EverQuest/Zones

EverQuest, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is set in a fantasy world which is divided into more than 200 zones. Zones are playable areas of the EverQuest universe that can be accessed by players. They are connected to other zones by 'zone lines' and crossing over to another zone is called 'zoning'. Zoning can take from several seconds to more than a minute, depending on the player's computer. Zones are in essence the smallest unit of seamless playable area in the game which are stored on the player's hard drive. An area such a city might be comprised of three or four zones, while a large zone might contain an entire city and a vast forest. Zones represent a wide variety of geographical features that can be found in the EverQuest, including plains, oceans, cities, deserts, and alternate planes of existence.

With the many expansions for EverQuest released over the years, there is a noticeable difference in the appearance of older zones and newer zones, which tend to have better graphics and some advanced featured such as interactive objects or scripted events with non-player characters. One of the newer features is 'instanced zones', introduced in Lost Dungeons of Norrath. These are zones where the adventuring party or raid can have an 'instance' of the zone all to themselves, and several instances can exist simultaneously.

Zones are somewhat difficult to categorize because of the nature of EverQuest. The game is constantly being updated by downloadable patches and has seen as many as nine expansions. Some of the newer expansions added new zones to previously existing continents while creating new continents and alternate planes of existence. Some zones have been added through free downloadable patches in between the release of expansions, and a few zones have been removed after the release of expansions. Because of the overlapping of categorization by geography and by expansions, zones are listed here in a sort of compromise.

The Old World
The Old World comprises three continents: Antonica, Faydwer and Odus. Most, but not all of the zones were present in the original EverQuest as released in March 1999.

