Dynasties & Dungeons

After more than a decade away from EverQuest , I returned to the world of Norrath with a familiar duo: a level 72 bard and a level 71 wizard. Thirteen years had passed since I last played, and the game had grown in ways both familiar and new. When I returned, the bard had just reached level 68 and the wizard level 59. With mercenary companions in tow—a steadfast tank and a devoted healer—we set out on the Hero’s Journey quests, determined to see how far this duo could carry us. Emerging from the wide plains of The Steppes , we still felt the thrill of adventure as our songs and spells echoed across the winds. The transition from sun-baked plains to forested, rocky valleys of Sunderock Springs felt like stepping into a different world. Moss-covered cliffs loomed overhead, and the air was thick with the scent of wet stone and growing things. The bard’s songs kept our mercs moving with uncanny precision, while I, cloaked in mana and ready with Gelidin Comet and Thundaka , let loose de...

Every Enchanter begins with the same illusion: that power lies in control. That a summoned pet, a neatly memorised spell bar, and a careful pull are enough to bend the world to your will. Carallas of Felwithe began no differently. Beginnings in Crescent Reach (1–10) Carallas of Agnarr The early days were not about power, but preparation. From level 1 to 10, Carallas focused on survival and equipment, committing himself to a full set of Art Keeper armour. Hours were spent hunting wasps for pollen on Orc Hill—the most frustrating and time-consuming part of the quest. This was not efficient leveling; it was deliberate. The Enchanter is fragile early on, and unlike other classes, cannot rely on brute force. The armour provided a foundation upon which everything else would be built. At level 3, Carallas entered the tutorial, captured by kobolds, and emerged at level 10 ready to begin his true journey. Crushbone and the First Lessons (10–18) At level 10, Carallas moved into Crush...

Augments are one of the most powerful and long-lasting progression systems in EverQuest , allowing players to customize gear with permanent bonuses that persist across upgrades. Introduced during the Lost Dungeons of Norrath era, they can enhance almost any piece of equipment with boosts to hit points, mana, endurance, armor class, stats, weapon procs, or even spell effects. Understanding how augments work and how to manage them safely is crucial for maximizing your character’s potential, whether you are leveling solo, duoing, or preparing for group content. What Are Augments? An augmentation is an item that you insert into a gear slot. Each slot is restricted by type, which determines where the augment can fit rather than how strong it is. The most common slot types today include Type 7, which fits most armor and jewelry and provides general bonuses such as HP, mana, and stats, and Type 8, which is typically reserved for raid gear and high-end content. Weapon-only augments are gen...

Every journey in EverQuest begins the same way, with nothing but a name and the will to survive. Kibrosa, an Iksar Monk, took his first steps in the cliffside city of Crescent Reach, a place that offers opportunity to the untested but little protection beyond its borders. His earliest days were quiet and uneventful, filled with simple errands and basic training that taught him how to move, how to strike, and how to endure. It was a controlled beginning, one that gave no real sense of the dangers waiting just outside the city’s reach. That illusion did not last. Not far from the safety of Crescent Reach, Kibrosa’s journey was interrupted by a sudden and overwhelming force. Kobolds, organized and relentless, struck without warning and dragged him into the depths. There was no moment of triumph, no chance to resist in any meaningful way. When he awoke, it was not beneath the familiar stone of the city, but deep within the oppressive tunnels of the Mines of Gloomingdeep. There, stripped...

"What are we going to do tonight, Brain?" "The same thing we do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world!" – Pinky and the Brain If you have ever daydreamed about taking control of a nation, building an empire and rewriting the course of history, Europa Universalis IV is one of the games that can turn that fantasy into reality. Developed by Paradox Interactive, Europa Universalis IV is a grand strategy game covering the period from 1444 to 1821. You take control of a country and guide it through almost four centuries of political, military, economic and religious change. But what makes EU4 remarkable is not simply the scale of its map or the amount of history it contains. It is the freedom it gives the player. You can attempt to follow the broad course of history, or you can tear that history apart and create something entirely different. That combination of historical immersion, strategic depth and almost limitless possibility is what makes Europa ...

Yesterday, I embarked on a new adventure in EverQuest II by creating a brand-new character on the Origins server. Origins offers a very different way of experiencing EverQuest II. Rather than stepping into the modern game with its twenty years of expansions, systems and progression, Origins takes the game back towards its beginnings. For someone who has played EverQuest II for many years, that makes it a particularly interesting experience. I already know the modern game, but Origins gives me the opportunity to explore a different form of EverQuest II — one much closer to the game as it was originally conceived. My goal is to explore that experience from the Qeynos perspective, something I had not previously done in this way. After carefully considering the races, classes and tradeskill classes I had yet to play, I decided to create a Monk. Choosing a race required a little research. Monks have little need for intelligence as a primary statistic, but I wanted to consid...