Giving away endgame characters... really?

[Nebu]

Did anyone else here get this email?

Also, come back and instantly access Level 85 for free - a $35 VALUE! Now you can join your high-level friends and quickly jump to the end game. You get one fully equipped Level 85 Heroic Character, 280 AAs, a flying mount, weapons, potions - ready to play immediately!

This free character is only redeemable between 10/1/13 - 10/15/13. Additional Heroic Characters are available in the marketplace for 3500 SC (with a free trial option).

Giving away endgame characters?  Selling endgame toons on the market?  Really?  Is the content so bad that people want to pay to avoid it?

[Yegolev]

That's a funny question to ask of most any MMO.

[Merusk]

So I guess I missed that they're shutting down eq2.  The question at hand isn't about the content so much as where people want to play.  They don't want to invest the time to level-up a toon to see things before it shuts down, so just sell the character since folks leaving will be dumping accounts anyway.

All things are fungible.

[Numtini]

UO introduced pre-mades how long ago and is still alive and kicking or at least I think it is--they keep billing me.

[Merusk]

Oh was the shutdown thing hyperbole? I guess I missed it.  Makes even more sense, then. Again, people want to play where everyone else is at, not run through desolate wastes for 2-3 months before meeting people.

Still a fan of leveling-up, but the process just needs to be quicker and the content range broader or more attuned to a flatter power curve.  Or scalar, like Skyrim, but good luck doing that in an MMO.

[Reg]

Is a newbie even going to know how to run an end game character?  Back when I played FFXI a guildmate sold off his high level black mage when he left the game.  The guy who bought it had no idea what to do with the character. Last I saw of him he was standing around town desperately looking for a group - 3 levels lower than before because he'd died so many times that he lost a ton of experience.  FFXI was nasty that way.

[Nebu]

Oh was the shutdown thing hyperbole?

Yeah... sorry about that.  I meant it to be tongue-in-cheek. I changed the thread title to be more accurate.

Is a newbie even going to know how to run an end game character?

That's exactly what came to mind for me as well.  If I went back to EQ2 with this 85 level character, I wouldn't have a clue what to do with the abilities and points handed me.  The benefit of the leveling time is to help you adjust to your abilities and maximize their utility.  The problem with most MMOs is that the training period lasts too long and is largely uninteresting...

[Numtini]

Isn't the level limit 95 now? That gives you plenty of time to catch up since you'd probably have sologround to 85 anyway.

[Nebu]

Isn't the level limit 95 now? That gives you plenty of time to catch up since you'd probably have sologround to 85 anyway.

If that's the case, then it makes much more sense.

[HaemishM]

Yes, the level limit is 95 and the free version of EQ2 doesn't include the new $40 expansion. So chances are you'll have plenty of solo time to learn how to play the character.

I went ahead and reinstalled EQ2 to get my free character. Shit it's free and it skips all the leveling that I tend to get bored with after about 35 levels.

[Nebu]

I went ahead and reinstalled EQ2 to get my free character. Shit it's free and it skips all the leveling that I tend to get bored with after about 35 levels minutes.

Thanks for the clarification.  I may grab an 85 as well.  Leveling a defiler solo was PAINFUL.

[HaemishM]

I went ahead and made a level 85 Shadowknight. I have no idea when or if I'll play it, but... free.

[Yegolev]

Is your house full of free things that otherwise would be trash?

[HaemishM]

Is your house full of free things that otherwise would be trash?

My house has limited space. My virtual space is mostly limitless. 

[Ginaz]

I saw this, too, and went and made a ranger.  Seems to be a high dps class with some snares and stealth, which is kind of what I expected.  From my understanding, you can try out as many classes as you want until 15 Oct. and have a gold level account until then, as well.  At that point you make your choice and get your free 85 whatever class.  It's kind of similar to what TERA did a few weeks back, only you couldn't test drive a class first.

I remember picking up EQ2 and some of it's expacs bundled together for about $5 in the bargain bin at Walmart a few years ago.  I managed to get to lvl 6 before I quit.  Questing was horrible and the game looked like ass, even with all settings set to max.  I don't expect things to be much better this time around but, hey, free.

[Merusk]

Yeah, the art and specifically armor direction in EQ2 was always terribly disappointing.

[Rendakor]

Does this only let you create a new character, or can you bump an existing one up to level 85?

[Cadaverine]

It's a new character only, from what I could see.

[Ginaz]

Does this only let you create a new character, or can you bump an existing one up to level 85?

I think you can level an existing character to 85, as well.  It gave me the option to do so in the character screen.  So it looks like you can try out the different classes or choose to level one you already have.

[Lantyssa]

Existing accounts can level up one of their characters.

[Surlyboi]

So I did this and found out just how shitty my gear had been before. At 75, I was barely surviving fights with single mobs a level or two lower than me. With this infusion of "good level-appropriate gear", I'm owning multiple mobs four or five levels higher.

[Ginaz]

Only one more day for this promotion, fyi.  There's WAY too many abilities.  I settled on a ranger after trying out a few of the other classes.  Next to the berserker (don't want to tank) the  Ranger seemed to be the most straightforward class.

[Rendakor]

I was going to bump my Inquisitor up from 75, but decided to make a Shadowknight instead.

[Zetor]

Well, I picked up a level 85 fury (seemed like the most 'caster-y' healer with some good damage potential if needed), though I don't think I'll be playing it anytime soon. Have they fixed the dungeon finder yet?