EverQuest expansions

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Cover art for the first EverQuest expansion pack, The Ruins of Kunark. Everquest Ruins of Kunark.png
Cover art for the first EverQuest expansion pack, The Ruins of Kunark.

Thirty full expansions for the MMORPG EverQuest have been released. Initially, expansions were shipped in boxes to stores, but were later put for sale on digital marketplaces. The retail versions often come packaged with a bonus feature such as a creature that the player can put in their in-game house.

Contents

Expansion packs

The Ruins of Kunark

EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment (Verant Interactive)
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseApril 14, 2000 [1]

The first expansion pack for EverQuest was The Ruins of Kunark , released on April 24, 2000. It introduced the continent of Kunark to the game, which had been previously unexplored. The storyline of the discovery of Kunark was established through in-game events and fiction published on the web by Verant Interactive.

In the United States, The Ruins of Kunark sold 92,172 units between February 2001 through the first week of November. Desslock of GameSpot reported that the game and The Scars of Velious "sold well early in the year, but sales evaporated during the course of the summer, especially after the release of Camelot ". [2]

During the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded The Ruins of Kunark with the "Massive Multiplayer/Persistent World" award, and received nominations for "PC Game of the Year" and "Game of the Year". [3]

The Scars of Velious

EverQuest: The Scars of Velious

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment (Verant Interactive)
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseDecember 5, 2000

The Scars of Velious was released on December 5, 2000. The expansion is directed toward characters which have achieved high experience levels (levels 35 and up), [4] providing additional powerful monsters to fight and a number of zones meant to be used by large groups of players.

The expansion takes place on the antarctic continent of Velious. The title refers to three chasms in Velious which are said to be the claw-marks of the great dragon Veeshan. One of these claw-marks is in a region known as The Great Divide, where the Coldain have established their home in the mountainside. The expansion introduced both Frost giants and Coldain dwarves to the EverQuest universe, and a group of dragons known as the Claws of Veeshan. Players could ally their characters with any of the three factions, and fight against the others to gain rewards exclusive to their chosen faction.

The expansion is also notable for introducing the Sleeper's Tomb zone, which could unlock with a key from a quest, and vanquish the four dragons that guarded a creature known as The Sleeper. The completion of this zone by the first few players led to the first world changing event, where The Sleeper would awaken and rampage his way through Norrath. Scars of Velious also reintroduced Ethereal Planes such as the Plane of Growth, home of Tunare (goddess of nature) and the Plane of Mischief. Those planes, just like the original Planes (Hate, Fear and Sky) required players to have reached the level of 46 in order to enter. Plane of Growth also reintroduced the notion of Planar armor, providing a full set for most classes except druids, paladins, and rangers who went into a new second floor of the Plane of Hate.

In the United States, The Scars of Velious sold 66,496 units from February 2001 through the first week of November.

The Scars of Velious holds a 85% rating on GameRankings. [5]

The Shadows of Luclin

EverQuest: The Shadows of Luclin

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseDecember 4, 2001

The third expansion pack, The Shadows of Luclin, was released on December 4, 2001, a year after the second. The expansion focuses on high-level content; it provides a number of zones meant to be used by large groups of players and a number of extremely powerful monsters to fight.

The expansion takes place on a moon of Norrath called Luclin and introduces the Vah Shir, a playable catlike race, and the Beastlord character class. Notable NPC races that were added to the EverQuest universe are the Shissar, a snake-like race, and the Akhevans. The Shadows of Luclin also incorporates a new game engine, new character models and gives players the ability to design graphic user interfaces. The appearance of the player's character was completely redesigned, giving them more layers and rounder shapes. Mounts were also introduced with this expansion – they allow players to regenerate their Health and Mana without generating as much aggro (hatred from monsters). Alternate Advancement started with the Luclin expansion which allows players to further grow and customize their classes.

The game includes many zones in which players of all levels can experience, several raid encounters such as the Lord Inquisitor Seru, and a high-end raiding zone, Vex Thal. SoL also introduced some new events that made some encounters more challenging than before, especially in the Ssraeshza Temple zone.

The Shissars (serpent-like creatures) were extremely powerful beings who once roamed the continent of Kunark where they had enslaved the Iksars. Rile, an Iksar hero, started a revolution and called upon a mystical force referred to as the Greenmist, who then killed the Shissars. Fleeing Norrath because the atmosphere became toxic, the surviving Shissars were helped by the Combine Empire and were sent to Luclin and the underwater sanctuary introduced years later with "The Buried Sea".

