DESCRIPTION

Welcome back to the world of Norrath, a place in which magnificent creatures roam, and bold treasure hunters trade and kill for what they want. For those unfamiliar with the fantasy world, EverQuest is a grandiose online role-playing game of epic proportions. Played from a first-person perspective, you can interact with thousands of people at once! While there is no overall objective, the basic point of the game is to build your character into a powerful, feared being capable of wielding the finest swords, armor and magical spells. The maximum character level in the original peaks at 50 — once you achieve this goal, you are revered on the gaming servers!

With EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark, Verant Interactive has created a massive expansion that increases the gaming world by 30 percent. In addition to the original continents of Odus, Antonica and Faydwer, the newly added Kunark features deadly swamps, harsh mountain ranges, fields of bone and vast jungles. Zones (individual territories of the continent) feature all kinds of new monsters, including dragons, scorpions and lizard warriors. With over 20 new locations, there are all kinds of low, medium and high-leveled zones in which to explore.

Kunark and its capital city of Cabilis are home to a new playable character race — the Iksar lizard tribe. A tribal group of mean-tempered lizards, they've been isolated on Kunark and refuse to associate with other races; they are outcasts and globally feared and hated. Because of their strongly built bodies and destructive conquest heritage, Iksar lizards excel in occupational classes such as Warriors, Shadow Knights and Monks. Unlike Barbarians, Ogres and Trolls, these lizards are also quite smart; they make excellent warrior-casters such as Shamans and the vampire-like Necromancer.

Although some high-leveled players may want to start an Iksar character, Verant has cracked down on the ability to "twink" a character. Twinking simply involves starting a low-level character and giving him/her/it rare and powerful items. Because the lizards have resigned themselves to the continent of Kunark, Norrath armor seldom fits their gargantuan bodies. Instead of simply buying powerful weapons and artifacts, you'll need to explore the newly added zones in search of lizard-fitting items. There is a seemingly endless supply of new swords, axes, helmets and rings to collect, trade and sell.

EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark also features enhanced graphics for the continent of Kunark and the ability to surpass level 50. Verant Interactive has incorporated new building, land and player textures with swaying trees and floating objects. Players can now maximize their characters to the 60th level; this can be a difficult task, however. Additionally, there are all kinds of newly added spells for casting character classes — Wizards get more direct damage and Necromancers receive better pets and more life-draining spells.

The packaging includes both the original EverQuest and the expansion on one CD-ROM, an updated cloth map outlining Kunark and a manual that covers the Iksar race. ~ Matthew House, All Game Guide