Hello Strategy Gamers!

If you're planning on coming to SOE Live (seriously, it's Vegas, people, how can you NOT be coming to SOE Live??) then you definitely want to participate in some good old fashioned Strategy Games Gunslinging!

What is gunslinging?

Well, just like in the days of the old west, the challenger (that would be you) is a young and cocky wanderer who just blew into town looking for trouble. You have a deck that you think is nigh unbeatable and you're looking to unseat the wizened old timer that currently holds the title of "the best" (that'd be the Devs). The old timer looks at you over a dirty glass and breathes a heavy sigh. A bag full of dusty and unused buttons saying "I Beat An SOE Dev" hangs on his shoulder. He sizes you up and snaps the bag shut, figuring he won't be giving one of these away anytime soon. "What's your game, son?" he asks. And then the game is on.

Sounds exciting, huh?

So here's the scoop. Find the Gunslinging area at SOE Live. You log into your account and play your deck against the Dev's best deck. If you beat him, you get one of those spiffy and exclusive "I Beat An SOE Dev" button to proudly wear and brag about your accomplishment!

We'll be taking challenges in Legends of Norrath, PoxNora, Magic: The Gathering – Tactics, and Free Realms Trading Card Game. Specific challenge times will be posted on the SOE Live show floor.

Get your decks put together now and practice up!

--Mark

SOE LIVECast

With just over a month until SOE Live, we know you are dying for more details! Host Linda "Brasse" Carlson (Director, Global Community Relations) will chat with Jen Belfield (Director, Marketing Services) and Lauren Zeiger (Senior Strategic Partnerships & Events Manager) to share many of the exciting events that will take place at SOE Live this year. They will tell you about the recent updates to the schedule, share info on the HUGE tournaments, and so much more! If you have any questions about SOE LIVE, please post them here, and we'll do our best to answer them!

Join us on Thursday, September 20, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time* on Twitch TV! The webcast is expected to last about 20 minutes. 

Don't miss this webcast; we plan to share details about this fantastic fan event and everything we've got rolling in for you!

See you on Twitch TV! 

*Convert to your local time 

We're giving you two chances to score some great loot in the August Loot tournaments!

For just ten (10) event passes, each participant will receive a Random Rare Foil from Fall of the Estarim the May Tournament Loot Card which grants the player either Gargoyle Mercenary (EQ) OR Chieftain's Bladestopper (EQII) loot item (depending on each player's system settings), three (3) Fall of the Estarim booster packs and entry into one of the August Loot Tournament Weekends to compete for additional prizes!

Tournament queues begin filling for the first event at 10:00AM PT on Friday, August 10th and continue through Monday August 13th at 10:00AM PT, and then at 10:00AM PT on Friday, August 24th and continue through Monday August 27th at 10:00AM PT

Please note that participation is limited to U.S. residents only. Void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee and Vermont.

Maintenance Notice: Thursday July 26, 2012

We will perform maintenance beginning at 12:01 AM on Thursday, July 26, 2012; this will impact the following services:

Game Logins (across all SOE games) will be unavailable from 12:01 AM Pacific* Thursday, July 26, 2012, to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific* Thursday, July 26, 2012.

Commerce transactions, including purchases on our websites and in-game marketplaces, will be unavailable from 12:01 AM Pacific* to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific* Thursday, July 26, 2012.

Account management will be unavailable from 12:01 AM Pacific* to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific* Thursday, July 26, 2012.

Forums will be unavailable from 12:01 AM Pacific* to approximately 6:00 AM Pacific* Thursday, July 26, 2012.

Players who are already logged in will be logged out from the game.

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

Click here for a Time Zone Calculator.

We're giving you two chances to score some great loot in the July Loot tournaments! For just ten (10) event passes, each participant will receive a Random Rare Foil from Fall of the Estarim the July Tournament Loot Card which grants the player either Painting: Meleen Estarim (EQ) OR Cloak of the Lavawalker (EQII) loot item (depending on each player's system settings), three (3) Fall of the Estarim booster packs and entry into one of the July Loot Tournament Weekends to compete for additional prizes!

Tournament queues begin filling for the first event at 10:00AM PT on Friday, July 13th and continue through Monday July 16th at 10:00AM PT, and then at 10:00AM PT on Friday, July 27th and continue through Monday July 30th at 10:00AM PT, Please note that participation is limited to U.S. residents only. Void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee and Vermont.

Summer is heating up with two chances to win great loot in the June Loot tournaments!  
For just ten (10) event passes, each participant will receive a Random Rare Foil from Fall of the Estarim, the June Tournament Loot Card which grants the player either the Estarim Family Crest Banner (EQ) OR Visage of Splendor (EQII) loot item (depending on each player's system settings), three (3) Fall of the Estarim booster packs, and entry into one of the June Loot Tournament Weekends to compete for additional prizes!

Tournament queues begin filling for the first event at 10:00AM PT on Friday, June 8th and continue through Monday June 11th at 10:00AM PT, and then at 10:00AM PT on Friday, June 22nd and continue through Monday June 25th at 10:00AM PT.
Please note that participation is limited to U.S. residents only. Void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee and Vermont. 

Join the Discussion…

Loot tournaments are back with the April Loot Tournament Weekend! Join us from April 27th – 29th, 2012, in Legends of Norrath!

For just ten (10) event passes, each participant will receive a Random Rare Foil from Fall of the Estarim, the April Tournament Loot Card, which grants the player either Rhyan's Horse (EQ) OR Maiden of Syl'Tor (EQII) loot item, three (3) Fall of the Estarim booster packs, and entry into the April Loot Tournament Weekend to compete for additional prizes!

Tournament queues begin filling at 10:00AM PT on Friday, April 27th, and continue through Monday, April 30th, at 10:00AM PT.

Please note that participation is limited to U.S. residents only. Void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee and Vermont.

Join the Discussion…

Maintenance Notice: Monday, April 23, 2012 – 24 Hours!

Important: We will perform maintenance beginning at 12:01AM Pacific* on April 23, 2012. This will impact the following services:

• Login for our games WILL be affected from 12:01 AM Pacific* to approximately 11:59 PM Pacific*
• Commerce transactions, including purchases on our websites and in-game marketplaces will be unavailable between from 12:01 AM Pacific* to approximately 11:59 PM Pacific*
• Account management will be unavailable starting 12:01 AM to approximately 11:59 PM Pacific*
• All Games will be unavailable starting 12:01 AM to approximately 11:59 PM Pacific*

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

*Convert to your local time

Greetings card slingers!

Today is release day for LON's 14th set, Fall of the Estarim! It's always very exciting for us to put out a new set of cards and we hope you'll be as thrilled with it as we are. There's a lot of stuff to talk about so let's get right into it:

Over 110 New Cards

No repeats here kids. Fall of the Estarim (FotE) contains over 110 new cards containing exciting new strategies, gameplay, units and quests. The new Flanking keyword lets you play units like they were Hidden cards. Besides the new game mechanics, there's all new art for you to enjoy by some of our favorite artists. There are dragons, warriors, witches, epic equipment, exciting action, and a rabbit being turned into a dragon. Badly. You were warned.

New Loot for EverQuest and EverQuest II

Wow, where do we start here? There are some incredibly awesome new pieces of loot. For EverQuest, you'll notice a lot of horses as we catch up with the EQII players and round out the EverQuest stables of the Estarim Family. There are other cool pieces like new illusions and mercenaries for EQ, icy wings and fiery mounts for EQII. For all of the terrific new loot, check out the page for FotE at legendsofnorrath.com!

Want Loot?

Players like loot. It's fun to open a pack and see something shiny and awesome. Well, we agree so here's what we've done. Starting with FotE, loot will be easier to get. Loot will appear more frequently in packs. And, we've put more formerly "high end" pieces of loot in lower rarities.

"Where Are The Loot Tournaments"

We promised to bring back the Loot Tournament Weekends, and we have! The April Loot Tournament Weekend will take place on the weekend of April 27th. There's a unique piece of loot for both EQ and EQII players as well as a special LON promo. The promo is a random, rare foil from the current set, Fall of the Estarim! Players have expressed interest in making foils easier to get so this should be a good start.

Additionally, starting in May, we're going to run each Loot Tournament Weekend twice! These are going to fall on roughly the second and fourth weekends of the month with the Sprint weekend happening in-between. This gives you more chances to win prizes, pick up rare foils, and compete against other players!

We've really had a blast making this set and watching all of the pieces come together. We hope you enjoy playing it!

Mark Tuttle
Executive Producer
Legends of Norrath

Join the Discussion…

Beginning at 9 AM PDT on Tuesday April 17, 2012, Legends of Norrath will be unavailable while we apply a Game Update. We expect this Game Update will take approximately 1 hour.

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the update is completed.

Click here for a Time Zone Calculator.

The loot in Legends of Norrath: Fall of the Estarim is amazing!

With Legends of Norrath Set 14: Fall of the Estarim set to launch on April 17, 2012, it's high time to show off some of the loot! As this set wraps up the saga of the Estarim and their association with the Dragonbrood Anarchs, you'll notice a lot of items branded to that family. 
So without further ado, let's jump in, starting with EverQuest!