On Luclin, the Shissars built the temple of Ssraeshza - home of the powerful Emperor Ssraeshza (powerful enough to slay gods according to game lore). To protect themselves from the Greenmist, the Shissars magically sealed the Grey, a place where no atmosphere exists, and built their temple. Ssraeshza Temple (also known as Ssra) is part of the access to the high-end zone of Vex Thal. Defeating the Emperor required completion of a key "quest" inside the zone, requiring the player(s) to track down, kill, and collect many other items, as well as collecting special weapons which did special damage to the emperor; The Emperor is immune to regular weapons, making the special weapons necessary for his death. Such weapons were introduced with SoL and are referred to as Bane Weapons. Later on, a Shadow Knight only quested weapon was introduced in Cabilis and called the Greenmist (Sacred Khukri of Rile), the most powerful Shissar-bane weapon.

In the United States, The Shadows of Luclin sold 360,000 copies ($9.9 million) by August 2006, after its release in December 2001. It was the country's 46th best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all EverQuest computer games released between January 2000 and August 2006 had reached 2.7 million units in the United States by the latter date. [6]

The Shadows of Luclin holds a 86% rating on GameRankings. [7]

The Planes of Power

EverQuest: The Planes of Power

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseOctober 29, 2002

The fourth expansion, The Planes of Power, was released on October 29, 2002. The expansion comprises an assortment of otherworldly planes that do not exist in a planetary sense within the EverQuest universe.

The expansion added content to the game aimed specifically toward the high-end player. In addition to adding new zones to the game, the expansion also introduced a network of portal points through the game realm. Players could use them to quickly travel to and from various regions through a central plane, known as Plane of Knowledge.

The primary goal, or end-quest, of The Planes of Power is access to the Plane of Time. Access to this plane can only be obtained through vanquishing the four elemental deities or avatars of such: Fennin Ro, The Rathe Council, Coirnav and Xegony. To gain access to all of the zones of the expansion and successfully enter the Plane of Time, the players needed to complete 28 flag events of all sorts, involving the death of planar deities and deific creatures. These encounters can only be completed with the organized effort of up to 72 players working together simultaneously.

In order to enter the expansion's basic zones, a player had to reach the former set planar level of 46. From there, one had to complete tasks to gain access to the more advanced zones. It was later changed so that once the character reached level 55, they gained access to two more zones which are the Plane of Valor and the Plane of Storms. At 62 the Bastion of Thunder then became available. Those level limits can be bypassed by completing the progression of the expansion, allowing for example to be level 46 while adventuring in the Bastion of Thunder. The maximum level was increased from 60 to 65 with this expansion and new Particle Weapons were added, when before only epic weapons had such visual effects.

The Planes of Power holds a 83% rating on GameRankings. [8]

The Planes of Power was a nominee for PC Gamer US 's "2002 Best Expansion Pack" award, which ultimately went to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder and Desert Siege (tie). [9]

The Legacy of Ykesha

EverQuest: The Legacy of Ykesha

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseFebruary 25, 2003

The Legacy of Ykesha was released 5 months after the fourth expansion, the shortest gap yet at the time. Promoted by Sony Online as EverQuest's "first download-only extension", it was the first EverQuest content expansion available almost exclusively from Sony Online's direct purchase and download service. Due to overwhelming demand, a limited number of CDs were made available to retailers after the product release date. Ykesha was released in February 2003 and was considered a minor content addition at the time. Over time, Ykesha's "extension" designation was lost, and the product is now referred to as a full-fledged EverQuest expansion.

The Legacy of Ykesha introduced the froglok (the frog-like humanoid race present since the original EverQuest was released) as a playable race. To do this, Sony Online Entertainment introduced a storyline whereby the frogloks invaded the Troll city of Grobb and reclaimed and renamed it Gukta. The trolls were sent fleeing to the city of Neriak. Another part of the storyline introduced the Broken Skull Clan of the trolls, which had a rivalry with the Grobb trolls, and live on the island of Broken Skull Rock just off the south coast of Antonica. This is where the new zones of the expansion are located.

Other enhancements of the expansion included dyeable armor, an increase in the number of bank slots available for characters, a new guild management system, a new armor slot called 'Charms', and a new overhead mapping system which allowed players to customize maps. The zones were intended for mid-level adventurers between levels 36-60 and were generally received as very uninspired and added little to the lore of Norrath, but the guild management, extra bank slots, trading between characters utility and mapping tools are considered vital, and dyeing of armor is very popular.

