Thread: Free 2 Play F A Q

Hello everyone! Rather than scattered information, I wanted to start an official sticky post with information about commonly asked Accounts questions, payment questions, upgrade questions and so on. Please feel free to post any related questions you may have (after reading of course).

Many of these questions were originally asked by Beta players, and answered in a Beta sticky. Thanks guys for all your help testing and the great questions!

Useful Links
LOTRO F2P Announcement
Knowledge Base FAQ
FAQ Comparison Chart: VIP/Premium/Free


THIS THREAD
I will continue to post updates at the end of this thread, and include the updates in the original posts as well. I will further clarify some posted information, and will answer more of the questions previously posted.

If you have a NEW question regarding LOTRO Free to Play, you may PM me with that question. Please note that you will NOT receive a PM response.

I will provide answers in this thread, at my discretion. Most questions will likely be answered, some may not.
Please only submit a question once. Multiple submissions/spamming will be ignored.
Please do not send opinions or requests for changes. These are best submitted on the Suggestion forum. I will not forward any opinions or suggestions sent to me.

If you have questions about your account, forum account, need technical assistance or any other support options, please feel free to review this post for the best contact options.


General Information

1. Supported Browsers
Please be sure you're using IE 6, 7 (or 8 in Compatibility Mode) or Firefox 2 or higher when viewing any Turbine websites, especially if you're submitting information. We do not officially support any other browsers.

2. Will my Beta characters/points/purchases move to the live servers when F2P launches?
-What happens in Beta, stays in Beta. Beta characters, and items, perks, points, etc earned during the Beta will NOT be transferred to the live servers. (It’s not just the NDA.)
-However, you can upgrade a Beta subscription and keep the Account name and associated forum name. If you have any questions about the upgrade process, or need help, please contact the Account Management department and they will be happy to help. They can also assist if you would like to play an old (live) account but can't remember your login information.

3. Codemasters/European Characters
The EU servers, characters, etc are completely separate. Please contact Codemasters for any questions about the EU servers.


Payment Options for Points & VIP

P1. Credit = Credit or Debit or Pre-Paid
We accept credit, debit and pre-paid cards with Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover logos on them (more information about "credit" cards can be found in this Account Management sticky). These can be used for VIP/subscription time or points purchases.

P2. Game Time Cards
We accept Game Time Cards for VIP/Subscription time. VIP time from a Game Card is identical to VIP time from a credit card.

P3. Point Cards - Ultimate Game Cards and Turbine Point Cards
We will be accepting Ultimate Game Cards and Turbine Point Cards for points once Free Play goes live. These should be available for purchase in local stores where you can buy video games and other gift/gaming cards. Ultimate Game Cards can also be purchased digitally. Please note that Ultimate Game Cards are not managed by Turbine, though they are a valid option to purchase Turbine Points.

P3.1. Product Key vs Point Code - Bad Key! No cookie!
If you're having trouble adding your key, first be sure it is a KEY not a Point Code. They are not interchangeable (though they both have 25 characters). If you get an error saying the key is in use or not valid, then check and see if your "Game Version History" on the right side of your blue/black LOTRO subscription area has "Lord of the Rings Online™ Beta" access listed. If it does, then your key is already attached!

P4. Product Keys, Free Time and Upgrades
If a product key includes 30 days of play time, those 30 days count as VIP access. Please note that many, but not all types of keys include play time. If the key does include an upgrade, but no time, it won't include any VIP access.

If a product key does give 30 days, the account will be full VIP during that time, and will downgrade to Premium automatically at the end, the same way any other VIP account will downgrade to Premium, unless a subscription plan is selected. This includes the same perks such as the trait and riding access noted above, the monthly VIP points, etc.

Product keys can be used to upgrade accounts, even Beta or Trial accounts. If they include time, that will be added when the key is applied for the upgrade. Only one key of a specific type can be added to an account. Keys can't be used to add time if it isn't also applying an upgrade. There are some restrictions about adding keys that might be considered a downgrade (adding an Angmar key to a Moria trial). If you have any problems when trying to upgrade, please contact the Account Management department.

P5. Non-Turbine payments: Codemasters, etc.
Non-Turbine product keys and Game Cards can NOT be used with the Turbine system for Free Play or VIP access. This includes Codemasters product keys and Game Cards. The billing systems are different, and the keys/codes are not transferable. For information about other servers and payment options, please see the official website for contact information. For European server questions, please contact Codemasters.


LOTRO Store

S1. LOTRO Store Availablility "Let your fingers do the walking"
The LOTRO Store can only be viewed from within the game.

S2. No Refunds
All store purchases are final and non-refundable. Be sure you really want the points or item you have selected.

