EverQuest turns 10

Ten years ago today, 989 Studios and Verant Interactive flipped the switch on EverQuest, and in so doing, turned the massively multiplayer online role-playing gaming genre on its ear. The seminal MMORPG celebrates its 10th anniversary today, and in addition to San Diego proclaiming the date as Sony...

Ten years ago today, 989 Studios and Verant Interactive flipped the switch on EverQuest, and in so doing, turned the massively multiplayer online role-playing gaming genre on its ear. The seminal MMORPG celebrates its 10th anniversary today, and in addition to San Diego proclaiming the date as Sony Online Entertainment Day, the game's publisher is honoring the occasion with a number of announcements and in-game events.

Pertaining to events in the real world, SOE said that the 10th anniversary edition of its annual Fan Faire will descend on Las Vegas from June 25-28. As in previous years, the EQ-player powwow will feature a community address from SOE president John Smedley, developer sessions, and in-game tournaments. Members of the original EQ development team will also be on hand to sign autographs. Tickets are expected to go on sale in April, with more information available on the event's Web site.

Norrath's shores will also partake in the festivities, and SOE has a number of in-game events scheduled to roll out in the next few months. According to the publisher, new content will be available for both solo and group adventurers. Players will also be able to compete in large-scale raids for a chance to place on the 10th anniversary leaderboards. SOE's 10th Anniversary Web site has more about the planned events.

Named GameSpot's Game of the Year in 1999, EverQuest has gone on to spawn 15 expansion packs, a number of spin-off games, and a full sequel, EverQuest II. According to SOE, in its 10-year history, players have created more than 12 million characters, and more than 1 million non-player characters currently populate the EQ world. The game's most recent expansion, Seeds of Destruction, launched in October.

65 Comments

  • sakin13

    Posted Apr 3, 2009 2:57 am PT

    There must have been an evil conspiracy that unfolded around the time that WOW launched and EQ lost about half its population in one shot. That was the Gates of Discord expansion that had content for level 70 when characters could only get to level 65 at the time. It was so frustrating that it made even the most fanatic players give up and go to wow. EQ has evolved. Alot. There have been good things and bad things about the evolution but one thing is certain . what we felt during the first few years of EQ was and always will be very unique. So many rich feelings ( good and bad of course ) that no other game will ever achieve. Now if Verant was still in the picture i think EQ would have had gone through a more extensive overhaul. ALthough players that still play dont mind the graphics at all there can be alot of improvements in the polishing front so that new and old players can be re-attracted to the game. Happy Birthday EQ !

  • Sscythe

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 5:27 pm PT

    I don't think you can ever forget your first mmorpg toon...I have very fond memories of EQ--right along with some horrible memories of some very nasty corpse runs But whoever made the comment regarding being able to solo hit the nail on the head, IMO. I played a warrior, and let me tell you, trying to level one of those in the early days of EQ, especially if you were playing in the off-hours when the rest of your guild was offline, was sheer torture. (Another horrible memory--spending 6 hours lfg without success.) While successors to EQ have had better graphics and some arguable improvements, I'll always look back with a fondness in my heart for my "first love". Happy birthday, EQ!

  • Giantsfan22

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 2:40 pm PT

    People still play this? Wow. This was my first mmo and even though looking back the combat would allow me to eat a sandwhich while talking on the phone and daydreaming, the game had a certain aura to it. There was a real sense of community lacking in some mmos today. I think the mmo genre is very slowly dying because people are tired or boring combat. Even AoC with its "revolutionary combat is still pretty static. That and they are insanely expensive to develop. Once a really good cobat system emerges, the genre will have new life. But anyway, happy birthday everquest! You got me hooked on mmos and for that...I thank you.

  • aldrenar47

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 11:44 am PT

    People who play WoW have it easy... Everquest was brutal! It took ages to level, you could barely solo anything, travel was ultra slow unless you were certain classes (or begged them to help you... "SoW please!"), and you lost lots of experience when you died. You could even lose levels by dying, and you had to run back to your corpse naked to loot your equipment. But it did make for a very intense, rewarding play experience. There was a real sense of danger, and it really felt like you achieved something when you finished a dungeon or killed a dragon. That feeling of danger is lost in WoW and other recent games, because the penalty for dying is so low and travel is so fast. I remember messing around and getting killed in Onyxia's lair in WoW, just for kicks... you would never do that in Everquest, ever! Don't get me wrong, WoW is a good game, better in many ways than EQ. They just had very different rules.

  • mcjakeqcool

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 11:14 am PT

    Cannot belive how quickly these past 10 years have gone, really makes you think.

