EverQuest: Omens of War, often abbreviated as OOW or Omens, is the eighth expansion

Expansion pack

An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...

 released for EverQuest

EverQuest

EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...

, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....

 (MMORPG). The expansion focused on high-level content and introduced new folklore

Folklore

Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...

 to the EverQuest universe, and was often humorously referred to as 'Omens of Warcraft

World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...

' by the player base at the time.

This expansion:

• Added five more levels, increasing the cap to 70
• Introduced new Epic weapons, known as Epic 2.0
• A new Tribute system, allowing guilds to pool tribute points to purchase various effects
• A "task system", intended to "allow players to have quick solo content while waiting for a group to form".
• An expansion of the character Title system, allowing players to choose which available title their character could have, as well as adding a great many more, including tradeskill titles like Expert Chef
• A ninth spell slot, which could be earned via AA purchase
• A voice macro system, intended to allow players to make audible comments to each other.

Zones

• Dranik's Scar
• Harbingers' Spire
• Muramite Proving Grounds
• Nobles' Causeway
• Riftseekers' Sanctum
• The Bloodfields
• The Ruined City of Dranik
• Wall of Slaughter

Instanced Zones

• Catacombs of Dranik
• Citadel of Anguish
• Dranik's Hollows
• Innoruuk's Realm
• Muramite Proving Grounds Trials - 6 group, 6 raid
• Sewers of Dranik

The expansion's final zone, Citadel of Anguish, gained particular notoriety among players who raided in the game as a result of the Overlord Mata Muram encounter. Widely considered the most difficult raid boss relative to it's time in any MMO, the encounter had a unique mechanic which would target a random member of the entire raid and require a specific action take place within a few seconds of the emote or else the raid would be completely wiped out. While the mechanic is now commonplace today, during it's time the boss was widely considered "impossible," to beat until Cestus Dei on the Veeshan server conquered it on March 23, 2005. It would be months before another guild in the game would defeat the encounter.