EverQuest

By Robyn "Naylie" Vallee

The new iksar skeleton illusion added with Fall of the Estarim set is so awesome that you may just lose your head over it!

We hear that Balebri's Club is good for keeping wayward skeletons in line, and your group members will be envious of this weapon ornamentation!

Need a trusty steed to keep up to speed? Four new horse mounts have been added with the Fall of the Estarim set, with varying degrees of fancy barding to suit your taste.

Feeling a little lonely? Did your last group complain that your giggle-head scared off all of the creatures? Then hire the new Shissar mercenary! Known to be a little shy, the Shissar will work hard for you seek out their company.

Now let me turn this article over to Piestro, so he can give a short overview of the EQII loot available in this set!

EverQuest II

By Eric "Piestro" Cleaver

You'll get fired up with all the new loot available in Fall of the Estarim. The Lavawalker's Stallion's smoking mane and smoldering breath will help heat things up fast!

If you need some relief from the heat, the Glacial Flight Wings will keep you looking cool as you soar the skies of Norrath. You'll be cold as ice wearing these wings!

The Sleepless Researcher illusion grants the guise of those dedicated to dark research even past the point of their own demise.  Take on the appearance of an Erudite Lich and spend your waking nights studying your favorite tomes and grimoires!

Looking for something to wear to your next soiree? The High Elf Noble's Robe Crate is the height of fashion at all of the best parties this spring. Whether you're traveling down a red carpet or vacationing in the south of Faydwer, gold and blue is the new black!

A Note On Rarity in LoN

We've made some changes to the loot distribution in Fall of the Estarim that we know you'll like.  We increased the distribution so that you will see loot in packs more frequently with this update, and we've also increased the frequency of the high end loot! Your chances are better than they've ever been!

We hope you've enjoyed this brief glimpse into the loot of Fall of the Estarim and can't wait to see your reaction to these items and the new card set, coming April 17, 2012. Be sure to stop by and talk about it with us!

Join the Discussion…

By Chuck "Shocho" Kallenbach

The fourteenth set of cards for Legends of Norrath is coming in April! It's time for the last chapter in the saga of our merry band of bickering misfits, which is called Fall of the Estarim. You'll discover the final destiny of Dallyn, Meleen, Rhyan, Tahka, and Balebri in this dramatic conclusion. As you can tell by the use of words like "last" and "final," it ain't gonna be pretty. There will be some amazing twists and turns along the way, however.

From the gameplay point of view, you'll find many cards providing bonuses for other cards of a certain archetype. Essentially, this is enabling Fighter, Mage, Priest, and Scout to be full fledged "tribes" like Goblins, Orcs, or Gnolls. This is a continuation of our recent emphasis on archetyped cards to give them a boost over their generic counterparts.

The most exciting new gameplay comes from the keyword "Flanking." You'll find this mostly on unit cards, although a few other cards reference it in their game texts. The official text for Flanking is, "While one or more of your units are in combat at a quest, you may play your unit that has flanking to that quest as a combat action. It joins the combat."

Wow, that's a mouthful! We've wanted this for years in Legends of Norrath. When we first came up with the concept behind the "Hidden" keyword, we immediately wanted to create hidden units. That was not to be until much later when the programming hurdles were overcome. Now, you can play a Flanking unit as if it were a Hidden unit and surprise your opponent in the middle of a battle.

We're anxious to share this epic release with the players, and we think it will create lots of new deck types along with the fascinating story provided with its accompanying scenarios.

Join the Discussion…

Shop the Marketplace today and save on select items!

Login to participating games!

24 Hours only!*

In Legends of Norrath, booster packs are 100 SC in the Marketplace!

• Set 1 : Oathbound
• Set 2 : Forsworn
• Set 3: Inquisitor
• Set 4: Oathbreaker
• Set 5: Ethernauts
• Set 6: Against the Void
• Set 7:  Storm Break
• Set 8:  Travelers
• Set 9:  Vengeful Gods
• Set 10: Doom of the Ancient Ones
• Set 11: Dragonbrood – The Anarchs
• Set 12: Legacies
• Set 13: Priestess of the Anarchs

*Valid from 12:00AM PDT 4/13/12 to 12:00PM PDT 4/14/12 only.

Join the Discussion…

Hello card slingers!

While we're working hard here on the 14th full set for Legends of Norrath (currently set for release on April 17, 2012), I thought I would share some of the behind the scenes fun of watching really awesome card art come in from our talented artists around the world.

Taken By The Anarchs – Ryan Barger

This could also be called "Balebri's Really Bad Day". This is a flashback piece, and an important part of the overall storyline in Fall of the Estarim, where she is carted off to an unknown fate by the Anarch dragons. How this incident affects her is the central theme to this set. In the piece itself, we wanted to reflect how massive a dragon is and how helpless Balebri is at this point.

Soolinur the Assassin by Joe Wilson

Dragons have been a big theme in the several-set Anarch storyline. Soolinur is the first adversary your party encounters at Veeshan's Peak. The plaintive cries of Balebri can be heard throughout the caverns, and this is what leads Our Heroes to battle this formidable dragon opponent.

Engraved Great Helm by Erich Schreiner

A great game is marked by great stuff. The Engraved Great Helm is an awesome relic owned by the wealthy, Estarim family. Erich added wonderful detail making this helm beautiful and dangerous, and obviously of immense value. And who doesn't love really spiky hats?

Buccaneer of Agony – Kerem Beyit

Harrrr! Nuff said!

Ok, Kerem is one of our favorite artists and adds such a clean quality to his characters. There's a strong, ferocious quality to this warrior of the seas.

Burnish by Conceptopolis

This is such a beautiful piece we wanted to make sure you could see it at a larger size to appreciate the fine detail. This is a very soft moment of a warrior preparing for a battle. The shield is pristinely detailed and the warrior takes great pride in its upkeep.

Master of Alteration by Ben Wooten

This is one of our favorite pieces of the set. In the art notes, all we asked Ben to do was show a wizard turning a rabbit into a dragon. What we got back had us laughing for 20 minutes. Not only do we see a marvelous character in the wizard, but the fact that he left the buck teeth and whiskers on the dragon just makes this a wonderful piece. Maybe our wizard friend isn't as adept as he believes.

Mark Tuttle
Executive Producer
Legends of Norrath

All images © Sony Online Entertainment LLC

Join the Discussion…

We will perform server maintenance on Legends of Norrath beginning at 11:00 PM Pacific* on April 3, 2012. The estimated down time for this server maintenance is approximately twelve hours. If the maintenance is completed early the server may be opened up before the estimated time.

• Legends of Norrath will be unavailable for play starting at 11:00 PM to approximately Wednesday April 4th, 11:00 AM Pacific*.    4 PM Pacific Time
• During this downtime chat may be affected.

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

*Convert to your local time

Join the Discussion…

Hey LON players!

I wanted to take a moment to welcome new players that have come into Legends of Norrath since EverQuest II went free to play and give our current players a quick peek at the upcoming months for LON.

In April, we'll be launching Legends of Norrath's 14th release, Fall of the Estarim. This set will finally tie up the dragonbrood storyline and bring resolution to the tumultuous affairs of the Estarim family. How will it end? The title and logo probably say it all!

Fall of the Estarim will introduce over 100 all-new cards to Legends of Norrath. New gameplay in FotE includes archetype boosts in game text and the new keyword Flanking that lets you play a unit as a combat action!

Fall of the Estarim will also include all new tournament and scenario rewards, including the long awaited return of loot tournaments.

Speaking of scenarios, you might have noticed with the February events that you can now complete your monthly scenarios with either Open or Standard decks. Play away!

And for those of you who love loot, Fall of the Estarim will feature some really cool new pieces for both EverQuest and EverQuest II. We're branching the loot set out in some new directions so expect some interesting reveals over the next couple of months.

That's all for now. Watch for some fun activities coming up in the next couple of weeks. If you're new to LON, we have a great player community that will be happy to help you get up to speed!

Happy playing, all!

Mark Tuttle
Executive Producer
Legends of Norrath

Join the Discussion…

Important: We will perform maintenance beginning at 6:00 AM Pacific* on February 16, 2012. This will impact the following services:

• Account management will be unavailable starting at 6:00 AM to approximately 7:00 AM Pacific*
• Commerce transactions, including purchases on our websites and in-game marketplaces, will be unavailable between 6:00 AM to approximately 7:00 AM Pacific*
• Forums will be read-only starting at 6:00 AM to approximately 7:00 AM Pacific*
• Login for our games will be affected from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM Pacific* (Players already logged in should not be impacted unless you zone or camp during the maintenance.)

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

*Convert to your local time

Official SOE Podcast #126

Join us for the Official SOE Podcast #126 - the "Love Cast!" Your host, Aimee "Ashlanne" Rekoske is joined by your co-host, Linda "Brasse" Carlson. Listen in as they chat about Valentine's Day in our games, Gamer Safety Week, and Spouse Aggro. We'll also have an interview with Nathan "Kaitheel" McCall, Game Designer II on EverQuest II.