Computer Gaming World's Jeff Green gave the expansion a rating of 2½ out of 5 and was critical that the expansion did not add new ideas, other than the ability to play as froglok. [10]

Lost Dungeons of Norrath

EverQuest: Lost Dungeons of Norrath

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Release
  • NA: September 9, 2003
  • EU: September 12, 2003

Lost Dungeons of Norrath was the sixth expansion, released on September 9, 2003. It was made available as a digital download that month, but purchasers of the retail box version were rewarded with an in-game item (a magic bag), starting Sony's trend to include in-game items as incentive to purchase retail copies of their expansions.

Lost Dungeons of Norrath introduced broad-based instanced dungeons to Norrath, revolving around tales of the Wayfarers - an NPC adventuring organization. Players complete adventures for the Wayfarers in one of five different dungeon themes. Each dungeon theme has about ten different variations of the zone, and players can also choose the type and difficulty of their adventure. When the adventure is finished successfully, players are awarded Adventure Points which can be spent on items, spells, and 'augments' at the Wayfarer camps.

Augments were introduced in Lost Dungeons of Norrath and allow players to enhance existing items by adding an augment to them. Existing items in the game had generally only a single augment slot, so only one augment could be added. Items purchased at the Wayfarer camps occasionally had up to three slots available to augment. In addition to group adventuring, the Wayfarer camps also offered raid content, in which multiple groups could challenge difficult high-end content.

Lost Dungeons of Norrath holds a 82% rating on GameRankings. [11] During the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Lost Dungeons of Norrath for "Massively Mutliplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year". [12]

Gates of Discord

EverQuest: Gates of Discord

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseFebruary 10, 2004

Gates of Discord was released as the seventh expansion on February 10, 2004. The expansion focused on high-level content, providing a number of zones meant to be used by large groups of players and many extremely powerful monsters to fight. The introduction of this expansion in early 2004 was beset by numerous serious quality issues. John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has described the release of this expansion as "SOE's worst mistake in five years". [13]

The GoD expansion takes place on the continent of Taelosia and expands upon the storyline introduced in Lost Dungeons of Norrath . In GoD, the Wayfarers Brotherhood discovers a new continent across the seas from Odus, and the known areas of Norrath. The wayfarers set up a base in the new lands of Taelosia, and provide the transportation system that allows players to teleport to the new continent quickly. As players explore the storyline, they find that the former inhabitants of Taelosia have practically disappeared, and evil creatures are roaming abroad. Players are challenged by the Wayfarer Brotherhood to find out who or what is behind this new evil that now inhabits Taelosia.

The expansion features 20 new NPC models and 18 new zones. There are 10 single-group instanced trials, 8 uninstanced exp zones, and 9 raid zones/instances. All of the zones in GoD are designed for higher level (50+) characters, and many of the raid zones require level 65 before they can zone in.

In GoD, the Berserker character class is also introduced. Berserkers are a melee class that use 2-handed weapons along with special class abilities to double attack and intimidate their opponents, as well as going into attack frenzies. Also included was an updated tradeskill interface with numerous new recipes. Tradeskill combine containers have been upgraded to include recipe lists (which can be searched, by resulting item name or tradeskill difficulty range). The new interface also allow players to combine items without opening up inventory bags to find the components. This allows players to easily make several tradeskill combines in a short amount of time. The new tradeskill containers are available to all players, but items for the new recipes can only be found in GoD zones.

GoD introduced the tribute system, an alternate money sink the developers created to take cash out of the game system. Scattered throughout the home cities of all character races are Tribute Masters who act as vendors. Players can donate items or coin to the Tribute Masters and earn "tribute points", which can be used to increase stats, increase resists, increase HP / mana pools or regen, or gain spell-like focus effects (water breathing, increased damage foci, improved healing foci, etc.). The abilities gained through Tribute Points are all on a timer; once activated points get deducted at a certain rate depending on what tribute effects were selected. A later expansion introduced guild Tribute points, which stack with personal Tribute Points.

