Halas, the wintry home of the Barbarians in the original EverQuest and one of the most confusing starting zones in any MMO ever, makes its triumphant return this month in EverQuest II's Halas Reborn game update.
Ah, Halas, sweet Halas. How many hours did I spend wandering around your narrow, uniformly white nooks and crannies, hopelessly lost? It was like an allegory for MMO game play in general, running around in circles, getting nothing done. That's the sort of thought that comes from the manic serenity of being lost just outside of Halas.
On May 25, Halas makes its EverQuest II debut in the Halas Reborn game update. No longer a land-locked icy hell with the only way in being through a den of ferocious gnolls, the new Halas is on an island in the Frostfang Sea, which should cut down on the whole getting lost thing significantly.
In keeping with the original game, EQII Halas holds a wide range of content. The city itself hosts a new starting zone, complete with new player housing options and plenty of content to get new characters started. For the more high level characters, the update brings two new high end raid dungeons.
Best of all, players who log in within the first three days of the update's launch score a free Frostfang Kitten in-game pet. If you don't log in, they leave the kitten in its box and it dies. Your choice. No pressure.