Let us know what you think at podcast@soe.sony.com or head over to the Station Forums and share your opinion with the community!

You can download the MP3 file directly or subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the button listed below. We have both high and low bandwidth versions available. Or if you have iTunes installed select iTunes store, type SOE into the search box and click Subscribe!

Important: We will perform maintenance beginning at 7:00 AM Pacific* on February 8, 2012. This will impact the following services:

• Account management will be unavailable starting at 7:00 AM to approximately 8:30 AM Pacific*
• Commerce transactions, including purchases on our websites and in-game marketplaces, will be unavailable between 7:00 AM to approximately 8:30 AM Pacific*
• Forums will remain open during the downtime, but you may lose permissions and experience occasional disconnects between 7:00 AM to approximately 8:30 AM Pacific*
• Logins for our games may be affected from 7:00 AM to approximately 8:30 AM Pacific*

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

*Convert to your local time

By Scott Dale (Customer Service Manager)
and Linda “Brasse” Carlson (Director, Global Community Relations)

Every day, thousands of game accounts are stolen. Tens of thousands of credit cards are compromised. Most of you know someone who has gone through this traumatic experience. Maybe it has even happened to you.

Sony Online Entertainment has joined together with a number of high-profile game companies under the umbrella of the Gamer Safety Alliance to bring you Gamer Safety Week, running from February 6th to 12th, 2012.

Our goal is to raise awareness of online security concerns, and to provide some suggestions for our players to keep their accounts safe. These principles apply regardless of whether you sign up for a game, buy some shoes, or donate to a charity online.  In this article, we’ll share some actual experiences from our customer service files and how to avoid these nightmares.

Over the past year, SOE has redoubled its efforts to continually improve our company’s online security on all levels. Keeping your information safe and secure is one of our top priorities. Even with our evolving security measures, it is still too easy for scammers and hackers to work around all security by counting on the trusting nature of players and the sheer volume of places where information may be shared.

AN ALL TOO COMMON SCENARIO

It’s 2:00 a.m. Friday morning—you are fast asleep, resting up for your big raid on Saturday. While you dream of rare loot drops, a person utterly unknown to you logs into your account and starts to strip it. If you’re lucky, they only sell off your equipment and broker items. It’s more likely that they will attempt to collect everything you have, even packing up your house items, and then sell it all to the broker. Then they use your Station Cash to buy a character transfer token, transfer your character to a new server, and give all your plat to some low level character named Ureiwoeri (or something similar - we apologize if there is an actual character out there named Ureiwoeri). Sometimes they delete your character, whether this is done for spite or just to attempt to cover the trail, we really don’t know. Years worth of personal investment is simply gone.

The clock starts ticking - you need to contact SOE Customer Support to verify your account ownership. We’ll assign a GM to investigate and restore all of your items. A full character restore is not a one-click fix. Finding and restoring your character and all of your levels is a time consuming, manual process that takes several hours. With luck, we’ll have you sorted out before your raid begins that evening.

If you are now a little paranoid about your account, that’s good—keep reading!

The good news: there’s a very good chance that SOE’s Customer Service had already noticed unusual behavior on your account and put a stop to it before too much damage was done, locking your account to prevent further attempts against it.

Even better news: there are a few very simple things you can do to prevent this from happening at all.
Ensure that your account has a strong password by using a combination of numbers, symbols, and upper and lower case letters. Don’t use the same password across multiple accounts or services, and change your passwords regularly. Click here for more tips on password security.

If that seems like too much work, then the fraudsters have already won. Incredibly skilled hackers take advantage of our human tendency to use the same username and password everywhere simply because it’s easier. Remember that highly motivated scammers and hackers work tirelessly, day and night, to obtain your account information across the internet. This is big business and hugely profitable around the globe, especially in places that our laws cannot reach. The perpetrators are highly organized and professional criminals.

A common path for criminals is to quietly and expertly hack the forums on a small fan site or a tiny (possibly even defunct) game company’s login information. They then take that list of logins and passwords and start to hammer all of the major online games. Even though some of the information they access can be years old, some people have not changed passwords in that time. The compromised sites themselves usually remain utterly unaware that the data was stolen. Only companies with significant security protocols would even know that it was breached, because the vast majority of hackers for profit do not leave a calling card or brag about their efforts—they’re in it for the money.

It’s not just game accounts that are at risk. All transactions, online and in person, are potential routes to loss. As Brad Wilcox, head of SOE’s Customer Service department was famously quoted a few years back, “We’ll get calls from a grandmother in Wisconsin asking what the heck is EQ2 and why do I have $15,000 charged to my credit card?” Where did the scammers get her card information? It’s anyone’s guess. While many people are leery of making online purchases due to fraud, they seldom think twice about giving a credit card to a shopkeeper who makes a manual receipt, or restaurant worker who then disappears with it for several minutes. The paths to loss are many and we all have to help ourselves keep our information safe.

How can you remember all of your logins and passwords then? Consider writing them down on paper and storing them in a safe place. It seems old-fashioned, but it works. A small, fireproof safe is a very valuable one-time investment. Not only will it keep your account information safe, it can protect your most precious documents, including passports, social security cards, and car and home titles, from loss, flood, or fire. If you ever have to deal with identity theft or replacement of documents, you’ll find that the safe was a much less expensive option. The chances of someone breaking in and stealing your safe are infinitely smaller than the ease with which they can access data online.

NO MATTER WHAT YOUR PARENTS TAUGHT YOU ABOUT SHARING…

Never, ever share your account information or password. Friends and guildmates all too commonly become ex-friends or ex-guildmates, after cleaning out the accounts of a great many people who trusted them. Even ex-spouses and relatives have been known to betray trust for the sake of profit or revenge, selling or deleting items and characters. It is an incredibly painful thing to watch people go through. If you have ever shared your account information, go in and change your password immediately to something very safe and secure.

Never buy plat, gold, or powerleveling services. You may even end up buying your own plat back! We know from our own investigations that the scammer that stole all your items in our case study is very likely the same one that sells your plat in game. In fact, the main goal of many online currency and powerleveling services is to obtain your account information in any way they can. Even if they do not use the information themselves in an effort to look legitimate, they will very likely sell your information to yet another company. Remember, they have already proven that they have no regard for rules, and your trust is merely currency for them.

Keep in mind that when SOE investigates accounts that have been selling currency in violation of our EULA and ToS, the team can track where it went and it will be removed—the company you bought it from isn’t going to give you a refund just because you got caught.

Hundreds of thousands of accounts selling in-game currency have been shut down over the years and the investigation team, called “NUGIT,” is always watching for new cases. What does “NUGIT” stand for? We’re glad you asked! It’s the Norrathian Underground Gnome Investigation Team—they have branched out to cover all of our worlds, not just EverQuest and EverQuest II. The name may be lighthearted, but this team takes its task very seriously and works hard every day to stamp out scammers, gold sellers, and others who violate game rules and endanger the account safety of our player base. This is a problem that is not going to go away any time soon. As long as players keep buying plat, items, and powerleveling from third parties, these businesses remain highly profitable and they’ll keep ruining play experiences and finances for everyone.

The prevalence of credit card fraud is staggering. The moment SOE bans a hundred accounts that were purchased with stolen credit cards (together with their ill-gotten items and coin), the scammers buy a hundred more with new stolen credit cards. We can easily tell when they are bought in bulk – let’s face it, no normal person buys thirty accounts at once, or repeatedly tries to exceed the daily limit for Station Cash on a credit card. Here’s another sobering thought—around the world, credit card information can be bought for under a dollar a piece. 

Last year, SOE introduced login authenticators. Invest in an SOE Authenticator for your account. If you have one of these on your account, any login attempt will require the user to enter the PIN currently on the authenticator. A few extra seconds to log in is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you’ll get from knowing no one is logged into your account, cleaning out the guild bank. You can use one authenticator to secure all of your accounts—you don’t have to buy one per account. You can read more about our authenticators here.

Sony Online Entertainment is committed to doing everything within our power to help keep your information and data safe. The fine folks of NUGIT comprise only one of many layers of security and fraud-busting we bring to bear each and every day. We can’t tell you about all of them because we don’t want any criminals getting the heads-up!

Keeping your play experience fun, safe, and secure is our primary goal. Become our partners against online crime by following these basic steps:

• Use strong passwords, changed regularly
• Never share account information, and if you have, change your password immediately
• Don’t support online currency sellers or power levelers, they cost everyone in the end
• Consider using an SOE Authenticator – a small investment for peace of mind
• Apply the same smart security measures to ALL of your transactions, online and offline

Check out our SOE Knowledge Base article on Gamer Safety Week as well!

Be strong, be safe, and enjoy the many worlds of SOE!
~ Scott and Linda

The Events Calendar has been updated for February!

This month's Sprint Reward is Shieldthane.

