Dragons of Norrath
From EQ KnowledgePit
| Dragons of Norrath | |
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| Release date(s) | February 15, 2005 |
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[edit] General Information
The Dragons of Norrath expansion was considered a great success by raiders and non-raiders alike. It brought a number of unique features to the table. For starters, the expansion has linear progression; however, it was split into two camps, Norrath's Keepers ("good") and Dark Reign ("evil"). These camps are mutually exclusive; anything a player does to gain faction with one camp will lose them faction with the other camp. It was similar to Lost Dungeons of Norrath, in that groups of players can complete instanced missions in exchange for crystals (Radiant Crystals for Norrath's Keepers; Ebon Crystals for Dark Reign), and items can purchased using these crystals as currency. The rewards for completing certain progression milestones for one camp or the other are free AA points - a couple per tier of progression - and an invisible AA, permanent innate bonuses.
[edit] Dragons
As the name suggests, this expansion adds to the game five dragons. Each is found in an instanced version of its respective zone with a roughly five-day lockout timer, and each has its own unique abilities:
- Tirranun the Ancient Protector - a lava dragon found within the depths of Tirranun's Delve.
- Rikkukin the Defender - a large, silver, far-eastern dragon found on the peak of The Ascent.
- Kessadona the Enlightened - a large, gold, far-eastern dragon found on the peak of The Ascent.
- Yar`Lir the Matriarch - a great storm dragon with lightning bolts arcing from her body and wings, she can be found in her chambers on Thundercrest Isles
- Vishimtar the Fallen - the once-great protector of The Nest, this dragon and all the other inhabitants of The Nest were claimed by the curse of Shadowspine immediately when Yar`Lir was slain. Players wishing to free this beast from his misery can find him deep within The Accursed Nest.
[edit] Zones
[edit] Guild Lobby and Guild Hall
This expansion added two zones, located off of the Plane of Knowledge, Guild Lobby and Guild Hall.
The Guild Lobby contains utilities that all players can make use of; NPCs that can summon all corpses you possess in exchange for a soulstone (purchased within the Guild Lobby from NPC vendors), bulletin boards where players looking for guilds and guilds looking for players can both post their information, a Magus that can teleport to any of the Wayfarers' Brotherhood camps (but cannot be teleported to), and the entrance to the Guild Hall.
| Dragons of Norrath map |
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The Guild Hall is instanced; every guild gets their own. Found within are all the worldly tradeskill containers, such as a forge and loom. There are several vendors that have basic tradeskill items. There is a teleporter; players can purchase trinkets from a vendor and give them back, then step on a pad to be teleported; the destination of the teleport is determined by the trinket. There is a pool (jokingly called a hot tub by players) that, when nearby, gives players doubled regeneration to their health, mana, and endurance. There is a guild tribute master, a bank, and a newly-added guild bank. There is an NPC vendor who sells augmentation distillers, and a worldly container to work with augments. There are stairs leading to an upper floor, suggesting that there is intention to expand the Guild Hall at some point. Last but not least, players' buffs do not run out while in the Guild Hall.
[edit] Outdoor Zones
The Broodlands - the only major outdoor zone in this expansion (excepting Lavastorm Mountains, but that zone was only revamped, it exists independently of the expansion), the Broodlands connect Lavastorm Mountains to all the dungeons within Dragons of Norrath.
[edit] Dungeons
- Note: All dungeons in this expansion are also available in both instanced and non-instanced versions; in many cases, the non-instanced versions are lower level (50s) zones.
- Note: "Small raid" events are defined as 24 maximum players; "full raid" is defined as 42 maximum players. Only the dragons have a maximum player count of 54.
The Accursed Nest - once a beautiful paradise where young dragons are born and raised, this zone and all its inhabitants, including Vishimtar, were corrupted by the Curse of Shadowspine immediately when Yar`Lir was slain; now the zone is filled with highly aggressive corrupted drakes. The non-instanced version is good for experience for players level 60+. The instanced version contains several progression missions; the group task Origins of the Curse, the small raid event The Curse of Ju`rek, and finally the 54-player mission In the Shadows, in which players slay the mighty corrupted dragon, Vishimtar the Fallen.
The Ascent - the tranquil, snowy mountains above Stillmoon Temple, this zone is filled with goblins, leopards, animated statues, and kirins. The non-instanced version is decent for players in their 60s and houses the progression tasks Recover the Lost Map, Defend the Kirin Contact, and Snowfoot Revenge. The instanced version contains the serpentlike dragons, Rikkukin and Kessadona.
Lavaspinner's Lair - a volcanic dungeon filled with spiders and goblins, the non-instanced version of Lavaspinner's Lair is the lowest level dungeon in the expansion. The non-instanced progression task Creating an Antidote takes place here. Notable instanced progression missions within this dungeon are the small raid event Calling Emoush, and the full raid event Volkara's Bite.
Stillmoon Temple - a tranquil, oriental-themed temple, complete with a zen garden and a tranquil pond, this zone is filled with goblins and animated statues. The non-instanced version is build for players in their late 50s to early 60s, and harbors the progression tasks Greed of the Goblins, Turn the Tides of the Sand, and Protect the Waters. In the instanced version, players can complete the small raid event Trial of Perseverance and the full raid event Guardian of the Sands.
Thundercrest Isles - a series floating isles high in the sky, this zone is similar to the Plane of Sky, only in stormy skies and with a large oriental-themed castle in the center isle. The non-instanced version of this zone is decent for players in their late 50s, and contains the progression task The Sacred Scrolls. The instanced version contains the small raid progression event Goblin Dojo, and the mighty matriarch dragon of storms, Yar`Lir.
Tirranun's Delve - another volcanic cavern beneath Lavaspinner's Lair, this zone is home to lots of pit traps, goblins, dervishes, and spiders. The non-instanced version contains the solo progression task Burning Arrows, and is decent for players in their 60s. The instanced version houses the single-group progression mission Children of Gimblax, the small raid event Calling Emoush, and of course the mighty lava dragon, Tirranun.
[edit] Misc
When the expansion launched, the path to the Broodlands was blocked and Tirranun roamed Lavastorm. In order to unblock the broodlands, Tirranun needed to be killed.
