US Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET
EU Servers: 9:00~11:00pm PDT | Midnight~2:00am EDT | 05:00~07:00 BST | 06:00~08:00 CET

From the EQ2 Forums:

US Servers: 7:00a.m.-ish
EU Servers: 9:00p.m.-ish

From the EQ2 Forums:

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
General

• Corrected an issue with global NPC hit points that gave level 80 NPCs lower hit points then level 79 NPCs. This change smooths out the progress slightly lowering the HP on many encounters below level 80, and increasing the hit points on encounters between level 80 and 94.

The Fabled Nizara, City of the Nayad [Heroic]

• Vzee’rist the Overseer and Mistress Zhvari, Nizari’zhi will now switch targets less often.

ITEMS

• Block chance on Gnasher Toothed Torque has been corrected
• Weapons that had the default 3 second delay have been adjusted to 4 seconds or 6 seconds.
• Many versions of Aspect of the Dragon can no longer harm allies.
• Added the pet health share buffs to the Servant of Vazaelle and Elemental Manifestation.
• Added the Heirloom tags to some raid armor pieces that were missing them.

US Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET
EU Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET

From the EQ2 Forums:

GENERAL

• All characters who were upgraded to [level 95] Heroic and did not receive Opegaz, Horde Bane have had it granted.

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
The Fabled Nizara, City of the Nayad [Advanced Solo]

• K’huthas should no longer be stuck in combat if damaged too quickly.

ABILITIES

• Fixed an issue with Devastation of War.

ITEMS

• Fixed the appearance of Nizari’oshu and Nizari Vindicae’s Pauldrons.
• Undying Destroyer’s Spiritstone will now fit in white adornment slots.
• Race to Trakanon claimable reward packs for Time-Locked servers now have distinct names from their live server counterparts.
• Kunark collection rewards have been updated to be in line with current progression.
• Ethereal Leach will now scale damage correctly against Public Quest encounters.

From EverQuest2.com:

Hail, Norrathian!

Are you seeking an adventure? One that both feels somewhat familiar, but also offers exciting challenges? Then today is your day! With today’s update, the following have been added to EQII:

Fabled Fallen Dynasty
A portal awaits you in The Village of Shin that will take you to new fabled versions of dungeons from The Fallen Dynasty. You must be Level 100 and have a membership to access these zones.

Public Quests
New, limited-time Public Quests are available throughout Norrath. Check your map to find these battle regions!

US Servers: 7:00am-1:00pm PDT | 10:00am-4:00pm EDT | 15:00-21:00 BST | 16:00-22:00 CET
EU Server: 7:00am-1:00pm PDT | 10:00am-4:00pm EDT | 15:00-21:00 BST | 16:00-22:00 CET

From the EQ2 Forums:

As of midnight, it appears that Wave Three of Summer Ethereals have begun. As we wrote about earlier this year, rather than weapons, the new Ethereals are Jewelry and Charms, and in this case, a Cloak ( Bonecaster’s Mantle ).

A player brought the rollover to our attention. While the new cloak offers a 15% damage reduction from elemental, arcane, and noxious damage, as well as +10.5 Fervor, it oddly includes a Daze effect. Disabling autoattack for an entire minute of combat seems like a non starter.

The @EverQuestII twitter account posted this news last night:

The final set of summer Ethereals is now available so earn them while you can!

However we’ve now confirmed that we’re still in the midst of Wave 2 of Ethereals and that Wave 3 won’t start until later this month. From Caith on the EQ2 Forums:

The second wave still has a few weeks in it, wave 2 ends and wave 3 begins later this month.

False alarm folks! Wave 2 started on July 15th and I believe each wave is supposed to last at least a month.

From EverQuest2.com:

New adventures await you, Norrathains! GU101 is scheduled to release on Tuesday, August 23, 2016, and there’s something in this update for players of all levels.

New Fabled Content to Explore From The Fallen Dynasty!

