Dolby

SOE has sent out the below press release about the new upcoming expansion for EverQuest named The Serpent's Spine. This will be expansion number 12 for EverQuest.

This expansion will bring a New Player Race named The Drakkin, Level cap raised to 75, A new starting city, Many new zones and content, and new AA spells.

Teaser Pictures:
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SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES THE SERPENT’S SPINE™ EXPANSION FOR EVERQUEST®:

Players Will be Introduced to the Drakkin, the First New Player Race in More Than Three Years SAN DIEGO, CA – July 10, 2006 – Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, today announced EverQuest® The Serpent’s Spine™, a new expansion for the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMOPRG), EverQuest. EverQuest The Serpent’s Spine will only be available via digital download beginning in September for the suggested price of U.S. $29.99. “In an ongoing commitment to introducing new features into EverQuest, The Serpent’s Spine introduces the Drakkin, the first new player race since the Frogloks were added to the game seven expansions ago,” said Chris Sturr, Senior Brand Manager, Sony Online Entertainment. “In addition to the new race, players of all levels will benefit from this expansion, as we are including content for levels 1 to 75.” Players will also be able to explore a new starting city, Crescent Reach, which contains merchants, quests and combat. As in the last expansion, there will be new dynamic features such as auras, traps and destructible terrain. Players will be able to reach level 75 with new spells, raids and abilities. About EverQuest The Serpent’s Spine Nestled in a great ravine in the Serpent Spine Mountains is an ancient abandoned ogre city now called Crescent Reach, which is home to a new race born to protect the future of dragon kind, the Drakkin. Six dragons defied the council of the ancient dragons of the Nest and chose to create a new race to protect their future. The Drakkin are borne of humans touched by a dragon's blood and their colors and appearance represent the dragon that created them. Rapidly aging and reaching maturity in only months, the Drakkin forget their human beginnings and make their pilgrimage to Crescent Reach, the home of their dragon creators and the rest of their kind. EverQuest The Serpent’s Spine features the following: New Player Race: The Drakkin have been created from both human and dragon blood to protect the future of all dragon kind. Several colors and customizations will be available to make each Drakkin character unique, such as elegant scale markings and horns. Level Cap Increase: Players can now reach level 75, complete with new spells, abilities, raids and quests for greater power. Content for Levels 1 to 75: Play through every level of the game without ever leaving the Serpent Spine Mountains. New Starting City: Crescent Reach is a fully functioning city with all that is required to learn and thrive in EverQuest, including merchant, quest, combat and tradeskill areas. Dynamic Features: New zones, NPCs, destructible and interactive objects. New AAs, Spells: Experience new spells and Alternative Advancement abilities.

Aramil Dannodel

I'm slightly disappointed by this. It's been quite a while since they've come up with a new race, and the half-human/half-dragon idea just seems a little...lacking in originality, to me. You want a humanoid lizard? Iksar are there...you want a humanoid, powerful, winged monstrousity? Hell, the imp wizard fits that in.

I don't know, to be honest. Looks like a decent expansion (lord knows a "new Kunark" will help brighten up the game a bit for those of us obsessed with alts. :P), but the new race seems like a shortfall. Like they proclaim on their main page, now...the first new race in seven expansions. I just feel like they could have put a bit more effort into that. If this expansion ends up being a good one, akin to Kunark, which a nice zone level spread from 1 to end-game, maybe we'll end up calling the the Iksar 2.0. :P

One thing I think is really nice about it, however, is the timing. SOE couldn't have plotted it out at a nicer point, with the new progression servers and how the uber guilds are blasting through the content so quickly. Having something else to keep their interest will probably slow that down a little, for the time being. When the expansions unlock, they unlock...but I'd personally like to have a bit of time to enjoy each installment before having 11 expansions shoved in my face again. I know I was overwhelmed, logging back into Lanys (now Seventh Hammer) with just the three expansions released in the time I had been gone.

But now I'm just getting sidetracked.

combine.Ameril

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combine.Ameril

"Now he comes again, death on his heels, his eyes cold and hard; a mask to hide a thing that should not be. He is strength, fury, hate and peace all, and he is none...he is invincible."
- Seifer Dan`nodel (Book V: [no title, yet]; Chapter VII: Visions Within a Dream)

Genghiz Cohen

Wow - an expansion that doesn't have the word "of" in it.

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