  • Shmoe82

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 11:00 am PT

    Great game, its awesome thats its still around 10yrs later. It and Ultima Online will always be my favorite online RPGs.

  • Voqar

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 10:51 am PT

    I joined EQ about 2 weeks after it released and was blown away. At the time it was pure magic - a complete revolution in gaming. Over time you come to realize it has a sadistic/masochistic design and a lot of design flaws mixed in, but during those early days nobody cared and it was good times that'll never be repeated exactly the same.

  • Hazzerz

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 10:19 am PT

    Hmm, I thought it was a bit older than 10 years.

  • -Inertia

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 10:15 am PT

    Still play EQ1 every so often my dad has played it from launch day over 1 year playing time on it...its insane

  • Hekynn

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 9:39 am PT

    Congrats EQ! lol I played Eq1 for 6 yrs and played EQ2 since launch day

  • BtmnHatesRbn posted Mar 17, 2009 8:47 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    BtmnHatesRbn

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 8:47 am PT (hide)

    And nobody cares about EverQuest. Go ahead, say the name at a GameStop and get a funny look.

  • Airek49

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 8:35 am PT

    The game that started it all. No game will ever have the charm and magic as the original Everquest did.

  • saris340

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 8:10 am PT

    You missed out then, Scars of Velious was one of the better expansions they released.

  • gamedragonshi

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 8:05 am PT

    I too was a victim of this early on....but i gave up the bad habit right as the "Scars' expansion came out.

  • aura_enchanted

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 7:33 am PT

    happy birthday to you *snorts some evercrack* happy b-da... what are doing again?*

  • NicAgent

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 7:22 am PT

    Evercrack!

    I do remember watching the local news that night Shawn Woolley killed himself.

  • SpideR_CentS

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 7:12 am PT

    I was on EQ towards the beginning. I was always a gamer but never really played RPGs. So EQ introduced me to RPGs as a whole. I played it mostly because it was cool playing with other players. Once Xbox live came out and I could play fighters, sports, racing, shooters, etc with others I quit EQ. Was a good game though, but way too many time sinks. WAY TO MANY TIME SINKS!

  • shawnanthony

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 7:07 am PT

    I do believe that the WOW creator's met while playing EQ so if it was not for EQ then you would not be playing WOW. (write that down)

  • carneyfolk

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 6:17 am PT

    wow, 10 years, i am old. Congratulations EQ! One of the greatest and most influential games ever made.

  • CamiKitten

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 6:02 am PT

    Happy Anniversary EQ ~ you were the start of good things! Can't believe it's been 10 years now o_O

  • Ryuketsu2043

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 4:48 am PT

    there are also 89,000 items..and 3,000 of them have never been found by players..thats awsome

  • skemaal

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 4:07 am PT

    Played EQ for about 7 years before switching to EQ2. I'm on to LOTRO now but the original EQ years were the best. Scars of Velious and Lost Dungeons of Norrath were my favorite expensions. So many memories with my half-elf Paladin

    Indeed, EQ openned the eyes of the word to the MMO genre and lets give credit where credit is due. If the success of EQ would of failed, no WoW, no CoH, no LOTRO, etc. Happy Birthday EQ!!! Thanks for the memories!

  • Mauller

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 3:53 am PT

    Oh EQ, how I miss you. Scars of Velious will always been my favorite expansion pack. This game is a game that made you feel truly epic. You know that if anyone was powerful or taking down raid bosses, they'd earned that right. I remember keeping low level alts scattered throughout the world so that we could check to see if raid bosses had respawned. First guild to rally and engage had the right to the kill. No instances back then. You had to fight tooth and nail for everything. *sigh*

    I will never forget my first time logging in. Making my dwarf warrior, stepping out into the wild and being awe struck at the size of it all. Tree's towering into the sky and a massive dwarf statue at my back as I left the city. I will never have that feeling again.

  • sircyrus

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 1:34 am PT

    It's sad to consider where MMO's could be today if Everquest hadn't derailed the genre from where Ultima Online had been leading it. Such a shame.

  • akguc

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 12:51 am PT

    so it was 10 years ago then , at times, you wouldnt know every quest , every item you can find by merely looking at web pages. There was this surprise effect when you have first time you see 10 lvl higher player visiting your hometown where you havent left for the first 2 month of game play since there was no walkthroughs. I really liked that experience. I dont think anyone will get that experience again 10 years after.

  • thug9cole

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 12:00 am PT

    wow kids get emo all you want but if it wasn't for eq you would have no world of copycraft

  • Megaship

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 11:44 pm PT

    In my opinion I don't think SOE is good at running MMO's.