These new Fabled dungeons can be accessed through a portal just off the docks in The Village of Shin. This content is intended for level 100 characters, and a membership is required to enter these zones.

The Fabled Fallen Dynasty is made up of The Fabled Nizara, City of the Nayad which will have both Heroic and Advanced Solo versions! Also available will be The Fabled Cavern of the Crustaceans Raid for groups of 12 players and The Fabled Xux’laio’s Roost Raid and The Fabled Antechamber of Fate Raid for groups of 24 players.

The EverQuest II team are working full steam ahead on the thirteenth expansion due to hit this November, but in the meantime, they’re getting ready to drop a whopper of a Game Update which should keep us plenty busy this summer.

First up, the much beloved Public Quests first introduced in Destiny of Velious are making a return in current tier content. The EQ2 team have been given new tools to create PQs in weeks instead of months. In addition to faster development, the new tools promise to exhibit less server and client lag as the battles are underway. Game Update 101 will bring us more level 100 content in the form of Fabled Zones from the The Fallen Dynasty adventure pack. Nizara returns in Advanced Solo and Heroic versions, while x2 and x4 raids have both been added.

Five new Level Agnostic Dungeons have been added to Dungeon Finder and they can be played by characters from level 10-100 with content scaling appropriately. Finally some quality-of-life tweaks have been made, and healers who cast Wards will want to check out some changes to how these mechanics have changed.

US Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET
EU Servers: 9:00~11:00pm PDT | Midnight~2:00am EDT | 05:00~07:00 BST | 06:00~08:00 CET

From the EQ2 Forums:

GENERAL

• Fixed an issue where Aerakyn’s would sometimes show mirrored particle effects at their feet.
• Fixed a UI related crash in the client.

Event Server: Race To Trakanon

• Tinkering trainers are now available on the Race to Trakanon server!

ZONES / POPULATION
Lesser Faydark

• Tunare’s Battleweary ability should not trigger as quickly allowing more time to complete the encounter.

Sundered Splitpaw

• Encounters within Sundered Splitpaw will set a zone lockout timer when killed.

Agnostic Dungeons

• Adjusted difficulty scaling in agnostic dungeons that can scale to level 100.

ITEMS

• Scourge Watchman’s Quiver is now 36 slots.

and…

ITEMS

• Marketplace quivers are now able to hold both arrow and throwing ammo types.

US Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET
EU Server: 9:00~11:00pm PDT | Midnight~2:00am EDT | 05:00~07:00 BST | 06:00~08:00 CET

From the EQ2 Forums:

ZONES / POPULATION
General

• Veeshan’s Peak, Chamber of Destiny, and Venril’s Lair no longer require flagging to enter if on a non-TLE server.

Stygian Threshold [Heroic] and [Agnostic]

• Killing either of the two fairies, Diurna or Nocturna, while they are casting their shield spell will no longer keep the remaining fairy invulnerable for the remainder of the fight.

Maldura: District of Ash [All Versions]

• Gavitzle will always retreat regardless of the rate of damage inflicted upon him.

Kunark

• Raid encounters in Kunark which were previously invulnerable can once again be damaged.

US Servers: 7:00~11:00am PDT | 10:00am~2:00pm EDT | 15:00~19:00 BST | 16:00~20:00 CET

EU Servers: 7:00~11:00am PDT | 10:00am~2:00pm EDT | 15:00~19:00 BST | 16:00~20:00 CET

Update from RadarX:

A few technical issues have delayed this update an additional 2 hours. We’ll update you if an additional delay is necessary!

From the EQ2 Forums:

ZONES / POPULATION

• Scourge Keep: The lockout timers for Scourge Keep [Heroic] and Scourge Keep [Advanced Solo] have been reduced to 3 hours.

Zek, The Scourge Wastes: The Siege [Raid]

• Santifier Goortuk should no longer increase his resolve values as if he was in challenge mode without Fergul the Protector being present.

QUESTS

• Justice for JoJo? – Coltang will appear even if your mercenary or pet helps you along the way.

