Producer’s Letter: 20 Years of EverQuest
01-23-2019
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Hail, Norrath!

This year we celebrate 20 years of EverQuest. Unbelievable.

We are truly humbled that this incredible game – as much yours as ours – has achieved this rare and unprecedented milestone that began all the way back in March 1999.

EQ’s launch feels a world away now, lest we forget dial-up modems, Y2K panic, CRT monitors, 640×480, open-book medding, corpse runs, lost corpses, ninja looting, guild drama, dawn of DKP, and so many other moments. But the most important outcome of EQ has been all the friendships and lives touched by this game over these 20 years.

We’ve heard so many amazing stories of EQ bringing people together in love, marriage, and even into the joys of parenthood. We’ve also experienced the power of our game community during the hard times, softening the pain of illness and tragic deaths by participating with EQ families. We all have an EverQuest story to tell.

For me, before I became a game designer on EQ in 2003, I had already met nearly 20 or 30 guildmates and in-game pals. I helped guildies get jobs, find new homes, and one even helped me get a job on EQ – Lyndro as he was known then. I still talk to that crazy, brilliant mage.

In this anniversary year, let’s live the legacy of EQ and turn it up to 20, and focus on what has made this game great – you, the community.

Our anniversary events in game in March include a brand new land, raids, and rares with a story about preserving our past, and it’s free.

We are aiming at two new progression servers with two approaches – one hardcore and one ultra-casual. Rules will be coming soon as we sort them out over the coming weeks with both new servers launching around the anniversary on March 16.

We also want to celebrate with you IRL! We’re working on pulling together an EQ fan event so we can hang out with you, our honored guests. Timing for that event is likely to be summer, but I’m hoping to announce more details on timing/location in March for those who want to plan ahead with your own family, guildies, and friends and join us!

And of course, we want to hear from each and every one of YOU! We’re looking for player stories to help us commemorate this crazy occasion. Please send us a 20-second or less video of how EQ changed YOUR life. Upload your video to YouTube (public or unlisted) and send us the link here through Player Direct for a chance to be featured during our anniversary celebrations! You can also submit a 15-second clips featuring your main character on your most played server to become a part of our EQ 20th Yearbook album that will come to life on Facebook later this year.

On a personal note, I owe so much to this game, the EQ community at large, and this team. THANK YOU to all devs and players, past and present, for bringing EQ to life and making it home for so long.

There will be more announcements, so be sure to stay tuned. This year, we are LIVING THE LEGACY OF EVERQUEST!

Yours, always sincerely,

Holly “Windstalker” Longdale

Executive Producer

January 16, 2019
_____________________

*** Highlights ***

– Most NPCs in The Burning Lands group content will inflict less melee damage.
– Lowered the damage dealt by the NPC spells Lava Ball, Breathe Fire, and Soul Burn.
– Corrected errors with a number of achievements in The Burning Lands content. See the Quests and Events section below for details.
– Fixed an issue with the Flowing Blue Ribbon collectible not spawning in Esianti.

*** Items ***

– Removed the tribute values from Scaled and Scaleborn Bracer Facets.
– Added Duende Hero’s Forge ornaments to The Burning Lands zones.
– Altered the HP, Mana, and Endurance values of Secret Dawn Gem of Vigor and Secret Dawn Gem of Brilliance.
– Corrected the proc and casting proc on Ascending Sun Bodkin to the one-handed version.
– Corrected the AC on Ascending Sun Battle Rod.
– Corrected the appearance of Ascending Sun Claws when equipped in the off-hand.
– Fixed an issue where Secret Dawn Compound Bow, Secret Dawn Longbow, Ascending Sun Compound Bow, and Ascending Sun Longbow were not granting the passive AA ability Prismatic Ward.
– Added the appropriate Disease/Corruption Damage focus to Secret Dawn Longbow and Ascending Sun Longbow.
– Crystallized Luck can now be purchased from the NPCs that sell nobles.
– The Torn Efreeti Boots and Tattered White Satin Gloves line will change worn looks to plate and chain as they turn more class specific. They both start with the leather/cloth look.
– Fixed the icon and appearance of Fiery Quill of Rumination.
– The Burning Lands items now have appropriate tribute values.
– Fixed an issue where several ranks of the item effect ‘Strike of the Archer’ were not dealing archery damage.
– Dark Water’s Lifeblood, Flask of Evening Fog, and Essential Relentless Flames no longer look like bags.
– Altered the hate inspired by some Breastplate click spells from recent expansions. This specifically affects Unleashed Fury, Demon Crusher, and Nature’s Fury.
– Corrected typos in the name of Lemon Breaded Primordial Filets and Purified Plasma Shot.
– Nature’s Destruction and Path of Destruction will no longer trigger on Damage over Time spells.
– Fixed an issue with the Flowing Blue Ribbon collectible not spawning in Esianti.
– Increased the drop rate of Dark Elf and Bixie Hero’s Forge Ornaments. Bixie Ornaments can now drop from the bixies in Bixie Warfront.
– Removed the tradeskill flag from Primordial Pod of Water.
– Suits of Hero’s Forge armor now have item information that describes what types of armor they’ll fit into.

*** Tradeskills ***

– Changed The Burning Lands Purified Coal to Primordial Coal to differentiate it from the existing Purified Coal.
– Updated the recipe for Secret Dawn Mace Muhbis to properly use Oval Cut Elder Mist Diamond and Trillion Cut Elder Mist Diamond.