S2.1 Store Purchase Issues
If you have any issue with a store purchase or the delivery of a store purchase (points, items, etc) please close the store and then re-open it. If this does not resolve the issue, please close the game and then re-open and log in again. If this still does not resolve the issue, please contact the Account Management department and they will be happy to research the issue. You may call or submit a web inquiry. If you call, please note that this type of research can be very involved, and is therefore generally not able to be completed while on the phone, but will be researched and an answer sent via email.

S3. Purchases and Downgrades
Anything that you explicitly purchase with gold or Turbine points (things that aren't included with VIP) you keep if you downgrade. Any expansions, bank slots, etc. you'll be able to keep, even if you downgrade.

S4. Points Exchanges for Non-Store Items, Favors, etc.
All your golds are belong to us!!!!!!!Aka "Please ban me."
Let me start by reminding everyone that the exchange of in-game items or money for real world items, money or consideration is a violation of the Terms of Service and Code of Conduct, and can result in disciplinary action. Using Point Codes (or other non-currency items with real world value) to buy gold or in-game items is considered a violation of this portion of the ToS and CoC. Turbine does take this very seriously, to help keep the economy balanced. Seriously, you can ask in game (carefully) about what happens.

Turbine points cannot be moved between subscriptions or accounts. The sale of LOTRO Store items for in-game gold or items isn't something that is intended and certainly not something that is supported by Turbine. There is no protection for the seller or the buyer if anything suspect takes place and this type of activity may also result in disciplinary action. This applies to everything available in the store, including expansions, items, and so on.

S5. Currency Cap
The "Currency Cap" item only removes the cap on the currency. It does not change any other currency restrictions, like trading.

S6. Store Items vs non-Store Items
Any restrictions on an item are specific to that item. The item description will note what restrictions apply.
Store items are restricted to account or character. All items will note what the applicable restrictions are. These items cannot be sold, traded, mailed, auctioned, etc. (Account bound items can be placed in the shared bank to send to another character on the same account.)
Non-store items (including current items) may be bound, or if not bound they may be free to trade, mail, auction, etc. Any items that are not restricted may freely be sold, traded, etc without worry.
The launch of Free Play will not change the bound or unbound status of items previously acquired.

S7. Account Store Items - Any limitations?
"Account" changing items such as character slots, shared bank space, quest packs, classes, etc are subscription wide. I specify subscription instead of account because you can have multiple subscriptions on a single account. You can have AC, DDO and LOTRO all on a single account (single username) or even multiple DDO and LOTRO subscriptions on a single account (username).

S7.1 Shared Bank Space
If you purchase the shared bank space, you have access to a server specific shared bank space on all of the servers. You can't use shared bank space to transfer items between servers.


Points: VIP, Bonus, Earned In-Game

PT1. VIP Point Grant Timing - "I can expect them when?"
VIP points are granted within 48 hours of a successful VIP subscription payment, or within 48 hours of the monthly anniversary for multi month payments and Lifetime subscribers.
-For example, if Derf’s billing date is on the 15th of the month for a single month payment, and his payment is successful, then he will get the points on the 15th or 16th.
-If Smitty’s billing date is on the 20th, and he is on a 3 month plan, then every month on the 20th or 21st he’ll get his points (provided the payment for the 3 months of access processes).

PT2. VIP Point Grants for Multi Month Subscriptions
VIP Points for Multi Month Subscriptions are granted in the standard 500 point increments on a monthly basis. Multi month subscribers do not get all the points in a giant lump sum at the beginning of the billing period.
-For example (as noted above) Smitty’s billing date is on the 20th, and he is on a 3 month plan, then every month on the 20th or 21st he’ll get his points (provided the payment for the 3 months of access processes).

PT3. VIP Point Grants for Lifetime Subscritpions
VIP Points for Lifetime Subscriptions are granted in the standard 500 point increments on a monthly basis, similar to Multi Month Subscriptions in M2. The points are granted on the Anniversary of the date you paid your Lifetime Subscription.

PT3.1 When is my Anniversary as a Lifetime Subscriber?
We are aware that the Account Management website doesn't currently show an Anniversary or Payment date for Lifetime subscribers. Until now it didn't matter, since you don't have to pay subscription fees again. We're looking into displaying the Anniversary date for Lifetime subscribers. In the interim, you can check your credit card statements or contact the Account Management department to confirm your Anniversary.

PT4. I resubscribed today, where are my points?
Please note that payments are always processed in the morning. When you reinstate or upgrade to VIP, your card isn’t charged immediately, so the points will not be granted immediately.
-If Derf upgrades to VIP (by clicking the “Get Unlimited Access” button on the Account Management page) on the 4th, his card will be charged whatever billing plan he picks on the 5th. He will then receive his points on the 5th or 6th.