  • foodme

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 10:48 pm PT

    i got this game when it came out and im still playing to this day.

  • Koi-Neon-X

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 10:28 pm PT

    Happy Anniversary EverQuest!

  • pigman239

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 10:08 pm PT

    The game's must recent expansion, Seeds of Destruction, launched in October.

    must recent. "omg a typo!"

    I don't proofread either. However, I am also not a professional journalist.

  • saris340

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 9:04 pm PT

    Haha, that is impressive though, I just picked a random young age.

  • CharlieFubar

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 9:02 pm PT

    funny you should say that but my 9 year old does lead groups in WoW lol and im proud of her... eq at the beginning will always be the best, imo.

  • saris340

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:57 pm PT

    That doesn't matter at all. The only reason WoW is even popular is because anyone can pick it up and get epics in a couple of months. One day a game will come along and the gaming population will shift again away from WoW. They'll release expansion after expansion, trying to offer new content and bonus experience potions etc. and then they'll merge servers until it eventually dies.

    Honestly, I would have preferred if they had shut down EverQuest servers in 2005 or 2006. The game is absolutely nothing like it was when it came out. They simplified game mechanics, added pretty display options, revamped zones, and made new zones to eliminate travel times etc. That's not what EverQuest was about. If you want to know when it really started to die, it wasn't when WoW was released, it was when Sony took over. EverQuest, at least until OoW came out, had richer content and flat out better gameplay than WoW in any of it's expansions had, or will have. I started playing WoW in '05 before any expansions or any of the huge patch/content releases came out. It was much better then than now, as they just release rehashed gear with more stamina and throw in a new continent filled with kill quests and instances a 9 year old could lead a group through.

    If I had the money or the time to take off work I would visit the Fan Faire, and might still activate my account to participate in the in-game events as a last hoorah. Overall, excellent game that has lived through it's life cycle and deserves a place in the Hall of Fame. I can only hope it's not forgotten as the final subscribers move on or throw away their dignity and play WoW.

    @lucas182: The fact that not just anyone could tank or get gear easily is part of what made it so great. WoW gives gear away, EQ makes you earn it.

  • mugupo

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:56 pm PT

    Without EQ succes, there will never be WOW. Blizzard only took the chance because it sold out dominate EQ was and easy $$$.

  • Brettsky128

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:56 pm PT

    I still play this on and off...since the first expansion...it hardly even resembles what it used to be...Only thing even remotely holding my interest is the people that still play. And I agree about those vivid memories, especially when I had the ingame mp3 player going. Running through a temple full of lizard snake people, only to have a song come on about lizard snake people.

    Good times....good times that can't come back. Most of the old zones are empty, and some they even re-designed and updated the graphics....but they're still empty. Such good memories I had, and I built some good friendships that I wish I could regain....part of me hates that I played for several years...about 3-4 solid ones, and part of me doesn't MMO's are weird =P

    Magicians rule btw.

  • Cwagmire21 posted Mar 16, 2009 8:55 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Cwagmire21

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:55 pm PT (hide)

    I played WoW but never did play EQ. From the looks of the comments, it doesn't look like I'd want to - I finally got away from WoW. MMOs are too addicting for me.

  • zo70

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:54 pm PT

    WE should all leave Wow and go back 2 EQ NERDS REUNITE!

  • JamesHetfield89

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:51 pm PT

    That was beautiful catfabz. I know how you feel, I feel it as well. The community made EQ what it was. No game has ever had anything close to the EQ community. I actually have loved WoW since launch, but the community just pales. Too many elitist dickheads in WoW.

  • crsx posted Mar 16, 2009 8:29 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    crsx

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:29 pm PT (hide)

    EQ was officially dead when WoW released. Look at the server population they keep merging servers together. I bet if you combine all the server's population in EQ. It won't come close to 1 realm in WoW. The way with the economy is shrinking I wouldn't be surprised if EQ servers shutdown permanently.

  • catflabz

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:22 pm PT

    DING!

    Anyone else have that VERY peculiar feeling when reminiscing about EQ?

    The warm bubble?

    The strikingly vivid memories .. moments, in game, that seem as if they were drawn from the same well of memories as your childhood or other warm life experience, not just a generic "Oh I remember that game..?" People you met, formed friendships with, - feel oddly similar in remembrance to say, memories of actual, real life friends? Cannot help but smile? Who Powerleveled you? Did a corpse run for ya? Camped a mob for 20 hours straight with you?

    Places you visited? Zones? Desert of Ro? Oasis of Marr? Lower Guk? Aviak Lake? Can you remember them distinctly? I can. As vividly as places I've been to in real life, at times!

