EverQuest/Zones

EverQuest, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is set in the fantasy world of Norrath which is divided into more than 400 zones. Zones are playable areas of the EverQuest universe that can be accessed by players. They are connected to other zones by "zone lines"; crossing over to another zone is called "zoning". Zoning can take anywhere from several seconds to several minutes, depending on the player's computer. Zones are, in essence, the smallest unit of seamless playable area in the game, and are stored on the player's hard drive. An area such as a city might be comprised of two or three smaller zones (a la Freeport), while a large zone might contain an entire small city and a vast forest (a la Greater Faydark). Zones represent a wide variety of geographical features that can be found in 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. Newer zones tend to have more advanced graphics and some advanced features such as interactive objects or scripted events with non-player characters. One feature introduced in Lost Dungeons of Norrath is "instanced zones" where a group of players can have an "instance" of the zone all to themselves, and a large number of instances can exist simultaneously.

Zone Descriptions

Because EverQuest is constantly being updated by downloadable patches and has currently seen fourteen expansions, categorizations of zones cannot be done unambiguously. 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.

Many zones fall into generic categories. For instance, virtually every starting city has at least one local "newbie zone" (levels 1-5), a local teens zone (5-15 or so), and a local newbie dungeon (5-20 dungeon).

The Old World

'The Old World' is a term used to describe the three original continents of EverQuest from March, 1999; Antonica, Faydwer and Odus. Additional zones have been added to these continents as part of various expansions.

Antonica

Befallen (10-25): Befallen is a local newbie dungeon for Freeport. It is reached through the Commonlands zone. It is a crypt filled with undead beings. A series of keys can be looted allowing access to deeper areas of the dungeon.
Beholders Maze (also known as Gorge of King Xorbb) (10-30): This is a teens zone for Rivervale. This zone joins East Karana with Runnyeye. The mobs in the zone are primarily minotaurs, evil eyes and creatures called 'muddites'. It was once a popular route for evil races who wished to avoid running through Highpass Hold. Now it is mostly obsolete, used mainly by potters killing muddites for parts.
Blackburrow (5-15): Black Burrow is the home of the gnolls, who harass Qeynos humans and Halas barbarians, and is the local newbie dungeon for young adventurers from these two cities. The route from Qeynos to Halas runs through the upper level.
Cazic Thule (50-60): A dungeon in the Feerrott. A temple to the god Cazic Thule, inhabited by Lizardmen and various other jungle and swamp denizens. Cazic Thule was originally designed for players in their late 20s through their 50s, but was later revamped into a zone for players level 55+. There is still a scaled back version of this zone on the Progressive Servers opened June 28th 2006.
The Commonlands (1-20)

File:EverQuest - East Commonlands tunnel.jpg

The Tunnel connecting East Commonlands to North Ro (2001). This area was re-designed when the Commonlands were merged.

Formerly two zones (East Commonlands and West Commonlands), the Commonlands were merged into a single zone with a patch in Dec. 2006 after The Serpent's Spine expansion. The Commonlands is a local teens zone for Freeport and Neriak. Adjacent to Freeport, Neriak, North Ro, Befallen, and Kithicor Forest.
East Commonlands (1-20): See Commonlands
Eastern Karana (15-40): The eastern quarter of the Plains of Karana. Inhabited by griffins, evil eyes, giants, gnolls, bandits, and a variety of animals. Adjacent to Highpass Hold, Beholders Maze and Northern Karana.
Eruds Crossing (1-60): 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 used to pass alongside a volcanic island in the middle of the sea that is the home of some Kerrans (a translocator NPC now helps players to travel from Erudin or Qeynos to the island or back to either city from the island, on some if not all servers). Will-O-Wisps wander on an island; and nearby, a sunken boat is filled with zombies and surrounded by sharks. Adjacent to Qeynos and Erudin
Everfrost Peaks (1-30): An Arctic zone with two types of terrain: icy canyons surrounded by mountains, and a tundra area. Everfrost has one of the highest range of mobs mob levels of any zone, ranging from from a newbie area to ice giants. Adjacent to Halas, Blackburrow and the dungeon Permafrost.
Feerrott (1-40): The Feerott is the newbie zone for Ogguk. A swamp-themed zone with lizard men, snakes and spiders. It is also the site of the dungeon zone Cazic-Thule. Adjacent to Rathe Mountains, Innothule Swamp and the Ogre city of Ogguk.
The zones of Freeport (Originally Freeport East, Freeport North and Freeport West. Now also includes Freeport Sewers (10-70)): This is a human city, a starting city for humans of all classes. Freeport is located at the eastern edge of the Antonica continent and it's port used to offer a connection by ship to travel to the Faydwer continent across the Ocean of Tears. Now a translocator NPC teleports travelers to the island in the Ocean of Tears and then on to the Faydwer continent on most if not all servers. The guards in East Freeport and West Freeport are a corrupt 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. Freeport was completely revamped when Prophecy of Ro was released. North Freeport's features were combined into West Freeport, and a new zone was dedicated to the underground tunnels. Groups of patrolling guards were added as well.
Grobb (for a time known as Gukta, Outpost of Marr): Grobb is the starting city for Troll characters. When the Legacy of Ykesha expansion was released, the frogloks invaded the troll city of Grobb. ejected its former inhabitants, and renamed the area Gukta, Outpost of Marr. The zone served as the starting city for Froglock characters. Before the Depths of Darkhollow expansion release, the trolls retook the city with the help of their dark elf and ogre allies. The frogloks now live in a tent city within the Rathe Mountains
Halas (1-60): The city of the Barbarians, lies in a cavern valley across a lake.
Highpass Hold (15-25): Highpass Hold is a mountain pass zone. Orcs and gnolls swarm at the zone entrances. The zone connects to Kithkor Forest, Eastern Karanas and High Keep.
High Keep (1-60): The Keep is a castle that functions like a city and a dungeon. Prior to expansion, certain spells could only be purchased from High Keep vendors. The basement is frequently overrun with goblins.
Innothule Swamp (1-30): Innothule Swamp serves as the newbie zone for Grobb. Kobolds, alligators and froglocks can be found here. Adjacent to Grobb, The Feerott, Southern Ro and the dungeon zone Guk.
Jaggedpine Forest (40-60): Jaggedpine Forest was once the tranquil sanctuary of people devoted to the god Karana, and nobody ventured into or out of its borders. Lately, however, Jaggedpine gnolls have begun infringing into the areas north of Qeynos.
Kithicor Forest (35-60): 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 traveling zone for adventurers traveling by road from the east coast of Antonica to the middle of the continent. By day it is safe for travel, although some bixies and orcs can be dangerous to lower level characters. Presumably, the original intention was to provide a newbie zone for young Halflings from Rivervale; however, the generally poor hunting conditions (forest fog, limited visibility, etc) prevented the zone from ever being used as such. When the Plane of Hate (home of Innoruuk) opened with the Battle of Bloody Kithicor, 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.
Lake Rathetear (15-35): Lake Rathetear is a large lake, almost a small sea, that sits nestled in the distant wilds of Antonica. Many individuals who like to get away from the main population centers come to here and the Rathe Mountains because of their relative seclusion, and the lake and its surroundings are home to many who have carved out their niche. Aviaks, spellcasters, goblins, ogres, bandits, barbarians, Gypsies, gnolls, and the occasional hermit all reside in this area.
Lavastorm Mountains (10-30): Revamped in early 2005, Lavastorm is a scorched lay of volcanic mountains and lakes of magma. It connects to Nektulos Forest, Solusek's Eye (Sol A), Nagafen's Lair (Sol B), the Temple of Solusek Ro, Najena and the Broodlands.
Lower Guk (35-50): 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. This vast network of dark tunnels is the ruins of the ancient Froglok city of Guk. 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 penetrate its depths. The undead frogloks are socially organized as they have a king, a preacher and a savant.
Misty Thicket (1-10): Misty Thicket is a newbie and teen zone for Halflings from Rivervale. The Wall, a safety barrier that divides the zone between the newbie creatures and the teen creatures, is a source of pride and fanatical devotion within Rivervale.
Nagafen's Lair (Solusek B) (40-60): 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, kobolds, bats, and spiders. 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. Today a sufficiently skilled and equipped high-level player could kill Nagafen solo, but he is now protected by enchantments that expel such players (above level 52) from his den.
Najena (15-30): A low-mid level dungeon full of undead, elementals and ogres. The dungeon was created by the dark elf sorceress Najena. The ever popular Journeyman's Boots originally dropped here as a regular loot item.
Nedaria's Landing (25-35): This coastal area is located off of Jaggedpine Glades. It consists of forest with rivers and waterfalls and lots of roaming animals and griffawns. There is a huge cliff through the middle of the zone that can prove perilous to the unwary. At the shoreline in the northeast corner is a wayfarer's camp which allows transport to Taelosia by way of the Abysmal Sea.
Nektulos Forest (1-30): Nektulos Forest is the newbie zone for the Dark Elf city of Neriak. A revamped Nektulos was released along with the Depths of Darkhollow expansion. A second revamp was released with the Prophecy of Ro expansion. It is guarded by patrols from Neriak and borders Neriak's foreign quarter, Lavastorm Mountains, the East Commonlands and Corathus Creep.
Neriak 3rd Gate
Neriak Commons
Neriak Foreign Quarter: Neriak, home of the Dark Elf race.
Northern Desert of Ro (1-30): Revamped when Prophecy of Ro was released, the North Ro desert provides newbie to teen level hunting for Freeport characters.
Northern Karana (10-40): The northern quarter of the Plains of Karana. Adjacent to West Karana, East Karana, and South Karana. Features a large wizard spire which, upon the release of the Shadows of Luclin expansion, was one of the few locations that would enable a player to teleport to the zone of The Nexus in order to explore the moon of Norrath. Before the days of the Planes of Power expansion, Northern Karana was a major destintation point for adventurers.
Oasis of Marr (10-40): See Southern Desert of Ro
Ocean of Tears (10-30): A vast ocean between Antonica and Faydwer, home of several small islands. With the recent removal of the boats, few players travel through Ocean of Tears any longer. Trivia: The entire zone is backwards in the east-to-west direction; the continent of Antonica is west of Faydwar, but the Antonica-to-Faydwar boat travels westward, and vice versa.
Oggok: The city of the Ogres, north of the Feerott. Contains an unused tunnel on its north side, presumably intended as a zone line but never implemented.
Permafrost (15-60): A network of frozen tunnels and caverns, home to Lady Vox, the ice dragon and one of the two most dangerous dragons from the original game.
Qeynos Aqueducts (1-50): An underground maze of sewer tunnels, a newbie to teen zone for evil Qeynos characters. Also home to the evil factions in Qeynos.
Qeynos Hills (1-30): The local newbie/teen zone for Qeynos and Surefall Glade. Home to many forest-dwelling creatures, including snakes, bears, wolves, bats, and beetles. Adjacent to Blackburrow and Western Karana.
Qeynos North
Qeynos South: Qeynos is a human city on the west coast of Antonica. Interestingly, Qeynos is an anagram of SonyEQ.
Rathe Mountains (10-45): Rathe Mountains is home to many giants and giantkin, including Hill Giants, Cyclopes and giant skeletons. After the War preceding the Depths of Darkhollow expansion's release, the Frogloks moved from Grobb and now live in a tent city in the Western portion of this zone.
Rivervale: 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.
Runnyeye (10-40): The local newbie dungeon for Halflings. It has been revamped once since inception.
Solusek's Eye (Solusek A) (25-45): A mid-level volcanic dungeon for characters who have graduated from the surrounding Lavastorm.
Southern Desert of Ro (5-40): A newbie/teen zone for characters emerging from Innothule Swamp. When Prophecy of Ro was released, this zone was revamped and combined with Oasis of Marr. The Oasis was the original next step for teen characters who graduated from their newbie hunting in North/South Ro. Oasis contains a couple of notable landmarks: the Orc Highway (a stretch of desert with a near constant parade of orcs for late teen characters), and the specter tower (with the mysterious inscription on its summit). For the Kunark expansion, the docks in Oasis found use in shuttling evil characters to the evil outpost in The Overthere by way of Timorous Deep. For the Lost Dungeons expansion, Oasis received an entrance to an instanced dungeon. For the Prophecy of Ro expansion, Oasis was merged into the revamped South Ro.
Southern Karana (15-35): A relatively flat and wide open zone with a large variety of animal life. Perhaps its most recognizable and populated section is a village of Aviaks.
Splitpaw Lair (Infected Paw): Possibly the only zone to have been entirely revamped not once, but twice. Originally a newbie dungeon equivalent to Black Burrow, it was rarely used due to the lack of nearby cities and bind spots, a particular hindrance to early characters who typically die frequently. A bind area was later added to North Karana and the zone revamped to a mid-high dungeon, but it continued to be unused. Again the dungeon was revamped to a ultrahigh level dungeon, but the poor risk/reward ratio means that Splitpaw continues to carry the stigma of a zone that simply can't find an audience.
Surefall Glade: Surefall Glade is the home of Human and some Half-Elf Rangers and Druids. The Glade houses a portal to Jaggedpine and borders on Qeynos Hills.
Temple of Solusek Ro