Antonica
''Erud's Crossing is the sea between the continents of Odus and Antonica, and offers a way to travel from the city of Erudin to the city of Qeynos. The boat passes alongside a volcanic island in the middle of the sea that is the home of some Kerrans. It is also famous for the number of Will-O-Wisps that wander on the island. Near the island is a sunken boat surrounded by sharks.'' ''Freeport is located at the eastern edge of the Antonica continent and its port offers a (painfully slow) way to travel to the Faydwer continent across the Ocean of Tears. This is a human city, the starting city of many humans of all classes. A part of the city is a kind of bazaar which was once used as a trading place by players (although, since the introduction of The Shadows of Luclin expansion, it is seldom used and most trade occurs in The Bazaar which lies off the Nexus instead). The guards in East Freeport and West Freeport are a somewhat evil group called the Freeport Militia. Their sworn enemies, the Knights of Truth, are the guards in North Freeport. There is a system of underground tunnels enabling travel through the city by those unfriendly to the guards. The city was originally known as Wielle and constructed by the Caerthielian empire (before the rise of the Combine Empire). It was then part of the Elddar forest.'' The city of the Frogloks, formerly the home of the Trolls and known as Grobb, but was invaded by the Frogloks as part of the events that happened after the release of The Legacy of Ykesha'' expansion. The surviving Trolls have now moved to Neriak Foreign Quarter.'' The city of the Barbarians. ''Kithicor Forest is probably what is left from the old Elddar Forest together with Nektulos Forest. It is connected to the West Commonlands, Rivervale and Highpass Hold making it an important travelling zone for adventurers travelling by road from the east coast of Antonica to the middle of the continent. At day it is safe to travel through it, although some bixies and orcs can be dangerous to lower level characters. When the Plane of Hate (home of Innoruuk) opened, the undead came to the Kithicor Forest and continue to roam it by night. The forest is inhabited by zombies and ghouls every night, making it a dangerous and edgy place for the traveller, most of whom are wise enough to wait until morning before making the crossing.'' ''Lower Guk is only accessible through Upper Guk. The zone itself is split in two areas, Dead side, on account of the number of undead frogloks (led by the Ghoul Lord), and Live side, home of minotaurs and froglok nobles lead by the Froglok King. They are the ruins of the Ancient Guk city and consists of a vast network of dark tunnels. In the original game (before any expansions were released), it was one of the two top zones in the game (with Nagafen's Lair). It was never safe to adventure alone in it and only groups of level 40 or higher can get deeper inside. The undead frogloks are socially organised as they have a king, preacher and a savant.'' Nagafen, or formally, Lord Nagafen, is a fiery dragon from the early days of EverQuest'' whose lair is in the dungeon of Solusek B. Nagafen has a legion of underlings including fire giants, gnolls and a multitude of other fire creatures. Nagafen is a fire dragon and uses a mixture of his voracious claws and fire to defeat his foes. As the game has progressed, the players became more powerful than Nagafen. Now a skilled high-level player could probably kill the dragon all alone if he were not protected by enchantments that would teleport such strong players out of his lair once they struck him.'' The city of the Ogres. Qeynos is a human city on the west coast of Antonica. ''Rivervale is home to the race of halflings. As a consequence of the buildings being constructed for characters of shorter stature, players of races less vertically challenged may experience some difficulties entering or exiting some of the buildings and facilities of the city. It adjoins the zones of Misty Thicket and Kithicor Forest.'' Surefall Glades is the home of Human and some Half-Elf Rangers and Druids. ''The Temple of Solusek Ro was made available as a free download on October 13, 1999. The residents of this zone offer many quests, and everyone can safely enter the temple from Lavastorm Mountains. It is not usually used as a combat zone, although players may have to fight there to acquire some powerful items. The most important quests made available in the zone are the class specific armors. These were introduced to replace the Rubicite Armor which was removed from the game when this zone was implemented. Nowdays, with new expansions, these items are comparatively a lot less powerful.'' ''The Arena is a huge circular stone building with no roof. The only entrance and exit is a small tunnel that leads to Lake Rathetear. Upon entering the zone, the traveler would then move into a huge cirular area between the outer rock wall and the arena itself. The only entrance into the Arena proper is on the opposite side of the building, to make sure players do not stumble into the actual fighting ground by accident. Moving into the entrance one sees huge stands, and in the center of the grounds is a huge square platform, where the actual fighting will take place. The Arena used to be the main site for many events in the game including online weddings, guild wars, etc. On many occasions there were many events organized by game masters as well. However, the zone is mostly abandoned.''
 * Befallen
 * Beholders Maze (Gorge of King Xorbb)
 * Black Burrow
 * Cazic Thule
 * East Commonlands
 * Eastern Karana
 * Eruds Crossing
 * Everfrost Peaks
 * Feerrott
 * Freeport East
 * Freeport North
 * Freeport West
 * Gukta, Outpost of Marr
 * Halas
 * Highpass Hold
 * Highpass Keep
 * Innothule Swamp
 * Jaggedpine Forest
 * Kithicor Forest
 * Lake Rathetear
 * Lavastorm Mountains
 * Lower Guk
 * Misty Thicket
 * Nagafen's Lair (Solusek B)
 * Najena
 * Nedaria's Landing
 * Nektulos Forest
 * Neriak 3rd Gate
 * Neriak Commons
 * Neriak Foreign Quarter
 * Northern Desert of Ro
 * Northern Karana
 * Oasis of Marr
 * Ocean of Tears
 * Oggok
 * Permafrost
 * Qeynos Aqueducts
 * Qeynos Hills
 * Qeynos North
 * Qeynos South
 * Rathe Mountains
 * Rivervale
 * Runnyeye
 * Solusek's Eye (Solusek A)
 * Southern Desert of Ro
 * Southern Karana
 * Splitpaw Lair (Infected Paw)
 * Surefall Glades
 * Temple of Solusek Ro
 * The Arena
 * The Caverns of Exile (Solusek C)
 * The Forgotten Halls
 * Upper Guk
 * West Commonlands
 * Western Karana

