Filed under: EverQuest

Two words for you: cushy pillows. Yes, that's right, you heard me.

There are two days left for the Sony Online Entertainment ConnectDING event -- a marketing event designed to get you and your friends looking at the Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts of EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Free Realms. Each one of the games has its own special reward once it hits so many fans, so why turn down free rewards for doing nothing more than clicking a button?

And that, my friends, is where we get to cushy pillows. EverQuest II is close to their goal -- only 2,000 fans shy! However, the event ends on February 10th! Oh teh noes, right? If EQII can get 2,000 more fans, everyone in the game will get 500 station cash for the in-game marketplace and awesome "Community Pillows" to add to their homes. The pillows not only look stylish and reduce the rent status of your property, but they also let avatars have pillow fights when activated!

So please, reach out and become a fan of EverQuest II today. Follow them on Facebook, on Twitter, or on both! Give these poor, orphaned pillows a home. (Plus the cash isn't too bad either.)

If you've been considering donating to Haitian relief efforts and happen to play EverQuest, EverQuest II, or Free Realms, then we've got some news that you'll undoubtedly want to take a look at.

Between now and midnight PST on January 18th, for every purchase of either a Zando T-Rex pet in Free Realms, a Protectors of the Faydark armor crate in EverQuest II, or a Plush Bear item in EverQuest, SOE will donate $10 to the relief efforts up to a maximum of $25,000. Considering each of the items only costs 500 Station Cash to purchase, that equates to players donating $5, then SOE matching the donation with $5 of their own and then sending it along. That's pretty cool in our book.

So if you want to help a great cause and land a little something fun for your EQ, EQII, or Free Realms character, then these items are something you'll want to pick up before the midnight on the 18th. Also, a big thumbs up to SOE for offering items to raise money for Haiti.

[Update: SOE has raised $25,000 for this relief effort in just three days!]

EverQuest's sixteenth expansion, Underfoot, launched December 15th, and Sony Online Entertainment continues to treat players to "Unfolding the Lore", a series of in-depth looks at individual zones in Underfoot.

The newest round of Unfolding the Lore explores Brell's Temple, "the structure that contains the workshop of Brell Serilis, the Duke of Below - the inner sanctum where he labors to create new forms of life," as well as the history and purpose behind the zone. We're also treated to a "Points of Interest" section, featuring a look at several smaller areas within the Temple: the workshop, trial chambers, gardens, and much more.

A full tour of the points of interest tells an interesting tale of the process of creation that Brell uses from beginning to end. It's a great read for those of you who are already familiar with the lore, and very informative for those who are exploring EverQuest for the first time. Take a look at the official site for the full story, and enjoy the images from Brell's Temple in the gallery below!

Back in March this year, Second Life was closing in on Everquest in terms of peak popularity. Everquest itself peaked at approximately 90,000 concurrent users during its most popular period and Second Life came within a whisker of that at 88,199.

Since then, though, Second Life's user-concurrency (as you can see in the chart above, covering the last two years) has been slowly declining.

It's always great when we can combine MMO gaming with the support of a good cause, and if you're a player of either Free Realms, EverQuest, or EverQuest II you have a chance to do just that with the Child's Play Winter Charity Drive. You can also get your characters some fun new items in the process.

From now until January 17th, Sony Online Entertainment has earmarked a few special items to support Child's Play, a game industry charity that provides toys and games to children in over 60 hospitals worldwide. The brand new Triceratops pet in Free Realms, the Child's Play Anklebiter doll in EverQuest, and the Child's Play Bouncing Baby Panda Cub in EverQuest II are all available now for 500 Station Cash each. For every purchase of one of these items, SOE will donate $10 to Child's Play, up to $50,000.

Child's Play has been around since 2003, and has donated nearly $1.4 million to the hospitals in their network this year.

SOE's EverQuest, one of the earliest of 3-D graphical MMOs, launches its 16th expansion today: Underfoot. This particular area of Norrath, the realm of Brell Serilis, the Duke of Below, is filled with inner turmoil and new adventure. Massively was given a tour of the new expansion and we have all the details for you below.

This tour is divided into two parts. Part one, after the jump briefly covers the two new features being introduced to the game: the new Achievement system and the Extended Target window. Part two is a screenshot tour of the new zones with its bizarre and fractious denizens. Join us, won't you, on a journey into the plane of Underfoot.

Sony Online Entertainment has jumped on the social networking bandwagon with a vengeance, setting up Facebook and Twitter pages for Free Realms, EverQuest, and EverQuest II.

Of course, they want their player base to get involved and check these sites regularly, but they also want you playing their games. How to accomplish both goals? Simple -- offer prizes for doing both, and offer them up to everyone via a fun new program called "ConnectDING!"

SOE has set some goals for followers and fans of the sites for all three games: 5,000, 10,000, and 15,000. Each time they hit one of those milestones in a game they'll "DING!" and everyone in the game in question will be able to claim a little gift. At 5,000 it will be 250 Station Cash, at 10,000 it will be 250 Station Cash plus an interactive item, and at 15,000 everyone will receive 500 Station Cash and another interactive item.

Check out the official information page for all the details, and then head over to Facebook and Twitter to make your prizes arrive even faster.

It's that time of year again -- Thanksgiving is tomorrow and all things turkey related have invaded the MMO world: hunting turkeys, eating turkeys, exchanging turkey parts for rewards, wielding turkey weapons, and even wearing turkeys on your head. Sending yourself into a tryptophan coma isn't the only thing to do, though. You'll find some non-turkey related PvP here and there, opportunities to spread Thanksgiving blessings, and even some new content. And of course, Thanksgiving bonuses, treats, and souvenirs are everywhere. Follow along after the jump for a look at what's going on for Thanksgiving.

