EverQuest II: The Splitpaw Saga E3 2005 First Look

While visiting the Sony Online Entertainment booth to learn more about the first EverQuest II expansion pack, Desert of Flames, we had the opportunity to chat reps up about The Splitpaw Saga, the upcoming downloadable content pack for EQII. While we didn't see the game in motion, we did come away with some new info.

One of the things Sony is excited about with The Splitpaw Saga is the inclusion of dynamic leveling in some of the instanced content. Apparently, when you enter a dungeon, the enemies within will scale in difficulty to automatically form a challenging encounter for your group's level range. If everyone's level 40, you can expect to see a lot of enemies around that level range, but if you go back to the same content later with a level 30 character, then the content will scale automatically, resulting in lower-level enemies. This apparently also affects the loot tables for enemies as well.

The gameplay addition in the The Splitpaw Saga content pack comes in the form of movable objects. Again, we didn't get eyes-on with the pack, but we're told that, as an example of the utility of movable objects, you may find yourself locked in a prison cell from which you have to escape. Although the doors are locked, you'll be able to stack boxes or maneuver them so that you can eventually climb up and out of the cell.

Storywise, the Splitpaw expansion pack will revolve around the titular Splitpaw, who's apparently the leader of a group of secretive gnolls. We don't have any information on the story beyond that, unfortunately.

The Splitpaw Saga should be available at the end of June, and the downloadable content currently features a $7.99 price point.