EQ, EQII expand again this fall

Sony Online Entertainment's annual Fan Faire is raiding Las Vegas this week, and to honor the occasion, the gamemaker today announced two new expansions for its flagship EverQuest and EverQuest II massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

Now in its fourth year, EverQuest II will expand for a fifth time on November 18. Titled The Shadow Odyssey, the latest EQII add-on introduces the overland zone Moors of Ykesha--better known as former Troll bastion Innothule Swamp--along with 20 new zones and 18 dungeons.

Playing to nostalgia-seeking gamers, a sampling of EQII's new zones includes classic hotspots such as Najena, Mistmoore, the Ruins of Guk, and Befallen. The expansion will also increase the achievement point cap to 200, as well as introduce five new heritage quests and a new mission system, among other game tweaks.

As for the stalwart EverQuest, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year, SOE is introducing the game's 15th expansion, Seeds of Destruction. Fast approaching a doubling of the game's original level-50 cap, Seeds of Destruction ups players' max level to 85 and introduces a range of new alternate advancement abilities and spells.

This latest expansion will also introduce player-controlled mercenaries, which act as added support for player-versus-environment encounters. As it wouldn't be an expansion without new zones, 20 new locales will also be added to the game, and SOE has also revamped some previously released content. Seeds of Destruction will be available on live servers beginning October 21.

Public betas will be held for both expansions, with The Shadow Odyssey test beginning September 2 and Seeds of Destruction kicking off August 19.