File:EverQuest - The Temple of Solusek Ro.jpg

The Temple of Solusek Ro (2001)

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. Nowadays, with new expansions, these items are comparatively a lot less powerful.
The Arena: 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 actual combat takes place. The Arena used to be the main site for many events in the game, including online weddings, guild wars, and events organized by game masters. However, due in part to the inclusion of a PVP area in the Bazaar and the relative difficulty of reaching the Arena, it became mostly abandoned. As of the time of the release of the Dungeons of Norrath expansion, the Bazaar was revamped, removing the PVP area within, and a Plane of Knowledge portal was added to the Arena, making it semi-popular again. The Arena itself was updated as part of the release of Prophecy of Ro expansion pack.
The Caverns of Exile (Solusek C) (50-65): Originally one of several "pocket zones" (zones which were appended to existing dungeons on a temporary, but as yet continuing, basis).
Upper Guk (5-30): Originally the local newbie dungeon for Grobb when it was inhabited by trolls, who did not coexist peacefully with the frogloks of Guk. With the Guktans relocated into the Rathe Mountains the frogloks of Guk again face their ancient Troll foes.
West Commonlands (10-40): See Commonlands.
Western Karana (5-40): A vast expanse of territory ranging from farmland to steep hills, Western Karana is the largest of the Karana zones. A barbarian fishing village can be found near the shoreline, and an ogre encampment is tucked away in the midst of the large mountain range. A werewolf also inhabits the zone during nighttime hours.

