Note: While mainly focused on the franchise that started it all, EverQuesting delves into the other Daybreak news and titles as well.
I can’t help it. Every time Daybreak goes silent on Landmark news again, I get antsy. No, I don’t camp with the crowd that decries that the game shuttering is imminent. But we have already experienced long droughts of information and I’d rather not go through that again. I’ve been much happier with the more frequent communication and updates. However, the sandvox’s last update was clear at the beginning of the month. And even knowing that a big update was coming, we had no details on what it would be. At times it almost seemed as if they devs didn’t even know. Granted, sometimes they may not know exactly what will be ready in time for the update, but an idea of what they are aiming for and working on would still be great. Maybe that’s actually what all the hush hush was about — trying to ensure that this system was ready for reintroduction into the game. Regardless, that’s all in the past because the update and its patch notes are now live!
If only it all worked.
What did we get after all this wait? PvP baby! Yes, that competitive system has returned, with new controls and settings to personalize your arena. You can even make a story-based PvP experience. In addition to this, there is a new story node, new reward chests, and the Pioneer islands have been opened up for placing build sites. With Halloween coming, players could also find some special costumes for a limited time. What players won’t find anymore is the build tool changes; those have been removed for now as devs work out issues with it.
Sadly, speaking of issues, that’s all I have had trying to dive back into the PvP. And that’s truly too bad because I think PvP is an asset to the Landmark experience.
PvP problems (it’s not what you think)
For some folks, mobs will never pose a worthwhile challenge. And let’s be honest, the PvE in Landmark is not one of the game’s strong points. Some might argue that the combat period is not really a point, and they wouldn’t be terribly wrong. The story-making and the building are the finest features of the game. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for PvP. Frankly, Landmark is better for having it. You can’t deny that facing off against other players adds an extra dimension of challenge for those who enjoy it. And whether or not you like PvP personally, having another type of game play can only benefit Landmark by giving folks more to do and more reason to be in game. It certainly can’t hurt anyone, since participating in PvP is truly 100% players’ choice. And now, PvP can even enhance the story-making aspect.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to enjoy the new features. What seems to be my trouble? My main issue is with what I thought was going to be a super cool feature: the game finder. I bet it still will be; it just happens to be bugged. It is supposed to make finding and getting in on active games easier, but currently it is only bugging me. It won’t give me a game, and it won’t go away!
I was really excited to type /gamefinder in chat (you can also use the menu), and select which type of games I wanted. Honestly I wasn’t sure it would find any yet since PvP just barely returned, but with the additional PvE option I was still hopeful. Within moments it found a queue and sent me an invite. Yay! I accepted… but nothing happened. I clicked accept a few more times, and still nothing. Then I started clicking decline just to make it stop popping back up every couple of seconds. Nope. It continued to pop up, taunting me. Logging out didn’t stop it, neither did exiting the game completely. I’m still stuck with that queue there.
Luckily, you can still use the search function in the Gallery to find a PvP claim, though I do hope Daybreak adds a PvP tab like the one for combat. There are currently only four listed when you do a search (more are sure to be cropping up every week), and sadly what I went to wasn’t on or didn’t have enough players to start. However, I am hoping that someday the /gamefinder feature will actually transport me to the game as well as go away when I say no.
New tools
If you happen to be one who wants to help increase the number of PvP builds available, you’ll need to make yourself a new game table. The table and the new nodes are found in the special effects section of props in the building interface, and they can be made cheaply for just a stack of cut wood. The game table has more features than when it was first introduced in August 2014. With it, you can set your general settings (game name, players needed to start, PvP or not, FFA or not, number of players per team, and even team names) as well as game type settings (time limits, scoring, victory conditions, and respawn timers). You can also create the necessary companion props relevant to the mode you choose directly from it on the game props tab.
I mentioned earlier that the feature could enhance story, and here’s how that can work. The game doesn’t have to be PvP, but even if it is, the creator can dictate that winning is not dependent on either a kills score or control points. Instead, you can build with a score node. Using this, your game could actually be a scavenger hunt, where each item that needs to be found is linked to the score node, so whenever the item is clicked on by a player it counts the score. There is also a victory node that builders can utilize that will make the victory condition whatever the builder wants. is the game over when the final boss is killed? Link that condition to the victory node. There’s also an IF node you can link to other props that will allow you to set up a situation where one thing occurs if the condition is met, and something else (or nothing) if it is not.
Although reward chests aren’t new, there are two new types of reward chests available to place in builds. The superb and the legendary reward chests can now be crafted at the lumen station, with the superb costing 130 lumens and the legendary 780 (as opposed to the common’s cost at 130). The same rules apply for these chests as for the original common reward chests.
Also on the topic of tools, the update included the removal of the recent changes to build tools that caused several new issues. And while it isn’t a tool per se, the Pioneer Islands are newly opened for anyone who wants a flat surface to build to place a claim.
Happy Halloween
While nothing game-changing, the addition of some thematic holiday cosmetics is a welcome addition to the update. After all, what’s Halloween but a time to dress up? There are two hats — that are actually equipped via the Crimson Parlor as a hair option — players can acquire through either player reward chests or the outpost reward chests. The hats unlocks are tradeable until consumed, so if you get more than one you can give it away or sell to others. There’s a cowboy hat (I know what I am going after!) as well as a stone-looking wolf mask. The fun skeleton outfits are also back, and players can find them in the colors of green, pink, green, and orange.
The Halloween Party Island is also coming back, although it has been taken down at the moment due to issues (issues worth discussing another time!). Everyone will be welcome to stake a claim and build in the holiday theme there. Even if you don’t feel up to building, there will be plenty of awesome places to explore to help you get in the spirit of the holiday.
The EverQuest franchise is a vast realm, and sometimes MJ Guthrie gets lost in it all! Join her as she explores all the nooks and crannies from Antonica to Zek. Running biweekly on Thursdays, EverQuesting is your resource for all things EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Daybreak. And keep an eye out for MJ’s OPTV adventures!
