As we all know, the Travelers set has been released and includes a loot card for EverQuest and EverQuest II that grants an in-game quest for access to a limited zone. The community isn't completely happy with this move, which Calthine discussed in her recent editorial. Whether you approve of the loot card or not, Sony Online Entertainment has announced some new Legends of Norrath events for interested players.

The Travelers release weekend tournaments just kicked off today at 11 a.m. PDT and will run until 5 p.m. More tourneys will be held tomorrow and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This will be the first time players get to use the Travelers cards in a tournament setting. More information can be found after the jump.

Also, the Brraaaaaainss! scenario runs through Nov. 11 and will pit you against a horde of zombies. The first time you win the scenario, you'll win the Zombie's Guide to Procreation promo card and either the Unscribed Glyph loot card for EverQuest or the Draught of the Brilliant loot card for EverQuest II.

Travelers, the eighth Legends of Norrath release, is now live. According to the announcement, the set "features 180 beautifully illustrated cards, 16 new loot cards each for EverQuest and EverQuest II, an all-new 220 card Travelers Legendary Starter deck available in the Station Store, new gameplay, new units, and a new created avatar race, Kerra."

For more details on the expansion, check out the Travelers page on the Legends of Norrath site. You can also read articles on the Influence and Conquest mechanics, standard and open formats, and shifting.

The EverQuest dev blog has been updated for the first time since July 2 to give players some information on the Dragon Brood Crypt Key loot card from Legends of Norrath that grants a player and his or her party access to a small, private instance zone in EQ. According to Producer Thom Terrazas, the loot card allows you to get a key on one character that will open the dungeon. "The zone is designed for a group of Level 85 characters, and the items are roughly equivalent power to items that can be found in Korafax group encounters," he said.

Once the boss is defeated and the rewards are claimed, the key is consumed. Many players aren't happy that they'll need to obtain a Legends of Norrath card to access the dungeon. "While many of you have expressed concern, creating this encounter didn’t take away from developing the expansion, or other live content we have planned," Terrazas said.

You can read the full dev blog entry after the jump. So what do you think about the situation?

As we've reported, the Travelers set is scheduled to launch on Oct. 13. Game Designer Joe "Palejo" Alread has written an article that outlines Influence and Conquest, two new mechanics that will be introduced in the eighth Legends of Norrath release.

Here's the definition of Influence: "You have influence if there are 4 or more total levels on all your abilities." Basically, it's a way for the team to add more value to the levels on all your abilities. Here's the definition of Conquest: "This card costs -1 power to play if your avatar has won a combat this turn."

Also, you can get the first Travelers promo card, Kerran Warden, by purchasing three Legends of Norrath booster packs in a single transaction through Oct. 12 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Sony Online Entertainment is promoting the offer to celebrate the launch of Travelers.

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that Travelers, the eighth Legends of Norrath release, is coming out on Oct. 13. It's your job to travel the Planes and protect the Gods using more than 210 new game cards and a new 200-card starter that can be used to create a different starter deck for each of the four new avatars.

EverQuest and EverQuest II players will want to keep an eye out for new loot cards that include in-game quests and items. In EQ, you'll be able to get a unique mercenary by obtaining the Frozen Skull of the Cursed item, while EQII players can combine key cloaks to create the game's first wearable, visible backpack.

SOE is going to retire the Oathbound set from standard tournament format when Travelers is released, so make sure to buy starters and boosters from the Station store before they disappear.

This month's Legends of Norrath Loot Tournament weekend will begin on Sept. 19 at 7 a.m. PDT and run through 9 p.m. on Sunday. For 10 event passes, participants will get a Mountain Giant Prospector promotional card and either an EQ Nimbus of the Inquisition or EQII Painting: Deep Thoughts loot card, as well as three Storm Break booster packs.

You can view a copy of the Mountain Giant Prospector promo card after the jump. As always, the tournament is limited to U.S. residents and is void in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee and Vermont.

The Sporali Mind Meld scenario is now available in Legends of Norrath, and you have until Oct. 15 to defeat it and earn some cards. The first time you win you'll get the Mindspore Thrall promo card and either the Combine Arming Sword Ornamentation loot card for EverQuest or the Painting: Arabesque loot card for EverQuest II.

The Mindspore Thrall promo card lets you exert it to ready one of your other units. You can earn up to four copies of the promo card per account by defeating the scenario with different avatar archetypes. You can view the Mindspore Thrall card after the jump.

If you're looking for a way to celebrate the Labor Day holiday weekend, why not test your skills in a Legends of Norrath promotional tournament? The event begins Friday at 2 a.m. PDT and runs through Sept. 7 at 9 p.m.

For five event passes you'll get a random foil promo card and entry into the tournament for the chance to win the grand prize of four Storm Break booster packs. Keep reading after the jump for the full list of 35 foil promo cards and more details on the tournament.

Gen Con Indy kicks off tomorrow, Aug. 13, which means the second annual Legends of Norrath championship tournament is right around the corner. Players who haven't qualified for the final event still have a chance to earn a spot at the championship table by participating in qualifier events tomorrow and Friday at Gen Con Indy. Up to 23 players will move on to the final round, which will be comprised of up to 32 players competing for their share of the $25,000 prize purse. The championship event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 15.

If you're not going to be at Gen Con, you can still participate in a special weekend Legends of Norrath celebration tournament, which kicks off at on Saturday at 7 a.m. PDT and ends Sunday at 9 p.m. For five event passes you'll get a promo pack from a past Legends of Norrath scenario and entry into the celebration tournament.

Two new Legends of Norrath promo cards will be dropping in EverQuest and EverQuest II this weekend. Raking Strike and Wall of Feathers are two Tactic cards that set your faction to neutral and give you +4 total attack and +2 total damage or +4 total defense and +2 total damage, respectively.

The promo weekend kicks off at 2 p.m. PDT tomorrow, Aug. 7, and ends at 10 a.m. Monday.