Heart of Fear Beta Officially Opens

From EverQuest - Community News:

Well, that moment is now. We are opening up Beta today – Officially! If you have signed up for Beta with Rain of Fear and/or Shadow of Fear, you can get into the last saga of the Rain of Fear, the Heart of Fear.

The Heart of Fear is a story that started with the House of Thule Expansion in 2010. It continued with the Veil of Alaris in 2011 and has carried through the Rain of Fear expansion in November. We have subsequently delivered the final chapters of this plot in the Shadow of Fear Game Update in April and you discover the climactic ending within the Heart of Fear coming this July.

All Extended Target AAs to be Auto Granted in July

Elidroth, EQ Developer, posted on the SOE EQ forum:

Just a heads up.. I'm auto-granting these AA starting with the July game update. This is a UI feature and really doesn't belong locked behind gameplay.

No AA points will be refunded if you've already purchased these in the past.

Before anyone asks, we want to do the same with Leadership AA, but this is something out of my control, and will require code time to implement properly. It IS however, on our to-do list.

Beta Server for Rain of Fear Tier 4 Update Up, Unofficially

From the SOE EQ forum comes the news that the Beta Server is up, but not officially.  Those who were in the Beta for Rain of Fear / Shadow of Fear should be able to check it out.

The usual rules and cautions apply, nothing is set in stone yet.

The Beta forums will be up for those in the Beta, once SOE officially opens Beta.

Important Ssraeszhian Armor Bug Fix Coming In July

Posted by Elidroth, EQ Developer, on the SOE EQ forum:

As many of you know, the Hero's Forge Ssraeszhian Armor was mistakenly flagged as being usable by all classes for all armor types. While this is a situation we need to fix, at the same time we don't want to penalize those of you who have already acquired some of this armor. As a result, the following solution will go into effect with the release of the July game update:

All existing pieces of armor will be renamed, and will no longer drop from NPCs in Norrath. We will NOT be removing these from the world, and anyone who has these pieces now may keep them. A new set of identical looking, but correctly flagged armor will begin dropping in its place. Achievements will also be revised to point to the new replacement armor.

Double XP Weekend - May 24-27, 2013

From the SOE EQ forum:

It’s a Double XP Weekend! Starting Friday, May 24th you’ll enjoy earning twice the XP as you adventure in Norrath. But don’t miss out! This bonus will go away Monday, May 27th at 11:59 pm PDT.

Emergency Server Downtime: Friday, May 24, 2013

From the SOE EQ forum:

All EverQuest Servers will be brought offline on Friday, May 24, 2013 at 6:30 am US Pacific* to address a pressing issue. The servers are estimated to be unavailable for approximately 1.5 hours (90 minutes). We apologize for the inconvenience.

But good news! During this downtime, we will also activate the Memorial Day Weekend Double Experience Bonus a few hours early! Enjoy the boost throughout the long weekend.

Keep an eye on the EverQuest website and the forums for status updates and for news if additional downtime is needed.

*Time Zone Converter

Patch Scheduled Tuesday, May 14

From the SOE EQ forum:

All EverQuest Live Servers will be brought offline on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 5:00 am US Pacific*. The servers are estimated to be unavailable for approximately 3 hours. Keep an eye on the EverQuest website and the forums for status updates and for news if additional downtime is needed.

*Time Zone Converter

SOE Discusses Content Release Plans

In a SOE forum thread, Piestro, EQ Community Relations, discusses SOE's plans to release content:

We've changed the way we release content. For the last couple years we released an expansion with a big chunk of content. Then we waited another year and did it again. This created a system of content glut followed by content drought. It wasn't a bad system, but it didn't accomplish all our goals.

We've moved to Expansion + Game Updates. This was intentional, and is meant to address the issues that arose in the system above. Rain of Fear is the first time we've done this, but it's our plan from this point on*. This way we can continue to provide people with new things to do at different times of the year.

This is going to take a little work, before things run as smoothly as they did with the old model. We were used to the old model, you were used to the old model. Change can be a little difficult sometimes. Definitely give us your feedback on what you'd like to see.

