EQ2 Monument and Might Update Details, Preview

If the new preview of EverQuest II’s Monument and Might update on Ten Ton Hammer doesn’t tell you enough, the press release SOE sent over late yesterday should give you the details you’re looking for. From the preview:

Next in our tour we visited Emperor’s Athenaeum. This is another group zone that continues the storyline from Kurn’s Tower. This zone is the Great Library of Charasis found in Jarsath Wastes and contains secrets that the Order of Rime wants to get their hands on.
In here you will find that the new instances don’t get any easier! Our first encounter was with the Curator who dealt damage that would easily one shot kill my level 80 monk. Working on resists will clearly be a large part of the needed strategy to get through the Athenaeum. After a long battle with the Curator, we moved on down the hall to check out the other rooms.
The NPCs here have some pretty nice gear and Kiara mentions that some of it will eventually be available to players! One can never have too many armor options, right?

And the press release:

EverQuestÂ® II Monument and Might Game Update Reveals Kurn’s Tower and its Secrets to Norrath!
WHAT: EverQuestÂ® II’s game update, Monument and Might reveals the true appearance of Kurn’s Tower to Norrath; panicking the inhabitants of Kunark and intriguing adventurers to its doors. A new void anchor emanates from the tower, as if a ghastly chord has tied its fate with the invading void. A warlord from a far-off land has turned his conquering eye upon the lands of Kunark and will stop at nothing to find a great power that may lie just within the tower’s walls!
UPDATE FEATURES:
‘¢ Let someone else do the work for you! Monument and Might introduces Research Assistants which allow players to train their spells up to higher grades one at a time! They are available around Qeynos and Freeport, Neriak, Haven, Gorowyn, and Kelethin. Check out the research guild hall amenity that allows you to access the research system in the comfort of your own house or guild hall!
‘¢ More than 80 new quests in the Rise of Kunark overland zones!
‘¢ Player-written books – Leave your permanent mark in Norrath by writing and distributing books! Books look and act just like the current books in the game, and you can hold them in your inventory or place them in your house or guild hall for other players to read. Read Rothgar’s blog about user-written books here!
‘¢ All-new Charasis West Wing group quests!
WHEN: The Monument and Might game update is scheduled to go live on June 16, 2009.
ABOUT SOE: Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuestÂ®, EverQuestÂ® II, Champions of NorrathÂ®, Untold Legendsâ„¢, and PlanetSideÂ®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxiesâ„¢, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Denver, CO; Tucson, AZ and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.