Faydwer

Ak'Anon: Ak'Anon is the underground city of the Gnomes, led by their Mechanical King, King Ak'Anon, that contains a large underground lake, dark catacombs and a zoo full of animals. The zone houses different factions of both good, evil and neutral gnomes. The zone connects to Steamfont.
Butcherblock Mountains (1-50): Butcherblock is a large newbie/teen zone for the dwarves of Kaladim, and higher level characters hunt the Dwarven Guards. It contains the docks which in the early game allowed transport by ship through through the Ocean of Tears to Freeport, and later to Kunark. Now the docks contain gnome translocators who translocate players to destinations in the Ocean of Tears and the Timorous Deep. The Chessboard area of the zone spawns undead skeletons. The zone contains a Druid Stone Ring and connects to Ocean of Tears, Kaladim, Lesser Faydark.
Crushbone (5-25): The local newbie dungeon for the various races of elves from Greater Faydark. The boss mobs are Emperor Crush and Ambassador Dvinn. Killing the mob called the Orc Trainer provides the loot Shiny Brass Shield, one of the first magical items that a new character can obtain without 'twinking'. The zone only connects to Greater Faydark.
Dagnor's Cauldron (15-25): A zone with bleak and jagged landscape surrounding large donut-shaped lake with a rocky spire in the center, Dagnor's Cauldron is a teen zone for the various races on Faydwer. An aquatic dragon patrols the southern waters, where the entrance to Kedge Keep is found. The Estate of Unrest is located south of the Cauldron.
Felwithe: Felwithe is the city of the High Elves.
Greater Faydark (1-10): Greater Faydark is the forested zone that contains the tree-top Wood Elf city of Kelethin. This is the only starting city that is not a separate zone, allowing newbies to hunt low level the orcs, bats, rats, spiders and skeletons without zoning back to a city. Until the Luclin expansion was released, GFay was the gathering point for players to trade and sell items. Greater Fay is the location of Wizard Spires and is adjacent to Lesser Faydark, Felwithe, Crushbone, and Butcherblock Mountains.
Kaladim North and Kaladim South: Kaladim is the city of the Dwarves.
Kedge Keep (35-50): Kedge Keep is located off of Dagnor's Cauldron and its entrance is under water. It is wholly an underwater dungeon.
Lesser Faydark (5-40): Lesser Faydark is a forested zone where pixies, brownies, fay drakes, scattered orc outposts and a few dark-elfs live. Connects Castle Mistmoore, Steamfont, and Greater Faydark.
Mistmoore Castle (20-45): The castle of the vampire Mayong Mistmoore. At one point the castle was revamped into a zone for characters of level 65+, although it was subsequently rolled back at the time of the Depths of Darkhollow expansion's release.
Steamfont (1-20): Steamfont, a series of mountain ranges near Ak'Anon, is the newbie/teen zone for the gnomes. The windmills are a common meeting place for low level adventurers. The zone features the gnome's main enemy Meldrath, who is an evil gnome necromacer who controls the local Minotaurs. Steamfont connects to Ak'anon, Dagnor's Cauldron and Lesser Faydark.
Unrest (25-40): The Estate of Unrest is a haunted mansion and grounds that connects to Dagnor's Cauldron. Originally a zone for characters in the teens and twenties, Unrest is now an instanced quest zone of variable level.

Odus

Erudin: Erudin is the city of the Erudites.
Erudin Palace

File:EverQuest - Erudin Library.jpg

A sign welcomes players to Erudin. Players can buy spells from its library (background).

The city is mainly known for its palace, which is also home of some of the most powerful magicians of Norrath, and location of the city bank. There is also a library from which many can purchase 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 battle the Erudin guards. The boat leads to Erud's Crossing while the south exit leads to the mysterious Toxxulia Forest.
Kerra Island (10-30): Kerra Island is located near the mainland of the Odus continent (one can swim to it easily). It can be accessed from the west 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 conveniently accessible only to Erudites, who usually leave Odus to go to Qeynos to continue their adventures.
Paineel (1-60): Paineel is the city of the Heretics, a breakaway faction of Erudites who practice necromantic magic. The zone's main feature is a large "hole", created from a magical war between the good and evil Erudin Factions.
Ruins of Old Paineel (The Hole) (40-60): The entrance to this zone is behind a rock located in a pool of water in the Paineel zone, which requires a key or a lockpicker to open. Daring adventurers can use invincibility tricks to jump into the abyss in Paineel and safely land deep in The Hole. This underground zone contains golems, gargoyles, undead spirits of paineel, and rat-men. Good soloing grounds for paladins. This zone also holds many items and target creatures for the Epic 1.0 quest progression. This zone is also known for its ZEM (zone experience modifier) which gives disproportionately more experience per kill than similar level zones in EverQuest.
Stonebrunt Mountains (20-45): Located on the small continent of Odus, the Stonebrunt Mountains are rich with vegetation and distinctive hills that give way to the towering Mount Klaw; the largest mountain in Odus and home to the Kerran village of Kejeka. The zone of Stonebrunt is designed to be a mid-level, outdoor zone similar in scope and scale to the Lake of Ill Omen on Kunark, which has proven to be a very popular zone in EverQuest.
Toxxulia Forest (1-20): 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 and the Warrens. The druid and wizard teleporters to access the Odus continent are located in the middle of the forest.
Warrens (5-20): The local newbie dungeon for Paineel, the Warrens is a vast underground tunnel system occupied by a race of kobolds. The most notable aspect of the Warrens is that it was a preliminary test of the Trivial Loot Code on live servers.

Lands on Norrath created by expansions

Kunark

The continent of Kunark was introduced in The Ruins of Kunark expansion in March 2000. The Kunark expansion was ordered from an online Verant store and then shipped directly to players, many of which did not receive their box until several days past the opening date. Due to the inability of Verant to handle this volume, later expansions employed different forms of distribution.