PT5. There's no VIP Point Grant Notfication?
At this time there is no notification sent when VIP points are added. You can take note of your monthly billing date or billing anniversary (which you should be aware of anyway) and around that date you can note the number of points you have when you log out of the game, and then take note of the points you have the next time you log in. The Account Management department can confirm if the VIP points were granted, and when, however it is likely faster to simply track the points yourself.

PT6. There's no Points Statement or Tracking?
At this point we do not have a way to track the point changes on your account. We do not currently have a “points statement” to display debits and credits. However, we are aware that this would be a popular option that many are interested in seeing.

PT7. When do VIP Point Grants Start?
VIP Point grants start with the Preview (for previous and current players) on September 8, 2010.

PT8. When will I see my Bonus (Loyalty) points?
Players can expect to see any Bonus points for the subscription within a week of launch. For more information on Loyalty Points, please see this article.

PT9. Points for Deeds
Points will not be granted for Deeds that have already been completed. Points will be granted for Deeds completed after the launch of Free Play. Deeds will no longer grant experience.
There are new reputation Deeds which can be completed to earn points.

PT10. Do points transfer between games or separate subscriptions on an account?
No. Turbine points are subscription specific. I specify subscription instead of account because you can have multiple subscriptions on a single account. You can have AC, DDO and LOTRO all on a single account (single username) or even multiple DDO and LOTRO subscriptions on a single account (username). The points are specific to the subscription they are earned on/purchased on, not to the entire account. Points are not bound to server.

VIP vs Premium vs Free

D1. Downgrade Possibilities
Once your account is upgraded to Premium, that is the minimum status it can have. If it is upgraded to Premium, it will never downgrade to Free. If it is upgraded to VIP, you can un-subscribe and have Premium access (but won't ever go back to Free).

D1.1 "Types" of Premium
There is only one type of Premium. However, individual characters can have increased access if the account was previously VIP or subscribed prior to the launch of Free play.

D1.2 Subscriber = VIP
A Previous subscriber will be treated exactly the same as someone who downgrades from VIP. VIP is just another way of describing a subscriber.

D1.3 Account Status @ Launch
Accounts will retain their current subscription/price plan status at launch. The player can chose to make any change via the Account Management website.
-Subscribed accounts will remain subscribed, which translates to VIP access.
-Accounts that were previously upgraded with a key, or that subscription fees were paid on will have Premium Status. You can chose to upgrade to VIP at any point and re-subscribe.
-Free/Trial/Guest/Referral/Beta accounts that were never upgraded will have Free access. You can chose to upgrade at any point to VIP by subscribing. Any points purchase (with real world money) will upgrade the account to Premium.

D2. Gold Cap (VIP to Premium)
If you downgrade from VIP to Premium, the gold cap is permanently removed for any characters that you log into while you are VIP. Any characters that you don't log into, or characters created after you downgrade will have the Premium cap.

D2.1 Gold Restrictions (Free to Premium)
Only Free accounts are restricted about moving gold between characters on the same subscription. Premium and VIP accounts can move gold between characters on the same subscription.

D2.2 The Gold Cap and Escrow
Money will accumulate over the cap for a character, and the money above the cap has no limit. However, the money will not actually be delivered to the character's wallet until the cap is removed. You cannot spend down gold to access the escrow.
You can remove the cap by purchasing the Remove Gold Restriction offer from the store (also see S5). The cap does not apply to VIP subscribers. The only exception is for a Premium account which has been downgraded from VIP: any character which was played while an account was VIP will continue to not have the gold cap.

D3. Storage Space (VIP to Premium)
If you downgrade from VIP to Premium, only characters active while the account is VIP will have 5 bags. Any characters that you don't log into, or characters created after you downgrade will have 3 bags.

D4. Riding (VIP to Premium)
If you have the riding skill for a character then you keep riding, even if you downgrade to Premium. Characters that do not gain the riding skill while VIP, or characters created after you downgrade do not have that skill.

D4.1 Riding and the Store
The riding skill can be purchased in the store. The only restriction is that the character you are purchasing the riding trait for must have acquired the Passive Skill: Novice. This is earned by completing the beginning experience.

D5. Does having purchased Angmar give Premium access?
-Yes, the box or digital purchase of The Lord of the Rings Online: The Shadows of Angmar gives Premium status. This also applies to any complete purchases that included Angmar access (Moria Complete, Mirkwood Complete).

-Existing or past players who only created Free trial accounts will not receive Premium status at launch this fall.

D6. What areas and quests are included with Angmar? (The FAQ notes Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land are free, and Eriador is available for VIP).
-All quests in The Shire, Ered Luin, Bree-land, and Lone-lands are available to all players.
-All landscape areas in The Lord of the Rings Online are open to free players. While free players can explore and kill monsters in these areas they cannot complete the side quests contained there without first purchasing the Quest Packs for those areas.
-All players will also have full access to all the Epic Story quests, crafting and class quests up to level 65 (the level cap).

