French Community Representative Soffrina recently sat down for a quick interview with Liz Sigmund about her work on Neriak. The translated interview is now available for your reading pleasure, and includes a few images of concept art for Neriak that help show what the team was looking for in terms of looks for the new zones.

What are the races that are allowed to start in Neriak?
All the evil races can start in Neriak. Dark Elves, Arasai, Trolls, Ogres, Ratonga, etc.



What is the major theme and the flavor of the city of Neriak?
Blueberry… Or maybe grape…



Where did you get your inspiration while working on Neriak?
I mainly pulled from play experience in the original EverQuest. I wanted make sure that the new Neriak still had the same atmosphere that the original had.



Since the city of Neriak did exist in EQ1, what are the similarities and differences in the EQ2 universe?
Well, it is several hundred years from the time Neriak existed in the original EverQuest, so there are obvious differences there.



what is your favorite area in Neriak?
My favorite area is Darklight Palace, I think it really turned out great.



What is your personal favorite quest in Neriak?
There is a part of betraying to Neriak from Exile that I really, really enjoy. It involves a kid named Riley. Big Business is also an awesome quest.



What are the key challenges that you encountered while working on this project?
I think with a lot of things in EverQuest II the hardest part is creating something new while preserving the legacy of the original EverQuest. Players have really fond memories of the original game and remaking zones like Neriak, which were beloved, can be really daunting.



How long did it take you to finish this project, and what's the next project you're working on?
I've been working on Neriak for around 3 months. My next project is top secret.

Discuss this interview in the official forums