Feldon Cyliena over at EQ2 ZAM noticed new items in the StationCash Marketplace, specifically the new Freeblood vampire race. Remember, if you have an active subscription for December 14, January 17, and February 8, and buy the Destiny of Velious expansion some time in 2011, you will get the Freeblood race for free. However if you can’t wait, or don’t intend to buy the expansion any time soon, then it’s time to pay up.
UPDATE: This is expected to go live today, Wednesday December 22nd.
By itself, the Freeblood race will cost you 2000SC ($20 at normal price). It is an account unlock which means once bought, you can create as many Freebloods as you want on your account.
Now what about those extras, like the fearsome “attack mode” appearance, or the ability to turn into a swarm of bats and travel at 65% speed, or the special Freeblood estate? Well, they’re what we call extras.
For 500SC ($5) you can pick up the Ferocity of the Freeblood, an appearance “weapon” which is not a weapon at all but instead provides special hand-to-hand combat animations suitable for a vampire.
For 1500SC ($15), you get a Freeblood Contract providing access to your own Freeblood Lair Estate accessible from South Qeynos or South Freeport. It is unknown if this will have a unique appearance or share the look of the Mistmoore Crag Estate.
For 2500SC ($25), you gain a Swarm of Bats mount/illusion which transforms you into a swarm of bats and also provides you with a 65% travel speed.
If you simply must transform your poor green Froglok into a rich white elf Freeblood vampire with all the accoutrements, the “Vampire package” will cost you 6500SC ($65 at normal price, $32.50 at half StationCash).
Note: I originally had 7000SC ($70) which was a math error. Fixed. 😉
Images courtesy Cyliena
Please be aware that these items are still on Test and have not been announced by Marketing so some changes may take place.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good luck with that, Smed…
And now you know how they will nickle and dime you to death with smokeblower charm.
So I guess the next question is: Will the people who opt for the free route get all the extras or do we have to pay for those with $med bux too?
Anyone else notice that the “package” is 5 bucks more expensive than buying everything seperately? I didn’t notice until I read more closely. Way to go $med!
Don’t forget $10 for an extra character slot, since most of us are out of those! And the $15 monthly subscription! Oh, and buy the expansion too while you’re at it!
$20 (race)
$5 (animation)
$15 (house)
$25 (mount)
= $65 if I’m reading that right? Not that I’m any happier to be paying $65 vs. $70. I can’t believe that the game has gone this rout. With $15/m for a subscription fee + $40 an expansion every year this is just nothing but extra greed that hurts veteran players.
Oh, how ridiculous do you get sony?
“If you simply must transform your poor green Froglok into a rich white elf Freeblood vampire with all the accoutrements”
🙂 I do wonder about vampirism and Frogloks, lacking teeth I cant see Frogloks exactly having fun with vampirism 😀
As for the pricing, breaking it down the race is a premium price but its the first new race.
The weapon is a decent price at $5. But the mount is a normal mount price, but I assume it is one character only, in which case I would describe it as overpriced if its intended for one character only (or one type of character only), my feeling is the price should have been $10-15.
All overpriced for sure, but since Frogloks look so good I fortunately don’t have a need for a new race.
Anything that will make me see fewer Edwardcutezz in game is good in my book =)
I should dig up the quote from Smokejumper where I complained about having to buy three races at a time in EQ2X and he responded that $7.50 was the price that they think a race was worth, but that they were generously throwing in two additional races with each purchase.
Newsflash: EQ2Wire’s Feldon Makes Hideous Math Error!
The total cost is $65. Which is still a lot.
Once again, SOE fails to understand the micro part of microtransactions.
wow…65 bucks.
So my question is. For those of us who are subbed and will get the “free” version…the fine print says “one per account” so…will we just get one shot at a freeblood, and then have to pay if we want to make more?…I hope not…this is ridiculous…the vampires just look like a half elf/elf hybrid with some pointy teeth and contacts.
And conveniently it’s double station cash weekend from 24th -27th for store purchased cards.
I like the price structure and wish it success – as long as enough people readily buy expensive fluff, the less need they see for selling game-impacting stuff just to stay afloat money-wise…
Another perspective (W*w related, but the issue is similar): http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2010/04/post-about-posts-about-stupid-horse.html
Please explain how this race and its extras (if included) are a benefit to long term, paying subscribers who pay 3 months minimum ($45) plus 40-50 bucks for the exspansion itself, working out to about $85 total, 20 bucks more than if just buying the entire package.
Way to f*ck over your loyal subs!
Don’t buy it. Show SOE that you don’t want micro transactions as a future for our game. I know it wont, but I really hope this blows up in their faces.
I have been playing eq/eq2 5 or 6 days a week, for the last 10 years. Not something I usually talk about heheh. I dont mind in game microtransactions, as long as the items can also be attained in game by playing. If folks want to spend money to get something faster, thats fine. I have been watching the SC marketplace grow and grow. The fun “stuff” are the items that define the game, and those are moving or have moved into the marketplace. The necessary items to play any game, are still included with the subscription. I played the game and got the necessary items, so that I could go and do things to acquire the “Fun stuff” which define the game. Without the “fun stuff”, its just any other game.
So, I am now going to start looking for another game to replace everquest in my life. One, with microtransactions is fine, as long as the items in “their” (whomever they are) marketplace, can also be attained ingame through actual game play. Will I find one? heheh I have no idea. If I do, I will post about it everywhere. Either way, my accounts will be closed by fanfaire.
I have enjoyed your website very much feldon.
Soulmaneq2
@Soulmaneq2 Check into a game called Rift, you may like it 🙂
My main question is:
When you purchase the house, the appearance weapon, and the mount, will they come as one per character, or one per account per purchase?
The house, appearance weapon, and mount are one-per-character.
The race unlock is per-account.
So if you want 7 vampires, that’s $230 including the discount on buying the 3 add-ons together.