For those of you who played (or still play) the original Everquest, Kunark was one of the expansions for that game, and from what I understand it was a mess - literally. Well now Everquest II players get to return to Kunark in Rise of Kunark and maybe repair it? Either way, tons of new content including a new starting area, new mounts, new epic weapons for all classes and the usual goodness from the Everquest II boys await. Also of note, the upcoming Live Update this month for Everquest II will also include literally an expansions worth of content for free, including a new race, starting area, and a whole new land area itself to explore. Gotta love the Everquest II content guys, best in the MMOverse:
The village of Gorowyn will act as a home city to the Sarnak, and provide player housing (as will Neriak). We"ll also see the return of three deities: Bertoxxulous the Plaguebringer, Karana the Rainkeeper, and the Tribunal, complete with their own Blessings and Miracles. Continuing the laundry list of features, there"s a new mount included with the Rise of Kunark (the Kunarkian Rhinoceros), new epic weapons for all 24 classes and plenty of content to take higher level players to level 80, and a new starting area: the islands of the Timorous Deep (levels 1-20).
One other interesting bit of information - following the lead of other MMOs like EVE Online that have created incredibly popular print fanzines, SOE will be publishing Equinox, the first magazine devoted exclusively to EverQuest 2 players. Details are sketchy at this point regarding when the first issue comes out, what the price point will be, and how often Equinox will be issued, so stay tuned to Ten Ton Hammer for more info.
Rise of Kunark (slated for release at around the time of EQ2"s third anniversary in Nov. 2007) promises to bring back one of the most popular continents of EverQuest, and between this retail expansion and the free Game Update that includes Neriak and the new evil fae race of Arasai, it looks like another chock full o" content year from some of the most prolific developers in the business.