D7. What areas and quests are included with Moria?
-When a player purchases a Mines of Moria boxed or key Expansion Pack or Quests they immediately unlock all the quests and areas within Moria for access; including all instances related to the areas).
-They also receive 2 additional character slots, Skirmish Trait Max 15, and the Rune-keeper and Warden classes with purchase of the Expansion Pack.
-Please note that store purchase access may not include all of these options.

D8. What areas and quests are included with Mirkwood?
-When a player purchases the Siege of Mirkwood expansion they immediately unlock all the quests and areas within Mirkwood; including all instances related to the area.

D9. Adventurer's Pack
-If you have purchased the Adventurer's pack, you keep the character slots and shared bank space.

D10. Free (After Free Play Launch)
In order to have a free account, you can use a previous, non-upgraded trial/guest/referral subscription. You can also create a new free subscription.

D11. Premium (After Free Play Launch)
In order to be Premium, you need to have purchased something with real world money at some point. This includes points purchases, box or digital copies of the game or subscription fees (paid prior to or after the launch of Free Play).

D12. VIP (After Free Play Launch)
In order to be VIP you need to be currently subscribed to the game, using a credit card or game cards as payment.
Any current subscribers who continue to keep an active subscription (including Lifetime subscriptions) are VIP.

D13. Trait Slots(VIP to Premium)
For any current subscriber or VIP, if you downgrade to Premium you keep all trait slots on characters played during the time you subscribed. You will not lose any trait slots or have them un-slotted when you downgrade, regardless of the level of the character when you downgrade. This does includes traits that your character hasn't reached the level for yet.
After you downgrade to Premium, any new (or un-played) characters will not have access to additional trait slots.

D14. Auctions (VIP to Premium)
If you downgrade to Premium from VIP you will lose your auction slots. However, any auctions currently in those slots will stay up until they expire or are purchased. After which they will be returned as normal or the game money sent as normal.

D15. Quests(VIP to Premium)
If you downgrade to Premium from VIP, you can complete any quests you are currently on (quests in your journal) even if it is not one that you would normally have access to with the areas unlocked on your account. You can only start other quests in the area or chain if you have access to the applicable area with your Premium status (it is included free, you've purchased the pack that includes the area, etc).

D15.1 Instances (VIP to Premium)
Some Quest Packs include Instances. Information about exactly what is included with each should be listed in the store description.

D16. Deeds (VIP to Premium)
Any Deeds that you are currently in the middle of earning, you can continue. However, you won't be able to start on the next Deed if you have downgraded, and not bought the area that the deed is associated with.

D17. Rep(utation) (VIP to Premium, Premium & Free)
Any rep you have earned, you keep.
The ability to earn more rep is dependent on the available method(s) of earning rep, which may include turn ins and quests (in some cases account status may change quest availability, see D15, and/or area availability). Most reps can be earned in some way without the purchase of areas or upgrades, however many more opportunities are available once an area is unlocked, and the included quests and NPCs accessible. As noted in D15, if you are already mid quest, you can complete that quest, regardless of account status.

D18. Customer Service Availability - Free & Premium
For Free players, and Premium players outside of the 30 day window, In-game support is limited to spam/harassment reports (right click on the name) and stuck support (using the /stuck command).
Account and Tech support is available for all players, regardless of status.

D19. Monthly VIP Points
Monthly VIP points will be granted within 2-3 days after the successful payment (or monthly anniversary for multi-month and Lifetime subscriptions). Also see the Points: VIP, Bonus, Earned In-Game sectionabove.

D20. Rest XP (Free and Premium)
Free and Premium players do not earn Rest XP.
The Enhanced XP Supply, available in the LOTRO Store, offers a similar bonus to Rest XP, and stacks with Rest XP earned by VIPs.

D20.1 Rest XP (VIP to Premium)
If an account is downgraded from VIP to Premium, you stop earning new Rest XP as Premium. You can still use existing Rest XP, but can’t earn any more unless you upgrade to VIP again.

D21. Chat Restrictions (Free)
Free players can send tells to a unique character within a 30 second interval, with some small limits on how often you can send. Basically, once a free player sends a tell to another character, they can’t send tells to any other players for the next 30 seconds.* Please do note that there are other ways (besides tells) to talk to other players.
These restrictions are in place to protect all of our players and the game experience, and prevent spam and third party abuse.

D21.1 Chat Restrictions (Premium)
Premium players do have limits on chat, but they are not as strict as the free restrictions. The time limits are not as restrictive, and you can talk to several players at once. Please do note that there are other ways (besides tells) to talk to other players.

D21.2 Chat Restrictions (VIP)
No restrictions. Chat as you like!

D21.3 Chat Restrictions (VIP to Premium)
Players who downgrade from VIP are subject to the same Premium restrictions (as far as chat) as players who have never been VIP.

