From Free-to-Play to the Ethernere, it's been a busy year in Norrath.

On August 7, 2012 Sony Online Entertainment broke ground by introducing SOEmote. This feature uses a webcam to track your facial expressions and project them onto your avatar's face. It was met with mixed emotions by the player base but was widely recognized as innovative and fun by the technology crowd.

Player Studio, a new program that allows players (currently only U.S.-based) to design items for the Marketplace, was opened in October. A submission process is undergone for every design uploaded and the SOE staff will ultimately review, give feedback and hand-select items they deem appropriate for the store. Revenue from sale of each item will be shared with the person who created it. The first Player Studio items were added to the game in December.

The final update to EverQuest II in 2012 was its ninth expansion, Chains of Eternity, which was released shortly after the game celebrated its eighth birthday in November. This content takes place in the realm of the afterlife, or Ethernere, a break from traditional Norrathian EQ-based content that was heralded by the death of a major EverQuest persona, Firiona Vie. Adventurer Prestige abilities were fleshed out, to fill the new level cap of 95. Tradeskillers finally got their Alternate Advancement points separated from Adventuring AA points and were also given their own Prestige abilities, such as Experimentation and Mass Production. The expansion content was a change to how signature quest lore was delivered in game, integrating it with the overland quest series so that all players level 92 and up could access the new story.

The year introduced new content and features for every type of gameplay. The continuing saga of the Ages End prophecy, a long-running storyline in EverQuest II, was delved into more deeply and will be concluded in 2013. New and revitalized zones gave adventurers many hours of content to run. Crafters were treated to new features through the apprentices and prestige line. Artistic fans of the game have been working hard at creating items for Player Studio, and it is expected to begin to see some of their finished products arrive on the Marketplace in the first half of 2013. The community banded together and shared something special with each other, Ribbitribbitt (who sadly passed away in late May) and his family, reminding us all that about the humans behind the keyboard and the experiences we can give to each other.

Amy "Calthine" Lanam and Ann "Cyliena" Hosler