The Heroes’ Festival is SOE’s celebration of the anniversary of EverQuest II. This will mark the 6th year since EverQuest II premiered. There are a series of repeatable and nonrepeatable quests which reward various house items as well as a collection. Absent this year are the player-made paintings introduced during last year’s brief event.

EQ2 ZAM has updated information on the quests and events going on in this year’s Heroes Festival.

File this under “It was only a matter of time”.

New this week on the StationCash Marketplace is a 5 charge item for 250 SC ($2.50 normally, $1.25 if you stocked up during the sale) which opens a portal which you and nearby friends can use for up to 30 seconds to all World Travel Bell locations.

If you’ve been thinking you might want to stock up on StationCash to buy Character Slots, Name or Race change potions, Server Transfers, Vitality potions, etc. or the latest set of appearance armor, or even a set of furniture for your house, today is the last day to buy StationCash at a 50% price discount. Unlike past Double StationCash Weekends, this promotion works with credit cards and Paypal-funded StationCash and thus can be funded in Europe and other parts of the world.

As part of SOE Super Fan days, every day has also brought an additional 50% discount to one item. Today’s 50% off item (a total of 75% off if you buy StationCash at the discount as well) is the Smoked Leatherhide Armor Crate:

A Bow to Pull With

Any good plate tank needs a good pulling bow.  You know, one that can hit mobs from way across the room.  You may not use it all the time, but you at least have it on your hot bar.  They come in handy for all sorts of things.  Once you’ve used one with an extra long range, it’s hard to go back to using anything else.  They even make questing easier since you can hit the mobs from so far away (less running around).

The latest news story on EverQuest2.com (formerly EQ2Players.com) is an article about a new SOE marketing program called “SOE Super Fan Days“. After reading the article, I still have some questions, especially as I am now stationed in Europe, where StationCash cards are not available. There seem to be two aspects to this promotion.

First, is that every day, one SOE game will have a special item that is 50% off. So on one day, it seems EQ2 will have 1 item for 50% off the StationCash price.

Second, it seems that under some circumstance(s), StationCash can be purchased at half price. It’s not clear which circumstances, and understanding is further clouded by the fine print:

Promotion does not include purchases made via SMS or pre-paid cards. See promotional email for details.

We haven’t seen the e-mail, but when we do, we’ll update this article as needed.

Today’s hotfix notes include the ability to relocate your City Bind Point to any city you are aligned with, more crafted Marks of Manaar equipment, and other changes to live events and raids.

A few players have reported issues with not earning the +50% bonus on Guild XP. I can confirm that it’s working on adventure writs in Kylong Plains, but other players have posted results indicating that doing Tradeskill Rush Orders in instances (Guild Halls, instance ‘tradeskill cellars’, etc.) may not receive this bonus.

We strongly suggest checking to make sure that you are receiving a message like this before spending hours doing writs:

Your guild has received 1961 status which includes a 50% server bonus!

UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, we have learned that several Heritage Quests, writs, etc. are not providing the +50% Bonus Guild XP. As this was the first bonus Guild XP weekend, no doubt notes are being taken to fix some of these issues for the future.

Is it time to just rip off the Band-Aid™ and be done with it?

Unannounced in this week’s additions to the StationCash Marketplace were the addition of in-game merchant-bought arrows (no great shakes compared to woodworker-made ones) to the StationCash Marketplace. When prompted on the EQ2 Forums, EQ2 Senior Producer Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson had this response:

They’re just the basic arrows you can get from merchants. It’s a convenience thing for folks that run out of arrows in the field.

and later in a similar topic in the Tradeskills forum:

It’s pure convenience. Some players are willing to spend a buck to avoid leaving a raid or dungeon to resupply with arrows.

Player response has varied from “Get this crap off the live servers and put it back on EQ2X“, to “if my group/raid expects me to buy items from the Marketplace to stay competitive, I’ll tell them to pound sand” to “Why not just rip off the Band-Aid and put RMT on the live servers, since that’s where we’re headed anyway.”

UPDATE: In response to player concerns, these arrows have been removed from the StationCash Marketplace. From SmokeJumper:

We never intended to start a fight here, folks.

They’re removed.

I think SOE have demonstrated a lack of self-discipline in what items they will add to the Marketplace. They’ve continued to push the envelope, seemingly until players will accept full RMT on the live servers. Is it time to just rip off the Band-Aid and go full RMT on the live servers? Most of you probably clicked delete on this weekend’s announcement that Pirates of the Burning Sea is going full RMT/Free-to-Play. I read it with interest, because it’s like a pair of binoculars (or a spyglass and sextant, if you will) into the future of EQ2, EQ2Next, and beyond.

The community team will be hosting a Nights of the Dead Masquerade Ball on the Test Copy server.  Go to the docks in Sinking Sands at the proper time and date and take the portal to the community lounge.  Find out when, after the break.

From Everquest2.com:

Challenge: To celebrate Halloween, we’re holding a Pumpkin Carving Forum Challenge. Carve a pumpkin related to the SOE game you play and take pictures of the process. Upload the pictures to an external site, then submit them to us for review. Now, let’s get to carving!