D22. Mail & Trade Restrictions (Free)
Free players have mail restrictions similar to Free chat restrictions.* Free players cannot mail away or trade away gold. Free players can receive gold in trade or in the mail (subject to the gold cap). Most items can be mailed or traded, however any item restrictions are based on the item in question (i.e. character bound items cannot be traded or mailed).

D22.1 Mail & Trade Restrictions (Premium)
Premium players do have limits on mail, but they are not as strict as the free restrictions. The time limits are not as restrictive, and you can mail to several players within a short period. Premium players can send and receive gold by mail (subject to the gold cap).
Premium players do not have trade restrictions. They do have the ability to send or receive gold by trade (subject to the gold cap).
Most items can be mailed or traded, however any item restrictions are based on the item in question (i.e. character bound items cannot be traded or mailed).

D22.2 Mail & Trade Restrictions (VIP)
No restrictions. Mail and trade as you like! Please note that most items can be mailed or traded, however any item restrictions are based on the item in question (i.e. character bound items cannot be traded or mailed).

D22.3 Mail & Trade Restrictions (VIP to Premium)
Players who downgrade from VIP are subject to the same Premium restrictions (as far as mail & trade) as players who have never been VIP.

D23. Swift Travel
Swift travel is available to VIPs for free.

Swift travel can be temporarily unlocked (1 hour, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days) with the Writ of Special Passage from the LOTRO Store for Free or Premium players. The swift routes in the beginning areas are free to all players.

Premium players who were previously VIP get to keep unlocked access to swift travel routes they had access to while VIP. Please note that only the characters played while the subscription was VIP will have access to the swift travel routes, and each character will only have access to the swift travel routes which that specific character could access. Characters created after a subscription downgrades from VIP to Premium will only have access to beginning area swift travel routes.

D24. Crafting Guilds, Crafting Restrictions and Store Purchase
Everyone can join a crafting guild once they are at the expert tier of the profession with a guild.
In order to be able to advance to farther than acquaintance standing, you have to buy access to the crafting guild from the webstore.
If you are a VIP you get this ability automatically.
If you become a Premium from VIP, you can advance within the current tier and get as much reputation as you want, but you won’t advance to the next tier unless you buy the item or subscribe again.

D25. Skirmish
Skirmish soldier ranks are gated at 7 for Free Players.
Max Rank 15 is available from the LOTRO Store or with the Moria Expansion Pack.
Max Rank 25 is available from the LOTRO Store once you have acquired Max Rank 15.

D26. Character Slots
Free players have access to 2 character slots.
Premium players have access to 3 character slots.
VIP players have access to 5 character slots.

D26.1 Additional Character Slots
Additional character slots can be purchased.
Moria includes 2 additional character slots.
The Adventurer's Pack includes 2 additional character slots.
Additional character slots can be purchased in the web store, up to a limit of 17.

D26.2 Extra characters/slots when I downgrade?
If you downgrade from VIP to Premium, you will lose access to 2 character slots. If all of the character slots are filled prior to the downgrade, you will be prompted to pick which characters you would like access to when you log in after the downgrade takes effect. CHARACTERS WILL NOT BE DELETED, you just won't be able to access them unless you purchase additional character slots, or upgrade to VIP again.
If you purchase additional character slots, you keep those additional character slots, regardless of any changes to your account. For example, if you are VIP and you have 5 character slots, and you purchase 2 additional character slots (not related to Mirkwood or the AdvPk) for a total of 7 character slots. If you downgrade to Premium you will then have a total of 5 character slots.

D26.3 - Character Limitations per Server
These base character limitations are per server. For example, without any additional purchase, as a Premium player you can have up to 3 characters on each server.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post bumping is a violation of the CoC.
All questions will be answered when I am able to provide a thoroughly verified official launch answer. Please be patient.

This is a FAQ. If you would like to debate an issue, please do so in another thread.

- Versions -
8/20 - Stuck!
8/23 - Split posts. S6 Store vs Non-Store Items, S2.1 Store Issues and Support, P9 Deed Points, D19 VIP Points
8/24 - D1.3 Acct Status @ Launch, D2.2 The Gold Cap and Escrow, D4.1 Riding and the Store, D23. Swift Travel, D24. Crafting Guilds, Crafting Restrictions and Store Purchase, D25. Skirmish, D26. Character Slots, D26.1 Additional Character Slots, D26.2 Extra characters/slots when I downgrade?
8/25 - Thread locked.
8/26 - Change points to start with PT. S7 Acct Store Items, S7.1 Shared Bank Space, PT10. Point transfers, D26.3 Char slots per server
11/4 - Update S.6 Store Items that are bound to account cannot be mailed, only put in the Shared Bank space.
1/28/2011 - Updates to reflect changes since launch. D6, D7, D8, D20, D23, D25
2/11/2011 - Updates to reflect changes since launch. D23

Reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Very nice, thanks for the helpful post!