    Remember the sheer anticipation of logging in? The pain when servers were down? The soothing intro music? a_rat_00? A cheesy in game wedding? The skeleton HeHeHe? How bout the infamous "DING!" How bout the guy (possibly several people) who committed suicide IRL? Feel free to chime in.

    The more I think of it, the more I can say clearly : No other game has had such a profound effect on me, ever. I've tried many RPGs after EQ, to try to get that "high" back, that "feeling", that "addiction" ... but EQ left me with .. a burnt out feeling for MMORPGs, and video games in general. Which is a good thing. Cause there's a lot of girls out there, beautiful places to visit, and mad money to be made ..

  • Neo_Sarevok

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:18 pm PT

    @ death919: Don't be impressed. It sounds good on paper, but it's not. As lannyboy334 mentioned, they were similar to big patches. The issue is they were released WAY too frequently and this came at the expense of newcomers. When I joined EQ, they already had 4 expansions, so I felt compelled to buy all of them to keep up with the other players. Problem is they kept releasing more and eventually I didn't have the energy for it (or the money).

    WoW has learned from this mistake. By releasing a lot of expansions, you alienate your member base, especially newcomers, so WoW opted for patches. People don't want to be forced to buy a ton of expansions to keep up with everyone.

    It's true new expansions generate interest in the mmorpg community, but when you release 14 of them, the original mmorpg loses all meaning. I don't regret quitting EQ. It's a good game, but when you factor in the monthly fee, in addition to the expansions, it's too expensive.

  • lucas182

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:18 pm PT

    @Stucazzo

    "I remember logging in 55 hours in 3 weeks while holding a full time job. Then decided to log off and quit after 2 characters in my guild were getting married and we had to attend the wedding near some lake."'

    lol... my entire EQ life flashed before my eyes..

    hahaha good times..

  • lucas182

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 8:10 pm PT

    happy bday EQ...

    played 4 years of you...
    though i trully wish i hadnt..

    okay okay.. maybe im being a little too harsh..

    but for a guy playing a paladin in a game where soloing was not an option, and high level gear was basicly REQUIRED in groups at upper level areas (and that gear could only be obtained if you were in a major uber guild... though those guilds would never accept a tank without... wait for it... high level gear!.. see the dilemma?).. everquest was TOUGH.

    that.. plus FIFTEEN friggin expansions... thats MORE than the sims...!

    those were the reasons i quit... and went on to play other mmos, the last of which being wow..

    the one thing i loved about EQ1 though, was the alternate advancement leveling... other mmos should really copy that..

    cheers EQ!

  • Ovirew

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 7:58 pm PT

    As far as I'm concerned, this was the MMO that started it all. Happy 10th, EQ!

  • Diernes

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 7:52 pm PT

    10 years old, and still 100x better than the supremely overated WOW.

    I actually regret I stopped playing it. (did for 4 years from kunark to Gates of discord). I left for greener pastures, which ended up being not so green.....

    I miss my Shadowknight, no other class in the MMO arena comes close, including the eq2 version.

    This was a game in which was actually a challange.

  • That-B-Guy

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 7:44 pm PT

    God, I played from like 99-2004 if I could go back and never touch the game I would. The number of expansions might look good to a player just now getting into MMORPGs, but it was THE reason I quit when I did. You are guaranteed an expansion every year and each expansion definitely added new content, but were released so fast you were nowhere near finishing the current content... Not to mention many of them contained features that should have been patched in the game.

    The froglok playable character expansion comes to mind... No end game content and it contained the only way to get a freaking in-game map.

  • MIRAGE__basic

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 7:19 pm PT

    Happy 10th EQ! I played you from 99-2003. I've played most mmorpgs since and none give me the feeling or satisfaction that you did. I've played WoW since it came out until now and i still miss EQ, wow is just an easymode cashcow. EQ if you wanted something you better well earn it! cause it sure wasn't gonna be given to you.

  • lannyboy334

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 7:09 pm PT

    Death919, they aren't like WoW expansions, they are like WoW patches with maybe an added race thing, like different styles of previous classes (warrior mage or dragon knight or something)

  • SchumiF1

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 7:03 pm PT

    Good ol Everquest. It wasn't easy, that's for sure, it made you appreciate what you got a lot more. Happy 10 years, and boy did I spend a ton of time playing it lol. I miss my wizard and shadowknight....

  • death919

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 6:58 pm PT

    WOAH, 15 xpacs are you serious!? Haha that must be awesome, the layers must be intense... right now WoW has 2 xpacs and it feels so different from the original, I can't even imagine what it would be like after 15 xpacs. :O

    That's pretty crazy.

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