VIP or Premium: Making a Decision
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| Free-to-Play Screenshot from www.lotro.com |
Here's our take on the key decision points:
First and foremost is cost. Many people simply do not want a subscription hanging over their heads, even if that is cheaper in the long run. That said, VIP accounts are expected to still be quite attractive to many players. Why? It can be a better deal for active players and you won't have to deal with the restrictions placed on Premium accounts. Also, VIPs will get 500 TP per month to spend as they please, an estimated $5 value.
VIP | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost |
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Next, there are things you simply can't do with a Premium account. If you must have one or more of these features, you'll need a VIP account. Here are the biggies:
VIP | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Monster Play, PvMP | Yes | No |
| Destiny Points | Can earn and spend | Can earn, but not spend |
| Chat, mail, trade | No restrictions | Undisclosed restrictions. In Beta testing, the chat, mail and trade restrictions seem minor. |
Also, you'll need to pay for content and many features as a Premium that you get automatically as a VIP. Content is the chief concern - VIPs get what amounts to a value pack for Eriador, whereas Premiums will have to buy quest packs for any zones they want to experience beyond the first three. Other features we feel could factor into your decision are listed below.
VIP | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Content |
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| Bags and Storage |
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| Trait Slots | No restrictions | 1 or 2 slots per trait type (virtue, racial, class, legendary) with the ability to purchase more. |
| Character Slots | 5 character slots plus 2 if you purchased MoM and another 2 if you purchased the Adventurer's Pack. | 3 character slots plus 2 if you purchased MoM and another 2 if you purchased the Adventurer's Pack.2 |
| Gold Limit | No gold limit | You can only carry 5 gold. Any gold above the limit (either on your characters at F2P launch or earned after) will go into escrow until you purchase the unlock. |
| Auction House | 30 sell slots | In Beta testing, Premiums are getting 5 slots and can purchase more. |
2- If you have more characters than slots at F2P launch, you'll need to choose which characters to assign to your active slots. Your other previously created characters will be visible but not accessible unless you unlock more character slots.
Some Non-factors
Finally, the non-factors for your VIP-or-Premium decision:- If you didn't re-subscribe by June 30th, it's too late to qualify for Loyalty Rewards. I know some former subscribers were disappointed to learn this, but Turbine designed the Loyalty Rewards to reward their on-going subscribers and Lifetime accounts.
- Mines of Moria and Siege of Mirkwood are considered "expansions" - if you already own these all their content and features will be available after F2P launch, you will not have to buy them again, regardless of account type.
- If you bought the Adventurer's Pack, the two extra character slots and 20 slots of shared storage apply to either account type.
- Crafting, housing, music and fishing are available to all account types.
Related Articles
Sources
All the information in this article was gleaned from publicly available sources, including:- Official Turbine Press Release
- Announcement of LOTRO Free-to-Play on www.lotro.com
- LOTRO Free-to-Play FAQ
- LOTRO Free-to-Play Account Type Comparison Chart
- Answers to Your Questions (Forum Post)
- Loyalty Rewards
- Mordor or Bust's Q&A with Kate Paiz
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13 comments:
quote: lifetime accounts are not being offered now
Please note that it IS still being offered on the European servers.
Good to know! Our focus is the North American game, but would love to know about any other differences with the EU version.
"Premium: Free quest packs for Ered Luin, The Shire and Bree-land. but must purchase the quest packs for the other zones in Eriador."
How much do the quest packs for the other zones in Eriador cost?
In Beta these are costing between 600 and 900 Turbine Points. Unfortunately, we don't know yet what Turbine Points will cost in real dollars and the Beta store prices are subject to change.
I would like to see a guide showing how to buy "Lifetime" with TP. In other words, what exactly do you need to buy from the LOTRO Store to unlock everything that a Lifetime subscriber has (except for things that you can't buy that way like monster play; and of course the free 500 TP a month). I know it won't be cheap, but my Lifetime account cost $300, so I'm wondering if it's comparable to do it with TP now.
It would be an interest exercise to do, and I think it's been discussed on the official forums. Remember too that Kate Paiz hinted that they may offer lifetime subs again in the future.
OOPS! I meant my Lifetime cost $200, not $300. I was a Founder; I don't know what Lifetimers paid since then.
"All multi-month subscriptions for LOTRO work out to be less than $10 per month (subscription prices are not expected to change)."
From the account upgrade screen:
12-Months - $143.40 ($11.95/month - Save 20%)
6-Months - $77.70 ($12.95/month - Save 13%)
3-Months - $41.85 ($13.95/month - Save 7%)
Monthly - $14.99
It's disappointing they decided to raise the multi-month subscription rates, despite their earlier statements that they expected them to stay unchanged. I've updated the article.
Travel is not listed, and thats HUGE to so many players. Premiums cannot swift travel without buying an item in the store. Free players are the same. VIP can swift as before.
This very important restriction should be listed.
This article refers to information available prior to the launch of LOTRO F2P. Please see Choosing an Account Type for information based on the current state of the game.
What I Will get when I will be Past Subscriber?
Please see the VIP-to-Premium Downgrade chart at the end of this article: http://lotro.mmorsel.com/2010/09/best-lotro-account-type.html
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