Dethdlr From EQ2Players.com:
Platinum Memberships are now available for EQ2X players!
With the Platinum Membership, players can enjoy a robust experience in the world of Norrath. Platinum members will get full access to all 19 standard character races, all 24 classes, all spell tiers and equipments grades. They can play up the the current maximum level (level 90) and get 10 character slots for making a variety of characters.
In addition, Platinum members will have six bag slots, an unlimited coin allowance, and can send and receive in-game mail. This level of membership allows unlimited use of the broker system, voice chat and in-game chat, joining and creating guilds, and the use of eight bank slots and 75 active journal quests.
Platinum members get full customer service support and won’t see any in-game pop-up advertising. As an added bonus, they’ll receive 500 SC per month.
For pricing and more details, visit the EverQuest II Extended Membership Plans FAQ and view the Membership Matrix.
Update: Or are they? This has been posted under This Months News on the EQ2Players.com website and is also on the login page for EQ2X but hasn’t made it to the main page and reports are that it isn’t quite live yet. Will it launch today? I guess we’ll know soon.
Update 2: It’s now linked on EQ2Players.com and has been announced by Kiara. Pretty sure that means it’s a go.
That post still does not show up on eq2players.com main page and Platinum is not available to sign up yet on eq2players.com Account management.
If you click on This Months News in the Community News section, you’ll see the article listed. Smokejumper mentioned earlier in the week that they hoped to launch it on Thursday (today). I imagine it’s just a matter of getting all the right switches flipped at the right time but I guess we’ll see. Have you checked the Marketplace in game from EQ2X? Not sure where they planned on stuffing the Platinum level when they release it.
I’m intrigued. How does this compare with what is paid now by ‘normal’ EQ2 players? I recently cancelled both my Staion Access accounts, as they were extremely poor value for money, and am back to ‘normal’, with 7 character slots per account. Could I do better going for EQ2X Platinum? It may even be worth transferring a couple of toons across!
About $1.66 a month over what a live player pays, for three extra slots and $5 of Station Cash. Screwing the live players again.
I agree Foozlesprite, I have been playing EQ2 since Jan 2005 (with a small break in there) and for $1.66 per month and I would love the $5 in station cash per month and 3 more toon slots.
In contrast, it is not worth it to completely start over, lose my mains, guild, friends, etc to join the eq2x servers. Nor is it worth the character transfer fee per character.
Is there any plan to add an option for long term players to pay the $1.66 more and gain the benefits that are being offered immediately to newbies to the game with no loyalty? How about some love for the dedicated people?
All things being equal (which they are not), it depends on what you’re looking for and whether you use or plan to use Station Cash as to which is the better deal.
EQ2Live: If you pay yearly, a 12 month sub to live is $143.99. Add to that around $40 for a new expansion every year (not guarenteed, but pretty likely). That comes to $183.99.
EQ2X: $200 a year for Platinum access. Expansions are included. This also includes 500 Station Cash per month which adds up to 6000 Station Cash or $60 worth.
So on an annual basis, EQ2Live is cheaper. BUT, if you plan on spending more than $16 worth of Station Cash per year, EQ2X is cheaper.
This is purely a financial analysis and doesn’t take into account uprooting yourself from your current friends/guild/server, the $35 to copy each character over that you want to keep, the dealing with the free crowd on EQ2X, and any other opinions anyone may have on the EQ2X servers over the EQ2Live servers.
This is so screwed! I have played EQ2Live since launch day, 2004. I have had a Station Access account for 5 years. People with regular live accounts get a discount for paying months in advance. SA people don’t get this option. Nor do we get expansions free, or anything else for that matter except 5 character slots and access to dying games that nobody plays anymore.
Where is the love for all the loyal people who have kept this game going for SOE??? Smokejumper says there will be no new/additional perks at all for SA account holders and yet they throw all this good stuff at new players?
I’m sorry, I just don’t get it!
/rant off
@Tikatika: I hear ya. I’ve got two Station Access accounts myself. Smokejumper did post this cryptic note on 8/27:
Does that mean the Station Access users have some love incoming? Who knows.
Another thing to consider is that the EQ2X offering does require upfront payment and no monthly – that can discourage casual players from selecting that option and reaping the associated benefits.