EverQuest Franchise Holiday Contest!

SOE and ZAM team up to give the community some awesome prizes!

UPDATE: Winners have been announced!


Thank you everyone for your entries! It's definitely been a trip down memory lane reading so many wonderful stories. The contest has now ended and we'll be finalizing the list of all qualified names before randomly selecting winners in a blind drawing.

Winners will be announced by 11:59pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, December 31, 2013. Winners will also be notified via Private Messaging (PMs) on ZAM that they have won. We will update this article and post a new one as well informing everyone of the results!


This holiday season, Sony Online Entertainment and ZAM want to share the holiday spirit with the community with an epic contest! It doesn't matter if you play EverQuest, EverQuest II or want to dive into EverQuest Next Landmark, there is something for all Norrathians here. We have one grand prize and three Station Cash prizes from SOE, as well as a bonus for ten lucky people from ZAM!

  • GRAND PRIZE: One winner will receive codes to the collector's editions of the most recent EverQuest and EverQuest II expansions, Call of the Forsaken and Tears of Veeshan (a $90 value each), as well as a code for the EverQuest Next Landmark Trailblazer Founder's Pack (a $100 value; total prize value of $280)
  • Three more winners will each receive one $10 Station Cash code (worth 1000 SC)
  • Ten more winners will each receive three months premium on ZAM

Continue after the jump for details on how this contest will work!


How to Enter

  • Log in to your ZAM account (registering is free!)
  • Post a comment at least 3-5 sentences long (minimum) in the comments section of this article
  • The comment should focus on your favorite location in Norrath, in any EverQuest franchise title. Why is it your favorite place? Did something fun happen to you or your guild there? Do you just love the environment or lore of the location? Are you new to Norrath, but want to talk about a location you are excited to visit in-game?
  • You can supplement your comment by linking to a video or picture of this location! It's not required and won't affect your entry into the contest, but it's a lot more fun to share!
  • Deadline for entries is 11:59pm Pacific Time on Friday, December 27, 2013... that means you have one week to enter!
  • Only one entry per person, please!

Due to the amount of entries we have, comments may take a bit of extra time to load... patience, grasshopper!

How We Judge

  • As long as your entry meets the contest guidelines above, you will be entered into a random blind drawing!
  • Winners will be announced by 11:59pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, December 31, 2013
  • Codes for the Grand Prize and Station Cash will be sent to the appropriate winners via private message on ZAM by 11:59pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, December 31, 2013
  • Winners of the three months of premium on ZAM will have it added to their account and will be notified of their win via private message on ZAM. This has to be done manually, so there may be additional delay.

Obligatory Information

  • No purchase necessary, but you need to register for a free account with ZAM if you haven't yet
  • You must have an account with SOE to be able to redeem the codes. They will not work for PSS1 account holders.
  • We don't care which country you're in as long as you have an SOE account
  • The contest begins whenever this article goes live on Friday, December 20, 2013 and ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time on Friday, December 27, 2013
  • One entry per person
  • ZAM staff and their immediate family are not eligible. Sorry, hubby!
  • SOE employees and their immediate family are not eligible. Sorry, Roshen!

That's everything! You can enter the contest for yourself, or to try and win an awesome gift for a friend or loved one -- either way, we can't wait to read everyone's stories!


Disclaimer: I'm aware that the picture above doesn't reflect the recent EverQuest and EverQuest II expansions... what it does reflect is my favorite locations in those games! =)

 Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor

Follow me on Twitter: @Cyliena

Comments

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WTS all on me 1st torch
# Dec 21 2013 at 8:01 PM Rating: Decent
My favorite location out of any video game has to be East Commonlands. When I first started the game back in 99' I was playing a Dark Elf Cleric, I had a few stacks of bone chips and a HQ bear skin to my name. A bad pull at the monolith in Nektulos forced my group to flee for safety, we ended up entering EC and I was immediately bombarded with auction spam, no turning back now! I told my group I would see them later and I meandered around this new land. Lions, scarabs, bears, spiders.. GRIFFIN!
After a few minutes of blundering about I noticed a tunnel off in the distance, running straight towards it I felt like this would be a true adventure. I felt safe with all of these people standing around me, the first time I have ever seen so many people in one spot, it was overwhelming. I saw a message pop up on my screen, "WTB HQ Bear skin 25pp" this was it! I struck it rich I thought... little did I know that was the beginning of the end for me.
I spent the next two years just sitting in that tunnel buying, selling and trading items. My highest character was a level 8 cleric, however I had amassed several hundred thousand platinum and I had several characters loaded to the gills with twink items. I even paid my friend in platinum monthly for him to pay for my account because I was still in my early teens and my parents didn't want to pay for it.