Leadership Alternate Abilities (LAA) are also a new feature introduced in GoD. Similar to normal AA, Leadership AA is an Opt-In system. Once opted in, 20% of the group leaders XP will go to Leadership abilities that will enhance play when they are the leader of a group or raid. Leadership abilities include neat features like increased mana, increased hit points, increased HP regeneration, increased ATK, special targeting circles to help the group target the correct mob, marking a path to lost players, etc. In February 2014 a change was made which removed the need to earn Leadership Alternate Abilities and instead automatically granting them. [14]

Gates of Discord holds a 76% rating on GameRankings. [15]

Omens of War

EverQuest: Omens of War

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseSeptember 14, 2004

Omens of War was released as the eighth expansion on September 14, 2004, continuing the September–February release data cycle. The expansion focused on high-level content and introduced new folklore to the EverQuest universe.

This expansion:

The expansion's final zone, Citadel of Anguish, gained particular notoriety among players who raided in the game as a result of the Overlord Mata Muram encounter. Widely considered the most difficult raid boss relative to its time in any MMO, the encounter had a unique mechanic which would target a random member of the entire raid and require a specific action take place within a few seconds of the emote or else the raid would be completely wiped out. While the mechanic is now commonplace today, during its time the boss was widely considered "impossible" to beat until Cestus Dei on the Veeshan server conquered it on March 23, 2005.

Omens of War holds a 84% rating on GameRankings. [16]

Dragons of Norrath

EverQuest: Dragons of Norrath

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseFebruary 15, 2005

The ninth expansion, Dragons of Norrath, was released on February 15, 2005. It includes mostly missions given out by an NPC that are completed by a group of players, in instanced zones. It includes a revamp of the Lavastorm zone where the missions are acquired, and an uninstanced zone called The Broodlands where the instanced zones can be accessed. The content revolves around dragons and related monsters. When completing the missions, players receive crystals that can be exchanged at merchants for items.

This expansion also innovates on previous ones. For example, the instanced zones are also available in uninstanced versions, allowing people to explore them and gain experience by simply killing monsters without going into missions. It also has 4 major raid targets, and some smaller scale raids, including Vishimtar, a very powerful dragon.

The content in Dragons of Norrath is suitable for characters of level 45 and up.

Dragons of Norrath holds a 81% rating on GameRankings. [17]

Depths of Darkhollow

EverQuest: Depths of Darkhallow

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseSeptember 13, 2005

The tenth expansion, Depths of Darkhollow, was released on September 13, 2005. It features monster missions, spirit shrouds, evolving items, new missions, new creatures, new zones, new items and more. While certain aspects of this expansion can be enjoyed by characters of all levels, the new zones and missions are intended primarily for characters of level 45 and higher.

Depths of Darkhollow holds a 73% rating on GameRankings. [18]

Prophecy of Ro

EverQuest: Prophecy of Ro

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseFebruary 21, 2006

Prophecy of Ro was released on February 21, 2006, and introduced new content, zones, monsters, revamps, and features. The action occurs in several new zones, including the Plane of Rage, home of Sullon Zek, the Plane of Magic, home of Druzzil, and the lost city of Takish-Hiz. The zones for the city of Freeport and the Desert of Ro were also revamped. According to the press release, new features included:

This expansion is intended for characters of level 50 and higher.

PC Gamer's Mark Crump gave the expansion a rating of 65% and said that a "twice-a year-pace of adding zones that are swiftly obsolete isn't helping the game out" and that SOE should have focused on current, lesser-used areas instead of creating tomorrow's forgotten ones. [19]

The Serpent's Spine

EverQuest: Serpent's Spine

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseSeptember 19, 2006

The Serpent's Spine was released as the twelfth expansion on September 19, 2006. New features include new zones, a new player race known as the "Drakkin", an attainable player level of 75, as well as new spells and alternate advancements.

The expansion was added with the aims of making soloing (playing EverQuest alone rather than as part of a larger group) a more viable option. This was done through the addition of a new town, home of the newly added Drakkin race, which provides various tasks for all levels of game play to gain experience, gear, and money. The advertisements for The Serpent's Spine stated that one could go from level one to level 75 without a group or exploring any of the previously existing locations in the game simply through completion of these newly added tasks.

The Serpent's Spine expansion also added the rest feature, allowing players who have been out of combat for a short period of time to regenerate mana and health at a drastically increased rate. This effect was added to aid those soloing, as well as to solve complaints about down time or time spent meditating to regenerate lost mana. While generally well received by the EverQuest community, there have been complaints about the new rest effect causing class balancing issues. This is because some classes can expend their mana rapidly to cause large amounts of damage only to regenerate it with the new rest effect in the time it takes for their group to kill a single monster, thus increasing the total damage done in a group compared to the previous method of conserving mana to ensure a steady supply. This means that classes that are unable to use this method are relatively weaker.