The Monthly Sprints works like this:

• Twice every Tuesday and Thursday, a FREE four-round Legends of Norrath Sprint tournament will be held in the Tournaments Lobby.
• Entrants in the tournament will receive Sprint points based on participation and number of wins.
• Cumulative rankings will be posted after each event on the Sprint Leaderboard.
• On the last weekday of the month, the player with the most Sprint points on the Sprint Leaderboard will win:
  • A "Choose Your Loot Card" good for a Legends of Norrath loot card from the current set.
  • A special Gold Sprint Winner Medal, displayed next to the winner's name in the LoN game lobbies.
• Players with 100 or more Sprint points for the month will receive:
  • A Silver Sprint Winner Medal.
• Players with 40 to 99 Sprint points for the month will receive:
  • A Bronze Sprint Winner Medal.
• Players earn Sprint promo cards at the following rate:
  • 15 Sprint points = 1 promo card
  • 20 Sprint points = 2 promo cards
  • 25 Sprint points = 3 promo cards
  • 30 Sprint points = 4 promo cards
  • 35 Sprint points = 4 promo cards + 1 foil promo card
  • 40 Sprint points = 4 promo cards + 2 foil promo cards
  • 45 Sprint points = 4 promo cards + 3 foil promo cards
  • 50+ Sprint points = 4 promo cards + 4 foil promo cards

• On the first weekday of the next month, all Sprint points and Sprint rankings will be reset, but Medal winners will keep their Medals. If they win subsequent Medals of the same color, a number will appear inside that Medal. For example, a three-time gold winner will have a gold Medal with the number "3" inside.

The Sprint point schedule for daily Sprint events looks like this: 

• Receive one (1) point for each round finished.
• Receive two (2) additional points for each round won.

The least amount of Sprint points a player can receive for a completed tournament is four, and the maximum is 12.

The Monthly Sprint schedule is as follows: (provided no other events are in progress)

Tuesdays - 10:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (PT - U.S.A.)
Thursdays - 10:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (PT - U.S.A.

Please see the Legends of Norrath Events Calendar for details on this month's Sprints.

Players can still enter as many Sprint tournaments as they would like, however, only the best 4 Sprint point showings each week will be tallied for a player. All other Sprint tournaments will not count for points, but Sprint games played will help decide tie-breakers. If a month ends in the middle of the week, players will receive credit for the top four events for each partial week.

The format for daily events will be four rounds of Swiss play, although we'll occasionally post special formats a couple of days in advance to keep players on their toes, competitively speaking! All Sprint ratings will now be updated each night and not at the conclusion of the event.

The results of Sprint tournaments will have no impact on other tournament ratings and rankings.

The February 2012 Monthly Sprint promo card is Shieldthane.

International players may participate for Sprint points, Sprint rankings and Medals and they are eligible to win non-tradable Legends of Norrath Sprint promo cards.

Join the Discussion

Legends of Norrath is celebrating EverQuest's Erollisi Day with a scenario full of love and loot! The Erollisi Day scenario will be offered in Legends of Norrath Wednesday, February 1 through Wednesday. February 29, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Please note that we will also be offering the Beware of Ogres scenario through Wednesday. February 29, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

The first time you win the Erollisi Day scenario, you'll win the Erollisi's Charm (6P2) promo card AND either the Staff Ornament of the Void (6EEQP6) loot card for EverQuest® or the Painting: Kelpmaiden Mermaid (6EQIIP6) loot card for EverQuest® II, depending on your in-game settings. You can receive additional copies of the Erollisi's Charm promo card each time you defeat the scenario with a different avatar archetype (limit 4).

 

 

Legends of Norrath is overrun with ogres offering some fantastic loot! The Beware of Ogres scenario will continue to run in Legends of Norrath through Wednesday, February 29, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

The first time you win the scenario, you'll win the Ogre Zealot (6P20) promo card AND either the Knuckle Ornament of the Void (6EQP12) loot card for EverQuest® or the Painting: Nurgg (6EQIIP12) loot card for EverQuest® II, depending on your in-game settings. You can receive additional copies of the Ogre Zealot promo card each time you defeat the scenario with a different avatar archetype (limit 4 per account).

During the week of January 30, 2012, Legends of Norrath will be upgrading to LaunchPad 4! LaunchPad 4 offers many advantages over previous versions of our LaunchPad software, in that it handles data quicker, more efficiently, and takes less time to update your game.

So what do you need to do to get LaunchPad 4, you ask? It’s very simple. Just continue to use your current launcher for Legends of Norrath as normal, and when Legends of Norrath upgrades it will be automatically downloaded to your computer and installed.

We know there are bound to be a few questions about this upgrade, so we’ve created this handy FAQ. If you don’t see your question answered, please feel free to ask.

• Why are you upgrading to LaunchPad 4?
  

There are two reasons for our upgrade to LaunchPad 4. This way we’ll have one version across all our games and this launcher comes with a myriad of technical improvements. This should lead to better stability, quicker changes, faster patching, and fewer errors.

• I like my current version of LaunchPad. Why do I have to switch?
  
  We understand change isn’t always easy, but the improvements with LaunchPad 4 will far outweigh the problems created by maintaining several different launchers. The upgrade should be seamless and provide a better experience for everyone.

• I regularly log in more than one account at the same time. Will I still be able to do this with LaunchPad 4?
  
  Yes. Logging in multiple times with separate accounts is very easy to do in LaunchPad 4. Because LaunchPad 4 does not exit once you have started the game, simply switch back to the LaunchPad 4 application and log out of your account. Then log in again with any other account you would like to use and click the Play button again. A second instance of Legends of Norrath will open and you can continue as normal.
  

• With LaunchPad 3, I had some compatibility issues. How have you addressed these with LaunchPad 4?
  
  One of the downsides of LaunchPad 3 was it had some file dependencies and required Adobe Flash to be installed. With LaunchPad 4, we have moved away from these external dependencies. We’ve already successfully rolled out LaunchPad 4 to a number of our other games.
  

• What Operating Systems does LaunchPad 4 work on?
  
  LaunchPad 4 works on Windows XP with service pack 3 installed and later versions of Windows.

• Can I download LaunchPad 4 early?
  
  Unfortunately, you cannot. The upgrade will happen automatically for everyone at the same time.
  

• If I need to download a copy of LaunchPad 4, where will I get it?
  
  Once Legends of Norrath has upgraded to LaunchPad 4, Launchpad 4 will be available via Legends of Norrath’s normal link and at www.soe.com/getthegame.

Ready, set, play!

For a limited time, buy most* Legends of Norrath™ booster packs for only 200 Station Cash each! This sale begins January 27, 2012 at 10:00 AM PST and ends February 2, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST**. This sale is only for purchases within either EverQuest or EverQuest II. Build up your decks, get ready for some tournaments, and prepare for battle!

*Here are the booster packs that are on sale:

• Legends of Norrath™: Forsworn Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Against The Void Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Doom of the Ancient Ones Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Dragonbrood - The Anarchs Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Ethernauts Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Inquisitor Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Legacies Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Oathbound Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Oathbreaker Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Storm Break Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Travelers Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Vengeful Gods Booster Pack
• Legends of Norrath™: Priestess of the Anarchs Booster Pack

To buy these items and more using your Station Cash, just click the SC button in game, or type /marketplace in your chat window.

Need Station Cash? Visit the Station Cash page for information and learn how you can purchase SC online or from a retailer near you.

**Convert to your local time

Happy Holidays and Limited Customer Support

Everyone here at Sony Online Entertainment wishes you a very magical holiday no matter what you celebrate at this time of year.

To help get you in the festive mood, Community Relations has a holiday podcast and wallpaper to share! Listen to the Ho-Ho-Cast 2011, and then decorate your desktop with this festive Holiday Wallpaper.

In honor of the coming holidays, we will be offering limited support hours for all games. Tech Support will be closed on Monday, December 26th, in observance of Christmas, and we will have limited Phone Support coverage from Tuesday, December 27th through Friday, December 30th. Our limited support hours will be from 10am to 4pm Pacific Time.

Here's to a happy 2012. We hope all your wishes come true!

Legends of Norrath: The Jarsath Destroyer is now available! Legends of Norrath: The Jarsath Destroyer is an all new mini-set for the Legends of Norrath Trading Card Game. Each fixed pack contains:

• 2 copies each of 10 brand new gameplay cards
• 1 loot card per pack (redeemable in EverQuest or EverQuest II depending upon your in-game settings)
• EQ : Girplan Illusion
• EQII : 1 of 5 randomly inserted mounts from the Estarim family

The powerful gameplay in this mini-set whets your appetite for the full set coming in early 2012 that wraps up the story of the Anarchs.

In addition to the 10 new gameplay cards available in The Jarsath Destroyer, with your first purchase you will receive a new generic deck built with cards that should stay in the Standard environment for a long time. It features cards like Fippy's Paw, Young Wyvern, Misdirect, and Surprise Attack. It's a great way to explore the special challenge of building a quality deck that has no archetype cards.

Also with your first purchase you'll obtain a new generic avatar: Dallyn Estarim, the patriarch of the contentious family that is the focus of the LON Anarchs block. He has a simple exert action that exchanges the top card of your deck for one of the cards in your hand. It's always nice to have options!

Legends of Norrath: The Jarsath Destroyer retails for $9.99 via the LON Store and will be available from the EQ and EQII Marketplaces as well.



