E3 06: SOE details new EverQuest II add-ons

The ever-expanding world of the massively multiplayer online PC game EverQuest II is about to get a bit bigger. Sony Online Entertainment today announced a pair of upcoming add-ons to the game, one a full-fledged expansion and the other a smaller-scale "adventure pack."

Echoes of Faydwer will be the game's third expansion pack when it is released "on or around November 14." The expansion adds a new playable race to the game, the winged Fae, as well as a new starting city in the Fae's home of Kelethin. Other additions in Echoes of Faydwer include more than 350 new quests, new items and mounts, more than 40 new creature types, and more than 20 new zones and adventure areas. The expansion also sees the return of the achievement system from the Kingdom of Sky expansion, but with additional subclass abilities.

Players unwilling to wait until November for new EverQuest II content can pick up the Fallen Dynasty adventure pack in June. Created in the same manner as previous add-ons like The Bloodline Chronicles and The Splitpaw Saga, The Fallen Dynasty offers encounters meant for high-level players, new weapons, quests, adventure areas, and a design sense that draws on Asian influences.

Echoes of Faydwer will retail for $39.99 when it is released on store shelves and through digital distribution. The Fallen Dynasty will be available only as a download and will cost $7.99. However, customers who have subscribed to SOE's Station Access program for two months or longer will be able to download it for free. EverQuest II is rated T for Teen.