EverQuest II is a 3D fantasy online game where many players can play together. It was first created and published by Sony Online Entertainment for Windows computers in November 2004. It follows the original EverQuest, which was released five years earlier in 2000. EverQuest II has better graphics and easier gameplay than the original. It also includes many voices from actors like Christopher Lee and Heather Graham. In February 2015, Sony Online Entertainment’s parent company, Sony Computer Entertainment, sold the game to Inception Acquisitions. The company later changed its name to Daybreak Game Company and continues to develop and publish the game.
The game takes place in a world 500 years after the events of the original EverQuest. It runs alongside the first game without changing its story. Characters and places from the original have changed over time due to war and big destruction. The game received good reviews when it was released, but it was not as influential to the game genre as the original. It faced competition from other online games, such as World of Warcraft, which was released two weeks later. EverQuest II was originally sold through subscriptions, but in July 2010, a free version called EverQuest II Extended was launched. In November 2011, the subscription service was stopped, and all servers became free-to-play with microtransactions as the main way to earn money.
Gameplay
In EverQuest II, each player creates a character to explore the 3D, fictional world of Norrath. Characters can complete quests, explore the world, defeat monsters, and earn treasures and experience. They can also interact with other players. The game includes a crafting system that lets players make items like spells, potions, armor, and other useful objects. Players choose their character's race and type, which influences their abilities. Characters gain experience to increase their level. EverQuest II allows players to team up and join guilds, which are groups of players. Guilds can earn experience and levels, mainly through special tasks called "writs" and by defeating powerful monsters. Higher guild levels unlock special rewards, such as housing options, mounts, clothing, and unique titles. These rewards are not available to players who are not in a guild. While EverQuest II focuses on playing against computer-controlled enemies (PvE), servers for player versus player (PvP) were added in 2006. The game has over 6,000 quests and has added new features since its release in 2004.
When creating a character, players must choose a race. Available races include human, barbarian, dwarf, erudite, ogre, iksar, troll, gnome, half-elf, high elf, halfling, Vah Shir, wood elf, and dark elf (from the original EverQuest). New races include Kerra (cat-like), Ratonga (rat-like), Sarnak (dragon-like), and Fae and Arasai (fairy-like). The Froglok race was not playable until a special quest was completed. Some races start in specific cities based on their alignment but can switch cities. There are four character roles: Fighter, Scout, Priest, and Mage. When EverQuest II launched, players chose their role first, then selected a class at level 10 and a sub-class at level 20. This system was changed in 2006 so players choose their final class during character creation.
Progressing in the game involves obtaining equipment. EverQuest II does not penalize players for dying; characters return to life at specific locations with their gear intact but owe a small amount of experience to earn back. Gear remains fully functional until it is damaged after 10 deaths, at which point it can be repaired for a fee. Players can form groups of up to 6 or raids of up to 24 players (four groups). Monster encounters are categorized by difficulty, and they drop items matching their tier. The game encourages interaction through voice chat, a mail system, global chat channels, and a marketplace. A tool helps players find groups for quests or work for crafters. Guilds are strongly supported, with each guild having an experience bar and earning levels up to 150. Guilds gain experience when members complete tasks that improve city status. Higher guild levels unlock new items, mounts, homes, and privileges. Guilds also have websites, forums, banks, and recruitment tools. Players can own homes and use a secure system to sell crafted items or sell finished products through the common market.
History
SOE presents EverQuest II as a "parallel universe" instead of a direct sequel to the original EverQuest. It takes place in an alternate future of the original game's world, starting after the Planes of Power expansion (details are in an in-game book). This setup lets both development teams create content freely without affecting each other. Players of the original EverQuest can still receive updates without being forced to follow a specific path. In this way, the two games are separate but share the same name. Players will find familiar places, characters, and "heritage items" similar to those in the original game, which can be earned through special quests.
In Europe, Ubisoft and later Koch Media published the game. By 2010, no European publisher was involved, and the game was only available as a digital download.
In February 2005, EverQuest II had a promotion with Pizza Hut. Players could type "/pizza" in the chat to open Pizza Hut's website for ordering. This promotion ended but helped the game gain attention.
In June 2005, SOE added Station Exchange to EverQuest II. Station Exchange is an official auction system on certain servers where players can trade real money for in-game money, items, or characters.
In March 2006, SOE stopped its operations in China and Korea, which were managed by Gamania. The beta testing for the game in those regions ended on March 29, and all accounts were moved to US servers on March 30.
EQuinox, an official magazine for EverQuest II published by SOE, was released on August 9, 2007.
In December 2008, SOE introduced Station Cash, a feature that allows players to buy in-game items with real money.
In January 2009, SOE and Valve made EverQuest II available on Steam.
In July 2010, SOE released EverQuest II Extended, a free-to-play version of the game funded by micro-transactions or optional subscriptions. This version ran on separate servers from the subscription-based game.
By November 2011, EverQuest II became free-to-play, following a similar path to EverQuest II Extended. Starting in December 2011, the game was updated to a free-to-play model with optional subscriptions.
In February 2015, Sony Computer Entertainment, SOE's parent company, sold the studio to Columbus Nova. The studio was renamed Daybreak Game Company and continues to develop and publish EverQuest.
At the end of October 2012, Krono was added as an experiment. Krono works like the Plex currency in EVE Online, allowing players to buy in-game items with real money that add 30 days of Gold subscription. Players can trade, sell, or gift Krono. This is a safer way to buy game time than buying SC cards from other players, which might not work properly.
