sentinels-fate posts

The Tattered Notebook: No one is left behind

by Seraphina Brennan Mar 2nd 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, Opinion, The Tattered Notebook

'Allo again, lovelies. Last week has been a week of danger and intrigue as I battled through Nektulos Forest and worked on getting my unique Shadowknight armor. During all of this, though, I thought to myself -- how can I apply any of these experiences to my notebook entry for this coming week?

Then of course, it hit me. Why not just explain what I've been doing to get through the areas in a short amount of time? A few tips and tricks for playing the level game? Sure, I've been up and down with grouping and preparations for Sentinel's Fate, but many players are always intimidated when entering a game and "being behind."

Well, don't worry about being behind. You're not entering the game late at all when it comes to EverQuest II, especially thanks to the recent additions to the game in Sentinel's Fate. Interested in catching up and experiencing some great content? Then click on through after the break!

Also, I'm still looking for questions anyone has on EverQuest II, so I can answer them in an upcoming Tattered Notebook. Ask me anything, from EverQuest II questions, guild leadership and raiding questions, and even questions on my Dark Elven heritage. Send them over to seraphina@massively.com, and she'll be sure to forward them on through the Norrathian Express mail to me.

Tags: content, dungeons, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, featured, grouping, level-cap, plotline, questing, sentinels-fate, soloing, storyline, the-golden-path, the-tattered-notebook, timelines, veteran-rewards

Sentinel's Fate rises to the top of the charts

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 26th 2010 at 9:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, News items

The EverQuest II players have spoken. The results are in, and the sales of the newest expansion, Sentinel's Fate took the #1 spot in the PC game sales charts for a second week in a row. We'd bet there will be much celebratory battleground playing or virtual pillow-fighting at the Sony Online Entertainment offices today.

The sixth expansion to EverQuest II, Sentinel's Fate is chock full of content, taking players from level 80 to 90. Packed into this expansion are two new overland zones, 15 new dungeons, 400 new quests and over 2,000 new items to check out. There's also some pretty cool armor and 500 station cash to go shopping with as well. Not too shabby.

If you're curious for more details about the expansion, Sera's compiled a great roundup of our coverage. For now, we'll just say grats on the ding, EverQuest II team!

Tags: eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, sales-charts, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment

The Tattered Notebook: Sentinel's Fate aftermath and advice

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 23rd 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, Tips and tricks, Opinion, The Tattered Notebook

Hrm. After a brief vacation, darlings, I am back at the reigns of my column. Neriak was lovely this time of year -- I encourage you all to stop by for a visit if you have the time.

But who has the time these days, right? All of your are off exploring Odus as if you haven't seen the place in 500 years. I hear that some adventurers are already tackling some of the most dangerous dungeons on that continent already! My, my, my, how you all tackle your challenges so quickly.

Many of you have had some very interesting things to say about Odus, and I've been silently watching and taking some notes. I've got them all right here, tucked away in my notebook. I've even amassed some answers for a few of your more common problems, just in time for the digital download release today. But, all of you can never say that Seccia Ravenloft was a secretive elf. I'm more than happy to share my findings so come closely, gather around the campfire, and listen here.

Tags: aa, alternate-advancement, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, experience, graphics, grouping, odus, questing, repeatable-quests, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment, statistics, the-hole, token-quests

Dragons abound in the Sentinel's Fate launch day trailer

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 16th 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, EverQuest II, Expansions, Launches

An epic expansion deserves an epic trailer, and that means adding as many dragons as possible to your video. The new Sentinel's Fate launch day trailer takes a good look at all of the new monsters and encounters available in the game, but it seems to have a particular focus on large dragons and how they destroy people with their acidic breath. Fun if you're a dragon lover, bad if you're on the receiving end of that breath.

If you haven't gotten a look at the expansion in motion yet, or want to watch some dragons eat some people, we have the video for you embedded after the break. Just click the continue reading button to see the eye candy if you dare to cross into the dragon's lair!

