Guild Wars 2’s base package is now available for free after the studio announced a revised pricing structure. However, to monetize the game’s player base, there will be a significant number of restrictions imposed on free accounts. These include limiting the character slots from 5 to 2, disabling Map chat and even prohibiting access to the forums. MMOs require micro-payments or a subscription to remain successful, but I’m quite wary that the hefty restrictions could deter new players from joining up and upgrading to premium accounts. This huge table below illustrates the differences between the main three account types:
| Free Account | Core Guild Wars 2 Account | Heart of Thorns Account | |
| Character Slots | 2 | 5 | 5 or more* |
| Bag Slots | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Revenant Profession | No | No | Yes |
| Heart of Thorns Maps & Content | No | No | Yes |
| Central Tyria (Core) Maps & Content | Starter maps only until character reaches level 10
Lion’s Arch unlocked for each character at level 35 |
Yes | Yes |
| Masteries | No | No | Yes |
| In-Game Mail | Can only send to mutual friends
Can’t send gold or items |
Yes (accounts created after August 28, 2015 require SMS or app authentication to send gold and items) | Yes (accounts created after August 28, 2015 require SMS or app authentication to send gold and items) |
| Guild Bank Access | No | Yes (accounts created after August 28, 2015 require SMS or app authentication to withdraw) | Yes (accounts created after August 28, 2015 require SMS or app authentication to withdraw) |
| Whisper chat | Except for mutual friends, can only whisper in the same map, one new person every 30 seconds | Yes | Yes |
| Map chat | No | Yes | Yes |
| Squad chat | Unlocked for each character at level 30 | Yes | Yes |
| Looking For Group | Unlocked for each character at level 30 | Yes | Yes |
| PvP Chat | Team Chat always available
Chat in PvP Lobby unlocked when the account reaches PvP rank 20 Emotes, Map and Say chat unavailable during matches |
Yes | Yes |
| WvW | Unlocked account-wide when one character reaches level 60 | Yes | Yes |
| Daily Login Bonus | No | Yes | Yes |
| Gem Store | Items unusable by free accounts (such as glider skin) are unavailable | Yes | Yes |
| Currency Exchange | Gems to gold exchange available, gold to gems exchange unavailable. | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Post | Can buy and sell items from a selected list. | Yes | Yes |
| Forum Posting Access | No | Yes | Yes |
According to the developer, this new strategy is designed to create a clear and transparent model showing how varying accounts differ and allowing players to see beforehand if the premium accounts are worth the extra. It seems the majority of MMOs end up going free-to-play barring World of Warcraft, and it will be interesting to see how the community reacts. Guild Wars 2 is an outstanding MMO and its latest free model reduces the barrier to entry.
Thank you MMOs.com for providing us with this information.
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