Hellgate Guru

UPDATE:
Flagship Studios’ Lee Dotson has clarified the differences between subscribing and non-subscribing accounts:

Free Play

• Does have customer support but it isn’t 24/7 premium customer support. Being ‘just an artist’ I don’t know all the specifics here.
• Can play with elite players in all areas of the game that come with the shipped game but not in new areas added post launch.
• Can not use ‘elite’ items. It should be noted that elite items are not more powerful/unbalanced items but rather have flashier appearances or simply new items that still fit in the overall balance scheme.
• Includes patching/balance updates. (in case that’s not obvious)
• On the same secure servers as ‘elite’ players.

Elite

• Regular content updates, small ones every month and large ones every three months. (ie. new quests, dungeons, weapons, monsters, etc. that can only be accessed by elite players.)
• Elite content will access higher
• Can create guilds.
• 24/7 Cust. Supp.
• More character slots/larger shared stash
• Additional play modes, hardcore, pvp, rp, etc..
• Hopefully there will never be server ques but -if- there are then elites get priority.

If you’ve questions or comments, be sure to share them in the forum!
– Scapes

Original Post Follows:

The latest issue of Games for Windows Magazine has revealed the elite subscription pricing behind Hellgate: London, which will be free to play online should you opt out of subscribing for additional features. These features, which will be available for $9.95 (depending on location) are as follows:

• Elite subscribers pay $9.95 a month
• 24/7 phone- and internet-support
• No (server) queues for elite subscribers, with preference over non-paying customers
• 3 chars per account for non-elites, 12 for elite-customers
• Elite subscribers can store up to 40 items (instead of 20 for non-subscribers), which can be accessed from any char in an account-wide item vault.
• Visible distinction from other players. Elite subscribers are recognisable from their equipment and may trade subscriber-only equipment to other elite subscribers.
• VIP-Shuttles to remote areas
• Housing and founding of guilds are enabled for subscribers. Elite subscribers may attain officer/leader priviledges within their guild.
• Elite subscribers have access to additional game modes, including Hardcore mode.
• Elite subscribers and non-subscribers can play with each other.
• Costs actually depend on where you live. Subscription fees in the Asian market will cost considerably less, in accordance to the market conditions and expectations of the players and local publishers within the region.

The subscription costs make it possible for Flagship Studios to produce additional content for Hellgate: London twice a month, or more. New content includes new items, monsters, areas, character classes and other content which are not present in the retail version of the game. It is not known as this time whether this additional content will only be available to paying subscribers. Discuss!