I paid my last monthly subscription for LOTRO at the end of May, just a few days before the account migration started. Once the transfer was complete, my Turbine account showed a VIP membership that ended on 6th July. This gave me a month to set up a new method of payment. My current credit card was not accepted when I initially input the details, but this was no major surprise. I had ran into the same problem a year previous when I had set up a US account. A telephone call to Turbine customer services would remedy the matter and they would input the card details manually.
However, I have played very little LOTRO of late and have now decided that after three years of subscribing that it is time to stop. The great benefit of the F2P business model is that I simply cease subscribing during the period that I'm not using the game. But I still can log into LOTRO and attend to any kin related business should I require. I am not in anyway excluded from the game simply because I have ceased a VIP subscription. Also as no funds have been exchanged I do not feel obliged to play, just for the sake of it. The more I think about it, the more I like this aspect of Turbine hybrid payment system.
It’s been a while since I have posted one of Byrandt’s video, but today we have Number Seven in his series of videos on playing as a Premium player in LOTRO. In this episode Bryandt takes on the following issues:
Bryandt’s latest episode takes a look at one of our personal favorite subjects here at CSTM, housing! Specifically of course, how housing can be used by premium and free players. He looks at what houses can be purchased, how to decorate the house, and maintenance. If this sparks your interest in housing, I suggest also take a look at Kia’s guide on using decoration mode as well as her fabulous furniture guide.
This week’s poll was a suggestion from Bravsirrobin who emailed us. Bravsirrobin had four of his friends return to LOTRO when free to play launched. As they had all played LOTRO in the pas they were now premium players and he was wondering if his experience with returning players was similar to his own. If you don’t see an option that best suits your answer we welcome comments explaining or expanding on your thoughts.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Bryandt continues his experiment into the realm of being a Premium Player and takes a look at his the things that he has discovered leveling from 10-20, including:
Last night, I wrote why my own “Premium Experiment” lasted a day before I subscribed again. I had a few people asking me on Twitter and on the site here how I figured this out. They also asked what type of player I based this on meaning a casual player, etc.
Premium Players are viable if you are in two categories. Either you spend less than 10 hours a week in LotRO or you are planning on playing LotRO for a long time. Premium accounts will cost you about $220. This unlocks all the quest hubs, shared storage, extra bank slots, extra auction slots and the premium classes. This is about the same price as a LotRO lifetime subscription.
Are you a subscriber to LOTRO who’s looking to downgrade to Premium once Free to Play launches? There are a few things you should know about to make sure you get the maximum benefits possible after your switch.
These perks can also apply to people who purchased a product key that included 30 days free time making them a VIP account for the month. Many but not all product keys includes VIP play time and can be used to upgrade existing accounts (so not just for new players). [faq P4]
Downgrading your account to VIP is pretty simple. Stop paying your monthly subscription. At the end of your subscription billing cycle, your account will automatically downgrade from VIP to premium.
