EverQuest: House of Thule Announced

Following this year’s Fan Faire event, Sony Online Entertainment hit us up with a press release officially announcing House of Thule, a seventeenth expansion pack for the original EverQuest that’s slated to go live on October 12th. Head over to our image gallery for the box art, sixteen screenshots, and four pieces of concept art, then read on for the press release…

The Epic Quest Continues with EverQuest’s Landmark Seventeenth Expansion, EverQuest House of Thule

What: The unparalleled seventeenth addition to Sony Online Entertainment LLC’s epic adventure EverQuest® House of ThuleTM is on its way. Now in its unprecedented twelfth year, House of Thule brings immersive gameplay, captivating storytelling and exciting worlds to continue the EverQuest legacy, now set in a never-before-seen dreamland full of mystery and adventure. House of Thule offers an expansion rich in content and packed with game-changing features including a level cap increase and the addition of player housing, which new players, veterans and MMO fans will relish.

The adventure continues across Norrath where prominent figures are falling into dream-induced comas. The clerics and mystics of the land are powerless to wake their leaders from their unnatural sleep, evidence that something is deeply wrong in the world of dreams.

A strange home has also appeared in the Feerrott jungle, its look sinister, its purpose, unknown. Upon entering the house, the air is thick with tension, caused by an ensuing conflict between the Thule deities; Cazic, Terris and Morell; the Lord of Dreams. Their turmoil has affected the world of Norrath, clashing reality with delusion, and around every twisting passageway, dreams and nightmares take on their physical forms. Unhinged by imagination, there’s no way of knowing what beings lay in wait for intrepid explorers. Prevail over the overlords of the House of Thule. Unravel its secrets and prevent Norrath from being consumed by the power of its dreams.

New Expansion Features and Additions:

‘¢ +5 Level Increase Achieve a New Max Level of 90 and set a new standard of gameplay
‘¢ More than 800 AAs Elevate your power and abilities beyond the norm
‘¢ In-game Housing Addition Make your permanent mark on the world! Collect and display treasured items
‘¢ New Housing Trophy System Display your trophies and receive statistical benefits
‘¢ Hundreds of new housing items to decorate your house to your own style
‘¢ 18 Raids Collect valuable rewards from all new adventures
‘¢ 13 Zones Be the first to discover untouched lands of Norrath
‘¢ 450+ Spells Exponentially add to your caster’s arsenal
‘¢ 17 Missions Experience intriguing lore and immersive Missions
‘¢ 120+ Quests Challenge your skills and gather useful loot
‘¢ Inventory increase Indulge the packrat in you and collect even more game goodies

WHEN: The scheduled release date for EverQuest House of Thule is October 12, 2010.

…and a fact sheet containing a few more details and digital ordering information…

House of Thule Product Description:
EverQuest® House of Thuleâ„¢ is the seventeenth expansion of the groundbreaking EverQuest franchise. Now in its unprecedented twelfth year, House of Thule continues to add immersive gameplay, captivating storytelling and exciting worlds to the EverQuest legacy, now set in a never-before-seen dreamland full of mystery and adventure. House of Thule offers an expansion rich in content and packed with game-changing features including a level cap increase and the addition of player housing, which new players, veterans and MMO fans will relish.

House of Thule Storyline:
Across Norrath prominent figures are falling into dream-induced comas. The clerics and mystics of the land are powerless to wake their leaders from their unnatural sleep, evidence that something is deeply wrong in the world of dreams.

A strange home has appeared in the Feerrott jungle, its look sinister, its purpose, unknown. Upon entering the house, the air is thick with tension, caused by an ensuing conflict between the Thule deities; Cazic, Terris and Morell; the Lord of Dreams. Their turmoil has affected the world of Norrath, clashing reality with delusion, and around every twisting passageway, dreams and nightmares take on their physical forms. Unhinged by imagination, there’s no way of knowing what beings lay in wait for intrepid explorers. Prevail over the overlords of the House of Thule. Unravel its secrets and prevent Norrath from being consumed by the power of its dreams.

New House of Thule Game Features:
‘¢ +5 Level Increase Achieve a New Max Level of 90 and set a new standard of gameplay
‘¢ More than 800 AAs Elevate your power and abilities beyond the norm
‘¢ In-game Housing Addition Make your permanent mark on the world! Collect and display treasured items
‘¢ New Housing Trophy System Display your trophies and receive statistical benefits
‘¢ Hundreds of new housing items to decorate your house to your own style
‘¢ 18 Raids Collect valuable rewards from all new adventures
‘¢ 13 Zones Be the first to discover untouched lands of Norrath
‘¢ 450+ Spells Exponentially add to your caster’s arsenal
‘¢ 17 Missions Experience intriguing lore and immersive Missions
‘¢ 120+ Quests Challenge your skills and gather useful loot
‘¢ Inventory increase Indulge the packrat in you and collect even more game goodies

30 days of game time included with purchase (new accounts only; excludes existing game and Station Access accounts)

EverQuest®House of Thuleâ„¢ Station Store Digital Download Pre Order
‘¢ Includes HoT and all previous expansion packs
‘¢ HoT in-game Item Live Topiary Mount (mount)
‘¢ 16 Slot bag
‘¢ 2 extra bag slots
‘¢ Wailing Contract Mercenary
‘¢ HoT key art in-game painting

EverQuest®House of Thuleâ„¢ Station Store Digital Download Pre Order Digital Collector’s Edition
‘¢ Includes HoT and all previous expansion packs
‘¢ HoT in-game Item Live Topiary Mount (mount)
‘¢ HoT in-game Item (Dead) Topiary Mount 2 (mount)
‘¢ Gnoll Pup Leash
‘¢ Sword of Truth Template
‘¢ 20 Slot bag
‘¢ 2 extra bag slots
‘¢ Wailing Contract Mercenary
‘¢ Discordant Contract Mercenary
‘¢ HoT key art in-game painting
‘¢ House of Thule in-game painting

EverQuest®House of Thuleâ„¢ Station Store, D2D, Amazon, Steam Digital Download – Live
‘¢ Includes HoT and all previous expansion packs
‘¢ HoT in-game Item Live Topiary Mount (mount)
‘¢ 16 Slot bag
‘¢ 2 extra bag slots
‘¢ HoT key art in-game painting

System Specs:

Required Specs:
‘¢ Windows® XP
‘¢ Pentium® II 400 equivalent or greater
‘¢ 256 MB RAM
‘¢ ATI Radeon 7500/NVidia GeForce 1 equivalent or greater*
‘¢ DirectX Compatible Sound Card
‘¢ 28K + Internet Connection
‘¢ 4X Speed DVD-ROM
‘¢ 500 MB Hard Drive Space 8 GB Available Hard Drive Space (depending on how many expansions are installed)
‘¢ DirectX 9.0
‘¢ Classic EverQuest and a valid EverQuest Subscription are Required

Recommended Specs:
‘¢ Windows® 7, Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows® Vista
‘¢ Pentium® 4 equivalent or greater
‘¢ 1 GB RAM
‘¢ NVidia GeForce FX 5700/ATI Radeon 9500 equivalent or greater*
‘¢ DirectX compatible Sound Card
‘¢ 56.6K + Internet Connection
‘¢ 8X DVD-ROM*
‘¢ 10.0+ GB Available Hard Drive Space
‘¢ DirectX 9.0

*Note: All Direct 3D cards not supported. DirectX 9.0b or greater is required for all XP/Vista.
System requirements subject to change as the game progresses and you may need to upgrade your current system (or obtain a new system) to play the game over its lifetime.