http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/images/logo.gif http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/ admin-eq2@tentonhammer.com http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1730 GenCon Is coming up this summer and they will surely have plenty of events and surprises from SOE. One of these events is a Legends of Norrath tournament ending with some amazing prize purses! We're getting ready to host the biggest Legends of Norrath event ever, to crown the 2008 Champion, starting Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 10 a.m. EDT! You must have qualified in either the Monthly Championship Qualifiers or the Gen Con Qualification Heats to be eligible to participate in this thirty-two player, single elimination event. See the Events Calendar and Official Rules pages for details on these events. Get the full list of prizes and rules from the Legends of Norrath site and good luck to all who play! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1729 Looking for a one stop shop for community highlights? Look no further! The EverQuest II Town Crier gathers a handful of the best community finds and links them all in one convenient location. In this week's edition: Trying to balance an MMO is like trying to tightrope-walk over a hurricane! Ratwarlock's chimed in this week with this very subject with an interesting in-depth view from the outside! Find this and much more in the Town Crier! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1728 The holy clerics of Norrath have long been heralded as THE healers to have along in group. Being the ultimate EverQuest II healer is no easy task, but we are here to help you along. Our complete and newly updated Guide to the Templar will surely have something for all stages of your career whether you be a newbie or a veteran. To melee or not to melee? Some temps prefer not to melee to focus on their tasks as Main Healer, which is fine. Unlike EQ1, power regen is uniform throughout combat, whether fighting, casting, sitting, or dancing- so this shouldn't be part of your decision criteria. The common arguments against meleeing your Temp is 1) the fear of breaking a mez if the MT tabs through targets, and 2) the additional hate this can bring. Find great advice and invaluable class resources all in one great guide! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1727 Those funny boys, Radar-X and Coyote, have another podcast up and awaiting your listening pleasure! This week they bring Brasses from TheBrasse.com along for the ride. The dynamic trio cover lore in gaming, roleplaying, and GTA4 in a very amusing 20 minutes of Game Over Podcast goodness! Visit this link to download or stream it. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1726 Phil Elliot over at Gamesindustry.biz was able to score a very in depth interview with SOE President John Smedley. They cover a variety of topics including gaming trends, past mistakes, and upcoming titles. Q: What have you learned about the community aspect - Star Wars: Galaxies, for example, went through a difficult transition period. John Smedley: The lessons we've learned from our community have just been extraordinary. For years now we've been running something called the Influencer Summit, where we pull 100 people, and 50 of those people will be our worst critics. Smedley shares a lot of interesting thoughts about SOE and the MMOG genre that are worth reading! Please visit Gamesindustry.biz to read more of this telling interview. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1725 Kendricke over at Clockwork Gamer dug up some very interesting info regarding the return of Rodcet Nife potentially being added with Game Update 45. Is EQ2 getting a new deity? According to the French version of SOE’s EQ2players.com site, players will see the return of the god Rodcet Nife in Update 45. In addition, it appears that the Void will be invading Norrath in this upcoming update, fueling speculation that the upcoming expansion (rumored to be named “The Shadow of Odyssey”) will be centered around the Void. I haven't seen confirmation just yet, but is Kendricke onto something? Check it out at Clockwork Gamer! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1724 Hard work. Dedication. Effort. Sweat and tears. ALL of these things go into a EverQuest II game update, and none of them go into making FUN of it. That's right boys and girls, the patch update notes are back and so are they! RadarX and Coyote went over the notes with a fine tooth comb to find the most helpful and impressive fixes and improvements. And then they made fun of them. Badly. Check out the newest patch note mockings MST3K style in "Game Update #45: ...and then there's Hancock.." The time limit between repeatable faction quests in Sinking Sands has been removed. RadarX: The time limit of 6 hours for finding a useful collection item in Sinking Sands however is still in place. Coyote: At first I was really happy to finally find a "yellow sand"...but then I thought "Hey. Wait. If yellow SNOW is...OH MY GOD!" and ran to wash my hands. RadarX: Have you seen the market for that stuff? I'm surprised people are so anxious to buy it. Coyote: Giant spider pee is an aphrodisiac in some countries. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1723 You ask the questions, Ten Ton Hammer answers them! We are diligently working to rebuild our EverQuest II FAQ for our readers and have now completed the FAQ for Races and Combat. Can I buff other players like in EQ1? WTB SoW! One of the great things about EverQuest I was the ability to buff anyone and everyone! This isn't really a feature in EQ2. Some buffs, such as Spirit of Wolf, will indeed work on anyone. Most buffs are self or group/raid only and won't be usable by anyone you are not grouped with. Find out all the things you didn't know (or thought you did) about EQ2 in this FAQ! