EverQuest II going free-to-play next month

Another day, another MMO goes free-to-play.

Another day, another MMO goes free-to-play. Sony Online Entertainment continues its transition away from the subscription model by doing away with EverQuest II's traditional subscription-only servers, starting in early December.

In a letter to fans, executive producer Dave Georgeson outlined why EQ2 is going F2P, and what the new payment structure will be.

EQ2 already had a free-to-play version called EQ2: Extended, but with this change Extended and traditional EQ2 will merge, putting an end to user complaints about the divided community. Georgeson explains: "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. So in early December we're going to change things to be 'Free to Play. Your Way.'"

What that means is best explained by this handy chart, but here are the takeaways:

Gold membership will cost $15 per month and provide full access to all races and classes, as well as seven character slots. Basically, it's the same deal subscribers have now. Silver membership costs $5 per month. Silver members are limited to four characters, and may only gain spells up to the Expert tier. Free member are limited to two characters and Adept-tier spells. Both Silver and Free users are limited to four races and eight classes, and have restrictions on the equipment grades they may access.

So, sort of free-to-play, but there is a lot of convenience and flexibility that comes with paying.