*Normal caveat that this can change in the future, and 10 years from now you can't hold this post up as evidence that we've promised to do this forever and ever. If we find better solutions, we may change the way we release content again, and again, and again.

Patch Scheduled Wednesday April 24, 2013

From the SOE forum:

All EverQuest Live Servers will be brought offline on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 5:00 am US Pacific*. The servers are estimated to be unavailable for approximately 3 hours. Keep an eye on the EverQuest website and the forums for status updates and for news if additional downtime is needed.

*Time Zone Converter

Patch Scheduled April 17, 2013

From the SOE forum:

All EverQuest Live Servers will be brought offline on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 3:00 am US Pacific* for the Shadow of Fear Game Update. The servers are estimated to be unavailable for approximately 5 hours. Keep an eye on the EverQuest website and the forums for status updates and for news if additional downtime is needed.

*Time Zone Converter

EverQuest Forum Downtime: Thursday, April 11, 2013

From the SOE EQ Forum:

We will be doing some work on the EverQuest forums on Thursday, April 11, 2013. The forums will be inaccessible from 12:00 pm (Noon) to 4:00 pm PDT*. We apologize for the inconvenience, and look forward to chatting with you again once the forums are back up and running!

During the forum downtime, you can find news and updates on our website, Facebook, and Twitter.

*Convert to local time

Double Station Cash - March 29 to March 31

From the SOE forum:

Starting tomorrow, get Double Station Cash between March 29th-31st when you buy Station Cash or redeem an SOE Pre-Paid Station Cash card.*

Stock up on Pre-Paid Station Cash cards now to take advantage of this special offer!
Be on the lookout for special deals on the Marketplace, too!

*Offer valid from 12:01 AM PDT March 29, 2013 to 11:59PM PDT March 31, 2013. Double Station Cash offer excludes purchases made via SMS.

Game Patch Wednesday, March 27, 2013

From EQ Community News:

Server Downtime – Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Posted On 03/26/2013

All EverQuest Live Servers will be brought offline on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 6:00 am US Pacific* for a Game Update. The servers are estimated to be unavailable for approximately 2 hours. Keep an eye on the EverQuest website and the forums for status updates and for news if additional downtime is needed.

*Time Zone Converter

Shadow of Fear Beta Signups Open

From the SOE EQ forum:

If you did not participate in the Rain of Fear Beta but you would like to help us test the Shadow of Fear Game Update, please sign up for Beta using this link: https://account.station.sony.com/authenticated/beta/betaRegistration.action?betaId=17&theme=eq

Once you sign up, we'll try and get your account flagged as quickly as possible.

Thank you and see you in game!

Shadow of Fear Beta Opens

The Shadow of Fear Beta has begun.  Also, Piestro confirms that the name is "Shadow" of Fear and not "Shadows" of Fear.

Hey folks,

The EverQuest Game Update: Shadow of Fear Beta is now live! Currently everyone flagged for the Rain of Fear Beta has been allowed access to the Shadow of Fear Beta and Beta Forums. We will be opening up signups for the Beta for those who are interested sometime in the fairly near future.

This Beta is different in several ways from our recent Betas, so I wanted to call these changes out specifically.

• Universal Chat is still active
• There is no NDA on the Shadow of Fear Beta

While there is no NDA for the Beta, we do ask that you still limit discussion of Beta to the Beta forums. Our developers are going to be very active in reading feedback in those forums specifically; if you post feedback elsewhere, it will be missed. Similarly, discussing Beta contents with people who aren’t in Beta isn’t very productive. If you want to discuss Beta, it’s much better to get involved in the Beta yourself. Once our signups are open we will be very quick in handing out invites, so don’t worry!

For those of you who need to download the Beta Client, it is available here. Old Man Thorren in the Plane of Knowledge is happy to help you journey to the new zones.

Thanks, and I’ll be seeing a lot of you in Beta!

