EverQuest Next Landmark Gets Name Change, Closed Beta

I always did think that EverQuest Next Landmark was kind of a clunky name. And, true story, I know plenty of people in the gaming industry - devs and journos alike - who don't understand that it's an entirely separate experience from EverQuest Next proper. So I suppose it only makes sense that SOE's decided to shave it down into to a more prim and proper "Landmark" and leave it at that. It's still the same massively ambitious world building tool/game, however, and you can now buy into its rocky yet rollicking closed beta.

You need only purchase a $19.99 (or more) Founders Pack, and that's that: you're in. The higher tiers are significantly more expensive, but they also confer bonuses to things like resource gathering - a tempting boost in a game that, at least in my experience, can be rather stingy with lifeblood for your audacious arts and crafts.

Landmark's toolset is extremely versatile, though, as I've chronicled on multiple occasions. I've built everything from a giant ice cream cone to an entire civilization to an even giant-er ice cream cone, and I feel like I've only scratched the surface of what's on offer.

Who all is in the closed beta already? What do you think? Does SOE have a diamond in the rough on its hands, or a promising toolset surrounded by a lackluster game?