Summary
Historic and long-running MMORPGsEverQuestandEverQuest 2are respectively turning 25 and20 in 2024, and the developers have announced a full lineup of year-long events and new expansions to celebrate. The legendary franchise shows no signs of stopping, especially withEverQuestjust havingreleased its 30th expansionLaurion’s Songin December.
Known as one of the most popular and influential MMORPGs ever released,EverQuestwas released all the way back in 1999, while its sequelEverQuest 2 wasreleased five years later in 2004. Despite technically being a series, both games are designed to run independently of one another asEverQuest 2features an alternate-universe Norrath, the game’s setting.
2024 marks the Year of Darkpaw inEverQuestandEverQuest 2, named after Fippy Darkpaw, an infamous gnoll character that spawns in one of the game’s starting areas. The big highlights coming from the Developer Roadmap for this year include an unnamed expansion for both games coming in November (EverQuest 2)and December 2024 (EverQuest), notable special events such as the Anniversary Tower and Heroic Adventures happening every month, and event-exclusive mounts, just to name a few. Meanwhile, over inEverQuest 2, the Year of Darkpaw brings about the Masquerades of Divinity story event, along with various events.
Basically, there will be a lot of things to do in both games in this milestone year. While a good part of it looks like seasonal events, it should also be enough to tide players over until the new expansions arrive in the fourth quarter. The developers are currently tight-lipped about what’s coming, but given theirdesign philosophy of givingEverQuestplayers what they want, the new chapters will likely be worth the wait.
One of the secrets toEverQuest’s longevity is the ability to cultivate its loyal player base and keep up with the times. One such example is theaddition of the Personas system inLaurion’s Song, which lets players try different classes on one character. This feature is very similar toFinal Fantasy 14’s job system, which solves a longstanding problem in MMORPGs, a genre that naturally comes with a wide variety of classes to encourage different playstyles. Though it’s easy to point out that putting in that feature is directly copying another game, many players might feel that it’s a welcome quality of life improvement that all similar titles should have, andEverQuestlearning that lesson may be good for its success.
With 20 years of history to build on,EverQuest 2developers are also working hard to make sure there’s a lot for current players to enjoy. The game’s 20th expansion,Ballads of Zimara,also released in 2023, and it brought with it changes and updates that make playing compelling, especially for those who want advanced challenges. TheEverQuest 2developers share that there’s always something that can be made better, even if it means taking what other franchises and series have established and putting their own spin on it.
Everquest
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to EverQuest® - the online game that started it all! No other MMO matches EverQuest’s sheer content, now with 29 expansions and countless updates. EverQuest is free-to-play.Now in its unprecedented 23rd year, EverQuest continues to add immersive gameplay, captivating storytelling, and exciting worlds full of mystery, fantasy, and adventure.Join a thriving, dedicated community, immerse yourself in hundreds of unique zones, battle thousands of creatures, and complete exciting quests. Group with friends and experience an online game the way it was meant to be: epic, legendary, and together.Key Features:• Experience 23 years of continuous development including 29 expansions of amazing content• Build your character through 120 levels of power• More than 500 zones to explore• Choose from 16 unique races and 16 distinct classes• Earn thousands of Alternate Abilities available to further customize your character• Collect more than 50,000 items• Hire and control mercenaries to aid you in your heroic adventures• Solo, Group, and Raid across continents filled with perilous dungeons, eerie crypts, ancient fortresses, floating landscapes, alternate planes, and more
