Some may hate on this idea, but I personally think many may like it. For the next expansion (if TBL is not a two part deal) Devs should put up a poll with 2-4 different lore options that the player base can vote on for where the next expansion goes. Each option is a different lore path that the expansion would be based on. Sometimes I think the storylines in expansions are great. Other times, it seems a little odd and there are things I wish had been added or left out. Give the players a voice in where the next installment will take us. The options don't have to be super detailed, just one sentence or so explaining the broad overview of each lore path. Just spitballin' here, but I think players would love it if you gave them a handful of routes to pick from for the next expansion.
I would assume they already have the expansion planned out. In concept at the least. After they finish the anniversary stuff, there will only be 7 months before beta starts.
maybe will see https://tagn.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/rumors-of-future-daybreak-projects-and-the-end-of-everquest/
There have been rumors about the end of EQ since it was launched so I wouldn't worry about it to much until you hear daybreak talk about it.
The fact is they are already working on the next expansion, and already tweaking stuff to accommodate it. Ngreth explicitly mentioned the next expansion item stats just a few days ago.
If I had to guess, I would guess that the next expansion is TBL part 2 with the focus being on earth and water (since TBL part 1 focused on fire and air). I would then say there will be one more final expansion after that. Which coincides with the lifetime subscriptions no longer "making monthly income" for DBG...
There's an obvious zone in to an earth themed zone in Stratos already, so I'd bet we're going to end up with an earth and water elemental themed expansion.
I say make it so hard that people will *STILL* be grinding AA in FM. To drop a group content named you will have to break your group into a mini-raid with 3 cleric mercs in the tank group along with your primary healer to deal with the AE mechanics. It will be awesome! Everyone will *LOVE* that! Also, random mobs in the sky that constantly barrage your group with very few, if any, places to camp. Totally winning game mechanic that needs to be implemented in any new expansion.
Isn't there some sort of double jeopardy when you say that on the internet? A couple of items on that list have actually come to pass as described. That is my blog post about it being linked to, and I've kept an eye on those predictions. They do appear to have been based on some insider information. But that list was also based on plans from a year ago at this point, and plans change. I wouldn't count it as a done deal until Daybreak says it publicly, and even then, based on past experience, I wouldn't be surprised if they changed their mind. Personally, though I don't play much EQ anymore, I'd still be a little heartbroken if it stopped getting expansions.
1. I don't really personally care about the lore all that much except that I enjoy the great looking new models in TBL but missed fighting the larger and more epic giants, dragons and wurms of EoK/RoS. 2. What I really want is more content, more mob variety and more zone variety. I don't know how much designer / developer time this would require, but in TBL I would have loved to see plane of earth, Wind and Plane of Fire (no thanks to water zones and Reef of Coirnav) re-used as a static zone merely populated with named NPCs. My favorite zone in RoS was easily Veeshan's Peak. I think most EQ players just want to group up and kill monsters, so putting out a few re-used zones without quests is fine for the playerbase. If anything I bet most players would trade quests for more zones / named mob / mob variety. 3. It should follow the same progression paradigm that RoS/EoK had: A couple easy zones that everyone can access and solo/molo/faceroll in, a few tougher zones that require an OK group, and one badass zone that you need to earn (VP and Kor-Sha Lab) your place in and show up with a great group. To me this was the biggest sore-spot of TBL. Firstly the early plane of smoke gating didn't impede me personally, but it was a huge pain for much of the EQ playerbase and worse it will be a blockade to players for a couple expansions until the content is obsolete. And secondly Mearatas is one of the easiest zones in the expansion and a bit of a let down personally when I first zoned in and saw it was a non-KoS zone with mobs isolated in their own cubbies and a huge loot pinata in the center that begs to be botted. 4. Because I primarily box this bothers me more than most, but I prefer zones that /follow works well in. Demiplane of life/decay, Stratos etc is a hassle in ways that aren't enjoyable. 5. Itemization has been the brightest part of the last few expansions and I expect more of the same in the next one.
Oh and anyone who thinks EQ is closing up shop is probably not considering how much revenue they get for what little budget they spend. It's a cash cow for DBG. Not a large one, but still an obviously an income generator.
All I have to say is that before they decide to sunset it, that last portal in Shard's Landing better take me somewhere.