The Buried Sea

EverQuest: The Buried Sea

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseFebruary 13, 2007

The Buried Sea, the 13th expansion pack, was released on February 13, 2007. It features over 60 new raids and group missions and allows characters to raid pirate vessels. The content is intended for characters of level 55 and higher.

Players may design and display a guild emblem and upgrade the banner to gain special abilities for guild members, including the ability to plant it on a battlefield where guild members can teleport directly to it. Fellowships allow a common chat channel, the ability to create a campfire that can help in adventures, and a token that will allow quick travel to other fellowship members.

Players may gain access to a new inventory slot that can be fitted with a customizable Energeian power source and armor that can tap into the power source.

Secrets of Faydwer

EverQuest: Secrets of Faydwer

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseNovember 13, 2007

Secrets of Faydwer is the 14th expansion, released on November 13, 2007, ending the September–February release cycle of previous expansions. The letter by the current EverQuest producer, Clint Worley, revealed that the production cycle of the game was going to be altered to allow for one expansion release every year. Previously, two expansions had been produced annually. [20]

Within the fictional storyline of the game, the evil gnomish necromancer, Meldrath the Malignant, takes his Fortress Mechanotus to the skies on a mission of destruction exposing a network of mineshafts and tunnels that lead across the Steamfont Mountains to the unexplored lands of Faydwer.

A new encounters include steamwork machines and the prismatic dragon, Kerafyrm.

Features: [21]

Seeds of Destruction

EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseOctober 21, 2008

Seeds of Destruction, the 15th expansion, was released on October 21, 2008. Within the fictional storyline of the game, Zebuxoruk, an insane fallen god, is the only person who can aid players in preventing the destruction of Norrath by stopping the evil forces of Discord and repairing the damage done to The Void.

Features:

Underfoot

EverQuest: Underfoot

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseDecember 15, 2009

Underfoot was released on December 15, 2009, as the sixteenth expansion pack. Within the fictional storyline of the game, the afterlife world of Brell's Rest, where worthy worshipers of the god Brell go after leaving Norrath, erupts with conflict between the gnolls and the kobolds.

Features:

House of Thule

EverQuest: House of Thule

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseOctober 12, 2010

The seventeenth expansion pack, House of Thule, was released on October 12, 2010.

The game features:

Veil of Alaris

EverQuest: Veil of Alaris

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseNovember 15, 2011

Veil of Alaris was released on November 15, 2011, as the eighteenth EverQuest expansion pack. The plot involves the demise of the Thule family.

Rain of Fear

EverQuest: Rain of Fear

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseNovember 28, 2012

The nineteenth expansion pack, Rain of Fear, was released on November 28, 2012. The plot continues the storyline of the House of Thule and Veil of Alaris expansions. [25] [26]

Call of the Forsaken

EverQuest: Call of the Forsaken

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseOctober 8, 2013

Call of the Forsaken was released on October 8, 2013, as the 20th expansion pack. The plot follows cataclysmic events in the region of West Karana which have torn an invisible seam to expose the Ethernere and bind countless realities, forcing players to defeat Lady Lendiniara to restore peace. [27]

The Darkened Sea

EverQuest: Darkened Sea

Developer(s) Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sony Online Entertainment
ReleaseOctober 28, 2014

The Darkened Sea, the 21st expansion pack, was released on October 28, 2014. The plot revolves around Firiona Vie's attempt to heal Emperor Katta, which is interrupted when Lanys T'Vyl and a splinter faction from The Combine attempt to kidnap the Emperor. Players must band together to aid in tracking down Lanys and rescuing the Emperor. [28]

The Broken Mirror

EverQuest: The Broken Mirror

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseNovember 18, 2015

The Broken Mirror, the 22nd expansion pack, was released on November 18, 2015. The plot revolves around Anashti Sul's newly discovered desire for power as her being is fractured into two aspects: life and decay. Players must band together to stop her plot to plague Norrath with war to disrupt the balance of life in order to gain power for herself. [29]

Empires of Kunark

EverQuest: Empires of Kunark

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseNovember 16, 2016

Empires of Kunark is the 23rd EverQuest expansion and was released on November 16, 2016. After decades of slumber, Imperator Tsaph Katta awakens and vows to reform the Combine Empire – the progenitors of much of the human race – by any means necessary. [30]

Ring of Scale

EverQuest: Ring of Scale

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember 12, 2017

Ring of Scale is the 24th EverQuest expansion and was released on December 12, 2017. The game sees the return of Kunark who aids the Combine as they face off against the Sarnak Empire and the Ring of Scale.

