Is Norrath Gettin' Religion?

The influence of the gods of Fear and Valor is growing throughout Norrath. The acolytes of these gods are calling on the faithful for help. Those willing to take up the cause should find Bayden Cauldthorn, Valor?s Knight in the Commonlands near Freeport Graveyard. The minions of Fear and their leader, Danak Dhorentath, have unearthed an ancient cave near the Temple of Cazic-Thule. Players that want to aid him should go there, but be warned; the terrors within this cavern could send a chill through the bravest of adventurers?

Something Spooky's Brewing in Nektropos?

Strange things are happening near Nektropos Castle! Earthquakes have revealed mysterious crypts near the castle ruins. And some claim to hear the spirit of Lord Everling calling out from beyond.

Fearless players can unravel this mystery by taking the path through Nektulos Forest to Nektropos Castle. Nektropos Castle is one of the most popular landmarks in EQII, and should provide an exciting challenge for a full group of high level characters (level 70).

Back to School ? Guild Raiding 101

Time to get out your notebooks; guild raids offered by the cities have been redesigned to teach some basics of raiding, and provide guilds with a fun way to earn status. Each raid is intended for two groups, and will scale according to raid level. Successfully defeating a raid boss will award guild status, plus rare tradeskill harvests, recipe books and spell scrolls up to level 50. For higher level guilds, bosses may drop rare armor molds or patterns.

To embark on these raids, combine two groups into a raid party and find Registrar Glamis (Freeport) or Royal Accountant Fowler (Qeynos) for more information.

Black Market Dealings in EQII ? PvP Fences

Fences (brokers carrying goods from the opposing city) have popped up in the Commonlands and Antonica. These shady couriers must be stopped, and for the first time in EverQuest II, players will be given a quest that requires them to kill other in-game players!

If you're ready, talk to Ifrit Jankus in East Freeport or Banderspark in Qeynos Harbor to embark on this dangerous quest.

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Here's a full detailed list of the additions in Live Update 26:

*** The Hand of the Gods ***

• The influence of the gods grows stronger on Norrath as the prophets of Valor and Fear call upon the faithful for assistance.
• Meet Sir Bayden Cauldthorn, Knight of Valor, in the Commonlands near the entrance to the Freeport Graveyard.
• Danak Dhorentath and the minions of Fear have excavated an ancient cave in the Feerrott, near the Temple of Cazic-Thule. Even the bravest adventurer may gasp when setting eyes upon the terrors within this long-lost cavern.

*** Nektropos Castle: Tribulation ***

• Whispers abound of strange occurrences near Nektropos Castle. Some claim to have heard the spirit of Lord Everling himself calling out.
• Rumor has it that recent earthquakes have uncovered burial chambers near this haunted ruin. Perhaps exploration of one such unearthed crypt near the castle could reveal more information.
• Venture through Nektulos Forest to Nektropos Castle and unravel the mysteries... if you dare!
• This new journey through one of our most popular landmarks is intended to provide a challenge for a full group of level 70 characters.

*** City Guild Raid Revamp ***

• Guild raids offered by the cities have been completely redesigned to teach some of the fundamentals of raiding, as well as providing a fun way to earn guild status.
• Each raid is intended for two groups and will scale according to your raid's level.
• Progressively conquer a series of raids that will help you learn new tactics, as each involves new challenges not encountered in the previous raid.
• The raids must initially be done in sequence. In order to advance to the second raid, you must complete the first; to get to the third, you must complete the second; and so on. After completing all five new raids, you will be able to go back and undertake them again in any order.
• Defeating the bosses in these raids awards guild status. In addition, item rewards for defeating the bosses vary based on your level range.
  • Up to level 50, bosses drop rare tradeskill harvests, recipe books, and spell scrolls.
  • Above level 50, bosses have a chance to drop armor molds or patterns.
• Armor molds and patterns indicate whether they can be made into cloth, leather, chain, or plate armor. Examining the mold/pattern gives a quest. Upon turning the item in to a Quartermaster, you can choose a piece of armor suitable to your class.
• There are two different levels of molds and patterns that drop: one from bosses around 50 to 60, and the other from bosses that are around 60 to 70.
• The resulting armor is of Legendary quality and is intended to be basic gear useful for those starting to raid more challenging targets. It provides good stats and resists rather than fancy item effects.
• To undertake these new adventures, combine two groups into a raid and speak with City Registrar Glamis in Freeport or Royal Accountant Fowler in Qeynos. They will direct your raid members to the portal mages standing near the doors that will take you to your destination.
• Note: A single raid can have some members enter from Qeynos and others from Freeport. As long as at least one raid member in each city has the same quest, raid members in both cities should enter the same instance.

*** PvP Fences ***

• You can now work for your side to employ fences (brokers carrying goods from the opposing city) in the Commonlands or Antonica, or get rid of a fence from the opposition's territory.
• To banish the enemy's fence, you must either kill its guards or complete your own fence quest.
• Ifrit Jankus of East Freeport and Banderspark of Qeynos Harbor are seeking assistance from players to reinstate the operations of G`Thal and Fuddlesprock.
• Note that you must be level 10 or above to interact with the fence.
• This is the first quest in EverQuest II that requires you to kill other players!

*** Maps ***

• By order of Queen Antonia Bayle, adventurers are hereby supplied with maps to the yards around the city of Qeynos. These include Oakmyst Forest, the Caves, the Peat Bog, and the Forest Ruins.
• Not to be outdone, the Overlord has commanded that maps be scribed for the Graveyard, the Sunken City, the Sprawl, and the Ruins.

