EQ2: Altar of Malice, Nov 25

Nadia

the expansion releases 2 weeks earlier, Nov 11th for subscribers

 

expansion faq

http://eq2wire.com/2014/11/11/altar-of-malice-frequently-asked-questions/

 

 

seen at http://eq2wire.com/2014/08/15/press-embargo-drops-five-hours-prior-to-eq2-expansion-keynote/

These are the sites we’ve found so far (with expansion coverage)

• Massively
• ShackNews
• Destructoid
• GameZone
• EQ2 ZAM
• MMORPG

 the bullet points:

• Level 100 increase for Adventure, Tradeskill, and Guild levels.
• 14 Dungeons
• 6 Raids
• 6 Advanced Solo Zones
• 2 Contested Dungeons
• 2 Massive Overland zones created with the new unbelievable Layout Editor. I’ve heard that the new zones are so stunning that players will hardly believe they are running in the EQ2 engine.
  • Tranquil Sea: composed of the devastated Isle of Refuge, Deathweave Isle, and the Pygmie-and-dinosaur-inhabited Island of Dichen
  • Phantom Sea: composed of the haunted forest of Kithicor, the trading company’s home base Highhold, and Grimshales, an island made from a shard of Luclin
• 4 new Avatars

 

• Level-agnostic Dungeons for level 20-89 coming this fall (before the expac) with proprotional loot available for all participants. Now, time spent leveling up or grouping up with lower level characters won’t be perceived as “wasted” as you’ll be a better character at 95-100 for having played these lower level zones.
• Also in an update this fall, a Rare Heroic Loot merchant like we’ve seen in previous years. This allows those who have been incredibly unlucky on the RNG to buy desired rare heroic drops.

• Altar of Malice will take place in the Shabby Sea, a small body of water between Antonica and Faydwer.

• Altar of Malice brings with it a new playable race, the Aerakyn. They offer some extra aesthetic customization (custom horns, wings, scale pattern color) and their wings actually develop over time so when you hit level 85 and achieve flight, its on your own homegrown wings.

• Guild level goes to 100, with more amenities and upgraded “elite” guild halls.

• New Rabbit leaper mount with good and evil versions.

• Collection items (shinies) will now be sellable for Status. It sounds like the Status merchant is going to get loaded up with stuff as a way for players to spend status.

• All character spells and combat arts can be upgraded to Grandmaster. Some will upgrade to Ancient quality.

• We’re going to the home of the Far Seas Trading Company — Castle Highhold — and will find out why we’ve been blocked from going there for so long.

• This Fall, All Access members will get the ability to retrieve mail attachments and access the broker from anywhere in the world.

• EQ2 will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special heroes festival set to begin in November, with 10-year veterans getting a special Isle of Refuge prestige home, complete with a starter population pack.

 

Next Year!

• NEW PUBLIC QUESTS coming early 2015. I am totally pumped about this one!

• Fabled level 100 versions of Echoes of Faydwer dungeons will be released throughout 2015.

• Cross-server Dungeon Finder.

• Deity System revamp. Will include new level appropriate blessings and miracles. Also the ability to worship more than 1 diety.

Nadia

more info from panel

http://eq2wire.com/2014/08/15/soe-liveblog-everquest-ii-expansion-11-altar-of-malice/

syriinx

Pretty impressive looking expansion.  For a small team, EQ2 is rocking.  Probably one of the top 2 or 3 MMOs as far as content added per year.

I should be used to it by now, but its so silly to randomly put kithicor and temple of ssrawhatever in the same zone.  Still looking forward to both places though.  I really liked the Luclin races and creatures, just hated the aesthetics of a lot of the zones.

 

Also like how EQ2 gives both contested dungeons and instances.  I enjoy both styles of play.

Nadia

more info at eq2wire

http://eq2wire.com/2014/08/16/soe-liveblog-everquest-ii-systemsmechanics-panel/

Level Agnostic Dungeons

• Added to Dungeon Finder
• 20-89 can group together
• New itemization for all levels
• Classic zones
• No lockouts
• Zone out in cities
• 10 dungeons in the first wave

Altar of Malice

• Adventure, Tradeskill, Guild Levels increase to 100
• New Prestige abilities
• New TS Prestige
• New type of Critical Hits
• Continuing Choice-based Itemization
• More Stat Laytouts for Raid Armor
• New Poisons which are stat-scaling
• PvP it3emization changes
• New type of Armor Runes

