EverQuest II gets PvP – details revealed

EverQuest II, as some of you may or may not know, is finally getting PvP. Set for a simulatneous launch with Kingdom of the Sky, PvP will be unveiled on new PvP rule-set servers. Named after famous dragons in Norrath, everyone will have the opportunity to start fresh on a PvP server and be a part of the escalated conflict between Freeport and Qeynos.

The launch of PvP will see dedicated Player-versus-Player ruleset servers for our US, UK, DE, and FR servers. There will be two US PvP servers, one of which will be Exchange-enabled. Read the full chage list at the link below

Gameplay

The general gameplay is as follows: You start off aligned with the city you choose at character creation— Freeport (Evil) or Qeynos (Good). You will hunt and battle with members of the opposing alignment to gain experience, status, faction and titles. Further rewards will become available at PvP merchants as you earn standing within your city—you will have the opportunity to purchase items and other rewards from these special merchants.

Nowhere in Norrath is safe, so be on your toes. While you are relatively safe within the protective walls of your home city, you’ll have to watch your back nearly everywhere else (see “City PvP”). Let’s get that adrenaline pumping!

EverQuest II, as some of you may or may not know, is finally getting PvP. Set for a simulatneous launch with Kingdom of the Sky, PvP will be unveiled on new PvP rule-set servers. Named after famous dragons in Norrath, everyone will have the opportunity to start fresh on a PvP server and be a part of the escalated conflict between Freeport and Qeynos.

The launch of PvP will see dedicated Player-versus-Player ruleset servers for our US, UK, DE, and FR servers. There will be two US PvP servers, one of which will be Exchange-enabled.

Gameplay

The general gameplay is as follows: You start off aligned with the city you choose at character creation— Freeport (Evil) or Qeynos (Good). You will hunt and battle with members of the opposing alignment to gain experience, status, faction and titles. Further rewards will become available at PvP merchants as you earn standing within your city—you will have the opportunity to purchase items and other rewards from these special merchants.

Nowhere in Norrath is safe, so be on your toes. While you are relatively safe within the protective walls of your home city, you’ll have to watch your back nearly everywhere else (see “City PvP”). Let’s get that adrenaline pumping!

Gameplay

The general gameplay is as follows: You start off aligned with the city you choose at character creation— Freeport (Evil) or Qeynos (Good). You will hunt and battle with members of the opposing alignment to gain experience, status, faction and titles. Further rewards will become available at PvP merchants as you earn standing within your city—you will have the opportunity to purchase items and other rewards from these special merchants.

Nowhere in Norrath is safe, so be on your toes. While you are relatively safe within the protective walls of your home city, you’ll have to watch your back nearly everywhere else (see “City PvP”). Let’s get that adrenaline pumping!

Communication and Interaction

On EverQuest II PvP-ruleset servers, there is a distinct language barrier between citizens of Qeynos and citizens of Freeport . All players aligned with Qeynos will speak Antonican, and all players aligned with Freeport will speak Lucanic. This means that members of opposing cities cannot understand each other’s language.

Regardless of the language you choose to speak in—be it draconic, oggish, or otherwise—members of the opposing city will be unable to understand what you communicate in /say. Similarly, anything said in /auction, /ooc, and /shout channels will only be seen by members of the same alignment (good, evil, betraying).

Things you CAN NOT do across alignments:

• Group with members outside of your alignmentJoin a guild that is not of your alignment
• Send /tells to characters not of your alignment
• View /auction, /ooc, /shout from characters of another alignment
• Join chat channels created by characters of another alignment
• View members of another alignment in the zone with /who
• Send mail via the Norrathian Express
• Trade items or coin
• /duel or /duelbet

Combat

Spells, combat arts, and combat in general may not function identically to PvE during PvP. We have the ability to define any level of differences in the combat system for PvP, from global changes like “all spells and arts do slightly less damage to players” to specific changes such as “this particular effect on this particular spell works slightly differently in PvP.”

Here is a general outline of how combat-related effects are changing on a fairly broad scale. Note that the changes that are described below only have to do with PvP combat, as PvE combat on PvP servers functions the same as on Standard-ruleset servers.

Taunts and Hate Reduction
Taunts have the ability to change players’ targets in PvP. They can also keep targets focused on the taunter for short durations of time.

Spells that reduce hostile hate or lower your position on a creature’s hate list can force players to completely lose their target. Examples would include a Scout’s Evade or Templar’s Placate.

Melee Combat
The default maximum range for melee combat has been increased. Positional spells and arts that require the caster to be either behind or flanking the opponent will work if either requirement is met. *Note* This is only the case against other players.

Control Spells
Control spells (Snare, Root, Stun, Fear, Charm, Stifle, Mez, and Pacify) will carry an immunity placed on the target for 2x the duration of the spell. Essentially, if you are rooted for 10 seconds, you will be immune from any root effects for the duration of that root and for 10 seconds after the spell wears off. *Note* You’ll only be immune to these effects from other players; these immunities will not protect you from NPC spells.

Other
A character that would normally be invisible or stealthed to you will appear with a shadowy outline if within a specified range (currently 20m). Characters that would normally be visible to you (i.e. if they are significantly below your level or you can see-stealth or see-invis) will remain visible with the shadowy outline outside of this range.

Stealth, Invisibility and Feign Death effects cast during combat will force anyone targeting you to lose their target.

