Heart of Fear Live

From the SOE EQ forum:

Heart of Fear Launches Today!
We're excited to bring you the conclusion of stories you have been experiencing for the past three years with the Heart of Fear today!

Three years ago, new mysteries began with the House of Thule expansion. These mysteries have extended into the next two expansions, Veil of Alaris and Rain of Fear and the highest drama concludes within the Heart of Fear launch today. You can experience the final stories as you adventure deep within the Heart of Fear and discover the final questions focused around Cazic Thules remaining power.

Access to Heart of Fear
With your purchase of the Rain of Fear expansion, you recieve content released with the Rain of Fear in November 2012, the Shadow of Fear released in April 2013 and ultimately the Heart of Fear released today.

Enjoy your adventures in Norrath and thank you for checking out the Heart of Fear!

Patch Scheduled: July 16

From the SOE EQ forum:

All EverQuest Live Servers will be brought offline on Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 4:00 am US Pacific*. The servers are estimated to be unavailable for approximately 4 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

It is expected that Heart of Fear (Rain of Fear Tier 4) will be released with this patch.

Stone Tear Changes in July Patch

In a SOE EQ forum thread about the Stone Tear evolving item, Dzarn, EQ Developer, announces some changes to make things a little easier for those working on it, as well as an increased final item.

I found some time to work on the tear.

First the bad news. The evolving item system does not function if the item is an augment. The way the system is coded requires that an evolving item be in an equipment slot for it to work. So you have my apologies that that item is still eating your ammo / charm / face slot. [Note that once it fully evolves to level 20 you can change it to a Type 3 augmentation]

Next, the less bad news. I've again dropped the experience scale required to level the tear from 1-20, somewhat dramatically. Halfway through what used to be level 17 will now be level 20...

[He posts a chart displaying the changes]

Finally I've adjusted the relative experience given by the Fragments of Legendary Alaran history so running the task is an even more rewarding endeavor than it has been...

[He posts a chart displaying the changes]

Another change I've sneaked in. Alaran and Undead Alaran NPCs in Veil of Alaris and Rain of Fear non-raid zones that are at least level 90 now have a small percent (1% in VoA and 1.5% in RoF) chance of dropping a Fragment of Legendary Alaran History.

Finally I've added some additional stats to the tear as it progresses, which is mainly moot because only the defense skill mod will benefit you if the item is equipped in the ammo slot, but it adds an extra incentive to reach level 20 for the augment version of the item.

Double XP: July 4 to July 7

From the SOE EQ forum:

It’s a Double XP Weekend! Starting at 12:01 am on Thursday, July 4th you’ll enjoy earning twice the XP as you adventure in Norrath. But don’t miss out! This bonus will go away Sunday, July 7th at 11:59 pm PDT.

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!