Piestro
Community Relations Manager - EverQuest

Special 14th Anniversary Stuff Beginning Now

From the EQ forum:

• From March 8, 2013 to March 17, 2013 Rare Mobs and Faction Gains/Losses will be dramatically increased. Grind faction and get loot!
• Starting March 11, 2013 and going till March 17, 2013 Lockout Timers will be reduced by 30%. Do more of what you want, when you want!
• From March 15, 2013 through March 17, 2013 it’s Double XP time! Whether it’s getting your main some levels or AA, or leveling up a new alt, everyone loves Double XP!
• Starting on March 13, 2013 and lasting until April 26, 2013, all our previous Anniversary Quests and content will be turned on. Don't miss any of these oldies but goodies!
• Starting on March 13, 2013 and lasting until May 26, 2013, all our new Anniversary Quests and content will be turned on. This party isn’t just going all night – it’s going for two months!

Virtual Blood Drive in Celebration of Wars Sheol

From EQ Resource:

In Everquest and Everquest II he played a dark elf warrior named Wars Sheol, but in real life he battled cancer his whole life.

Wars was born with Xeroderma PigmentosumPigmentosum (XP)(Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) http://www.xps.org/), a rare form of skin cancer. Later, he was also diagnosed with Accute Myelogenous Leukemia (http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/hematology-oncology/acute-myelogenous-leukemia).

He beat the odds and lived longer than the world of medicine expected. As a child he participated in a research project that has helped children born with cancer have better lives. He fought hard against the diseases that stalked him. But Wars' fight ended on 2/9/2013.

His in game greeting was always "WARS!!" He was willing to help other players do a raid, camp a mob, get experience points, or farm for trade skill ingredients. His home in EQ was a castle and was featured in the Norrathian Home Show.

He did not just play EQ and EQII - he was involved in making the game better; volunteering to serve on the Community Round Table and he helped beta test several expansions. At a Fan Fair, he was part of a group that suggested explaining Fippy Darkpaw's suicidal run.

Always soft spoken but outgoing, he met everyone as a friend. He also loved pictures - he really enjoyed posing with the Firiona Vie models and all of his friends.

When the doctors told him that he only had weeks to live, in typical Wars fashion, he looked for a way to reach out and help others. Having had a lifetime of transfusions, he knew that a pint of blood could make life better. In lieu of flowers, he asked his friends and family to donate blood at the American Red Cross. Those of us who are his friends are calling on the gaming community to join the drive.

If giving at the American Red Cross, please ask the American Red Cross for a card and write that you are giving for "EQ-WARS!". Those cards will be directed to his family. If you prefer to donate directly to a local community blood bank or cancer center, that is good too. No matter the venue, if you donate blood in Wars' honor, please send an email to eqwarsblooddrive@gmail.com with the state in which you donated. His family will be kept informed about the number donations reported to the email address.

Feel free to spread the word about this virtual blood drive to your guild and any gamer friends. Let's make the expression "going viral" mean something good!

In game he chose to be warrior; in real life he showed grace, courage and nobility while facing a really big boss mob. Whether you personally played with Wars, met him at a Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) gathering, or just want to help, please consider donating blood to help us build a positive living legacy in honor and celebration of a gentle giant who called himself WARS!!

Thank you,
Adisson - EQ, Xegony Crystilla, EQ, Erollisi Marr
Cleranee EQ Xegony Dulcolax, EQ, Xegony
Guilian Rumrunner, EQ, Xegony In Via Damnum Guild, EQ Xegony
Jmorgana EQ Xegony Jethal Silverwing, EQ II
Kalbit EQ Xegony Larksong, EQ, Xegony
Maddoctor EQ Xegony Majandra, EQ, Xegony
Moltok, EQ, Xegony Mrizx, EQ, Xegony
Muffinstalker, EQ, Xegony Raeril, EQ, Xegony
Senwars, EQ, Xegony Teodor Aurora, EQ, Xegony
Tekilla, EQ, Xegony Wolana Phoenixfyre, Xegony
Xensothertoon on Xegony Zanzemara Aurora, EQ, Xegony
Zoraab, EQ, Xegony

14th Anniversary and Shadows of Fear Announced

SOE has announced plans for the 14th Anniversary celebration and for part two of RoF: "Shadows of Fear".

