End-game zone

From EQ KnowledgePit

[edit] General Information

An end-game zone is the zone in an expansion that does not contain any more progression "above" it, until the next expansion. Generally the processes to gain entry to end-game zones are more difficult than the zones themselves. With most end-game zones, there are lots of mobs who drop coveted items, with little time spent clearing trash between each one.

[edit] List of End-Game Zones

1. Old World - originally, there were no real end-game zones; however, there were several zones released are not tied to any expansion. The Plane of Fear, Plane of Hate and Plane of Sky are considered the end-game zones of old-world.
2. Ruins of Kunark - the end-game zone was Veeshan's Peak, for which the keying quest was very difficult, very long, and very drawn-out. Veeshan's Peak was revamped sometime in the Gates of Discord era; it now has a much shorter keying quest, and the dragons found within were updated in difficulty and loot.
3. Scars of Velious - the end-game zones in this expansion were Sleeper's Tomb and the north wing in Temple of Veeshan. In spite of this, the "end mob" of the expansion was The Avatar of War, a golden statue of Rallos Zek, found in Kael Drakkel. Conversely, the Sleeper (Kerafyrm) was found in Sleeper's Tomb, though he was intended to be unkillable and only present to move the story forward.
4. Shadows of Luclin - the end-game zone on the moon was Vex Thal. The keying process for Vex Thal was similar to that of Veeshan's Peak; very long, very difficult, very drawn out. Players had to kill a powerful, highly difficult raid mob in addition to the long, drawn-out quest. Vex Thal is known for its long hallways, difficult trash clears, and mobs with tons of hit points.
5. Planes of Power - the Plane of Time was the end-game zone in Planes of Power. The process required to go all the way through progression and get to the Plane of Time was long and difficult, but the flagging process for the Plane of Time itself was not overly drawn-out. It only required that you obtain an item from all four Elemental Gods, then combine them in the Plane of Innovation. It was difficult, but not drawn-out.
6. Legacy of Ykesha - there were very few raids in this expansion, and no end-game zone. It was an expansion designed for smaller groups.
7. Lost Dungeons of Norrath - this expansion was also designed for smaller groups, and although there was no end-game zone, there were raids. These raids, however, were not well-received by the players, as they were buggy, difficult, and had rewards that were hardly considered worthwhile.
8. Gates of Discord - the first raiding expansion in a year and a half, the end-game raiding zone was Tacvi, Seat of the Slaver. This expansion, however, was not well-received by players either. The level cap was set to be raised to 70 with this expansion, but many vocal members of the EverQuest community voiced their disapproval of this idea, so the cap was left at 65; however, the content was still designed for level 70 players. As a result, the content was extremely difficult, and caused many entire guilds to quit playing the game. Most of the expansion, including Tacvi, was left untouched by players until the level cap was raised to 70 with the Omens of War expansion.
9. Omens of War - the expansion that raised the game's level cap to 70, the end-game zone here is Anguish, the Fallen Palace. The keying process for this zone, while similar to that of Veeshan's Peak and Vex Thal, was not nearly as difficult or drawn out; indeed, many players got their keys half completed just through normal grouping. In addition to the keying process, players also had to complete all six raid trials in Muramite Proving Grounds. For non-raiding players, Riftseeker's Sanctum is considered the "end-game experience zone" of this expansion.
10. Dragons of Norrath - an expansion that was well-balanced with both single-group and raid content, there is no definitive end-game zone here, because there is no single zone that contains many raid mobs. Instead, there are five dragons, each on a different level of difficulty, with Vishimtar the Fallen being the most difficult. Because Vishimtar is found in The Accursed Nest, many players consider that to be the end-game zone of this expansion.
11. Depths of Darkhollow - the end-game zone to this expansion was The Demi-Plane of Blood, an instanced version of Dreadspire Keep. Entry to the Demi-Plane requires that players complete five flagging raids (similar to the dragons of the Dragons of Norrath expansion, each was on its own level of difficulty), plus four assorted single-group missions to enter Dreadspire Keep. The Demi-Plane of Blood is often criticized for its level of difficulty, with some guilds opting to skip it after the level cap was raised to 75 with The Serpent's Spine.
12. Prophecy of Ro - a follow-up expansion to the Depths of Darkhollow (similar to how Omens of War followed Gates of Discord), the end-game zone in this expansion is Deathknell, Tower of Dissonance. The requirements for entry into Deathknell are that players must kill Daosheen in Skylance, Suchun in the Root of Ro, and Sullon Zek in her tower, Razorthorn; also, players must complete the series of single-group missions to enter the Theater of Blood, as Deathknell resides within this zone.
13. The Serpent's Spine - a two-headed expansion, there are two end-game zones here, each on the same level of difficulty. Instanced versions of both Ashengate, Reliquary of the Scale and Frostcrypt, Throne of the Shade King contain end-game style raiding content. Entry into each requires a process of gaining faction with the NPCs related to the zones, and some minor flagging. Note that there are no requirements to enter the non-instanced versions of these zones, which are considered the "end-game experience zones" of the expansion, similar to Riftseeker's Sanctum of Omens of War.
14. The Buried Sea - after a long process of gaining faction (not necessary) and progressing through the expansion's single-group missions, the end-game zone here is Solteris, the Throne of Ro.
15. Secrets of Faydwer - Similar to The Serpent's Spine, it is believed that there will be multiple raid progression paths. In this case they will be tiered though, Meldrath's Majestic Mansion (or some zone within it) is believed to be the end-zone of the "clockwork" side (aka Tier 1) while Crystallos (unconfirmed name) is rumored to be the end-zone of the "sleeper" side (aka Tier 2).