If you play EverQuest, EverQuest II or Free Realms and happen upon a Station Cash card this week, you may want to considering picking one or two up. Sony Online Entertainment will be giving players with accounts in good standing a 25% boost to any Station Cash card they redeem between Monday, November 23 (after 10:00am PST) and Sunday, November 29th (before 10:00pm PST).

A pretty good offer if we do say so ourselves. In fact, we kind of wish we knew that for our second episode ReSubbed this week, as we could've mentioned it during our jaunty exploration of EverQuest's trial zone. Oh well, at least you know now!

EverQuest continued their "Unfolding the Lore" series yesterday with the introduction of Kernagir, the Shining City. This latest area of the Underfoot expansion is "where the chosen of Brell Serilis go to live out eternity in Underfoot."

The city of Kernagir was built to honor and worship Brell, and is created using the unlimited natural resources that his followers enjoy to make Kernagir a place of beauty. Kernagir was designed as a sort of Utopia for Brell's chosen, and the citizens have traditionally been fairly choosy about who they allow in. Things are changing in the Shining City, though.

With Brell keeping his distance lately, followers of the Faith of Self are seeking out the talented craftsmen who live in Kernagir, and the "heresy of individualism" is spreading. The tale of Kernagir says "This has led to a philosophical schism and the taking of sides. The acrimonious debate between the two sides is descending towards violence and may lead to rampant chaos in the Shining City now that Brell's influence has disappeared."

What happens next? The story of Kernagir and its fate will continue with the December release of EverQuest: Underfoot.

Everyone has their own lists of what games have been the most important in the grand scheme of the industry, but it's pretty impossible to argue that EverQuest doesn't deserve a spot near the top of the list. While time hasn't seen the classic game and its sequel remain the 900-pound-gorilla of the industry, it still holds a place near and dear to many people's hearts. More to the point, the impact it had on MMOs as a whole is undeniable. That's why the new Evercracked! video series running on IGN should bring a nice dose of joy, nostalgia, and general good feelings to a number of people.

Hosted by Jace Hall, the series is slated to include interviews with veteran players and designers, behind-the-scenes footage, and a general collection of trivia and recollections. The first episode is now available, with new episodes going live every week until December 10th, so really, what's keeping you? The game has inspired countless people into the genre, including the original sources of the industry's current big success story. Even if you're just looking for historical purposes, it's likely to contain some amusement. And if you got your start in the genre with EverQuest, well, that's all the better.

Halloween is probably second only to Christmas in terms of holiday popularity. Ask just about anybody what their favorite holiday is, and they'll probably list one of those two (if it fits the culture). Naturally, as MMO players, we have fun celebrating it in our virtual worlds just like we do in the real world. And boy, this year, do we ever celebrate. Just about every active MMO out there had (or has) something going on. The 2009 lineup included:

• Final Fantasy XI - Harvest Festival
• City of Heroes - The Deadly Apocalypse
• EverQuest II - Nights of the Dead
• Fallen Earth - Days of the Dead
• Warhammer Online - Daemon Moon Rising
• Aion - Harvest Revel
• Guild Wars - The Mad King's Revelry
• Runes of Magic - Pumpkin Festival
• Lineage - Cavern of Chaos
• Lineage II - Spooks and Scarecrows
• Age of Conan - Nights of Lost Souls
• EverQuest - The Haunting of Norrath
• Legends of Norrath - Brraaaaaainss!
• Star Wars Galaxies - Galactic Moon Festival
• Exteel - Hey, sweet! Paint!
• Free Realms - Super Spooktacular
• Champions Online - Blood Moon

Most of these events last a few days into November, so if there's any one in particular you're dying to experience, you might still have a chance if you have a subscription laying around. If you're not able to visit any of these in person, we have screenshots from many of these events in the gallery below. Enjoy!

Sony Online Entertainment might just take the prize this Halloween for the best transformation item in an MMO this year. EverQuest and EverQuest II players can purchase a Transmogrification Scroll or a Race Change Potion for a change of race. If you've been dying to try out a new race but hate the thought of starting all over and losing your progress, you need to get to the marketplace.

The change is permanent, but you can always purchase another scroll or potion to change back or try a different race on for size. EverQuest players have even more fun items to check out while they're shopping. A couple of different auras will surround you with floating jack-o-lanterns or candles, a Collar of the Cursed Lupine will net you one werewolf companion, and a Bat on a String will summon a bat to follow your every move.

Halloween's coming up fast, so grab your bat, your floating jack-o-lanterns and pick your shiny new race in time for trick-or-treating!

It's easy to talk about gaming addiction as an abstract concept, but whether or not you think the idea holds a lot of water there are an awful lot of studies and examinations of it that just won't go away. Still, the concept is easy to deny. The human element, however, makes it much more real and that much harder to ignore. Which is why, ultimately, it's probably a good thing for everyone that Kotaku's editor Mike Fahey has written up his story of his EverQuest addiction -- the origin, the escalation, and the recovery of sorts.

Mike describes how the death of his relationship led to him escaping into the video game that increasingly was preferrable to his normal life -- which, in turn, led to him winding up without his car, then without a job, and then ultimately to the point that we could probably see coming, where the game became preferrable to pursuing a romantic relationship. He chronicles the downward slide, followed by the slow crawl back out of being addicted -- but, at the end, he doesn't conclude that EverQuest itself is the problem.

As he himself puts it regarding his addiction: "I hid. I ran from my problems, hiding away in a virtual fantasy world instead of confronting the issues that might have been easily resolved if I had addressed them directly." His story focuses not upon the game, but on his own responses and how they were what was ultimately responsible for what happened and where he wound up. It's an interesting piece for the conclusion alone, and worth reading for anyone with even the slightest stake in the topic of game addiction -- which, for those of us who play MMOs, should really just include all of us.