EverQuest II changing free-to-play in December, expansion

Hot on the heels of its 7th anniversary, EverQuest II has announced that it will be making changes to the way it handles free-to-play this December.

According to producer Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson, “We believe the key to meeting your expectations is to provide more flexibility and to deliver what you want when you want it, whether it’s basic game content, full subscription access to the game, or something in-between.”

Georgeson goes on to explain that the subscription model will be changing in a few significant ways. “Bronze” membership will be called “Free,” “Silver” memberships will be 500 Station Cash lower, and the “Platinum” memberships will be phased out. On top of the dangers of Norrath that new “Free” and “Silver” members will face, they’ll also have to deal with the limitations placed on their accounts, such as restrictions on character class, race and on how much Coin they may carry.

Sony Online Entertainment has also detailed the features in the next expansion Age of Discovery, releasing in December as well.

• The Dungeon Maker will allow players to construct their own fiendish labyrinth of terror, and then test their metal against the traps and monsters of their own design.
• The Beastlord class makes a return, allowing players to seek out and train creatures as their warder pet.
• Having a hard time in that one dungeon and need some extra steel at your side? Well, if you’ve got the coin, then friendly Norrath Mercenaries are more then obliging to help.
• Reforging will give player the chance to tweak their items stats and even add interesting particle effects.
• Got a good tradeskill under your belt? Then why not pay it forward by taking on an apprentice who can research new item recipes as well as XP.
• Alternative Advancement limit has also been increased to 300.