Tags: dragons, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, launch-day, paineel, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment, sundered-frontier, trailer, video

The Tattered Notebook: A look into grouping, and a roundup of our Sentinel's Fate coverage

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 16th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Culture, Expansions, Grouping, The Tattered Notebook

While Sentinel's Fate doesn't hit the digital download shelves for another week, retail players (and the many winners of retail access keys) are already enjoying the brand new lands of Odus as of this morning, thanks to today's headstart launch! The magical barrier protecting the continent has fallen, and many adventurers have already accessed the wizard spires to throw themselves into the Sundered Frontier and right into the intrigue.

But, while you're waiting to patch (or if you're an international customer, waiting for the servers to come up) we have just the thing for you -- our roundup of Sentinel's Fate coverage. Plus, this week we're taking a look at forming groups in EverQuest II, and how you can quickly and effectively put one together.

Tags: eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, featured, grouping, grouping-tips, lands, launch-day, odus, roundup, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment, sundered-frontier, the-tattered-notebook

Win a copy of EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate tonight in Massively's "Keys of Fate" event! [Closed!]

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 15th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Contests, Events, in-game, Expansions, Giveaways

You have an EverQuest II subscription (or want to sign up for a trial?) You want to participate in a fun event, solve a few puzzles, and have a chance at winning a collector's edition key for Sentinel's Fate just in time for tomorrow's launch? Then do we have the offer for you!

Tonight, starting at 8:30 PM ET (5:30 PM PT), boot up your EverQuest II to the Lucan d'Lere server and get your browsers pointed to Massively.com. We're hosting an across-the-internet scavenger hunt, finishing out with a race across Norrath to find our roving Dark Elven reporter, Seccia Ravenloft.

Seccia has been equipped with not one, but two key codes that will unlock the Sentinel's Fate collector's edition in addition to 10 key codes that will unlock the standard retail version. All of these keys will let you access the Sentinel's Fate headstart, which begins tomorrow!

Need all the details? We have them right after the break!

Tags: contest, eq-ii, eq2, event, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, featured, in-game-event, keys-of-fate, meet-massively, puzzles, scavenger-hunt, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment, station-cash

Catch up for Sentinel's Fate with a bonus exp weekend

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 12th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, News items

Behind on your leveling? Stuck in a mire of experience? Looking for a quick boost to get you set for the latest expansion to EverQuest II, Sentinel's Fate?

Well, starting at 3 PM PT today (6 PM for those of us on the east coast) you'll be able to get bonus experience to everything you do in EverQuest II! Leveling experience, alternate advancement experience, tradeskill experience, country experience, and western experience will all benefit from the bonus event. (Editor's Note: We don't remember country or western experience being in EQII, but hey, he is the executive producer, after all. He should know what he's talking about.)

Your new experience buff will be running out on Monday at Noon PT (3 PM ET) so be sure to take advantage of it while you can! Get some more experience under your belt before Sentinel's Fate launches on Tuesday!

Tags: bonus-exp-weekend, bonus-experience, brenlo, catch-up, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment

Conquer the Keys of Fate, win a copy of Sentinel's Fate!

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 12th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Contests, Events, in-game, Expansions

"Seccia quickly looked over the treasured keys one last time. Her fingers lightly traced the ornate engravings on the two platinum and ten golden keys as a smile pulled itself across her lips. She took a deep breath before slowly wrapping them up in a large piece of canvas, hiding the package at the bottom of her backpack.

"In a few short minutes she had finished packing her camping supplies and had donned her armor. Without a second look back across her apartment she quickly moved towards the front door, praying that the right adventurers would find her before it's too late."

This Monday at 8:30 PM EST, join Massively as we set out on a bold quest across not only the face of Norrath, but the internet itself! Our intrepid Dark Elven reporter, Seccia Ravenloft, is holding the keys for brand new copies of EverQuest II's Sentinel's Fate collector's edition and retail edition! To claim them, however, one must track her down, wherever she is hiding, and politely request a key.

