EverQuest merging servers, adding NEW server in 2009

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Actually in an EverQuest group *right now* so can’t write this up fully, but briefly, next month, Druzzil Ro (Tarew Marr) will merge with progression server The Combine to become Druzzil Ro (Tarew Marr, The Combine).
But more excitedly, EverQuest will be adding its first new server since the progression servers. Full details below.

New Worlds of Adventure
On January 21, 2009, EQ will be consolidating “The Combine” server and “Druzzil Ro (Tarew Marr)” server into one server to be titled “Druzzil Ro (Tarew Marr, Combine).” The merge will begin at 3 a.m. PST and will last approximately five hours.
In addition, in conjunction with the upcoming EQ 10th Anniversary celebration, SOE is expecting to add a new EQ server in March 2009 and players will be able to vote on a new server type. To provide your input on the type of server you’d like, visit EQplayers.com in January.
We hope that these changes will provide players with an even more enjoyable EQ experience.
Character Names
Priority for character names will be based on the date the character was first created. Subsequent players with the same name will have an “x” appended to their name until a unique name can be determined. The same process will be applied to guild names. Players who wish to change their names can type “/changename” into their chat windows. Guilds that wish to change their names will need to use the “/petition” command.
Inactive Characters
Accounts with characters below level 10 that have been inactive for six months or more will be purged from the EQ system.
Accounts with More Than Eight Characters
Accounts with characters on the merging servers will have their character names alphabetized, and only the first eight listed will be accessible until characters are deleted to make room. Any characters past the first 8 are not deleted, they are simply inaccessible until one of the first 8 is deleted to make room.
Shared Banks
If a player’s account has characters on both servers, the most recently updated bank will have priority unless it is empty. Players must empty out the shared bank they don’t want to keep before the merge. If players wind up with the wrong shared bank (they didn’t empty out the other one in time, etc.) they can use “/petition” to have the other shared bank copied over.
UI and Character Settings
All character UI and character settings will need to be reset.
Corpses
All corpses will be sent to Shadowrest.
EQ players
Player information will be updated to reflect new names/guilds/servers.
Artifacts
New servers will allow two of the same artifacts.
Server Transfers
Free server transfers from the surviving server (Druzzil Ro) will not be available in connection with this server merge.
~ Sony Online Entertainment

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24 thoughts on “EverQuest merging servers, adding NEW server in 2009”

  2. So that a lot of people can start from scratch together. It’s the best way to play EQ, but few people want to do it themselves. This way, they are around lots of others.

  3. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I know with a new server it’s a brand new start, and that people will rush in to be the first to kill bosses. But won’t those people just be coming in from other servers, hence lowering their population?

  4. Accounts with characters below level 10 that have been inactive for six months or more will be purged from the EQ system.
    Surely that is worded wrong. They aren’t talking about purging all inactive accounts if they have a character under level 10, right? Many people likely have alts that they never leveled past 10 and that would put them in the purge category even if they had many other maxxed out characters.
    I am guessing that they mean that they are purging the characters, not the accounts themselves.

  5. The reason is that a lot of people really enjoy the nostalgia of starting over again, and many players that have left would come back just for this, or even entirely new players who felt too behind to start on the regular servers. I just hope they do it right this time around and enforce some sort of time restrictions or minimum number of guilds that must be met the requirements before the whole server progresses.
    Last time they did this only a few select guilds took part in the progression and progressed the server entirely too fast, this sort of ruined some of our experiences on that server. It’s just not as enjoyable to try and do the classic style progression how it used to be, slow, social, and really getting involved in the world and that small community that existed with the limited zones and forced cooperation (druid porting, etc.) Many of us 99-2002 era EQ 1 players would come back to play on this sort of server. I know of hundreds of players at least that want even a plain old classic server, so a time restricted progression could get these players along with the other progression minded guys involved on this server. Just look at the “classic server” thread on the EQ forums that has been around forever, it’s hundreds of pages long.
    My gf and I would start over on this sort of server for sure. I really hope it’s a slow progression or even better a classic->Velious era server 🙂 The limited players in EQ would fit very nicely in those zones, it would feel like it used to if the world wasn’t so huge like it is now. We had a great time on the first progression server before that guild started opening everything so fast. I really hope it’s the sort of server I think will get voted in 🙂
    -Zaviun

  6. @Rob Yeah, that is an unfortunate wording, but based on what they have done in other server merges, I imagine what they really meant to say is that characters on The Combine or Druzzil Ro who are lower than level 10 and are on accounts that have not seen anyone log in for six months or more, will be purged… not the accounts themselves. But then, maybe they DID mean the accounts… but that would be something they have never done before.
    @TheRemedy One of the toughest parts of starting the Nostalgia guild was knowing that all of us were still active in other games, which meant that aside from our grouping nights, those who wanted to play MORE EQ would really be unable to. As we got higher level, it really became impossible for potential members to level up to meet us. On a new server, that would not be an issue.
    I left Erollisi Marr to restart on Stromm when it opened. Stromm was just a regular server, but no transfers were allowed for the first couple of years. It was one of the best experiences of my EQ playing life — better even than the first time I started in EQ, because the second time, I knew what I was doing and wasn’t as confused all the time.

