Producer's Letter: Progression Server, April Update, and Beyond

Hail, Norrath!

Sorry for not posting sooner! We are preparing for an awesome EQ future and I'm getting familiar with this epic game again.

To start with, we’re working on a new Progression Server based on your feedback from earlier in the year. We’re so excited about it we’re going to launch it as soon as possible and still aiming for June. We’re in the process of getting a new server up and running and planning for a Beta. There is a detailed forum post from Aristo about the Progression Server and additional detail to support a new in-game poll that launched last night so we can get more of your feedback on some key decisions.

Next week in our April 22 update, you’ll see more improvements to the Epic 1.0 quests, bug fixes, and quest and mission improvements.

We’re also adding a new item in the marketplace on April 22 called “Legend of the Oathbound” that will bring the oft-requested Legends of Norrath loot items to you in randomized bundles that you can trade or sell. Our first bundle will include EQ loot items from the first three Legends of Norrath card sets as well as tournament and promotional loot items that haven’t been available for several years. We’re going to put these items on the marketplace starting at 999SC. Each LoN loot crate guarantees you two loot rewards!

What’s coming? What are campaigns?

In the fall, EQ will release its first “campaign” content. “Campaigns” are our RPG-centric term for DLCs. We thought it was appropriate!

We expect to do two campaigns a year with our first coming this fall. Our primary goal is to keep the world vibrant with content and respond to player needs and issues. We will still provide new lands and character advancement opportunities with our campaigns.

In our two campaign releases each year, we plan to release about the same amount of content as we normally would in one annual expansion. This is important to us because it will allow us to deliver content to you more often as well as respond to an ever-changing player base. For example, the Progression Server is just one thing we are doing in response to recent community feedback. I'll also say that pricing has not been determined for the first campaign coming in fall, but we’ll share details when we get closer to our release.

Stay tuned as we bring you more details as we move ahead.

As ever, my best to you all!

Holly "Windstalker" Longdale
Executive Producer, EQ & EQ2

Are these campaigns going to be paid for, if so, what is the price points?

for future faq, because I don't think you guys have all the details ironed out yet, if someone skips a DLC, do they get all previous ones if they buy the next one, ie they skip campaign 1 and buy 2, do they now have access to 1 and 2?

Hooray for June launch of the new progression server!

June 1st launch please!

Windstalker calls this out at the bottom of her letter.

What's the difference between a campaign and an expansion (besides the name itself)?

Will the scope (size) of one campaign be the same as a regular expansion (HoT-VoA-RoF), or will one campaign have the scope (size) as the recent substandard sized expansions (CoTF, TDS)?

I'm also curious about Sojero's question regarding price points. If they're priced reasonably, I'm still in. If you continue the trend of over-price/under-deliver like we saw in CoTF, TDS... that will be unfortunate. (slightly answered by Roshen just now) pricing TBD.

We keep hearing statements like this but we keep getting less and less. Sorry for being skeptical, but how are you going to deliver the same of amount of content with less staff?

She specified this in her post. She said these two campaigns would roughly be the same size of a single expansion released yearly as before.

Thank you, I completely missed that somehow

And I asked if they'd be the same size as either the decently sized expansions like HoT-VoA-RoF or if they'd be the same size as the substandard sized expansions like CoTF-RDS.

My question still stands.

suggestion stop increasing the level cap There should be 10 tiers of content for every 5 levels.

Each of the last 3-4 expansions has gotten progressively smaller, which one should it be compared to?

funny thing is COTF was not small people just don't think heroics = content but they do. Do you think you hit a button and instantly create 32 heroics ? If it were that fast TDS would have more.

sounds like they are going back to the style of two "Expansions"(campaigns in this case) per year, like used to be the case.

how much content is in each of these will be the key

It sounds like they are going to split 1 expansion's worth of content into 2 campaigns, not 2 separate expansion's worth of content.

I can acknowledge this point. I don't have the answer either way. CoTF still didn't feel like the 3 expansions previous to it. I also had to edit my original post because using the word "real" was incredibly vague.

But yeah, I can see what you're getting at. I fall firmly on the "Heroics alone do not replace static zones." I like the idea of HAs.. I just don't like it if that's all there is.

Should be compared to next year's, maybe, if it were following the same trend?

(I'm wishing that were tongue-in-cheek, but that'd be my best guess)

hey bright side is in fall we can see how Mayong will mess with the universe again, then in spring, Lanys will come back and fall over....again.

That brings up another question, will it be RoF style with them building onto each other, or TBS,LOY,POR style where they all have different themes?

So we're getting campaigns instead of expansions? ... Not so sure about this.

Better question will it be like the EQ2 release recently ? if so that will not work.

They have already started this in EQ2 the first "Campaign" (or instanced door cause that is all it is, is a door) has multiple instances on it for all types of play for $15. you can read a bit on the eq2 forums and see what it is about. https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2...or-the-rum-cellar-campaign-this-april.559319/

I play both EQ1 and EQ2 and I wont be buying the campaign for EQ2 as it is $15 for a instanced door that has very little value to me. A expansion in EQ2 is 39.99$ for 5 instanced doors and 2 overland. the price doesnt pan out at this time. I will wait for their 2nd campaign and see if it is significant enough to reach what i think a expansion is and maybe purchase both at that time. Otherwise Im not in the business of wasting money.