Duration: Submissions for this forum challenge start on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 and end on Tuesday November 2, 2010 at 10am PDT. (PDT is -7 hours GMT: 11:00 am MDT, 12:00 pm CDT, 1:00 pm EDT, 5:00 pm GMT)

A few months back, the frequency of StationCash item introductions was increased from a monthly schedule to a bi-weekly schedule. If EQ2Wire reported on all of these items, then 50% of our articles would be about items that, quite frankly, a lot of our readers aren’t that wild about. There was a time when $14.99 paid the bills, kept the lights on, and paid the staff. I’m not sure when we strayed from that.

But sometimes, an SC item is cool enough to warrant mentioning here, especially when it comes with cool art. There is a dearth of cool-looking mounts in EQ2. So this might help…

We leave it up to the reader to decide whether 2500SC (normally $25; $12.50 if you stocked up on SC during a double SC weekend) is reasonable for a large animated skeleton. 😉

From EverQuest2.com.

It’s a Bonus Guild XP Weekend!

Starting at 5:00 pm (PDT) on Friday, October 22nd and ending at 10:00 am (PDT) on Monday, October 25th, players in EQII and EQ2X can gain a 50% bonus on guild XP!

Get out there and level up, and enjoy hearing those dings come 50% faster. But don’t wait; the weekend will be over before you know it. Enjoy!

This promotion will run from Friday, October 22 at 5PM PDT (Sunday 02:00 GMT) until Monday, October 25th at 10AM PDT (17:00 GMT).

Discuss this on the EQ2 Forums

As we previously reported, with GU58, the guild XP levels were evened out to get rid of the hell levels.  Depending on where your guild was in relation to the closest hell level, you may have gained guild levels or lost progress in your current level.  In the grand scheme of getting to level 90, just about everybody ended up better off.  In the grand scheme of making it to the NEXT level, which could have been your long term goal, some guilds lost progress. 

In an effort to make up for this (I assume), SOE has decided to have a Bonus Guild XP weekend.  I’ve been holding off posting this until the official announcement was made.  However, since it’s getting pretty close to start time, I thought it would be better to go ahead and get the word out so people can plan accordingly.  Rothgar posted this on the official forums:

This weekend there will be a guild status bonus weekend where all status that you earn will increase your guild’s XP by 50%.  For example, if you complete a writ that awards you 10,000 status, normally your guild will receive 1000 status (xp).  With the 50% bonus you’ll still receive 10,000 personal status, but the guild will instead receive 1500 status.

The promotion will run from 5pm Friday night until 10am Monday morning (PST).  Look for the official announcement coming soon.

Just remember, grinding tradeskill writs not only gets you guild XP and city tokens, you also make a small profit. 🙂

Here are your update notes for Thursday, 21 October 2010 after the break:

Here are your update notes for Tuesday, 19 October 2010 after the break:

SOE wants to know where and when people would prefer to have Fan Faire 2011.  Your choices are Vegas or Vegas.  Go vote for your prefered hotel and dates.   Amnerys posted this on the official forums:

It’s that time again folks! Time to tell us where and when you want to attend Fan Faire 2011! We have two choices for you, both of them in Las Vegas. The first one sends us back to Bally’s, July 7th through the 9th. The other option takes us to the Hilton, August 4th through the 6th. Head on over to the Fan Faire forums to vote in the official poll and let us know which dates you prefer.

The poll includes hotel room prices, as well, to help you make your decision. Registration prices will be announced at a later date.

Thanks so much for your input on this year’s Fan Faire! We can’t wait to see you there, at whichever option is chosen!

Everquest2.com has a news items up anouncing this years Nights of the Dead live event:

It’s time to enjoy spooks, frights and other creepy festivities in Norrath! Beginning at at 12:01am PDT Thursday, October 14th and running until 11:59pm Monday, November 8th, the Nights of the Dead celebration brings a bit of seasonal fun to adventurers of all levels!

Nights of the Dead summons goblins and ghoulies out of the shadows of Norrath. Those inclined to celebrate the holiday through crafting will find a new book of recipes full of new house items being sold by official event merchants. Those feeling more adventurous can trick-or-treat within Qeynos or Freeport or investigate the multiple haunted locations! But be wary of the strange illness that has been reported near the docks in Nektulos Forest, and of the headless guardsman that has been rumored to wander the paths of the forest, too!

New for 2010:

• Be sure to visit New Halas as they join in the celebration this year.
• Show your holiday spirit with the new “Nights of the Dead Devotee” quest and get the dish on its cool reward.
• New rewards for some of the returning Nights of the Dead events.
• Check out the new costume illusions, a new recipe book and new house items available from Nights of the Dead merchants.
• The Headless Horseman is back and tougher than ever, and he’s carrying some new loot in his pack.
• Wandering through Nektulos Forest might provide some spooky fun, too!

If you have been /feedbacking to the EQ2 team for years that you would be ready, willing, and eager to sell family members, limbs, or just pony up a few extra bucks to increase your house item limit, then I have some great news.

