Game Update: The next Game Update is expected to be on Wednesday,
January 16, 2008. All EQ Live servers will be coming down at 5:00 am PST
(PST is -8 hours GMT: 600 am MST, 7:00 am CST, 8:00 noon EST, 13:00
GMT). The estimated downtime is 6 hours.

1/16/2008

Here’s a sneak peek at Wednesday’s Game Update Notes. These notes may or
may not be changed before the update is completed:

*** Highlights ***

- The beta reward item for players who participated in the Secrets of
Faydwer beta test is now available.  Anyone who turned in at least 50
beta tokens (or a single raid token) can speak to Old Man Thorren in
Plane of Knowledge on the beta server and request your reward.  This
will then allow you to use the /claim system to claim the reward item,
the Golden Mask of the Goblin King, on the character and server of your
choice.

*** Items ***

- Made some slight changes to the rare group items in SoF.
- Changed the recast group on items with Geomantra to avoid interference
with items that have no recast timer.
- Added a required level to the Bulwark of Many Portals.
- Added Augment Sockets to Elegant Crystalskin Sleeves.
- Changed the name of the Moray Eel from the Buried Sea to Barren Moray Eel.
- Cultural augments (seals and symbols) will now only fit in armor.
- Elegant Charms have had an additional upgrade in their stats.
- Many potions that had a different required level than the required
level for the spell have been changed to have the item required level
match the spell required level. This will not change the functioning of
the potion in any way, it will just reduce confusion as to the intended
level for the potion.
- Spider Food Poison and Worg Food Poison are no longer temporary.
- Raid loot drop tables have been increased.

*** Quests & Events ***

- The final two steps of the "Repairing the Spiritlight Earring" quest
have been changed so that they can be completed in any zone.
- If your Spiritvoid Earring should have become a Damaged Spiritlight
Earring but has not, hand it to Acolyte Emyria in Bloodmoon Keep and she
will replace it.
- Selay will no longer be fooled into leaving Lethar.
- The Griffon Master event in Ashengate has been made a bit less difficult.
- Fixed a bug with the Dyn'leth raid that allowed players to avoid one
of the mechanics.  Also gave the poor fellow a few more hit points.
- It is no longer possible to levitate near Veldyn.
- Fixed an issue that was causing the Operations Manager to spawn
multiple times.
- Reduced the lockout timers on all Mansion and Crystallos raids to four
and a half days.  This will not affect existing timers, only newly
acquired timers.

*** Spells ***

- Heal over time spells or buffs with a heal over time component now go
to the short-duration buff window.
- All three ranks of the level 78 Magician and Druid anti-summoned spell
Annihilate the Aberrant are now available.
- All three ranks of the level 76 Paladin anti-undead spell Benediction
are now available.
- The damage and efficiency on the Enchanter's Thin Air line has been
rebalanced.
- The damage bonus from the recourses on the Wizard's Flashfires and
Cold Snap lines now scales with the rank of the spell.
- The feedback damage from the recourses on the Wizard's Flashfires and
Cold Snap lines is now applied as a damage over time instead of direct
damage.
- Cleric nuke spells from Secrets of Faydwer will do additional damage
versus undead and/or summoned targets.
- Improved the stacking on Spirit of Keikolin, Spirit of the Shrouded,
Spirit of Venesh, and Spirit of Earth.
- Improved the stacking on Rage of Tri'Qaras.
- Improved the stacking on Hungry Flames.
- Rebalanced Hungry Flames to follow a progression similar to other
short-duration damage shields.
- The Magician's Raging Servant line and the Beastlord's Bestial Empathy
line now assign a point of damage to their target to break mesmerization
effects and / or trigger Gift of Mana.
- The word "Dispell" in spell memorization menus has been changed to
"Dispel".
- Mana Recursion buffs will work on damage over time spells.
- Skeleton and specter form effects on the Necromancer's Lich line have
been split off to a separate buff.  The caster can drop the illusion and
still benefit from the mana regeneration effect.
- The attack benefit bestowed by Strength of the Hunter and Strength of
the Forest Stalker has been reduced to appropriate values after the
ranger innate attack boost was moved to AAs instead.
- Regeneration spells should no longer display a healed per tick message.
- Removed the maximum spell level restriction from the enchanter Mana
Flare line.
- The proc from the Beastlord spell Lockfang Jaws now has a damage over
time component.
- Cast times on the Wizard summoned sword pet line and the Cleric
summoned hammer pet line have been reduced to half a second.
- The selections of Rank III rare spells should now match the associated
faction camp's available Rank II rare spells.