Healing or casting beneficial spells on players who are currently hated by another player in PvP combat will open the caster up as a valid target regardless of the level ranges involved.

Upon zoning, players will be immune from PvP combat until they initiate a hostile action or move. No need to worry about zoneline campers as long as you don’t make yourself vulnerable.

A separate inspection option has been included on PvP servers that will allow players to view how Spells and Combat Arts perform in PvP combat (you will access this in the right-click context menu).

Death and Rewards

Death
Currently, deaths from PvP kills will result in moderate experience debt. You will not receive any armor damage. *Note* If you are on any creature’s hate list at the time of your PvP death, you will take normal PvE death penalties.

How Rewards are Determined
Rewards for engaging in and triumphantly winning a PvP conflict vary depending on how the kill took place. Rewards and definitions for kill types follow.

Honorable Kills: Any kill of the opposing alignment that was engaged while the target had greater then 50% health. All players that generate at least one point of hate with the victim while the victim’s health is above the honorable kill threshold will be eligible to receive rewards, including experience, status, faction, and the ability to loot item or coin dropped by the other player.

Neutral Kills: Any kill of the opposing alignment that was engaged while the target had greater then 20% health. Neutral kills result in moderate faction gain.

Dishonorable Kills: Any kill of the opposing alignment that was first engaged while the target had less than 20% health. Dishonorable kills result in a loss of faction with both your alignment and the opposing city’s. Losing enough faction will cause you to fall out of favor with your alignment, and will restrict or remove any access to the rewards system.

Note: Dishonorable/Neutral status will be removed if the victim’s health goes above the specified thresholds during the course of the fight.

The Kill List: Honorably killing another player will place them on a list tied to your character, designed to reduce friend farming and griefing. Any Honorable subsequent kill of the same player will result in a Neutral kill until you have killed 10 other players.

• Players will be removed from your list of recent kills after 30 minutes of real time.
• Killing a player already on your recent kills list will move them to the top of the list and reset their timer.

Coin and Item Loot
In the event of an honorable death, players will drop a percentage of their coin into a chest that can be looted by anyone who gained rewards for the kill (or the player who died if they make it back to the chest in time).

Additionally, there is a chance that players will drop a single item from their non-equipped inventory upon death. These items are of Treasured quality and lower, and cannot be Attuned or No-Trade.

PvP Rules

While PvP servers are, for the most part, very dangerous and intense worlds to live in, there are a few rules that Norrathians must still abide by. These rules are outlined below:

Players under level 10 are protected from and cannot initiate PvP combat. While some players will be ready to have at it swords a-swingin’ and spells a-flyin’ from the get-go, others will need to familiarize themselves with their character a bit before joining the fight.

Players cannot openly engage in PvP within their city walls under the same rules. This currently refers to both Freeport and Qeynos main zones, districts and villages. PvP within the city walls is handled in the form of City PvP Flagging, which is outlined in the section below.

For the opposing alignment, players’ names will have a red outline indicating that they are a valid hostile target.  By default, any players  +/- up to 8 levels are valid targets, and their names will appear as a color based on the level difference:

• Green: 5-8 levels below you
• Blue: 1-4 levels below you
• White: Even level
• Yellow: 1-4 levels above you
• Orange: 5-8 levels above you
• Player names more than 8 levels below will appear grey
• Player names more than 8 levels above you will appear red and non-aggro

At first, you will not be able to attack any player that cons grey to you unless they attack you first. However, as players travel farther from the city walls, the level range for valid targets increases:

• Nektulos, Thundering Steppes: You may attack players up to 10 levels below you
• Enchanted Lands, Orcish Wastes: You may attack players up to 12 levels below you
• Lavastorm, Everfrost, Feerrott, Rivervale: You may attack players up to 14 levels below you
• Desert of Flames: You may attack all players
• Kingdom of Sky: You may attack all players

Note: While the valid range of players you can kill does increase, the rewards will only be granted for players within the default +/- 8 level range.

As previously mentioned, when you zone you will be immune to PvP combat until you either move or initiate a hostile action. Conversely, you will be unable to attack someone who has just zoned until they either move or perform a hostile action.

City PvP

PvP within city walls works a little differently than it does in the outside world. The idea is that you are relatively well-protected within the walls of Freeport and Qeynos. Under normal circumstances, a player cannot attack another player within a city unless they are specifically flagged for this to occur. The rules for City PvP are as follows:

• Attacking any NPC in a safe zone (i.e. city) flags the attacker for “City PvP”
• Anyone flagged as “City PvP” can be attacked by anyone of the opposing alignment in any zone who meets the requirements to engage in PvP.
• Anyone that attacks a “City PvP” flagged player also becomes flagged for “City PvP.”
• “City PvP” flagging lasts for 15 minutes from the last hostile action taken against a safe zone NPC or another “City PvP” flagged player.

PvP: Coming Soon to EverQuest II

We hope you’ll try and enjoy Player-versus-Player conflict within EverQuest II, scheduled to be unleashed on February 21, 2006 along with Live Update #20. PvP server names will be revealed in the February newsletter and, later, as part of update notes. Be one of the first to experience traditional PvP action in the world of EverQuest II’s Norrath. It’s time to heat up the cold war!

Note: Please be aware that this information is accurate as of this writing. Many things, especially specific numbers, may change during PvP beta testing.