On the docket in this Letter From the Producer are EverQuest's 16th anniversary, changes to heroic adventure experience, and testing:

Greetings, Norrathians!

It's cool and rainy here in San Diego, which is about as wild as our winters get. We understand that much of the rest of the country is under a blanket of snow, and a thick blanket to boot. If you or your loved ones are affected, we hope you are staying warm. Pull up your chair, grab a cup of warm cocoa, don your fuzzy socks, and allow us to explain what to expect for the next few months.

Anniversary Event Schedule

EverQuest's 16th anniversary celebration is nearly upon us! Though, it may be more accurate to say that it's already begun. You can get a head-start collecting anniversary currency by tackling the "War Games" mission in the Plane of War, which may not be a bad idea, as the (Special Celebratory Goods) vendor has a few new unique wares to offer. The main event, seven new Player-Designed Missions, kicks off on the 16th. Like the other anniversary events, these missions reward currency, but there are rumors of hidden bonus rewards if you approach the missions in a certain way or accomplish a side goal..

Our planned event schedule for the next few months:
2/25 - "War Games" mission in Plane of War (6 weeks)
3/16 - 16th Anniversary Player-Designed Missions (6 weeks)
3/18 - Brew Day (2 weeks)
3/25 - Bristlebane Day (2 weeks)
4/1 - Stomples Day (2 weeks)
4/15 - 14th & 15th Anniversary Player-Designed Missions (6 weeks)
4/29 - 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, & 13th Anniversary (6 weeks)

Heroic Adventure Changes

We wanted to let the community know about some upcoming changes to the Heroic Adventure system. After our next full update, experience bonuses (like the Lesson of the Devoted, Learner's Aura, and Bottles of Adventure), will apply to the experience earned when the Heroic Adventure is completed. In addition, mercenaries will get a much larger experience gain at the completion of a Heroic Adventure.

Testing the New Loot System and New Player-Designed Missions

And last, but certainly not least, a big thanks to everyone that has been putting the New Loot System through the paces on Test. Several good changes and bug fixes have come from community testing and there's no way to overstate how much we appreciate your feedback. The system will be releasing soon(tm), very soon(tm). Likewise, thank you to everyone who ran through the Player-Designed Missions and provided feedback. We've put in a lot of fixes, tuning changes, and clarifications based on testing results.

Keep the good feedback coming!