Feel the Wind Beneath Your Wings with the Aerakyn Player Race!

They recently did a "all Holiday items are on the Marketplace for a week" thing. If they are gone tonight I would expect them to return not long from now for purchase, at the very least well before next NoTD. There's also the possibility SoE is keeping all items from in-game Holidays up year-round just because of their popularity!

I just logged in at lunch, and got the wings with the 10% discount. Thanks for reminding me of it.

Man, I had my 2000 SC all ready thinking this was going to be like Freebloods. I'm not paying 2000 SC for a crippled Aerakyn. I'm not paying another 2200 just to make him what he should always be, either.

Maybe the devs are treating this like the Freebloods. The freebloods had the extra appearance weapon claw for sale, along with the cloud of bats mount and the freeblood manor. At least the freebloods came with one appearance weapon claw. I still find the Aerakyn race over priced at 4200SC. I don't consider the the 2000SC version a full race since it's gimped in regards to the wings.

Even worse, 4200SC is more than what the entire expansion costs. Really SOE?

That's the thing. The Freeblood is a "complete" race as is. The cloud of bats is nice, but it wasn't held up as one of the selling points of the race, and quite frankly I don't feel the need to see my Freeblood using it (especially after seeing it in game). It's a 'cool' feature, but not really a necessary one for the race to function.

The entire functionality of the Aerykan has been sold to us as a "race with working wings" (at least at level 85). Now we find out that's not true. So for the price of a freeblood, you get a race with big wings hanging off its back that don't do anything. To see how that really works in game, pick any race that can't fly yet, and give them a set of wings as an appearance mount.

Does that look good to you?

Way too much money, Sony. Very disappointed with the hype getting the customers worked up and excited only to put it at a very steep price. I thought the idea of the market place was micro transactions. 42$ is so not a micro anything....

What I noticed that differs from all the other races is that you do not recommend classes (They would make great fighters or priests, for example). I am guess they are fighters only due to no other information given on specific class(es).

Feel free to correct me =)

As so many others im pissed that this race isnt included in expansion, no way im gonna pay that much on top of sub. I will have to manage without race and xpac

I'm taking the optimistic approach with all of this. Based on what I was expecting to pay for the pre-order collector's edition and the new race, I'm actually saving $40 by not buying either due to the ridiculous prices.

While feeling a tad redundant posting on this thread, where my sentiments will more or less echo what others are saying, I think its at least important to add my support for the community outrage.

The pricing for the new aerakyn race comes on the heals of the Labor Day 'sale' scam that SoE pulled by announcing a big sale on marketplace items and then ninja raising the pricing on the ones we were all saving to buy. Then yesterday, I was able to claim my 11-year vet reward only to discover that it's only one per account and not one per char (or even one per server) as with every other vet reward. Or the lack of a pre-order discount this year and the inability to even pre-order the new expansion at all (when we know launch day is a cluster as it is). As a SoE subscriber since before EQ2 launch day, this current trend with Sony has been alarming.

From having been at SoE Live, and heard the speeches by SoE representatives about a sense of community, looking out for one another, etc., it seems rather odd that SoE is showing this lack of regard for the community in some of their actions.

I'm in business as well, and no oblivious to the fact that these guys aren't Unicef...I get that the goal is to make money. However, there should be SOME limits to profit above all. There should at least be respect for the loyal community that has stuck with this game for so long - given the multitude of choices out there. For me, what has been most disconcerting has been the lack of any really meaningful reply from SoE on our concerns. I truly hope SoE is listening, because it doesn't seem like it.

Yeah, I haven't been too pleased over how they are doing this. When I heard about the expansion and the new race I was happy. Ever since I first saw the Aerakyn I thought they looked awesome.

Then to read they are NOT included in the expansion and cost extra... So if I want the Noble and Collector's Edition I'm paying around $118 (with the 10% off).

They should've been included, normal Aerakyn in SE and Noble in CE. Then for those that don't want the expansion they can just buy the race from the Marketplace if wanted.

