CES 2006: EverQuest II: Kingdom of Sky Impressions

LAS VEGAS--Sony Online offered up a few new tidbits today at CES about Kingdom of Sky, its new EverQuest II expansion pack that was just recently announced. Aside from the requisite new lands, quests, monsters, and so on, the biggest news for the thriving online role-playing game is the addition of player-versus-player combat. But then, all players will have access to the same feature through a downloadable patch released around the same time as the expansion.

In story terms, Kingdom of Sky will focus on the Norrath warriors' battle against the residents of the Overrealm, a mystical and previously undiscovered territory consisting of islands floating high above the land. You will begin to see in-game clues, such as non-player character dialogue, indicating that those reaching a high-enough level will be able to erect "teleportation spires" that they can then use to travel to the Overrealm and battle the creatures dwelling there, who intend to enslave and conquer Norrath.

Some of the new beings you'll find in the Overrealm include humanoid races resembling eagles and vultures, as well as a number of rather fearsome dragon bosses. We got to see one particularly fearsome bone dragon dungeon boss that ought to provide some nice loot for fearless adventurers. The islands and architecture of the Overrealm have a classical, Middle Eastern-influenced look to them, as well.

Speaking of loot, SOE is adding a number of unique, high-level armor pieces to the game that should give players who seek them out a more distinctive appearance than the masses of less-ambitious quest-takers. These items won't be incredibly rare or difficult to track down--you'll just need to increase your strength to a high-enough level to obtain them. Kingdom of Sky is due out on February 21, so you can expect more details on the expansion pack to emerge before then.