We sat down with Craig Knapp, producer of EverQuest, to learn more about the forthcoming expansion Depths of Darkhollow? and ask him why playing as a monster is so popular.

So what's a monster mission?

Monster missions have been discussed in the EQ community for years but there was never a solid design for them until now. Basically, they allow players to transform into another character for the duration of a mission. Players select from available character templates and step into the shoes of an NPC to play through a storyline from the NPC's perspective. Players can relive key moments in the history of EQ through the eyes of the participants. For instance, players can play as a sporali and learn how they came to live in Darkhollow or witness the fall of the Illsalin Empire, which is an entirely new storyline native to Darkhollow.

There's a buzz about monster missions. Why are they so popular?

Monster missions have been a hit because they allow players to experience gameplay from the perspective of one of EverQuest's famous heroes or sinister villains (my favorite). In most MMO's, players learn about the story and lore through reading newspapers or hearing about them during quests after the actual events have taken place. Monster missions not only give players the ability to take control of another character (monsters abilities and items), but they will actually live through the storyline from the monster's perspectives.

What do you mean by "live through the storyline" of a monster?

Well, for example, players can now play as a drachnid and be a part of spreading the evil in Darkhollow as opposed to simply learning about things after the fact. In addition, a number of monster missions focus around some of Norrath's more legendary zones and characters. Instead of players trying to take down Nagafen, they can now become him! With monster missions, players can live through Norrath's history.


What was Project M and how did it affect the creation of monster missions?

Project M was an experiment done back in fall of 2001 where players could select a monster at the character selection screen. The intent was to allow players to hop into the body of a low level creature and challenge other creatures and players, but the design of the system at the time had some significant problems that prevented Project M from staying on servers long.

Why didn't Project M work?

First, Project M didn't fit into the immersive world of EverQuest as players were simply choosing an NPC at character select (such as a moss snake). In addition, a small minority of players used Project M to grief new players which introduced a PvP element on PvE servers that was unintended. As you can imagine, the only people who typically had fun were the griefers and even then it was a short term play-style as players never earned rewards.

So why include a feature like playing a monster now?

Despite the original problems, having the ability to play as a monster can be extremely fun and is something that can add an entirely new dimension to the gameplay if done correctly. I think we've done it correctly with Depths of Darkhollow with both monster missions and spirit shrouds.

What are spirit shrouds?

Spirit Shrouds are a new feature that allows players to hop into the body of a monster for freeform play in any zone the character can normally access. This gives players the opportunity to play as a werewolf, sporali, goblin, or fairy (to name a few) as well as all the various archetypes (tank, healer, caster). We hope that this will be a great community builder as high level and low level players are playing with each other and exploring content in Norrath they've never seen before, not to mention playing with a pack of werewolves is just flat out fun.:)

What's the coolest monster you can play in the monster missions?

The great thing about monster missions is that there are so many to choose from. Depending on your mood you can play as Lord Nagafen and see what it's like to be one of the famous EverQuest dragons, or you can play as werewolves defending their lair. I think everyone is going to have their own personal favorite just like we all have our own favorite encounters. You'll soon see how the flexibility of the system has allowed our game designers to show off their creativity! I'll let each player decide the "coolest" monster for themselves. :)

EverQuest® Depths of Darkhollow is available in stores now!