sony-online-entertainment posts

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

Only two days left for SOE's ConnectDING event!

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 8th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Culture, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, Free Realms

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.)

Tags: community-pillow, connectding, eq, eqii, everquest, everquest-ii, facebook, fan-page, free-realms, marketing, pillow, pillow-fight, soe, sony-online-entertainment

Free Realms reaches 8 million registered accounts, nominated in Game Developer's Choice Awards

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 8th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Free Realms

No matter which way you spin it, 8 million accounts is a ton of accounts. Free Realms has recently hit that magical milestone, celebrating a huge amount of fan interest in the game and a recent nomination for Best New Social/Online game in the Game Developer's Choice Awards. In fact, it's the only traditional MMO to be nominated for an award this year (outside of Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online.)

As usual with our "account milestone" announcements, 8 million players is not the number of active players in the game. It's just the number of accounts that have been signed up on the Free Realms website. However, even if only 1% of those accounts were active, that's still 80,000 accounts playing the game -- a number you still should not scoff at.

So congratulations to SOE on your recent account milestone, and good luck in the Game Developer's Choice awards! Beat out Farmville for us!

Tags: 8-million-accounts, account-milestone, award, free-realms, game-developers-choice-awards, soe, sony-online-entertainment

One Shots: Look out for the feet

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 6th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Star Wars Galaxies, One Shots

With GU15 hitting the servers recently, and the Ewok Love Festival coming on the 9th, those fiercely loyal to Star Wars Galaxies are enjoying the choices of different things to do. Add to it the fact that Sony Online Entertainment has reactivated the accounts of previous Star Wars Galaxies players until March 1st, and we can see why some would be heading back in to check out all the new stuff since the last time they played.

Today's One Shots shows off a screenshot taken by a very nervous (and thankfully non-squished) Jonathan C. who writes in: [Here's] my character Smarty Jones outside of cnet. [I was] coming back from some missions when I ran into [an] ATAT.

Are you back in a game you haven't played in a while? Taking advantage of some free time? If so, we'd love to see what you've found in going back. Just send in a screenshot along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description to oneshots AT massively DOT com. We'll post it out here and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots

Tags: jonathan-c, one-shots, screenshot, screenshots, soe, sony-online-entertainment, star-wars-galaxies, swg, swg-gu15

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

Pirates of the Burning Sea announces server merges

by Rubi Bayer Feb 4th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, News items

Are you a fan of Pirates of the Burning Sea, and feel like the population in game has been a bit thin these days? You're certainly not alone. Other players have been expressing the same opinion, and Sony Online Entertainment has been listening.

On March 5th, Pirates of the Burning Sea will be closing three servers: Blackbeard, Defiant, and Rackham. The two remaining servers, Antigua and Roberts, will serve the entire player base.

Sony Online Entertainment is giving players a month to make plans and choose a new server. Beginning this Friday, February 5th, players on Blackbeard, Defiant, and Rackham will be able to transfer their characters to either of the remaining servers. Character creation on those three servers will be disabled at the same time, so start making your plans for new characters and transfers of current characters now.

Character transfers can be done via the PotBS character transfer service.

Tags: Pirates-of-the-Burning-Sea, potbs, server-merge, server-transfer, SOE, sony-online-entertainment

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 Tattered Notebook: Tips for a WoW player in EQII

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

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

Greetings and fair travels to you, adventurers. Once again it is I, Seccia Ravenloft, here to present this week's look into the world of Norrath.

Now, from what these humans on this spiderweb site tell me, some of you are more familiar with other worlds than you are with Norrath. Blasphemy, I say! This week, I wish to mend that little problem of yours by teaching you how to adapt quickly to our world, lest you coddle yourself with the pillow armor other worlds offer you.

Luckily there are many similarities between our world and that Azeroth thing. So come, read along, follow my instructions, and soon you'll look like a hardened Norrathian adventurer in no time flat.

Tags: alternate-advancement, eq-ii, eq2, everquest-2, everquest-ii, featured, food-and-drink, help, race-traditions, soe, sony-online-entertainment, the-tattered-notebook, tips-and-tricks, wow-players-guide

Free Realms expands its portfolio of pets

by Rubi Bayer Feb 2nd 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Free-to-play, Free Realms, Kids

Do you love the pets in Free Realms as much as Game Designer Margaret Krohn? If you just can't get your fill of all things furry and scaly in Free Realms, you'll be very happy with the new pets.

Haven't seen them yet? Well, for starters there is now a sad little spider named Mister Munchy, available in five different colors. He's got the blues and being adopted would cheer him right up. Are you more of a dinosaur fan? Several new dinosaurs are available as well, including Screech the Raptor -- who seems a lot friendlier than the Jurassic Park variety -- and Crackers, who is having a bit of an identity crisis. If you're more the traditional sort, there are new ponies available as well, bringing the total to thirteen.

All of the new pets are available now, so make a visit to the Marketplace and see what you'd like to add to your collection.

Tags: f2p, free-realms, free-to-play, marketplace, pets, SOE, sony-online-entertainment

Reminder: The EverQuest II city festival is now in Gorowyn!

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 1st 2010 at 7:00PM

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

Ah, the city festival, how we love your postage collections and new mailboxes when you come to a new city in Norrath. While the event isn't listed on the main page yet, the city festival is in progress and it has moved to the city of Gorowyn in the Timorous Deep. Sure, the city may be aligned with evil (allegedly) but those who bow to the false queen are welcome in its depths as well. In the words of Agent J: "Don't start nothing, won't be nothing."

