EverQuest II Producer's Letter: May/June News

Holly "Windstalker" Longdale releases her latest note detailing upcoming content.

Holly "Windstalker" Longdale released a May/June Producer's Letter yesterday evening, recapping the recent additions and discussing what we can expect over the coming months. Content and features in the work are:

  • Matchmaking code is being worked on and they hope it will be in beta testing soon
  • Dungeon Finder 2.0 will be address after the matchmaking code is stable
  • Older currencies will be converted into something useful; new status items and a status merchant revamp
  • Placeable NPCs for decorators that can be dressed (akin to mannequins)
  • Fabled Deathtoll

In addition to the above, the unnamed expansion pack (which will raise level cap to 100) is still in the works:

The artwork is outstanding and so is the content! We are working on a variety of themes again, one of them we have hinted at with dinosaur-like creatures. But that’s just one of many. Our new Terrain Tool has been incredible for creating really amazing areas which we’ll be showing you before too long!

Finally, a "Gear Up, Level Up" program will begin, with these bonuses for June:

All Access members will receive the following bonuses and discounts:

  • Double-Double Etyma in Tears of Veeshan (4x the rewards)!
  • 25% XP Bonus
  • Expansion discount (still working on the details for this)
  • 25% Off Heroic Characters
Free players also get some bonuses. They receive:
  • Double Etyma in Tears of Veeshan (2x the rewards)!
  • Also eligible for an expansion discount.

You can check out and discuss the entire Producer's Letter over on the official site or after the jump.


Dearest Norrathians,

We’re working to bring you a lot more information about what we’re doing, why, and when. To that end, here’s a quick overview on what we've done recently and what’s coming soon!

As a quick recap of our larger content releases in April and May so far, we launched:

  • High Keep Contested dungeon
  • High Keep Guild Halls
  • Temple of Veeshan raid zone
  • Ethereal/Artifact items (in Tears of Veeshan mission crates for a couple of months)

Matchmaking Code

While we are releasing weekly updates, we remain committed to bug fixes, like our matchmaking code.

The matchmaking code we use in Battlegrounds and Dungeon Finder has undergone a lot of investigation and fixes. We are hoping to have it on Beta soon and will ask for your help to test it. This remains one of our highest priorities until it's fixed. Solo matches seem to be working well, but grouping is having some issues so our engineers are rewriting code.

The second piece of this is Dungeon Finder 2.0. The design team is currently re-evaluating the original design and we'll move forward on that once the foundation of the matchmaking code is stable and fixed.

What's Coming Soon?

Below is a list of what the team plans to release in the next couple of months. This is the order they will go live starting next week, but they are subject to change on the off-chance we come upon some hurdles in testing/implementation.

  1. Convert older currencies into transmuting components and other useful goodies.
  2. Matchmaker Improvements, Round 1: This replaces the New Tunaria update for week 4 of May and is our first fix that will make matchmaking more playable. Still bugs we gotta fix though.
  3. Postponed to Mid-June: New Tunaria PvP Warzone available to all servers through Champion's Respite.(Update: In May week 4, we found some bugs/issues that will hold this release for a bit).
  4. Over 100 new Loyalty items for All Access members that will be easy to find and purchase! We are making it much easier to spend your Loyalty tokens by using the Marketplace interface.
  5. NPCs for Decorators that you can place and dress. If you wanted to have yourself a Dark Elf Attendants theme, you can do that. Or Dwarf guards. Or Gnomish party guests…it's up to you! We're working on this system now which will function much like mannequins.
  6. Fabled Deathtoll dungeon zone will include a ton of bosses with loot you can throw yourselves at…and it will be great loot! And if you can't use the loot, you can salvage it to create something you can use. All Access will get exclusive access for a period of time.
  7. New Status Items/Status Merchant revamp. The team wants to get back into supporting status with cool stuff for you to spend it on.

Expansion Pack

While all this work goes on, the team is continuing their hard work on the expansion pack for this year. The artwork is outstanding and so is the content! We are working on a variety of themes again, one of them we have hinted at with dinosaur-like creatures. But that’s just one of many. Our new Terrain Tool has been incredible for creating really amazing areas which we’ll be showing you before too long!

Gear Up, Level Up (June promotional program)

In our livestream in early May, we announced that this year’s expansion will increase the level cap to 100. In light of the announcement, we wanted to do something to help you gear up and level up your characters! The team came up with some bonuses for the month of June (at least). Here's how the "Gear Up, Level Up" bonuses are looking right now:

All Access members will receive the following bonuses and discounts:

  • Double-Double Etyma in Tears of Veeshan (4x the rewards)!
  • 25% XP Bonus
  • Expansion discount (still working on the details for this)
  • 25% Off Heroic Characters

Free players also get some bonuses. They receive:

  • Double Etyma in Tears of Veeshan (2x the rewards)!
  • Also eligible for an expansion discount.

And finally...

We are also really looking forward to SOE Live in August. Until then, though, we hope to see you in game! Keep an eye on our Community Manager, Luperza, too, as she's coming up with some new ways to keep you informed and get you involved in this great game of ours!

To stay in the loop, follow me on Twitter @windstalkereq2, and our official channel @everquestii. Don’t forget to follow us on www.twitch.tv/everquest2 and see our next EverQuest II Insider on June 4.

Best wishes and happy days!


Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor

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