EverQuest II Desert of Flames Preview

E3 Preview 2005

When it comes to the world of EverQuest II, when the fans spoke about what they were looking for insofar as improving or changing the game, Sony Online Entertainment listened.

In past content updates, the game added mailboxes and mentor programs – among other things – but some of the biggest changes lay just ahead when SOE offers the expansion, EverQuest 2: Desert of Flames.

The expansion, slated for release in September 2005, was shown during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Lost Angeles, May 18-20.  

It has to be noted, right up front, that this will not play without having a full version of EverQuest 2 already installed.

That said, Desert of Flames will be adding some exciting new content to the world. First up is that PvP (Player-versus-Player) will be finally entering the world of Norrath (in EQII, at least) with arena combat. But the arena combat is not limited only to levels of a certain level (the level cap is going up to 60). Players of any level will be able to jump in and compete, if not as their avatar, then as an arena champion of a level that is appropriate for the players participating in the fight.

Players will be able to select the type of PvP they wish to participate in, and there will be a matching system in place.

Other features include:

• Players will now be able to escape from enemies or explore new areas by being able to climb up cliffs.

• Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in battle or expand your social circle with new voice emotes.

• Guild vaults: Share the loot of a hard won battle with the rest of your guild members.

• New land: Discover over a dozen new zones and epic encounters.

• Test your combat skills in battles with over 40 new fearsome creatures.

Players will be able to take over parts of the newly discovered city of Maj’Dul, and thus engage in ‘turf wars.’

Since the game launched in fall of 2004, about 1,600 quests have been added to the game. With Desert of Flames, half of the content will allow for solo questing or questing in smaller groups. There will be new items and new spells, but as the SOE tour guide pointed out, “not everyone (in Maj’Dul) plays by the rules, so expect the unexpected.”

Because of the high graphical quality of the game, expect no changes to the core look of the game, but players will find the new movement and some of the new monsters just as wondrous as when they first launched the game, or made it to the Thundering Stepped and encountered the centaur-like race, or the giants.

EQII continues to grow and improve and with the new expansion, Desert of Flames, the challenge only becomes all the richer.