*Waits for this to get the sticky love!

And hey, am I getting #2 as a title after all? LOL!

Victorie - you rock!

I approve of this post with Sticky Love™.

Originally Posted by sirwillow

*Waits for this to get the sticky love!

And hey, am I getting #2 as a title after all? LOL!

Originally Posted by Cerridwen

I approve of this post with Sticky Love™.

There it is! You knew it was coming.

Originally Posted by Victorie

P2. VIP Point Grants for Multi Month Subscriptions
VIP Points for Multi Month Subscriptions are granted in the standard 500 point increments on a monthly basis. Multi month subscribers do not get all the points in a giant lump sum at the beginning of the billing period.
-For example (as noted above) Smitty’s billing date is on the 20th, and he is on a 3 month plan, then every month on the 20th or 21st he’ll get his points (provided the payment for the 3 months of access processes).

P3. VIP Point Grants for Lifetime Subscritpions
VIP Points for Lifetime Subscriptions are granted in the standard 500 point increments on a monthly basis, similar to Multi Month Subscriptions in M2. The points are granted on the Anniversary of the date you paid your Lifetime Subscription.

P3.1 When is my Anniversary as a Lifetime Subscriber?
We are aware that the Account Management website doesn't currently show an Anniversary or Payment date for Lifetime subscribers. Until now it didn't matter, since you don't have to pay subscription fees again. We're looking into displaying the Anniversary date for Lifetime subscribers. In the interim, you can check your credit card statements or contact the Account Management department to confirm your Anniversary.

As this was something that was being discussed in one of the threads "when do I get it",

P3.2 Monthly and Lifetime subscribers with an anniversary falling before Sept 8, will not be getting their Monthly points for September.

Nice collection of information. One thing that I didn't see explicitly stated that could lead to confusion is what content current subscribers who remain VIP get.

If Moria or Mirkwood were purchased then those are there (which is stated).

What isn't clear is that with SoA, there were a number of free updates. It's my understanding that VIP still has access to all of those. I assume this includes new characters created on such a VIP account. Is this correct?

Thank You Victorie. (hug)

Originally Posted by Alcor

Nice collection of information. One thing that I didn't see explicitly stated that could lead to confusion is what content current subscribers who remain VIP get.

If Moria or Mirkwood were purchased then those are there (which is stated).

What isn't clear is that with SoA, there were a number of free updates. It's my understanding that VIP still has access to all of those. I assume this includes new characters created on such a VIP account. Is this correct?

VIP accounts should have access to all of SoA and new areas that aren't part of an expansion (I believe).

Great compilation Victorie, this thread really needs to be read by all players!

Originally Posted by sirwillow

There it is! You knew it was coming.

What can I say, I'm stalking Victorie it seems. Should I tell her about my dream (get your mind outta the gutter, it's not that bad)?

Oi, there I go again derailing a nice thread. Bad me, bad!

@Alcor This should answer those questions for people: http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html And the sticky in the Free to Play Discussion section answers a lot, if not all, of that.

Thanks, this clears up most of my questions except two.

D21.3 Chat Restrictions (VIP to Premium)
Players who downgrade from VIP are subject to the same Premium restrictions (as far as chat) as players who have never been VIP.


D22.3 Mail & Trade Restrictions (VIP to Premium)
Players who downgrade from VIP are subject to the same Premium restrictions (as far as mail & trade) as players who have never been VIP.

What are the restrictions? The f2p plan comparison table also just says "limited".

Does the purchase of Mirkwood automatically grant the skirmishes opened up by the Book Quests now (Strike Against Dannenglor, Protectors of Thangulhad, Breaching the Necromancer's Gate, Batte in the Tower), or do you still have do the Book Quests to open up the skirmishes?

Some additons to your update.

Include information about skirmish soldier rank limits for people who don't hold Moria or SoM.

Include information about SoM Gating advanced skirmish LT slayer deeds.

I mention this because both are unlikely to change prior to launch.

Thanks for moving this thread to the live forum and updating it. Looking forward to having the swift travel stuff spelled out once and for all!

One question I've see crop up in a number of threads with several differing answers is this:

Will premium player who previously purchased Shadows of Angmar still have access to all the quests which came with it, or will they be limited to the starting areas?

Originally Posted by greendragoon100

One question I've see crop up in a number of threads with several differing answers is this:

Will premium player who previously purchased Shadows of Angmar still have access to all the quests which came with it, or will they be limited to the starting areas?