If, however, you hate StationCash and everything it stands for, and SOE will never get a penny of your money over the $14.99 (or less depending on your subscription plan), then I have some bad news.

But first, let’s look at some cool changes to housing in Game Update 58. 😉

Posted on the EQ2 Forums by Kaitheel:

The Heroes’ Festival has begun! A call has gone out to all Norrathian adventurers to commemorate the six years of questing, raiding, tradeskilling, house decorating and socializing. Celebrators, happy to share in the festivities, can be found in North and South Qeynos or West and North Freeport.

You may spot some odd things, due to the overlap of both the Nights of the Dead and Heros’ Festival running at the same time, right now. But keep in mind that this will not be the case when it goes live. Currently, the event is scheduled to run on live servers, 11/19/10 through 11/30/10.

If you have any feedback or bugs, please post it in this thread so that we will be sure to see it. Thank you!

No word yet on whether the player-submitted paintings (which were available last year for just 6 days) will be available again this year.

Game Update 58 is looking to be a massive update, not so much in content, but in changes large and small to the game, and its User Interface.

Game Update 58 includes:

• A level 90 dungeon – Zraxth’s Unseen Arcanum
• New bosses in the Vasty Deep dungeons with new loot
• Spell Animation and Sound Effect tweaks
• Click-to-Cure
• Mounts and Currency tabs
• Numerous UI tweaks
• Outdoor Balconies have been added to 6+ room houses, making them feel a part of the city they belong to.
• House item limits have been increased, and Moving Crates now count independently of house item limits.
• Additional house items have been added to Moonlight Enchantments, City Festivals, and of course Nights of the Dead
• The adventure Vitality XP bonus remains effective at level 90.
• Betrayal now suspends your access to spells and spell upgrades you are no longer permitted to use, but does not totally reset them. Should you betray back to your original class, your spells will be restored including any spell upgrades you have purchased or researched. Changing your alignment or citizenship without changing class no longer resets your spells.
• Numerous Tradeskill tweaks

We have been unable to confirm if we can expect:

• New loot for Marks of Manaar

Update: We’ve been able to confirm this feature of Game Update 58:

• A fix for the Call of the Veteran to reduce some of the problems, and better messages when it doesn’t work.

Our more detailed preview of Game Update 58 after the jump…

In recognition of the relative lack of in-game paintings available in EQ2 to decorate the ever-growing variety of housing, including the new Mistmoore Crag Estate, we are happy to see more contests that encourage players to create their own artwork or otherwise contribute content which becomes part of the world of Norrath.

For Oktoberfest, contest entries took the form of in-game screen shots of players celebrating and otherwise partaking of festivities in the taverns, bars, and pubs of Norrath. The winners of this contest should make for great decorations in your own celebration chambers.

Read More @ EverQuest2.com.

Niami Denmother over at EQ2 Traders has put together some excellent previews of some upcoming crafting updates.

Check out the Game Update 58 Crafting, Housing and Event Preview and the Nights of the Dead 2010 Crafting Preview.

Here are your update notes for 5 October 2010:

EVERQUEST 2 EXTENDED

• Bronze members will now be able to view chat channels (Silver or higher is still required to participate in chat).
• You can now purchase Gold memberships directly in game.

MARKETPLACE

• You can now buy extra character slots in the marketplace!
• You can now redeem station cash cards directly in game by going to: Marketplace – Add Funds – Station Cash Card.
• You can now add a credit card to your file directly in game by going to: Marketplace – Add Funds – Credit Card – Add New Card.
• Check the marketplace for “New” and “Hot” items!
• Marketplace items that are discounted from normal price will now show “SALE” on the icon in both the welcome window and the marketplace window.

PERAH’CELSIS’ ABOMINABLE LABORATORY

Homicidal Madness (the charm spell) no longer affects fighters.

I remember several years ago preparing to raid Deathtoll.

The first thing I did was ride a cloud up on Bonemire and jump off at just the right spot so I could land on the floating island containing Arbiter Selek. But before I could talk to him, I had to speak Draconic. That’s right, first I had to do the quest Speak as a Dragon that started with a raid and then sent me all over Norrath looking for items.

This just in from SmokeJumper on the official forums:

We’ve solved some technical issues recently and we can now offer character slots for sale. (Something previously unavailable.)

So as of October 5th (Tuesday), character slots will be available for purchase in the marketplace.

Here’s a couple quick facts to answer obvious questions:

1. Slots are permanent. You pay for them once and they stay on your account forever.
2. You can purchase any number of character slots. There is no limit. You want 20, 30 or even a bajillion character slots? Go for it.

Regarding Station Access subscriptions:

1. Character slots sold are *in addition to* any slots you are getting by being an SA subscriber. (Example: If you had 12 slots available as an SC subscriber and you purchase two more slots in the marketplace, you’ll now have 14 slots available.)
2. If you cancel your SA subscription, and then buy slots to replace the slots you were getting, your characters *will* still be present in those purchased slots (they won’t get deleted during the swapover).

Character slots will be available in the in-game marketplace for 1000 SC each.

This also applies to EQ2 Extended as well.