Patch 5.2 interview with Dave Kosak
Inside an old alt's vault
The latest patch 5.2 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsWoW goes free-to-play through level 20
by Michael Sacco 
Jun 28th 2011 at 7:00PM
If you do get the hankering for more WoW thanks to the trial, you can get the digital Battle Chest, which includes classic WoW and The Burning Crusade, for $19.99 (as soon as the Blizzard site works again, anyway).
Trying out WoW for the first time with one of these trials? Have a friend who's just starting out and needs a push in the right direction? Check out WoW Rookie, our resource for new or casual players, with topics like:
- Turn WoW into quality time by playing with a partner
- Pick the class that's right for you
- Learn how to run dungeons with groups
Trial Account Restrictions
- A level cap of 20.
- A maximum of 10 gold.
- Trade skills are capped at 100 ranks.
- Unable to trade via the Auction House, mailbox, or player-to-player.
- In-game access to public chat channels unavailable. Players are limited to communicating using only say, party, or whisper.
- Characters will be unable to create or join guilds.
- Characters are not able to send whispers to other characters unless they have been added to the characters' friends lists or have received a whisper from a character first.
- Characters will not be able to invite other players into a party.
- Characters will not be able to join parties with other characters above level 20.
- Voice chat disabled on Starter Edition accounts.
- Realms experiencing login queues will prioritize players who have full, paid accounts.
- Starter Edition accounts are not eligible for character transfers
- RealID features are disabled on all Starter Edition Accounts.
- A maximum of 10 gold.
- Trade skills are capped at 100 ranks.
- Unable to trade via the Auction House, mailbox, or player-to-player.
- In-game access to public chat channels unavailable. Players are limited to communicating using only say, party, or whisper.
- Characters will be unable to create or join guilds.
- Characters are not able to send whispers to other characters unless they have been added to the characters' friends lists or have received a whisper from a character first.
- Characters will not be able to invite other players into a party.
- Characters will not be able to join parties with other characters above level 20.
- Voice chat disabled on Starter Edition accounts.
- Realms experiencing login queues will prioritize players who have full, paid accounts.
- Starter Edition accounts are not eligible for character transfers
- RealID features are disabled on all Starter Edition Accounts.
The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new Tier 12 armor!Filed under: Blizzard, News items
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 6)
kaminari Jun 28th 2011 10:51PM
if trial accounts share bg's with experience frozen chars it will definitely increase the twinks numbers, not likely but since neither will level it's a (slim) possibility.
if they do it I know I'll make an alt and fully gear hir in heirlooms and totally own trial accounts =D (which is possibly why i doubt they'll do it)
BB Crisp Jun 28th 2011 7:13PM
This actually seems like a pretty good idea. Does anybody know off hand which services aren't included in trial accounts? I seem to recall that they can't trade, mail, use the ah, etc. (mostly to prevent abuses), but I don't really remember.
BB Crisp Jun 28th 2011 8:04PM
Answered my own question, for anybody that's interested. From Wowwiki:
"When you sign up to a trial account, you are limited to the following:[1]
Maximum level of 20.
Maximim of 10 .
Capped at 100 in your two main professions,[1] or 150 in secondary professions.[citation needed]
You can't create or join a guild.
You can't whisper someone who has not added you to their friends list.
You can't trade, either via the auction house, mailbox or player-to-player trading.
You can't use in-game chat channels other than say, whisper, party, etc.
You can't receive mail other than from Game Masters.
You can't use voice chat.
You can't use the paid character transfer service.
You can't invite other players to a party.
You can't join a party with a player above level 20.
You can't use /yell.
You can't use Real ID features."
twinkerz Jun 30th 2011 2:08PM
@BB Crisp
Or you could have just read the article where it contained the blue post of the information you just reposted...
No heirlooms since trial accounts can't trade.
jfofla Jun 28th 2011 7:14PM
Smart, smart, smart!
And so the war begins, Blizzard unloads a broadside into Bioware and Trion!