It was and will be one of the best experiences I could ever have.

favorite place
# Dec 21 2013 at 6:25 PM Rating: Good
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My favorite place in EQ1 is Bastion of Thunder. I met my wife there and haven't ventured into EQ1 without her since. I was playing my berserker and she was with some of her guildies. She asked if her and her guildies could loot some of my corpses. I said sure and we haven't stopped playing EQ together nor talking about EQ ever since. Feb 11, 2014 will be our second yr anniversary and i owe it all to SOE and EQ1.


ps. Zam i have since taught her how to research stuff on your website

thanks
jerry
favorite place
# Dec 21 2013 at 6:46 PM Rating: Excellent
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My favorite place in Everquest
# Dec 21 2013 at 6:05 PM Rating: Decent
My favorite location in Norrath is the Butcherblock Mountains. Me and my friend Sanspeur camped the haunted chessboard, and enjoyed every minute of it. From the cackling of the skeletons as we fought them, to the site of the massive chess pieces laying around the board, everything was new and exciting in the new frontier. I have lots of other great memories, but that was the beginning of the excitement that built up as we explored the world.
Field of Bone
# Dec 21 2013 at 5:54 PM Rating: Decent
I think my favorite location would be the Field of Bone. I spent a lot of time there as an Iksar monk in EQ. I'll never forget the first time I found the Field of Bone in Everquest II - it's almost embarrassing how excited I became - I was overcome with the strongest feeling of nostalgia! I suppose it just goes to show what a huge part of my life the games have been.
My Favorite Location in Norrath is The Commonlands
# Dec 21 2013 at 5:18 PM Rating: Decent
My favorite location in Norrath is hands-down The Commonlands. It's my favorite place in both EverQuest and EverQuest 2. I started playing back in 1999 and the East Commonlands tunnel was a trading point in early EverQuest. Players would gather from all other points in the virtual worlds to meet up and trade with one another. I had the luck to revisit this on the Progression Servers not too long ago and had a blast trading in EC, farming vendors for pelts, killing wisps and if my character didn't have the faction hits to pass freely, inevitably kiting guards.

In EverQuest 2, the commonlands was one of the early zones that had to be explored if one chose Freeport as their starting city (by aligning as Evil or Neutral). The Wailing Caves, Fallen Gate, the Graveyard, the Orc raiding zone and much more kept many people happily occupied when EQ2 launched and in the EQ2 beta.

I'm looking forward to developments that will take place in EQNext and EQNext Landmark that will bring back rich, varied and compelling content along the themes that have played out in the various incarnations of Norrath over the years.

Personally I've put more time than most into EQ and EQ2 over the years. I wasn't often at end-game raiding, but I spend literal years of playtime in between the two games when I had a rough time going on for awhile and MMO gaming was my best opportunity for cheap and fun social entertainment. I learned the organizing of people and organizations by leading guilds, being an officer in guilds, leading raids and ensuring that my guilds were accomplishing their goals smoothly working together and having fun. I will play EQN:L and EQN some and I'll definitely explore my favorite zones like the Commonlands again if they exist.
HK iksar monk
# Dec 21 2013 at 5:03 PM Rating: Decent
My favorite zone in EQ was High Keep... spent waaaaaaaaaayyyyy too much time there. As an iksar monk it was so fun. killing guards, training goblins through the zone and FDing. Everyone hated it, but i loved it. Definitely the most memorable past of both EQ and EQ2 for me.
The Bonemire!
# Dec 21 2013 at 4:59 PM Rating: Decent
The bonemire is my favorite location in EverQuest 2.

When it first came out, I was in one of 2 top-end raid guilds on the server. We were taking turns pulling the Mutagenic Outcast for some awesome loot. While we were pulling, the other guild would spawn all of their mini pets so it would lag us more and we wouldn't be able to defeat MO (it was a DPS race).

After several (4?) hours of going back and forth like this, a GM was called in to intervene. He asked for the guild leaders of each of our guilds join his group so they could sort it out. He ended up having us take turns in the zone, so that each guild would be unaffected by the other's lag. The other guild got to pull first while we waited in Tenebrous Tangle - they wiped fast. We then swooped in and killed him first try. Hooray! Loot for all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbhBr6WDA0I
Ak'Anon
# Dec 21 2013 at 4:58 PM Rating: Decent
31 posts
From the very first days of EverQuest, the graphics and gameplay were unprecedented to most players. It brought, visually, years of tabletop paper gaming to life. In the earliest of days of EverQuest launching, many players created character and class combinations until they figured out what they liked. For me, a gnome Wizard named Zimm, Ak'Anon was home immediately. The clockworks, the sounds, the guards. The LIVING city that was Ak'Anon was just phenomenal. I still to this day recall this memory when starting any character in any MMO. I will never forget that impact on my memory and gaming.

