Lore · Expansion Sagas
Empires of Kunark (2016)
Executive producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale announced it in her producer’s letter of September 1, 2016: "we are thrilled to announce we are returning to a much-loved continent of Norrath! Prepare for EverQuest: Empires of Kunark". She called it "our new content-focused expansion this November", and it took its place in the expansion list. Source [1]
What the letter promised
Longdale listed "a new look for Sarnaks (perhaps an illusion for some?!), new zones like Scorched Woods, Chardok: War March, Lceanium, Droga, Kor’Sha, new monsters, armor, weapons, items and more!" She added: "It’s been many years since we’ve set our eyes on Kunark and there are many stories to discover." Source [1]
Longdale promised "bi-weekly bonuses, like experience boosts, reduced lockouts, increased rare spawns, and more" through October and November "until expansion launch". She warned that the Collector’s and Premium editions of The Broken Mirror would stop being sold once Empires of Kunark pre-orders began. Source [1]
A sarnak look
From September 28 to October 12, 2016, All Access members who logged in received the "Visage of Chardok Royalty", "a Sarnak player illusion!" It "uses one of the classic character models that were first introduced when The Ruins of Kunark was released in 2000", and was "available to characters on all servers, including progression servers!" Source [10]
Pre-orders and launch
Pre-orders opened on October 6, 2016, in three editions: Standard "($34.99 USD)", Collector’s "($89.99 USD)" and Premium "($139.99 USD)". All Access members got 10% off, and every edition included "Access to all previous expansion content". The pre-order bonus was the Ganak Monument, "A massive monument to Emperor Ganak for your house", delivered at purchase. Source [2]
The pre-order pitch put the stakes in one question: "Will a unified Norrath prevail, or will the Combine’s arrival in Kunark lead to a war of catastrophic proportions." Source [2]
Launch
The November 8 countdown set the time: "Empires of Kunark is scheduled to launch at noon PST on Wednesday, November 16." Daybreak’s launch-day post called it "EverQuest’s twenty-third expansion". Source [3] Source [4]
The last of the autumn bonuses ran "through 11:00PM on Tuesday, November 15, 2016", the night before launch, when "ALL PLAYERS will receive 50% Bonus XP". Source [11]
Three powers
Daybreak’s lore preview of October 20, 2016 named three powers: the reawakened Combine Empire of Tsaph Katta, the sarnak united under Queen Velazul Di’zok of Chardok, and Atrebe Sathir. Atrebe Sathir was long thought dead. Source [5]
The pre-order article called the Combine "the progenitors of much of the human race" and said Tsaph Katta wanted to "cement his place in the annals of history as The Great Unifier". Katta "vows to reform the Combine Empire" "by any means necessary. He will lead them into a renewed age of prosperity". Source [2]
By launch week Daybreak wrote of "the former glorious capital of his nation rebuilt in the treacherous lands of Kunark", as Katta made his claim. Players were told to "return to the ruins of Kunark and be ready to play your part in the coming turmoil." Source [3]
Caught in the middle
The preview said the continent was "far from peaceful, but no single race rises too far above the others", and that "many of Kunark’s other inhabitants have found themselves caught in the middle of the conflict." Its closing line put the player on one side: "you’ll have to do whatever it takes to secure the future of the Combine Empire." Source [5]
The Familiar Key Ring
The headline feature, announced on October 31, was the Familiar Key Ring: "10 slots for you to store your familiar friends!" Familiars could be added or removed at any time, and more slots came from the Marketplace or by upgrading to the Collector’s or Premium edition. Source [6]
The ring let players "apply the stats of one familiar to the appearance of another." Pet classes that "previously had to decide between having a familiar or a combat pet specific to their class can now have BOTH out at the same time!" Source [6]
Beta, zones and sweepstakes
Beta testers earned tokens toward a "Cowl of the Dreadlands Yeti character illusion item" for their live characters, redeemable "AFTER the launch of Empires of Kunark." The same notice listed beta entry among the pre-order rewards: "immediate access to the beta server!" Source [7]
The launch notice said the new zones used "Load Balancing Zone" technology, so a crowded zone could open extra instances and spread its players across them. Source [4]
Daybreak ran a #ReturnToKunark screenshot sweepstakes from November 21 to 28, 2016. Three grand-prize winners got a code for the Collector’s Edition with an EverQuest/EverQuest II coffee mug, quest journal and cookie tin. Source [8]
Looking back
Longdale’s December 22, 2016 letter looked back on "various progression server releases, live events, Quarm, the Empires of Kunark expansion", apologized for server stability problems, and said "work on next year’s expansion has already begun!" Source [9]
Sources
[1] EverQuest.com, “September 2016 EQ Producer’s Letter: Let’s Talk Expansion” (Holly “Windstalker” Longdale, Sep 1, 2016) · [2] EverQuest.com, “Pre-Order Empires of Kunark Today!” (Oct 6, 2016) · [3] EverQuest.com, “Empires of Kunark - Weds, Nov 16” (Nov 8, 2016) · [4] EverQuest.com, “Empires of Kunark is Now Live!” (Nov 16, 2016) · [5] EverQuest.com, “Empires of Kunark Preview: Lore” (Oct 20, 2016) · [6] EverQuest.com, “Empires of Kunark Feature: Familiar Key Ring” (Oct 31, 2016) · [7] EverQuest.com, “Thank You for Beta Testing Empires of Kunark!” (Oct 21, 2016) · [8] EverQuest.com, “Return to Kunark and WIN A Collector’s Edition!” (Nov 21, 2016) · [9] EverQuest.com, “December 2016 - EQ Producer’s Letter” (Holly “Windstalker” Longdale, Dec 22, 2016) · [10] EverQuest.com, “Whoa! Who’s the Sarnak?” (Sep 27, 2016) · [11] EverQuest.com, “50% Bonus XP - November 4-15, 2016” (Nov 4, 2016)
Retold in our own words from the sources listed on this page; short quotes are marked and sourced.