Players will once again enter the Ethernere in EverQuest II's 10th expansion.

UPDATE 2:50pm ET: US servers are now up!

UPDATE 1:20pm ET: Latest word is that "There are still a few last minute things being tested but I've been assured things look good and should be available within the estimated time frame." (forums)

UPDATE 11am ET: Pre-orders have begun processing, we just got an email confirming ours!

All servers came down at 7am PT today for the Tears of Veeshan (GU68) patch. Estimated downtime is currently "less than" five hours. The full patch notes are after the jump and we will keep you updated as we hear server status news.

Your dedicated ZAM staff brings you our coverage of the expansion material to help guide you with the new content and features!

• Vesspyr Isles Quest Series & Zone Guide
• Tears of Veeshan Tradeskill Quests
• Channeler Class Guide
• Mercenary Slots
• ToV Interviews Part One & Part Two
• ToV Previews: Crafting & Adventuring
• All ZAM Coverage

You can check out the ZAM and EQ2Wire Beta image gallery by clicking the picture below!

TEARS OF VEESHAN

After rediscovering Yelinak, now the steward of Vesspyr Isles alongside other fallen and familiar dragons, players learn of the time/space powers behind the Tear of Veeshan stolen by prismatic dragon Kerafyrm the Awakened. With Kerafyrm's fearsome power looming over Norrath, players are called upon to shine light into the darkness brought on by the Awakened's draconic army, and set the stage for a new Age to begin!

Features:

• New class – Channeler!
• New Dragon-themed AAs
• AA limit increased to 340
• New overland area, Vesspyr Isles - Adventure, amenities, quests, collections, and more!
• Nine new dungeons
• Two new raid zones
• More Tradeskill and Tradeskill Apprentice Items
• New PvP item tier

GUILDHALLS
A new, larger guildhall is available to guilds who have reached level 95. The new guildhalls are accessible via the dock in Antonica or Commonlands and include an additional basement area accessed via a teleporter. Item count is 2000. In addition, tradeskill stations are now available as no-count amenities for all levels of guildhall, although personal tradeskill stations may still be used also.

AMENITIES

• Creature Conjuror now has new functionality. He can summon powerful epic and heroic bosses that will auto-attack players. You can dismiss these creatures by right clicking on them and destroying them. He can also summon mirrors of himself - an Augmenter and a Suppressor. The Augmenter will buff the players within the zone only like a guild banner. The Suppressor will apply debuffs to the summoned creatures. The augmenter can also make the player not die during the testing. This does not stay through zoning, and only works within the guild hall itself.
• Guildhall Mailbox amenity item, the Farseas Express Mailbox, now has separate entries for Freeport style mailbox, Qeynos style mailbox, and Shattered Lands style mailbox.

MERCENARIES

• Mercenaries now gain health based on the player’s stamina.
• For those who have completed the quest "A Gathering Obsession Beyond The Grave" there is a new mercenary for hire within the Village of Shin!
• You may now purchase slots for individual mercenaries so you can rehire that specific mercenary at any time. To view, unlock, and switch between mercenaries you’ve hired, just open your “Character” window, click on the “Mercenary” tab and then click the “View All Your Mercenaries” button. To rehire a mercenary (without unlocking their slot) you just need to go back and hire them at the place you initially found them.

PVP / BATTLEGROUNDS
New gear and new marks for players level 95!

POPULATION / ZONE PROGRESSION
General

• City Sages now have A Thexian Log Book, Clockwork Chirurgeon User Manual, and Day Log of R.F. available for those that completed the accompanying quest.
• Duo Zones and the Pirate Kings have been adjusted for the new maximum health of players.

PvP General
Travel restrictions between nearby adventure zones have been removed for the area around the city of Freeport & the city of Qeynos on PvP servers. The mariner bell in those adventure zones should now display travel options on the map allowing players to get to nearby adventure zones, the same as the non-pvp servers.

Eidolon Jungle and Obol Plains
Aerial collectables are much easier to see now!

Moonlight Enchantments
A dryad trader now only lists the Coral Frond once.

