damaging.
• In the Harin, Merig, and Gerid encounter “Advanced Tactics” should no longer be quite as damaging.
• Orbs of Lethality in the Harin, Merig, and Gerid encounter should no longer require as much critical chance to get normal hit rates.
• Add corpses in the Harin, Merig, and Gerid encounter should disappear after they have been killed.
• Members of the Commanders Ring Event encounter should no longer lose their encounter targeting rings.
• Kigara and Kelana should no longer keep trying to apply their damage shield once one of the dragons has been slain.
• Kigara and Kelana adds should continue to summon the correct adds once one of the dragons have been slain.

Fabled Laboratory of Lord Vyemm

• The “Spiny Protection” buff from the Corsolander should now correctly apply ae auto-attack avoidance.
• The Corsolander should no longer attempt to engage already defeated players.
• Lord Vyemm and Alzid Prime are now part of the same encounter instead of two separate encounters.
• An achievement and guild achievement are now available for defeating Lord Vyemm and Alzid Prime.

From EQ2 Forums:

Although Erudites are known for their magical talents, not all would use their powers for good. Many years ago, a group of Erudites began to study necromancy in secret, led by the great mage El’Arad. He and his followers, the Quellithulians, were denounced by the other Erudites as heretics, and their activities would eventually lead to a bitter civil war.

El’Arad specialized in teleportation, and he was responsible for the construction of the Ulterian Spires throughout Norrath. In his experiments, he discovered the Overrealm and made a deal with the dragons: in exchange for destroying the spires, he would become the ruler of Odus once the Awakened rose to power.

Return to the Fabled Vaults of El’Arad and face Korgo the Vaultkeeper for your chance at some epic new loot! New challenges await in the mysterious Vaults of El’Arad, the newest Fabled dungeon launching January 23rd, 2014.

Continue reading on the EQ2 Forums…

From the EQ2 Forums:

NEW FABLED ZONES
Contested

• The Fabled Sanctum of the Scaleborn

Group

• The Fabled Den of the Devourer
• The Fabled Halls of Fate
• The Fabled Vaults of El’Arad

Raid

• The Fabled Laboratory of Lord Vyemm
• The Fabled Mutagenic Outcast
• The Fabled Three Princes

GENERAL

• Updated sorting order of the Guild Event Filters in the guild window.
• A “Reset All” button has been added to the Persistent Instances tab of the Zones window.

Looks like today’s press embargo dropped around 1:30pm EST as ZAM, Massively, MMORPG, and a number of other sites dropped their articles about what we can expect from EverQuest and EverQuest II in the first 3 months of 2014, as well as a pointlessly brief tease of EQNext Landmark.

Despite being just NINE days from SOE President John Smedley’s self-imposed “end of January” deadline for EQNL Alpha to begin, the team remains coy about what the actual day will be. We’re banking on January 31st, which is also the day when hundreds of players will fly in from around the world just to play a 15 minute demo. Now that’s dedication!

• ZAM: SOE Talks about the Year of EverQuest

Some quotes from the ZAM article after the jump…

Holly “Windstalker” Longdale recorded (along with the Producers for EverQuest and EverQuest Next Landmark) a video talking about upcoming features this year. After the jump, our bullet-point list of what Holly talked about.

SOE writer Erin Oakley talks about the fabled version of the Den of the Devourer, which will offer level 95 rewards relevant to players in Tears of Veeshan content. The Kingdom of Sky fabled zones all go live tomorrow, January 23rd.

From the EQ2 Forums:

You may remember the shadowy floating isles of the Bonemire and the ancient halls of the Den of the Devourer which teem with Ravasects. These giant insects made their home in the Overrealm after the barrier between Norrath and the Plane of Air weakened.

The Ravasect are intelligent, but their primary objectives are to feed and to reproduce. Anything that stands in their way will be destroyed. Seeking a place to store their eggs, the Ravasect tunneled deep into the ground. But their digging uncovered an ancient secret: vats of wurndrom, the mysterious substance used by the dragons to create the Droag.

On January 23rd, the Den of the Devourer will become a Fabled Dungeon, challenging the highest level heroes with tougher fights and updated rewards. If you’re up to the task, be one of the first to visit (or revisit) the Den of the Devourer for your chance at awesome new loot!

Continue reading on the EQ2 Forums…

From the EQ2 Forums:

The minions of Lord Vyemm call the Halls of Fate their home. This fortress is one of the most important places to The Awakened. As such, the Halls of Fate and the treasures within these walls are guarded diligently.