Brailyn - EverQuest II
Zimm - EverQuest
Loxx - Vanguard
Gfay!
# Dec 21 2013 at 4:56 PM Rating: Decent
I think my favorite location in EQ was the wizard spires outside Felwithe in Gfay, mostly due to its memory. A GM had come to help celebrate an in game wedding for a guildie and he was as tall as the spires, handing out Cabalis cake and ale, summoning all kinds of things. And that time in front of the FP gate when Smed was a giant gnome.
Another favorite I can't forget is my first character ever, in Felwithe, as a high elf magician in 1999. A friendly lady helped me learn how to scribe spells, find armor, do quests, etc. I still remember her name, Winterwhite.
2004 - 2013 and beyond
# Dec 21 2013 at 4:54 PM Rating: Decent
I have been playing Everquest 2 since 2004 so I think it is very hard to pick a favourite location.

One place that probably stands out, although a giant pain in the ***, would be Solusek's Eye just down to the sheer scale, directions, depth etc...

I think because Desert of Flames was the first expansion, I do have a lot of memories running about those zones. Climbing walls for the first time in Sinking Sands, or fighting endless Cyclops and Giants in the Pillars of Flame and connecting instances.

And of course excited to get into Landmark and EQNext. Landmark providing an outlet for moments of creativity and EQNext for just whacking stuff in the face :D
The suburbs of course
# Dec 21 2013 at 4:50 PM Rating: Decent
My favorite location in EQ2 was Longshadow Alley. When I started playing in EQ2 back in 2005, we still started on a common isle before moving to the racial suburb of Freeport and Qeynos. As a Dark Elf, I started my freeportian life in Longshadow Alley, being barred from entrance in Freeport proper until I did my citizenship quest. I later joined a pure Teir'Dal guild and I have lots of fond memories of our suburb. We always ran into each other, we could chat with Teir'Dal friends, run meetings and ceremonies in the center of the plaza.
Removing the suburbs took away a lot of the cities memories for lots of us oldtime players.
My Favorite location in Norath
# Dec 21 2013 at 4:31 PM Rating: Decent
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My favorite location in Norath Hills of shade. My friend and I always have a blast making a mess there being 2 necro's lol. Love the excitement of taking on new mobs in new locations and the environment too. Have had the pleasure of helping a couple of people get their 1.5 epics, always fun to help someone else achieve their goal. Love playing my game.
Nastee lvl 80 necro
Bristlebane


Edited, Dec 21st 2013 5:41pm by Wendena
My Love of Everquest
# Dec 21 2013 at 3:53 PM Rating: Decent
I have been playing for about 12 years off and on. I must say that my favorite zone is Infected Paw. I always level and aa my characters in the zone. I love the elementals and the hiding spot to log on and off. I miss the grouping and for fun doing the adventures from the adventure Merchants.
Fav location in EQ.
# Dec 21 2013 at 3:45 PM Rating: Decent
I loved the Butcherblock Mountains from EQ1. Anytime I made a new character i alwasy made my way there to level. I tended to follow the curvy path so the zone seemed much larger than it was, which was still freakin huge. But the most fun was fighting at the chessboard. I still enjoy the skeleton laugh every time i fight one in any game I play. I can always hear it.
Thurgadin my entry
# Dec 21 2013 at 3:31 PM Rating: Decent
If I have to pick one area alone it would be the thurgadin/scar/icewall keep area.

The war of the giants vs the dragons and coldain , and kerfrym at the end is just EPIC.
Thurgadin is just chock full of stuff to do the ring war and the shawl. It also introduced something new short term visible consequences for failing the ring war all the dwarves died there.

Also thurgadin had funny conversations just go listen in the bar for a while sanctus seru might have guards that say a lot more and is funny as heck but the zone is boreing otherwise.
only one? geeze
# Dec 21 2013 at 3:00 PM Rating: Decent
I loved the cities I have to say. It was where I interacted the most with people. I like soloing but coming up for air and making friends was nice. I liked Qeynos the best. The lovely cliffs and somehow the underground made the city something I haven't forgotten. I like Neriak like JaredkFam because that is where I started crafting and it really helped my character along.

reading above I forgot the carpet ride! I loved that too!

