EverQuest Legends Kerran cat race joins the reboot at launch
EverQuest Legends will let players choose the Kerran cat race when the reboot launches July 28, Variety reported from Comic-Con.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
EverQuest Legends Kerran players are officially getting their claws in on day one. The reboot of the long-running EverQuest franchise will include the fan-favorite cat race as playable characters when it launches July 28, Variety reported.
The reveal came Saturday during an EverQuest Legends panel at San Diego Comic-Con, only days before release. Variety also published first-look images of the Kerran character race.
Executive producer David “Sysyphus” Youssefi told Variety ahead of the panel that the version appearing in EverQuest Legends is based on the Kerran seen on Kerra Isle in the original game, rather than the later moon-linked version from franchise lore.
Can you play as Kerran in EverQuest Legends?
Yes. According to Youssefi, Kerran will be available as a playable race at launch, with original-style models updated through new skins and animations so they work as player characters.
The choice is a nod to one of the stranger bits of EverQuest history. Kerran appeared in the first EverQuest, but players could not choose them as a race there. They later became playable in EverQuest II.
Youssefi told Variety that in EverQuest I lore, some Kerran were moved to Luclin, where they became the Vah Shir, a different cat-like race that players could use. EverQuest Legends, he said, is taking its own path rather than staying locked to every previous timeline beat.
The appetite for the Kerran came from inside the studio and from players, according to Youssefi. He said the team wanted them early in development, and that fan demand for the race grew sharply in recent months.
There is also a very specific cat-lover stamp on the reboot. Youssefi told Variety that the non-player characters on Kerra Isle in the new game have been named after the development team’s real cats.
Who is making EverQuest Legends?
EverQuest Legends is being developed by Game Jawn, a first-time studio, with publisher Daybreak. Variety reported that the team is made up of community members who describe themselves as major fans of the franchise.
The game reimagines the 1999 MMO rather than remaking it beat for beat. Youssefi described the project to Variety as part preservation effort, with the team rebuilding some original zones and adding characters such as Frogloks and Kerran in the older visual style.
The reboot is also being built with a more relaxed pace in mind. According to Variety, EverQuest Legends is designed to welcome solo and casual players while still offering group play for up to four players and raids for up to eight.
Youssefi told Variety the goal is to keep the feel of the 1999 game while making it easier to approach for players who want modern features or a less demanding return to Norrath.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.