Within the walls of this massive fortress, the Doomwing Legion toils to create draconic weapons. Hidden within the laboratories of this dungeon, you may find the secrets behind the creation process of the weapons. But beware! Dragons do not respond well to intruders!

The Fabled version of the Halls of Fate dungeon becomes available to players starting Thursday, January 23, 2014. Gather a group of the top adventurers you know and get ready for this upcoming heroic dungeon. Do you have what it takes to defeat the Doomguard Legion?

From the EQ2 Forums:

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
Stratum of the Protector

• Shazzak no longer spawns multiple copies of himself when he transitions from the Fragment phase.

If you want a giggle, read this thread explaining why this update was necessary.

From the EQ2 Forums:

MERCENARIES

• In response to player feedback, we have revised the Mercenary user interface in the Character panel to add summon/suspend functionality and clarify the features overall.
• As a reminder, mercenaries (normal and rare) may be resummoned after 60 seconds from when they were last suspended.

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
Vesspyr Isles

• Fixed an issue that was preventing Draazak from being spawned when the correct items were turned in.
• The red shinies on Aeterna Gardens have been moved a bit further away from Wuoshi.

Underfoot Depths

• Regulus and Regulas should no longer reset a few seconds after they are triggered.

From the EQ2 Forums:

Starting Thursday, January 23, 2014 EverQuest II players can experience the Kingdom of Sky zone, Sanctum of the Scaleborn, as a Fabled dungeon. This means that this contested dungeon will return as a place where the highest level players can explore and defeat the challenges for level appropriate loot. Are you prepared to do battle with the fanatical Awakened (again)?

From the EQ2 Forums:

Healov of Unrest (posting as Sylke on the forums) has just (less than 2 hours ago) discovered the Channeler Epic Weapon quest starter and shared the details on the EQ2 Forums. The Channeler Epic Weapon quest went live 5 days ago.

If you don’t want spoilers for where to find the Channeler quest, STOP READING!!

Ok last warning!

1. Go to Paineel (Sundered Frontier). In the same room as Sa’ib Waseem (Epic Repercussions NPC), go to loc 1986.34, -298.22, 3378.24. Click the 4th book from the right on the middle book case, 4 shelves up.

2. This will open a portal behind the pillar to the back-left.

3. Click the portal to enter Ryizz’Eianshieoll’s Sanctum

4. Inside, go the bookshelf at the back-right. There is a small book, click that to pick it up.

5. Read the book to start your quest!

Now, let’s get to work solving this thing!

Congrats to Healov on the Worldwide discovery of the quest starter!

From Holly “Windstalker” Longdale on the EQ2 Forums:

Stratum of the Protectors

Just a little head’s up for the weekend about the Stratum of the Protectors [Heroic] zone. It looks like if you try to fight Shazzak off his platform either in the water or near the lift, then after the first wave of snake adds, he will despawn and will not come back. Our group came across this while running the zone, and when I raised the issue in open chat, two other groups reported the same issue.

The solution is to fight him up on his platform, with the tank near one platform, and everyone else near the other platform, such that the vertical “knock ups” don’t throw you off the edge of the island.

From the EQ2 Forums:

QUESTS

• The Channeler Epic Quest is now available for all level 95 Channelers.

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
Vesspyr Isles

• Zaszae’s Armor Exchange in the Falinpol area of Vesspyr Isles will allow you to convert any Cryptic, Arcane, or Potent armor that has not been upgraded with a gemstone into a Token specific to that tier and slot. Seven of these tokens can then be used to purchase a piece of armor from Zaszae.
• Anex and Onerind Fe’Dhar in Vesspyr Isles no longer turn toward players hailing them.

Accursed Sanctum (Raid)

• The tomes unlocked around the zone should be available again after the player using the ability leaves the zone.
• The Legionnaires should more predictably cast their respective curses.
• The legionnaire curses now persist through death.

Temple of Veeshan: Guardian’s Edifice

• Kigara and Kelana should no longer summon players when they are able to chase them.
• Derig’s adds have had their health reduced but also must now be killed in a timely manner.
• Fireshots in the Grendish encounter have had their outgoing damage reduced and now hover closer to the ground.
• Winter Juggernauts in the Grendish encounter must now be killed in a timely manner.
• When Grendish is defeated the door to the second wing should be opened!

One of the most intriguing things about the recent Tears of Veeshan expansion is, there are at least seven different “Stat Packages” for quested and dropped gear. Not only are these items intended to have their stats fiddled with through Reforging, but most restrictions on equipping items have been dropped, save for the armor’s material (Cloth, Leather, Chain, Plate). This plethora of choice has been a blessing for most, but a curse for some with unlucky dice.

