The enigmatic role playing experience that is EverQuest – EQ – will soon be joining the Free To Play – F2P – revolution. The new F2P world should be open for play at the start of March, in the build-up to the 13th birthday EQ on March 16. The original and many say still the best, EQ F2P takes us to the distant land of Norrath to explore and adventure in this fantasy world. Continuing its grand tradition with immersive gameplay, captivating storytelling and exciting worlds, this is the EQ legacy. A legacy that is embracing a whole new way of playing. Your way.

EQ F2P will allow a whole new generation of players to join those already haunted by the EQ experience. No date has been set for the official start of the F2P model, early March is the only clue given. Although Thom Terrazas – EverQuest Producer – did let slip that a number of events would be held in the week leading up to the 13th birthday celebrations. Hopefully F2P should be up and running by the 6th of March.

EQ was the first of the modern massive multi-player fantasy games, for a time it lead the pack till the current generation – Warcraft and Battleforge – of Massive Multi-Player Online – MMO – games took over. Many still believe EQ is the original and the best. Let’s hope the change to F2P helps bring back the buzz.

The 3D world of Norrath is a fantasy themed role-playing game – RPG – that has stunning looks and a rich history of great RPG play. The EQ world includes; spells, chat, character evolution and levelling, quests, exploring, collect or earn objects, 375 massive zones – worlds – to explore , along with a massive community of die-hard fans. As they say on the site complete exciting quests, earn wealth and honour, or take the fight to all those who would stand in the way of your destiny.

There are no details of exactly how the new EQ free world will fit together as of yet. However Terrazas does mention that they are developing a flexible model that will let you pay as much or as little as you wish. Many questions remain though. How will the existing expansion packs and paying members fit in to the F2P world. How many of the 375 zones will be free.

Sony Online Entertainment haven’t let the opportunity pass by unnoticed either. March is going to be a very busy month for EverQuest around the world. With a new way to play, special birthday events and give-aways including real life mementos to celebrate the occasion

EQ fans everywhere rejoice and be prepared to lose a lot of your spare time in March. The Free2Play revolution is coming to your world of Norrath, it’s about to become a lot more crowded. Party hats are being put on, balloons being inflated and the bar is being stocked, Sony is planning a coming out party for its Princess, soon she will be Free to Play. Play Her Way.

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From the EverQuest site, Thom Terrazas – EverQuest Producer AKA “Phathom” –

We’re excited to be expanding the EverQuest experience by making the game more accessible to every type of player so that you can choose to play the game in a way that suits you best. Anyone who wishes to start, return or continue to play one of the “Best Games of All-Time” can simply download and play EverQuest on their terms – think of it as Free to Play, Your Way. Recurring subscriptions, non-recurring subscriptions, Silver or Free memberships, item unlockers, and more. The game will now be setup to be flexible so that *you* can decide how much to pay, based on how much fun you’re having.

EverQuest players are some of the most loyal, long-standing players of any MMO in existence. With the gaming landscape changing every day, we want to ensure we continue to evolve the game to keep players engaged and bring in even more new players to further expand the community. With no up-front costs or required membership, we might see a new player or two along the way, and more people is always a good thing!

Once we go free-to-play, here are some of the upcoming features and events you can expect:

• On Friday, March 16th, EverQuest becomes a teenager: 13 years old!!! We will be having some extra added events in the game starting that week leading up to that Friday and we’re introducing some new items within POK to let you know what’s in store.
• With the free-to-play launch, a renovated everquest.com website will be unveiled and after that, we will bring you upgraded EQPlayers pages.
• We have improved the functionality of our Map system! Some improvements include being able to view appropriate level content for your character on the map, allowing you to find zone lines much easier; and also showing you your wisps on the map to help navigate to where you want to go!

Also at the free-to-play launch, all players will receive a Welcome Pack containing items to add to your gameplay experience. You’ll be able to summon a unique Mercenary to fight by your side and we’re including some Bayle Marks to help pay for the services of your newly summoned Mercenary. A couple of Experience Potions are also included to help you increase your experience gained while adventuring. For all the collectors that like to show off all the great wares to your friends, we’re giving you an item to display in your home and add to your collection. And finally, you’ll be able to customize the appearance of one of your weapons with a Weapon Ornamentation – also included in the Welcome Pack. So be sure to check the claim window for your free gifts.

Source: EverQuesst Free To Play
Source: Free 2 Play, The Gathering Storm