DarkWalker Jun 29th 2011 9:46AM
Didn't go after the numbers, but someone in another thread quoted that 16 games went F2P since the start of the year. I guess this move is a response to that.
This, and perhaps dwindling subscriber numbers; after all, those were not expected to be up any time before Firelands launched. BTW, I'm curious about what Blizzard will say in it's Q2's 10-Q form (and if they will count players with just the free WoW copies sent as subscribers)
Matthew Jun 28th 2011 7:15PM
Good for you Blizzard. You have a quality product, and people who experiment with it will know they like it by level 15.
Poddin Jun 28th 2011 7:16PM
Seems to only be US at the moment, EU site says 10 day trial still.
Wintersbite Jun 28th 2011 7:16PM
Does this mean all accounts under 20 will be able to be counted as an "active account" since you can technically login and play at any time?
Sergel Jun 28th 2011 7:22PM
3 years too late for me *cries in corner over my $15*
lol, but i thought it meant that you don't have to pay anything so as long as you have an under lvl 20 toon XD
Crispn Jun 28th 2011 7:22PM
Next year it'll be 40... then 60... then 80... then all of wow will be free to play, It's just a matter of time.
Wes Jun 28th 2011 7:52PM
All of Wow? Never but free to play until lvl 70 will probably happen inside of two years. Blizzard makes between $9.99 - $14.99 for its 11 million subscribers. Who'd give up 110-162 million dollars a month of income? If people are still paying to play, Blizzard is still more than willing to open their bank accounts to receive.
The goal here is to get more people PAYing $14.99 once they reach level 20; NOT to give up the up to 162 million dollars a month.
thawedtheorc Jun 28th 2011 8:02PM
Free to lvl 70... lol no.
whospenismightier Jun 28th 2011 9:15PM
Why on earth would they increase the level caps? Considering everyone accuses Blizzard of doing nothing more than try to MAKE money off of consumers without heart or caring, why would you postulate a scenario in which Blizzard would LOSE money hand over fist?
Even assuming your 'slippery slope' theory is true, it took SEVEN years for them to make THIS change to the trial account....so maybe in another seven they'll increase the level cap. :p
DarkWalker Jun 29th 2011 9:53AM
@whospenismightier
If competitor's F2P offerings, which typically allows free players to reach the same level cap as subscribers, are seen as a threat, WoW might increase the level cap.
They would most likely implement new pay walls beyond the lv20 cap, though. For example, in LotRO free players can level up to the cap, but they must purchase quest packages for quests over lv20, the riding skill, instances, and even virtue slots (LotRO's rough equivalent to WoW's talent points), while subscribers get all that for free as long as they are subscribing.
Hollow Leviathan Jun 28th 2011 7:23PM
This is reasonable and good, really help people learn a new complicated game without worrying about trying to make the most of only 7 days or whatever.
murmaiderxx Jun 28th 2011 9:20PM
I can remember when I first started playing.. The game has evolved so much (I started in BC) with interaction for newbs, although the quests have been simplified.. I even had friends I started playing with and with all the help they gave me I didn't get the hang of it until later in the game (40s/50s) So I sort of envy the newer people who come into the game and don't have to suffer through what we had back then..
Oakraven Jun 28th 2011 7:24PM
the link you provided is goes to a 404 page
the links on the OFFICAL Blizzard sight are all to the normal 10 day trials.
and the mods have locked, closed and deleted the thread where I linked the artical here and asked if this was legit.
sooo. . . where is the proof?
HERE!
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2743804562#2
cloudhopper013 Jun 28th 2011 7:44PM
For some reason I suspected the link to be a shock site. Does this mean I spend too much time on the internet?
Murport Jun 28th 2011 7:27PM
Seems like a pretty good idea to me. When I first saw those words, able to play the game forever for free, I cringed. After reading it of course I relaxed a little. I hope wow never goes totally free to play.
I see an increase in level 19 twinks coming soon :)