This Everquest expansion was almost a waste of my money. Considering I mostly play a melee character, at higher levels I always rely on a group for my very survival. While I liked the new zones with wonderous new creatures to see and/or kill, I found it difficult in my 30's to advance.
I was left feeling that this expansion was put out just to pad the pockets of Sony. A good move, but of course most of the players were waiting for the next big thing, EQ2.
So i'll give this a 6.5 for gameplay and challenge and new zones to lose yourself in.
But this expansion is defintely not necessary for you to enjoy the EQ universe.