THE EVERGLADES, Fla. — This morning the National Park Service announced that the Florida Everglades would be officially designated as a level 17-35 questing zone as part of the upcoming Sunshine State expansion.
“I think players are going to love the variety of content we’ve included in the Everglades zone,” said NPS Deputy Director David Vela. “We’ve got some of my favorite quest lines in the country, two amazing 5-man instances, and some groundbreaking new features that we’re excited to roll out soon. Whether you’re fighting off a horde of Addled Face-Eaters in the Underground Meth Lab dungeon, or farming invasive Burmese Pythons to unlock the epic alligator mount, this zone is sure to have something for everyone.”
The Everglades zone is the first of four new playable locations set to release next summer. The expansion will include new class specializations such as “Gator Hunter” and “Mostly Cuban,” a Florida Man world boss encounter, and the first government-sanctioned player-versus-player action since 1865.
“Thanks to the high political division and lax Florida gun laws, the Everglades will be our first open-world PvP area, where players can battle faction versus faction as they fight for control of the zone,” Vela continued. “Republican players will be working to destroy portions of the wetlands to build industrial developments, while Democrat players will be doing the same but pretending to feel bad about it.”
Vela noted that, depending on player feedback, the rest of the country could be open for PvP as soon as November, 2020. The NPS has assured players that while temperatures in the area may be uncomfortably high, the zone will still be fully traversable on foot.
“The heat won’t kill you,” Vela clarified. “However, the humidity will.”
Some players have expressed concern at the expansion’s seeming focus on low and mid-level content, but the developers claim that they haven’t forgotten about their most dedicated fans.
“We know that most players in Florida are at or near the level cap,” Vela said with a wink. “And for those players, I have two words that should excite you: Shuffleboard Raid. That’s all I can say for now!”
Check out the newest episode of the Hard Drive podcast where we watch and discuss every episode of 1989’s The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
