VIP Downgrade to Free F.A.Q.

[Ugumagre]

Yeah, I would really like an answer to this too ASAP. Today HORC is 50% off however I bought the 9.99 deal for 3 months. I NEVER intended to stay VIP and I do want to keep HORC, but I can't take advantage of the sale because I am currently VIP? That's pretty weird. I understand the whole carrot/stick idea, but as I said, I never intended to stay VIP in the first place and I can't give Turbine even MORE money atm because I am VIP? What a weird decision.

+1 . Also interested.

[Trowis]

After brainhurt from half a dozen pages of people asking the exact same question, I've decided to just ask as opposed to search:

I was VIP, now downgraded to Premium. I selected the four characters, and had one left over. He was useless, so I baleeted him. I wanted to roll up a new character, so I baleeted another. Now I'm down to three characters of four slots. Anytime I roll up the new fourth[Yes, the game allows me to create this one], it says unknown. I'm making a F2P character race/class combo, so that's a non issue. I'm just trying to figure out why I can't play an otherwise F2P character in a slot I have available. Any help or tips?

--Trowis

Edit: Guessing there was a timer glitch or somesuch nonsense. It works now.

[apacheizm23]

Greetings! This post answers many of the questions we have received from players about what happens if they downgrade from a VIP (subscriber) account to a Free account.

Q. What happens if I've already unlocked Drow?
A. If you've unlocked Drow as a VIP, you'll still have access to your Drow character and can continue to create new Drow, as long as you have a free slot.

Q. What happens to my Warforged characters?
A. If you downgrade to a Free account, you must purchase the Warforged race in the DDO store to play any existing Warforged characters.

Q. What if I have a Monk character?
A. If you downgrade to a Free account, you must purchase the Monk class in the DDO store to play any existing Monk characters.

Q. What about the limits on chat, mail, auctions, and gold storage?
A. As a former VIP, you won't be subject to the same limitations that a new, Free player has.

Q. What happens to my characters?
A. Your characters are never deleted by Turbine! As a VIP who downgraded to a Free player, you'll have four character slots. When you enter the game as a Free player you'll be asked which characters you wish to unlock for these slots. If you'd like to unlock an additional character, you must purchase a slot for it. However, when you purchase this slot you'll also be given the option to exchange the characters in any previously unlocked slots with any of your locked characters.

Q. What about the Turbine Points I have banked? I got them every month and have some left over.
A. Keep them. They're yours!

Q. What happens to the things I've unlocked through the Favor system?
A. Nothing happens; you'll still have them!

Q. What about items in my shared bank slot?
A. If you downgrade to a Free account, the items will go to a "withdraw only" status. You can remove them, but you cannot place any items back in unless you purchase the shared bank slot from the DDO Store.

Q. What if I decide to go back to VIP status? Do I get a credit for the things I've purchased?
A. We're sorry, but there are no refunds or credits for Free players who decide to become VIPS, so choose your path carefully before downgrading! If you’ve purchased any additional character slots above the 10 you get as a VIP, you will still have access to those slots.

Q. What happens to items I purchase if I go back and forth between Free and VIP?
A. Anything you've purchased as a Free player will still be yours if you upgrade to VIP and then back to Free.

Q. If I downgrade, what content will I still have access to?
A. You'll be able to access any content a Free player can access. Additional content will need to be purchased in the DDO Store before you can access it, even if you could access it when you were a VIP.

Hi Patience, I have been VIP for over 5yrs now, and I just upgraded my account to 12 months for 99.00, a couple weeks ago. I also bought the expansion pack this week for 97.00. Mind you I hardly have the time to log in and play with all that I have going on in real life.

Patience, I would like you; in you're own words to explain to me, and other players who maybe asking themselves, what are all the benefits of being a VIP? Is it worth it? So many of my guildies are downgrading?

Thank you,

Dirtyone

[djl]

Hi Patience, I have been VIP for over 5yrs now, and I just upgraded my account to 12 months for 99.00, a couple weeks ago. I also bought the expansion pack this week for 97.00. Mind you I hardly have the time to log in and play with all that I have going on in real life.

Patience, I would like you; in you're own words to explain to me, and other players who maybe asking themselves, what are all the benefits of being a VIP? Is it worth it? So many of my guildies are downgrading?