Level Increase

• 25 new prestige points
• new prestige tab

----------------

Backend Systems Adjustments

• Spell Mitigation
  • Mobs over 103 will require increased amounts of resists. Like back in Sentinel’s Fate.
  • Might be able to succeed with more healers, but gear will be the best approach to survive.
  • Recommended values will be displayed via a rogue or predator ability.
  • Jewelry will increase resists noticably between qualities
  • Old style resist curve — not a hard limit
• Mitigation and Avoidance
  •  Protection on shields will provide avoidance based on the wearer’s level
  • Mitigation number cap increase so higher mitigation values can be used. Has to be balanced around all classes ie. brawlers
• New Critical System
  • Going forward, no more Critical Avoidance!
  • Scales beyond 4,000% Crit Chance
  • Three New Types of Critical Hits
• Subject to change, but:
  • Legendary – 25% increase
  • Fabled – 100% increase
  • Mythical – 200% increase
• Text is much larger, text has colored borders.
• You will not be able to get to 100% of any of these.

• Beastlord Adjustments
  • Evaluating damage vs utility
  • Master of Beasts will increase the damage of Beastlord abilities

• Itemization
  • Continuing ToV itemization. No item revamp.
  • Armor “Upgrade Gems”
  • Continuing Ethereal events
  • Armor and Accessory DChoices
  • Cyan Adorn slot for Weapons

 

Weisses

Awesome, I may fire EQ2 back up and give it another go! (If Landmark hasn't claimed my soul by then.)

aspekx

this next expansion is going to be pretty incredible, especially considering the size of the team left working on EQ2. im really looking forward to it.

 

if you haven't yet seen it, look at the graphics revamp for the new zones...for a moment i couldn't believe it was the same engine.

Warlyx

isle of refuge prestige home? sold!

the new zones & dungeons looks amazing :O , im more impressed by eq2 expansion than WoW lol

aspekx

here's a video of the new look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ckuvBy31Jh4

Nadia

Originally posted by aspekx

here's a video of the new look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ckuvBy31Jh4

thank you for link - looks great

elocke

This does look like a great expack and great reason to play EQ2 for awhile.  Started a gnome Illusionist this week and am having some fun, just need to find a guild now and decide on my craft.

Nadia

player beta ongoing

http://eq2wire.com/2014/10/14/altar-of-malice-beta-opens-to-all-incl-free-to-play-today/

Arcane4176

Played this awesome game for 6 years WHEN it WAS awesome quit after the cash shop completely destroyed it! You want any kind of decent looking gear or mounts your paying for it simple as that. Soe threw so many lies out there bout not adding it , then pay and free  servers went into effect and shortly after lied again and made everyone free2 play. No thanks ill pass cash shop utterly destroyed it. Cosmetic or not when it was b2p it kicked ass no longer.. Moving on. 

Nadia

saw this on forums

 

solo and advanced solo?

https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/index.php?threads/solo-and-advanced-solo.552620/#post-6119572

It means it should be doable by any toon alone. It stills allow to use a merc or a partner as some class may struggle more to finish them. [Solo] should be doable by toon with entry level gear, [Advanced Solo] are meant for toons with better gear.

..

I love Advanced Solos, they can actually be challenging until you finally get the upgrades from them. It feels like a heroic dungeon, except your by yourself with a merc, or duo with a friend. Can't do both, if you bring in a friend you have to get rid of merc.

..

in the new expansion the Solo dungeons are intended for a solo/molo/duo at level 95

while you have to be 98 to enter the Advanced Solo.

cheyane

Instead of going back to WoW am considering this for the great dungeons. I am also playing FFXIV ARR but would like another game. Is it hard to get into a raiding guild after I level up and get better gear and while levelling will it be a solo experience or will I get groups as a healer ? How isolated will I feel in this game. Is there a dungeon group finder thing or any other way to play with like minded individuals ?

 

Always loved Everquest 1 and 2 but I quit awhile ago and I want to go back again and level from scratch. It is looking fabulous and I always loved the housing in it . I miss it a lot. No other game comes close to it for housing.

Nadia

Originally posted by cheyane

 Is it hard to get into a raiding guild after I level up and get better gear and while levelling will it be a solo experience or will I get groups as a healer ?