Prices without discounts for simplicity.

Expansion vs Collector's Edition expansion and full Aerakyn race, 39.99 vs 131.99. No brainer here, expansion only.
Expansion vs expected price for collector's edition and Aerakyn race, 39.99 vs 79.99. Easily get CE and Aerakyn.

Well, I only wasted 45 minutes of my time reading the first 4 pages and the last page of this post, but I would venture to say that there is not one response by any SOE associate through this entire thread, eh?...funny how that works...

If nearly 300 comments by people who all feel the similar about this topic, although some are more passionate about it than others even to the point of /quit, doesn't raise any level of concern...that boggles me a tad bit. I know 290 (likely to grow a bit) is only a small percentage of the gaming population, but there are some basic statistics that can be derived from this small pole sampling.

I personally just returned after a 2.5 year break and, I already have dropped nearly $180 is SC and buying the the ToV expansion, just so I could catch up to be able to play in the new zones and have a few characters to do it with. Now, although I may not be as passionate as some people, I have to drop another $81 (with all-access discount), if I want the bonus mount and gear upgrades (which is all I really want/need for faster progression), plus another $38 ish (with all-access discount) on the new race that I may not like? Haha, that is a "no brainer"... I will pass on the "race card" tyvm!

Yes, I do see the sales benefit of breaking it out of the expac and selling it separately, for those who do not buy the expac, and ftp players who want to pay for some things (that a good business decision), but common basic business sense would have been to add this to the CE expac and charge a bit more (say like $110) to get the fully equipped new race, along with all the other goodies for your "loyal paying" players. Honestly, I would have paid for it, even though I am not all giddy about the not-so-dragon-looking dragon like race. Al least then, with my all-access discount, it would have been nearly as ridiculously priced...When the cost of one toon exceeds the price of a basic expac, that is a bit too much...which is clearly the theme and demeanor of this entire thread!

I will gladly do without, and thanks SOE for saving me the extra Cash by not including it in the expac! It is not rocket science to clearly see that the marketing/sales department need a refresher course on how to improve product marketing and sales! ;D

Soe Announces a new Playable race... Cool, (thinks to myself) I wonder if they will do it like the Frogloks, where we got a New Raid Zone (Spirits of the Lost) and a new playable race your account was flagged for.... BUT I READ ON... and Players will be able to purchase the new Aerakyn race from the EverQuest II Marketplace beginning November 11, 2014
WTF is with SOE selling everything and anything they can ingame. Stuff that used to be fun aquiring and offered to us throught questing and such is now a Marketplace item.. the marketplace SOE has a woodie for it .. they seem like a junkie tryin to pawn anything they can get there hands on just to get a fix.. new race - marketplace, new class - marketplace, new mount - marketplace, first born - marketplace, new wife - marketplace.. I know as CEO and a company your always tryin to expand your profits, but there is a line in which you crossed along time ago when you started selling everything... instead of making things the players can get involved in.. if marketplace was open when Kingdom of Sky came out.. Im sure instead of questing and building the spires, you would of sold the portals on marketplace...or when frogloks came out you would of sold them instead of doing the world event.. we all know what you did when the Beastlord came out.. I can see maybe a playable class having to pay, but a Playable RACE? your talking cosmetic.. and Im sure there will be a potion in which you can turn into the race eventually too.. Before you know it.. youll be selling RAID passes on marketplace for each guild to enter a new raid zone...

Lol, can I buy more than on, and change their appearance with "shave and a haircut"?

I just tried buying the Noble Aerakyn and it says the market place is offline atm

...and if you did not buy CoE (yes, some have not be it member or F2P) and want an Aerakyn as a Channeler you will be buying access to the Channeler class as well as of this release of AoM.

Now I really have nothing negative to say about that as if you did pass on CoE, be it coming back from a break, or just whatever personal reason you may have had (again regardless of member or F2P) then you would have had to pay at least $40 to have it to begin with.

