Cronyn has jumped into the fray again with some further details about why the Isle of Refuge is being removed in GU56:

Heya folks.  I wanted to clear a couple of things up really fast, if I may.

As I said, we’re not abandoning Freeport and Qeynos themselves.  The existing content that is there will not be different with this change, and we are planning even more things for the cities going forward.  Players with citizenship currently in either city will retain it – we’re not removing housing, guild halls, the suburbs, or the quests that exist there.  They will continue to be hubs for live events, and we are still hoping to add even more reasons to have you visit the two major cities of our game.

For those who do not have citizenship in these cities, we’re making the path to changing citizenship much clearer.  If you want to change your citizenship from one of the starting cities to Freeport or Qeynos, you can speak with one of the <Change of Citizenship> NPC’s, who will offer information and get you started on your paperwork to switch over.  From there, you can use the new travel system to make your way to the city of your choice, then follow the steps to change your citizenship.  The newbie content within the cities themselves will remain, so you should still have access to that content, if you choose to use it.

Also, just to be clear, there is a lore reason for this as well.  The decision to turn off the islands is a functional one, to be sure, but it is also supported by storyline, which is something I am hoping to start giving out to you here soon.  There are NPC’s in place in both cities who should actually be handing out the first clues right now on Test, so if you’d like to start piecing together what is happening, you should be able to get started.

As far as removing content – yes, the Isle of Refuge are being disabled from character select.  However, we consistently add new content to the game, and will be continuing to do so – EverQuest 2 is a much larger game now than it has ever been, and we are looking forward to expanding and adding to the world even more.

This quest writeup is a historical document of the Isle of Refuge. This zone was repurposed/revamped in Game Update 19.

EQ2 Allakhazam Writeup for the Isle of Refuge boat sequence:

Step 1: Captain Varlos
You’ll appear on the ship next to Captain Varlos, double click on the Caption to initiate a conversation. Navigate through the initial conversation, and the Captain will gradually explain where you are, how you got there, and where you’re headed.

At the end of the conversation, Captain Varlos will ask you to go speak to his First Mate Waulon, who is located just to the NE of the captain at the back of the ship.

Step 2: First Mate Waulon
Waulon mentions to you he’s lost his hat, and you agree to find it. This task will teach you some of the simpler tasks in the game. Run S down the steps of the ship and head to the boxes on the wall at the other end of the ship. Search all three boxes by double clicking them, until a “loot dialogoue” pops up on your screen. You’ll see a hat. Click “Loot all”, and return to waulon with his hat. A dialogue box will pop up stating Waulon as rewarded you the “Mariner’s Charm”, click the accept button and the charm will now be in your inventory. Click “i” at anytime to view your inventory.

After returning Waulon’s hat he requests you speak to Ingrid….she is located just down the steps to the SW.

Step 3: Ingrid
Ingrid details an issue she’s having with the merchant Vim on the ship. She states she desires an artifact (a piece of the “moon) from Vim, and asks you to buy it for her. Problem is you have no money. No problem time to cash in that Mariner’s charm Waulon gave you back in step 2. Head to the S up the stairs to Vim.

Step 4: Vim
Double click Vim, and the standard EQ2 merchant dialogue will appear. At this point, click the sell tab, and double click your “mariner’s charm” to sell. You’ll receive 42 copper for the charm.

Now, click the buy tab. The Shard of Luclin is what Ingrid so desired, so buy it for her! At this point you’ll have 42 copper in your coffers, and the shard of luclin will set you back 36. So just double click, and it’s yours! At this point head back to Ingrid and present her with her gift.

Captain Varlos calls you back up to the deck.

Step 5: Back to Varlos

Once you run back up to Varlos, the Captain will ask you to clear the ship of the rat infestation which has set upon them. This is a chance to get a little combat practice.

Accept the task, and be sure to “accept” the splintered club the caption offers you in the dialogue box. Once you click accept hit the “i” button to open your inventory. Near the bottom of the inventory screen, double click the splintered club. This will equip the club as your main melee weapon.

Now head down to the lower portion of the ship and target some rats for battle! To target a rat, simply click on it or click the TAB button and cycle around the different rats on the ship. Once you have one targeted, it’s time to attack! You’ll notice the action bar on the lower portion of your screen. It consists of 13 buttons, and depending on the race you chose 5-8 of them will be filled with options.

However, for all races slot 2 will be equipped with the “melee attack” function. Once the rat is targeted, you can click this button with your mouse cursor, or simply click the number 2 on your keyboard. All buttons are bound to numbers 1-0, and the – and = keys on your keyboard. So now, target that rat and hit the number 2 on your keyboard.

After you’ve dropped the first rat, double click the carcass to harvest it. After double clicking, “loot” the rodent meat from the putrid animal and head off down the ship to take out the next rat! After killing and harvesting the second rat, head back up to Captain Varlos.

Step 6: Kill the Goblin

After completing the rodent quest, a dragon type creature will attack the ship and free the goblin that was caged next to merchant Vim. Head down and kill that goblin!

After dispatching the green menace, head back up to the Captain, he’ll congratulate you and send your on your way to the Island of Refuge!

It seems we’ll be parting with two islands by May’s end. And while we’ll still be able to catch  John Locke, Jack, Hurley, Sawyer, and Kate in syndication, the Qeynos and Freeport starting islands seem destined for a more permanent fate. We are providing continuing (hopefully not excessive) coverage of the impending removal of the EQ2 starting islands.

Links to Isle of Refuge

I have done some Internet Archive and Google searches to try to find Writeups and history of the original Isle of Refuge quests. Here’s what I found:

• LISTEN to the Isle of Refuge/Queen’s Colony/Outpost of the Overlord theme music
• Read an old EQ2 Zam writeup about Isle of Refuge (on the Boat)
• Read an old writeup about Crafting on the Isle of Refuge
• Read an old writeup about Garven Tralk and the Isle of Refuge (Fighters)
• Read an old writeup about Collection Quests on the Isle of Refuge
• Read an old writeup about Other Quests on the Isle of Refuge