Loot


Girplan Illusion for EverQuest

1 of 5 Estarim mounts for EverQuest II

With your first purchase of the Legends of Norrath: The Jarsath Destroyer pack, you will receive a bonus Generic Avatar and Deck! Without further ado, let's look at these bonuses!

Dallyn Estarim

Players have enjoyed building generic decks since the days of the original generic avatar, the Cloudskipper from the Ethernauts block. A lot of time has passed since then, and we saw a need for a new generic avatar for the Standard environment. Stepping up to the plate is Dallyn Estarim, the patriarch of the contentious family that is the focus of the Anarchs block. He has a simple exert action that exchanges the top card of your deck for one of the cards in your hand. It's always nice to have options.

Bonus Generic Deck Contents (55 cards)
Dallyn Estarim (avatar)
1x Wrecks and Wurms
1x Vengeful Musicians
1x Taste of Past Glory
1x Bones and Drakes
2x Explorer's Cape
2x Black Bone Dirk
2x Fippy's Paw
4x Militia Brigade
4x Surprise Attack
4x Planned Attack
4x Misdirect
4x Wood Elf Scout
4x Savage Dire Wolf
3x Seeker of Destiny
4x Young Wyvern
3x Big Old Croc
2x Dig Deep
2x Hold Fast
2x Bound by Blood
4x Punch

Beginning at 4 PM PST on Monday, December 19, 2011, Legends of Norrath will be unavailable while we apply a Game Update. We expect this Game Update will take up to 2 hours.

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the update is completed.

Click here for a Time Zone Calculator.

The Jarsath Destroyer

Wandering the Jarsath Wastes of Kunark is a massive golem construct known as the Crystalline Destroyer. Some of the denizens of the Wastes worship the Destroyer as if it were their god, in defiance of the true pantheon of Norrath.

Now you can own this legendary golem, along with nine other cards for Legends of Norrath! Five archetype and four generic unit cards are included, including the Crystalline Destroyer, plus a generic ability card to make ten new cards total. With the purchase of The Jarsath Destroyer you receive two of each of these cards, plus a guaranteed loot card for EQ or EQII.

This pack features the new gameplay keyword "Advance." This is the counterpart to the "Blockade" keyword introduced in set 13, Priestess of the Anarchs. Whenever you apply an ability to a quest where you have one or more units with the Advance keyword, that ability creates one more level token!

But wait, there's more! With your first purchase of The Jarsath Destroyer, you'll also receive a new 55-card generic deck built with cards that will stay in the Standard environment for a long time. It features cards like Fippy's Paw, Young Wyvern, Misdirect, and Surprise Attack. It's a great way to explore the special challenge of building a quality deck that has no archetype cards. We've also included the new generic avatar, Dallyn Estarim!

Here's a glimpses of some of the new cards in The Jarsath Destroyer Pack:

Defiler of the Moon (pictured above)

This unit is the meanest kind of shadow card; she carries hatred for the opposite faction. Any time your opponent plays any light card, you can exert the Defiler of the Moon to deal 1 damage to his avatar. She also has the Blockade keyword first seen in Priestess of the Anarchs (See Mystic of the Sun, also in this set, a functional mirror of this card).

Officer of the Dead

She's a shadow unit that just wants things to die. The Officer of the Dead doesn't care who kills them, or even if they're friendly or an enemy. Every dead unit is merely another token to bend to her will.

Like all such cards, this token generator can get to insane levels with the right deck build.

Drachnid Widow Guard

The Widow is a healer for other unit cards in your deck that have the Drachnid trait. She functions rather like a Bard song to healing friendly Drachnids. She also carries the Advance keyword, first seen here in The Jarsath Destroyer pack. Apply an ability to a quest where you have an Advance unit, and get an extra level token. Again, Advance is the opposite of Blockade, and is a great addition to any deck that quests to win.

Dracurion Skyguard

Yet another card featuring the Advance keyword, this Droag shadow unit provides an extra level token when you apply an ability at his quest. His game text provides a synergistic card draw at the same time, so the Skyguard is a double boost to any questing deck.

Mithaniel Marr's Vengeance

Have you enjoyed using Cazic Thule's Condemnation to deal damage to your light faction opponent? Now you can use Mithaniel Marr's Vengeance for your other decks that need some hate for a shadow opponent! These cards are brutal against builds that change faction multiple times during a single game.

Pack Contents (2 each of 10 cards plus a loot card)

• Halcyon Ascetic
• Officer of the Dead
• Defiler of the Moon
• Mystic of the Sun
• Skillful Killer
• Erudite Punisher
• Drachnid Widow Guard
• Dracurion Skyguard
• Mithaniel Marr's Vengeance
• Crystalline Destroyer

EQ and EQII Loot

One of the fun aspects of Legends of Norrath: The Jarsath Destroyer is that every pack contains a piece of EQ or EQII loot depending on your preferences. Everyone loves a fun loot item in their favorite MMO, and this pack definitely delivers!

For EverQuest fans Legends of Norrath: The Jasarth Destroyer will include the ever so creepy and cute Girplan illusion. Float about on spindly wings wreaking havoc or mischief, it's your choice!

The bickering Estarim family can't get along with each other, but they can certainly get along to their next destination with some fine looking mounts. You can now ride the same stunning steeds that these legends use to ride across Norrath. There's one for every member of the extended family: patriarch Dallyn, matriarch Meleen, the kids Rhyan and Balebri, and their bodyguard, Tahka. Collect all five for your stable…the horses don't disagree with each other like their masters do!

We are very happy to announce the release of Legends of Norrath: The Jasarth Destroyer on Tuesday, December 20, 2011!

We are very happy to announce the release of Legends of Norrath: The Jasarth Destroyer on Tuesday, December 20, 2011! Legends of Norrath: The Jasarth Destroyer is an all new pack for the Legends of Norrath Trading Card Game featuring 11 brand new cards, including a loot card for either EverQuest or EverQuest II! The powerful gameplay in this mini-set whets your appetite for the full set coming in early 2012 that wraps up the story of the Anarchs.

In addition to the 11 cards available in The Jasarth Destroyer, with your first purchase you will receive a new generic deck built with cards that should stay in the Standard environment for a long time. It features cards like Fippy's Paw, Young Wyvern, Misdirect, and Surprise Attack. It's a great way to explore the special challenge of building a quality deck that has no archetype cards.

Also with your first purchase you'll obtain a new Avatar: Dallyn Estarim, the patriarch of the contentious family that is the focus of the LON Anarchs block. He has a simple exert action that exchanges the top card of your deck for one of the cards in your hand. It's always nice to have options!

Legends of Norrath: The Jasarth Destroyer will retail for $9.99 via the LON Store and will be available from the EQ and EQII Marketplaces as well. Keep an eye on the Legends of Norrath website over the next week as we continue to show you more about the exciting contents of this pack!

Hello all!

I wanted to take a few moments to lift our noses out of our work and chat with you about Legends of Norrath. I think it's safe to say that with Set 13 we pulled back on content a little more than the player base liked and you've let us know. We got the message and will work harder to meet your expectations with the upcoming sets. The first thing we need to do is clean the house a bit.

With this last patch, we've fixed a number of issues players have had with some of the raids and scenarios and returned the Ralkor Bloodmoon raid to active duty. We have also seen a number of requests for more avatars so we've restored the three Drakkin avatars and Sarnak avatars #1, #2 and #3 to Standard status. We're also looking at the "player wish lists" on the forums, looking for the things that you would like to see done with LON. We appreciate your feedback and will work hard to act upon it!

There's also been a lot of talk about the future of LON, so I wanted to give you a bit of a peek into the future. We have a lot of cool stuff coming and want to reassure you that LON isn't going away anytime soon.

In December, we're going to release a small, roughly 10-card boxed product called "Legends of Norrath: The Jarsath Destroyer." This is a way to offer new, focused content in shorter timeframes for you diehard players. This box features a new "God," the Crystalline Destroyer, and the minions who worship him. There's some really cool and over-the-top gameplay in this set and it will arrive just in time for the holidays! LoN: The Jarsath Destroyer contains 1 copy of each new gameplay card and 1 loot card for EverQuest or EverQuest II. We've rounded out the product with a new generic avatar from the Estarim family and a newly created generic deck; both are available upon your first purchase of "The Jarsath Destroyer."

Then in February 2012, we'll release the next full set for Legends of Norrath. This set has yet to be named but will continue the storyline from Set 13. We'll work hard to increase the tournament prizes and scenario rewards to levels you are more accustomed to.

There's a lot of good stuff coming up and we look forward to experiencing it with you!

Mark Tuttle
Executive Producer
Legends of Norrath

Though you may have secured the spear of Veeshan's Scale, all is not necessarily well in Norrath. Delve into the destiny of the Estarim family and the secrets of the Dragonbrood with the thirteenth expansion for Legends of Norrath, Priestess of the Anarchs.

Explore the mysteries of Priestess of the Anarchs if you dare!

We know you're all curious about the upcoming Priestess of the Anarchs set, so feast your eyes on these four brand new previews!