Faydwer
Ak'Anon is the city of the Gnomes. Felwithe is the city of the High Elves. ''Greater Faydark is the lower end forest zone in Faydwer, and is adjacent to Lesser Faydark, Felwithe, Crushbone, and Butcherblock Mountains. Greater Faydark houses the Wood Elf city of Kelethin, made up of numerous platforms on trees to hold the buildings. Greater Faydark is a zone which allows for levels 1-12 or so to level up off by killing the orcs, bats, rats, spiders and skeletons which roam the zone. After level 12, Crushbone is the logical progression for players seeking to slay higher level orcs.'' Kaladim is the city of the Dwarves. ''Kedge Keep is located off of Dagnor's Cauldron where its entrance is under water. It is wholly an underwater dungeon, the character entering must be able to ensure that he or she can continue to breathe, either by use of a spell, or by an item which allows the player to breathe.'' ''The Estate of Unrest is a haunted mansion and grounds. Garanel Rucksif was a dwarf who went insane and his ghost still roams the premisis.''
 * Ak'Anon
 * Butcherblock Mountains
 * Crushbone
 * Dagnor's Cauldron
 * Felwithe
 * Greater Faydark
 * Kaladim North
 * Kaladim South
 * Kedge Keep
 * Lesser Faydark
 * Mistmoore Castle
 * Steamfont
 * Unrest

Odus
''The city is mainly known for its palace, home of to some of the most powerful magicians of Norrath, and location of its bank. There is also a library from which may be purchased spells of great power, some of which cannot be obtained elsewhere. No direct paths exist between docks, the palace and the main city, instead they are connected by magical gems that teleport the visitor from one place to the other. The zone being a city, there are few things to fight, although one can find sharks at the docks or try to fight with the Erudin guards. The boat leads to Erud's Crossing whereas the back side of the city lead to the mysterious Toxxulia Forest.'' ''Kerra Island is located close just off mainland of the Odus continent (one can swim to it easily). It can be accessed from the east coast of Toxxulia Forest, then entered by way of an underground path to enter the zone itself. The island is a shelter for the Kerran race after they were chased from the mainland by the Erudites. The Kerran queen and her court are heavily guarded but the city is peaceful to newcomers. Most players have never visited the island, and know little about Kerrans. This is probably because the island is well hidden (it can't be seen from the coast) and conveniantly accessible only by Erudites, who usually leave Odus to go to Qeynos to continue their adventures.'' Paineel is the city of the Heretics, a breakaway faction of Erudites who practice necromancy. ''The forest is usually the logical place for new Erudites' first adventures. The darkness makes it hard to start a career and Kobolds will attack Erudites on sight. From the west coast it is possible to swim to the Kerra Island. In a downloadable patch, a new city was added to the end of the Forest: Paineel which also leads to The Hole. The druid and wizard teleporters to access the Odus continent are located in the middle of the forest.
 * Erudin
 * Erudin Palace
 * Kerra Island
 * Paineel
 * Ruins of Old Paineel (The Hole)
 * Stonebrunt Mountains
 * Toxxulia Forest
 * Warrens

Planes
The home of Cazic-Thule, the God of Fear. ''The home of Innoruuk, the God of Hate. The Plane of Hate had been revamped since it was first released and is now a completely different zone than it used to be. Two versions of the zone were for a while both accessible on the Test Server, hence the newer version being called Plane of Hate B.'' ''The Plane of Sky is contains many powerful denizens and is famed for the length of time it used to take for a raid to clear it. There are many quests both originating and involving the Plane of Sky.''
 * Plane of Fear
 * Plane of Hate
 * Plane of Sky

