Veteran Edition account (6.1 update)

This has the potential to be fking awesome. If we get a higher level cap like 40 or 60... Oh man watch out...

Big thing that I've been thinking about is that all the F2Ps who don't have old inactive accounts will remain in the 20-29, while all of us who have old inactive accounts will be playing the higher bracket at least some of the time... which means both communities will be smaller and will have longer queue times than even now. Recall that the survey I did last year says that somewhere around 70% of TI posters have old inactive accounts.... It will be interesting to see which of the two free brackets will be the larger one and which one will struggle. It will ALSO be interesting to see which of the two brackets the current P2P 29s (the former 24s, not the long-time 29s) will move to in order to keep playing with the F2P pops.
 
Most people seem to be really excited about this new veteran account.

Now, when you run out of subscribtion time on an account that has previously payed for subscribtion that account gets locked completely until you buy a new subscribtion. Trial account can however play undefinately without any subscribtion. The far most likely change with the veteran accounts are enabling old accounts that no longer have an active subscribtion a way to log into their account. Most likely the veteran account will have similar restrictions like only being able to play on character level 20 or lower. Some restrictions might be altered to make this format compatible with the account since it likely previously have done things not possible on starter edition accounts. But generally its the same as a F2P account with your higher level characters locked until you resub.

This is not m own theory solely, but seems the most popular opinion on various other forums like MMO champion.
Not quite as exciting, but definately more realistic.
 
Most people seem to be really excited about this new veteran account.

Now, when you run out of subscribtion time on an account that has previously payed for subscribtion that account gets locked completely until you buy a new subscribtion. Trial account can however play undefinately without any subscribtion. The far most likely change with the veteran accounts are enabling old accounts that no longer have an active subscribtion a way to log into their account. Most likely the veteran account will have similar restrictions like only being able to play on character level 20 or lower. Some restrictions might be altered to make this format compatible with the account since it likely previously have done things not possible on starter edition accounts. But generally its the same as a F2P account with your higher level characters locked until you resub.

This is not m own theory solely, but seems the most popular opinion on various other forums like MMO champion.
Not quite as exciting, but definately more realistic.

I've read some good points that contradict that though. The purpose of a trial account is to get someone who has never played the game interested in the game. Showing them the first 20 levels makes sense for that purpose. But for a previous subscriber, their goal is showing them just enough new stuff to get them interested in re-subscribing. Giving veteran accounts access to the first 20 levels isn't going to do that. It must be something closer to the end-game, which is why I suspect level 90.

I'm definitely watching all the usual sources of information for some sort of leaked info, and I've got the PTR downloaded and ready to go as soon as the open it!
 
Could be trickey with not having the option of disabeling xp and chars get xp-unlocked automaticly.

Free version of WoW for Veteran WoW players that have previously subscribed.
Right now you can play a starter edition and there are limitations such as max level 20, you cant trade with other players, you cannot talk in public channels, etc.
Now do that for Veterans past level 20, maybe level 90s that quit MoP. Tell them they can level to 100, build their Garrison to Tier 1 or 2. I would imagine a Veteran Account can talk in guild chat, LFD/LFR will most likely be available but Premade Group tool won't be, probably cannot use the AH, trade with other players, including guild mates and cannot use the guild bank regardless of rank, etc.
EDIT: For clarity of what I assumed others would also interpolate:
This is how Starter Edition currently works.

  • Can't play expansion-restricted content (new continents, etc).
  • Can't exceed level 20, 10 gold, and 100 trade skill ranks.
  • Can't participate in Pet Battles.
  • Can't chat in channels other than say and party.
  • Can't whisper another character unless they add you to their friends list.
  • Can't create or join guilds, invite players into a party, or create calendar invitations.
  • Can't disable experience gains.
  • Can't trade, mail, or use the Auction House.
  • Can't use voice chat or Real ID.
  • Can't use value added services (character transfers, faction changes, etc).
Let us now apply this to what is most likely the intent of Blizzard, taking into consideration the wording of MMOChampion (who has a history of being correct 99.99% of the time).

  • Can't play expansion-restricted content (new continents, etc).
Blizzard wants them to play the new content. Just like the emails I got for my other two accounts that let me level in MoP for free for 7 days, to try out MoP.
As well, with the Starter edition they want players to simply buy the game, which now includes MoP.

  • Can't exceed level 20, 10 gold, and 100 trade skill ranks.
They may limit trade skills to 600, but many Veterans have tons of gold, perhaps even max gold.

  • Can't participate in Pet Battles.
Probably the same for Veteran Accounts.

  • Can't chat in channels other than say and party.
And, more likely than not, they will also be able to use guild chat.

  • Can't whisper another character unless they add you to their friends list.
Their friend list is most likely already populated.

  • Can't create or join guilds, invite players into a party, or create calendar invitations.
It makes sense to let them be in a guild, since they most likely already are. They will also have to have the ability to speak in guild chat.

  • Can't disable experience gains.
Probably the same for Veteran Accounts.

  • Can't trade, mail, or use the Auction House.
Probably the same for Veteran Accounts.

  • Can't use voice chat or Real ID.
What WoW wants is concurrency. They want others to see each other. This is the one and only reason we do not have an anonymous "appear offline" option for RealID.
With Starter editions, it makes sense to filter out new players that may be spammers.
With Veteran accounts, players that more likely than not have an already active RealID with a populated friends list, it makes sense to let them use RealID with a Veteran Account.

  • Can't use value added services (character transfers, faction changes, etc).
Probably the same for Veteran Accounts.
 
I've read some good points that contradict that though. The purpose of a trial account is to get someone who has never played the game interested in the game. Showing them the first 20 levels makes sense for that purpose. But for a previous subscriber, their goal is showing them just enough new stuff to get them interested in re-subscribing. Giving veteran accounts access to the first 20 levels isn't going to do that. It must be something closer to the end-game, which is why I suspect level 90.

I'm definitely watching all the usual sources of information for some sort of leaked info, and I've got the PTR downloaded and ready to go as soon as the open it!

Indeed the trial account is made to attract new subscribers, however this is not a trial account, but instead a veteran account. In the 10 years WoW have existed people have subbed, but alot of people have stopped subbing, millions in fact. By offering unlimited game time to these players (with some limitations however) on their account Blizzard uses this as a way to get resubs.
Alot of people think that trial accounts will be made into a veteran account or something of that sort, but keep in mind Blizzard is not upgrading trial accounts to veteran accounts, they state this is a new account form.
 
Am I the only one who finds heirlooms boring and would prefer not having heirlooms, or at least not having them generally be BIS?
 
Oh, absolutely so.

And if it's BiS, you can't really argue with it.

I was wondering when these rings would show up....I remember them being data-mined the same time as the heirlooms we got for guild rewards and shields, yet they never showed. The shields showed up later, but this took it's time being implemented it seems.

Also, look at how the Antique Myrmidon's scales at level one, according to that... Then scroll it up a few. Drastically different.
 
I was wondering when these rings would show up....I remember them being data-mined the same time as the heirlooms we got for guild rewards and shields, yet they never showed. The shields showed up later, but this took it's time being implemented it seems.

My thoughts exactly, however i'm still sceptical due to the fact that the tank ring has "expertise".
 
Good call, I'm going to assume it just hasn't been hotfixed into the new stat, as the item has been in databanks for a while.
 

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