Burning Woods (35-55): Burning Woods got its name because of a huge meteor that struck the middle of the zone. The surrounding forest was decimated, and all that remains are burning treestumps. Over the meteor crater, Giants built a fort, which was a very popular place to hunt in its day. Wurms, Giants, undead and Sarnaks inhabit this land.
Cabilis East and Cabilis West: Cabilis is the starting city for Iksar players.
Charasis (Howling Stones) (45-60): Locked Kunark dungeon (requires a key obtained via a quest involving two mobs around level 40), filled mainly with various undead and golems. One quirk of Charasis is the multiple keys necessary to progress in the dungeon (unless you have a rogue friend that can pick the doors): there are 4 wings (north, south, east, west). The north and east wings are the only ones that can be opened without a key, but the East wing's stairs are trapped. To progress in charasis^{[check spelling]}, one has to get west wing's key from the north wing's boss, then south wing's key from the west wing's boss, and from south wing take a secret passage to East Wing where Drusella Sathir (the zone's boss, involved in many Kunark quests including the Veeshan's Peak key and the Iksar Shadow Knight's epic) resides. On top of two wings being locked, every wing's boss (but Drusella) is behind an additional locked door which requires a key found somewhere on the floor of the zone. Charasis' wings keys are all NO RENT, meaning that they're non-permanent items. In 2004, a permanent Master Key (the Hand of Glory, able to open every door of Charasis) was added, allowing non-rogue players to bypass the regular progression through the dungeon. Creating this key requires 5 items (one being a container) found in the various wings of Charasis.
Chardok (45-60): Dungeon home of the Sarnak race, and to characters proving their loyalty to the Sarnaks.
Chardok, Halls of Betrayal (Chardok B) (45-60): Originally one of several "pocket zones" (zones which were appended to existing dungeons on a temporary, but as yet continuing, basis), Chardok B is populated by many undead sarnaks as well as living Sarnaks loyal to Korocust, the hardest monster in the zone. The zone follows the theme of a haunted mine. This zone was also popular for its ZEM (zone experience modifier).
City of Mist (35-55): The City of Mist is a beautiful zone that features a number of higher level quests. A group is necessary to adventure in this zone, as many of the creatures (mobs) will assist each other if they are under attack.
Crypt of Dalnir (30-45): The Crypt of Dalnir is the hidden burial tomb of Dalnir, the ancient Haggle Baron of the City of Cabilis. Recently, however, the Kly have taken over the tomb and expanded it for their own, currently unknown, purposes. The poor creatures who have fallen under their sway protect the upper floors while they continue their experiments in the tunnels below.
Dreadlands (35-50): The Dreadlands is an open stretch of grassland, badlands and tundra linking the Firiona Vie outpost with much of the rest of the continent. Twin spires serve as the teleportation foci for wizards and druids, but are now nearly obsolete. Karnor's Castle is in the middle of the zone.
Emerald Jungle (30-50): A dense forest which borders the Field of Bone and Trakanon's Teeth. Home to the green dragon Severilous. The City of Mist is also located inside this zone.
Field of Bone (1-20): The Field of Bone is a starting zone for Iksars. One can take a character from level 1 to 15 very easily.
Firiona Vie (20-35): Firiona Vie (FV) is a zone bordering the Dreadlands, Lake of Ill Omen and the Swamp of No Hope. The city of Firiona Vie was once a High Elven outpost, and the destination of the Elven boats from Timorous Deep. Following the war with the drolvargs, however, the elves fled to the east side of the zone. The zone itself is in fact much larger than the outpost which occupies only a small fraction of its area.
Frontier Mountains (25-40): The Frontier Mountains are the highest and roughest set of mountains located on the continent. These harsh mountains cut across the western half of the continent, and are inhabited by a variety of powerful, large creatures, for whom the peaks are mere hills. Many of these creatures operate vast mining operations in the mountains for the minerals that lie beneath them.
Kaesora (30-45): The ruins of an old underground city led by a Sarnak named Xalgoz who holds loot required to build the key to Charasis. Deep within this zone is a ruined library now guarded by ghosts, spirits and feasters.
Karnor's Castle (40-60): The home of Venril Sathir, a boss mob which features prominently in a number of epic encounters, as well as many undead creatures. Karnor's is famous for having a large number of trains that continually disrupt adventuring in the area. Expect to hear shouts of "Train Left!" or "Train Right!" and be ready to move. (A train, in EQ terms, is large group of monsters, from 3 or 4 to as many as 20 or more, chasing a player who is trying to ";zone", or leave the area.)
Kurn's Tower (10-25): A multi-storied ziggurat within the Field of Bone, brimming with skeletal undead.
Lake of Ill Omen (1-40): The Lake of Ill Omen is the ancient site of the city of Veksar, which was cursed ages ago and has since sunk beneath the waters, giving the local area its name. The reptilian sarnak have moved into the area and have secured an ancient fortress to the southwest. The goblins have established a mine in the hills in north of the lake. The Brood of Kotiz has taken it upon themselves to eradicate the sarnak from the area, and have directed their trainees to do so.
Mines of Nurga (25-45): Like the Temple of Droga, Nurga was revamped from a low level dungeon to a 55+ level dungeon. Houses mostly goblins."
Old Sebilis: The home of Trakanon, a raid-encounter dragon for various epic quests and good loot. Sebilis has many levels to it, housing live and undead frogloks on the upper floors, live frogloks and myconids (mushrooms) in the sewers below, and golems and live frogloks along the path toward Trakanon. A key is required in order to enter Sebilis, and was once an extremely popular zone for experience crunching and loot farming, due to its numerous 'camps' that groups can occupy. Almost a dozen full groups can each occupy a separate camp in Sebilis without worry of hunting scarcity.
Skyfire Mountains (45-60): A rocky, fiery outdoor zone with drakes, wyverns and wurms galore. Home of the red dragon Talendor.
Swamp of No Hope (1-25): The Swamp of No Hope is also a starting zone for Iksars, although not as popular as the Field of Bone. Contains a treetop city of frogloks somewhat similar to the Wood Elf city of Kelethin.
Temple of Droga (35-45): The subterranean lair of the Goblins of Mount Death in the Frontier Mountains. Like the Mines of Nurga, Droga was revamped from a low level dungeon to a 55+ level dungeon. Very similar zone, adjacent to the Mines of Nurga."
The Overthere (15-40): The Overthere is a wide expanse of grassland and ruins with a large chasm at its center, housing the entrance to Charasis. The Overthere contains an outpost for the evil non-Iksar races to use as a base in their exploration of Kunark.
Timorous Deep (20-45): The ocean zone of Kunark, connecting South Ro to the Overthere and Butcherblock to Firiona Vie by separate routes. A raid encounter dragon lives here, and various islands occupy hunting and quest opportunities for players.
Trakanon's Teeth (30-50): Commonly remembered as the place where Sebilis is found. Trakanon's Teeth is a dense Kunark swamp, similar to the Emerald Jungle but with rougher terrain, and houses various ruins, rivers and lakes. The answers to finding the key that allows access to Sebilis may be found within.
Veeshan's Peak (55-60): 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, Hoshkar, 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 replaced (2 minute respawn timer) once 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. The zone has since been revamped and a new, though no less difficult, quest has been added for obtaining the key.
Veksar (40-60): A sunken city at the center of the Lake of Ill Omen. Rumored to have been originally an all underwater dungeon similar to Kedge Keep in the original Kunark expansion, but limitations in underwater AI caused the zone to be dropped from release. It was later added as a free download sometime around the Planes of Power expansion.
Warsliks Woods (5-35): A craggy forest on the north shore of Kunark, bordering Cabilis, the Field of Bone and the Overthere. Contains the entrance to the Crypt of Dalnir. Home to a great many goblins, giants and Iksar outcasts.

Velious

The continent of Velious was introduced in The Scars of Velious expansion in December 2000. Due to the shortcomings of the distribution of the Kunark expansion by Verant, the Velious expansion was instead sold by third party resellers.

Cobalt Scar (45-60): Cobalt Scar is a large gulf said to have been created by Veeshan herself when she flew over Norrath and deposited her brood on Velious. The scar was made from her claws. Borders Skyshrine and the Siren's Grotto.
Crystal Caverns (30-45)

File:Crystal Caverns Queen spider lair.jpg

Queen Drachnia and her guardians

Crystal Caverns is a mid 30s to late 40s zone which contains the Coldain dwarf mining town of Frostone. There are principally 5 types of mobs in the zone: orcs, which inhabit the mine shaft; the dwarves in Frostone and nearby; the stalags, which inhabit the bridge room and the left fork tunnel; the crystalline spiders, which inhabit the center tunnel which leads ultimately to the zone's boss mob lair (spider-queen, Queen Drachnia); and the right hand tunnel, which leads to the geonids and the back zone out. It should be noted that this zone out should be considered with caution since it is also the lair of the Coldain Traitor Roderick Tardok, a difficult mob at the levels at which he is usually encountered.
Dragon Necropolis (50-60): Dragon Necropolis is a zone within the Western Wastes and is known for its traps, the wraith dragon for the Sleeper's Tomb key quest, and for its boss-dragon, Zlandicar.
Eastern Wastes (30-50): Eastern Wastes is a wide expanse of tundra inhabited by a variety of wild animals. Inside the Orc fortress is the entrance/exit for Crystal Caverns, and the Crystal Caverns back exit (out of the geonid tunnel) just outside the Orc fort. This fort is also the site of the 8th Coldain Ring War. The zone can be accessed by crossing the bridge from Iceclad Ocean and through a canyon from Great Divide, and houses the western entrance to the giant city of Kael Drakkal.
Great Divide (30-50): The site for the 10th and final Coldain Ring War, a huge zone-encompassing war between the dwarves and the giants. A high end guild or lots of players were required to complete the war in its day.
Iceclad Ocean (25-35): Iceclad Ocean is the 'entrance zone' to Velious and home of Lodizal, the great turtle. Iceclad Ocean is also the home of several pirates, some of which sell spells unavailable elsewhere for several classes.
Icewell Keep (50-60): Icewell Keep serves two purposes to the Coldain: first and foremost, it is the home of their king, Dain Coldhammer, and has meeting halls and other areas of interest; secondly, it serves justice to the Coldain's enemies. Buried beneath the castle is the ancient Pit, a large set of caverns filled with horrible creatures. People condemned by the Dain are sent into the Pit to die. The Prophecy of Ro expansion brought with it the Monster Missions for an augment requiring three parts, one from each of the three missions.
Kael Drakkal (40-60): Home of the Kromzek and Kromrif giants. King Tormax, Derakor the Vindicator, Statue of Rallos Zek, Idol of Rallos Zek and The Avatar of War reside here.
Kerafyrm's Lair (Sleeper's Tomb) (60): 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 on one occaisionhe was). After that the zone's name changes to Kerafyrm's Lair on that server. Entrance to the zone is from Eastern Wastes, and requires a key from a Velious first brood dragon.
Plane of Growth (46-50): Home of Tunare, The Mother of All. Also present in this zone are Protectors of Growth, relatively unique creatures with zone-wide aggro-radius that spawn every thirty minutes.
Plane of Mischief (46-60): Home of Bristlebane, The King of Thieves. Although revamped, it has always been a bizarre zone where anything is possible. Inside it is a tree portal to Cobalt Scar, if you can find it.
Siren's Grotto (50-60): A largely submerged dungeon filled with dangerous monsters, linking Cobalt Scar and Western Wastes.
Skyshrine (35-60): A huge dungeon which also houses one of the most powerful Velious first brood dragons, Lord Yelinak. This zone is not dangerous for those on good terms with the Claws of Veeshan dragon faction.
Temple of Veeshan (55-60): Home of the Claws of Veeshan faction of dragons. The vast majority of end-game Velious items are here, and most of the Velious lore is attached with various dragons living in this zone.
Thurgadin (35-60): Home of the Coldain dwarves and the quest NPC for the Thurgadin Gate potion. It is the place for handing in Kael armor pieces for forging into real armor, dropped by various giants in Kael Drakkal.
Tower of Frozen Shadow (30-60): A mid-level dungeon consisting of roughly 7 different floors of creatures, each with a unique story and design.
Velketor's Labyrinth (50-60): A high level hunting dungeon, notorious for its many crooked icy catwalks that easily lead to lethal falls. Home of Velketor the Scorcerer.
Wakening Land (40-60): A forested outdoor zone where the Plane of Growth and the dragon Wuoshi are found.
Western Wastes (50-60): A wide ranging, icy outdoor zone that features many dragons and other aggressive enemies, as well as entrances to two high-level dungeons (Dragon Necropolis and the Temple of Veeshan). The most powerful dragon in the zone is Sontalak, who guards the entrance to the Temple of Veeshan.

