Pre-Order Bonus

Is it just me that thinks this years pre order bonus item, Mearatas Rock Gardenis, is a disappointment? Not everyone can afford to buy the collectors version and get the good stuff, but this just seems like a big zonk in the pre order gameshow.

To call it lackluster would be being kind.

To be fair(?), the last couple pre-order bonuses were also housing items, weren't they? I agree that it is disappointing that they stopped including anything useful in the standard edition.

I think what many of us want is just the teleport item. But it's not worth 40-50 to me. 10, maybe.

If there was no reason to buy the collectors edition, then no one would. Cant wait to get my carpet...

EQ2's Pre-Order Bonus is a Jann/Djinn/Efreeti illusion with major staff buff. EQ2's regular edition also includes a Level 110 Heroic Character. It's a much better deal but there are concerns with EQ2's population so I understand why they get a better package. I am guessing they will be running an "All Access" log in for an illusion promo around expansion launch for EQ1.

Edit: I think it would be cool if the Rock Garden teleported to Stillmoon Temple or Plane of Tranquility.

If they had a middle tier with the port clickie for $10-20 more than the base, I'd buy it on my other accounts. I'm not paying $55 to have ports on those accounts. It's finding the balance to maximize profit by finding the sweet spot to upsell more versus people just deciding to go cheap.

Now, if they can get enough people that value the upper 2 tiers to buy them at inflated prices versus those that decide to go cheap but would have bought at a lower price, they can come out ahead. It all depends on if their bean counters guessed the right price points and addons to entice enough people. The Premium Edition pricing is really where they're trying to get die hards to give them money for nearly no extra value.

I pre-ordered the Premium edition mainly to support DBG and for the guild to have a port to the starting city in TBL. I'm quite certain a few others in IL will do the same.
I don't look at it as paying some inflated price for little return. I look at it as throwing some green at DBG that helps them continue to develop a game that I love, one that I've been playing for nearly 2 decades and I get a little extra bonus in return so that's a win for both them and me.

At some point, they need to earn that money. Shrinking and lackluster products don't deserve such a premium. It's a two way street. If they want to keep our loyalty, they need to do more than go through the motions. If you keep rewarding someone for doing the minimum, they'll keep doing the minimum.

I want to support this game and have it keep living on. But I don't want to be playing something that's a shell of its self. It's my form of daily entertainment. I want it to be entertaining.

Khatt has a point. In this day and age of "Go Fund Me" and Star Citizen-level crowd funding, purchasing an expansion to support the game is not an anomaly. You can also purchase the basic edition and wait for the 50% discount in one year's time.

Been nice if they came out with a new expansion themed house.

Andarriel

Disapointed to see there is no bonus at all for purchasing the standard edition, so anyone purchasing standard edition after 11th December gets no bonus at all.

Housing item for the freebie?? Great another item to clog up my claims window. Will either get the premium edition per Khat or wait.

How many people get premium on multiple accounts? I will not buy 4 of em.

Could not agree more, the same reason I always buy that tier. I still enjoy the game any when I think about the use I get out of it over the year I would buy a tier for twice as much if available.

It's a preorder bonus. If it was a bonus for buying the new expansion at any time, it would just be the new expansion and not a bonus at all. New AAs, spells, disciplines, gear / items, zones, raids / missions / quests...

I blame Thrill, that is all.

Just preordered collectors edition. I am happy. That is all.

Who the hell is using housing items especially since this year? The most items disappeared into oblivion. Btw who needs a crappy painting - filling up the claim-window and have no real use except possibly disappeared. I even would not realize if in some lonely room of the guild where all the useless staff rots some parts would vanish... I should look in the cellar... have dumped all the trash inside it... would not be surprise if it is empty

I miss when pre-ordering gave a discount.

I miss when you actually got something worthwhile for buying a standard expansion. I know its been ages but I don't see why they can't toss a bag into the standard expansion. It really doesn't cost them anything.