The Freeblood: More Information and Images

Yes, I understand about the unlock Vampire being part of the winter rewards. I'm just saying a lot of the posters to the threads about the Vampire race seem to believe the race will be available as part of the Velious expansion. I'm just saying its not, its a Station Cash/winter rewards item.

Stormdove wrote:

I think you might be misunderstanding them. People are saying they are going to wait for Velious because you must own Velious in order to unlock them for the winter rewards program - not that buying Velious is the only requirement.

Now that it's official that they will be able to fly in bat swarm come Velious, I think it's only fair that Fae get to fly for sure. It just makes sense.

sorwen wrote:

No, you can't buy 7.50$ in a station cash card and get 15$, but you can buy two 5$ station cash cards and get 20$. So, you pay 10$ total for a 15$ item and have 5$ left over to buy something else. Please don't tell me you won't find *some*thing to buy for 5$.

Winter wrote:

We don't have any plans to make flying an innate ability for any race. All races will be able to fly with the use of a flying mount. The FreeBlood just have access to a special "mount" that makes them look like a swarm of bats. Keep in mind that this is not an innate ability for FreeBlood either.

Was just wondering if the Freebloods will be getting an emote voice? As of right now theres nothing, not even the standard "Brute, flirty, naive etc" but so far minus that I am loving them

Rothgar wrote:

*raises her cane in the air* You meddling kids and your bats!

Rothgar wrote:

You are aware that those of us Fae, that want the ablity to fly, don't want it as an innate ability eather, just the ability to EARN it, say as I don't know, a special mount?.
Its not like they need any new animation, just have us do the normal movement look, without falling when our "invisable" flying mount is active.

Rothgar wrote:

For clarification:
The write-up says that the swarm of bats "mount" (which you might as well just call a purchased racial, since there's no mount in the game that a) is race specific or b) changes the rider INTO another form) will allow the Freebloods to fly when flying mounts are unlocked in Velious. Does that just mean when flying mounts become available all Freebloods who've purchased the "Cloud of Bats" ability can fly, or does it mean when a particular Freeblood does the quest to unlock flying mounts, that particular character can fly in bat form?
If the former, why are they getting what every other character in the game has to earn? Because this would absolutely fall under game-affecting changes for sale on the Marketplace.
If the latter, why couldn't Fae and Arasai earn the same ability via the flying mount questline?
Finally and only marginally related, are there any plans to add "mount" abilities like Cloud of Bats and the crusader lvl 20 mounts to the appearance mount options?

Rothgar wrote:

Silvani form isn't innate either. If that's unlocked Fae should get to fly.

As to the matter of the invisible weapon not being included with the race unlock, this is not strictly true. You do get the ability to hide your weapon so it appears that you are not using anything but your claws/hands. The difference between what is included and the one buy-able on marketplace is that the marketplace version includes blood red slash graphics whilst the included does not have any colored graphic just the movements.

Now to those of us cursed with a lack of patience (raises hand guiltily), does this mean we will not be getting any reward for buying Velious because we already bought the race unlock? Or will those of us that meet all the requirements to get the free race pack unlock get a station cash refund for the aforementioned race unlock?

You know you aren't going to get a refund for buying the unlock. You bought the unlock so you didn't have to wait two months to play the new race.

Now this is a Super Turbo Racial Balance Debate!
Not only do we get to debate racial balance as we have for years, but now we have the added dimension of a SC Marketplace ability that is perceived as unbalancing. And the subtle nudge from the devs that it isn't a racial ability even though it is in fact a racial ability that must be purchased.
The arguments for or against the Marketplace are easy to make when it is a one dimensional comparison. But, as I've predicted, they will "nudge" the acceptability of SC into the game by introducing multifaceted decisions. In order to properly debate this one, you'll need someone to establish the controls of the debate and work from there to follow each of the threads and then address the interdependencies of each thread.
In the absence of such an approach, the anti-Marketplace people are headed for failure. It's all but guaranteed that SOE has hired consultants to help them "nudge" the marketplace into acceptability on the EQ2 Live servers. And this whole Freeblood affair is their best forward advance since their previous volleys have been put back. Eventually, the Marketplace becomes ubiquitous thus leading to the ultimate integration of EQ2 and EQ2X servers.
That's just my opinion.

There are 2 Points i don't like about the vampies
1. The Ugly mode is an illusion form, it is invisible if you write /hide and you can't see it by classes with illusion buffs
2. You can start a good Vampi, (I see it comming a horde of Vampire Paladins). I hope they don't made neutral Trolls or darkelfes.

Keirie wrote:

As the Germans say...
"Selbst Schuld Kein Mitleid!"
If you couldn't wait then its your own fault and I have no sympathy for you.

And Wurm as the Americans say, Bite me! As i not know you your opinion means less then nothing to me. Merry Frostfell.

Killan@Innovation wrote:

1. This is likly the only way they could do it. I would love to see them revist how illusions work so that we can /hide the illusion for specific buffs. That way we could switch in and out of specific ones without having to totally rebuff.
2. Honestly, since it appears that Vamp is still a dease and not something your born as, and you are in hiding in all cities, it does kinda make sence that they would be neutral, they are equally hated by both factions, at this point. That said if this game had a system that kept you from being certain classes baised on race, and not city of origin, then I would deffinatly agree that Vamps shouldn't start as Pallies.

Keirie wrote:

Ahhhh you are upset someone called you out on being greedy?
Sorry, but you had the option to either wait and get the unlock for free or pay money for it now.
Since you decided "OMG HAVE TO HAVE IT NOW!!!" and bought the unlock, there is absolutely no reason you should be rewarded for it.
You are still getting the mount, be happy with that.
You are probably one of the people who get mad when some luxury item they paid full price for, goes on sale a few months later, fully knowing that it would happen but deciding not to wait.

While I certainly aknowledge SOE's right to sell a new race on their marketplace, I wonder if their pricing policy may not be too high.
AFAIK we get Freeblood with Velious, but how much does it cost to get all their affiliated skills, and the flying mount?
SF expansion costs 4300SC = 35.-€ .
compare this to WOW Cataclysm 26.- € BOXED, Lich King 23.- BOXED, Burning Crusade 9,90.- € BOXED.
NFS:HP 34,90.- € .. totally new game, wtf?
SOE doesnt even deliver a disc or a box and still charges more ?
I hope the new race+their addons wont cost as much as a full new game...
by the way...will SF be included in Velious if you dont have it yet, or not?

Nynaeve wrote:

You wouldn't happen to live in a country that uses VAT would you? If so it's not SOE's fault.