In the original EverQuest, you were allowed to align with a deity. Echoes of Faydwer brings back this concept with a belief system that is complete with blessings and miracles. You'll first choose a deity, and once you finish the related quests, you'll earn abilities granted based on your tier. In the case of our Tunare-aligned Fae, that meant healing skills and summons, among other choices. However, you are limited to one blessing and one miracle at any given time. Casting a miracle is a dramatic event, not just because of its powerful effect but also because of the theatrics of particles and colors that accompany it. It's also an interesting story development, since the gods departed the land between EverQuest and the sequel. Are the faith-centric abilities an omen of upcoming divine intervention? It's a fascinating possibility and more fuel for Norrath's ever-deepening lore.
However, Echoes of Faydwer has its share of issues. Higher-level players will find that raids and dungeons are more taxing than before. For example, with the new instances come better drops. Blessings and miracles also add another new element that needed to be accounted for--all without increasing level cap. This means you need to further tweak your characters and groupings. Players who worked hard for their current loot will be disappointed to find it no longer does the job, particularly when they revisit instances they've adventured through previously. Of course, bugs are a familiar issue in MMO games, and Faydwer is no exception. Our Fae conjuror got stuck in a Djinn bottle without the possibility of escape at one point. Because of another glitch, our wood elf could not complete Kelethin citizenship, even after meeting all the requirements.
It's also disappointing that two years later, the EverQuest II engine is still sluggish. Turning on shadows brings even the best machines to their knees. Yet even with the performance issues, the game still looks quite good. The visuals are showing signs of age, with some flat textures and jagged edges. Character models and animations still remain top-notch, and the new areas are beautifully rendered. The sound design is mostly unchanged, and Norrath is filled with noise from every possible angle. Sometimes it's filled with too much noise. As much as there is to like about the Fae, the cutesy-poo voice-overs are grating to the point of self-parody. But it's hard to fault the sonic barrage too much because it does a creditable job of making the world breathe.
Echoes of Faydwer doesn't just pack in all of the new content, though: It includes the Kingdom of Sky and Desert of Flames expansions as well. It goes without saying that if you haven't played EverQuest II, it's a great value. And if you already play? Well, the expansion has a load of new quests and characters, from gliding fairies to ticking motorized monstrosities. Echoes of Faydwer is EverQuest II's most likable expansion, thanks to its friendly new race and expansive continent, which makes it worth a look by both newcomers and veterans.
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