EverQuest: Battle Royale

[Secrets]

Some changes for the release today. The goal is to make things more accessible for new players, less jarring when you die and generally more on an even-level playing field for everyone:

* Food / Drink have returned to merchants. The changes to fishing are still in.
* Races who can normally use kick can once again use kick.
* Players now start with a Short Halberd*, which is a 2 handed slashing weapon with 8 dmg / 51 delay for jousting purposes in PVP.
* Players now start with a Fire Wedding Ring*, which is a +55 hp ring with 5 ac. The intent with this item is to make initial leveling & general pvp less brutal for players so that they do not get one shot by spells early on.
* There will later be quests ingame to upgrade the Fire Wedding Ring* and Short Halberd* which involve a mixture of PVP and PVE goals.
* Added a Backpack* to new players. It has Large capacity, and 8 slots.
* Players now start with a Club* and Club* has had its damage/delay changed to 3/24.
* Droprates for global mobs per-level-range have been increased to 50% for a single drop and 35% for an additional drop. This is to make re-gearing upon death less brutal.
* Lord Elgnub in Blackburrow's snake pit has had his HP doubled, class changed to Warrior, and spell list removed. He has significant buffs to one of his resists. He is considered the 'boss' NPC, and drops hotly contested items. Will you be the one to slay him?
* Portal/Gate spells have been removed from global loot tables.
* The level range on PVP has been increased to +/- 4. (up from +/- 3)
* Starting spells are now scribed and memmed on character creation as opposed to having to scribe/mem them on first login.
* Kick can now be used by races that can normally not use the ability, starting at level 5.
* Captain Rohand in South Qeynos now sells (for free) the Short Halberd, Club, Dagger, Fire Wedding Ring, and Backpack for players who have lost theirs.
* Short Halberd, Club, Dagger, Fire Wedding Ring, and Backpack (with * in their name) are now lore.
* Various Qeynos area quests have had their EXP gain removed.