The above is a shot of two NPCs, A Knight and A Lady, whose love story plays out without them ever speaking a word to once another. They are easy to miss but one of the little details that blew me away. I rode around for about an hour absorbing the sometimes very subtle changes, especially compared to the dramatic changes that occurred when Freeport was revamped, and taking screenshots. Then I started doing the new quest lines present in the city, both racial and archetype.
There was the appropriate amount of “OMG they NERFED my class out of existence” chat going on in general, but I ignored it for the most part. All of the class changes, both PvE and PvP have been available in patch notes for the test server for weeks now and I don’t have any patience or sympathy for players that complain once a patch goes live. Seriously, it has to be one of my biggest pet peeves in any game. (leaving soapbox now)
Overall, Qeynos looks amazing. Changes are sometimes very subtle but add all of those subtle changes together and the effect is beautiful. Honestly, SOE did a fantastic job with the changes. Qeynos needed a face-lift much more than it needed a complete overhaul like Freeport. While I do miss the suburbs, like Willow Wood and Nettleville, their instanced appearance in-game (what little I’ve done in them so far) are extremely well done and do not detract from the old neighborhood. There are now very definite stories for each neighborhood, Gnolls in Willow Wood or crazed Freebloods and aggressive Council of Ten Militia in Nettleville. Those stories are beginning to unfold for my level 23 Inquisitor.
Lighting changes are beautiful. The sun shafts and god rays are truly some of the best I’ve ever seen in any game. The little details on table edges or wall details are what makes the changes subtle but substantial. No, chances are you aren’t going to walk in through the gate from Antonica and be blown away at first look, but upon closer inspection you will be extremely pleased. From the rain in town, sound of the rain was phenomenal by the way, to the reflections of water or how rain impacts water, the small details are truly what makes this game update great.
But my overall favorite thing from the Qeynos update, non-quest related, is far and away the updated armors on NPCs. The updated Qeynos guard armor is beautiful. Seriously, while I’m glad SOE made the guard armor and mounts for both Freeport and Qeynos available on the Station Cash store yesterday, my intense desire for the other armors I saw yesterday is immense! The mage armor on the Concordium mages is stellar, the Chaos Orchestra armor blew me away, Celestial Watch armor had me drooling, and the Tunarian Alliance armor was phenomenal. Please make those armors obtainable somehow!
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