Today marks another milestone in EverQuest II's journey as the game turns 8 years old. We can anticipate the Heroes Festival celebrations again later in the month, but in the meantime, long-time players can enjoy the new 9 Year Veteran Rewards!

The 9 Year Veteran Reward crate contains an expanded version of the 3-year broker display case, seven equipment unattuners, more field repair kits, health and power potions, and some scrolls of resurrection. Any account that has reached at least nine years of age should be able to see this item in their claim window. Click on the picture below to see all of the veteran rewards!

SOE released a video today of several EverQuest II artists explaining the look and feel of the overland zones in Chains of Eternity. Check out the video below to hear it in their own words!

The results are in and winners of ZAM's Nights of the Dead screenshot contest have been chosen! We chose ten of our favorite screenshots, four of which are grand prize winners that will also receive Station Cash codes along with the Royal Mummy Wrappings prize. In addition, 18 lucky participants have been randomly chosen to receive Royal Mummy Wrapping codes as well. The winners can check your private messages on our site for your codes!

Thank you to everyone who participated! We had a lot of fun looking through everyone's pictures. There were over 100 screenshots submitted and it was very difficult to narrow it down to the top ten. 

Continue after the jump to see the list of winners and follow the links through to see their pictures!

During SOE Live, Sony Online Entertainment's yearly fan convention, they announced a totally new in-game item. This item, called a "Krono" adds 30 days of premium game time to the Station account of the character that consumes it. A Krono can be gifted, sold, traded, and purchased by other players. It also has no expiration date.

Mech combat has a broad palette of destruction to offer. At one extreme lies the city-wide carnage of skyscraper-sized robots, coated in sleek armor and bristling in laser cannon. The other holds the more personal combat of power-assisted exoskeletons, combatants glaring as they lunge with arms of steel and titanium. Both Neon Genesis Evangelion and Aliens hold dear places in the annals of explosive combat. But in a stark contrast, Hawken looks to offer a new form of machine-based mayhem.

The first title from indie developer Adhesive Games and publisher Meteor Entertainment, Hawken is placed in a bleak future where humanity’s grasp for the stars resulted in an overreach. Heavy over-industrialization has wrought havoc on a distant colony planet, causing society to crumble inward. Amid the remains of decaying cities and gutted factories, the remaining population is forced to scavenge for what few resources remain. 

Our anticipation for Hawken has steadily grown since first going eyes-on, which makes this first closed beta weekend incredibly welcome. With a launch date of December 12th already announced, this free-to-play first-person shooter is steadily edging closer to the wire. That said, beta is beta and a game can change significantly before launch. While this is our first hands-on preview, we’ll be reporting in regularly as Hawken develops further.

Been drooling over the screenshots and videos heralding Rift: Storm Legion?

Well soon everyone can jump in and try the game for themselves.

Trion Worlds announced today that Rift's first expansion, Storm Legion, will have an open beta event running from November 2, 10 am Pacific to November 7, 8am Pacific.

It started with news of storms to the east. Torrential rain hammered the coastline; wind picked up the sand and etched away at your skin. No-one but the foolish and desperate would dare to sail in such treacherous weather, and yet someone did. A shipwrecked vessel, said to be indescribably alien in design, landed off the coast of Freemarch. Who would captain this craft through such a terrible storm, and why? 

So began my foray into the second beta weekend for Rift: Storm Legion, the first expansion for Trion’s fantasy MMO. Since first hearing about it on the E3 Stream and going eyes-on at Gamescom, I was eager to find out if the team would meet its earlier grand vision. Would the developer create a roaring hurricane, or would it be a storm in a teacup? While it’s important to remember that this is still beta, Trion does seem on-course to deliver a strong update to its flagship game.

Even with the second beta event finished and a third one approaching, the live game refuses to stand still. What started as a simple harvest festival has shifted to an autumnal storm, as Crucia’s minions from the plane of air assault cities across Telara. It is under this dark cloud that Queen Miela Aurentis set sail from the eastern Kingdom of Pelladane, to warn both Guardians and Defiant of the impending Storm Legion threat. 

After returning from a convention like SOE Live, I imagine that it is customary to talk about your personal highlight of the show – I can only imagine due to it being my first, I’m so naïve.

There are a lot of things that stand out; interviewing John Smedley, Matt Higby, Tramell Ray Isaac and others. Chatting with Margaret Krohn – yes, she’s just as ridiculously nice in person -- and finally getting to meet a bunch of folks who I only previously knew through email. Add to all that, making new friends, having a good time at the Pool Party and so on.

Yet for me, the memory that raises the hair on my neck began at the costume judging contest. I stood behind the judges, taking pictures on my dying iPhone – I was plagued by tech issues all week – when a noble lady dressed as a caster was brought near the judging circle in a wheelchair. With the help of a friend, in obvious pain but showing supreme determination, she stood up and walked forward to be seen by the judges.

There was something different about the keynote address at SOE Live this year. It wasn’t Linda’s resplendent beard or the sense of anticipation in the audience; it was the sense that a new direction was being undertaken.

Of course there was information on the new expansions for both EverQuests, the new DLC 6 with Player Lairs for DCUO -- an interview with Jens Andersen and Larry Liberty coming this week -- the release date for PlanetSide 2 and the explanation of what has happened to EverQuest Next. There was plenty to digest, but it was the air of determination to make the year ahead for SOE something to make the industry take note that stood out that night.

As John Smedley put it, EverQuest had changed the industry 13 years ago and SOE wanted to do it again.

It was with the keynote fresh in my mind that I sat down with SOE’s president and asked him about the plan for the future.

SOE Live was this past weekend and a lot of great information was given out during the convention. The event team recorded several keynotes and panels, so catch up on what you missed by watching them on TwitchTV!

• Welcome Reception
• Player Studio Panel
• DCUO and the EverQuest Franchise Keynote (EQ2 is third in the lineup)
• Chains of Eternity Panel
• Closing Ceremony

Also be sure to check out Niami Denmother's crafting writeup on EQ2Traders and Feldon's SOE Live blogs on EQ2Wire! There are some pictures of the event available from Cyliena on Flickr, Greg "Rothgar" Spence on SmugMug, and SOE on Facebook (album one, album two and green screen pictures). Keep up on all of ZAM's SOE Live articles for additional information!