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Gnomes--what can't they build?

Gnome Airways Flight 1113

When McGeathy took me back to Dragonscale Plains, I was standing next to what immediately made me think of a cannon. My hospitable host invited me to climb up the ramp to the barrel, advising me to "ignore the blood splattered on the nearby mountains." I blithely complied because I wanted to see the ingenious design of this gnomish device.

My engineering lesson was cut short when I reached the barrel, however. The cannon fired, flinging my flimsy body far into the air. Since the /betabuff command had changed my gender from male to female, I was feeling a little out of place as it was. Being used as a cannonball really didn't help me any.

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You're gonna need a mighty big flyswatter for this one.

Mechanotus

When I recovered from the indignity of being fired into the air, the reason for my trip become clear: I had landed on Mechanotus, the very same floating island Meldrath used to attack Ak'Anon. I saw a large structure in the distance and some impressive decorative cogs. But mostly, I just saw Octa the Collector.

Octa's mission is to roam around the surface of Mechanotus repairing damaged clockworks. McGeathy called a zone sweeper, a major force designed to keep groups on their toes. Imagine fighting a group of clockworks and getting them whittled down to a single one. Your healer is out of mana, and the group is all roughed up a bit. Along comes Octa to scoop up your target and heal it to full health. This can be a huge problem for you.

In addition to the gorgeous and frighting Octa, I saw a handful of NPCs on the deck with the word "Quests" under their names.

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The Factory

No worries. He's just red to a level 80.

Inside Mechanotus is the very factory where the Guardian was built. You'll see assembly lines, molten metal running through the floors, and an assortment of workers ranging from brownies to gnomes to clockworks. This area is Tier 3 difficulty, so adventurers will find it hard to survive for long without some solid gear from the previous locations.

I visited the room where the Guardian was during the launch of Mechanotus, and I saw the gaping hole in the structure that pulled the mechanical menace out to the land. I also visited a room that displayed some of the new powers of the EQ engine. In fact, it was an engine room for the flying fortress. A large gear belt stretched from the ceiling to the floor and was in constant motion. Nearby, another smaller machine had oscillating blades. The room was swarming with mobs, and it really looked like a hard fight. The moving components made the room feel alive, and it is a testament to the hard work of the design team.

Perhaps the most peculiar thing I saw on my tour, I visited a room that McGeathy described as being like "disco battle chess." It seems Meldrath really is mad, and he likes to entertain himself by watching clockwork game pieces battle it out in his game room. I didn't quite get a chance to explore it, but it appeared that there were switches on the far wall with colors matching the game board. Most of the mobs in the room were yellow to my level 80.

Somewhere within Mechanotus you'll find Meldrath himself. I didn't see him, though. McGeathy says some of the content there is instanced to accomodate multiple groups.

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He's awake!

Crystallos

All this time, you have been busy trying to fight Meldrath. Now enter Crystallos, lair of Kerafrym the Awakened. This is the game's Tier 4 content, so you'll stand almost no chance of surviving the common mobs without first passing through Tiers 1-3 and getting the best gear possible. Entry requires a flag.

Those common mobs include drakes, prismatic wyverns, prismatic overlords, and more. At one point, I had 3 mobs wailing on me, whittling away at my 50K hit points. Even though the buff healed me for thousands at a time, I was dying fast. You can see the damage from one of the wyverns if you think it will help you plan.

Of course, the major attraction of this zone is the chance to fight some epic dragons. Kerafyrm has gathered those loyal to him, and a dragon egg I spotted tells me they are trying to hatch more. Each dragon has its own wing marked with its symbol. I found a storm symbol, an ice symbol, and a fire symbol. I even got to go into one chamber to see where the dragon spawns. Kerafyrm has a prismatic breath that causes the main room (pictured left) to shimmer. Sorry. I did not find out what the breath might do to you.

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Secrets of Faydwer offers EverQuest players immense challenge, incredible new features, and a solid story line. The new areas are skillfully crafted and fit together nicely. Old players at the level cap will want to own this expansion right away, and players below the cap will want to get there as fast as possible. The race to level 80 starts 11/13/07!

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