The Dreadcutter: The Pirate Kings

• The Pirate Kings now drop a two handed weapon pattern and a one handed weapon pattern. They can be turned in at the front of the zone. You must have killed the pirate kings to turn in your pattern. These versions of the weapons are more powerful.
• The merchant near the front of the zone will also convert pre-expansion weapons into the new versions.
• The first two bosses now drop Draconic Etyma and Purple War Runes instead of their original drops.

Siren's Grotto: Dissension [Raid]

• Gen'ra now drops, in challenge mode, upgraded charms and earrings, one of each, every kill. The rest of the drops are unchanged. Any old Gen'ra HM earring or charm can be upgraded to a new one via a conversion merchant.
• Overlord Talan now drops, in challenge mode, upgraded wrists and shoulders, one of each, every kill. The rest of the drops are unchanged, Any old Talan HM items can be upgraded to a new one via a conversion merchant.
• Psyllon'Ris now drops upgraded necklaces (2 per kill) and gloves (1 per kill.) The old ones can be converted to the new ones at the conversion merchant.
• Indestructible Hydra Helmets have been upgraded.

Tower of Frozen Shadow
The access quests required to enter the various Tower of Frozen Shadow zones have been lifted.

TRADESKILLS

• The Far Seas Trading Company on the Isle of Mara requests your assistance once again with a new tradeskill questline available upon reaching level 93!
• Owners of the Artisan’s Pack Pony should also keep their eyes open while working on the new questline for an opportunity to train their ponies to gather rares and holiday harvests.
• On completion of the quest line, a daily mission in Obol Plains and a weekly mission in Vesspyr Isles will also become available.
• Level 90 essentials and advanced recipe books now exist for all crafting classes, and can be obtained via the recipe merchants (essentials) and the quest line (advanced).
• Five new tradeskill collections can be found in Eidolon Jungle, Obol Plains, and Vesspyr Isles.
• Koros, the Far Seas faction merchant on the Isle of Mara, has a new flying mount for sale to crafters who have earned sufficient Far Seas faction and tokens.
• The tradeskill group dungeon missions from Madria Varas in the Isle of Mara can now be done hourly rather than daily.
• The stats of level 91/92 handcrafted and mastercrafted equipment has been increased to match 95 handcrafted and mastercrafted equipment.
• Additional recipes are available to research from tradeskill apprentices. These require components obtained in the Tears of Veeshan expansion. These recipes can be scribed by all classes, but some recipes may be more challenging to make if you are not the class that specialized in that item.
• Merchant Sllithzes in the Falinpol tower in Vesspyr Isles will also sell you recipes to make some of the adventuring items sold by Etyma Merchant Delvakin.
• All merchant purchased holiday tradeskill books are now heirloom.
• Alchemist-created standard buff elixirs can no longer be dispelled.
• Mass production now scales up in increments of 5 of the stat.
• Stats granted by adornments will no longer be boosted by experimentation.
• White Adornments of Recovery are now adornments of Reuse. They now give Ability Reuse instead of Spell Reuse.

HARVESTING
Harvesting nodes can now be harvested at any harvesting skill level. In order to be eligible for rare harvests, your skill must still meet the previous requirements.

COMBAT MECHANICS

• Damage Per Second now uses the curve that Multi-Attack used to use and Multi-Attack now uses the curve that Damage Per Second used to use.

ABILITIES / ALTERNATE ADVANCEMENT
General

• The Heroic tree now caps at 100.
• The class tree now only requires one point per ability to move down the lines.
• A second and third Heroic Expertise ability can be purchased for an additional 20 and 30 points, respectively.
• Abilities that increased Multi-Attack now increase Damage Per second.
• Abilities that increased Damage Per Second now increase Multi-Attack.
• Abilities that grant a chance to outright resist a control effect now cap at 100% chance instead of 10%.
• Abilities in the prestige tree that clear the reuse of other abilities should trigger more reliably.
• Player controllable pets now have increased health based on the caster’s stamina.
• Pets will now benefit from any stat conversion abilities that their owner possesses, such as those found in the Prestige tree.
• Alternate Advancements that grant AE Auto-Attack to the caster are now passive. These effects can be disabled with Singular Focus.
• Ability Casting Speed's conversion to Doublecast has been drastically increased.
• Sorcerers and Summoners now gain bonus damage with Spell Weapons.
• Heals should no longer doublecast. This indirectly resolves an issue where Defiler wards would seemingly not benefit from ability modifier.
• Fixed a number of cases where the hate list for players and NPCs wasn't being updated as expected. This should fix most of the causes for Call of the Veteran failing to work as expected.

