Holy EQ2 Changes Batman
So May 25th brought about the live update Halas Reborn and man where there some changes D= Alyssa seriously I'm going to have to let you in on Karisha so you can see ll the changes, come read with me all the insanity.
We have a new city! (things under all caps titles are straight from the update notes and perhaps truncated because I'm lazy.)
NEW HALAS
The city of New Halas, namesake of the original city of the Northmen destroyed by cataclysm and war, sits in the heart of the isle of Erollis, a treacherous land of biting temperatures and aggressive fauna within the freezing waters of the Frostfang Sea. Originally a village of war hardened dwarves, it has since grown due to being blessed by Mithaniel Marr and reconnected with the Shattered Lands of Norrath. Pilgrims to New Halas can find their way there via a griffin at the docks in the Butcherblock Mountains. New characters created for New Halas will start at Pilgrim’s Landing, an encampment near the isle of Erollis, in the zone Frostfang Sea.
New raid dungeeeeonnnns
THE ICY KEEP: RETRIBUTION
A new level 90+ x4 raid dungeon with associated quests is aimed to give players an easy to moderate challenge!
UNDERFOOT DEPTHS
There is a battle raging as powerful elemental forces gather deep beneath the earth. Only the most powerful raiding parties can hope to prevail in the Underfoot Depths.
STORYLINES
A new “Storyline” tab has been added to the bottom of the Quest journal. The Storyline window will help you keep track of the many adventures you encounter as you explore the world of Norrath. Additionally, the Storyline window will help lead you to new adventures as they become available for you to enjoy!
TRAVEL REVAMP
We have made several changes to the game in an effort to streamline travel.
Now when selecting a travel location via teleportation, bell, or sokokar/horse/griffon etc. you will do so through a travel map.
Simply double click your choice, or select it and then press OK to be whisked away.
Mousing over a location when using world teleportation displays a level range and some background information on the area.
Aside from this almost all trvel has been consolidated and most things no longer require quests though they're still available for those that want to do them anyway. The biggest change though is the release of Shader 3.0
EverQuest II now supports Shader 3.0 with new vibrant colors and depth processed by your GPU!
Only problem is it kind of looks a tad odd, and I know my card supports it.. whoops. =/ Here's an example:
Old
New
Kind of hard to see but if I took the screens inside it would be worse, everything is hella dark/really shiny/oiled down. Kinda weird and it made way too much lag. Oh well.
Oh they also redid starting areas
GENERAL
The normal shipping route to the Queen’s Colony and Outpost of the Overlord have been diverted, for reasons the Far Seas Trading Company is not yet willing to discuss. As a result, new players now start in Kelethin, New Halas, Neriak, or Gorowyn.
Qeynos and Freeport have been disabled as starting cities.
I left this random general note in because it's freaking funny the rest of the general notes I cut out. We can now hide mounts as well though it only works in your vision, so in;t really useful for rp as other people would still see your mount.
Bartenders in Norrath’s major cities will once more sell alcoholic beverages to level 90 adventurers, having been persuaded that all rumors of unfortunate high-level drunken raiding incidents are in fact vile slander and in no way explain why Roehn Theer remains undefeated. The bartenders of Norrath encourage the responsible use of alcohol in moderation. This message was not sponsored by Roehn Theer.
THE BEST THING THEY ADDED! It's SO easy to switch cities now. I already have a house in Halas because all I had to do was have my Qeynos toon talk to an ambassador in Qeynos Harbour and then talk to the ambassador in Halas!
CITIZENSHIP
Players wishing to change their citizenship should now find an Ambassador with the purpose tag within their respective city who can give clearer guidance on exactly how to do this and where to go.
Aaaaand that's about all the interesting crap
We have a new city! (things under all caps titles are straight from the update notes and perhaps truncated because I'm lazy.)
NEW HALAS
The city of New Halas, namesake of the original city of the Northmen destroyed by cataclysm and war, sits in the heart of the isle of Erollis, a treacherous land of biting temperatures and aggressive fauna within the freezing waters of the Frostfang Sea. Originally a village of war hardened dwarves, it has since grown due to being blessed by Mithaniel Marr and reconnected with the Shattered Lands of Norrath. Pilgrims to New Halas can find their way there via a griffin at the docks in the Butcherblock Mountains. New characters created for New Halas will start at Pilgrim’s Landing, an encampment near the isle of Erollis, in the zone Frostfang Sea.
New raid dungeeeeonnnns
THE ICY KEEP: RETRIBUTION
A new level 90+ x4 raid dungeon with associated quests is aimed to give players an easy to moderate challenge!
UNDERFOOT DEPTHS
There is a battle raging as powerful elemental forces gather deep beneath the earth. Only the most powerful raiding parties can hope to prevail in the Underfoot Depths.
STORYLINES
A new “Storyline” tab has been added to the bottom of the Quest journal. The Storyline window will help you keep track of the many adventures you encounter as you explore the world of Norrath. Additionally, the Storyline window will help lead you to new adventures as they become available for you to enjoy!
TRAVEL REVAMP
We have made several changes to the game in an effort to streamline travel.
Now when selecting a travel location via teleportation, bell, or sokokar/horse/griffon etc. you will do so through a travel map.
Simply double click your choice, or select it and then press OK to be whisked away.
Mousing over a location when using world teleportation displays a level range and some background information on the area.
Aside from this almost all trvel has been consolidated and most things no longer require quests though they're still available for those that want to do them anyway. The biggest change though is the release of Shader 3.0
EverQuest II now supports Shader 3.0 with new vibrant colors and depth processed by your GPU!
Only problem is it kind of looks a tad odd, and I know my card supports it.. whoops. =/ Here's an example:
Old
New
Kind of hard to see but if I took the screens inside it would be worse, everything is hella dark/really shiny/oiled down. Kinda weird and it made way too much lag. Oh well.
Oh they also redid starting areas
GENERAL
The normal shipping route to the Queen’s Colony and Outpost of the Overlord have been diverted, for reasons the Far Seas Trading Company is not yet willing to discuss. As a result, new players now start in Kelethin, New Halas, Neriak, or Gorowyn.
Qeynos and Freeport have been disabled as starting cities.
I left this random general note in because it's freaking funny the rest of the general notes I cut out. We can now hide mounts as well though it only works in your vision, so in;t really useful for rp as other people would still see your mount.
Bartenders in Norrath’s major cities will once more sell alcoholic beverages to level 90 adventurers, having been persuaded that all rumors of unfortunate high-level drunken raiding incidents are in fact vile slander and in no way explain why Roehn Theer remains undefeated. The bartenders of Norrath encourage the responsible use of alcohol in moderation. This message was not sponsored by Roehn Theer.
THE BEST THING THEY ADDED! It's SO easy to switch cities now. I already have a house in Halas because all I had to do was have my Qeynos toon talk to an ambassador in Qeynos Harbour and then talk to the ambassador in Halas!
CITIZENSHIP
Players wishing to change their citizenship should now find an Ambassador with the purpose tag within their respective city who can give clearer guidance on exactly how to do this and where to go.
Aaaaand that's about all the interesting crap