*** Player-versus-Player ***

• Fallen Dynasty items with aggro modifying effects will now function properly in PvP combat.
• Additional respawn points have been added to the following 40+ zones: Everfrost, Lavastorm, the Feerrott, the Sinking Sands, Tenebrous Tangle, the Barren Sky, and Bonemire.
• The effects of the Unity Band will now trigger off other damage types besides cold based spells.

*** Quests ***

• The Narin Heirloom quest has been fixed. V'Tal's brother can once more be found in Fallen Gate but he is no longer triggered and not in the same spot he once was. The level of the quest has been increased, it is now heroic, and a reward has been added.
• "Tablets of the Blademaster" quest helper text should now be more descriptive.
• The Glowing Black Stone heritage quest should now accept either a palladium bangle or a pristine fashioned palladium torque.
• Residents of Beggar's Court who had completed the "Big Trouble..." quest and stopped talking to Durio Dexus should now be offered his next quest after speaking to him.
• There are some new quests available in the Commonlands for curious adventurers. Speak with Springview Healer Hanif or Tiff Squeelunkle for more information.

*** Items ***

• Mastercrafted (rare tradeskilled) Armor, Weapons, and some treasured items have had an increase in mitigation and damage values applied to them.
• You must now be level 60 in order to use Volatile Fluid from the Halls of Fate.
• Relic patterns will now drop in fabled chests.
• Chirurgeon's Scalpel is now piercing instead of slashing.
• Grotrot the Flayer is now piercing.
• Ardevaas the Render now has a weapon type.
• The deflection on the Tom of Dark Knowledge has been changed to disruption.
• The Signet of Replenishment now replenishes power when low on/out of power
• Tranquil Wind Bracers are now cloth rather than leather.
• The food and drink sold at the Drednever Expedition in the Bonemire should now be of the appropriate level.
• Clawed Basilisk Boots should now proc properly.
• Chiller Bombs should now hurt their targets instead of heal them.
• Hex dolls now use Magic resistance instead of Heat to determine success chances of landing on target.
• Hex dolls that decrease resistances or attributes were adjusted to scale appropriately for their level.
• The Sergeant's Scimitar should now work properly for those who can wield it.
• Dragonhide Tomes are now equippable at level 62.
• Harvesting Tools will no longer spam you when you zone or unequip them.
• Cobalt Reverent Boots now have the correct appearance.
• Harvesting Tool buffs no longer stack.

*** Zones and Population ****

• Zone reuse timers are being modified to have greater consistency. Reuse timers will now follow these guidelines:
  • Small solo zone: No fail timer | 4 hour success timer
  • Large solo zone: No fail timer | 8 hour success timer
  • Group zone: No fail timer | 18 hour success timer
  • Small raid zone: 8 hour fail timer | 3 day, 20 hour success timer
  • Large raid zone: 12 hour fail timer | 5 day, 20 hour success timer
• Pets should now be able to once again attack Chieftain Merzog in Fallen Gate if he hasn't moved from the spot he initially appears.
• A number of mobs associated with dynamic camps (ring events) in Tenebrous Tangle have been made uncharmable to prevent certain situations that may break the events.
• Mobs associated with dynamic camps in Everfrost (such as Bloodhorn and Webclaw's events) have been made no-charm to reduce the possibility of the events breaking. This has also been applied to "the Prophet" dynamic camp in Sinking Sands.
• After building the store of eggs needed for training the griffon tamers and griffons have moved into their towers within the Thundering Steppes and Nektulos Forest.
• Velociraptors should no longer use stealth.
• Merchants in Maj'Dul are no longer random and will include all types of merchants. Their goods will also scale to your level similar to those in Qeynos or Freeport.
• Reviving in Blackburrow and Stormhold now place you at the front of those dungeons.
• Due to a rigorous training program enforced by the Queen, guards in Antonica are now a bit more heroic.

*** Combat ***

• Social creatures will no longer respond to calls for help from other NPCs if they are already busy fighting or while they are returning home after a battle.

Fighter changes:

• Shadowknight: Dark Caress: Removed summoning of tainted essences as a proc.
• Shadowknight: Tainted Sacrament: Removed spell component cost.
• Shadowknight: Unholy Hunger: Deals disease instead of divine damage.
• Paladin: Penitent Sacrament: Removed spell component cost.
• Paladin: Blessing of the Penitent: Removed summoning of spell component as a proc.

Priest changes:

• Warden: Willow: Root component no longer affects Epic targets.

*** Tradeskills ***

• Any of the Crafting Trainers in Freeport, Haven, or Qeynos can certify characters for their crafting class and specialty. The message received at levels 9 and 19 have been modified to make this learer. The old certification NPCs can still be used and they now have the Crafting Trainer purpose tag. Also note that you can no longer accrue additional experience into levels 10 and 20. You can no longer get to level 9 with 200% XP then have that carry over into 10, for example.
• The amount of fuel needed for Wild Apple Juice was reduced from 3 to 1.
• Pugilist's Fists Wraps will now list Raw Rawhide Leather as their primary component.
• Pontiff's armor will now have a description of Raw Rawhide Leather.
• Spirit Totem of the Carnivorous Plant can now be only be equipped by level 60+ characters.
• A number of recipes that would previously show the item stats for the crude product will now show you what a pristine product will look like instead.
• The Maj'Dul Coffee recipe now uses the correct amount of fuel.
• Recipes found in Tailoring Essentials Volume 64 should now all be level 64.

*** User Interface ***

• You can once again /raidinvite a group leader that is in a different zone.
• The amount of guild status you contribute when you gain personal status should now display correctly.
• The number of accounts currently in your guild will again update properly as players are added or removed from the guild.