EverQuest II: Desert of Flames Preview

GameSpy has put together a two-page preview of EverQuest II: Desert of Flames, after checking out a recent demonstration of the MMORPG expansion pack. A snippet:

At this point, the most exciting thing about Desert of Flames has to be Maj’Dul itself. SOE was quick to point out that, while the city can be visited and quested from as by low level characters, it would significantly change once characters have progressed a bit. Basically, what they mean is that the city is both a settlement and an adventuring area. Every NPC within its walls is both attackable, and attached to one of the 70 to 80 factions that players will, in some form, have to deal with. See that group of thugs standing under that tent? If you’re cool with Faction A, then you have nothing to fear. But if you happen to get too friendly with Faction D (who happens to be at war with Faction A), well, you might want to take the long way around the market. Each of the factions in the city will have some sort of affiliation with other ones, and it’s up to you to navigate this complex (and often treacherous) maze. Each of the major factions will occupy an impressive tower in the center of town, and through these machinations, they’ll be able to take over each others’ headquarters, opening up their interiors (and the benefits contained therein) to players with the right affiliations.