Chronicles of Spellborn: free to play, to a point
By Lordaltay
Acclaim has recently released new information regarding their upcoming MMORPG The Chronicles of Spellborn. The game is set to enter Closed Beta on November 27. Spellborn will be available in North America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. The European version is set to go live sometime in January 2009. All versions will have the same payment model.
According to Acclaim, Spellborn will be a “Freemium” that lets players play for free in and around the newbie zone up to a certain level. For access to the full contents of the game, a premium account is required. This structure is similar to that of Dofus. Both games are free at the point of entry but most of the content is inaccessible without a premium account.
Free player restrictions:
- Free players are restricted to the newbie zones Hawksmouth and Aldenvault.
- Progression is halted at level 7, approximately 90% towards level 8.
- At this point, players will be prompted to upgrade to a premium account in order to continue progression.
If players continue to play without upgrading:
- Players will be unable to gain experience in any shape or form.
- Players will be able to accept quests, but not to complete any objectives.
- Players will be able to kill mobs, but will not receive experience or loot.
- Players will be unable to travel past the zones Hakwsmouth and Aldenvault.
In order to gain access to the rest of Spellborn, a premium account which costs $15 a month will be required. Though Spellborn is not a free game, the free to play zones are a great way to find out if Spellborn is the right game for you. To date, Spellborn has generated a lot of hype and the feedback from the community so far as been positive. I look forward to playing the closed beta and reporting back on how Spellborn holds up.