HOUSES

• Fixed an issue causing house portals to stop functioning.

 

US Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET
EU Servers: 9:00~11:00pm PDT | Midnight~2:00am EDT | 05:00~07:00 BST | 06:00~08:00 CET

Some nice updates today. Fixes for Amenities placed in the Premium Highhold Guild Hall. The Scourge Keep daily mission has been made less painful (no longer requires 100 kills). Spellbook resetting should come to an end. And those who use Jesdyr’s Layout Editor for arranging items in their houses and guild halls will no longer require a workaround step for loading and saving layouts. From the EQ2 Forums:

ZONES / POPULATION
Scourge Keep [Both Versions]

• The damage shield component of Banshee Skin cast by Rinis the Everslaved can now be bypassed by pets and mercenaries if their owners meet a specific requirement.

HOUSING

• Fixed a bug where the Unique house ID would get saved out improperly.

GUILD

• The Grotto Sailing Ship guild amenity may now be moved after purchase.
• Corrected an issue with amenities in the Highhold Guildhall being placed in an odd location.

QUESTS

• The ethereal daily mission for Scourge Keep, Sanctify or Die, will only require the death of either Sanctifier Maknok or Sanctifier Yegigoth.

SPELLBOOK

• Fixed a bug where characters who had a lot of spells in their spellbook would have it get jumbled when zoning, or logging back in. After this patch. Sort your spellbook once to your liking, then zone to make sure it saves out and you should be good to go!

TLE

• Avatar of Growth’s health has been reduced.

EVENT SERVER

• Merchant Rilsk in the Kylong Plains has a sneak peek of many rewards soon to be available during the Race to Trakanon!

On March 16, 1999, EverQuest launched, and with it, a volunteer Guide Program. They would “act as basic customer service/support via ‘petitions’. Issues could be forwarded to the Game Master assigned to the server or resolved by the volunteer. Other guides would serve in administrative functions within the program or assisting the Quest Troupe with dynamic and persistent live events throughout the individual servers. Volunteers were compensated with free subscription and expansions to the game.

In 2003 the program changed for these volunteers, shifting them away from a customer service focus and instead placing them into their current roles as roving ‘persistent characters’ role-playing with the players.” (wikipedia) There’s always been confusion within the player community at large about whether the Guide Program was a part of Daybreak Games, a completely separate entity, or something in-between. We asked for clarification from the Guides and got this answer from Elder Guide Rynara:

The Guide program works side by side with Daybreak, they always have. The Program was never “run” by SOE. Since we are volunteers we are separate and do not work under them in any way but along with them to support the players of EQ and EQII. [While] Kander does not run the Guide program, he does support us as acting liaison to Daybreak. He is our contact.

The leaders of the Guide program back when it started at the beginning of EQ wrote a policy and procedure manual that we follow today. It has been updated and tweaked along the years however the fundamentals still apply today.

While the earlier Guide quests were of a “milk and cookies” nature, in recent years, more dynamic and complex quests have been added. None has gained more visibility than the Nebulous Newsies quest. The reward is millions of status and one of the largest inventory bags available in the game. Players line up by the hundreds to pickup the quest from a Guide (it cannot be acquired by any other means) when word breaks that they will be seeking player help on a server. A new Terrors of Thalumbra guide quest was just added to the Guides’ repertoire this month and it will be interesting to see how frequently it is made available.

We already posted an article about them, but here’s the official announcement.

From EQ2 Brand Manager Roshen on the EQ2 Forums:

Summer Ethereal Items are here!

During the event players will be able to pick up Ethereal missions from the mission NPC’s in Thalumbra, the Ever Deep. These missions will grant you [eq2u]Umbrite Ethereal Coin[/eq2u]s, and a chance at the current accessory reward or an Ethereal Rune. Umbrite Ethereal Coins may be used to purchase any of the available rewards from the Lylleia, the Ethereal Merchant.

