Upcoming Changes for Free and Silver Members

I would sure like my silver account to be able to send mail, or be a trader, and be able to carry more plat around.

gold limits were removed a couple months ago when krono's went in and EQ is getting mail option. I would like to see F2P add options to buy in market place things like the journey mercs and trader unlocks

I know they said it will be coming, 'soon', but would be nice to know if that meant before the anniversary or after?

So with that I'm guessing the patch tomorrow.

Im guessing that too ... but would be nice a confirmation

The original announcement says this week, that's more than enough for me to know it at least happens this week. Giving or taking a day doesn't really affect anything much.

Permanent 100% XP would be great incentive . Every time...when they run 2 exp. it is on the weekends..there are many like me that never or rarely have time available for us to play on weekends since we work and we lose much...the exp would be gratefully useful for me and others.

Nah, xp is sooo easy to get. If you want to change the xp amounts between subscription levels, just make silver accounts earn 75% of the xp as a gold member, and bronze can earn 50% as much as gold. There, happy now that you get more than someone else?

I think you miss the whole point of incentives for subscribing.

I agree, the closer Silver and Gold accounts become, the lower the incentive to go Gold in the first place.

A lot of strong comments here from the gold crew - good thoughts. My perspective on this is different.

I am simply not willing to pay a monthly subscription. I have a job that takes a lot of time. I have kids and a wife who take a lot of time. Subscription based pricing makes no sense for me because I will go two months without firing up any game.

That said, I will pay money - maybe even a lot of money - to play the game I want to play. . .when I want to play it. I am happy to see bag slots go up and classes / races unlocked, but I would have paid for those things. I would actually pay quite a bit to unlock journeymen mercs. . .maybe even $30 or $40 to have access to one. The same is true for expansion content although I think the prestige system makes little sense.

In summary:

1. Without silver, I never would have come back. EQ would never have gotten the $30 or so I have put into it for the last couple of months.

2. Sony costs do not really decrease if I am not here. The money they get from me costs them nothing because they are already maintaining the game for gold players. That revenue is HIGHLY incremental and not cannibalistic, because almost all of you gold folks are playing level 90-100 content and many are raiding.

3. Giving me access to 10 bags and new classes does not really help or harm the game experience for gold members. You guys are playing a different game than I am. Join us if you want, but I don't think you will. See you have already invested too much in the gold features and that is exactly what I am trying to avoid (for now anyway).

4. This trend will only continue because it makes SOOOO much economic sense for it to continue. Costs are fixed. Gold is paying for end game content. Silver is pure profit and lets them monetize work that was done over the last 14 years.

Gold membership is really suited for the highly active player or the player that needs the best and the latest. Why not let the silver be "Gold Like", but living a couple expansions in the past. That content stands as well today as it did when it was new and silver players can pay, just like gold players did when it was new but in a different way, ie. ala carte. The more unlockers that can be paid for the better. I'd only draw the line on the latest content's top notch gear or make it so expensive that you may as well subscribe to use it.

If you want to be cutting edge go gold!

These changes sound great, I'm just curious if this will open up bazaar trading for silver accounts, and if not why not at least make the trader ability purchasable as a service from the sc store.

I would like to think I am the customer SOE wanted when they went F2P.

I started with EQ in P3-Beta and played until POP was released. Due to RL drama/dating (anyone remember EQFaces?) being mixed up with someone from the uber guild of my server at the time. It was suggested that I should leave EQ. I went on to other games and enjoyed some of them.

When I heard about EQ going F2P I decided to come back. My original account is so long gone I felt it would be impossible to reclaim. I had given it to a co-worker who about a year later at a different job, gave it to his co-worker. Even it wasn't for the second transfer I lost touch with the original co-worker 5+ years ago.

So I made two new accounts 2 boxing a warrior and a cleric, the bread & butter of EQ. I got through the tutorial and moved on with 2 DPS mercs rogue & wiz. When I got to Old Seb (I love that dungeon) a Tolan's Bracer dropped and I got nostalgic. Even though I was in my 50s I felt a connection with EQ again so I upgraded the Warrior to gold and re-rolled a Ranger, what I started with so many years ago. Of course changing 1 merc to a tank, but since I was gold he was a JM.

When I got to appropriate levels I stopped for AAs. Making sure I picked the right ones for the Cleric. When he hit 250, and still liking the game I went silver. Then when he approached 1,000 around 72, guess what I now have 2 gold accounts.

Now that they have opened all races/classes combos. I have already laid out a plan to power level 2 or maybe even 3 toons. I have already started buying/farming the gear since I have plans for them. First stop will be the old faithfuls at 51, Naggy/Vox. In hindsight I wish I had stopped in to say hi with my Ranger/Cleric +mercs now that I have seen/read strats on people soloing/moloing those dragons that use to take 40+ man raids that sometimes failed. After hitting them a few times I will continue leveling them. I am not in a race to hit 100. I enjoy checking out the entire world of EQ.

One of the accounts will remain Free, a druid for ports/buffs/utility.

The other 2 will be Silver when they hit 250 AAs. And possibly could become gold when they hit 1,000 AAs. Depending on my skill in 4/5 boxing.

At the very least SOE got 2 new gold accounts for going F2P.

For the record I play mostly on weekends (if not working) 3-5 hours each day and I feel I get my money's worth.

One thing I would like to see in the game for free/silver accounts is the ability to use sc to purchase the bazaar trader. Hard to sell stuff that other players need without it. having a gold account and 2 silver accounts I would rather spend my time on my gold account and let a silver account be in trader mode.

If you sell a fair amount, you can use those sales to buy Krono. That's what I do anyway.

I think the people assuming that most or all silver players are living a few expansions or more in the past really should look more into what is available to silver and free players and where they are actually playing. I know plenty of silver and free players in more current content.

Disregard

Patch said that - EverQuest has extended the benefits available to Free and Silver level players! See http://www.everquest.com/free for details!

but the link is not changed yet?

Checked my F2P and it seems all stated changes are active, and Bazaar traders/buyers are not likely to be allowed on F2P even for an unlocker - Gold status will be perma required so that folk don't get to have free characters used in the bazaar. I have a bazaar trader that i put up when i don't need my Magician and it would be handy to have a full time seller, and maybe a full time buyer, but then so would just about everyone else