EverQuest II Producer's Letter October 2023

It is time once again to reflect on what has happened in the last few months as the warm tendrils of summer give way to the cooler autumn months. We've come a long way and have farther to go before the end of 2023.

Before we look back at what's already happened, I’d like to remind everyone that fundraising is underway for Extra Life already! As we are over halfway to our goal, I have no doubt we will smash our goal and set next year's bar higher still. We have some fantastic group, individual, and fundraiser incentives. Be sure to check out the Extra Life Guide for how to join Team Darkpaw if you have not done so yet.

Without further ado, let's recap what's happened since my last Producer's Letter. 

Completed

July:

• Terrors of Thalumbra, Kunark Ascending, and Planes of Prophecy Expansions were added as free-to-play
• Zarrakon unlocked Echoes of Faywer
• The Great Cloak Caper continued

August: 

• Varsoon unlocked Rise of Kunark
• Swag Store updated
• Large updates to Summer Jubilee's Oceansfull Festival
• Game Update U123 (Shattered Overture) and Expansion Prelude (Fractured Skies) Open Beta
• Extra Life Incentives announced

September: 

• Game Update 123: Shattered Overture and Fractured Skies launched
• Updates and a small revamp to Panda, Panda, Panda! - Those fluffy rapscallions will no longer require you to complete all their previous adventures to embark on their latest escapade.

Looking into what's coming up, we’ve got Nights of the Dead slated for this month. November will see Extra Life Game Day, as well as the Extra Life server bonuses, our Anniversary event and much more! The next few months are chock full of fun, you won’t want to miss a beat!

Upcoming

October: 

• 2023's Expansion Beta + Pre-order
• New updates to Nights of the Dead
• Varsoon unlocks Runnyeye: The Gathering, Veksar: The Invasion, and Shard of Hate

November: 

• Extra Life Game Day
• Extra Life server bonuses
• New updates to Heroes' Festival - Celebrate our 19th Anniversary!
• 2023's Expansion Launch - EverQuest II's 20th Expansion! 

December: 

• New updates to Frostfell
• Varsoon unlocks The Shadow Odyssey

And now what you’ve all been waiting for, information about our 20th expansion! We will continue with a music theme as we announce: Ballads of Zimara. Beta started today with pre-orders. Learn more about it here.

Calamitous impacts upon Norrath were but an overture to the songs of strife and oppression ringing out from the Plane of Sky. Norrathians, venture to the firmament lands in hopes of wresting lasting peace from a despotic foe, the Djinn Sovereign, and his growing army of metallic djinn!

Ballads of Zimara features a level cap increase to 130 for adventure and tradeskills levels, new solo, heroic, and raid zones, new quests, and much more. Also new for this year, expand your arsenal interactively with Advanced Research and re-challenge your favorite encounters with whole new twists in Chrono Dungeons.

Join us on beta and earn these exclusive beta rewards! More on Beta can be found here!

Fabled Mount: Hengaron, Stormlord and Celestial Familiar: Grannus Firebrand

The next few months I will begin working on the public 2024 Roadmap. EverQuest II is coming up on a milestone year, EverQuest II’s 20th Anniversary, and I cannot wait to share what we have in store for everyone. And with that, it is time to sign off this Producer’s Letter.

Study the "clef notes" above and we’ll see you in game, 

Jenn Chan
Head of Studio