EQ going Free to Play in March

EverQuest related news and other things relevant to all members.
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vlada
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EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by vlada »

http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_ ... nth=012012
/Tell Norrathians INCOMING BUFFS!

Hello everyone - I hope you all are doing well early on in the New Year! With an exciting Veil of Alaris expansion just released in November, we're thrilled to announce the next big adventure for EverQuest®. After listening to your feedback and suggestions over the past few years, I'm happy to announce that in early March 2012, EverQuest will be going free-to-play.

We're excited to be expanding the EverQuest experience by making the game more accessible to every type of player so that you can choose to play the game in a way that suits you best. Anyone who wishes to start, return or continue to play one of the "Best Games of All-Time" can simply download and play EverQuest on their terms – think of it as Free to Play, Your Way. Recurring subscriptions, non-recurring subscriptions, Silver or Free memberships, item unlockers, and more. The game will now be setup to be flexible so that *you* can decide how much to pay, based on how much fun you're having.

EverQuest players are some of the most loyal, long-standing players of any MMO in existence. With the gaming landscape changing every day, we want to ensure we continue to evolve the game to keep players engaged and bring in even more new players to further expand the community. With no up-front costs or required membership, we might see a new player or two along the way, and more people is always a good thing!

Once we go free-to-play, here are some of the upcoming features and events you can expect:
On Friday, March 16th, EverQuest becomes a teenager: 13 years old!!! We will be having some extra added events in the game starting that week leading up to that Friday and we're introducing some new items within POK to let you know what's in store.
With the free-to-play launch, a renovated everquest.com website will be unveiled and after that, we will bring you upgraded EQPlayers pages.
We have improved the functionality of our Map system! Some improvements include being able to view appropriate level content for your character on the map, allowing you to find zone lines much easier; and also showing you your wisps on the map to help navigate to where you want to go!
Also at the free-to-play launch, all players will receive a Welcome Pack containing items to add to your gameplay experience. You'll be able to summon a unique Mercenary to fight by your side and we're including some Bayle Marks to help pay for the services of your newly summoned Mercenary. A couple of Experience Potions are also included to help you increase your experience gained while adventuring. For all the collectors that like to show off all the great wares to your friends, we're giving you an item to display in your home and add to your collection. And finally, you'll be able to customize the appearance of one of your weapons with a Weapon Ornamentation - also included in the Welcome Pack. So be sure to check the claim window for your free gifts.

We, the EverQuest dev team, are very excited about this new flexible system. Free-To-Play is the best fit for EverQuest and we are looking forward to supporting the game and our dedicated fans for years to come. This is a great year for everyone associated with EverQuest and SOE. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what's coming in 2012.

One last note, we will be doing a Community Webcast on Thursday February 2, 2012 covering all of the exciting free-to-play details. Please be sure to send in any questions you might have via the Facebook page or Twitter so we can respond with answers during the Webcast.

See you in game very soon!

Thom Terrazas


EverQuest Producer
AKA "Phathom"


http://www.everquest.com/free/
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Danille
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Danille »

Excellent news!
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Voragath
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Voragath »

Here is the link to what you will get per tier of access and a FAQ (the FAQ is a tab on there):

http://www.everquest.com/free/

Additionally, Piestro stated that there will be a way to pay for subs in advance at a discount:

http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/posts ... 56#2762984
Last edited by Voragath on Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Jedis
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Jedis »

Moved to Announcements so it's on the front page.
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Cindayen1234
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Cindayen1234 »

So if i dont pay i get limitied to nothing?
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Miphon
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Miphon »

This surprises you? SOE still plans to run the game to make money. If you're playing enough to get serious enjoyment from it, you should be paying.

If the game draws in fresh blood through the limited, free to play accounts then we all win through higher server populations.

The only risk as I see it is SOE getting greedy and putting things for sale in the marketplace that substitute for real, in game effort, ie stat gear.
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deadman1204
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by deadman1204 »

So does this make the game more likely to last longer now? FtP seems to be a business model that works very well for Sony
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Sillaen
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Sillaen »

deadman1204 wrote:So does this make the game more likely to last longer now? FtP seems to be a business model that works very well for Sony
It does. FtP will draw in new, old and retired EQ players as well as players that didn't feel like and/or couldn't afford to spend $ to play EQ anymore. Also, it stands to reason that a % of that FtP base will be hooked enough to move up from FtP to one of the paying subscriptions for a better gaming experience. This is a win/win model for everyone, especially SoE.
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Danille
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Danille »

deadman1204 wrote:So does this make the game more likely to last longer now? FtP seems to be a business model that works very well for Sony
Absolutely. It a great business model that is sweeping the entire MMO industry. You get your customers to sample your product, draw them in for free then charge them micro transactions to continue playing. The more they love the game, the more they spend. Monthly revenues for EQ2 increased six times when they changed to FTP and EQ2 cant hold a candle to EQ1. F2P prevented DCUO from becoming a disaster. It is a good estimate to say that if the F2P model doesn't work, it will be a very bad thing for the future of EQ. I bet Vanguard is next, if it isnt too late for them.
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Lifnuker
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Re: EQ going Free to Play in March

Post by Lifnuker »

Old eq mag thinking about coming back. but got a question


What I dont like or understand is that one of the selling features of an expansion is the AAs so I bought it for the AAs . Now as a free player i can have 1000 aas. I just dont feel that its right. Will they be away to buy more AA, or reset the AAs?

I have 3 accounts. I will turn my Mag into the pay account and will keep my other 2 will be the free. I am glad this is happening.
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