The Burning Lands

EverQuest: The Burning Lands

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember 11, 2018

The Burning Lands is the 25th EverQuest expansion and was released on December 11, 2018. [31] [32] The game includes six new adventure zones based around the otherworldly Planes of Air and Fire, new raids, and a new "luck" statistic that influences the frequency of critical hits, the amount of gold in a player's split after defeating enemies in a group, and the success rate of crafting attempts. [33]

New features include:

Torment of Velious

EverQuest: Torment of Velious

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember 18, 2019 [34]

Torment of Velious is the 26th expansion pack for EverQuest released in December 2019. [35] [36] The expansion's story involves players returning to the frozen continent of Velious first seen in the Scars of Velious expansion released in 2000, and features six new zones, new raid content, a raised level cap from 110 to 115, and a new graphical ice shader.

Claws of Veeshan

EverQuest: Claws of Veeshan

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember 8, 2020 [37]

Claws of Veeshan is the twenty-seventh expansion pack to EverQuest, released on October 14, 2020. A continuation of the story from the previous expansion, Torment of Velious, the plot involves the player challenging the dragons and undead creatures who roam the frozen lands of Velious. It features six new zones along with new quests, raids, missions, and alternate advancement abilities for each class, as well as a new Dragon's Hoard offering additional storage space. [38] [39]

Terror of Luclin

EverQuest: Terror of Luclin

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember 7, 2021 [40]

Terror of Luclin is the twenty-eighth expansion pack to EverQuest, released on December 7, 2021. The story revolves around the return to the moon of Luclin, the setting of the third expansion, The Shadows of Luclin from 2001. A powerful force known as the Akheva led by High Priestess Aten Ha Ra emerge in an attempt to re-stablish their empire across the entirety of Luclin while the vampire lord Mayong Mistmoore also serves as a primary antagonist. Players join with a resistance of Akhevian rebels to oppose Aten's plans for domination. The expansion features 7 new zones as well as an increased level cap of 120, as well as new abilities, spells, and alternate advancements. [41]

Night of Shadows

EverQuest: Night of Shadows

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember 6, 2022 [42]

Night of Shadows is the twenty-ninth expansion pack to EverQuest, released on December 6, 2022. [42]

Laurion's Song

EverQuest: Laurion's Song

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember 6, 2023 [43] [44] [45]

Laurion's Song is the thirtieth expansion pack to EverQuest, released on December 6, 2023. [46] [47] [48]

Expansion 31

EverQuest:

Developer(s) Daybreak Game Company
Publisher(s) Daybreak Game Company
ReleaseDecember , 2024 [49]

Everquest: is the thirty-first expansion pack to EverQuest, releasing on December , 2024. [50]

Bundles

Between 2001 and 2007, Sony Online Entertainment released retail bundles that included the original EverQuest and a collection of expansion packs. The first compilations were the European EverQuest Deluxe Edition and North American EverQuest Trilogy, which included the base game, The Ruins of Kunark, and The Scars of Velious. [51] Subsequent packages would be released almost yearly until the Anniversary Edition in April 2007, which included the base game and the first 13 expansions. [52]

TitleRelease dateExpansions# Included
EverQuest Deluxe EditionMarch 6, 2001 (EU)The Ruins of Kunark, The Scars of Velious [53] 2
EverQuest TrilogySeptember 18, 2001 (NA)The Ruins of Kunark, The Scars of Velious [51] 2
EverQuest Gold EditionMarch 22, 2002 (EU)
November 4, 2002 (NA)
The Ruins of Kunark - Shadows of Luclin (EU) [54]
The Ruins of Kunark - The Planes of Power (NA) [55]
3 (EU)
4 (NA)
EverQuest New Dawn [lower-alpha 1] November 22, 2002 (EU)The Ruins of Kunark - Shadows of Luclin [56] 3
EverQuest EvolutionAugust 25, 2003 (NA)The Ruins of Kunark - The Legacy of Ykesha [57] 5
EverQuest PlatinumJuly 26, 2004 (NA)The Ruins of Kunark - Gates of Discord [58] 7
EverQuest Chronicles: Volume OneSeptember 20, 2004 (NA)The Ruins of Kunark, The Shadows of Luclin, The Legacy of Ykesha [59] 3
EverQuest Titanium EditionJanuary 10, 2006 (NA)The Ruins of Kunark - Depths of Darkhollow [60] 10
EverQuest: The Anniversary EditionApril 16, 2007 (NA)The Ruins of Kunark - The Buried Sea [52] 13
Notes
  1. Released as EverQuest Europa in the German and French localized versions.