Ykesha

These zones were added by The Legacy of Ykesha downloadable expansion in March 2003. Ykesha added the ability to create and view maps of each zone, which had a huge impact on the ease of navigation. The theme of Ykesha is pirate-based, with the majority of the zones home to powerful, undead monsters.

Crypt of Nadox (45-65)
Dulak's Harbor
Gulf of Gunthak (35-45): An island region accessible by sea from Odus and home to the Broken Skull Clan trolls and the Luggald race. The main island is called Broken Skull Rock, and it is located off the southeastern coast of Antonica.
Hate's Fury (55-65)
Torgiran's Mines (45-65)

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, with minor variations in dungeon layout, which are in fact separate zones, therefore the expansion contains 48 separate zones.The levels of the zones are dependant upon the levels of the characters that enter them.

Deepest Guk - 8 variations based on an undead Froglok (Lower Guk) theme
Miragul's Menagerie - 10 variations based around a frozen zoo of deformed creatures
Mistmoore Catacombs - 10 variations with a Mistmoore vampire theme and home to undead creatures
Rujarkian Hills - 10 variations of Orc lands
Takish-Hiz - 10 variations based upon the Deserts of Ro and the Elves that inhabit them below the surface.

Gates of Discord

These zones were added with the continent of Taelosia in the Gates of Discord expansion in February 2004.

The Abysmal Sea
Barindu, The Hanging Gardens (58-70)
Ferubi, Forgotten Temple of Taelosia (63-70)
Kod'Taz, Broken Trial Grounds (65-70)
Natimbi, The Broken Shores (40-70)
Qinimi, Court of Nihilia (50-70)
Qvic, Prayer Grounds of Calling (65-70)
Riwwi, Coliseum of Games (55-70)
Txevu, Lair of the Elites (65-70)
Yxtta, Pulpit of Exiles (65-70)

Instanced zones

Ikkinz, Antechamber of Destruction (65-70)
Inktu'ta, the Unmasked Chapel (65-70)
Sewers of Nihilia - Emanating Crematory (60-70)
Sewers of Nihilia - Lair of Trapped Ones (60-70)
Sewers of Nihilia - Pool of Sludge (60-70)
Sewers of Nihilia - Purifying Plant (60-70)
Tacvi, Seat of the Slaver (65-70)
Tipt, The Treacherous Crags (65-70)
Uqua, The Ocean God Chantry (65-70)
Vxed, The Crumbling Caverns (65-70)

Omens of War

These zones were added by the Omens of War expansion in September 2004. With the Omens of War expansion came the new epic weapons for each class. Epic 1.5 for the more casual player and Epic 2.0 for the high end guild member. Epic quests involved questing throughout all the previous expansions as well as major tasks in this expansion.

The Bloodfields (55-70): Linked off of Dranik's scar The Bloodfields is a higher level zone with some of the armor quest NPC's as well as a few static and a couple of roaming Named mobs.
Dranik's Scar (30-70): Is the first zone you will see in the Omens of War expansion. It is a mid level outdoor zone with links to several other zones including, Noble's Causeway, The Bloodfields, Harbinger's Spire and the 3 Dranik's Hollows instanced zones. There are several named mobs as well as the armor quest npc's for the expansion located here.
Harbinger's Spire (55-70): An indoor zone as the name implies, Harbinger's Spire is a tower shaped zone. Using stairs players can access different levels that became more difficult as they go up.
Noble's Causeway (60-70): Another outdoor zone, Noble's Causeway is often used as a connection to get to Wall of Slaughter (WoS). Players without wizard or druid transport to WoS have to run through this zone in order to reach WoS. This results in many a train from Dranik's Scar side to WoS side of the zone. Home to several named mobs and quests for some very nice casual gamer items, Noble's Causeway is never lacking in population.
Riftseeker's Sanctum (69-70): Considered to be the Omens of War endgame for casuals, Riftseeker's Sanctum has a level restriction of 70 with many good drops and an interesting zone layout. Split between a red (hot)upper and blue(ice)lower, the zone has mobs of appropriate color/heritage for each side. Upper has a "princess" guild raid and lower has the "prince" guild raid, along with two raid mob encounters. Riftseeker's Sanctum's only entrance/exit is in the middle of Muramite Proving Grounds.
The Ruined City of Dranik (65-70): Another outdoor zone, The Ruined City of Dranik is a high level experience zone. It also hosts the Catacobs of Dranik and Sewers of Dranik instanced zones. ruined City of Dranik is a very large zone and features some very hard patrolling "sweeper mobs", that can see invisible players and generally wreck havoc if you are in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
Wall of Slaughter (60-70): Omens of War's pick up group spot of choice is here in WoS. Many a player spends many an hour here "leveling up" and collecting various item and spell drops. Another outdoor zone, Wall of Slaugher boasts another "sweeper mob" as well as many named camps. Wall of slaugher connects a player to Muramite Proving Grounds and the endgame raiding zone of Citadel of Anguish.
Muramite Proving Grounds (65-70): Another Outdoor zone, levitate is disabled in Muramite Proving Grounds or MPG. MPG quickly became a zone to get a pickup group post level 65. MPG hosts many good camps with named mobs a plenty. MPG also hosts the "trials". The Trials are a single group or raid instance event. Finishing all six raid Trials was part of accessing the Citadel of Anguish. Single group trials awarded the players with different good loot as well as some special AA's only acquired by finishing them.

Instanced zones

Catacombs of Dranik - 3 variations, single group (60-70)
Dranik's Hollows - 3 variations, single group (60-70)
Sewers of Dranik - 2 variations, single group (60-70)
Asylum of Anguish - 18 to 54 person raid (69-70) NOW only 6 are required to get Instance: The endgame zone for EQ players during the OOW period. Players have to finish some major raid trials as well as some single group content. The reward is a zone with the best armor and weapons you could get at until the next expansion came out, as well as the last part to the Epic 2.0. The endgame "boss" of the Cidital of Anugish, Overlord Mata Muram, an encounter that requires guild cooperation.

Dragons of Norrath

These zones were added by the Dragons of Norrath expansion in February 2005. This expansion was similar to the Lost Dungeons of Norrath in that much of the content is instanced zones, with a quested theme, success in which brings a reward in the form of either radiant crystals (for a good expedition) or ebon crystals (for an evil expedition), which can be accumulated and traded with merhcants for spells and equipment.

Guild Hall
Guild Lobby
Lavaspinner's Lair (50-70)
Stillmoon Temple (65-70)
The Accursed Nest (60-70)
The Ascent (65-70)
The Broodlands (50-70)
Thundercrest Isles (55-70)
Tirranun's Delve (65-70)

Depths of Darkhollow

Depths of Darkhollow introduced the idea of "Monster Missions" - the ability to transform into monsters to complete task based quests.