Our first card preview is Cyndra, a medium-cost Unit for scouts. Cyndra provides a bit of everything, although her most noticeable stat is her 3 health. Even better, if you win combats involving Cyndra she provides a solid +1 damage bonus to your Avatar until the end of the turn.

Take a look at the Granite Blade of War, a brutal weapon for a Fighter certain to intimidate any foe! While the Granite Blade of War has an imposing cost of 5, it provides excellent attack and damage abilities and allows you to exert other items to ready it. I’d certainly be wary of anyone swinging this monstrous weapon in my direction!

Mystical Might is a low cost Mage ability that can fit in many decks. With its cost of 2 equaling its levels, Mystical Might can certainly be helpful in the early turns of a game for questing. As a bonus, it confers an addition of 1 point of total attack, helping you win those close battles!

Sacred Grove is an interesting item holding item available to Priests in Priestess of the Anarchs, as it provides both active and passive bonuses. Not only does Sacred Grove provide 2 health to its owner, but exerting Sacred Grove allows you to Heal 1 damage on a friendly unit. Whether it’s keeping your Avatar or your Units upright, Sacred Grove has a lot to offer.

So what’s your opinion on these new cards? Head to our forums and

Beginning at 8 AM PST on Thursday August 25, 2011, Legends of Norrath will be unavailable while we apply a Game Update. We expect this Game Update will take approximately 1 hour.

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the update is completed.

Click here for a Time Zone Calculator.

[Piestro] With the new Legends of Norrath set, Priestess of the Anarachs, scheduled for release Thursday, August 25, 2011 (mark the date on your calendars!) we knew folks were going to be awfully curious about its contents. In his Producer’s Letter last week, Mark Tuttle previewed the Drachnid Bloodknight and Prestidigitation cards from the upcoming set, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Not only do we have two more of the cards to show off, but we also have a preview of the in-game EverQuest and EverQuest II loot available with this set!

Priestess of the Anarchs Cards

First up is the Mage ability, Gout of Flame. Gout of Flame provides a good deal of tactical flexibility to any Mage deck, with decent armor and experience values and a direct damage component that can be applied to opposing units or avatars. No matter what the target, Gout of Flame has a little something for them!

The Stoic Templar is a mid-cost Priest Unit that gets dramatically more powerful the more abilities you have. With both good offensive and defensive utility, you’ll never be sad to see a Stoic Templar available in your hand.

Of course what would a Legends of Norrath set be without loot? Not nearly as fun! Fortunately there is a wide diversity of loot available in Priestess of the Anarchs and we’re here to show you some of the most exciting bits.

EverQuest Loot

Check out the Bellikos Illusion. Isn’t she creepy? You’ll certainly be able to shock your group when you pop out looking like this. Don’t forget to notice the weapons she’s holding; those are Fallen Dragon Ornamentations available in Priestess of the Anarchs as well.

Every adventurer needs their trusty steed, and Priestess of the Anarchs doesn’t disappoint in the Mount category. Two mounts are available: the Nature Touched Wurm (pictured left) and the Tiger Raptor (on the right). Ride in style with one of these two exclusive mounts available in Priestess of the Anarchs!

Nothing says "swank pad" quite like Dragon scale walls. Adorn your house with this most exclusive of building materials and don’t miss out on the Idol of the Fallen. There is also the painting, Unrestrained Fury, which will lend class to any abode.

Now let me turn this article over to Amnerys, so she can give a short (almost Halflingesque) overview of the EQII loot available in this set!

EverQuest II Loot

[Amnerys] Hey! I may be short, but I do not have hairy feet. Ahem. Anyway, let's take a look at just a couple of the cool new loot items coming with Priestess of the Anarchs. We've picked out three to highlight, but there are many more that could land in your hands when you purchase a Priestess of the Anarchs booster pack.

One of a handful of mounts available in Priestess of the Anarchs, the Sun-Blazoned Pegasus is the very first armored pegasus available in EQII. This flying beauty will get you from point A to point B (and everywhere in between) in majestic style. The Sun-Blazoned Pegasus, as with all flying mounts, is only usable by adventurers level 85+, and increases ground speed by 75% and air speed by 150%.

Coming August 25th!

We hope this little tease will whet your appetite for what's coming next week with Priestess of the Anarchs. There's so much more that you haven't seen yet! But we do like to let you make some of the discoveries on your own, so we're keeping them under wraps for now. If you want spoilers, you’ll be able to see the full loot details on the Legends of Norrath website on Thursday, August 25.

Be sure to stop by the forums and join the discussion about what you've seen here, and what you find with your packs after launch on Thursday! (And also, feel free to give the actual hairy-footed halfling, Piestro, a bit of a hard time. I don't know why, but I'm sure he deserves it.)

Love free stuff? Want some cool, brand new Legends of Norrath: Priestess of the Anarchs cards, and a chance at unique EverQuest and EverQuest II in-game loot? Well, we do, too!

To celebrate the release of Legends of Norrath: Priestess of the Anarchs on August 23, 2011, we're giving away 5 sets of 3 packs of cards from the new set from now until Monday, August 22, 201111:59 PM Pacific. Visit the SOE Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/SOE?sk=app_201143516562748) to get all the details on how to enter, and best of luck to all of you!

On August 18, our Super Summer Sizzle Special is 30% off on Legacies Boosters!

This deal won't last long, get your cards today!

Your host Eric “Piestro” Cleaver will be joined by EQII Producer Dave “Smokejumper” Georgeson and Lead Programmer Greg “Rothgar” Spence on Thursday, August 18, 2011, at 4:00 PM Pacific, for this week's webcast on Stickam. They will be talking about EQII’s Game Update 61, The War of Zek, and the new feature that allows players to capture video in-game and upload it to YouTube!

Join us on Thursday, August 18, 2011, at 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time*, as we live stream this webcast on the SOE channel on Stickam! You can also tune in through the Stickam tab on our Facebook page. The webcast is expected to last about 20 minutes.

When watching our live webcasts, you can simply tune in by visiting the channel or you can log in to Stickam to tune in and chat with us via text.
 
Come join us for the fun!

See you on Stickam!

*Convert to your local time

Announced at Fan Faire 2011, the SOE Authenticator offers added account security to SOE Station Accounts.

The SOE Authenticator is a supplemental authentication method for your Station Account giving you the security of Two-Factor Authentication. This additional layer of security is designed to help thwart and prevent unauthorized access to your account. The SOE Authenticator provides you with a unique, one-time authenticator code (PIN) to use in conjunction with your regular password.

How's it work? Each time you log in to any SOE game, you will enter your regular password, then press the button on the SOE Authenticator, and enter the six digit number after your password. The system requires your regular password and the authenticator code to match to access your account, so no one can get into your account without both knowing your password and having your physical SOE Authenticator in their hand.

The SOE Authenticator physical token is now on sale for all SOE players for $9.99 USD, which includes shipping and handling for domestic US orders. (Shipping and handling for purchases outside the US will incur an additional fee.) Authenticators are currently shipping around 2-3 weeks after purchase.

For those looking for an alternate way to gain account security, a mobile SOE Authenticator is in the works and will be available for FREE for iPhone and Android.

Have questions? Read more about the SOE Authenticator in our FAQs.

On August 17, our Super Summer Sizzle Special is 30% off on Doom of the Ancient Ones and Dragonbrood Boosters!

This deal won't last long, get your cards today!

On August 16, our Super Summer Sizzle Special is 30% off on Travelers and Vengeful Gods Boosters!

This deal won't last long, get your cards today!

On August 15, our Super Summer Sizzle Special is 30% off on Against the Void, Storm Break, and Travelers Boosters!

This deal won't last long, get your cards today!

Greetings Legends of Norrath fans! This is Mark Tuttle, Executive Producer for Legends of Norrath.

First, let me apologize for not speaking with you sooner. Although it's no excuse, we were extremely busy with the Sony downtime, the transfer of the Denver office (where LON was born) to our new digs here in San Diego, and rebuilding our team. Community has been chatting with you in the forums while we've been heads down in design and working on… well, stuff!

That said, I want to assure you that the LON team is gearing up to deliver some exciting new content and within just a few weeks, you'll see fruits of our labors with our next expansion. The 13th set of Legends of Norrath is entitled Priestess of the Anarchs. This is a continuation of our storyline from Set 11, Dragonbrood of the Anarchs.

And by the way, the loot is smoking hot. Especially if you like mounts... And housing stuff… And other generally cool stuff.

We'll go into the exact composition of the set shortly, but I can give you a couple of spoilers that will shed some interesting light on the set and the cool new gameplay features that you'll receive with it. The images below show you a new race, a new keyword, and maybe one of the longest card titles we've featured in LON to date. Enjoy!

~Mark

   

Between Friday, August 12 and Thursday, August 18, 2011, get a 30% discount* on purchases of Station Cash! Plus, check participating games for Marketplace item specials throughout the week.

Participating games include EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, EverQuest® II Extended, Free Realms®, Magic : The Gathering – Tactics™, Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™, PoxNora® and Legends of Norrath™. Check back later in the week for more details on game-specific items!

Please note that the 30% discount* is on purchases of Station Cash and does not impact the redemption of SC cards.