How isolated will I feel in this game. Is there a dungeon group finder thing or any other way to play with like minded individuals ?

ive been playing EQ2 part time

I assume healers are still popular -- i know enchanters are at upper levels

 

5 level agnostic dungeons, supporting levels 20-89,  got added earlier this month but i havent tried them

http://eq2wire.com/2014/09/29/first-five-level-agnostic-dungeons-grandmaster-spells-coming-thursday-oct-2nd/

 

cheyane

Originally posted by Nadia

ive been playing EQ2 part time

I assume healers are still popular -- i know enchanters are at upper levels

 

5 level agnostic dungeons, supporting levels 20-89,  got added earlier this month but i havent tried them

http://eq2wire.com/2014/09/29/first-five-level-agnostic-dungeons-grandmaster-spells-coming-thursday-oct-2nd/

 

Hey thanks not sure if I can juggle this and FFXIV plus my knitting and other hobbies. I really hope I can . I wanted to do this before and I asked about it but I was ill I think I had to give up my grand plans. I remember you answering my questions before too and I just never got around to doing it so if I ask again in 6 months don't hold it against me as I honestly want to do this but damn it we have only 24 hours in a day .

 

It scares me all the content I would want to experience and do and I had like 6-8 crafters before and I guess my old account has them still plus a level 65 ranger. I also had other classes all peppered around and full of different tradeskills with two yes two carpenters in both Freeport side and Qeynos for the houses. Yup me the housing freak. I sincerely want to play just afraid that I might balk at the enormous time constraints.

Nadia

Originally posted by cheyane

if I ask again in 6 months don't hold it against me as I honestly want to do this but damn it we have only 24 hours in a day

whenever you find the time is good

 

buying the latest expansion (Altar of Malice) includes all expansions except AOD

 the only thing I recommend from AOD is the mercs feature  ( 1500 SC)

https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/index.php?threads/producers-letter-aod-expansion-membership-update.539793/

 

if you dont want to sub and rather be a free player,

SOE removed most restrictions  (gear restrictiions were removed last year)

 

the restictions a free player has is

- cannot research Grandmaster spells

- cannot move the AA slider   (its stuck at 50/50 )

- cannot sell on broker  (without paying a fee)

 

When AOM launches,  free players will have access to all content up to level 95  (Chains of Eternity)

Nadia

ZAM preview

http://eq2.zam.com/story.html?story=35255

Additional Information:

• Level 100 armor pieces can be upgraded multiple times to increase their power
• Legendary, Fabled and Mythical crits are being added and will be important to damage output
• Player mitigation and resistance changes have been modified so that increasing resists will now make a noticeable difference in how much damage is taken from spells
• Sets of adornments with "a lot of cool benefits" are being added. Each additional adornment in a set will give incremental benefits; gem set bonuses can also be mix and matched for more variety.

Nadia

Getting to the new lands

https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/index.php?threads/how-to-get-to-the-new-lands.553413/

Adventurers must start the sig quest to be able to quest in new zones.

Good-aligned start with: Rosalinda Goodfallow, outside the Mermaid's Lure, on the Qeynos Harbor dock.

Evil-aligned start with: Vimminy Crix, Next to the world bell, outside Seafarer's Roost on the Freeport dock.

 

expansion faq

http://eq2wire.com/2014/11/11/altar-of-malice-frequently-asked-questions/

Fangrim

Originally posted by Arcane4176
Played this awesome game for 6 years WHEN it WAS awesome quit after the cash shop completely destroyed it! You want any kind of decent looking gear or mounts your paying for it simple as that. Soe threw so many lies out there bout not adding it , then pay and free  servers went into effect and shortly after lied again and made everyone free2 play. No thanks ill pass cash shop utterly destroyed it. Cosmetic or not when it was b2p it kicked ass no longer.. Moving on. 

LOL! There are loads of quests for good looking gear and so so many ways to mix and match for a unique look.I have been playing EQ2 since January 2005 and it is so unique you know who a player is by their appearance alone. I have 42 mounts and not a single one of them is from the cash shop.

Since krono was introduced I have not spent a single penny on this game apart from ToV & Altar of Malice expacs and with each one (which I buy for in game plat off the broker) I get 500 sc to spend in the so called game breaking cash shop haha,I use this station cash to buy an extra character slot every 2 months but I suppose I could use it to buy these items you are crying over.

Basically all you said is a load of bullshit.

Nadia

patch notes,  Nov 13

http://eq2wire.com/2014/11/13/update-notes-thursday-november-13-2014/

https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/index.php?threads/update-notes-thursday-november-13-2014.553603/

GENERAL
Aerakyn Beastlords will be granted a Reptile Warder when logging in and during character creation.

Nadia

patch notes 11/19

https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/index.php?threads/update-notes-wednesday-november-19-2014.553965/#post-6135851

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
Altar of Malice
Experience for defeating NPCs in Altar of Malice Solo and Advanced Solo zones has been increased.


ITEMS
Expendable items can no longer be transmuted.
Refining common harvests can no longer return high quality slag.