Thank you,

Dirtyone

/turn undead

To answer your question, the biggest benefit of VIP is being able to open Elite quests on any toon, regardless of TRs. Otherwise, everything else can be bought with TP (granted to get ALL the benefits of a VIP you'd need close to $200 worth of points, but hey)

[apacheizm23]

/turn undead

To answer your question, the biggest benefit of VIP is being able to open Elite quests on any toon, regardless of TRs. Otherwise, everything else can be bought with TP (granted to get ALL the benefits of a VIP you'd need close to $200 worth of points, but hey)

/turn undead

Hmmmm Is that right. It would be nice if Patience was to respond. This maybe the wrong thread tho. It's not the 99.00 or the 97.00 I just spent on the pack.. What is 9.99 a month!! You kidding me. That's nothing! I just wonder how many VIP's there are compared to premium accounts. I think people like myself who pay by the year should get more from the way you're talking.

[scampb]

/turn undead

Hmmmm Is that right. It would be nice if Patience was to respond. This maybe the wrong thread tho. It's not the 99.00 or the 97.00 I just spent on the pack.. What is 9.99 a month!! You kidding me. That's nothing! I just wonder how many VIP's there are compared to premium accounts. I think people like myself who pay by the year should get more from the way you're talking.

$9.99 gets you a stress free, no worries, no hassles playing experience. And, 500 TP per month. Have you seen LFM's posted as 'need elite opener' or 'on elite if we have opener'. Meh, thats not for me.

I don't think it is fair though as a VIP that I cannot purchase packs when they are on sale in prepartion of going P2P. I called and got an immediate 'can't help you there' repsonse. Turbine, you need to change this. How can you possibly penalize your player base for being loyal VIP subscribers?

I was going to go P2P and buy the packs until I realized the elite opener issue. When TR'ing the BB is too valuable. However, I still feel this needs to be changed and quickly. You have had many complaints and you know it is an issue. Just fix it already so those that have given you their money over the years can have the flexability they deserve.

[Spinktor]

im one of the players that has bought everything via turbine points.
sure it may cost a few dollers more but iv been playing for over three years and own everything except the new content waiting to be added to the ddo store

so in answer to some...
i own everything... i dont have to pay monthly or worry about loseing somthing because i didnt make a payment
i can stop playing when i want and start again and not have any issues about account or what level i am.
my only issue is the fact that if i bought the underdark package at full price id be paying for 8 areas i allready own
and ddo wouldnt even listen to mails regarding such...just looking for a kick back for the amount of money allready spent, could have givin an underdark package minus all the areas for a chaeper price

and in answer to a few peoples questions regarding not being able to purchase because allready vip

Q. What about the Turbine Points I have banked? I got them every month and have some left over.
A. Keep them. They're yours!

it seems if you have points banked up from paying monthly, just convert to a free to play account and then you can use the points to purchase the thing you just lost in the downgrade

[Oficinaman]

What happens to the MM if we go from VIP to free? They're lost? And if I switch back to VIP or buy a Volumen from the DDO Store, the entries and achievements I had previously unlocked are still active? And what of pets unlocked on a Volume i got from VIP status but lost on the downgrade? Do we keep them?

[2akcor]

i think if you start as a f2p player you get two, if you were a vip player you get an additional two for total of four. thats how i read it anyhow.

R

I have got 4 slots without vip for free. Is it just something that happens or what?

[TrObRo]

There are actually 3 types of accounts ... F2P , Premium and VIP. When you purchase TP's you become a Premium account , that will give you 4 slots . My wife and I have been playing for 3 years now , and for us we found the Premium account the best way for us to go.We just bought all the packs , races and classes ( not all at once ) I'm up to 11 slots .. think she has like 25 slots now , we have everything a VIP has except the free TP"s monthly and the ability to open Elite with 1st life characters ( and that's no biggie ) The benefit I see in a Premium account is that we OWN everything we have , If you're VIP it's like you're RENTING, we could stop playing for 6 months or more if we want and when we return we would still have everything . Ive had friends that downgraded from VIP to F2P and it is some what of a hassle. I seen in a post a ways back someone said it would cost $200 worth of TP's to have everything a VIP has, well I don't have the number but it costs a lot more then that, but if you're gonna be a long term active player it's well worth it......
Leggacy of Cannith