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1722 Steve "Saavedra" Kramer has always been one of my favorite developers. He's been one of the few that kept a firm touch to the pulse of the community, with his feet on the ground and his nose to grindstone. Sadly, he announced last week that he is moving on to join The Agency team. Although he will still be with SOE, those of us who still play EQ2 will miss seeing him around. You can read his goodbye and post your own well wishes for Steve on his blog. Be sure to bookmark it to keep tabs on one of our favorite developers! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1721 These evil crusaders of Norrath wield disease just as dangerously as they wield their swords. The EverQuest II Shadowknight has become a favorite of soloers and tanking groupers since the addition of achievements that makes these fighters as deadly as they are fun to play. The Shadowknights are another very fun plate wearing class that gives you the added benefit of life taps, wards, damage over time and direct damage spells. They are a fighter that appeals to the player who want more of a variety in the way that they do damage. There is something very satisfying in being able to slice at your opponent with your sword, and cast a worthy nuke. Whether you are a Shadowknight that is just getting started or an evil crusader that has been around a while, our newly updated Ten Ton Hammer Class Guide to the SK will surely have advice or resources that you will need! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1720 Class changes galore are happening in Game Update 45, is YOUR class being effected? Coercers will see a great amount of changes in this Game Update to help in possessing the essences of others as well as many other changes to your abilities! The "possession" spells of Coercers will see changes to harness your pet's essence for better control. In other magical news, Thought stones, Essences of Anguish and Nil Crystals are finally obsolete! Thanks to the respective magical guilds of Qeynos and Freeport, Coercers and Necromancers and Warlocks will no longer have to deal with spell components. Get the GU45 info in this Sneak Peek! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1719 The EverQuest II Rangers are far more than being just a scout. This high damage class is all about learning some serious skill and having some serious fun. As a very well-rounded class, it is the perfect choice for any playstyle whether you happen to be a soloer, grouper, or raider. Each ranger has their own style of play that they prefer and you should obviously tailor your strategy for the level of opponent you are facing. Without talking about level specific attributes this is how I would handle the encounters. If soloing, I typically lead with my highest damage Combat Arts (CAs) (Back Shot or Sniping Shot) from maximum range and then cycle to any arrow shots that I can not use while moving and follow with arrow CAs that I can fire while backpedaling. Remember to pick your backing path before engaging so that you do not back into another mob. If you play a Ranger or have thought about playing one, then our newly updated Ranger Class Guide is the perfect resource to get you started and stay with you through every step of your class career. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1718 There has been a lot of feedback since the Station Exchange switchover to Live Gamer, keep getting your thoughts and suggestions heard! Live Gamer is/are reading all the suggestions and ideas and greatly appreciate the comments and suggestions and the passion shown by the EQ2 community. We are actively working on making the Live Gamer Exchange a better experience for everyone and will continue to add features and functionality in the coming weeks and months. Please continue to make suggestions and post ideas on how we can make the Exchange a better experience and marketplace. Gnobrin provides a link to Live Gamer feedback so that players may report directly to the people who are working hard to make the Exchange Servers better! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1717 There is a lot of EverQuest II info to be had, but do you have the time to find it all? Kick back, relax, and let the Town Crier do all the hard work for you. For this week's community highlights: This gnome's a stickler for videos, and this week I've been gifted with two great ones! Ratwarlock shines this week, thanks to a recently submitted video about Neriak! If you're from those dark recesses, you don't want to miss this! The second video this week is about an outstanding giant raid, submitted by the folks at Mmognation! Speculation about the next expansion is rampant, and this gnome's loving some of the reasons and stories! Rao from raoworld.wordpress.com is one of those many that are trying their hardest to figure out what's coming. Do you think they're anywhere close? Find these and more on EQ2 Players! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1716 Ten Ton Hammer has added a new feature available to our Premium Members! Live chat gives you a whole new way to interact with the Ten Ton Hammer community and the staff. Come hang out with us, get to know everyone, and fill the boredom of the day. All you need is Premium Membership and the desire to chat! See you there! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1715 Just a little FYI for our readers, SOE Phone Support will be experiencing some downtime that is worth noting! This Friday, May 2nd SOE Phone Support will be closed for a few hours from 10am - 12:30pm Pacific Time. Phone Support will resume operation from 12:30pm - 7pm Pacific Time. We apologize for the inconvenience. Plan accordingly and we will let you know if there are any changes to this notice. