Rise of Kunark marks the fourth expansion for EverQuest II, and it revises an area well-known to EverQuest lore. Kunark, the continent where the Iksar originated, now makes way for a new race, the Sarnak, a magically born lizard-like race with long jaws that seeks to make its place in the world. Originally used as non-player characters, these new playable Sarnak are smarter and tougher than their brethren. They are an evil race, so they fall along the lines of the Iksar and Ogres, but appear to have a non-confrontational relationship with some of the neutral races.

Building a Sarnak comes with a host of custom options, like scale patterns and horn shapes. Players can even determine what direction their facial horns face and how far they extend, the lizard's version of a beard. It probably seems wasteful to select a scale pattern and color just to cover it all up with armor, but it's nice to have options. The main quirk we saw was in creating a Shadowknight, since it carries a shield on its back, and the horns would often poke through the shield as the Sarnak walked. These lizard creatures also have a funny, exaggerated jump animation that lets them hover slightly and change direction mid-air.

The Sarnak also come with a new starting area called Timorous Deep. Composed of several islands, Timorous Deep looks like a lost tropical paradise with plenty of beach property.

The continent of Kunark is mostly made up of jungle and volcanic terrain, which explains why two lizard races originate from there, but war destroyed much of the landscape. However, that was hard to see when running through the green that covers ancient ruins. The new lands will feature wide open spaces for heroes to adventure through, especially in the Kylong Plains, but the climate subtly changes as they climb up mountains. Green gradually gives way to more earth tones, until they reach up to the frozen heights of the Ryjesium Peaks.

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