Kunark
The continent of Kunark was introduced in The Ruins of Kunark expansion in March 2000. Cabilis is the city of the Iksar. ''Firona Vie is a High Elven outpost, which is the destination of the Elven boats from Timorous Deep. This is where the good races begin their adventure in Kunark. The zone itself is infact much larger, and the outpost occupies only a fraction of it.'' The Overthere contains an outpost for the evil races to use as a base in their exploration of Kunark. When The Ruins of Kunark'' was released, Veeshan's Peak was the hardest zone of the game. It is the fortress of the Ring of Scale faction of dragons and is inhabited by six dragons: Druushk, Hshkar, Nexona, Phara Dar, Silverwing and Xygoz. To access the zone, you need to do a long and difficult quest to obtain a key. Players are then able to pass through the portal located in Skyfire Mountains. Once inside, players have to keep moving constantly as it full of Racnar and Lava Drake which are quickly (2 minute respawn timer) replaced once they are killed. When the zone was new, teleportation was not possible inside the zone, the players had to clear the zone to the end to get out of it. This restriction was lifted several years later, and players can now exit the zone by any of the usual methods. Recently the zone had been revamped and a new, though no less difficult, quest has been added for obtaining the key.''
 * Burning Woods
 * Cabilis East
 * Cabilis West
 * Charasis (Howling Stones)
 * Chardok
 * Chardok, Halls of Betrayal (Chardok B)
 * City of Mist
 * Crypt of Dalnir
 * Dreadlands
 * Emerald Jungle
 * Field of Bone
 * Firiona Vie
 * Frontier Mountains
 * Kaesora
 * Karnor's Castle
 * Kurn's Tower
 * Lake of Ill Omen
 * Mines of Nurga
 * Old Sebilis
 * Skyfire Mountains
 * Swamp of No Hope
 * Temple of Droga
 * The Overthere
 * Timorous Deep
 * Trakanon's Teeth
 * Veeshan's Peak
 * Veksar
 * Warsliks Woods

Velious
The continent of Velious was introduced in The Scars of Velious expansion in December 2000. Home of the Kromzek and Kromrif giants. This zone is the source of many legends among EverQuest'' players. The Sleeper's Tomb was at the time of the expansion the most difficult zone in the game. After all four guardians of the Sleeper, Kerafyrm, have been killed, it awakes and goes on a rampage killing all in its path. Kerafyrm himself was not intended to be killed, though this has been tried. After that the zone's name changes to Kerafyrm's Lair on that server.'' Home of Tunare, The Mother of All. ''Home of Bristlebane, The King of Thieves. Although revamped, it had always been a bizzare zone where anything is possible.'' Home of the Claws of Veeshan faction of dragons. Home of the Coldain dwarves.
 * Cobalt Scar
 * Crystal Caverns
 * Dragon Necropolis
 * Eastern Wastes
 * Great Divide
 * Iceclad Ocean
 * Icewell Keep
 * Kael Drakkel
 * Kerafyrm's Lair (Sleeper's Tomb)
 * Plane of Growth
 * Plane of Mischief
 * Siren's Grotto
 * Skyshrine
 * Temple of Veeshan
 * Thurgadin
 * Tower of Frozen Shadow
 * Velketor's Labyrinth
 * Wakening Land
 * Western Wastes

Luclin
Luclin, a moon of Norrath, was added in The Shadows of Luclin expansion in December 2001. Prior to The Shadows of Luclin, on most servers, the EverQuest'' community gathered and traded equipment in the East Commonlands zone, or sometimes in the bazaar area in Freeport. Each player would announce its offering to the whole zone and wait for interested people to contact him. Players had to stay behind their computer and manually manage each transaction. With The Shadow of Luclin expansion, Sony implemented an automatic trading system only available in the Bazaar, which is located off the south of the Nexus. The zone itself is not particularly big but features vendors, bank and stables. Due to the number of players gatehred there, The Bazaar is notorious for lag and slow response times. Users can buy trading bags and put in the things they wish to sell, be it armor, weapon or quest items. They then choose a price for each item and switch to Trader Mode. Once in Trader Mode you appear to other players as a standard vendor, and your customers can then buy you things. An interface allows one to search for items available for selling.''
 * Acrylia Caverns
 * Akheva Ruins
 * Dawnshroud Peaks
 * Echo Caverns
 * Fungus Grove
 * Grieg's End
 * Grimling Forest
 * Hollowshade Moor
 * Katta Castellum
 * Marus Seru
 * Mons Letalis
 * Netherbian Lair
 * Paludal Caverns
 * Sanctus Seru
 * Shadeweaver's Thicket
 * Shadow Haven
 * Shar Vahl
 * Ssraeshza Temple
 * The Bazaar
 * The Deep
 * The Grey
 * The Maiden's Eye
 * The Nexus
 * The Scarlet Desert
 * The Tenebrous Mountains
 * The Twilight Sea
 * The Umbral Plains
 * Vex Thal

