Sony Online Entertainment Simultaneously Launches Expansions for Two of Its Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

EverQuest® and EverQuest® II

 

EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer™ and EverQuest II Rise of Kunark™ Available Today

                                                                                                                          

SAN DIEGO, CA – November 13, 2007 – Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) announces today that both EverQuest® and EverQuest® II MMORPGs have brand new expansion packs set to go on sale today throughout North America.  EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer™ and EverQuest II Rise of Kunark™ are complete and inclusive including all previous expansions and relevant adventure packs in each, for a suggested retail price of $39.99 at participating retail stores and via digital download at www.station.com.

 

“Launching dual expansions of this magnitude for two major MMOs on the same day is a Herculean feat,” said Russ Shanks, COO and Vice President, Sony Online Entertainment. “It took a full year, dedicated development teams and the experienced infrastructure of SOE to be able to support these simultaneous launches.  We’re extremely proud of the breadth of the new adventures these two games offer and we’re also grateful for the support from our beta testers and loyal community for their input on the final products.”

 

EverQuest II Rise of Kunark brings back the legendary high-fantasy game play style from its famous predecessor and blends it with the beautiful cinematic graphics for which the game has become known.  “This is a return to nostalgia expansion -- where players will enjoy the best game experience in EQII’s three year history and likely the most compelling content the franchise has ever seen,” according to Scott Hartsman, Sr. Producer, Sony Online Entertainment.

 

Rise of Kunark introduces players to the Sarnak, a new dragon-like humanoid playable race that inhabits the jungle islands of Timorous Deep - a new starting location for adventurers featuring a wealth of new content for levels 1-20. Many of the expansion’s new zones are based on favorite gameplay areas from the original EverQuest, such as Karnor’s Castle, the Lake of Ill Omen, Sebilis and Veeshan’s Peak. In addition, Kunark raises the level cap to 80, adding new solo, group, and raid content for levels 65-80.

 

EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer is the fourteenth expansion for this genre-defining game. “We put a renewed emphasis on the test and adjust period for Secrets of Faydwer and increased the number of our Beta testers by 25 percent,” said Clint Worley, Sr. Producer, Sony Online Entertainment.  “The feedback we received from the players was outstanding and it raised the quality bar exponentially.”

 

Secrets of Faydwer players will have the opportunity to advance to level 80 as they explore through 15 new zones, discovering thousands of new items along the way.  In addition to the new high level raid content, there are new Alternate Advancement ability lines to refresh even the most hardened warriors.

 

Both retail and digital customers will receive several items with their purchase. Rise of Kunark consumers receive the base EQII game, the Rise of Kunark expansion, all three previous expansions and adventure packs, a claimable cockatrice house pet and a Legends of Norrath online strategy game starter pack, booster pack and loot item.  Secrets of Faydwer consumers will receive the base EverQuest game and all 14 expansions, a claimable worg mount and a Legends of Norrath online strategy game starter pack, booster pack and loot item.  

 

EverQuest II Rise of Kunark Features

  • All-New Player Race – Start up a brand new Sarnak – the classic dragon-like humanoid creature that now inhabits Timorous Deep.  Exiled from your homeland and magically altered, discover how your new breed came to be, and eventually return home to help your race triumph over the evil Iksar.
  • New Starting Area – Begin your adventure from the new starting area in the islands of Timorous Deep.  Conclude your day of questing and retire to new housing within the Village of Gorowyn.
  • Level Cap Raised – Continue your adventures with your existing character in Kunark, expanding on your achievements as Adventure and Tradeskill levels all increase to 80. Achievement points cap raised from 100 to 140.
  • More Unique Zones – Advance your way through new, massive regions, containing many zones filled with nostalgia and danger, such as The Emerald Jungle, Skyfire Mountains, Sebilis, and Karnor’s Castle.
  • Hundreds of New Quests – The tale of Kunark is told through hundreds of new quests, aimed at gameplay of all types: solo, group, and raid.
  • More Weapons & Armor – New quests for all 24 classes.  Battle through the opposition and acquire additional fabled and legendary armor sets.
  • New Mount – Explore the world on the shoulders of a new rampaging beast - The Kunarkian Rhinoceros.
  • Dozens of New NPCs – Encounter and engage a wide variety of new enemies that inhabit the menacing lands of Kunark.
  • Improved Features - New and improved racial abilities for all of the original races, new tradeskill interface and new in-game map capabilities.

EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer Features

  • Level Cap Increase – Players can now achieve level 80.
  • New High Level Content – Over 3,000 new item sets, more than 300 new spells and 30 new NPCs.  In addition, prepare for the return of some of the best known NPC’s in the EverQuest franchise!
  • 15 New Zones – New realms for adventurers to explore, including:  Meldrath’s mechanical fortress Mechanotus, the new lands of the Loping Plains and Kerafyrm’s lair Crystallos.
  • Thrilling New Adventure Content – Travel through Faydwer solo or with a group to complete over 100 new challenges, including 28 high-end raids.
  • Alternate Advancement Ability Lines – 170 Alternate Advancement Abilities with various ranks.
  • Amazing Heroic Items – Increase stats above current caps!

 

For more information on EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer, and a free trial of EverQuest visit www.everquest.com. 

For information on EverQuest II Rise of Kunark and a free trial of EverQuest II visit www.everquest2.com.  

 

About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development. SOE is owned by Sony Pictures Digital and Sony Computer Entertainment America.

 

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. Untold Legends and Legends of Norrath are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.