EverQuest II expands again News

Sony Online Entertainment's announced a new expansion pack and a new adventure pack for EverQuest II, and if you think those are the same thing then you need to get the hell off my news item right the hell now.

Anyway, the new expansion's called Echoes of Faydwer, and will be the game's third proper expansion when it pitches up in mid November for around $40. It introduces the Fae as a playable race - they're an enchanted lot of winged creatures, from the arboreal city of Kelethin, which will be a new starting city. (Arboreal means they live in the trees, Mum.)

There'll be 350 new quests, a new selection of profession hats, cloaks, armour and new horse mounts for players of all levels, as well as more than 40 new types of creature and 20 new zones and adventure areas, PvP stuff, new items, equipment, spells and tradeskill recipes.

Not content with that, there'll be new player housing, levels for Guilds will go from 50 to 60, and the Achievement system chucked in by the Kingdom of Sky expansion will be expanded to include additional sub-class abilities.

Meanwhile, a bit nearer to now, SOE plans to launch The Fallen Dynasty adventure pack in June for around $8 (or free to folks with Station Access subscriptions of two months or longer).

Developed in conjunction with SOE's Taiwan studio, it "promises to deliver the same downloadable story-rich content seen in the previously released The Bloodline Chronicles and The Splitpaw Saga, but this time with Asian influenced adventure zones, weapons, tradeskill rewards, as well as all new quests".

In it, you'll visit a mysterious city full of secrets, once ruled by a powerful entity, guarded by an ancient order of monks called The Whistling Fist. Which surely was worth reading this far for alone.

"Echoes of Faydwer is a content-rich experience for both the seasoned EverQuest II player and the newbie alike, since the new content is accessible from the start. With The Fallen Dynasty, higher level veterans of EQII can explore a unique adventure and gain all-new weapons that they can bring into the rest of the game world," says Laura Naviaux of SOE, whose name makes her sound a bit like her own EQ expansion. Think of it Laura. EverQuest II: Lauras of Naviaux. Might be something to bring up next time the dev chaps are gathering by the water cooler.