Deities
Final Judgment can no longer crit.

Beastlord

• Northwind Barrier now has a 2 minute base reuse.
• Unchained Ferocity now allows the beastlord to summon a warder with no cast time and no recovery time. The beastlord can also use up to 10 advantages without having their warder trigger Weakness. It no longer has a cast time and the power cost is significantly reduced.
• Natural Instinct now has 8 ranks for 1 point each. It now also grants strikethrough.
• Marisha Kur's Protection now has a cure effect for the warder.
• Grinning Onslaught will no longer heal enemies.

Rogue

• Pris de Fer now has a 2 minute base reuse.

Swashbuckler

• Bladeweaver now increases stamina.
• Lung Puncture now also impairs the target’s chance to strikethrough a successful avoidance check.

Dirge

• Sonic Barrier now makes the target dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Troubador

• Rejuvenating Celebration now increases stamina.
• Enhance: Rejuvenating Celebration now increases stamina.

Fighters

• Stamina Bonus prestige abilities now grant 100 per rank.

Warrior

• Unshakable Grip now also grants the group 10 Weapon Damage Bonus.
• Perfect Counter now makes the warrior dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Berserker

• Wall of Force now makes the berserker dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Guardian

• Battle Tactics now increases stamina.
• Added Constitition now enhances the stamina from Battle Tactics.
• Call of Shielding now increases stamina.
• Focus:BattleTactics now enhances the stamina of Battle Tactics.
• Enhance: Call of Shielding now enhances the stamina of Call of Shielding.
• Last Man Standing now makes the guardian dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.
• TowerofStonenow makes the guardian dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Sorcerer

• Mystical Field now has a 90 second base reuse time. The power cost has been reduced.

Warlock

• Focused Casting now grants the warlock 100 Crit Chance and increases their Crit Bonus by 75% of their base Crit Bonus instead of increasing Doublecast Chance.

Crusader

• Soulclaim now triggers when anyone in the raid strikes a deathblow. The crit bonus increase is now 1 Crit Bonus for every 3000 strength the crusader has.

Paladin

• Fixed a situation where a Paladin's “Marr's Favor” could critically heal them.
• Blessing of the Paladin now increases stamina.
• Enhance: Blessing of the Paladin now increases stamina.
• Blessed Warding now increases stamina.
• Holy Alacrity now makes the paladin dodge for 1 second when the stoneskin triggers.

Shadowknight

• Hateful Respite now makes the shadowknight dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Necromancer

• Lifeburn’s health to damage ratio has been adjusted to compensate for the new health of players. It is no longer modified by potency. The damage should remain about the same.

Summoner

• Soulburn's damage can no longer be modified by potency. It now deals 150% of the consumed health to the target.

Brawler

• Inner Focus now makes the brawler dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.
• Eagle's Patience now makes the brawler dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Bruiser

• Martial Leap now has a 45 second base cooldown.
• Soak Hit now makes the bruiser dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.
• Adrenaline Rush now makes the bruiser dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Monk

• Winds of Salvation now has a 90 second base cooldown.
• Superior Guard now makes the monk dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Mages

• Magi's Shielding now increases stamina.

Enchanter

• Convert Power now swaps the percentages of the pools, rather than the absolute values.

Coercer

• Hostage now gains the benefits of disruption.

Priests

• Priests now have a base spell critical multiplier of 1.3.

Shamans

• Shroud of Armor and Runic Armor now only apply their physical mitigation to the non-fighters in the group. They now increase up to 20% maximum health of fighters in the group.
• Tribal Frenzy now modifies stamina.