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1714 You've been hearing about all the proposed class changes and now is your chance to actually see them in action and give some feedback. A major update has hit test and is ready for player to check 'em out! - Shadowknight Despoiling Mist line should once again apply the same number of mitigation buffs as members of the encounter. - Warden Tranquility will now last 1 minute and attempt to cure impairments on the target several times. - Warlock Nil Crystals are no longer required as components for spells. The Abhorrent Shroud line now has a power cost to replace the nil crystal requirement. - Wizard The Surging Tempest line should now work as a dot with a triggered knockdown. This will make the spell work with Freehand Sorcery and Harmonization. It looks like we will also be getting extra bank slots (WooHoo!) and a very welcome change that suspends your mount rather than canceling it! Get the full list of Test Notes on the Official EQ2 Forums. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1713 Revamps are one of those things that you either love or hate, but regardless of how you feel about them sometimes they are just downright needed. Steve "Saavedra" Kramer talks about revamps in this EQ2 Development Blog. The best revamps (to me, of course!) are the ones where I get to scrap everything without worrying about what was in there before, and make an entirely new zone out of it. I was given a choice of zones to do this with a few months ago, and eventually settled on making a level 80 instance of Runnyeye. Check out what else Saavedra has to say about revamps and leave your own comments on the EQ2 Dev Blog. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1712 Time to get to know another dev! EQ2's Dev Diary gives us a unique look at some of our favorite developers to find out what they do and who they are. In this week's diary meet Steve Kim! You worked in SOGA studio in Taiwan for quite a long time. How did you like it and what's the difference between San Diego studio and SOGA studio? I had a blast while I was in Taiwan. That was the first time that I had to oversee and mentor a group of animators. There's not that much difference between SOE and SOGA, although SOGA is a lot smaller, so everyone is familiar with each other. The office space in SOGA is also a lot more open, so it's easier to see what people are working on. It was really a rewarding experience and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Read or watch all about Steve Kim on EQ2 Players! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1711 Ten Ton Hammer is adding to the EverQuest II FAQ bit by bit! We've recently added a class section to the FAQ, and much more will be coming soon! Why would I choose to play EQ2 over all the other games out there? EverQuest II currently provides 24 class choices, 19 playable races, and 5 starting cities that are available via the original game and with the 4 game expansions: Desert of Flames, Kingdom of Sky, Echoes of Faydwer, and Rise of Kunark. The content provided in EQ2 is amazing and this game has both the benefits of having the look and stellar graphics of a newer game balanced with having been around long enough to be smooth and well rounded. Come see what great info we have included for our readers who are interested in finding out more about this award winning game. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1710 I love Virgin Worlds Podcasts! They manage to touch upon many hot topics in the gaming community in the best way. In this newest edition: - Age of Conan preps for release - APB changes plans / Webzen is AWOL - The Agency has PvP too - Dofus goes mobile - Earthrise design notes - EverQuest II - The Shadow of Odyssey - KingsIsle arrived on the scene - Lineage II expands yet again - The MMO Blue Book - A Wii MMO? - Brent rants - Listener Mail: Timecards and Collector's Editions This is a great listen so be sure to stop on by Virgin Worlds to download or stream to listen. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1709 SOE's 34th Podcast is up and ready for your listening enjoyment! Here are the highlights from this installment: **News with Jason “Pex” Ryan **Listener Emails **Fan Faire count down **EQ2 House of Commons Chat **TV and Movies **What are you playing? ..and much more! Be sure to stop on by Station.com to get the latest fun and informative SOE Podcast! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1708 There are times when our resident humorist, Coyotee Sharptongue, pushes the envelope with his witty EverQuest II observances but THIS is one that I promise no one will want to pass up. "Can't you see a pattern forming? Worlds will be born and worlds will die, but we'll still be here. A new world while exciting and "fresh" to our eyes will simply join the others in ranks - not dominate them. Your fear is unfounded. We can exist peacefully, we can -" Coyotee's logic is cut off instantly as Earned utters a single word. "Nipples." The doomsayer says smugly, letting the word echo for effect. Count with me folks! One. Two. Three. How many times can Coyote say "nipple" and still be actually talking about gaming? When it comes to EQ2 versus Age of Conan, apparently a lot. http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1707 SOE has trademarked what is suspected to be the next EverQuest II expansion! The name "EverQuest II The Shadow of Odyssey" was trademarked on April 18, 2008. We hope to see more regarding this expansion later this year. Cyanbane over at EQ-Daily.com has posted a screenshot of the Trademark Search and an interesting bit of lore that very well could be connected. Please visit EQ2-Daily to check it out! http://eq2.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1706 Legends of Norrath, SOE's own in game trading card game, is adding a new Chardok Raid Deck cards this weekend! Slated to start at 2:00pm PST on April 25th and continue through 2:00pm PST on May 27th, players could find these randomly dropped Chardok Raid cards during their adventuring in EverQuest® and EverQuest® II and have a chance to loot or trade for all thirty-one (31) different cards for their Chardok Raid Deck Keep an eye out for these new cards and have fun playing Legends of Norrath!