Tracking her down, however, will lead you through multiple puzzles and riddles in a race against the rest of Norrath! You will need an active EverQuest II subscription to participate in this contest, readers, so be sure to reactivate if you're interested in winning yourself a brand new expansion pack. Full instructions will be posted here and on the EverQuest II Community News forum come Monday, so keep your eye out!

Can you conquer the Keys of Fate?

Tags: collectors-edition, contest, eq-ii, eq2, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, keys-of-fate, norrath, puzzle, retail-keys, scavenger-hunt, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment

EverQuest II unveils a new puzzle upon Norrath, and we've got some pieces of it

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 9th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Contests, Culture, Events, in-game

Once again, we've gotten another package from that strange community Dark Elf, Kiara. This time, however, instead of sending us a set of tablets, we've gotten sheets of paper containing some foreign language!

We're told that once the language is successfully deciphered, it should provide clues to a brand new questing opportunity to those who play EverQuest II. If you've been itching for more information on Sentinel's Fate, then look no further than these various scripts to provide you with information -- if you can crack them.

We've placed our four sections of writing in the article after the break, so be sure to click on the continue reading button to get a glimpse of the stuff you'll need to understand. We hear you'll need a big forehead to beat this one. *wink wink*

Tags: contest, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, featured, kiara, puzzle, quest, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment

Massively's developer tour of Sentinel's Fate

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 5th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Expansions, Opinion, Massively Hands-on

With the EverQuest II team hard at work on their newest expansion, Sentinel's Fate, we were invited by community manager Kiara to drop by the Shattered Lands and take a closer look at the new zones in the expansion. While we were expecting to see some nice content, it's amazing to see just how beautiful these zones are when you walk through them in person.

I'm not one to open an article with such a bold statement, but the zones we got to tour in Sentinel's Fate were impressive. Hopefully today we can impart some of the beauty of these zones to you as we talk about three major areas in the new expansion: The Hole & The Seal of the Underfoot, the Erudin Library, and the Vasty Deep Conservatory.

Gallery: EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate

Tags: brett-scheinert, conservatory, dev-tour, developer-tour, eq-ii, eq2, erudin-library, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, featured, kiara, screenshots, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment, the-hole, timetravelling, vasty-deep, zones

EverQuest II to host live tour of Sentinel's Fate

by Rubi Bayer Feb 3rd 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions

Sentinel's Fate is the upcoming expansion to Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest II, and fans are looking forward to exploring Odus, checking out all the new dungeons, and learning more about the Erudites and their fate.

Sony Online Entertainment has been giving us peeks into Sentinel's Fate for quite a while now. We've seen the screenshots, read up on the lore, and heard behind the scenes tales from the creators, and now it's time for a guided tour!

The end of this week will bring Sony Online Entertainment's first Ustream Beta Tour. Senior Producer Alan "Brenlo" Crosby will be the host, taking players through the world of Sentinel's Fate and giving them a producer's-eye view of the expansion.

The tour will begin this Friday, February 5th, at 4:00 PM PST on the SOE Ustream channel. There's no need to register or log in, just visit the site Friday and enjoy the tour!

Tags: alan-crosby, everquest-2, everquest-ii, sentinels-fate, SOE, sony-online-entertainment, ustream, ustream-beta-tour

The Vigilant dungeons previewed on EverQuest 2 players

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 31st 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Expansions, Previews

Ok, so, disclaimer: It's not actually a dungeon in the common definition of the term. The Vigilant is a massive airship used by the Paineel Erudites, abandoned by the Odus Erudites when the void leaked into Odus. The Vigilant sits silently above Paineel and watches the city like a hawk to protect it.

Even though the Vigilant is flying, adventurers will find a way to board it in EverQuest 2: Sentinel's Fate to brave the challenges within. The ship is broken down into three distinct dungeons -- Vigilant: Incursion, Vigilant: Infiltration, and Vigilant: Rescue.

