EverQuest: Lost Dungeons of Norrath

This is an Everquest expansion with a difference. If you were expecting the usual blend of new landmasses and endless new features that come with every expansion Sony has released to date, you'll be surprised to find neither are on offer. However, you won't be disappointed, as thanks to Lost Dungeons Of Norrath, your EverQuest hunting habits are about to change forever.

LDON introduces 48 new dungeons to the world (count 'em), but rather than open new static dungeons for the evereager public, Sony has introduced a brand new adventure system. Teams of three players or more can now enter a dungeon spawned specifically for them, tailored to their groups' levels, strengths and classes, and can battle to complete it within a set time limit for loot and experience.

Anarchy In The Eq

If this sounds familiar, it should. Anarchy Online had a mission system right from day one that enabled players to enter dungeons either alone or in teams, each spawned for the players' own purposes. LDON is no different, though it has to be said the excellent dungeon design on display here exposes Anarchy Online's mission areas to be as bland and unimaginative as many AO veterans discovered them to be. Score one point for Sony.

This all sounds wonderful in theory, and luckily it proves to be the case in the game. It's actually a lot more fun than going through the standard level grind, and of course, you can choose to go on adventures with friends or guildmates instead of having to risk running around a dungeon with a random group of witless losers who seem determined to get you killed through their stupidity (a problem any EQ veteran will have come up against before now). Guilds in particular will find LDON a real boost. Organising raids has never been easier, and without the interruption of outsiders, effective teamwork is encouraged to a far greater level than ever before.

Points Make Prizes

Then there are the adventure points. Used to buy new items at merchants, the more points you accumulate, the better the selection on offer. Existing equipment can be upgraded too, with new augmentations able to raise vital stats without you having to upgrade all your items.

With LDON, Sony has again taken another developer's idea and made it much better. It's not perfect - finding a non-guild group to stay together till the end of a dungeon can often be difficult, and finding people capable of playing as a team so you can survive an endless onslaught is difficult too. There's also noticeable lag on display, particularly on large raids. But in the main, LDON is an excellent addition that extends the EQ lifespan once more. Until EverQuest 2, at any rate.