D6. What areas and quests are included with Angmar? (The FAQ notes Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land are free, and Eriador is available for VIP).
-All quests in The Shire, Ered Luin, and Bree-land are available to all players.
-All landscape areas that were launched with The Lord of the Rings Online: The Shadows of Angmar are open to free players, as are all regions opened as part of book releases leading up to the launch of The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria. Those areas are as follows: Lone-lands, North Downs, Trollshaws, Misty Mountains, Angmar, Evendim, Forochel, and Eregion. While free players can explore and kill monsters in these areas they cannot complete the side quests contained there without first purchasing the Quest Packs for those areas.
-All players will also have full access to the Epic Story (Volume 1, Books 1 – 15), crafting and class quests up to level 50.

-In order to access Moria or Mirkwood, all players (free, premium or VIP) will need to first purchase the expansion packs to gain access to this content.

..........

/is sad that I cannot give Victorie any rep.

Great FAQ. I cannot think of anything ATM, but I'll post here if I do.

Originally Posted by Cerridwen

@Alcor This should answer those questions for people: http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html And the sticky in the Free to Play Discussion section answers a lot, if not all, of that.

Thanks. It confirms my understanding. VIP has the Eriador quest pack. I mainly posted my question as this seemed like a good place, given the excellent compilation that Victorie put together.

Edit: I see now my question was already answered and I missed it (or it was added later).

When will Beta players be permitted post this information on their kinship websites. I am a Beta tester as well as a kinleader and have not divulged anything as yet...I've seen alot of bantering about the new F2P outside of the Beta but my lips have been zipped. I would however like to know when I can inform my kinship of the information in this post and when I will be permitted to do just that. Thank you

Originally Posted by LizyBeta

When will Beta players be permitted post this information on their kinship websites. I am a Beta tester as well as a kinleader and have not divulged anything as yet...I've seen alot of bantering about the new F2P outside of the Beta but my lips have been zipped. I would however like to know when I can inform my kinship of the information in this post and when I will be permitted to do just that. Thank you

The NDA was lifted August 9th; you can talk about whatever, you just can't copy things from the beta forums. In case you didn't realize, this is not the beta forums you're posting in; this is the Live forums so have at it.

Hello!
I have a question.
Do all the deeds I already completed on the current non-F2P servers will automatically give me Turbine Points at soon F2P is up or only deeds done after F2P will award Turbine Points?

Originally Posted by Victorie

Turbine points cannot be moved between subscriptions or accounts. The sale of LOTRO Store items for in-game gold or items isn't something that is intended and certainly not something that is supported by Turbine. There is no protection for the seller or the buyer if anything suspect takes place and this type of activity may also result in disciplinary action. This applies to everything available in the store, including expansions, items, and so on.

Hmm. But the store will be selling things that already exist ingame. Will there be a way to tell the difference between a skirmish cosmetic earned ingame vs one bought in the store for example? Wouldn't be right to punish someone for selling something they got from playing the game just because it is also sold in the store...

Also, since it seems that cosmetics and house decor from the store will be bound, what will happen to the ones already acquired prior to the beginning of the shop? Will those suddenly become bound come the switch over? If so, some very clear warning prior to the launch date should be done so the right characters or kin members have them.

Originally Posted by WoWSai

Hello!
I have a question.
Do all the deeds I already completed on the current non-F2P servers will automatically give me Turbine Points at soon F2P is up or only deeds done after F2P will award Turbine Points?

No points will be awarded retroactively but there are some new deeds associated with reputation which if you have completed the requirements, you will get the associated TP when you log in after the re-launch.

There's a typo under D2.1 Gold Restrictions. Subscritpion?

I can be nit picky, I guess. Especially if it's stickied.

Considering how much work you've guys have been doing lately I'm surprised the posts aren't all typos.

This FAQs helps out a lot though. Thanks!

Right now this is a stickie at the top of the General Discussion page. Wouldn't it be a good idea to put it as a stickie to the top of the LotRO Free-to-Play Discussion page as well?

Also, under the store section it just mentions that there are no refunds: "All store purchases are final and non-refundable. Be sure you really want the points or item you have selected."
You may also want to include in that section what steps to take if a problem occurs, i.e., you get something other than what you bought, get nothing at all, the item you bought doesn't work, too many or too few TP were removed from your account, etc. Would a player submit an in-game bug report, file a help ticket, contact customer service, click an in-store help button?

Can you buy SoM without owning MoM?

If so, there really is no way (besides being ported) to get to mirkwood. All stables lead to CG.

Originally Posted by nikito

Can you buy SoM without owning MoM?

If so, there really is no way (besides being ported) to get to mirkwood. All stables lead to CG.

The expansions include the previous. If you buy SoM, you get MoM and SoA.

Originally Posted by Savash

The expansions include the previous. If you buy SoM, you get MoM and SoA.

im re-reading the beta post. I can't seem to find it (im not done yet) do you know where this was said?



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Another question - What happens if I send a Free Player money over the cap? Can they not accept any at all? Will it accept only some of that money - then what happens to the rest? Does it go away.

