Saturday, September 1, 2018

Make Mine A Double - A Public Service Announcement On Behalf Of EverQuest And EQ2

It was never my plan to stand in as a news service for Norrath but every time I post one of these alerts someone thanks me for bringing it to their attention so I feel I probably should keep sharing the love. No-one else seems to have noticed but both EQ and EQ2 are running double XP weekends right now, presumably because this is Labor Day in the States.

I didn't notice it myself until five minutes ago, when I was idly tabbing around various bookmarks as I waited for Twin Saga to update on Steam. Something I saw reminded me I hadn't done this week's Yun Zi quest so I thought I'd pop in to do that while I waited.

As I logged in, right there on the launcher I saw a news item announcing Double XP, Double Currency and a 25% Off Sale in the cash shop. SOE launchers used to be something of a joke but over the last five years or so they've refined themselves into some of the best around, reliable and informative.

Having a regularly updated news page right there at log in is very handy. Of course, you do have to be logging in to see it...

I didn't log into EQ2 yesterday so I missed the start of the event, a very long "weekend" indeed, running from 12:01AM PT on Friday, August 31, 2018 until 11:59PM PT on Thursday, September 6, 2018 according to the official website, which for some still unexplained reason always comes to me via the French Language version these days, even though the bulk of the text is in English.

These events come with the Firiona Vie Seal of Approval.

The EQ2 event is for All Access Members only, so of limited interest to casual players, but I thought it was worth mentioning. I'll be taking advantage of the accelerated xp to push my Wizard through the final level to the cap and I might even do a few levels on the Warlock, who's maxed his Sage skills but is lazing around at Level 100 in his adventuring.

I also notice that the event is extended for an exrtra day for the Antonia Bayle server only due to a server merge. This is something else I'd missed. I'm guessing that's the long-postponed merger with Stormhold.

I have a character on Stormhold who might like to do a few levels so maybe I'll take him out for a spin.

The EverQuest version is more limited, lasting a day less and not including double currency, but the xp bonus applies to all players, regardless of account status. You have to be a Member to get the 25% store discount, though.

Double XP is actually a lot more of a big deal in the older EQ. I haven't played for a long while and I'd pretty much abandoned my attempts to level my Magician further into the 90s. It is tempting, all the same, especially as she's on the account which isn't subbed and double xp events for freeloaders are relatively rare. Maybe I'll get in a session or two.

Anyway, there it is, for what it's worth. Double XP all round!

3 comments:

  1. I saw that double xp announcement in my feed and, as always, thought for a moment that I should subscribe and go back to take advantage of it. Of course, therein lies the rub. If I am not invested enough to be playing anyway I am not sure double xp would change that and, if it did, my interested would likely taper off once the weekend special had passed.

    Where is that three day a month subscription that SOE used to have when I need it?

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    Replies
    1. I'd forgotten those. They were actually not a bad idea. Even better would be a three-day Double XP pass you could buy and use at a time of your choosing. They could limit it to one every calendar month or 30 days if they thought it would be too unbalancing.

      There's a whole post to be written about the way game developers handle bonus xp...

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    2. Not to mention the philosophical question of, "If the game is so good, why does double xp make me happy?

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