*** NPC ***

- Some of the NPCs in Crystallos will now summon players when the NPC is
low on health.
- Grom's dialogues should be less confusing.
- Raelnyna in crescent reach will now offer the same bag exchange
services that Caerlyna in the bazaar offers.
- Increased the chances to find Fishing Nets and Springy Young Branches
in Hills of Shade.
- The clockwork spiders in Dragonscale Hills have been changed to their
correct faction.
- Drake and elementals in the fire and ice wings of Crystallos should
not be as stingy with their essences anymore.

*** Tradekills ***

- Intricate Frostwarded armor now requires Malleable Northman Ore.
- Secrets to making Pure Enchanted Velium Bars have been discovered and
it is now less difficult to make it.
- Distillate Potions that can be purchased from merchants and made by
Alchemists have been updated to include effects up to level 80.  The
Distillate of Alacrity is the exception, and will receive no further
upgrades past the level 65 version.  Additionally two new distillates
have been found, one that acts like the spiritualism spell line and one
that acts like the regeneration spell line.
- The spell scroll for paralyzing earth created by spell research can
now also be used by necromancers and wizards.
- Enabled the recipe to make the Enchant Dwerium Scroll.
- Changed the thickener for Koadic's Endless Intellect to the proper
thickener.
- Reduced the difficulty of making the Infusion of Spirit spell.

*** Tasks ***

- The Master Jeweler Test has had step 10 and 20 changed to be Pear Cut
Rubellite instead of the Silver Conduit Cylinder.
- Judge Marion Teld`mare has decided that she no longer wants to taste
Beer-Braised Nest Drake Soup.  Instead she would like Grilled Treant
Vegetable Pie for the tradeskill trophy tasks where the soup was required.
- The reward list for the final step in Eron's series of quests is now
less confusing and only offers the jewelry.
- Apprentice Researcher Test has had two of its elements changed.
- The counting shadows step of the tradeskill task now requires that you
make the arrows before you continue.

*** AA ***

- Resolved a timer conflict with the Enchant Dwerium AAs.
- Reduced the level requirement for all 4 ranks of the AA Hastened Call
of the Wild to level 70.

*** Miscellaneous ***

- Bazaar traders can now resume selling stacks of items at higher cost
again.
- The Hungry Flames spell gem should now be red.
- Corrected a Typo in the Veteran Reward approval message.
- Submitting an in-game mail with a blank "To" field should no longer
crash the game client for the sender.
- The spell Illusion Iksar should no longer change characters heritage
from Mysaphar the White to Atathus the Red.
- Froglok and Vah Shir should now match head and body type when changing
facial features when under illusions.
- Environment sounds should now stop when they are turned off in
Blightfire Moors.
- Selling worn items to vendors should no longer remove all model
attachments from chest.
- The graphical appearance of a player's helmet should no longer
disappear if the Pact of Hate spell effect is removed.
- Corrected a few Atlas connection links for Field of Bone, Erud's
Crossing, and Takish-Hiz.
- Agent Quigbell in S.H.I.P. Workshop is giving more detailed sabotage
information for players helping with Spy Reports.

*** Previously Updated ***

- Increased the difficulty of the Squire rare NPCs in Crystallos to
better match their rewards.
- Respawn timers of the base population in Steam Factory and Meldrath's
Majestic Mansion have been increased to 22 minutes.
- Karam Dragonforge in Rathe Mountains now wants different items for his
fiancée. Additionally he will only reward people who give him all items.
 He will still accept the original items if you still have them, but he
will not specifically ask for them.
- Additional NPCs in Crystallos are now immune to run speed changes.
- The zoneline from Steam Factory to Meldrath's Majestic Mansion should
be safer.
- Modified the DPS values of some Secrets of Faydwer raid Bosses.

- The EverQuest Team