The moment I heard New Halas was finally on the test server I couldn't get
my test copy of EverQuest II patched fast enough.  See, I'm a Barbarian
Shaman at heart. With all the games I have played during my years, it was my
Halas born EQ character
that I identified the most with and she is, by far, my most favorite character.
From the moment I first logged into EverQuest and awoke in the frozen wonderland
of Halas, through my first trip into Everfrost to kill polar bear cubs and
dangerous runs to Blackburrow, I had a
special affinity with the barbarians and their homeland. This is why when the
news came down through the pipes that a new Halas would be brought to EverQuest
II, I was completely tickled. It isn't the same Halas but a new land created by
the hand of Mithaniel Marr to honor his sister Erollisi. Forged from a mass of
ice and velium in the Frostfang Sea, New Halas was built around a statue of Erollisi and even though nothing could be as grand as the original Halas, this
one was truly a gift from the gods.

New Halas is currently on the test server and because I know not everyone
will want to patch up that monster to run through the new content themselves,
I've created a visual preview of the new starting area. The land includes the
city of New Halas and surrounding content that will take a player from level one
all the way through level 20 when they will then be ready to strike out into the
existing EQ2 content.

Upon spawning into the world with your brand spanking new character, you'll
find yourself in Pilgrim's Landing. The area around New Halas is made up of
several ice chunks with the biggest holding New Halas itself within the center. The
spawn point
is a smaller chunk that has everything you need to get started including quest NPCs, merchants, and tutorial NPCs.

A quick trip on Gwenevyn II takes you to Gwenevyn Cove where at around level
6 you will continue your journey going up against polar bears and other small
ice land dangers.

These are the Icemane Plains where frigid whirlstorms and snowpaks curiously seem to move on their own accord. Oh, and mind the gap
in the ice or you'll be
swimming your way back to camp!

Further into the plains you'll find another small camp within a shallow cave
and a whole new kind of danger with the Ry'gorrs and their battle with the
Coldain. This battle spreads throughout the Great Shelf and up on Herga's Choke
where Ry'gorr orcs are invading via a portal. You can see the nearby Ry'Gorr
Isle with hordes waiting to attack.

Going through the Cragged Spine, be weary of the frostbiters who like to not
only bite, but also stun and beat newbies down with scary ease. From here you
will start climbing into the mountains. Working
your way closer to New Halas, you will approach a lovely refuge for the cold and
tired traveler that is of particular interest to the scouts as this is where their
trainers are located. Just through the pass you will see the slightest hint of
what lies beyond...

...New Halas itself. Humble buildings and breath-taking mountains fill the
city with peace and protection from the outside world. A monument to Erollisi
reminds the passerby of who bestowed this gift upon Norrath and why.

Carved into the steep mountain is the sheltered home of those who choose to
reside in New Halas. Within you will find player housing and the crafting areas for the
more industrious inhabitants.

As lovely as New Halas is, no one can stay there forever! The grand cave
entrance marks the way to the Erollis Docks. With a griffon, the Sisters of War, and
other notable NPCs you may find need to be here. Also, be sure to check out the
odd Frostfoot goblins that seem to have something very interesting going on!

New Halas, as well as the travel system revamp and the shader 3.0 update are
scheduled to go into game in May. Keep an eye on our
EverQuest II community
site
for dates and update news.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our EverQuest II Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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