Tonight from its Las Vegas Fan Faire, Sony Online Entertainment has announced the latest expansion packs for EverQuest and EverQuest II. EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction, the whopping 15th EQ expansion, launches October 21st and will bring with it an increased level cap to 85, the ability to hire the aid of NPC mercenaries and 20 new zones. EverQuest II‘s 5th expansion pack, The Shadow Odyssey, is slated to launch a month later on November 18th, bringing with it over 20 zones, an achievement level cap increase to 200, two new deities, a new Dungeon Delving mission system and plenty more. Public beta tests are scheduled to begin for Seeds of Destruction and The Shadow Odyssey on August 19th and September 2nd, respectively. All Fan Faire attendees are also being treated to free copies of both expansions in SOE’s continued efforts to reward its loyal fanbase.
Hit the jump for feature lists for the new expansions. I’ll have trailers and screenshots going up for both shortly.
EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey Feature Set:
· New Zones: Journey through more than 20 new zones, including the new overland zone, Innothule Swamp.
· Dungeon Adventures: Experience nostalgic EverQuest dungeon themes, such as Najena, Mistmoore and The Sebilisian Empire, and adventure through more than 18 goal-based dungeons, such as Ruins of Guk and Befallen.
· Achievement Point: An achievement level cap increase to 200 that offers new achievements for class-specific lines.
· Dungeon Delving: A new mission system for players to replay content with new and different experiences.
· Heritage Quests: Five new quests with unique rewards being added.
· Shard Reward System: A new, mysterious group of erudites with powerful new armor and equipment will barter for void shards earned during players’ encounters
· Epic Tales: Stories told through battles with dozens of new creatures and hundreds of new quests.
· New Deities: Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul are introduced into Norrath.
· Access to All Previous Content: Includes all previous expansion packs and adventure packs.
· Legends of Norrath: Includes strategic online trading card game, digital starter deck and booster pack.
EverQuest Seeds of Destruction Feature Set:
* Mercenaries: Player-controlled NPCs are now available and will not only scale to the appropriate level, but also think and act for themselves with limited player guidance. Designed for extra support or extra muscle in PvE encounters, mercenary archetypes include a variety of classes from all playable races.
* Level Cap Increase: Players can now achieve level 85 with new high-level item sets, new alternate advancement ability lines and new spells.
* 20 New Zones: Features re-imagined classic content and brand-new realms for adventurers to explore, including the eerie wasteland of the Void, the Battle of Rathe on the Plane of Earth and the ultimate Heart of Darkness in the Plane of Discord.
* Access to All Previous Content – Includes all features and content from the 14 previous expansion packs.
* Legends of Norrath: Includes strategic online trading card game, digital starter deck, booster pack and loot item.
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Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
