Everquest II: Echoes of Faydwer Preview

You've probably read a number of previews for Echoes of Faydwer, as many of the media were taken on press tours of this exciting new expansion. As for me, I looked Community Relations Manager Raijinn right in the eye, and I says "Raijinn...I don't need no stinkin' tour." Raijinn tilted his head a little bit, and went "Dude who ARE you?"

This was of course Raijinn's subtle signal to go ahead with my plans for Ten Ton Hammer to make our own tour. He reaffirmed his approval as I walked away by saying "Seriously, do you know me?" One of the crown jewels of the expansion is a new race, the Fae. Everyone has heard about them, seen screenshots, and if you are like me...ridiculed them repeatedly. I'll have to admit begrudgingly, they actually do look cool floating around. There are numerous wing options but I've yet to find a combination that looks manly enough for me to be comfortable playing. Very cool race though.

The theme of this expansion seems to be nostalgia. EQ1 players are going to eat this stuff up and it was very cool to see many of the places I remembered. There are some new additions of course and things won't be as you remembered them, but everyone now and then you'll go "Oh yeah! I remember that!"

First up, was the city of Kelethin where the Fae reside. The city is built, well exactly like the old Kelethin we remember from the EQ1 days. There were a few cosmetic differences, the first of course being the huts were giant acorns. These buildings sat on platforms connected to each other by bridges with no rails, so no more running around while flipping through windows. What can you find in this wonderful city? Eveything! Housing (which was disturbingly round), a bank, trainers who sell CA's/Spells, crafting machines in various places, and tons of quests.