Please don't respond with "Just don't send more than x to a free player." Sometimes I just mail kinnies money when they complain about how broke they are, as a nice random surprise/gift.

Originally Posted by Korandon

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/AutoCAD-Autodesk-Court-License-Software,news-4806.html

US court says software is owned, not licensed

Times, they are a-changing.

Actually, that's irrelevant. Yes, you own the game client, but you do not own the content on Turbine's servers, and without their consent you cannot access any of it. They get to define the terms of that access: how you get it, how much of it is free (if any), and how the rest needs to be paid for (and what it will cost). You're not entitled to any of it unless you abide by the terms of access the content provider has defined. When you bought the original client, the deal was 30 days of access plus a client that can connect to the servers and render the game world for $50. That was quite literally all. Without the subscription, your game client was completely worthless after 30 days. You still "owned" it, but it was useless.

As of September 10th, it's less useless than it was before. But that doesn't magically dissolve Turbine's rights to set the terms and conditions under which players may access parts or all of the game's features and content. They're doing so, in a manner which will mean they can actually make some profit. That's what all businesses strive to do.

Khafar

I've cleaned this thread up quite a bit. Please be aware, this is not the place to debate, argue, or otherwise offer editorials on the F2P experience or service. There are plenty of other threads for you to use to that purpose.

If you have a question you feel should be added to the FAQ or information you feel will help round out the information provided, please feel free to post it.

If this comes off the rails again, infractions and locking will ensue.

Originally Posted by Sapience

If this comes off the rails again, infractions and locking will ensue.

/three cheers

Originally Posted by nikito

Another question - What happens if I send a Free Player money over the cap? Can they not accept any at all? Will it accept only some of that money - then what happens to the rest? Does it go away.

Please don't respond with "Just don't send more than x to a free player." Sometimes I just mail kinnies money when they complain about how broke they are, as a nice random surprise/gift.

From my understanding (take it for what it's worth):

Any money that the character recieves/accumulates above the gold cap goes into escrow that they will get when/if they remove the gold cap.

F2P Kinnie has 500 silver, and you send them 2G - they get to keep 1.5G of what you sent (for a total of 2G in inventory, cap for free players), the 500s overage goes into escrow

F2PK buys small house for 1G, they will have 1G in inventory and 500s in escrow still

F2PK purchases "Remove Gold Restrictions" from Turbine Store, kinnie now has 1.5G inventory.

(specific limit amounts may not be current, but the general idea of the escrow mechanic is correct to the best of my knowledge)

Originally Posted by Drogo1

snip


F2PK buys small house for 1G, they will have 1G in inventory and 500s in escrow still
snip

This is my understanding as well; so you can't just "accumulate" escrow money and slowly whittle it down with purchases.

Originally Posted by nikito

im re-reading the beta post. I can't seem to find it (im not done yet) do you know where this was said?.

It wasn't "said" anywhere. You can look at any Mines of Moria or Siege of Mirkwood product (not the LotRO store versions). Every description says it includes Shadows of Angmar, which if you wasn't aware, Shadows of Angmar is the BASE game, I.E. content all the way up to the gates of Moria. So to reiterate there is absolutely no way you can NOT receive Shadows of Angmar if you purchase a product with the description "Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria" or "Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood". Again this only Applies to purchases made outside of the LotRO Store

Take note however, that while you purchased the original game, this does NOT mean you get automatic access to the quests outside the starting areas when F2P launches. The only quests you will have forever are the quests that come with expansions ONLY (I.E. Mines of Moria or Siege of Mirkwood). The only way to have access to quests outside of the starting zones ( bree-land, the shire, Ered Luin) is if you buy the quest packs separately.

Originally Posted by JeanCarlo

This is my understanding as well; so you can't just "accumulate" escrow money and slowly whittle it down with purchases.

As a beta player I can confirm that the escrow where your capped gold goes, is a hard cap. You can't use your current coin to gain access to it like a reserve by spending it.

Hey guys!

Thanks for the thanks (and of course the StickyLove from Cerridwen. While i'm curious about the dream, we already had to make changes to keep this thread on topic, so feel free to PM me about that. )

I'll be answering some questions, in no particular order. If I haven't answered your question yet, rest assured that it's not that I haven't seen it. I'm just waiting for confirmation, so I can be sure that this thread is as correct as possible (including spelling- thanks Pocoemme).

Please, also trust that there is a very good reason this thread is in general. However, feel free to link this thread where it might be useful. (Sharing is caring! )

Fixed


...

Originally Posted by Crell_1

As a beta player I can confirm that the escrow where your capped gold goes, is a hard cap. You can't use your current coin to gain access to it like a reserve by spending it.

THanks for the confirmation Crell - I knew that's how it worked in early Beta - but life has kept me away from beta for the last couple of builds so there was the chance they had changed it...