Caverns of the Lost (60-70)
Corathus Creep (45-70)
Coven of the Skinwalkers (60-70)
Dreadspire Keep (65-70)
Dreadspire, The Demi-Plane of Blood (65-70)
Illsalin Market ()
Lair of the Korlach (60-70)
Living Larder (60-70)
Prince's Manor (60-70)
Queen Sendaii's Lair (60-70)
Ruins of Illsalin (45-70)
Shadow Spine (65-70)
Snarlstone Dens (60-70)
Sporali Caverns (50-70)
Stoneroot Falls (45-70)
Stoneroot Falls: The City of Xill (50-70)
Temple of the Korlach (65-70)
Temple of the Korlach: The Council of Nine (65-70)
The Cocoons (65-70)
The Corathus Mines ()
The Hatchery (65-70)
The Hive (45-70)
The Hive: The Lost Notebook (60-70)
The Lodge of the Fang (60-70)
The Nargilor Pits (60-70)
Undershore (45-70)

Prophecy of Ro

The following zones were added in the Prophecy of Ro expansion of February, 2006.

Academy of Arcane Sciences
Arcstone, Isle of Spirits
Deathknell, Tower of Dissonance (65-70)
Freeport Arena
Freeport City Hall
Freeport Militia House
Freeport Sewers (10-20)
Freeport Theater
Razorthorn, Tower of Sullon Zek (65-70)
Relic, the Artefact City
Ruins of Takish-Hiz (50-70)
Skylance (50-70)
Sverag, Stronghold of Rage (50-70)
The Devastation (40-70)
The Elddar Forest (65-70)
The Root of Ro (45-70)
The Seething Wall ()
Theater of Blood (45-70)
Tunare's Shrine (45-70)

The Serpent's Spine

The following zones were added in The Serpent's Spine expansion of 19 September 2006.

Crescent Reach (1-20)
Highpass (revamp) (15-25)
Blightfire Moors (20-40)
Stone Hive (35-45)
Goru'kar Mesa (40-60)
Blackfeather Roost (55-65)
The Steppes (60-70)
Sunderock Springs (63-73)
Vergalid Mines (60-75)
Direwind Cliffs (70-75)
Icefall Glacier (70-75)
Ashengate, Reliquary of the Scale (75)
Valdeholm (72-75)
Frostcrypt, Throne of the Shade King (75)

The Buried Sea

The Buried Sea was released as the thirteenth expansion in 2007. It features both new raids and group missions and the addition of 'fellowships', mini guilds of up to 10 people. By setting up a fireplace, members of the fellowship can teleport to each other and benefit from various beneficial effects while in the vacinity of the fire.

In addition to the usual new armor and weapons, a new slot was introduced to house special 'powersources'. These powersources enhance new armor obtained in TBS expansion depending on the type of powersource that is fitted.

Pirates theme heavily in this expansion.

Barren Coast
Deadbone Reef
Jewel of Atiiki
Katta Castrum
Maiden's Grave
Monkey Rock
Redfeather Isle
Silyssar, New Chelsith
Solteris, the Throne of Ro
Suncrest Isle
Thalassius, the Coral Keep
The Buried Sea
The Open Sea
Zhisza, the Shissar Sanctuary

Luclin

Luclin, a moon of Norrath, was added in The Shadows of Luclin expansion in December 2001.