Planes of Power
These zones were introduced in The Planes of Power expansion in October 2002. The Plane of Time was the hardest zone in the game at the time of The Planes of Power'' expansion. One had to go through all the other zones in the expansion and kill all of the gods in order to get access.''
 * Bastion of Thunder
 * Doomfire, The Burning Lands
 * Drunder, Fortress of Zek
 * Eryslai the Kingdom of Wind
 * Halls of Honor
 * Lair of Terris Thule
 * Plane of Disease
 * Plane of Innovation
 * Plane of Justice
 * Plane of Knowledge
 * Plane of Nightmare
 * Plane of Storms
 * Plane of Time A
 * Plane of Time B
 * Plane of Torment
 * Plane of Tranquility
 * Plane of Valor
 * Ragax, Stronghold of the Twelve
 * Reef of Coirnav
 * Ruins of Lxanvom
 * Temple of Marr
 * Tower of Solusek Ro
 * Vegarlson the Earthen Badlands

Ykesha
These zones were added by The Legacy of Ykesha downloadable expansion in March 2003.
 * Crypt of Nadox
 * Dulak's Harbor
 * Gulf of Gunthak
 * Hate's Fury
 * Torgiran's Mines

Lost Dungeons of Norrath
These instanced zones were added by the Lost Dungeons of Norrath expansion in September 2003. All of them are geographically located on the Old World continents of Antonica and Faydwer. The zones come in five themes as listed below, whith minor variations in dungeon layout, which are in fact separate zones, therefore the expansion contains 48 separate zones.
 * Deepest Guk - 8 variations
 * Miragul's Menagerie - 10 variations
 * Mistmoore Catacombs - 10 variations
 * Rujarkian Hills - 10 variations
 * Takish-Hiz - 10 variations

Gates of Discord
These zones were added in the Gates of Discord expansion in February 2004. Instanced Zones
 * The Abysmal Sea
 * Barindu, The Hanging Gardens
 * Ferubi, Forgotten Temple of Telosia
 * Kod'Taz, Broken Trial Grounds
 * Natimbi, The Broken Shores
 * Qinimi, Court of Nihilia
 * Qvic, Prayer Grounds of Calling
 * Riwwi, Coliseum of Games
 * Txevu, Lair of the Elites
 * Yxtta, Pulpit of Exiles
 * Ikkinz, Antechamber of Destruction
 * Inktu'ta, the Unmasked Chapel
 * Sewers of Nihilia - Emanating Crematory
 * Sewers of Nihilia - Lair of Trapped Ones
 * Sewers of Nihilia - Pool of Sludge
 * Sewers of Nihilia - Purifying Plant
 * Tacvi, Seat of the Slaver
 * Tipt, The Treacherous Crags
 * Uqua, The Ocean God Chantry
 * Vxed, The Crumbling Caverns

Omens of War
These zones were added by the Omens of War expansion in September 2004. Instanced Zones
 * The Bloodfields
 * Dranik's Scar
 * Harbinger's Spire
 * Noble's Causeway
 * Riftseeker's Sanctum
 * The Ruined City of Dranik
 * Wall of Slaughter
 * Muramite Proving Grounds
 * Catacombs of Dranik - 3 variations, single group
 * Dranik's Hollows - 3 variations, single group
 * Sewers of Dranik - 2 variations, single group
 * Citadel of Anguish - 18 to 54 person raid

Dragons of Norrath
These zones were added by the Dragons of Norrath expansion in February 2005.
 * Guild Hall
 * Guild Lobby
 * Lavaspinner's Lair
 * Stillmoon Temple
 * The Accursed Nest
 * The Ascent
 * The Barter Hall
 * The Broodlands
 * Thundercrest Isles
 * Tirranun's Delve

Other zones
A zone only available on the Legends server. A zone from the EverQuest tutorial. ''A Graveyard zone, it allow players whose corpses have decayed, after 7 days, to retrieve them. The zone can be accessed by talking to one of the appropriate NPCs who will transport the player there.''
 * Marauder's Mire
 * Mines of Gloomingdeep
 * Shadowrest