When an Advanced Solo or Heroic mission is completed, each player receives an Ornate Chest with an item having one of the following “stat packages”:

DPS with AoE Spec, DPS with MA Spec, DPS with Haste Spec, Main Tank Spec, Off Tank Spec, Potency/Reuse (Caster), Potency/Ability Mod/Health (Melee Caster)

Depending on your luck with the magical dice, some players are positively swimming in gear that does not fit their stat and growth needs, especially tank/mitigation items for Clerics and Druids, caster items for Scouts, and, melee battle priest type gear for healers who prefer to go the spell route.

This has been a frequent topic of discussion on the EQ2 Forums, with a chorus of players asking for a Heroic Equipment Exchange Merchant. Great idea, but putting in one-for-one exchange merchant would completely short circuit the progression of the expansion and let players run just 7 zones to get a full set of Arcane or Potent gear.

From the EQ2 Forums:

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
Temple of Veeshan: Guardian’s Edifice [Raid]

• Derig Cinderaxe’s adds will now despawn if he is defeated.

The Nexus Core [Advanced Solo and Heroic]

• The Maligned Gyro’s spiral ripper adds now move more slowly.

High Keep: The Pickclaw Depths

• You can escape from prison much sooner after being captured by Bigz the Big.
• Bigz the Big no longer becomes immune to damage when drinking his potion.

More after the jump…

From the EQ2 Forums:

From the EQ2 Forums:

From Holly “Windstalker” Longdale‘s twitter:

Ethereal jewelry and adornments are dropping in Tears of Veeshan dungeons from today until Jan. 3! Good luck! #eq2

— Holly Longdale (@WindstalkerEQ2) December 3, 2013

UPDATE: Looks like these new Ethereal items are not present in Census. Hopefully with the next hotfix/update, we’ll get a new export.

From the EQ2 Forums:

The US EverQuest 2 Servers will come down on Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:00AM Pacific Time* for an update. The expected downtime is approximately one hour.

All EU Servers will come down at 5:00 PM PT (2:00 AM CET) on December 4th for a brief update. Downtime is anticipated to be approximately 2 hours

From the EQ2 Forums:

GENERAL

• Currency can no longer be moved directly to the shared bank from the Currency tab. You will need to move it to a bag first and then to the shared bank.
• Corrected an issue where a player would not receive Ornate Crate of Goods if their group loot options were set to Fabled+.

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
General

• Ground mounts can now be used in Sleeper’s Tomb: The Forgotten Catacombs and Chelsith: The Ancient Vault.

Vesspyr Isles

• Many named NPCs in this zone were adjusted to have more health and less melee damage. Additionally, several of their non-functional spells were fixed.

Accursed Sanctum: Guardian of Adherence

• Lowered health of sanctum enforcers.
• Increased the variance of which these adds will mem-wipe so that there is less chance of them doing it all at once.
• Lowered damage output of custodial architect.

If you haven’t checked out the EQ2Wire Tears of Veeshan Frequently Asked Questions guide since the launch of the expansion two weeks ago, we’ve added some new questions and details!

• Armor slots — Which armor slots drop from which Adv Solo and Heroic zones.

• Bonus “column” heroic named — These appear at the end of heroic zones for players who have completed the Tears of Veeshan signature quest and drop tradeskill materials.

• More ways to acquire Draconic Etyma — including the “Ancestral Champion” quest, as well as weekly and daily Tradeskill missions.

• Cryptic (Adv Solo) and Arcane (T1 Heroic) armor upgrades — Cryptic and Arcane armor with 4 gems can be converted into a gem of the next tier PLUS all adornments (including white) are popped off with a conversion item that costs 10 Etyma. This takes a lot of the pain out of upgrading items!

• Anchor Tags added to Tears of Veeshan FAQ allow you to link () a part of the FAQ to a friend.

Players are reporting a couple of issues with items not being looted to player’s inventory but disappearing instead:

• Ornate Crate of Goods in Advanced Solo Tears of Veeshan zones
• Waxy urchin roe which drops in Siren’s Grotto and is needed to defeat a named

It turns out that both of these are caused by Loot Options.

Endymion has posted a description of the problem and a workaround until the issue can be fixed next week:

This is similar to the issue with people not receiving their Ornate Crate of Goods from the end of the Tears of Veeshan advanced solo dungeons. What’s happening is in the group options menu (accessed by typing /groupoptions), the Item Rarity level is set higher than the tier of the item, causing it to go poof. While I have a fix for this, it hasn’t made it to live yet; until then, I would recommend lowering your Item Rarity to All Items.