Acrylia Caverns (50-60): The mines in Grimling Forest continue into the Acrylia Caverns. The zone-in is small and occupied by grimlings. Named monsters in this zone drop items still valuable to lower level players. Some quests in this zone start the war between the Grimlings and the Vah Shir. At least one quest cannot be done unless the Vah Shir are in command of the zone.
Akheva Ruins (50-60): Once a splendid construction with huge, rambling halls and vast meeting areas, the ruins take a while to explore completely. Monsters summon, and the sound of footsteps or spells being cast bring things from under the floors. Akheva Ruins is probably the reason you might not want to hunt the dark race in Shadeweaver's Thicket as there are a lot of them living here. Entering is a little difficult without some kind of invisibility as you pass through the building in Maiden's Eye to reach the zone line.
Dawnshroud Peaks (25-50): A player can enter Dawnshroud Peaks and experience there from the level of 20 until 50 in a group, or from 23 to 59 solo. The large variety and number of monsters, plus the easy access to the Plane of Knowledge, make this a very popular zone for players of all levels.
Echo Caverns (20-40): This zone is known to have a low and a high side, referring to the level of NPC and mobs a player will encounter. The Necromancer spells for the Luclin expansion are located in Echo Caverns through a secret panel zone-in from Shadow Haven rather than being in Shadow Haven with the other class spells. The second zone-in from Shadow Haven is located in the Dwarven quarters. Adjacent zones are Shadow Haven, Fungus Grove, and The Deep.
Fungus Grove (50-60): Accessible from Twilight Sea by using a teleporter in the mage's tower, or from Echo Caverns, this zone is dark and twisted. Fungi and plants abound, some stationary and others mobile. The zone is also home to a number of worthwhile quests.
Grieg's End (45-60): A torturous zone when entered from Dawnshroud Peaks, the entry to this castle on the light side of the moon is a small hall which opens into a room containing 4 or 5 monsters in close quarters. In times past, this hall has had as many as three groups gathering to experience, recovering from a journey into the maze, or actually pulling monsters to the entry. Many of the named monsters near the middle of the zone drop nice gear which has been in much demand in the past (some of which are still nice enough to draw groups). Entering from the Scarlet Desert zone line gives a group a nice, wide, long entry to pull monsters to for a fight, but the zone line is difficult to get to unless the group includes a druid or wizard with the appropriate porting spell to Twilight Sea two zones away. Call of the Hero (CoH) does not work in this zone and some of the monsters can cast an illusion spell which makes members of groups look like the monsters of the castle.
Grimling Forest (20-40): Grimling Forest contains countless mushrooms in a variety of sizes. There are several grimling encampments within the zone and a fort of Vah Shir which includes a bank but no tradeskill world containers. Periodically, the Vah Shir manage to overrun the grimling encampments with the help of players in this zone. The largest grimling encampments are directly in front of the zone lines to the adjacent zones (Tenebreous Forest and Acrylia Caverns). The Vah Shir fort is directly in front of the zone line to Hollowshade Moor.
Hollowshade Moor (10-30): This zone contains three combatant groups: sonic wolves, owlbears, and grimlings. Players may help or hinder these groups in taking over the zone. The zone has a large lake with islands and several caves. There are merchants in the fort for convenient selling. Adjacent zones are Shar Vahl (the Vah Shir city), Paludal Caverns, and Grimling Forest.
Katta Castellum: An ancient city built in the twilight regions of Luclin, Katta Castellum is adjacent to Tenebrous Mountains and Twilight Sea. The city has all the tradeskill world containers: a pottery wheel, a kiln, a forge, a brew barrel, an oven, and a loom. The city is built in a strong defensive position to hold off enemies both known and unknown. Levitation spells don't work in this area at all, so you can't float off of the ledge down to the lower level where the bank is. The inhabitants of this city have no liking for the darker arts and many quests are available to rid society of the vampires and other evil creatures that reside on the moon of Luclin.
Marus Seru (20-40): Low, rolling hills of sand with numerous rocks jutting from below is an apt description of this zone. Home of benign rock creatures and cranky grey rockhoppers with some bandit camps thrown in, Marus Seru connects with Mons Letalis and Sanctus Seru.
Mons Letalis (30-50): Mons Letalis is a zone with deep valleys and high, craggy hills full of rockhoppers, rock creatures, and many other monsters. Nearly all of the creatures agro easily and add-on to any fight (not just fights with their own kind). Furthermore, some of the monsters see invisible, making travel through the zone very difficult and risky, depending on the adventurer. There is a spire-like construction that houses the "boss" of the zone. Mons Letalis borders on Marus Seru and The Grey.
Netherbian Lair (20-30): An ornately constructed, t-shaped hall with a high ceiling and a gigantic pillar at the intersection, Netherbian Lair connects Marus Seru and Dawnshroud Peaks to The Nexus. The rest of the construction was never finished, and its cavernous twists usually return the player to the central hall. Guards patrol the t-hall, but the rest of the zone is dangerous to anyone unable to combat the denizens lurking off the main corridor. Troglytes and Phlarg inhabit the areas of the central hall.
Paludal Caverns (5-25): A popular zone for beginning characters level 10-25 due to experience modifiers, this zone is a large cave that is home to the Recondites, a band of thieves who attack anyone on site. The Recondites share this zone with the Phlarg and Patog fiends who are fungus creatures. This zone is known as being an argument-inducing zone due to its XP bonus which attracts many people, and a lack of mobs to kill, which can cause arguments regularly.
Sanctus Seru (?): A sprawling city with all the tradeskills included, Sanctus Seru's arena and dungeon seem to be a part of the bright, forever-shining environment. For evil-aligned players, the massive number of guards throughout the zone provide a viable hunting option.
Shadeweaver's Thicket (1-30): Shadeweaver's Thicket has hunting in several levels and two separate sides with no need to actually experience the outside world beyond Shar Vahl and Shadeweaver's Thicket until a player is in their twenties.
Shadowhaven: An indoor city on Luclin that is safe for good and evil races. Includes vendors, bankers, and quest NPCs, and is close to The Nexus and Bazaar. Faction plays a part in selling or buying from merchants, but the bankers will deal with anyone.
Shar Vahl (1-5): Starting city for the Vah Shir race (an anthropomorphized, cat-like race). Vah Shir benefited from the citizenship quests required of all residents of Shar Vahl. Many Vah Shir never left the city until achieving level 2, just by completing the citizenship quests over and over again. Many of the quests for armor and equipment required that the Vah Shir turn over their citizenship papers before they were given the quest.
Ssraeshza Temple (50-60): Located in the middle of The Grey, the Ssraeshza Temple is a multi-leveled dungeon with many quest drops for multi-item turn-ins and a wide variety of "boss" mobs, including Emperor Ssraeshza, who must be killed in order to advance to Vex Thal, the pinnacle of Luclin adventuring.
The Bazaar: Prior to The Shadows of Luclin, on most servers, the EverQuest community gathered to buy, sell, and trade items in East Commonlands, Greater Faydark, or sometimes the bazaar area of North Freeport. Each player would announce an offering to the whole zone (usually via the auction channel) and wait for interested people to contact by tell. Players had to stay at their computers and manually complete each transaction. With The Shadows 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, banks, and stables. Due to the number of players gathered in the zone, The Bazaar is notorious for lag and slow response times. Users can buy trading bags and put the things they wish to sell inside them, be it armor, weapons, or quest items. They then choose a price for each item and switch to Trader Mode. Once in Trader Mode, players appear to other players as a standard vendor, and your customers can then buy your things. An interface allows one to search for items available for selling. The layout of The Bazaar was significantly changed at the launch of the Dragons of Norrath expansion. The new Bazaar is larger and includes two halls with several circular rooms containing trader platforms. The red hall is for selling things while in trader mode and the blue hall is for standing as a buyer to buy specific things for player-determined prices (usually more than an NPC vendor will give but less than listed in The Bazaar), or to barter items for other items. Buyer mode does not require specific bags like Trader Satchels. Instead, the buyer must have the cash and items required to buy on hand, along with available space in the inventory. Players who wish to sell items for more than vendor prices may check the interface to barter or to sell items outright to players who set up in the blue hall as buyers.
The Deep (50-60): The Deep is a dungeon full of traps, including a well-known invisible bridge. Falling off this bridge left a player trapped in a huge chasm, unable to escape. The only means of exit is to be teleported out by a druid or wizard, to cast a personal Gate spell, or to use a Gate potion. A druid or wizard was a necessary member of any group until the advent of wide-spread use of gate potions and the "return character to home" feature.
The Grey (40-60): A vast wasteland of grey rock, this zone is completely airless. The vast majority of the inhabitants lie immediately beneath the surface, hidden from view until they erupt to attack the hapless passerby.
The Maiden's Eye (45-60): A lush expanse of rolling hills filled with goranga tribesmen, coterie undead, four armed ladies, and shrouded spooks with multiple sites for both groups and solo hunting. Many spells drop in this zone, which borders Dawnshroud Peaks, Akheva Ruins, and Umbral Plains.
The Nexus: The receiving gateway for transportation from Luclin to Norrath down below. Carved out of solid rock, there are various tunnels leading to separate teleportation pads, each catering to a different location in Norrath. The Nexus proved to be the pivotal moment in EverQuest when players could travel between continents without the need for a 45-minute boat ride, or obtaining a ride from a fellow teleporting player. Like the transcontinental railroads, Norrath suddenly became a much smaller place. The Nexus also developed the concept of the singular 'common zone', a place where every player can safely rest, find groups, sell wares, provide directions from a known location, and generally socialize outside of a combat environment. The Nexus was made less important upon the opening of the Plane of Knowledge in the Planes of Power expansion. The Nexus is still the safest and sometimes fastest way to reach some places if a player cannot find a wizard or druid for teleportation. An example of one such zone is North Karana (the port in spot for the Antonica continent), reachable only by going through three to four zones if you use the Plane of Knowledge portal to Qeynos, Rivervale, or Feerott. If not for The Nexus, there would be more travel through the Bazaar, as the it is the only other way to Shadowhaven and Netherbian Lair, which lead into other Luclin zones populated by many players.
The Scarlet Desert (35-50): This zone houses voracious animal and plant life in a sandy environment surrounded by craggy mountains.
The Tenebrous Mountains (30-50): Tenebrous Mountains is a large mountain range on the dark side of Luclin. Scant foliage lives on the slopes of the hills, and the creatures that inhabit this area are more likely to use sound than sight to find their prey. This is also the home of the rapidly growing coterie of vampires.
The Twilight Sea (20-40): The Twilight Sea is a small, calm sea in the twilight regions of the moon. There are a vast number of islands that dot the sea, and these islands have many residents on them. The sea itself is ringed by cliffs and low mountains.
The Umbral Plains (55-60): Home to several boss mobs with nice "no trade" armor upgrade drops for levels that can not possibly hunt here without a raid. Mobs summon and add on frequently and hit hard for the levels that would make use of the armor.
Vex Thal (55-60): Vex Thal was the end game dungeon in the game with the Luclin expansion. Based on the difficulty of obtaining access to this zone, the preceding raid zone, Ssraeshza Temple, was the hardest zone, boss-wise, in the expansion. Vex Thal was, however, the most difficult zone in the game to raid in due to the enormous amount of difficult trains, pathing problems, and overall difficult monsters.

The Planes

In addition to the physical world of Norath, and its moon Luclin, the game of EverQuest also allows players to adventure in the metaphysical planes, where the gods of Norath live. The planes are generally designed for higher level players.

Original Planes

With the original game release, the game content included three planes.

Plane of Fear (46-60): The home of Cazic-Thule, the God of Fear. The Plane of Fear was the first alter plane in EverQuest, and represented the ultimate achievement for hardcore players at that time; it was the first zone specifically designed to extend the 'end game' experience, and it was the first zone to effectively limit which players could access it (by level, in this case). Because of the high numbers of mobs which gather around the portal into Fear, break-ins were considered exceptionally dangerous, although more recently better-geared and prepared players tend to have trivialised the risk factor.
Plane of Hate (46-50): The home of Innoruuk, the God of Hate. The Plane of Hate has 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.
Plane of Sky (46-60): The Plane of Sky 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. Before being made available to players, the Plane of Sky was the home base for the EverQuest Guide Program.

Planes of Power

These zones were introduced in The Planes of Power expansion in October 2002.