You can find the festival at the lowest level of the city's core, out by the docks and near the city's main entrance to the main level. If you're looking for all of the rewards you can procure for the festival, than look no further than this wonderfully exhaustive list. Remember, some rewards are unique to Gorowyn! If you don't get them this time, you'll have to wait for the city festival to swing back 'round again!

Tags: city-festival, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, gorowyn, gorowyn-city-festival, live-event, mini-event, soe, sony-online-entertainment

Vanguard celebrates three years of Telon

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

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, News items, Vanguard

It's been over three years since Vanguard: Saga of Heroes launched to a very rocky start. Many didn't think the game would last far beyond one, but here we are, celebrating the third anniversary of Telon! The last three years have seen many improvements to Vanguard, from new dungeons, to performance enhancements, to even letting the players choose which bugs the developers should fix.

Sure, the game's future may be a little cloudy, but let's live in the here and now! Enjoy the things we have while we have them! The game has survived for a third year, which is three more years than most gamers gave it credit for.

So, to celebrate the third anniversary, current players can jump into the game to visit the Historian of Telon in New Targonor, Ahgram, or Tawar Galan for a special anniversary gift package. If you're stuck at work, then swing by the Vanguard Players website and take a look at some of the fond memories of the game's player base. If you want to get a deeper perspective, however, check out Beau Turkey's look back at his time in Vanguard on Spouse Aggro.

Tags: 3rd-anniversary, anniversary, in-game-gift, soe, sony-online-entertainment, third-anniversary, vanguard, vanguard-saga-of-heroes

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

Zatanna Zatara joins DC Universe Online cast

by Rubi Bayer Jan 29th 2010 at 10:30AM

Filed under: Super-hero, New titles, News items, DC Universe Online

They've taken some time to answer fan questions and announce their upcoming weekly comic, and now the DC Universe Online team has returned to rolling out cast members for their upcoming MMO.

The latest addition to the cast is Zatanna Zatara, the Justice League of America's tuxedo-jacketed magician. Zatanna is descended from a long line of magicians, and her inherited talents make her one of the world's most powerful magic users. She's wary of abusing her nearly limitless powers, and you'll find her restricting herself to defensive and non-lethal spells.

Like any traditional MMO caster class, Zatanna is a formidable foe and a very weak one at the same time. Her incantations rely entirely on the (backward) spoken word, so she can be shut down simply by rendering her unable to speak: even a plain cloth gag does the trick. Getting close enough to get a gag on her is another matter entirely -- good luck.

Follow along in the gallery for a closer look at Zatanna.

Gallery: DC Universe Online: Zatanna Zatara

Tags: dc-universe-online, dcuo, jla, justice-league-of-america, SOE, sony-online-entertainment, zatanna, zatanna-zatara

Star Wars Galaxies pushes Galactic Civil War live and calls for recruits

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 27th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Patches, News items, Star Wars Galaxies

There's a war brewing in Star Wars Galaxies. Well, to be quite technical about it, the game's setting is right in the middle of a war, but the most recent update brings that war even further to a head. In terms of storyline, the Empire is fighting a pitched battle against a renewed Rebel offensive to take key strategic points across the galaxy. The gameplay side of things sees a number of cities with capturable objectives, defensive fortifications to be built, protected, and demolished, and vehicles to use in the assault and defense of three volatile cities.

It's a big update, and for understandable reasons Sony Online Entertainment wants to show off what they've done with the game. So they're giving players a chance to jump back into the action. Between February 1st and March 1st, former players will be allowed to come back for free, with their accounts automatically reinstated for the month. Those who decide that toppling the Empire -- or defending it -- is worth re-subscribing will be rewarded with a special in-game painting. Star Wars Galaxies still has quite a bit of life left in it, and players should be more than happy with the amount of content in this new update.

Tags: capturable-cities, defense-fortifications, empire, free-reactivation, galactic-civil-war, galactic-civil-war-forces-under-siege, game-update-15, gcw, rebels, soe, sony-online-entertainment, star-wars, star-wars-galaxies, swg

EverQuest II rolls out the battlegrounds

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 27th 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, PvP, News items

Starting February 16th, get ready to PvP across servers. EverQuest II is catching up with the mainstream MMO trends by adding battlegrounds to the mix, giving EQII PvP players the instanced scenarios that they've been looking forward to for a while.

The three scenarios include the Battlefield of Ganak, a 6 vs. 6 game of capture the flag in Iksar territory, Smuggler's Den, a 24 vs. 24 game of hold the point conducted on small islands, and the Gears of Klak'anon, a 6 vs. 6 game of hold the relic that saps your heath but makes you do crazy damage. Playing these scenarios does not go unrewarded, of course, as winners can look forward to claiming the very sexy new chaos armor set -- an armor set of dirty, twisted, spiked platemail that looks good on any battleground champion.

And, if you were wondering what yesterday's puzzle post was all about, wonder no more! We had pieces of of the battleground maps of Klak'anon and Smuggler's Den. But, not to worry, we've included the full maps and screenshots in the gallery below for your viewing pleasure. Happy battling!

Gallery: EverQuest II: Battlegrounds