[Manasdirge]

i use game time card as subscription,and my expire time was May 27 around, after the update 17,it become Feb.27,i thought it was due to the copensation time issue,and paid no attention.

though after the hotfix,i find myself downgraded to premium,i send tickets and asked for help from online GM,no one can help me,my tickets unanswered,and i have to spent 950tp on gianthold pack because i want to hang out with buddies and to see the new raid,i was planning to save enought to buy a box

can any1 fix this for me? and maybe undo the purchase and refund the TPs?

[Uska]

I have got 4 slots without vip for free. Is it just something that happens or what?

If you spent any money in the store you get 4

[mercurymel]

Perhaps I missed it in the deluge of posts ... is it 4 slots period or 4 slots per server?

Thanks.

its four per server

[Waaye]

Greetings from a premium player. My account has limits and that is fine with me but has the company really consider who is most affected by these limits?

Suppose a F2P finds a good item that a subscribing friend needs. Can they trade it to him? if not, then who suffers? Is it the F2P that would have sold it anyway or the subscriber that needs the item but can't get it?

Every subscriber should have complete bi-directional communication with all other players including ones that are F2P.

Please think about it.

[Krelar]

Suppose a F2P finds a good item that a subscribing friend needs. Can they trade it to him? if not, then who suffers? Is it the F2P that would have sold it anyway or the subscriber that needs the item but can't get it?

They can trade items without any problems. F2P can only put one item at a time on the AH but that just slows them down it does not prevent them from using it or from trading in other ways.

Every subscriber should have complete bi-directional communication with all other players including ones that are F2P.

Are you talking about this limitation on F2P?

Chat: Limited (Public Chat Channels: 10 messages in 5 minutes - Say/Shout: 10 messages in 5 minutes - Tells: 3 unique people/minute)

Doesn't seem like that big a deal and is mainly there to prevent spammers/gold sellers.

[Waaye]

They can trade items without any problems. F2P can only put one item at a time on the AH but that just slows them down it does not prevent them from using it or from trading in other ways.

Are you talking about this limitation on F2P?

Chat: Limited (Public Chat Channels: 10 messages in 5 minutes - Say/Shout: 10 messages in 5 minutes - Tells: 3 unique people/minute)

Doesn't seem like that big a deal and is mainly there to prevent spammers/gold sellers.

Thanks for the information. A subscriber friend of mine mailed a bow to me and I wanted to mail an over level I had in return. There was no way for me to attach an item to the mail even though he was a subscriber and I had to send cash instead. He was the one that suffered the most from that limitation and not I. We did try to trade in game but could not figure out how to do it even though he had traded with other subscribers before. Is there any documentation on F2P trading somewhere?

The limitations are bizarre but don't really bother me and I certainly would never subscribe to any game just to get full basic communications. DDO does, however, deny the subscribers the full bi-directional communication with all players they have already paid for. This limitation is not technical but something the company has chosen to do for some reason.

[SpoilSpot]

Greetings! This post answers many of the questions we have received from players about what happens if they downgrade from a VIP (subscriber) account to a Free account.

Isn't this technically incorrect? You cannot downgrade from VIP to Free, because you will at least become a Premium account.

That also explains the four character slots.

[HawkFest]

Just a comment (Turbine's sales dep. will hate me)... IMHO, those who have bought a one year plan AND have created a Monk or a Warforged, should be given access to those chars after downgrading, at least still be able to play such existing characters.

[Steiner-Davion]

Just a comment (Turbine's sales dep. will hate me)... IMHO, those who have bought a one year plan AND have created a Monk or a Warforged, should be given access to those chars after downgrading, at least still be able to play such existing characters.

Why should they be free in this case? They are not a free class or race. If you want to continue to play character unlock 5hem with Turbine Points via the DDOStore.

[Rexthor007]

Just a little confused, everyone is saying that if you down grade from VIP to free you get to choose 2 of your toons, but this post says 4...is this right? Thanks Patience.

You get 4 slots if you have ever purchased something like a DDO card with points on it you get extra bonuses like 4 character slots.