The winners are announced for the SOE/ZAM holiday contest!

The winners have been selected and notified for our EverQuest Franchise Holiday Contest! Thanks again to everyone who participated and shared their wonderful stories, and congrats to all those who won!

• fcoty: Grand Prize Winner of Collector’s Editions of both the latest EverQuest and EverQuest II expansions and an EverQuest Next Landmark Trailblazer Founder’s Pack
• Tragai, Nibz and SakuBowh: Runners-up for the $10 Station Cash (1000SC) prizes
• Mugsynj, scarecrow30, Uthere, Guaria, Noodleydo, newquseio, Charisa, Xenariel, stardast1 and Kluiana: Runners-up for three months of premium on ZAM

All of the winners’ stories can be read after the jump!

Grand Prize winner fcoty’s story hearkened back to the days of Kunark: “I remember raiding the original Veeshan's Peak one night. We were on the verge of wiping to Phara Dar. A full raid was suddenly down to 3 with Phara at 5%. A warrior, a rogue and me, a Paladin. With a combination of LoH and Paladin heals, we finished Phara sweating bullets all the way. Talk about exciting stuff! After getting back some mana, I rezzed a cleric to start recovery and fat loots abound on Phara. The three of us were talked about for months for that win.”

SakuBowh reminisced about Planes of Power: “I have to say that my most favorite place in Everquest is the Plane of Innovation, why there do you ask? Well to be honest this zone has a lot of sentimental value to me. It is the Zone where I met my best friend for life after shouting in the zone chat "Android and Persocom". After annoying a lot of people, we decided to private message each other and I found out that we both shared the same love for Robots and Anime. Another favorite zone of mine would be Tower of Frozen Shadows, I loved how you had to find the keys in order to get to the next floor and how it got harder and harder the deeper you got in. It was very challenging and fun and those are the reasons these two zones are my most favorite.”

Nibz and Tragai are both fans of Kylong Plains!

Nibz: “Kylong Plains would be my favorite place in Norrath on Everquest 2. Why, you ask? Because it has the biggest and in depth scenery of any other zone. The zone itself will make you feel as if you are on an exposition through the mountains or a journey through the giants forest. The quest line is by far my favorite through all the zones I've traveled in. I have some great memories that I never thought I would have before I started playing this game. I'm glad my closest friends showed me this game, cause it has brought some memories that I would never get from any other game. They are the ones that showed me to MMORPGs. Before them I was just playing on consoles. Ever since the first day I made a Fae Paladin in Kelethin my life had changed.

Over all the time and money I have spent on this game, Kylong Plains would be the most desirable zone I have enjoyed PvPing in along with questing. I don't like to quest but I have done the quest line in there on over 10 characters a minimum. It was very hard to decide a zone/dungeon to pick out of but over all Kylong Plains was the one for me to decide on. Even the expansion that brought Kylong Plains to Everquest 2 was my favorite so far from all the expansion we have to this day. I've tried to play other MMORPGs but they are NOTHING like Everquest 2. I absolutely love the game and ALL the zones/dungeons. I've been watching and reading and voting on every single thing for Everquest Next. Can't explain how much it thrills me to see this wonderful franchise to blossom even more in time. Hope this was enough for you guys, I could go on but I should get off here to get to my token grinding with family/friends on my conjuror!”

Tragai: “I would have to say Terens's Grasp on top of the mountain in the Kylong Plains on EQ2. It is a beautiful place full of snow and trees. The best thing about it is that there is a wizard portal there. You can just zone in, jump on a gliding mount, and soar down to the plains below.”

scarecrow30 couldn’t decide on just one favorite place: “When it comes to my favorite zone, I have to think back when I first started playing the original EQ. My first favorite would probably Kithicor Forest. So many times I had to haul ass out of that place when night time fell. Lots of fun back in the day in that zone. Second, Guk was an amazing zone in the original EQ, the trains where by far the most epic. Caused alot of deaths, but the risk vs. rewards was really good. Third, learning to effectively fear kite in the Overthere, when the very first expansion came out for EQ, was an amazingly great time. I play EQ2 now and have alot of fun playing, but there where some amazing things in the early days of EQ that can't be recreated. Granted the visuals in the new EQ2 are far superior, but there is something to be said for the simplistic things that first enticed me to fall in love with the game of Everquest. I have been hooked ever since, and probably will as long as I am able to log-in and enjoy everything the world of Norrath has to offer.”

Mugsynj remembers being a healer in Karnor’s: “There are so many amazing zones in EQ, trying to nail down just one as a favorite was a hard decision. But the zone I chose is Karnor's Castle. As a young cleric it never took long to a find a group in KC. Whether it was in "CY1" , "CY2", "DT" (as EQ Atlas named them) we spent countless hours slaughtering scores of drolvargs, spectres and even those funky giant hands from the Hand Room. Loot was also decent for its time. I fondly remember the Supple Scale Armband I wore for so many levels. Also impossible to forget the legendary trains this place was famous for. And as often the engine for these trains, frantically trying to remember...Which way does everyone zone out again? Left or right?

Great times. Great groups. Great game.”

Guaria shares her memory of love: “My favorite place in all of EQ1 is Nedaria's Landing. On January 26, 2006 myself and my (now RL husband) got married in game at the waterfall, not realizing it would be leading up to July 10, 2010, the date of our real wedding. I'll never forget the zone, and how for once it didn't not rain in it that whole day.

We've come a long way since then but we still enjoy playing the game that brought us together.”

Noodleydo enthuses about EverQuest Online Adventures: “In EQOA my favorite memories happened in Cazic Thule. As an elf paladin (the only one I've ever seen) I spent the better part of 48-50 soloing in CT. I was there soloing and also farming for the rubicite plate gear. Being my first MMO this was my first real gear grind also. That bright red set was such a contrast to most of the gear I had seen I just HAD to have it! Throughout that solo journey I also reached my first max level 50. And if anyone else played it(or other games similar) what's the first thing you do at max?!? That's right pull as many things as elfly possible and do a suicide dive because there's no more exp debt!! After hour upon hour I never did get that full set during that era with bad rng. It wasn't until Frontiers that I went back to my roots and finished the farm and got the full set. Ahh how I miss the game, the good times, and good people during that game.

Great article idea to bring back great memories!”

There’s still more… continue reading on page two!