Searching for... Clown Nose

Yo everybody.
I’m new to DCUO (well, not very new, I have played DCUO for 3 weeks like 6-7 years ago on PS3).
Now I’m on PS4, and after all these years I have finally completed the main story (that is not hard or long but I have never completed it). I have reached my level 30 and I have started playing the events online, such as Raids, and it is... funny!? Well I can not understand too much because (and I’m not saying that it is wrong) everyone start spamming moves and super moves and I am always the only that is FreeToPlay player (I see it from the skins, auras, power light rings of other users). Well, at least I have started playing the game as I never did it before. That’s cool.
The game is so much “shoppy”, and WAIT, I know that being a F2P it has to “convince” you and “””force””” you.
Howeeever, I have talked with a player that said to me that there is a Vault where you can get free items once per week (being a Freemium player), and I have some questions.
First: I know that it is “Luck based” but... How many attempts does it take on average to get CLOWN NOSE?
Second: I have read on DCUO Wiki that there are 2 Gorillas transformation. One you get from Nature power, the other from Marketplace, with real money. Is it right?
Third: Please, be CALM reading this third question, I don’t want to ruin the game, I know, “JUST SAYING”. Is there a glitch to bypass Vault lock? For example if I get into it and if I can not find anything I log out and then log in again or something like that?
Fourth: All the auras and “space skins” are obtainable only from a market that you can access only being Premium/Legendary?
Fifth: Will the game close up on PS4 in the future, as on PS3?
Sixth: I can not level up now that I’m 30. But I see a yellow number right to my name. What does that number represent?
Seventh: Does someone want to create a new League with me or someone that want to give me 10€ to become Premium? Okay joking...

What a shoppy world!

First: Clown Nose is fairly common. I run it daily and probably get at least three or four a year.
Second: Correct
Third: Nope. Even if you warp in and accidentally disconnect, you're locked out, even if you didn't open all of the boxes.
Fourth: I'm really unaware of any aura you can get as a totally free to play. If you are at least Premium, you can trade for them at the very least. Basic ones ARE in the marketplace, but anyone can buy those (and rocket into Premium status). You might be referring to the Broker/Auction House. If anyone put one up for less than 1500 or whatever free level cash cap you have, I suppose that could work. There is one gear design that has an astral skin like texture to it, that you can get from some Braniac open world missions, but I think that requires some sort of episode purchase. It's really fuzzy at the moment, since I got it years and years ago.
Fifth: No one knows, but probably not.
Sixth: That number is your combat rating. It's a score tallied up from your gear. It lets you know that appropriate level content to run. It's your new "level".
Seventh: No.

Sixth: after 'level' 30 you rise by improving your "Combat Rating" (or "CR"), that is the number next to your name in the game (it use to show your level, now it shows your CR). You improve that by equipping better gear and weapons

Okay but... Fairly common? FAIRLY COMMON? At least 3-4 a year? ONLY 3-4 IN 1 YEAR?!?!?! Oh my God...

There are some people who have never had particular pieces drop from the vault after running it for 8 years. It's a long term thing. RNG is random. Sort of the nature of the beast. I'm sure this thread will now be filled with horror stories of the Phantom Zone Kryptonite chunk and other rare vault trinkets...LOL

That's still not common, that's about 1%

Hmm....

Third: There is no way to bypass the Vault; if you leave before breaking all of the "presents" in the room you are SOL for running it again until next week.

Sixth: Do the Tier 1 content missions (solos, duos, 4 man alerts); that should get you some gear drops to help you level up. You should also be getting marks now, which will help you purchase better gear once you get to CR 43.

I think the astral skin gear you are talking about is the Astral Alloy; I have only seen it in the Prom boxes lately and it does not drop often. I only have 4 pieces of that gear myself.

Astral Alloy gear originally (and still does) comes for the Sub Avatar bounties in Gotham.

I know how RNG works... sadly I know...

1% for that? Oh my...

That translated means that... I can get it F2P?

I don't know about that. The Astral Alloy stuff drops from the Sub Avatars in South Gotham, and those are tied to missions in the Battle for Earth episode.

Not sure. Just stating the lockboxes are not the only way to obtain the style.

What if... I keep creating and deleting Heroes trying my luck on the Vault? If I can remember, you get up to level 6 in 15 minutes. I can skip the tutorial because it would be my Second character. Is it a good idea? Can I switch armors between characters?

You cannot trade any of the style drops in the Vault. You can ACCOUNT TRADE the gold-colored rings and necklaces that are a rare drop.

So no, making a new toon (or 50) will not increase your chances of getting a specific Vault Drop that your main toon can use.

Making new toons does not increase chances of getting specific Vault Drop for main character, and that’s ok. But if the idea is to only get the Clown Nose, no matter if to main toon or secondary toon, is this idea (keep creating and deleting) a good idea?

I have no idea how much your time is worth to you. Between character creation & running the toon up to the point where it can run the vault, then a 1 minute Vault run, you're looking at 15-20 minutes minimum. You get the ticket from Oracle/Calculator somewhere between level 6 and 10.....it's been a while since my last toon.

I also don't know if you get your weekly Free-to-Play run at that point or not. I haven't been Free-to-Play since 2011.

But *if* you do, then theoretically you can run twice on the new toon-----once with the ticket, once as your regular weekly run.

Vault tickets from Promethium Box drops are Account-Bound sharable through the Shared Bank. I *do not* know if the tickets from Oracle/Calculator are Account Bound sharable. I am willing to bet not, since the various Scanners and Bots you get during the Level-to-30 process are not.

I have done it, I have found this tricky method. Now I will explain in the other reply.

Okay, so... I hope this tricky method will help players in the future.
The trick, created by me, is to use a second character, select Hero (because with a Villan you take more time), select Superman (I have not tried with other mentors), skip tutorial (ONLY if you have done the tutorial with the main toon) and do as fast as you can the first 2 missions (kill gorillas and then kill major gorillas and machines). Completing the first 2 missions you get to Level 6, and to access The Vault you need Level 6. So then you access the vault and break presents and see what you get.
You can do ALL of this in JUST 3 MINUTES (yes, just 3 minutes if you go so fast creating character, skipping tutorial and videos and do the first two missions and completing the Vault).
OF COURSE, the things you get from the Vault remain to your secondary character.
If you don’t get what you want from the Vault, exit, delete the character and try again.