Everquest: Next Lets Players Craft Worlds Together

Everquest may have helped popularize MMORPGs as we know them, but Everquest: Next looks to expand beyond the traditional trappings of the genre with a unique artificial intelligence system and true, lasting consequences based on player choices.

In the video we see EQ: Next's enhanced player/non-player character interactions in action, with NPCs behaving differently towards players or other NPCs based on their items and social standing. We also get to see a bit of how quests aren't just going to be the typical, "Go here, kill X creature" affairs of most MMOs. You may have a choice between two warring factions, and whichever one you help might thrive and populate a region while the other moves on to other territories. Should you, say, help the Dark Elves, they might over-harvest the region's resources and draw the ire of nearby elementals. Should you instead help the Kobolds, they might grow over-populated and begin warring amongst themselves, leading to a civil war players have to stymie. EQ Next's development team promises that scenarios like these will play different depending on the choices made on your server, so each EQ Next world will feel like a more organic, naturally occurring environment rather than a place you go to run from one exclamation point to the next in search of gold and experience points.

Everquest Next is still fairly early in its development cycle, but with its development team taking such bold, creative choices with the direction of the game, it's safe to say this new MMO is one to keep an eye on.

Everquest Next's release date has yet to be announced, but it has been confirmed to be available both as a PC and PlayStation 4 title.