  7. I still miss the old good EQ days…
    Discovering everything, meeting lots of people on random groups, leveling slowly with friends…
    Also the more bitter times are now seen as funny ones… Zoning into Karnor and insta-wiping, the dreaded pit of death in Befallen…
    I still miss those times, sadly, although they make another progress server, they won’t return as most of Antonica zones will be the revamped ones (RIP Oasis T_T) and I doubt they will revert them and/or change the table drops from the mobs (Hello Defiant armor in Pre-kunark server!)

  9. God I’ve been out of the loop since putting up my new blog format. So some more server merging and making a new server? Hmmmmm….
    I’m intrigued!

  10. Hopefully it will be a progression server. I played on Combine but didn’t hear about it until months into it when multiple expansions had been unlocked already. I would love a chance to start over ‘with’ others this time. Will most likely be re-activating my account again in March for this.

  11. I’m so tempted by this. I’ve really been enjoying my time in WoW and warhammer but every once in awhile the EQ nostalgia kicks in. It would be amazing to finally level that Beastlord or monk to a high level surrounded by like minded travellers and seekers of fame and fortune.
    Neat!

  12. Definitly NO to a player controlled progression server this time please? A classic ’99-’01 EQ fresh start server would get me back playing though for sure. Just open all the content at once from the first 3 packs and set us loose. A twist on this would then allow the player base to vote which features/ zones/ random content they would like to add from there on a monthly basis. AND NO ITEM SHOP.

  15. I read a couple of posts on the offical forums that claim they heard the devs say 2 months from now during a dev chat. I have no idea if that is accurate but wanted to share in case anyone out in the internets is waiting for this server like I am.

  17. Tipa,
    Taken from Allakhazam:
    @Tamat – Dragonmonk asks: What will the new server be and will when it be released?
    +RytanEQ – That’s completely dependant on how the poll turns out. We don’t have a specific date set, but I would TENTATIVELY guess at a month or two out.
    The chat took place on March 17th.
    Great blog.

  18. EQ pre luclin was great, although I did like the luclin models I didn’t like the nexus and the bazaar killed most towns especially Freeport North. I loved going to Freeport, the bustle of people everywhere. Go there now and you wont see anyone.
    The nexus’s portal system was just the first step in the downfall of EQ for me. Travelling was too easy, even for low leveled players. And then the release of PoP, where all lvs from 1 to 70 would be all over PoK. Those dumb books at all newbie towns was the final straw that made me quit. Those books should’ve had level restrictions. lvl 50+ or something, hell, it’s a portal to the planes for crying out loud. Lvl 1 in another plane! What were they thinking?
    If a server was created with just kunark and velious expansions, i’d come back and play right away. And if it has to be progressive, well, make it flagged progression after velious is opened. Or even make it that at least 50% of the server has done the requirements to open the next expansion.

  19. Quotation by TheRemedy:
    “It just doesn’t make sense to me. I know with a new server it’s a brand new start, and that people will rush in to be the first to kill bosses. But won’t those people just be coming in from other servers, hence lowering their population?”
    Yes, it will draw some people away from other servers, but, in Sony’s perspective, if they pay the $15 a month, does it really matter which server they play on? And a new server will likely draw a lot of hybernating EQ players out of slumber and even attract a few new ones.
    IMHO, of course.

  20. Quotation by Aliesthan:
    ” still miss those times, sadly, although they make another progress server, they won’t return as most of Antonica zones will be the revamped ones (RIP Oasis T_T) and I doubt they will revert them and/or change the table drops from the mobs (Hello Defiant armor in Pre-kunark server!)”
    I would almost give a body part or two to be in Oasis and hear someone shout in OOC: “Trading SoW for Breeze at dox.” And also have the utterly scared and helpless feeling, even though it was (essentially) just a video game, you get when you see a Sand Giant approach and know you have no escape; and then the utter reliefe when you target it and discover its name is “Kobaner,” obviously a Mage’s pet.

  21. I would LOVE IT if they would undo those ugly zone changes, ESPECIALLY the ones that destroyed the Commonlands and the Deserts of Ro/Oasis. — the Prophecy of Ro expansion. The changes to Misty Thicket and Nektulos Forest are okay, but revert Lavastorm, too. And my beloved Freeport….

  22. Exactly, or even just redo all of eq by taking away the poK books&poK, nexus spires, and guildlobby.
    Cheers to the good ol days of eq~!

  23. I would like to vote for a classic eq server! with a min of 1 year before anythin else opens! where do i vote?

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