Seeds of Destruction

Well folks, here it is.  EverQuest, Seeds of Destruction, is officially announced. Allakhazam has a post on it.

To prevent the cataclysm and defeat the forces of chaos, players must journey through time portals to the greatest moments in EverQuest history. From the founding of Qeynos to the battle of Bloody Kithicor, players will be called upon to safeguard history and ensure that events unfold without interference from the gods of Discord.

EverQuest® Seeds of DestructionTM Features :

* Mercenaries Player controlled NPCs are available in EverQuest for the first time! Visit the EverQuest home page for a video demonstration!
* 20 New Zones Features re-imagined classic content as well as brand new realms to explore! Check the EQ Players community website for regular features on zones, NPCs and more!
* Level Cap Increase

The parts I bolded I found the most interesting. Lore wise, this sounds like a pretty dang neat expansion. Go through time and protect EQ’s events. I’m guessing there could be some pretty nifty content here. That’s got me pretty excited.

The mercenaries, on the other hand, scare me a bit. Obviously, until I actually know how they work, it’s all just speculation. I look at it two ways. On one hand, they will be effective, work in all zones, and get used a lot. To me, this would almost be a bad thing. I understand that the group game needs some help, but this would all but kill pickup groups. On the other hand, they could either be too weak or only work in certain instances, and will go pretty much unused (hello shrouds). I’m definitely interested in learning more about the mercenaries.