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EverQuest is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally developed by Verant Interactive and 989 Studios for Windows PCs. It was released by Sony Online Entertainment in March 1999 in North America, and by Ubisoft in Europe in April 2000. A dedicated version for Mac OS X was released in June 2003, which operated for ten years before being shut down in November 2013. In June 2000, Verant Interactive was absorbed into Sony Online Entertainment, who took over full development and publishing duties of the title. Later, in February 2015, SOE's parent corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment, sold the studio to investment company Columbus Nova and it was rebranded as Daybreak Game Company, which continues to develop and publish EverQuest.

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Hexen II is a dark fantasy first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed by Raven Software and published by id Software in 1997. It is the third game in the Hexen/Heretic series, and the last in the Serpent Riders trilogy. Using a modified Quake engine, it features single-player and multiplayer game modes, as well as four character classes to choose from, each with different abilities. These include the "offensive" Paladin, the "defensive" Crusader, the spell-casting Necromancer, and the stealthy Assassin.

<i>Asherons Call 2: Fallen Kings</i> 2002 video game

Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings was a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows which was released on November 22, 2002 and shut down on December 30, 2005 before it was relaunched as a beta for active Asheron's Call subscribers in 2012. It is a sequel to 1999's Asheron's Call, although content, graphics and gameplay dynamics differed greatly from its predecessor.

Guild Wars is an online role-playing game franchise developed by ArenaNet and published by NCSOFT. The games were critically well received and won many editor's choice awards, as well as awards such as "Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, as well as Best Value, Best Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), and Best Game. Guild Wars was noted for being the "first major MMO to adopt a business model not based on monthly subscription fees", its instanced approach to gameplay, and the quality of the graphics and play for computers with low specifications. In April 2009, NCSoft announced that 6 million units of games in the Guild Wars series had been sold. The sequel and fourth major entry into the series, Guild Wars 2, was announced in March 2007 and released on August 28, 2012. It features updated graphics and gameplay mechanics, and continues the original Guild Wars tradition of no subscription fees. The Guild Wars series had sold 11.5 million copies by August 2015

<i>EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark</i> 2000 video game

EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark is the first expansion to EverQuest, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), released on April 14, 2000. It introduced a new land area to the game, the continent of Kunark, which had been previously unexplored. Through a mix of in-game events and fiction published on the web by Verant Interactive, the storyline of the discovery of Kunark was established.

Warlords is a video game series created by Steve Fawkner, in which role-playing elements are combined with turn-based strategy in a fantasy setting. The series began with Warlords in 1990 and includes three other games, two expansion packs, and several spinoffs.

<i>EverQuest II</i> 2004 video game

EverQuest II is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG) set in a fantasy setting developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment. EverQuest II, commonly referred to as EQ2 or EQII, released for the holidays in November, 2004. Its prequel, EverQuest (EQ) released 5 years prior. EverQuest II features many voice actors including Christopher Lee and Heather Graham and incorporates orchestral pieces by composer Laura Karpman.

<i>Champions of Norrath</i> 2004 video game

Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest is an action role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2, set in the EverQuest universe. The game is playable with one single player or cooperative for up to four players, but with a Network Adapter, players can take the game online with others and kill others or join to form groups of adventurers. It uses a re-worked and expanded Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance game engine. A sequel called Champions: Return to Arms was released in February 2005.

<i>Dungeon Siege II</i> 2005 video game

Dungeon Siege II is an action role-playing video game, the sequel to 2002's Dungeon Siege. It was developed by Gas Powered Games and released in 2005. The story is a continuation of the Dungeon Siege storyline. An expansion Broken World was released in 2006.

<i>Guild Wars: Eye of the North</i> 2007 video game

Guild Wars: Eye of the North is an expansion pack to the multiplayer online role-playing game Guild Wars by ArenaNet, a subsidiary of NCSOFT. It was released worldwide on August 31, 2007. Unlike other games in the Guild Wars sequence, Eye of the North requires players to own one of the earlier three campaigns. It features no tutorial content and is intended for characters that have already reached level 10 or higher.