Mystic

• Premonition now grants stamina.
• Enhance: Premonition now modifies the stamina value.
• Ursine Avatar now grants stamina.
• Ancestral Mettle now grants stamina.
• Infusion of Spirit now enhances the stamina of Spirit of the Mammoth.

Defiler

• Harbinger now increases stamina.
• Noxious Efflux now increases stamina.
• Sinister Countenance now increases stamina.
• Countenance of Defiled Spirits now increases stamina.
• Vehemence now grants stamina.
• Focus: Vehemence now improves the stamina of Vehemence.
• Devout Endurance now improves the stamina of Vehemence.

Druids

• Armor of Seasons and Armor of Nature now only apply their physical mitigation to the non-fighters in the group. They now grant up to 800 stamina bonus to the fighters in the group.
• Hierophant's Protection increases stamina now.

Fury

• Lucidity now increases stamina.
• Master of the Hunt now increases stamina.
• Huntmaster's Vitality now increases the stamina of Master of the Hunt.

Warden

• Aspect of theForestnow increases stamina.
• Essence of the Great Bear now increases stamina.
• Vitality of the Great Bear now increases stamina of Essence of the Great Bear.
• Infuriating Thorns now makes the target dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.

Clerics

• Holy Armor and Sacred Armor now only apply their physical mitigation to the non-fighters in the group. They now grant up to around 6 bonus health for every point of stamina the fighters in the group have.
• Devout Allegiance now increases stamina.
• Perserverance of the Divine now makes the target dodge for 1 second when a stoneskin triggers.
• Perseverance of the Divine now has an instant casting time.

Inquisitor

• Fanatic's Faith now increases stamina.
• Fanatical Endurance now increases the stamina of Fanatic's Faith.
• Tenacity now increases stamina.
• Focus: Tenacity now increases the stamina of Tenacity.

Templar

• Aegolism now increases stamina.
• Focus: Aegolism now increases stamina.
• Symbol of Marzin now increases stamina.
• Penance now improves stamina for Symbol of Marzin and health for Holy Armor.

ITEMS

• Players that have completed either "A Helping Hand" or "Rot in the Tides" can use the Magic Carpet to Norrath to travel to Cobalt Scar, as intended.
• Corrected the names of many building block dividers to fit the proper naming convention.
• Plate Fighters can swap out their Hydra Helm for one that does not have AE Auto-Attack Chance at the merchant in Siren's Grotto: Dissension.
• Building Block items no longer count towards your main house item total - instead you can place as many building block items as the house item limit allows in addition to normal items.
• Items with Flurry and AE Auto-Attack have had those values reduced to compensate for these stats drastically increasing in power.
• Astral Adornments of Endurance now grant stamina instead of maximum health.
• Benefaction now lasts for 3 seconds.
• Opitulation now lasts for 4 seconds.
• Uncontested Parry and Dodge granted from equipment now caps at 5% and Uncontested Riposte granted from equipment now caps at 12%. Adornments and abilities are not affected by the cap.
• Spell Weapons now use melee stats and have an 8 second delay.
• Death Cheater’s Song no longer applies its effects to players who are alive.
• Graceful Pugilist's Skullcap of the Tiger now has a helm graphic, as intended.
• Graceful Pugilist's Skullcap now has a helm graphic, as intended.
• Pugilist's Steadfast Skullcap now has a helm graphic, as intended.

REFORGING

• Reforging no longer has a penalty and the price of reforging has been increased.
• Reforging should now use a more accurate conversion for ability modifier.
• AE Auto-Attack now costs more to reforge to and is worth more when reforging out of it. The ratios have been halved.
• Damage Per Second now costs more to reforge to and is worth more when reforging out of it. It is now equal to what Multi-Attack used to be.
• Multi-Attack now costs less to reforge to and is worth less when reforging out of it. It is now equal to what Damage Per Second used to be.
• Due to the number of changes with the reforging system, all currently reforged items will have their reforging reset. Affected items may be reforged again for free.

Source: EQII Forums