Out of the Box: EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer (PC) (gamespy)

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EverQuest II has changed quite a lot throughout the past two years, and nowhere is this more evident than in the just-released expansion, Echoes of Faydwer. Many would call it the first "real" expansion to the game, and with good reason -- though three have been released since the game's launch, Echoes is the only one thus far to offer content compelling to players of all levels. Our early experience with it also suggests that it represents the most refined iteration of the game yet released. The newly-added "newb" zone is replete with directed content, which makes the early experience focused and entertaining. While the new Fae race may not be to the liking of some players, it really does grant veterans a chance to experience the low-level game in a manner that is probably a whole lot more enjoyable than what they remember.

Though the game shipped yesterday (Tuesday), the servers didn't come online till later that afternoon on the West Coast. Apart from that ever-so-slight delay, the expansion seems to have been deployed without a hitch over the last 24 hours. Going a from recently-updated client to the live version took less than 15 minutes (though times will of course vary depending on how long it's been since you updated your game). All told, however, it's been a clean launch for Echoes of Faydwer, and while the new continent of Kelethin is buzzing with activity, there isn't much lag to speak of.

The early experience for a Fae character, as mentioned, has been altogether pleasant. The moment you zone into the starting area, you're presented with quests aplenty, with robust experience rewards, and material rewards that are actually useful. As has become commonplace in the genre, the first few levels fly by, and you'll soon find yourself outgrowing the emasculating Nursery zone (some of whose quests have you finding a little girl's lost dolly) and venturing into areas more in keeping with EverQuest's high fantasy milieu.

Despite the fact that many players may end up dismissing them based on their appearance, the Fae may just end up being very viable PvP characters due to some of their racial characteristics. For one, their wings aren't entirely for show; they actually grant them one of the cooler racial abilities in the game -- the ability to safely fall from high altitudes. This has ability has very interesting applications in EverQuest II's emerging PvP game, not the least of which are increased escape capabilities. There is also much talk among the playerbase of various "death from above" tactics that Fae characters will be able to employ, but how viable these will ultimately be is yet to be determined.

The Fae's size also seems to factor heavily into their desirability for PvP; much of the world's geometry is obviously much larger than they are, and even taking into account the bright red name tags you have on PvP servers, they'll probably still be harder to click-target than the larger races. Make no mistake: especially on PvP servers, the glut of newly-created Fae characters doesn't necessarily have everything to do with their novelty factors. Many players are definitely planning to stick to this race for the long haul, and not for the reasons you may suspect.

So yes, our early experiences with Echoes of Faydwer have been pretty positive, but many questions still remain. Will the directed content last, or will be business as usual (i.e., forming "XP parties" to grind monsters) commence after you leave the newb zones? Is there much in the expansion for evilly-aligned players? Will the Fae be able to betray the good races and join Freeport, or become Exiles? How well do the new professions stack up? These are all issues that we'll be paying special attention during our review, so stay tuned for our full review while we spend some more time with the game.