(N)EverQuest Scrolls

Zone graphics have been changed for many zones. Along with these changes, new mobs and quests may have been added. This seems to be a part of ongoing revision of old zones, building in changes that seem partly to be derived from EQ2.

Revised Zones

This is from the perspective of someone leaving post-Luclin; there were earlier zone revisions and additions, like Split Paw, the Warrens, Stonebrunt Mountains and Befallen (which reverted back to it’s original form). New zones are only mentioned if they are available to everyone, regardless of expansion. In no particular order:

• Splitpaw. In original release it was upped from a teens level to 30-45 level.
• Runnyeye. Had a mobs and drops revamp before I started – which was early Luclin.
• Cazic-Thule. Just before the release of PoP, this was upgraded from a 20s/30s zone to a level cap (for the time) zone – 55-60. Mob changes only, but with new quests added.
• Jaggedpine Forest. This was added before the release of PoP as a 30-50 zone, available to everyone.
• The Hole. Was originally added, along with Stronebrunt and the Warrens, in the original era; but the Hole was revised (mobs and drops only) post-PoP.
• Grobb. was taken over by frogloks as a new home city for the new race, and trolls were moved into Neriak, at the time of the release of the Legacy of Ykesha. The frogloks renamed it to Gukta. Not long ago, sometime before the Serpent’s Spine release, trolls took back Grobb, and the frogloks were relocated to Rathe Mountains.
• Nurga and Droga. Were given new mobs, still goblins, but increased in level; Nurga is high 30s to low 50s, Droga high 40s to low 60s. This changed was made not long after PoP. Pathing was also changed.
• Chardok B. This is a completely new zone that was added not long after the Nurga/Droga upgrades, probably around the LoY era. It is on opposite faction to Chardok, and mostly undead. Level is 50-65.
• Sol C. Added at the same time as Chardok B and somewhat similar (apart from no undead), with entrances from Sol A/B.
• Plane of Hate. This was revised – new zone layout, but same mobs, same drops, in the general post-PoP era.
• The Mines of Gloomingdeep. This is the new tutorial zone. It was introduced somewhere around the release of Omens, and then expanded later, probably after the release of DoN. Now it is a level 1-10 zone.
• Mistmoore. This was “upgraded” to a 65+ zone (mobs only), but was reverted back to the old form after a short while; the change was around Omens, and change back was around Darkhollow.
• Split Paw. Now has new, elemental, mobs inside, 65+ (mobs only changed). The pathing has been slightly tuned. Changed same time as Mistmoore, Omens era.
• Veeshan’s Peak. No graphics changes, but converted to a hardcore, 65+ grouping zone. The only problem is that the key involves a raid in Skyfire that no one ever wants to do.
• Timorous Deep. This zone had some mob changes, but I have no idea exactly what, or exactly when! Possibly Omens. New, higher level pirates were added, and some new spirocs can also be found.
• The Bazaar. this was completely reworked, roughly around the release of Dragons of Norrath. The reasons behind this were largely outstanding problems with lag caused by line of sight issues. This was coincident with the introduction of a “buyer” system.
• Lavastorm. This has been considerably revised, with new mobs and the size increased. There are many new quests, very attractive for level 40+, and this zone is the gateway to the Broodlands. This was done as part of the Dragons of Norrath expansion.
• Firiona Vie. The outpost was taken over by dark elves, sometime before the release of Depths of Darkhollow. Everything else is the same.
• The Arena. A stone was added for this in the Plane of Knowledge, and graphics were revised. Not sure exactly when this was done, but somewhere between DoN and TSS.
• Nektulos Forest. This was briefly revised to a completely new layout, and was then changed again. Currently, it is more or less the same shape, with the same mobs and quests as of old, but with new graphics. This was done to add in the zone connection to Corathus Creep, as part of the Depths of Darkhollow expansion.
• Freeport. Is a new style zone, with new graphics and quests. This was done as part of the Prophecy of Ro expansion. The new zones are: West Freeport, East Freeport, and Freeport Sewers (a new, level 20ish zone, available to everyone). North Freeport is no more. The Academy of Sciences now connects to Arcstone.
• The Deserts of Ro. Again, this was done as part of Prophecy of Ro. The overall layout is the zone, but with Oasis merged into South Ro. Graphics have been changed, but most mobs are the same; a few were added (such as the Sand Giant Elites). There is a zone connection to a PoR zone, SW of the spectre isle.
• High Hold Pass. Now connects to Blightfire Moors in The Serpent’s Spine, and has new graphics, but same old mobs and quests.
• The Commonlands. No more East and West Commonlands; just one zone now. The mobs seem to be more or less the same, and the same quests, with a substantial graphics overhaul. This change was part of the December ’06 patch.

New Mobs

There are many other changes that may be less obvious to a returnee. A large number of extra, seemingly random, NPCs were added as part of the Lost Dungeons of Norrath expansion; these should all be indifferent, despite being “evil” when your character is “good” (talk about breaking immersion!); later expansions have added more, similar, NPCs. Some of these will give “tasks” when hailed. Tasks are mainly solo, and were added with Omens. These earlier tasks were criticised at the time for being incompatible with the levels of players they were given to, and highly class dependent. These tasks may or may not have been revised, I don’t know. Later expansions have added in new tasks, missions and quests; some are solo, some are group or raid. These later ones are considered to be better adjusted.

Some other extra mobs were added to existing zones; most of these are connected with the 1.5 and 2.0 epics, like the plains dragon in the Karanas (Bard), and so on.

Hot Zones

The last set of hot zones (Najena, Iceclad Ocean, Rathe Mountains, Frontier Mountains, Gulf of Gunthak, Velketor’s Labyrinth, Fungus Grove, Sebilis, and Cazic-Thule – this is wrong; it was the previous set, which included City of Mist), and the current set (Kurn’s, Unrest, Tower of Frozen Shadow, Lower Guk, the Hole, Sebilis, Chardok, Grieg’s End, Cazic-Thule and Split Paw), have had minor tuning done to them, that adds new rare/named mobs that drop new loot, which is more appropriate to the current era. This is something that will continue as each new set of hot zones is announced; the current plan is to change them every six months.

The zones of the Plane of Knowledge, the Bazaar and the Guild Lobby are available to everyone. The Guild Hall is still specific to DoN.