Sony Online Entertainment has added a new subscription option to Everquest II which allows anyone in the world to play the game for free. Officially called Everquest II: Extended, it has Extended Membership Plans which allow players to choose from four tiers of options for their desired gameplay experience. It is currently in Alpha testing (available to all current players) while the open Beta will occur on or around August 17, 2010.
Those of you who have never had the chance to experience Everquest II, which has had a stable community for more than half a decade, can now check out the game. And it’s not just a ho-hum free experience – it’s actually quite a good offering. As a Bronze (free) member, you’ll have access to the Everquest II: The Shadow Odyssey (base game, five expansion packs and three adventure packs), four playable races, eight playable classes, and a maximum level of 80 (maximum is 90 for paid members). Two player character slots are included and you can go all the way to adept in spell tiers (paid members can read expert and full spell tiers). Unfortunately, you will not be able to access legendary and fabled weapons on the Bronze membership.
It’s important to note that EverQuest II Extended is a completely separate gameplay service from the EverQuest II live subscription service. The server lists are not shared, it has completely separate forums, and if you don’t want to be around the community that plays in the free adventure service, then there is no reason for that to ever occur. However, if you want to go try out Extended, feel free to do so. Active EQII live players can create a new account on EQII Extended for free or copy over a version of an existing EQII live character for $35.
There are other limitations to the game, which you can see here in this chart, along with the other subscription plans (click to enlarge):
EverQuest II (EQ2), based upon the popular game EverQuest, is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and started in early November of 2004. It features graphics and gameplay vastly updated from its predecessor and has had multiple expansions and subscription options. Within EverQuest II, each player creates a character to interact in the 3-D fictional world of Norrath. Within the game, the character can adventure (complete quests, explore the world, kill monsters and gain treasures and experience) and socialize with other players. The game also has a ‘tradeskill’ system that allows players to create items for in-game use.
Many people around the world have become familiar with these types of games as they have become increasingly popular since the debut of Everquest, the game that many consider to be the true catalyst to popularizing MMORPG games in the USA. However, to play these games you must pay a subscription fee, which is usually around $15 a month. Multiply the average subscription fee by millions of users and suddenly you see that MMORPG games can pull in big revenue, but ever since World of Warcraft hit the scene it has been tough for other companies to be as successful as they were before. World of Warcraft is the most successful MMORPG ever, and touted subscription numbers above 10 million in recent times. WoW has stolen a lot of the spot light from Everquest, which was at one time the major player in the MMO world at the turn of the century.
A recent trend in MMORPG games that have subscriptions is the addition of a free play option – a formula that has proven successful in competiting with World of Warcraft and other games that require paid subscriptions. Economic difficulties are still plaguing many people and players have been shifting interest to games that can offer rich, interactive online experiences for less. Plus, the game companies can offer incentives, or upgrades, to characters in teh game that they can purchase with real money which can eventually cover costs. Plus, someone who plays long enough for free will most likely convert to a higher level subscription, which Sony has tempting with that one-time purchase Silver upgrade.
More information can be found within this FAQ from SOE about Everquest II: Extended.