In addition, over the course of the event there will be several periods of time that award bonus Ethereal Coins. Starting TODAY and running until 11:59PM PT on Monday, June 13, 2016 players will receive DOUBLE Ethereal Coins. Don’t miss your chance to stock up on coins early, and pick up the Ethereal items that you’re looking for!

This is in addition to the bonus that All Access members get every day to their alternative currency earned in-game. That means double DOUBLE Ethereal Coins for members during the times for bonus Ethereal Coins.

With tomorrow’s update, the Summer Ethereals event goes live for 2016.

In the past, I have come to view these events a mixture of excitement and dread. Yes, it becomes easier to find groups, however you have to be lottery-lucky to acquire these game-changing items as [eq2u]Phelony, Deathbringer[/eq2u], [eq2u]Fai Thass, The Ravager[/eq2u], and ability resetting items such as Essence of Duality. With the focus on weapons shifted to later this year, the Summer Ethereals this time around are jewelry — Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings. In addition, some of the very popular but exceedingly rare Ethereal Runes are now also available through heroic content this summer.

A view of the Ethereal merchant as seen by a Mage. Different items are offered for Scouts, Fighters, and Priests.

RNGQuest

In years past, the only way to acquire these Ethereal items was through repetition. It might take 300 or more dungeon runs to acquire your preferred item. This year, the rewards are presented in such a way that you will either get an [eq2u]Umbrite Ethereal Coin[/eq2u], which can be used to buy Ethereals from a merchant, or you will get an Ethereal item. Please note that the Ethereal Coin currency is NO-TRADE which is necessary to keep the cost low.

There was no downtime notice, but…

US Servers: 7:00~8:00am PDT | 10:00am~11:00am EDT | 15:00~16:00 BST | 16:00~17:00 CST
EU Servers: 9:00~10:00pm PDT | 12:00~1:00am EDT | 05:00~06:00 BST | 06:00~07:00 CST

From the EQ2 Forums:

US Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET
EU Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET

From the EQ2 Forums:

ZONES / POPULATION
The Siege [Raid]

• Sanctifier Goortuk should now have lower resolve when fought in normal mode.

Barren Sky

• The 3 Princes have had their encounter level lowered

ITEMS

• [eq2u]Spine of Ancient Terror[/eq2u] now has the correct 14 resolve.

and…

MARKETPLACE

• Legends of Norrath loot card packs are now available on the marketplace. Specific campaign packs will be available for a limited time and will alternate after a set period. When opened, each Legends of Norrath loot card pack will grant a single tradeable reward bag. Once that bag has been opened the item contained within will be bound to that account.

MMOs like EverQuest II can’t help but include a loot chase. While EQ2 offers many different styles of gameplay from crafting to decorating to soloing, those players who elect to group or raid find themselves on the loot treadmill and want to be able to point to forward progress. In recent years, the EQ2 team have scattered a few best-in-slot items throughout the content so that crafters and soloers get some “Whoa!” items. Still, most Progression items come from extremely difficult content that requires substantial coordination. There’ll always be that one ridiculously difficult heroic zone. There’s always that Wing 3 of raid content. With Terrors of Thalumbra as well as Altar of Malice (after some post-launch tuning), the heroic content has been made accessible so that more people get to enjoy it. But as with any organized sport, the tolerances between success and failure shrink the higher you go into more challenging fare.

I don’t envy game developers who are forced to create enough content to last a year. What has concerned me about Ethereal runes, Ethereal weapons, Mythicals, and Ancients is that they are acquired almost entirely based on the luck of the dice roll, not player skill or effort. It saps the sense of accomplishment when you say “This item took me 374 heroic runs!” after the person next to you says “I got it the first time through. Now what?”

From the EQ2 Forums:

Happy Springtime, Norrathians!

Time is zipping by as usual! I wanted to drop in and let you know what we’ve been up to.

As you continue with the Terrors of Thalumbra expansion and take part in GU100, the team has been toiling away on future plans. And what are those? Well….