Bastion of Thunder (60-65): Torden, the Bastion of Thunder, more commonly known as BoT, is the home of Agnarr the Stormlord. Killing him is part of the quest to be flagged for the Tower of Solusek Ro, although there is now an alternative (and far less demanding) way of obtaining this flag by means of a simple quest in Western Wastes. It is primarily an experience grind zone for characters between 62 and 65, and the mini-bosses and the wing-bosses are extensively farmed as they are a reliable source of Ethereal & Spectral Parchments (used in the Planes of Power spell quests for level 60-65 spells, and ornate armor turn-in quests).
Doomfire, The Burning Lands (65-75): Also known as the Plane of Fire, this is the home of Fennin Ro, whose essence is required in the creation of the Quintessence of Elements (the key to the Plane of Time).
Drunder, Fortress of Zek (60-65): The home of Rallos, Vallon, and Tallon Zek, three gods who must be defeated in order to gain access to the Tower of Solusek Ro.
Eryslai the Kingdom of Wind (65-75): Also known as the Plane of Air, this is the home of Xegony, whose essence is required in the creation of the Quintessence of Elements (the key to the Plane of Time).
Halls of Honor (60-65): The Halls of Honor are the home to Mithaniel Marr's army. In these halls, three tasks must be completed in order to gain access to Mithaniel Marr himself, who resides in The Temple of Marr. This zone is used greatly by kiting classes because of a large, rectangular area near the entrance of the zone. It is also a zone favored by mid-60s enchanters as a place to practice various charm soloing strategies.
Crypt of Terris Thule (46-65): Also known as Plane of Nightmare B, this is a small zone in which Terris Thule resides. It is solely for the fight against her, and only a few other mobs populate this zone.
Plane of Disease (46-65): Plane of Disease is the home of Grummus, a demi-deity linked to Bertoxxulous. This zone is a popular spot for kiting and charming due to the large number of mobs in the zone and because of its large, open areas. Grummus is required for the flag to enter the Crypt of Decay.
Plane of Innovation (46-65): The Plane of Innovation is an industrial wasteland that surrounds a massive factory. Narrow valleys filled with refuse cut through tremendous heaps of junk, and small niches have been dug out of the junk by old, cast-off clockwork automatons that were long ago replaced in the Factory by newer, more efficient models. These derelict beings retain a built-in desire to exist, and so they scour the factory junkyard for spare parts to help maintain themselves.
Plane of Justice (46-65): The Plane of Justice, also known as "PoJ", is one of the least demanding of the Planes of Power, and entrance mobs are a staple of most players' experience in the mid-to-late 40s. It is also the site of six AA and planar progression quests.
Plane of Knowledge: With the popularity of The Nexus as a 'common zone', the Plane of Knowledge was specifically designed to be the next generation of 'common zone', with tradeskill vendors and tools, banks, guildmasters, teleports to every city, and an access hub to later expansions. Once available only to players who bought the Planes of Power expansion, the role of the Plane of Knowledge eventually became so prevalent that Sony made it available to everyone. Some players cite this zone as being the downfall of what some would call "old school" EverQuest because it creates easy access to nearly the entire game.
Plane of Nightmare (50-65): In the mists of the darker portions of the astral lurks the Plane of Nightmares, home to the horrors that crouch in the subconscious of all creatures' minds. A dense forest dominates much of the plane, pockmarked by many small clearings. The trees are gnarled, their bark twisted into patterns that resemble horrific faces. These sentient creatures are powerful and malevolent, springing to life when any mortal being enters the realm. A river bisects the forest, eventually pouring into a great, murky lake. In the caverns beneath the earth live still more nightmares.
Plane of Storms (55-65): The Plane of Storms is a land of enormous forests, great mountains, scoured deserts, and stormy lakes. The realm is the manifestation of the will of Karana, the Rainkeeper, who resides in his Bastion of Thunder atop Mount Grenidor, which sits in the middle of a vast expanse of open wilderness. Jagged and impassable ridges extend from Mount Grenidor, dividing the land into three areas. Tribes of Storm Giants call this land home. To one side of Grenidor is Krendic, the Desert of Chaos. It is a sea of hard, dark brown stone polished smooth by wind-blown sand. To another side is Renidar, the Forest of Tears. Massive trees grow here and travel is made via their huge branches. Above and below, the trees seem to extend indefinitely, disappearing into a haze of fog. Then there are the plains: large rivers flow down the mountain and across them to empty into a large lake along the southwest border. Shipwrecks can be seen on the southern shore. Some smaller lakes have formed where water has collected on its journey to the southwest.
Plane of Time (60-65): 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 gain access to the Plane of Time. The act of killing the boss mob of Time, Quarm, was the zenith, at one point, of EverQuest activity. There are two versions of this zone: a safe, non-hostile area, and a raid area. When players first enter the Plane of Time, they enter a safe version of the zone where none of the inhabitants are hostile (a version commonly called the Plane of Time A). Some of the non-player characters will chat with the players and provide some lore and back story about the Plane of Time. From this safe version, players can then access the raid portion of the Plane of Time, a separate zone (now instanced) that consists of multiple phases, each with a time limit and its own menagerie of opponents to defeat. This zone is commonly referred to as the Plane of Time B. In the Plane of Time B, a raid force is necessary, particularly in the middle stages when the combatants face-off against more difficult versions of some of the Planes of Power gods.
Plane of Torment (60-65): The Plane of Torment is home to Saryrn, Mistress of Pain. She dwells at the top of a large, black tower with a raven named Sorrowsong. The tower pierces a blood red sky, and blood frequently rains upon her realm. Players must fight their way through the tower to get to her. While progressing through the tower, various victims of Saryrn can be seen while they are being tortured.
Plane of Tranquility (46-65): The Plane of Tranquility contains the entrances to the planes where the gods dwell. The plane is a large island surrounded entirely by water, with a very serene atmosphere. It is said to be the very embodiment of Quellious herself.
Plane of Valor (55-65): It is here in the Plane of Valor that prospective mortal heroes seeking entrance to the Halls of Honor are tested. Upon entry to the plane, heroes encounter an amphitheater that provides access to the rest of the realm. A large, well-maintained cemetery is also found here, bordered by a beautiful forest. A river winds through the forest and feeds the fertile lands. At the river bend, a suspension bridge stretches between two large guard towers, connecting the two shores. The river crossing leads to a wasteland of glass, and beyond that lies the Canyon of Marr. Continuing, one may finally discover the sacred Halls of Honor.
Ragrax, Stronghold of the Twelve (60-65): Also known as the Plane of Earth B.
Reef of Coirnav (60-65): Also known as the Plane of Water.
Ruins of Lxanvom (55-65): Also known as the Crypt of Decay A (upper) and B (lower), this zone is the lair of Bertoxxulous. The entire plane is similar to that of the interior of a mausoleum. The air is filled with a greenish haze, and stone coffins, some open with their occupants missing, are everywhere. The creatures who inhabit this plane resemble decayed corpses in some way or another.
Temple of Marr (60-65): Home of Lord Mithaniel Marr.
Tower of Solusek Ro (60-65): Home of Solusek Ro.
Vegarlson the Earthen Badlands (60-65): Also known as the Plane of Earth A.

Other zones

Monster Graveyard: Not truly a zone, the term Monster Graveyard is one used by popular fansites, such as Allakhazam, to list mobs that have been removed from the game.
Marauder's Mire: A zone that was only available on the now defunct Legends server.
Mines of Gloomingdeep (1-10): A zone from the EverQuest tutorial.; With the patch from June 29, 2005 the (revamped) tutorial now supports players up to lvl 10 (used to be lvl 5 prior to the patch), although it is technically possible to remain in Gloomingdeep until level 15.
Shadowrest: A graveyard zone designed to house decayed corpses once they vanish from the zones they died in. After 7 days, players may visit Shadowrest to retrieve them. The zone can be accessed by talking to one of the appropriate NPCs who will transport the player there.
Sunset Home (CSHome): The 'new' home zone for EverQuest Customer Service representatives (Guides and GMs), created especially for this purpose after their old home area (the Plane of Sky quest room underneath the first island) was turned into a public space and opened to players. This zone contains many vendors that supply items and equipment needed by GMs and Guides in the course of their work, as well as a number of former Guide/GM Avatars honoring the memory of their former owners who are deceased in real life. This zone is not accessible to players since it has no zone lines (it can only be accessed by teleportation) and the zone data files are not part of the normal EQ installation but must be manually added.