* Offer not applicable to payments made by SMS or with pre-paid game cards, or on purchases of SOE Game Cards

Sony Online Entertainment
Fan Faire - Backstage Blogger Contest

Have you ever wanted to see what Fan Faire is like behind the scenes? Now’s your chance to find out! Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is looking for guest bloggers to write and record their Fan Faire adventures in Las Vegas! Backstage Bloggers will win prizes, and may be granted special access to several Fan Faire activities including panels, live quests, tournaments, and VIP events!

The Contest:

From Thursday, June 16, 2011, at 12:00:01 a.m. PDT, through Tuesday, June 28, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. PDT, SOE will host the official SOE Fan Faire - Backstage Blogger Contest, in which bloggers can use video and written submissions to show us how much they like their favorite SOE Games.
At the end of the contest, up to four winners will be selected as Backstage Bloggers! Backstage Bloggers will be awarded one Sony Bloggie™ Touch Camera Kit, one Fan Faire All-Access Pass, and special access to post their video and written blogs on the SOE Station Blog throughout Fan Faire.
Winners will be responsible for their own travel, accommodations, and other related expenses. Fan Faire attendance for all three (3) days and participation is required for contest eligibility.

Winners will be notified on or around July 1, 2011, and announced during Fan Faire!

Good luck to everyone, and we look forward to seeing you at Fan Faire!

The Selection Process:

A panel of judges will review the submissions and select a winner. The panel of judges will use a 0-100 point scale: 0-20 points for video blog originality, 0-20 points for written blog originality, 0-20 points for video blog creativity, 0-20 points for written blog creativity, 0-10 points for video blog thematic content, and 0-10 points for written blog thematic content consistent with the theme of the SOE Fan Faire Backstage Blogger Contest. In the unlikely event of a tie, the judging panel will break the tie by determining which of the tied entries better represents the theme of the contest.

Up to four (4) eligible contestants receiving the highest number of points from the panel of judges in each category combined will be a Grand Prize winner, subject to verification of eligibility by SOE following the contest period.

How to Enter:

Please carefully read the Official Contest Rules of this contest before submitting an entry.

IMPORTANT: YOU MUST STATE AT THE BEGINNING OF BOTH YOUR VIDEO AND WRITTEN BLOG “THIS IS AN ENTRY TO A SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT SPONSORED CONTEST.” CONTESTANTS WHO DO NOT COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

Submissions should be sent in an e-mail to SOEContests@soe.sony.com. Be sure to include all of the following information with your submission:

• Subject of E-mail: SOE Fan Faire - Backstage Blogger Contest
• Real Name:
• Character Name:
• Server Name:
• Station Name: (Username – do not include passwords.)
• Mailing Address: (Street Address, Apt. #, City, Zip Code – do not use P.O. Box.)
• Forum Community Handle: (if applicable)
• E-mail Address:
• Link to Video Blog:
• Video blogs approximately two (2) minutes long.
• Link to Written Blog: (if applicable)
• Written Blog Guidelines:
• Length: Between 250 and 500 words.
• The written blog can be placed directly in the body of the e-mail, attached to the e-mail, or a link can be sent to the article on your blog site.
• Attached written blogs should be in plain text (.txt), a Word document (.doc), or rich text (.rtf). All entries attached should be in Times New Roman text format, font size 12, single spaced.
• Please do not use indents, emoticons, or all caps, and avoid slang terms unless it fits within the theme of your entry.
• Spell out server names, city names, and other terminology as much as possible.
• Please use spell check before submitting the entry. Entries will not be reviewed for typos, but those that require too much editing may be disqualified.

Prizes:

• Grand Prize Winners (Up to 4): Subject to eligibility requirements stated in the Official Rules, each Grand Prize winner will receive:
  • One (1) Bloggie™ Touch camera featuring HD MP4 video capture, 12.8MP still photos and 3.0" touch screen, plus a 360° video accessory, works with iMovie® (approximate retail value: US$199.99)
  • One (1) 2010 Fan Faire All-Access Pass (approximate retail value: US$129.00).

Contest Rules:

1. Please view the Official Contest Rules below before submitting an entry.
2. You must be 21 years of age or older and a U.S. resident in order to participate.
3. Please remember to abide by Station Terms of Service when participating in this contest or you will be disqualified, and further action may be taken by SOE.

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to Tadenea for supplying this week's winning caption!

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to Caltros for supplying this week's winning caption!

Legacies, the twelfth Legends of Norrath release, is now available and SOE is throwing you right into the melee with the Legacies Release Weekend Events! This will be your first opportunity to try out the new cards in tournament combat, plus win new Legends of Norrath Legacies booster packs!

Scheduled to run at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT on Friday, March 4, 2011; 10 a.m. PT and 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 5, 2011; and 10 a.m. PT and 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, March 6, 2011, SOE will host six special Legacies sealed deck tournaments.

For twenty (20) event passes, you will receive:

• One (1) of four (4) Legacies tournament sealed decks
  
• Four (4) Legacies booster packs*
  
• One (1) exclusive Envenomed Ra'tuk (12P3) digital promotional card
  
• Plus, entry into a Legacies Release Weekend Event to compete for brand-new Legends of Norrath Legacies booster packs!

Please note that participation is limited to U.S. residents only. Void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee, and Vermont.

Format/Deck:

• Single Game Sealed Deck Swiss Tournament
  
• 256 – Player Event
  
• 5-8 Rounds

1st Place: Ten (10 Legends of Norrath Legacies booster packs
2nd Place: Seven (7) Legends of Norrath Legacies booster packs
3rd Place: Five (5) Legends of Norrath Legacies booster packs
4th Place: Three (3) Legends of Norrath Legacies booster packs
5th - 32nd Place: One (1) Legends of Norrath Legacies booster pack

*Use one (1) Legacies tournament sealed deck and three (3) booster packs to construct your tournament deck. The Legacies tournament sealed deck is a single avatar deck.

For complete details on the Legacies release weekend events, visit the Events Calendar!

By Chuck "Shocho" Kallenbach

With the release of Legacies, players will also be able to queue up for a new four-player raid. Palace of the Ancient One lets four intrepid adventurers team up to test their mettle against the Prime Healer, Anashti Sul.

Along with an exciting new gameplay challenge, this is the first of our raids to include a new system of rewards. Each new raid provides a table of rewards from which players are awarded one card when they beat the raid.

Every winning player will get one of the reward cards from the table for that raid. They're not affected by how many times you have won the raid, or which archetype you're using to defeat the raid boss.

Here are the eight possible reward cards from Palace of the Ancient One.

• Xaihes
  
• Zessius
  
• Phaestus
  
• Umbra
  
• The Traveler's Gift
  
• Oathbound Justice
  
• Legacy of the Ethernauts
  
• Serpentine Bracer

The first four cards listed are exclusive to this raid. The last four will be available as part of the tables for our upcoming 2v1 raids as well. Each 2v1 will also have two cards exclusive to its table, instead of the four for the 4v1 raid.

We hope this provides a strong replay incentive that will bring even more players to fill out the queues for the raid games you create. Have fun playing the new raids and collecting the new reward cards!

Discuss this article in the forums.

Legacies, the twelfth expansion for Legends of Norrath, is now live! This core set includes over a hundred favorite cards added to the Standard play format, plus over 50 all-new cards including 16 loot cards each for EverQuest® and EverQuest® II!

In addition to this core set, 2v1 and 4v1 Raids return to Legends of Norrath with 16 new reward cards to obtain! Find a raid group and take on some formidable bosses together to earn some great rewards!

Newer players just getting into the game will appreciate the Legacies Legendary Starter Deck, which includes 4 starter decks, one for each of the archetypes, and 24 quests. If you are looking for a way to jump right into the fun in Legends of Norrath, the Legacies Legendary Starter Deck is it!

So what are you waiting for? The fun of Legacies awaits!

• One (1) Terrok Battlelord (8P29) Legends of Norrath promo card
• A "Retro Loot Tournament" loot card which grants the player's choice of a Scale of Rodcet Nife, Bridle of the Viridian Cragslither, Familiar of Phara Dar, Nimbus of the Jester, Familiar of the Runebound Goblin, Title of the Voidwalker (EQ) OR a Bottled Breath, Cloak of Di'Zok, Fur Lined Cloak, Parrot, Void Beast, Personal Theme Music: Drafling Tower (EQII) loot item, depending on each player's system settings
• Three (3) Legends of Norrath Travelers booster packs

The Terrok Battlelord Tournament Pack will only be available Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 2PM PT through Friday, March 4th , 2011 at 2 PM PT, so don’t miss out!

* Loot card received is based on the game you selected, EverQuest or EverQuest II, when you logged in to Legends of Norrath for the first time.

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to flocyo for supplying this week's winning caption!

The 12th set for Legends of Norrath is a set like no other. Legacies is a great starting point for new players, and provides many benefits for existing players. With over 3,000 cards available, we often see new players ask the question, "Where do I start?" This is the answer to that question. In addition to over 80 all-new cards, Legacies provides a sampling of the great cards we've produced for the game over the last four years.