By the end of June we are going to introduce two new servers! We wanted to hear what kind of servers the community wanted so we recently ran an in-game survey. Given the results, we decided to launch two servers, each with different rules. There will be details coming soon, but here’s the summary:

US Servers: 7:00~9:00am PDT | 10:00am~Noon EDT | 15:00~17:00 BST | 16:00~18:00 CET

EU Servers: 9:00~11:00pm PDT | Midnight~2:00am EDT | 05:00~07:00 BST | 06:00~08:00 CET

From the EQ2 Forums:

ZONES / POPULATION

• Encounter [enemy] resolve buffs have been reallocated to take stacking resolve buffs into account.

Kralet Penumbra: The Hive Mind [Raid]

• The Penumbran Chanter should no longer spawn in unreachable areas in the Kraletus encounter

Thalumbra, the Ever Deep

• Koolor Ironblood has moved to within the Abandoned Fungus Farm to avoid Vanlith’s wrath

On April 28th, EverQuest II launched its level 100 content release “The Siege of Zek“. The update takes us back to Zek, the Orcish Wastes and a lot has changed in 12 years. While the original level 35-appropriate zone can still be accessed, players may now choose to travel to the new level 100 Scourge Wastes. The update contains updated versions of classic Zek zones in Advanced Solo, Heroic, Event Heroic, and Heroic Contested versions as well as a Raid zone. Rather than a simple up-tiering of existing zones, the Designers and Art Team have put a lot into this All Access-only update with totally redone Orc models and many other touches that make this content feel fresh.

As it had been a couple of weeks since the release of the Siege of Zek, we had an opportunity to peruse the official EQ2 forums for player questions and concerns. The EQ2 team are already working flat out on EverQuest II’s thirteenth expansion slated for later this year, so our interview focuses on the few questions that I submitted about itemization and some of the new systems in the update including Heartbound, which is an in-game celebration of the real-life bonds that players have developed, and the new progression-tied Resolve stat.

After the jump, our interview!

US Servers: 8:00~10:00am PST | 11:00am~1:00pm EST | 16:00~18:00 GMT | 17:00~19:00 CEST
EU Servers: 8:00~10:00am PST | 11:00am~1:00pm EST | 16:00~18:00 GMT | 17:00~19:00 CEST

From the EQ2 Forums:

GENERAL

• Fervor will no longer apply twice when damage is being duplicated from another source.

ZONES / POPULATION
The Siege [Raid]

• The Weapon of War’s “War” buff can now be properly removed. Hardened By War remains unable to be removed.

Scourge Keep [Both Versions]

• Prime Vigoth Ansleborg’s flanking order should be less strict to follow for fighters.

US Servers: 8:00~10:00am PST | 11:00am~1:00pm EST | 16:00~18:00 GMT | 17:00~19:00 CEST EU Servers: 8:00~10:00am PST | 11:00am~1:00pm EST | 16:00~18:00 GMT | 17:00~19:00 CEST

From the EQ2 Forums:

GENERAL

• A new Prestige Server Poll has been launched, check your in game mail for details!

ZONES / POPULATION

• The lizardmen in The Fabled Temple of Cazic-Thule will now drop Thulian Puzzle Boxes.
• Pork Chop should no longer barrel through walls when running in fear in Scourge Keep.

The Fabled Sanctum of Fear [Heroic]

• Golem hearts are no longer needed to spawn Dread, Fright, or Terror.

US Servers: 8:00~10:00am PST | 11:00am~1:00pm EST | 16:00~18:00 GMT | 17:00~19:00 CEST

EU Servers: 8:00~10:00am PST | 11:00am~1:00pm EST | 16:00~18:00 GMT | 17:00~19:00 CEST

From the EQ2 Forums:

ZONES / POPULATION

• Fixed a bug where characters logged out in membership only zones would not be playable if your membership lapsed.

Scourge Keep [Heroic]

• Added a gong to the arena which can be struck periodically after the arena starts to summon a single enemy combatant a time.
• Undead orc combatants will enter the arena at a slightly increased rate.