The Zones of EverQuest are fictional areas within the fantasy EverQuest universe, the setting of the video game EverQuest, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. This setting includes the fictional world of Norrath and its associated locations which are divided into more than 400 "zones". Zones are areas that can be accessed by players, and are connected by "zone lines"; crossing a zone line is called "zoning" (a mechanic that was reduced in the sequel game, EverQuest II)) and can take anywhere from several seconds to several minutes, depending on the player's computer and connection. Zones are the smallest unit of seamless playable area in the game, and are stored on the player's hard drive. An area such as a city might be comprised of two or three smaller zones (a la Freeport)