Should I go VIP, or stay Premium?

[AZgreentea]

Having played since Dec 2009, I am finding VIP to be more appealing than when I first started playing. Mostly because of the "free" monthly TP and the access to packs without having to buy them. My only issue is, I already own so much of the game, and I am hesitant to have a subscription. Of course, I have already put so much into the game, that there isnt much difference between my premium status and a subscription model (even with everything bought on sale).

I own all packs except the newest one (because it hasnt been in a sale yet).
I own WF, Monk, Horc, and Helf.
I own the Shared Bank and all available expansion slots. I picked up one character bank slot for my main, but that was it.
I have unlocked Drow, Vet status, and 32 point builds, but I have NOT unlocked FVS (I realize they are not VIP features, I still wanted to include them).
I have 12 Character slots (4 for Premium, plus 8 purchased). I suffer from alt-itis.
I have about 4-7 hours a week total to dedicate to the game. More on a good week, or a long weekend.

Despite all of this, I still find VIP tempting. Does anyone have any thoughts to help me decide if I should pull the trigger and go VIP? Am I suffering from "the grass is greener" syndrome? I'm a bit of a sale monger, so I would wait until there is a deal on VIP status before I go VIP, if I decided too.

[Bolo_Grubb]

I am in sort of the same boat. I don't have quite as many of the extras you do, but I do have some of them. I own all the packs except the newest one. Shared bank and Horc. I have unlocked everything I can through favor.

I have thought about going VIP but don't really see what it would get me. I have been VIP in the past and might be again at some point, but not yet

[Illiain]

Mostly because of the "free" monthly TP and the access to packs without having to buy them.

I dropped down to premium from VIP and have never looked back. Take that $120/yr subscription fee and buy TP. You'll get a lot more than the 6000 "free" TP VIP gets. This will more than cover the cost of new adventure packs.

The only real benefit is opening on elite. If you're TRing you'll most likely run normal/hard/elite anyway so it doesn't really matter and if you're not TRing you don't require the xp to level.

[Battery]

if you have the races/classes you want and all the packs, whats the benefit of going vip for you? opening elite?

could always try it for a month and see if it's worth it then go back to premium if you decide it's not.

[DoctorWhofan]

I have to go ViP. I have too much stuff and too many toons and nothing bought. It really depends where you are ready to say, "good." What quests, items, services can you do without? You need to find the line and draw it.

I just spent over a year and a half making LotRO pretty much F2P with just about everything I would have if I had a sub. But I caught it at a good time. With DDO, I was a grizzled vet when it went F2P and wasted (not really, depends on your perceptive) on character slots and free passes to newbies. I was used to having all the goodies in DDO, and refused to lower myself to having very few. SO it will be F2P= LotRO and DDO will always be a sub.

[Glenalth]

The only real benefit is opening on elite.

One of my two regrets about not being VIP. The other is the waiting period for new content.

[Memek]

Opening quests on any difficulty you like is nice but seriously - you bought everything already, why would you go for a subscription now?
The 500 points a month arent "free", that should be easy to grasp.

If you want to blow $15 a month to the wind, sure, go ViP.

[Mandinga]

Going VIP: $120 a year invested.

6000 Turbine Points
Being able to open things on Elite
6 Additional Character Slots
All New Content


Staying Premium: $100 a year invested.

13800 Turbine points when purchased on a good sale. 6 Character Slots to catch you up with Premium: 3570, less if on sale. That would leave you with 4230 points to purchase content, adventure packs, classes, account options. You would still have your 6000 bonus points for other things.

If you're happy with your current character count you would have 7800 points for content.

Unless you really want to open things on Elite, I would stay Premium.


Mandinga

[Cauthey]

Don't forget that as a VIP, you will not be able to purchase adventure packs when they go on sale if ever you wish to return to Premium. (As noted in my sig below.)

[jamvaru]

;>

[samthedagger]

Support the game, become a VIP. More VIPs encourages Turbine to continue to develop great content.

[Illiain]

Support the game, become a VIP. More VIPs encourages Turbine to continue to develop great content.

Premium players support the game just as much as VIP players. We just do it in larger chunks, fewer times per year. .

A new pack or race comes out, we buy some points and pay for the new shiny thing. We just get to keep what we buy, if we ever choose to take a break after a while.

VIP/subscription only players weren't the answer for this game, or else they would never have gone f2p.

[Musouka]

whatever... if it is about reincarnating your character 20 times, then forget it, back to wow.

I might buy vip one month, then play wow the other month.

I prefer this game for sheer beauty and realism, though it has a ways to go to catch up to wow's shine (blizzard shines their *****, duh! have you seeen sc2?) anyway...

like i said, would be nice to have the shared bank, but really, so what. Go vip one month, then take a month off.

Wlould be better for your brain anyways.

good luck

Does anyone actually understand his posts?

Support the game, become a VIP. More VIPs encourages Turbine to continue to develop great content.

Do you have any actual facts and statistics to support that?

[Habreno]

Stay Premium. TBH, if you REALLY want Elite unlocks and the best loading priority, then go VIP, but you have 99% or so of the stuff VIP gives already. If I were you, I'd pick up 6900 points from the sale, purchase Favored Soul, and then bank the points for later. I myself am going to pick up, hopefully, 6900 points, and grab Favored Soul, Gianthold, and then bank the rest. *Might* grab a GR heart and 32-point builds, though... my 28 point Cleric Elf is really looking forward to changing himself around.

[ProdigalGuru]

Premium is for LIFE, man.

You have already started down the dark path.

Forever will it dominate your destiny.

[Umbrage]

Premium players support the game just as much as VIP players. We just do it in larger chunks, fewer times per year. .

A new pack or race comes out, we buy some points and pay for the new shiny thing. We just get to keep what we buy, if we ever choose to take a break after a while.

VIP/subscription only players weren't the answer for this game, or else they would never have gone f2p.

Actually, going to the ftp/premium model doubled profits the year after Turbine did it. It also increased the player base to 3-4 times what it was immediately prior, and brought back a large number of former players that had left for other games.

It's so successful, that other companies are looking at ways to follow the model to increase revenue. Sometimes Turbine can do things right.

[countfitz]

Premium players support the game just as much as VIP players. .

No we don't

Personally, I've spent, with my wife and my account total, $180 and may not ever spend any more. We both have around 5000 TP left on each account, and own all of the content (some packs have gone completely unplayed yet we still own them), together all the races and classes (not each, but combined, for example she has monk, I have Horc, she has helf, I have WF, etc.) and I have lots of bank space etc. (she doesn't, just trades in game etc.)

Basically, we're as well off as any premium player and have played over a year now, which SHOULD have cost $240, MINIMUM, plus whatever else we'd have spent. So, for less money we OWN everything we want and have money left for the next 5-10 updates worth of content, which lets be honest, is about 3 years of playing. So, for lets say $200 we've got everything a VIP will spend about, in five years, 5 (years) x12 (months) x $10 (lowest monthly rate) x 2 (both of us) = $1200. So we'll end up saving $1000.

So, to OWN everything, in 5 years of total play time (which is about when I expect to ragequit like most of the 5 year vets) versus RENTING the same things for the same time, it costs $200 vs. $1200. VIPs are spending $1000 for unlocking elite?

[NinjaNeed]

VIPs are spending $1000 for unlocking elite?

This is the EXACT problem.

VIP gives you ONE bonus, only one and this is easily overcome by doing the quest 3 times yourself or grouping with someone else who can open it on elite.

VIP needs a boost to be worth considering.

Maybe give VIP's double loot or something like that. They need something.

[jamvaru]

;>