EverQuest 2 Game Update Blog

Game Update 57 went live today, and boy.. there’s alot of changes, some you’ll love, some you’ll dislike, some you may there were completely unnecessary..  good, bad or ugly.. here we go!

QUEST REGIONS OF INTEREST
Many quests will now highlight areas on the map to show where updates can be obtained.
Quests must be active in the quest helper window for their RoIs to display.
Mousing over a quest in the quest helper window will highlight its corresponding RoIs on the map.
Mousing over RoIs on the map will display info on the quest they are associated with.
Quests in the following zones currently support this feature:
Frostfang Sea, Darklight Wood, Greater Faydark, Timorous Deep, Lavastorm, Kylong Plains, Butcherblock, Steamfont, The Barren Sky, The Bonemire, Tenebrous Tangle, and Sinking Sands.

USER INTERFACE UPDATES
The Default UI now ships with two color options; red and blue. Use the /loadui command to change color schemes.
A clock and compass have been integrated into the mini-map window (the old compass and clock UI elements were not removed and can be opened using Alt-N and Alt-C respectively).
At the bottom of the screen you will now find the Nav bar, which replaces the old experience bar and includes the EQII button and shortcuts to various UI windows (you can right-click minimize/maximize the NAV bar to hide the various shortcut keys, except for the SC and EQII buttons).
New tutorial windows have been created to help ease new players into the game.
The Marketplace window has been upgraded for easier browsing. An item preview pane has also been added.
The Welcome window layout has been reorganized to make it easier to read.
The Inventory and Persona windows were merged to create the Character window (the shortcut key for this new window is C).
Z is now the default for crouch.
The casting, breath and PvP immunity bars have been updated with a new look.
The hotbar has been reworked and is now easier to manipulate.
If a new spell is a newer version of an old spell on your hotbar it will replace the older version rather than adding a new button on your hotbar.
Spell effects that are not able to crit will say “This effect cannot be critically applied” in the spell description.
You can now freely move any UI window when viewing them in F10 mode.
You can now disable the confirmation when spending AA points under Options -> UI -> Game Features.

CHARACTER CREATION
The character creation process has been reorganized for a better flow (models will now default to their SOGA versions during character creation).
More classes are now neutral:
Neutral: Troubador, Dirge, Ranger, Assassin, Templar, Inquisitor, Fury, Warden, Coercer, Illusionist, Wizard, Warlock, Bruiser, Monk, Guardian, and Berserker
Good: Swashbuckler, Mystic, Conjurer, and Paladin
Evil: Brigand, Defiler, Necromancer, and Shadowknight

SPELL FX REVAMP
We are updating, optimizing and standardizing every class spell visual in the game. AA and Entertainment spells are next on the list and will be revealed in a later game update.

The purpose for these changes are primarily to optimize and individualize as many spells as possible so there will be more uniqueness to each class. Also we would like for more players to have the ability to keep the spell FX active during group and raid content and still be able to tell what is going on.

We analyzed the text and effects of each spell and made every effort to standardize the type of damage being done or the type of buff, heal, summon, etc. Also since we picked a single name for the spells instead of getting a new name with every spell upgrade, we tried to give the spell a visual that not only matched the damage done, but also the name of the spell.

When you start a new character you will have Apprentice spells. This spell tier along with Journeyman will have a beginner level of FX in both size and quantity. Later when you acquire Adept or Expert versions of the spells the level of FX will increase. Finally when you acquire Master and Grandmaster versions of the spells you will experience the full FX force of that spell.

One of the unique features of spells in EverQuest II is the leveling of spell skills. As you cast destructive spells your skill in Disruption increases. Healing spells increase Ministration. Buff and debuff spells increase Ordination and Crowd Control and Summon spells increase Subjugation (see figure a). Other than the chat window there was no real indication which spells increased which status. Therefore we created the spell wheel. Mages, Bards and Priests will see the spell wheel spin while casting and the corresponding Rune will show up when that skill is used. Casting runes will all emanate from the caster’s feet as part of their traditional casting rings.

Finally we set up Icons for the various other buffs in the game to show players when they are getting an increase or decrease to Intelligence, Wisdom, Focus, etc.