Legacies adds over 160 cards from previous sets to the Standard environment. This will have an immediate effect on the tournament scene, and that will last for many sets to come. Cards from early sets may be new to you as a player, or they may be cards that you've been missing in your Standard games. We're bringing forward previous fan favorites like Lich, Bracers of Forbidden Rites, Intervene, Double Shot, Fippy's Paw, and Orcish Swordmaster.

You'll also find over 50 all-new cards in Legacies booster packs, ready to change the face of the tournament environment. Of course, all the reward and promo cards are all-new cards. That includes 11 scenario rewards and a total of 18 promo cards for sprints, loot tournaments, monthly scenarios, first promo card of the set with purchase, release weekend, and Tournaments of the Gods. The avatars you'll face in the ten regular and four monthly scenarios are all-new.

Let's talk for a minute about "new" players and "veteran" players. We realize that these terms don't describe everyone. You may have just started to play Legends of Norrath, or you may have played since the original release. Most players find themselves somewhere in between. You may have started with the first set of a new block, like Ethernauts or Travelers. Every player has her own starting point, and nearly all players will find many cards from previous sets to be new to their collection.

We're also providing a Legendary Starter Pack, with four pre-built starter decks, one for each archetype. These will expand the collection of a new player and provide an introduction to the flavor of each archetype. This starter pack also adds 24 more quests to offer alternatives for deck building. Although this starter pack provides no cards new to the game, it's a valuable asset to nearly every player.

Perhaps the most exciting news for the release of Legacies is what players have asked for most often: new raids! We'll be offering a new four-player raid and a new two-player raid with the set's release, and we're planning three more new two-player raids to be released in the coming months.

Along with new gameplay challenges, we're instituting a unique table of raid reward cards for each of these encounters. Sixteen all-new raid rewards in total will be available from these five new raids. Some are unique to each raid, and some can be obtained from any of the five of them.

We think that Legacies is a terrific starting point that will bring many new players to Legends of Norrath. For players who have been with us for a long time, we've packed the set with lots of new cards and new challenges. Everyone is going to love the new raids we have planned. It's time for a homecoming; it's time to bring Legends of Norrath back to its roots of solid gameplay and a varied assortment of challenges for players of all kinds.

Discuss this article in the forums.

SOE and Legends of Norrath are proud to announce the twelfth release for the long-running Legends of Norrath trading card game; Legacies.

Legacies creates a new beginning for Legends of Norrath players by introducing a core set. This set will include many of your favorite cards to be added to the Standard play format. With over 50 new cards including powerful new EverQuest® and EverQuest® II loot, and over a hundred favorite cards returning, this set promises both new and veteran players a solid new experience in gameplay.

   

The release of Legacies also marks the return of both 2v1 and 4v1 raids with 16 all-new reward cards. We are excited to have you jump into these raids and experience heroic encounters that require you to use your skills and teamwork to defeat the raid bosses. And they are all still free to play!

If you are just starting out in Legends of Norrath, the best way to get into the game is with the Legacies Legendary Starter Pack, which contains four decks of 55 cards each, one of each archetype. This Legendary Starter Pack will give you the opportunity to try out the Fighter, Scout, Mage, and Priest archetypes with existing cards from past expansions (including 24 additional quests), and decide which fits your style best. Or, you can play and develop decks for all four archetypes!

Don't forget about the very first Legacies card, Vitrik Bloodscreecher (12P1), which you can obtain prior to the launch of Legacies!

For every three (3) Legends of Norrath booster packs you purchase in a single transaction between Monday, February 21, 2011, at 12 a.m. PT and Monday, February 28, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. PT, you will receive one (1) Vitrik Bloodscreecher promotional card with your purchase! Don't miss your chance to add this intimidating creature to your Legends of Norrath collection while the promotion lasts!

Get ready for Legends of Norrath®: Legacies™ on March 1st!

SOE and Legends of Norrath are giving you the opportunity to search for Foulfeather again and bring this rampaging creature to justice! Play the scenario if you happened to miss it the first time it came out, or replay it for the challenge!

   

SOE is giving you a chance to get an all-new Legends of Norrath promo card, Vitrik Bloodscreecher (12P1), prior to the launch of the upcoming LON expansion!

For every three (3) Legends of Norrath booster packs you purchase in a single transaction between Monday, February 21, 2011, at 12 a.m. PT and Monday, February 28, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. PT, you will receive one (1) Vitrik Bloodscreecher promotional card with your purchase! Don't miss your chance to add this intimidating creature to your Legends of Norrath collection while the promotion lasts!

In honor of President's Day, SOE is presenting special offers and events in many of our games, and you won't want to miss out!

Here's a sneak peek at the offers you'll find in your favorite games this weekend:

EverQuest®: Starting on Friday, February 18th and running through Monday, February 21st we'll be having a Double Experience Weekend in EverQuest. We'll also have some of your favorite Marketplace items on sale including big discounts on Potions of Adventure, the House of Thule Expansion, and Weapon Crates, and we're debuting several exciting new items at a reduced price as well: Guild Neighborhood Writs and an Armored Snow Puma Mount!

EverQuest® II and EverQuest® II Extended: It's a Bonus XP Weekend, February 18th through February 21st! Enjoy the bonus on adventure, tradeskill and AA experience!

Star Wars Galaxies™: It's time to prepare for a galactic explosion! We've got a Bonus Everything Weekend starting on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 4:00 a.m. PST and ending on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 4:00 a.m. PST.

Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™: February 19th-21st only, get the Attack Cruiser Bundle for just 800 SC! The Bundle includes Attack Cruiser House, 10 Medium Crates, 4 Red Light Globes, 3 Triple-Paned Windows, and 2 Red Spotlights.

Free Realms™: This weekend only, Free Realms players can take advantage of a very special offer - 50% off all housing items, including lots! Log in from February 18th through February 21st to snag this deal and fill your house with cool stuff!

PoxNora™: From February 18th through February 21st, PoxNora will be offering a daily item at discounted prices. Check back each day to see what item is on sale!

Magic The Gathering - Tactics™: Get the Four-Chapter Single-Player Campaign Bundle for only 999 SC this weekend only! That's a 50% savings! February 18 to February 21.

Wildlife Refuge™: From February 18th through February 21st, we're offering 50% off the Desert Camo Truck, Forest Camo Truck, and Zebra Print Truck. Get yours before it's too late!

Celebrate President's Day with SOE and take advantage of these great offers! We'll see you in game!

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to flocyo for supplying this week's winning caption!

Spend another retro weekend with your friends in the February Retro Loot Replay Tournament weekend February 18th-22nd, 2011, in Legends of Norrath!

For just ten (10) event passes, each participant will receive a Terrok Battlelord (8P29) promotional card and a "Retro Loot Tournament Card" which grants the player's choice of a Scale of Rodcet Nife, Bridle of the Viridian Cragslither, Familiar of Phara Dar, Nimbus of the Jester, Familiar of the Runebound Goblin, Title of the Voidwalker (EQ) OR a Bottled Breath, Cloak of Di'Zok, Fur Lined Cloak, Parrot, Void Beast, Personal Theme Music:Drafling Tower (EQII) loot item, depending on each player's system settings, three (3) Travelers booster packs and entry into the February Loot Tournament Weekend to compete for additional prizes! Tournament queues begin filling at 5:00PM PT on Friday and continue through Tuesday at 9:00AM PT.

Please note that participation is limited to U.S. residents only. Void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee and Vermont. 

For details, visit the Legends of Norrath Events Calendar!

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to Caltros for supplying this week's winning caption!

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to Vivamort for supplying this week's winning caption!

• One (1) Voidman Warrior (11P19) Legends of Norrath promo card
• Either the EverQuest® Miniature Eyepatch (11EQP8) or EverQuest® II Legends Aquarium(11EQIIP8) loot card*
• Three (3) Legends of Norrath Dragonbrood – The Anarchs booster packs

The Voidman Warrior Tournament Pack will only be available Friday, January 28th , 2011 through Friday, February 4th, 2011, so don’t miss out!

* Loot card received is based on the game you selected, EverQuest or EverQuest II, when you logged in to Legends of Norrath for the first time.

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to Caltros for supplying this week's winning caption!

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to Caltros for supplying this week's winning caption!

Celebrate the new year with some fun new loot and join your friends in the January Loot Tournament weekend January 21st – 24th, 2011, in Legends of Norrath!

For just ten (10) event passes, each participant will receive a Voidman Warrior (11P19) promotional card and either an EverQuest® Miniature Eyepatch (11EQP8) or EverQuest® II Legends Aquarium (11EQIIP8) loot card, depending on each player's system settings, three (3) Dragonbrood – The Anarchs booster packs and entry into the January Loot Tournament Weekend to compete for additional prizes! Tournament queues begin filling at 5:00PM PT on Friday and continue through Monday at 8:00AM PT.

Please note that participation is limited to U.S. residents only. Void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee and Vermont. 

 

For details, visit the Legends of Norrath Events Calendar!

This week's winning Caption of the Week:

Thanks and congratulations to Captain_video for supplying this week's winning caption!

What could be worse than an army of the undead? An army of undead dragons, of course. Better get out the big sword.