SOE Live (called SOE Fan Faire back in the day) is the place to be starting tomorrow. If you can’t make it, keep your eyes peeled on this page so you can stay up to date with everything going on. I’ve been to more
than one SOE fan gathering, and if you’re going to be there this year you’re in for a treat. The SOE Live vibe is like nothing else I’ve experienced in the
industry. The fans are always excited, the developers are always excited, and the combination of the two makes for an awesome extended weekend. I encourage
everyone who can to attend at least once.

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While we can’t say anything about what we saw, I will clearly state here that I predict EverQuest Next will be as much of a game changer as the original EverQuest was. Feel free to quote me on that.

If you happened to have picked this year as the year to hit SOE Live, be prepared for an epic four days the likes of which you can hardly imagine. At the
top of many people’s list of reasons to make the pilgrimage to Vegas this year is the infamous official unveiling of EverQuest Next, scheduled at 11AM
Pacific on day two of SOE Live, August 2nd. I had the great fortune to be part of a closed door showing of the game at E3 this year along with my
convention partner in crime (and our Editor-in-Chief), Reuben, aka Sardu. I don’t care how hung over, sick, tired, blue and tattooed you are that morning;
you have to be there for that announcement. If you’re not, you’re going to wonder why everyone else at the convention is walking around in a daze
with a slack-jawed look on their face for the next few days. Yes, the shock really will be that great. While we can’t say anything about what we saw, I
will clearly state here that I predict EverQuest Next will be as much of a game changer as the original EverQuest was. Feel free to quote me
on that any time.

Just like PAX is a huge convention that focuses more on the players than the industry as a whole, SOE Live has that same vibe and believe me, it’s awesome.
The sole purpose of people being there is to celebrate the games they love and to meet up with those they’ve played those games with for years. There
really is no other event out there that has the same level of camaraderie and developer access.

Whether you’re going to SOE Live as a fan of EverQuest, EverQuest II, Planetside 2, or because you’re aching to discover the secrets of EverQuest Next, be
sure to check the schedule and make a plan to get to your favorite panels. If you can, be sure to show
up early because you’ll be amazed at how quickly seats can fill up.

For those who don’t know, there are tons of various panels about every SOE game you can think of, hosted by the development team currently involved on that
product. The panels are scheduled, timed, and people will be able to get some questions in. The real magic of SOE Live though is the after parties and
gatherings. There is no other convention in the world where you will get more genuinely open access to game industry developers than SOE Live. If you’ve
ever had a question you wanted to ask an artist, programmer, systems engineer, this is the place to do it.

Sitting at breakfast (speaking of, join the Ten Ton Hammer crew for a FREE breakfast!), walking in the hallway,
hanging out at the pool party – no matter where they were, in the numerous times I’ve gone to the event, I’ve never seen a developer turn down a fan when
they wanted to ask a question – ever. And while I certainly can’t condone this, I even witnessed one overly enthusiastic player ask a developer a question
in the men’s room… while he, uh… had his hands full. It was definitely uncomfortable to overhear, but the developer in question took it like a champ and
proceeded to answer mid-stream.

That’s hardcore love for your fans and no company does it better year after year than SOE. I can’t encourage anyone enough to go check this event out one
year, though I admit it’s going to be hard to top the epic awesomeness that is planned for fans this year. While you’re there, be sure to keep your eyes
out for inflatable Ten Ton Hammer hammers. I can’t tell you why, but you really, *really* want to be sure you get a hold of one.
Like… seriously. [Ed. - T-shirts, too! Hit us up for t-shirts.]

With that, I’m off! Be safe, have fun, try not to drink too much, and if you’re not able to attend this year, be sure to keep your eyes peeled here to catch all our coverage of SOE Live this year!