<i>EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark</i> 2007 video game

EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark is the fourth EverQuest II expansion pack from Sony Online Entertainment. The expansion pack introduces a new continent, Kunark; a new player race, the Sarnak; and raises the level cap for adventure, tradeskills and guilds to 80.

<i>Legends of Norrath</i> 2007 video game

Legends of Norrath was an online digital collectible card game by Sony Online Entertainment. Legends of Norrath is based on the massively multiplayer online role-playing games EverQuest and EverQuest II. Legends Of Norrath was playable from within either of the two games, or via a stand-alone client.

<i>EverQuest II</i> expansions

Nineteen full expansions for the MMORPG EverQuest II have been released, as well as three Adventure Packs.

World of Warcraft, or WoW, is set in a fictional universe, its primary setting being the planet of Azeroth. The first expansion, The Burning Crusade, introduced a second planet, Outland. Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm expanded upon Azeroth and respectively added Northrend, the frigid northern continent of Azeroth, and drastically changed various other continents by destroying some and unveiling new ones. The next expansion, Mists of Pandaria, added Pandaria, the southern continent previously hidden behind a perennial mist cover. Warlords of Draenor introduced the planet of Draenor, a version of Outland in a different timeline before its partial destruction. The Legion expansion took adventurers to the Broken Isles, an island chain near the Maelstrom in the middle of the Great Sea, and the damaged planet Argus, the headquarters of the Burning Legion. The seventh expansion, Battle for Azeroth, added two new island continents to the center of Azeroth: Kul Tiras and Zandalar. The latest expansion, Shadowlands, introduced the eponymous Shadowlands, a realm composed of five major zones: Bastion, Maldraxxus, Ardenweald, Revendreth, and the Maw.

<i>Rift</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Rift is a fantasy free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Trion Worlds. Rift takes place within the fantasy world of Telara. Two competing factions, composed of a selection of races and classes, battle each other and the enemies who emerge from dynamic "rifts". The game was released in March 2011. A port of the game, called Rift Mobile, was released for Android on January 25, 2012.

<i>King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame</i> 2009 video game

King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame is a real-time tactics and role-playing video game developed by NeocoreGames and published by Paradox Interactive in North America, Ubisoft in Europe, and E-Frontier in Japan. It seeks to blend elements of the real-time tactics, role-playing, and grand strategy genres into one. A sequel titled King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame was released online in Europe on September 20, 2011, and then worldwide in 2012.

<i>Destiny</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Destiny is an online first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. It was released worldwide on September 9, 2014, for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One consoles. Destiny marked Bungie's first new console franchise since the Halo series, and it was the first game in a ten-year agreement between Bungie and Activision. Set in a "mythological science fiction" world, the game features a multiplayer "shared-world" environment with elements of role-playing games. Activities in Destiny are divided among player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types. In addition to normal story missions, PvE features three-player "strikes" and six-player raids. A free roam patrol mode is also available for each destination which feature public events. PvP features objective-based modes, as well as traditional deathmatch game modes.

Gameplay of <i>Hearthstone</i>

Hearthstone is a digital collectible card game released by Blizzard Entertainment in 2014, available for Microsoft Windows and macOS PCs and iOS and Android smartphones. The game is free-to-play, with players gaining in-game currency and card packs via winning matches and completing quests, while real-world money can be spent to acquire additional card packs and cosmetic items. The game has been critically well-received and financially successful, estimated in August 2017 to earn nearly US$40 million per month. As of November 2018, Blizzard has reported more than 100 million Hearthstone players. Blizzard has continued to expand the game with the addition of multiple expansions, adventures and game modes.

<i>World of Warcraft Classic</i> 2019 massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft Classic is a 2019 MMORPG video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Running alongside the main version of the game, Classic recreates World of Warcraft in the state it was in before the release of its first expansion, The Burning Crusade. It was announced at BlizzCon 2017 and was released globally August 26, 2019. The Burning Crusade Classic and Wrath of the Lich King Classic versions of the game were later released to allow players to progress to those expansions.

Nine full expansion packs for the MMORPG Ultima Online have been released. The first, Ultima Online: The Second Age, arrived in 1998. The most recent expansion pack is Ultima Online: Time of Legends (2015).

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