SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES
EVERQUEST®: DRAGONS OF NORRATH™EXPANSION FOR EVERQUEST
EverQuest Returns to its Roots With an Epic Fantasy Storyline including New
Dragons, an Updated Look and Feel, and New Features for Guilds and Casual
Players!
SAN DIEGO, CA –
January 11, 2005 – Sony Online
Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online
gaming, today announced EverQuest®: Dragons of Norrath™, a new
expansion for the incredibly popular PC Massively Multiplayer Online
Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), EverQuest®. EverQuest: Dragons of
Norrath is scheduled to be available at retail and for digital download
from Sony Online Entertainment for U.S. $29.99 in February 2005 with a special
incentive price for U.S. and European consumers who pre-order and digitally
download directly from Sony Online Entertainment.
“The EverQuest development team continues to deliver new content, adventures
and features in yet another thrilling expansion pack for the world of
EverQuest,” said Michael Lustenberger, vice president of marketing, Sony
Online Entertainment. “Combining the power of the new graphics engine and
nostalgic new storylines, EverQuest: Dragons of Norrath offers a beautiful new
world and challenging new quests sure to please both new and veteran EverQuest
players alike.”
EverQuest:
Dragons of Norrath returns
EverQuest to its original foundation with appearances from a familiar cast
of characters who will find themselves at the forefront of events transpiring
across the world. Featuring new lands with enhanced graphics, bold new
storylines, updated creatures including goblins, drakes and the ominous Frost
Giant, and all-new guild management tools, EverQuest: Dragons of Norrath
is the next great expansion pack for the fantasy adventure that is
EverQuest. Make ready with new features such as the ability to regenerate
your mana/health before a battle, easier inventory access via a potion belt,
and the ability and to quickly swap pre-arranged weapons sets using a
bandolier. All-new guild hall management tools allow players to easily ready
their guild for encounters! EverQuest: Dragons of Norrath is bursting
with new adventures and features for players of all levels.
About
EverQuest: Dragons of Norrath
A series of events
has transpired across the world of Norrath and the familiar faces of Firiona
Vie and her nemesis Lanys T’Vyl return to find themselves at the forefront of
these events. Unbeknownst to them, a dark influence has seeped into the world
of Norrath causing new tensions to arise and conflicts to intensify as the
dawn of a new age emerges. The Age of War is upon the people of Norrath and
heroes return in this ultimate, unending battle between good and evil.
EverQuest: Dragons of Norrath includes the following features:
Feature Set:
-
New Zones, Creatures and
Content – From Lavastorm to the Thundercrest Isles, adventure in
graphically enhanced zones with all new themes. Brave challenging new
quests, discover new treasures, and battle new NPC’s, including drakes,
goblins and fierce dragons. -
New Interactive World Map
– A full color interactive map of the world allows players to
point-and-click from a world view down to a zone view of the traditional
line maps. -
Player Barter System –
Allows players to set up their own method of giving platinum or items in
exchange for other items. -
Potion Belt – Allows for
quick use of inventory items. -
Bandolier Equip – Lets
characters have two sets of pre-arranged weapons for each hand. -
New Spells, Tradeskills, and
Recipes.
All- New Guild
Hall Management Tools:
-
Guild Halls
– An instanced guild hall for guild members to meet and prepare for playing.
-
Guild Bank –
Bank slot for storage of items accessible by
all designated members of a guild. -
Guild Stone – Allows
guild members to easily port to the Instanced Guild Hall. -
Mana/health Regen Pool –
Allows players to easily regenerate their mana and health in preparation for
battle while in the guild hall. -
Mass Corpse Summoning Altar –
Allows guilds to summon guild corpses en masse to the altar room. -
Guild Portal – Allows
guild members to purchase the ability to have a persistent port to
pre-determined areas around the world. -
Guild Tradeskill Objects –
Various tradeskill tools are located in the guild hall for easy access
by guild members. -
Guild ‘Looking for Members’
Tool – Allows guilds to recruit by placing persistent “ads” on bulletin
boards, search for player characters who match guild criteria and send
in-game emails to those members. -
Players ‘Looking for Guild’
Tool – Allows players to find guilds recruiting members. -
Buff timers – Allows
guild members to suspend buff timers while in guild halls.
The new expansion
will be downloadable via the EverQuest Station Store for U.S. $29.99
(plus tax where applicable). A special incentive price will be available to
consumers who pre-order and digitally download direct from Sony Online
Entertainment. Additionally, retailers will be offering a boxed version that
will carry a suggested retail price of $29.99, which includes a special in-box
item and in-game item. For more information on EverQuest: Dragons of
Norrath, please visit:
http://www.dragonsofnorrath.com.
About EverQuest
Developed and
published by Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), EverQuest launched
in 1999 and has since become both a gaming and cultural phenomenon. The game
has sold more than 2 million copies while continuing to grow with
award-winning expansions The Ruins of Kunark®, The Scars of Velious®,
The Shadows of Luclin™, The Planes of Power™, The Legacy of
Ykesha™, Lost Dungeons of Norrath™, Gates of Discord™ and
Omens of War™, making it the largest online 3D fantasy world ever
created. During peak periods, more than 118,000 simultaneous adventurers have
explored the fully detailed world of Norrath, filled with monsters, magic,
adventure and more. Sony Online is committed to bringing EverQuest to various
entertainment platforms, releasing titles such as EverQuest Online
Adventures and Champions of Norrath™: Realms of EverQuest for the
PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, EverQuest for the Pocket
PC and EverQuest: Hero’s Call for wireless phones. In 2004, SOE
launched the highly-anticipated EverQuest II on PCs around the globe.
About Sony Online
Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a subsidiary
of Sony Pictures Digital Inc., is a recognized worldwide leader in massively
multiplayer online games, with a subscriber base of over 800,000 active
accounts around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling
entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless
markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises, EverQuest®, EverQuest
II, Champions of Norrath and PlanetSide®, as well as for
developing Star Wars Galaxies™: An Empire Divided™, SOE continues to
redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player
communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms.
Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with an additional development studio in
Austin, TX, SOE has an array of cutting-edge online games in development.
EverQuest is a
registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. SOE, the SOE
logo and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment
Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective
owners. All rights reserved.