A few non-player characters (NPCs) use real voices. Hollywood actors like Heather Graham, Christopher Lee, and Minnie Driver provided voices for characters. Other actors include Wil Wheaton, Dwight Schultz, Richard Horvitz, Alan Dale, and Danica McKellar. In October 2004, EverQuest II had 130 hours of spoken dialogue recorded by 266 voice actors. More dialogue was added later through updates. In September 2005, the expansion EverQuest II: Desert of Flames added player voice emotes. Voice actors Peter Renaday, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Nick Jameson also contributed.
The game's music, over 90 minutes long, was composed by Laura Karpman, an Emmy-award-winning composer. It was recorded by the FILMharmonic Orchestra Prague. Karpman said each area has its own unique musical theme, from African savannas to Babylonian cities. The goal was to create a cinematic feel. The Collector's Edition included a soundtrack CD. Expansions like Echoes of Faydwer and Rise of Kunark included music from the original EverQuest, arranged by Inon Zur. The Rise of Kunark expansion added a new combat music system with 14 themes that change based on battle conditions.
SOE introduced Adventure Packs for EverQuest II, smaller content updates that add new zones, creatures, and items. These were sold for $4.99 to $7.99, but the team later released free content instead. Examples include the new starting city Neriak and high-level dungeons like The Throne of New Tunaria.
Expansions can be bought in stores or downloaded digitally. Retail versions often include bonus items, like creatures for in-game houses. Expansions usually add new zones, stories, features, and sometimes raise the level cap or add new races. All players now have access to expansions before Destiny of Velious as part of the base game. Access to levels above 92 requires buying the Tears of Veeshan expansion, which includes the Chains of Eternity expansion. Free-to-play accounts have the same access as subscription accounts but face some restrictions, like not being able to trade items or use certain spells. Some restrictions have been removed, but others remain.
EverQuest II: East was made for East Asian markets but was discontinued in March 2006. Players were moved to standard servers, and special character models were added to the standard game in 2005.
EverQuest II: Extended was created after asking players about a free-to-play model. It was released in 2010 and included updates to the game's interface and character creation rules. In December 2011, free-to-play access was added to existing servers.
EverQuest II has been used by academics to study various topics, such as virtual economies.
Reception
EverQuest II received mostly positive reviews from critics, with an average score of 83 out of 100 from Metacritic, a review site that collects scores. Many reviewers compared the game to the original EverQuest, which was considered one of the best and most influential games in its genre. Greg Kasavin of GameSpot said EverQuest II was not as groundbreaking as the original, but it was still fun and addictive for both new and experienced players. Mario Lopez of GameSpy noted that the game was more inviting and easier to play than the first game, though it was less innovative. He praised the game’s voice acting as its biggest improvement and said it was "extremely fun to play, frequently rewarding, and designed with just the right amount of user convenience in mind."
The game’s realistic graphics were often praised. Computer and Video Games magazine said, "there are offline games with equally or more impressive visuals, but no other game offers such large and dramatic landscapes." Computer Games Magazine also said the game’s world was "brilliantly" redesigned using new technology. However, GameSpot noted that the game required powerful computers to run smoothly, and players might need a "monster system" to experience it at its best quality. Kasavin said the developers likely planned for future improvements, but the visuals were not impressive enough to justify the high system requirements. Steve Butts of IGN said playing the game on high graphics settings caused poor performance, but a good computer could still run it well with high quality. While he was not a big fan of the visual style, he praised the game’s level of detail.
EverQuest II was nominated for "Best Massively Multiplayer Online Game" in GameSpot’s 2004 awards and came in second for "Best Persistent World Game" in IGN’s 2004 awards, losing both to World of Warcraft. Computer Games Magazine ranked it as the seventh-best computer game of 2004, calling it an improvement "not only over its own predecessor, but over nearly every other predecessor." GameSpy named it "Most Improved Game" in its 2006 PC awards due to new features like PvP servers and the Echoes of Faydwer expansion. After switching to a free-to-play model in 2011, the game won "Best Bang for the Buck" in Massively’s 2011 awards.
EverQuest II had 100,000 active accounts within 24 hours of its release, growing to over 300,000 by January 2005. By 2005, the game reached a peak of 325,000 subscribers. As of September 2020, it had 21,000 subscribers and 29,000 monthly active players.
East Asian version
EverQuest II: East (Simplified Chinese: "无尽的任务2: 东方版"; Traditional Chinese: "無盡的任務2: 東方版"; Korean: "에버퀘스트2: 이스트") was a special version of EverQuest II created for the markets of China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Sony Online Entertainment made and sent EverQuest II: East to East Asia in April 2005. This version had some unique missions. Sony Online Entertainment also created a special character model called "SOGA Model" for EverQuest II: East. This model was later added to the original version through LiveUpdate 16 on November 9, 2005.
EverQuest II: East used similar settings to the original game. Gamania and Sony Online Entertainment added some new characters and quests only for the Eastern Version, which were not available on other servers. In EverQuest II: East, players could name their characters in their local language. Most of the game’s dialogue remained in English, except for the beginner tutorial. Gamania translated the beginner tutorial as a special feature for the Eastern Version.
Because of the poor quality of the localization, EverQuest II: East did not succeed in Asia. Gamania announced it would stop operating the game on March 29, 2006. All Chinese player accounts were moved to the Mistmoore server, all Taiwanese accounts to the Najena server, and all Korean accounts to the Unrest server.