EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark Launch Q&As

EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark's Scott Hartsman and Tony Garcia each address several questions about the newly launched expansion pack over at MMORPG.com. First up is the interview with Scott:
Q: Regarding epic weapons are any of them similar to their EQ1 counterparts or are you using a whole different kind of system to determine their statistics?

A: We considered adding Dexterity and Charisma as stats to the system so as to better replicate the originals, but then realized that we didn't need to make them exactly like EverQuest epics.

Just kidding.

These weapons are tuned to be just as desirable, both the group versions and the raid upgrades, as their EQ counterparts, but they are very distinctly designed to fit into EverQuest II, with effects that are tailored to the expanded roles that the EQ2 classes play.

I wish I had time to answer the complete set of questions I did try to pick a large cross-section to make sure that all of the general topics were covered. We look forward to seeing you in Kunark!

And then the Q&A with Tony, which focuses entirely on the expansion's creatures:
Q: Where did you find inspiration for the Sokokar design?

A: This beast goes back to the days of the original EQ expansion, the Ruins of Kunark. It was designed to be another creature created by the blending of two races together, something the iksar were dabbling with. The sokokar never made it in to the game, but their lore still existed. It is not until the Age of Destiny that we get a true glimpse of one of the original lost creatures of the Ruins of Kunark. We kept true to the original description and concept art.