So while I did come back from a break of sorts (at least with this account) and have held off on going full Member right off the bat for now thus choosing not to buy CoE as it wasn't needed with my highest character being 57 (and AoM right around the corner) I did not find it a useful value for even just a class I was not ready to play yet while trying to get my main up higher first.

That is my own choice and consequence, but the fact that at least until I do go member again I am getting access to CoE for free at this point without having to pay the full $40 having to pay a portion of what I would have for that to get the class when I am ready really is not that unreasonable to me.

I think the biggest issue with the cost of the Aerakyn, however, is the method in which they added it. I know and understand the whole similar to Freeblood comparisons, and in many ways that is a very valid fact.

Having bought access to Freeblood on a newer account (as I lost all information at the time to this account due to RL issues) its price break down was/is very similar, and that at least for me is not the problem when looking at the price. It is in part to how SOE is kind of coming across as rather sneaky in how they are building hype and then implementing.

At least with the base Freeblood you got basic weapon appearance item effects (its been a while, but from what I noticed is paying the extra money the upgraded ones did more of a blood type effect with the slashing effects). With the Aerakyn you do not, and on that part yes they are making you have to pay a lot more to complete the basics when they could have did similar and had basic appearance items that effected the wing animations to work while adding the "Enhanced" appearance versions which added the fancier effects to those wing attack animations as was done with the Freeblood.

I really cannot argue to much with the additional optional purchase for at least the mount parts as even with the Freeblood in order to get the mount (then later do the quest to fly as it) you did have to pay more as it was in the additional fluff.

Yes the Aerakyn do not get a house as part of that extended package, but the fact that in lieu of that house you are not just getting the ability to have a flying mount appearance you are also getting 3 other mount effects as you level up. On that I think in many ways it equals the value of the house if not a total bargain as they could have gave a house, gave a basic ground mount wing and then made you buy the leap/glide/flight wings as separate additional options for even more SC at the end of it all.

I really do think that minus the appearance issue (which really does suck and is not really on par value wise to the Freeblood) that the biggest issue is that some people feel that SOE was at least a little deceptive in the various information they were releasing about the race, and if that info was in anyway misleading/confusing/whatever then I think SOE needs to get a lot better at making sure before they make any statement that all those involved with doing so get the exact same memo.

So for me at least the price isn't so much the issue if/when I am ready to try the race. It is that certain basic aspects should retain similarities to previous introductions. Yes, a non-graphic enhanced weapon appearance to allow wing animations could have been a very big step as it would have at least gave a lot more people a reason to buy the race who now won't because they don't see the value (one way or another) in the full 4200 plus SC cost. It isn't that big of a deal for players to hide mount in options and appear to fly/leap/whatever while using non-appearance wing mounts.

I do see though that maybe that is why you gave only the option of the weapon appearance in the extended bundle as if you were to have blocked any ability to use mounts to this race except through its wing mounts this thread would have had far more people in it expressing their unhappiness.

SOE you do need to realize many people don't care about the wing mounts as the fluff as there are more than enough various mounts in the game, and thus you really are making people fork up the extra SC only for those weapon appearance items. That is kind of a foolish move as it decreases the sales that would/could have otherwise been made from what should also be considered a valued part of the consumer base.

Someone else mentioned don't play an Aerakyn Channeler if you want to get and display your class epic bow. I would also say don't play an Areakyn Ranger for the same reason. It's purely cosmetic and preference, but I thought about it from your post.

SOE is definitely losing some dollars and SC from me with the absurd price options this time around.

Bah...

...surprised no one has corrected me yet, but I will correct myself as for whatever unknown reason I kept thinking CoE instead of ToV for the channeler. My mistake, but otherwise that blunder in my use of the expansion does not change the overall post.

I just want to 'Feel the Wind Beneath Your Wings with the Aerakyn Player Race!'

Put it up for sale so I can mess with the model for a bit while I wait for servers to unlock =P