We're just waiting on you now, Ultima Online. Legacy MMO EverQuest is joining the likes of World of Warcraft Classic and Old School RuneScape with a new release mirroring the original 1999 release. However, while changes to vanilla World of Warcraft and RuneScape were minimal, EverQuest's "classic" treatment makes some key changes to acknowledge that people who played the game back in 1999 are probably at least in their mid-30s now, and presumably don't have the amount of free time they used to.
I can certainly relate. I grew up playing Ultima Online and, as 12-year-olds are wont to do, viewed EverQuest and its player base as existential threats to my identity. In 2026, I'm hyped for EverQuest Legends for two reasons: it gives me a chance to finally experience what I can now admit is probably a bangin' MMO, and it also respects the fact that I don't have a summer vacation to play the game every day, all day for three months like before.
Put succinctly, executive producer David Youssefi tells PC Gamer that EverQuest Legends is "for people who don't have time to play EverQuest," which I'd imagine is somewhere around 99% of the 30-plus population. Very wise move, indeed.
"EQL has been designed from the ground up to appeal to players who enjoy playing their games solo and/or casually," reads the description on the game's official website. "While groups (up to 4 players) and raids (up to 8 players) are available, the entire game can be played, enjoyed, and experienced solo if that’s your playstyle."
Specifically, EverQuest Legends will empower you "to create immensely powerful characters" by letting you choose and combine two classes when creating your character and then another at level 10. That'll open up an unfathomable 560 class combinations by Daybreak's estimations, which should be a field day for people who like to tinker with builds, but more importantly, it'll help you "gain the ability to take on the most difficult game content, whether alone or with a small group of friends."
Daybreak says the "additional power provided to player characters and the many benefits of a modernized gaming experience" will help old, tired MMO vets like me "progress through the game at their own pace and to forge their own adventures, whether alone or with others.
"Even a solo player can build a character strong enough to take on the toughest challenges and acquire the most epic gear in the game," it says.
EverQuest Legends is on track to release in July 2026, but you can sign up for the closed beta here. That's set to go live next month.
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