*** Quests And Events ***

– Increased the drop rate of Fate’s Accumulator and Blazing Euphoria augments in The Burning Lands raids.
– Reduced the chance to get Mortal Corporeal Type 5 augments from NPCs and chests.
– Contract of War – The Guarded achievement now requires facing seven or more mephits.
– Crypt Robbers – Corrected several NPCs that were errantly on the Damsel of Decay faction.
– Crypt Robbers – Fixed a bug that could prevent the event from completing successfully when making an accusation.
– Fight Fire (Mission) – Fixed the requirements to obtain achievements in this mission.
– Fight Fire (Raid) – Fixed a bug that was preventing the event from resetting in some situations.
– Prince Ralaifin (Mission) – The giant lapillus lava spiderling NPCs no longer leave a corpse.
– Prince Ralaifin (Mission) – Increased the power of enemies in this mission.
– Prince Ralaifin (Raid and Mission) – Prince Ralaifin’s Enfeeblement and Prince Ralaifin’s Softening now explode from the target instead of the boss when they activate. Increased the power of the raid versions of these spells.
– Prince Ralaifin (Raid) – The message about the Ralaifins filling with holy light will no longer display numbers in the text.
– Sneaky Sarnak – Corrected an issue that could prevent Lcea from being present at the proper time.
– Strange Magic – The Life and Death and Gathering Forces achievements should now work properly.
– Relic Raider – The higher / lower emotes will no longer target player pets.
– Relic Raider – The Perfect Timing achievement now grants properly.
– Remodeling – It’s now possible to receive the Unslug Hero achievement.
– Remodeling – Fixed an issue that could cause the slugs and the throne guardians to tether oddly.
– Remodeling – Blazing Sorrow’s Darkness will hold up her end of the conversation with Fennin Ro now.
– Trial of the Wending Ways – This trial will no longer give the Appointments Required achievement if the trial is done out of order.
– Tyrant of Fire – It’s now possible to receive the Swift Murder achievement.
– Tyrant of Fire – The corpses of the vanquished defenders of the Plane of Fire can no longer be targeted.
– The fling pad from the water room in the Plane of Smoke’s arena should land you in a safer location.

*** Spells ***

– Fixed the cast message on Summon Stratos Carpet.
– Fixed an issue that could cause progressive spells to fail to grant you their necessary component spells.
– – Ex: Scribing Dissident Companion could fail to grant Dissident Companion 1-5.
– Whispering Midnight Warding Fire, Whispering Midnight Warding Magic, Blazing Euphoria Warding Fire, and Blazing Euphoria Warding Magic now indicate which damage type they absorb in their spell description.

*** AA ***

– Bard – Fixed a bug where ranks 9-10 of Domination Mastery were not extending the duration of single target mesmerization songs.
– Poison Mastery AAs now state that they effect Make Poison instead of Tinkering.

*** NPCs ***

– Most NPCs in The Burning Lands group content will inflict less melee damage.
– Lowered the damage dealt by the NPC spells Lava Ball, Breathe Fire, and Soul Burn.
– Sagacious Great Jade no longer sells Runic Sortilege Sheets or Fine Runic Sortilege Sheets.

*** Miscellaneous ***

– Fixed the typo in Then Eastern Plains of Karana.
– Fixed an issue where some items in the Marketplace Window could not be inspected.
– Fixed a bug that could cause the ‘Add Funds’ button in the marketplace purchase window to fail to work under certain conditions.
– The game will now launch all external web pages in your default browser.
– The default name of text files created when using the /outputfile command will now include a server name. Ex: Soandso_Test-Inventory.txt.
– Added a hidecorpse alwaysnpc command, which hides current and future NPC corpses, but leaves player corpses intact.
– – Corrected an issue where hidecorpse always would leave a phantom version of your corpse after being resurrected.
– Entering a load balanced zone will now send you to the least populated instance of the zone (unless you are joining your group).
– Added scheduled monthly updates to the calendar for the first half of 2019.

*** UI ***

– Charms will now display the correct luck for items when inspected.
– Fixed an issue where you could not open your last two bags if you had 40 slot bags in every slot and had each of them open.
– The Faction Window now allows you to sort entries by Reaction or Standing in addition to Faction Name.
– Spell and combat ability resist messages will now include the name of the target (if you are the caster) or the name of the caster (if you are the target). The name of the spell will now function as a link to the spell description.
– – Ex: ‘You resist the Skunk Spray spell!’ is now ‘You resist a large skunk’s Skunk Spray!’
– – Ex: ‘Your target resisted the Fireball spell.’ is now ‘A large skunk resisted your Fireball!’
– Corrected an issue where pet damage wouldn’t report at a large distance if you turned on other’s hits.
– Specifying an optional filename for /outputfile now automatically appends ‘.txt’ to the end of the filename if it is not already specified.
– Made the following adjustments to the Alternate Currency tab of the Inventory Window:
– – Moved the ‘maximum items in a stack’ label and the ‘Show currencies that you don’t have’ checkbox down so that they no longer overlap the currency list.
– – Changed the Reclaim button to automatically reclaim the currency type on your cursor rather than requiring you to first select an entry in the currency list to reclaim to.
– – Added a Reclaim All button that reclaims all currency items in your inventory.
– – Adjusting the column widths of the currency list will now save per character.
– The speed of your target’s name flash is no longer dependent on FPS settings. Added a slider in the Advanced Options window to adjust the flash speed.

– Changed –
EQUI_AdvancedDisplayOptionsWnd.xml
EQUI_Inventory.xml

– The EverQuest Team