So one isn't possible. How about best 10?
Hard to pin down
# Dec 21 2013 at 2:50 PM Rating: Decent
a location...

I played EQ from some time in 1999 I think. I remember playing with people going to Lake of Ill Omen, then going to Velious. My earliest death I can remember were in East Commons perhaps, either to orcs or a giant I thought I could hide from (first time seeing one and hearing it) by ducking inside a building. Apparently the technology for line of sight and solid walls was not invented yet for the logically inclined.

Fun times and exhileration moments:

Working on the paladin epic quest line, and realizing just how early the story was written into the game (could get started in your teens or 20s) to take you all the way to 50. I was in a guild that was friends with some other guild, and we were all on a Nagafen raid. Suddenly I was informed we would be going after the piece I needed to get my quest advanced, if not done at the time. I was elated. It was not expected.

Sadly guild members fell away from logging in around 2002-2004 and personal issues kept me from playing, then when I was able to log in later I found maybe 1-2 characters only logged in within the past 2 years.
Hard to pick
# Dec 21 2013 at 2:47 PM Rating: Decent
I always liked Lesser Fay in EQ1! The threat of imminent death from brownies or Equistrielle the Corrupted, one of the few places that had the beautiful rainbow drakes, shadowmen, the access to Mistmoore, all these things made it fun. It was quiet but had several nice camps to level at or at higher level to farm for baking. EQ2 LFay was just not the same.
My favorite location in Everquest
# Dec 21 2013 at 2:45 PM Rating: Decent
My favorite location in Norrath is Butcherblock Mountains. I can remember the first time my friend and I discovered the chessboard there, and spent hours trying to see if we were tougher than the haunted enemies controlling it. It was the most difficult content we had encountered up to that point, and battling on a giant chessboard seemed so interesting. It was the first experience where we had to strategize and work together as a team to take them out in order to complete the quests. From that zone on, the game felt like a great adventure, and we didn't know what to expect as we ventured ahead.https://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/butcherblock-chess.jpg
My favorite places
# Dec 21 2013 at 2:35 PM Rating: Decent
hi all will i started bake like 3 years ago and the resin that i started was i waited to do some thing with my older brother we are both adults but nave had any thing in come-in so i started playing then i meet anther people and went to there guilds and one of the guilds is in freeport the lay out of the city is easy to find things as will and i never new that we would become friends in the game i will like the house and i like the one that anthers have done they will make them look so cool

Freetobemyself
Hard to pick
# Dec 21 2013 at 2:10 PM Rating: Decent
I had to spend a couple minutes deciding but I went with the Tower of Frozen Shadow. I loved the zone in EQ with the lore that goes with it. I enjoyed how each floor has it's own theme and how if you looked hard you could find little bits of explanation as to why it was there. Tserenia herself was always the one mob I couldn't manage to solo on my main but only because she was mostly immune to magic.

Fast forward to EQ2 where I am now and it's still there. The tower still stands and I think they did a fairly decent job of making sure the floors still were true to the original. I think the extra bits of lore you get from doing the various quests particularly Beauty is skin deep was a nice touch.

Can't wait to see if somewhere down the line we pickup with more about Tserina now she has escaped the tower and headed off to who knows where.
EQ1
# Dec 21 2013 at 2:04 PM Rating: Decent
EQ1 was the first GUI MMO I had ever played. I still miss how the game was when it was in it's youth. I made a lot of friends from all over the U.S. Some whom I even got to meet. So not only did it have an amazing social aspect to the game, it went beyond the game to the people behind the avatars.

There are so many fond memories and adventures to speak about, but I have to say I think my favorite memory was in Oasis. I had a Mage, and there was nothing more fun than using a Sand Giant illusion on your pet then running him to the docks, which was the semi-safe hang out area. Everyone would scatter and run for their lives. Until they realized it was not a real Sand Giant, then people would laugh and talk about it in the zone channel. I remember being fooled on a few occasions myself and it can sure make your heart race.

Another notable memory was hanging out in Crushbone with my Druid and buffing all the lower level characters to make their fights go a little easier. So many people always appreciated it, I'd do it just to help out. I still miss EQ1 dearly, but feel the direction that the game took with Planes of Power, ect... wasn't the right direction to take. You have no idea the bonds that are formed from having to ride on a boat ride with strangers, or helping people get to the Dragon Ring in the Great Divide so that they can get the ability to port to the dragon ring. You took away the struggles, which made relationships less necessary.

