EverQuest II Prelude Event Live, EverQuest Beta Opens
Fall is expansion season for Norrath. Both EverQuest games are gearing up for their next big releases this week, and each is doing it in its own way. EverQuest II has launched its yearly prelude event, Path to Sedition. Over in the original EverQuest, beta testing has started for the upcoming Favors of Fortune expansion.
Neither announcement is a surprise. Together, though, they show that one of the oldest MMO franchises still running is moving into a busy few months on two fronts at once.
A Familiar Ritual for EverQuest II
Prelude events have become a tradition for EverQuest II. Most years, the sandbox MMORPG runs one in the weeks before a new expansion. It gives returning and active players something to do while they wait, and it sets up the story that the expansion will pick up.
This year's version is called Path to Sedition, and its job is straightforward. It lays the groundwork for Descent to Val'zyroth, the expansion that Darkpaw revealed earlier this month. Judging by the key art, there will be undead to deal with. Nothing in Norrath stays buried for long.
The setup sends players to Freeport, one of the game's major cities, which needs help with a threat facing both the city and the wider continent of D'Lere. While players deal with that problem, they also learn about a bigger danger: a Teir'Dal threat that is growing just under the surface. That is the hook. The prelude handles the immediate crisis and hints that the real trouble is still coming.
What Players Can Actually Do
The content list is modest, but it has some substance, and it covers both combat players and crafters. Path to Sedition includes:
- Eight new adventure quests for players who prefer fighting
- Eight new tradeskill quests for crafters
- New quest rewards tied to the event storyline
- A new achievement to unlock
- A new collection to complete
- New merchant buyables to spend your earnings on
The even split between adventure and tradeskill quests stands out. EverQuest II has long treated crafting as a real progression path, and this event follows that approach. Crafters get the same number of story beats as adventurers, rather than a single side quest added at the end.
It is not a huge amount of content. A prelude is not supposed to be, though. Its purpose is to remind people why they log in and to send them into the expansion already invested in the story.
Meanwhile, in the Original EverQuest
The first EverQuest is also moving ahead. Beta testing for Favors of Fortune is now underway, and testers are already working through several of the expansion's main features.
The headline item is the Dark Elf Bard race and class combination. The beta also covers the new collection depot, plus a range of new quests, missions and raids. Expansion betas exist to find what breaks before launch, and there is a lot here to test.
Getting in comes with a condition: beta access is a pre-order bonus. Buying Favors of Fortune ahead of release unlocks the test, along with other extras, including three gilded weapon ornaments. That is a common way to reward early buyers in older subscription MMOs. It also means the people testing the expansion are the ones who have already paid for it.
Two Games, One Season
Seeing both games run pre-launch activity side by side is a reminder of how long the EverQuest name has lasted. These are two separate MMOs with their own player bases and histories, and they are still preparing for new expansions in parallel. Plenty of studios would be satisfied keeping one long-running game alive.
The approaches differ, but they aim for the same result. EverQuest II uses free, in-game story content to build anticipation. EverQuest leans on early access to its beta to encourage pre-orders. Both are meant to bring players back before launch day.
Our Take
The prelude event is not exciting on its own, and that is fine. Its regularity is what matters. When a studio runs the same seasonal ritual year after year, it suggests the team is working on a steady schedule rather than scrambling to survive, and that is reassuring for any veteran MMO. Other older games are on similar calendars this autumn, with LOTRO's Wolves of Mordor expansion also coming soon. Long-running titles clearly still treat the fall release window as important.
The pre-order beta model for Favors of Fortune deserves more scrutiny. Tying test access to a purchase can produce a committed group of testers, but it can also exclude players who want to try the expansion before they buy it. A similar debate is happening around paid entry to newer games, such as ArcheAge Chronicles' early access box price.
The thing to watch is whether Path to Sedition's Teir'Dal storyline pays off well in Descent to Val'zyroth, and whether feedback from the Favors of Fortune beta, especially on the Dark Elf Bard combo, leads to noticeable changes before launch.