But watch your step when you're in the Vigilant! The zone designer, Kyle "Kander" Vallee decided to insert a few areas where adventurers will be able to fall out of the ship to their deaths. So be careful up there, walk safely!

We have, as usual, a few screenshots of the Vigilant to show off to those interested. Check out the gallery of shots from the ship below and be sure to visit EQ2Players.com for Kander's commentary on the zone!

Gallery: EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate

Tags: dungeon, eq-2, eq-ii, eq2, eqii, ever-quest-2, ever-quest-ii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, kyle-vallee, odus, paineel, preview, sentinels-fate, soe, soe-eq-2, soe-eq-ii, sony-eq-2, sony-eq-ii, sony-online-entertainment, the-hole, the-vigilant, zone-preview

Massively proclaims victory and rage over all citizens of Norrath!

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 26th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Contests, Forums

See, this is what happens when we let Seccia write titles for us. Ughs... sorry about that readers. We don't proclaim any victory, nor do we have any rage towards the citizens of Norrath or EverQuest II. We are, as always, unbiased in our viewpoints... unlike some new Dark Elven interns.

However, Seccia has noted that we've received a package today from a member of her elven bretheren, a certain community management elf by the name of Kiara. Enclosed were two pieces of a shattered tablet, one named "Victory" while the other was entitled "Rage." We're not sure what this whole thing will form once it's put together, but we do know that other fansites have more pieces of the tablet. (Oh, Dark Elves and their puzzles.)

We've put the pictures of victory and rage after the break, so good luck with assembling the tablet and we can't wait to see what it reveals!

Tags: eq-2, eq-ii, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, featured, mini-game, puzzle, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment, tablet

EverQuest II continues Sentinel's Fate previews

by Rubi Bayer Jan 19th 2010 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Expansions

The latest preview of EverQuest II: Sentinel's Fate takes us farther into the Vasty Deep, an area Sony Online Entertainment began exploring a little over a week ago.

This newest preview takes us into the Vestigial Cella, the third and most difficult of the dungeons in the Vasty Deep -- it's designed for players level 90+. Back in the Conservatory, players will have encountered the Onaya, and the Cella will introduce them to the Ca'Na, the mortal enemies of the Onaya. In addition, players may have been able to guess at the fate of the Erudites during their quests in the Abandoned Labs, but a trip through the Vestigal Cella will confirm the fate of those Erudites who served there.

More information on the new area can be found on the official site, and as always, Sony Online Entertainment provided plenty of screenshots of this new area, so take a look at the gallery!

Gallery: Vasty Deep: Vestigial Cella

Tags: everquest-2, everquest-ii, sentinels-fate, SOE, sony-online-entertainment, vasty-deep, vestigial-cella

Exclusive: International community members will get the Sentinel's Fate headstart after all

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 15th 2010 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, Expansions, MMO industry, News items

With only a month to go before the release of the newest EverQuest II expansion, Sentinel's Fate, many members of the international community were up in arms in the forums over the expansion's pre-order bonuses. Why? Because only the boxed editions of Sentinel's Fate were eligible for the exclusive one week headstart to the expansion.

In order to give retail distributors incentive to carry the boxed version of the game, Sony Online Entertainment made the decision to only provide the head-start access to those who picked up the physical box from retail distributors, while the digital download version of the game would not offer the seven day access and would be available for purchase only when the expansion was officially "live" on February 23rd. Problems began to arise when international community members noticed that they could either not import the game from the US, or importing would take too much time and cost them almost double of what the expansion was worth.

After contacting SOE for a statement on this situation after the many tips we've received from the EQII community, the company has revealed to us that there is now a plan in place for international community members to participate in the retail headstart via a digital download system. Follow after the break to view SOE's plan to get Sentinel's Fate into the hands of their international members.

Tags: breaking, digital-download, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, everquest-ii-sentinels-fate, expansion, forums, international-distribution, pre-order, retail, sentinels-fate, soe, sony-online-entertainment