Sony Online Entertainment and Verant Interactive have recently announced the third official expansion to EverQuest, their extremely popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Shadows of Luclin is designed to appeal to both current and new EverQuest players, as it will add a number of key features that should make Norrath, the world of EverQuest, even more involving. Among these changes are a greatly enhanced 3D graphics engine, featuring enhanced player-character models and texture maps; an all-new player-character race and player-character class; and 25 brand-new adventure zones (including a new starting city), suitable for players of all levels. In light of all this, Shadows of Luclin should appeal to a broader base of players than did the previous expansion, Scars of Velious, which was geared toward EverQuest's more-experienced adventurers. Likewise, Shadows of Luclin stands to enhance the core visual elements of EverQuest to make it competitive with, or even superior to, many of the forthcoming online RPGs that have been announced in the last year. GameSpot had a chance to sit down with Jeff Butler, Verant's producer for the project, to find out more about Shadows of Luclin. We also have three world-exclusive screenshots of the game's newly enhanced 3D engine.

　　GameSpot: The announcement of another EverQuest expansion comes as a surprise. Why the decision to create another retail add-on for EverQuest? How do you think your fans will respond to this news?

　　Click for full size image Jeff Butler: Velious and Kunark were very successful, so the decision to make another expansion was a no-brainer for us. This gives us the opportunity to flesh out the features of the game that players seem to enjoy most and to experiment with exciting new concepts, all of which helps keep EverQuest competitive in the MMORPG market. We are hoping that players will find Luclin even more desirable than the first two expansions.

　　GS: In general, what's new in Shadows of Luclin? Verant has stated before that if it were to make another expansion pack after Scars of Velious, it would be more along the lines of the first expansion, Ruins of Kunark, in that it would have an all-new playable race and other low-level features. As such, is Shadows of Luclin designed primarily for new players?

　　JB: Luclin will include a new player-character race (Kerran), class (Beastlord), and starting city, along with all-new player-character models and textures, DirectX 8 support including hardware T&L, and at least 25 new adventure zones. It is designed for players of all levels.

　　GS: Does Shadows of Luclin raise the level cap beyond the current maximum of 60? What sort of new features will it give to high-level players to keep them involved in the world of Norrath? Please feel free to be as specific as possible.

　　JB: We are happy with the level cap remaining at 60 for the foreseeable future of EverQuest, but Luclin will include new avenues of character advancement for high-level players (the specifics of which still aren't final).

　　Click for full size image GS: How much will the retail expansion cost, when will it be available, and where will it be available? How long has Shadows of Luclin been in development?

　　JB: The cost of Shadows of Luclin is yet to be determined, and the expansion is scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter of 2001. We've been working on it since January of this year.

　　GS: What's the best thing about Shadows of Luclin? How does it compare with Scars of Velious and Ruins of Kunark? Do you think it has what it takes to keep people interested in EverQuest, despite all the high-profile online RPGs that are now in development?

　　JB: I personally can't wait to see all the new player-character models and textures and the attachable armor that they will be able to wear. Visually, Luclin should raise the bar higher than either of the first two expansions did, with hardware T&L and all the enhancements made possible with DirectX 8 support. Luclin's game content will remain highly dynamic in the style of the Velious expansion. As always, customer retention was one of our primary goals in designing Shadows of Luclin, keeping in mind the products that our competitors are bringing to market in the near future.

　　GS: Thanks, Jeff.