The 14th Anniversary will begin March 16 and will bring back all the old anniversary quests and have new ones.  Included will be some 2012 SOE Live player created quests.

Also, the Epic Weapon Ornamentation quests will finally go live for the anniversary.  If you have an epic weapon, you can do quests to get an ornamentation to make your current weapon look like your epic.

We knew that there were pieces missing from Rain of Fear.  Well, they are scheduled to arrive in April and are entitled "Shadows of Fear".  It will be free for all those who purchased Rain of Fear.

Read more about this and other news in the forum post by EQ Producer Thom Terrazas.

Signs of More RoF Content To Come...

In a thread on the SOE forum, player Axxius goes over the signs that more Rain of Fear content (tiers 3 and maybe 4) are on the way:

The facts:

1. RoF was released Nov 28. There were 3 portals in SL with nothing but the base, and the NPCs at them saying that they were building them. The big shard in the middle was askew and not really big.
2. Exactly 30 days later, on Dec 28, the 3 portals became 1/3 built, the NPCs near them started giving hints about their destinations, the big shard became bigger and vertical, and a new NPC appeared near it talking about the Heart of Fear.
3. Exactly 30 days later, on Jan 27, the 3 portals became 2/3 built and gained emotes for trying to enter them, the big shard became even bigger and also gained an emote for clicking on its supports.
4. Feb 26 is 30 days after Jan 27. (what? it IS a fact! )
5. In the podcast after the release of RoF SOE producer mentioned that there will be additional content releases between the expansions.
6. RoF T2 contents ends in a mystery: an entity named Lupex steals the fear shard that was used by King Xorbb and disappears. The lore text suggests that we will soon meet Lupex again. King Xorbb doesn't have any of the endboss attributes, that whole ordeal was just a story of 2 halfings getting into something much bigger than they intended. The main storyline of the expansion (assembling the crystallized essence of Fear to bring back Cazic-Thule) remains unresolved.
7. The main artwork for RoF depicts Terris Thule, Morell Thule, Brell and Tunare fighting against an army of what appears to be Alarans in a place that looks similar to Plane of Fear. None of the content of the T1 or T2 zones relates to that in any way. None of those 4 gods appear in T1 or T2.
8. Multiple SOE devs mentioned on twitter/facebook that they are working on new zones. When asked about letting players test it, the answer was 'we'll consider it'.
9. EQ client supports 5 new zones that are not patched in yet (1 of them was patched to Beta near the end of RoF beta testing): Chelsith Reborn, Plane of Shadow, Plane of Mischief (new), The Heart of Fear, and Burned Woods. The first 4 of them are perfect match for the destinations suggested by the NPCs at the incomplete portals and the big shard.
10. Shard's Landing uses Terris Thule, Shissar Emperor and some other models that currently do not spawn there.
11. New focuses higher than T2 and new spells with names and descriptions suggesting new boss fights have been added in the last patch.

The speculation:

1. New content is most definitely coming.
2. There will be tier(s) higher than T2.
3. Portals to at least 3 new zones should open on Feb 26.

SOE declined to comment at this time.  They often don't like to announce things until they are "ready".

I do consider it highly unlikely the new zones will open on February 26. I expect it to be March at the very earliest and more likely May (March and April are usually busy with anniversary stuff).

Berserker Usable RoF 2Handers To Get Boost

From Chandrok, EQ Developer, on the SOE forum:

All 2h weapons that are usable by berserkers will be retuned to the correct ratios for their tiers. Obviously T2 weapons will be better than tier 1. Here's a list of the weapons that are changing. Although some of these are slower than a berserker would want to use, these will all be adjusted up.

Meljeldin, Bane of Giants
The Frozen's Grudge
Kreztik's Blistering Judgment
Strength of Valor
Dragoncold Lance
Shadeblade
Frosthewn Greathammer
Unspoken Deliverance
Draining Ire of the Glen Liege
Weight of Duty
Enkindling Pike