I yearn for the day a game comes out again where someone not just wants, but needs me to port them somewhere. Or needs help getting across a dangerous zone to a less dangerous one. EQ1 Had it right for a long time. Too bad it got dumbed down so much. I look forward to EQNext and new adventures.
Cabilis
# Dec 21 2013 at 1:46 PM Rating: Good
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The Ancient city of Cabilis, last home and refuge of the Iksar after the war with the Ring of Scale. Its waterways strewn throughout the city to allow more cost efficient commerce, as well as lending to faster hustle and bustle of its denizens, whom are adept swimmers.
The Tower of Death in the Western Section, home of the Brood of Kotiz, the Necromancers. Tall and foreboding, the Necromancer masters within these walls watch the city and all its inhabitants. So great and dreadful there power that even the bravest of the Legion of Cabilis might only whisper about the goings on of the Tower.
Fortress Talishan in the North end of the East side houses the Legion of Cabilis, the Warriors guild and barracks.. it is here that Iksar are trained to master the arts of combat, to hone their skills in all forms of weapons and the wear and use of the hardiest and most sturdy armors available. Troopers train hard for years so they may be chosen to lead the armies, taking to the front lines during any conflict.
The Court of Pain, guildhall of the Swifttails, Is the home for Iksar monks. These individuals hone their prowess in combat to wreak havoc on their enemies. They forsake sturdier armor in favor of light and pliable leather armors. The Swifttails are masters of unarmed combat, relying on the martial arts to deal heavy blows to their opponents.
The Temple of Terror lies in the south. This is home to the Crusaders of Scale and the Scaled Mystics, the Primalists also dwell here, having close ties to the Scaled mystics.
The Crusaders of Scale, those warriors born of dark foreboding, train to live for death and destruction, these are the Shadowknights of Cabilis. It is said that these dark warriors revel in the spilling of blood, the torture of their victims and the pleasures of the most horrific ways to kill and butcher those they meet on the field of battle. Crusaders are best known for wading into the midst of battle calling forth incantations and swinging wide their weapon of choice, creating havoc and confusing, and being the lone survivors upon a field of battle.
The Scaled Mystics, those that are touched and walk with the Spirits, are the Shaman of the Iksar. Calling upon these entities they imbue and heal their allies and bring pain and suffering to there foes. The Mystics are the holy men of their nation, the healers, the soul searchers.
The Primalists, a blending of shaman magics and monk martial arts, born from travels to Luclin and learned from the Vah Shir, reside within these walls with the Crusaders and Mystics. These Beastlords call upon powerful scaled wolf warders to aid them in battle, more than a pet, these beasts are the Beastlords companions, raised since they hatched from eggs. These Primalists were an experimental blending that saw great promise and have since held true and have become a valuable addition to the forces of the Iksar.
Cablis is vast, and the only major city on the Continent of Kunark. Having routes to the lands that surround it, it is beneficial for travelers to earn the Iksars trust, though that is a long process fraught with many obsticles.
This is my home, I am a resident of Cabilis, I am one of her Legion, I am an Oracle, I am a Disciple, I am a Primalist, I am a Crusader, I am a Harbinger. I hail from one of the most inhospitable continents on Norrath. I have seen war, I have seen sorrow, I have seen. Cabilis is my fortress, my solace, my refuge. It is my home. I am a follower of he who has no face. I am Iksar. Fear me.
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Hope you enjoy (This recipe is a trademark by Nightmares Inc., all rights reserved.) :-D
My favorite location
# Dec 21 2013 at 1:32 PM Rating: Decent
I would have to say that at least one of my favorite places is Grobb and Innothule swamp. When I first started playing Everquest around 2000 i had no idea about the gamma adjustment so for whatever reason my screen was VERY dark at night in the swamp. I can not tell you how many times I would zone out of or into Grobb...get turned around and zone right back in or out....time after time. I think my record was like seven times back to back. Was extremely frustrating at the time but now oen of those stories that makes me laugh. Thanks for all the memories............
Favorite Location - EQ1
# Dec 21 2013 at 1:28 PM Rating: Decent
I started playing EQ back in 2000, just before the release of Kunark. At this point, I'm fairly sure I've seen every zone in the game. My favorite will always be Nedaria's Landing, down by the water.

https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/zones.html?zstrat=235#Screenshots

The waterfalls and river flowing, with the forest around, and the ability to go right down the water's edge a ways, and see nothing but forest and the waves washing up on the beach, while the fish and turtles swim about in the water - beautiful location.
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