Blue light special: Champions Online and Star Trek Online lifetime subs to go on sale

Upset because you missed out on pre-launch deals for lifetime subscriptions to your favorite Cryptic MMOs? If the notion of a lifetime sub -- pay once, play forever (or until you or the game kicks the bucket) -- appeals to you, then Cryptic has some good news: Both Champions Online and Star Trek Online's lifetime subscriptions are on sale for $239.00 apiece.

This sale coincides with two big events in the Cryptiverse: Star Trek Online is hitting its one-year anniversary next month while Champions Online is on the verge of launching its free-to-play version in a few days. The sale will run from January 25th through February 4th, which means that players have about a week-and-a-half to decide if this is a smart move.

A lifetime subscription offers you the full benefit of a regular subscriber without the hassle of monthly charges. If you're wondering why one might pay for a lifetime sub for a game that's coming out with a free version, it's important to realize that Champions' F2P version is permanently restricted in several ways, such as limiting players to playing archetype templates instead of being able to build their own character. Whether one is preferable to the other is up to you, of course. This sale represents a 20% discount over the normal lifetime subscription, which does save you a good chunk of pocket change.

You can read all the details of this deal at either Champions Online or Star Trek Online.

Reader Comments (32)

"Upset because you missed out on pre-launch deals for lifetime subscriptions to your favorite Cryptic MMOs?"

Nope.

@truthlesshero

Then it's probably not aimed at you :P

@truthlesshero hahahahah.
Yeah that's what had in mind.It sounds very sarcastic

@truthlesshero Yeah that was my immediate response. It baffles me a little that anyone would still want this, but then to each their own I guess.

If Cryptic was smart, they would make that a combined cost of $239 for both subs. Some people might go for that... maybe people that just got "the internet"

Does this mean the game has $239.00 worth of content? With that much money I could play WoW for 1 year and 4 months. Is there even that much content available in those 2 games? How much time does the average Champ. or Treky spend playing over the course of a day? I could buy an entire Wii consol system for cheaper, and still have enough left over to buy a game. It doesnt make sense, life-long sub on a F2P game, really? Will it save me money later, when I get bored with all the free stuff and start buying stuff from the item mall? If I were to buy everything in the item mall, would it average about $240? How about a deal like, Lifetime subs. for both games combined for $240, that seem fair? I don't play these 2 games, but I would if there was ever good PR on them.

@Bladerunner83

No, you don't have to buy the game separately, or indeed at all, once it goes FTP. You can just download the client.

As to does it have enough content, it really depends on who you ask. I bought the lifetime thing at launch. So did my wife and a bunch of our guildies. None of us have regretted it, and the game paid for itself back in October of last year. from next Tuesday we'll have 'gold' accounts until the game shuts down.

Buying everything in the item mall is also not as expensive as you might think, as all gold/lifetime accounts get 400 cryptic points a month.

So for us, it's a great deal. For others it might not be.

Really, the best thing to do is play the game when it goes free and decide for yourself.

@Issmir

Thanks for the reply, it doesn't sound bad at all. If it was just a bit cheaper I think I would go for it, but $240 is too much.

Another thing, do you have to buy the game and the life-time sub. separate?

@Bladerunner83 Quote from STO site: "Free digital copy of the game: No need to purchase a retail key. It's included in your Lifetime purchase!"

But you don't get the digital deluxe bonuses. Plus I used to see people talking about what a rip the lifetime sub was, especially with all the content coming out onto the STO store.

I paid about £20 for the digital deluxe copy off D2D-US. As regional pricing is bonkers, so ordered from the US site. Plus 1 month sub you get alot of extras. http://www.direct2drive.com/8805/product/Buy-Star-Trek%E2%84%A2-Online-Digital-Deluxe-Edition-Download Of course these extras don't come with the lifetime sub.

I'm still debating giving Champions a shot now that its FTP. Seeing how they're doing the FTP, it doesn't sound that good. I would be able to take a character to max level, but then it would be a less desirable character, so all the time I spent playing it would be wasted.

Depends on your playstyle, really. If you're a hardcore raider, min-maxer, speed to the end game type player, then STO is definitely NOT the game for you. (I really can't comment on Champions as I haven't played it) There is a good amount of content, but that content is stretched out, and ridiculously easy to level past, especially if you're rushing to max level. The filler content (random "exploration" missions, or random patrol missions) are overdone and very repetitive.

Crafting is getting better, but its still far from perfect. The PvP is decent, the storylines are nice and very "Trek"-like, the game has some of the best screenshots I've ever seen, and the missions are in nice smaller chunks of time.

So, overall, if you don't have a ton of playtime and are more concerned with story than rushing, this game is definitely not as bad as people make it out to be. Really doesn't hurt to be a Star Trek fan, too...

I would like to see where star trek online is in two years in terms of content. I do like the space combat but I would prefer to see it evolve with this producer at the helm. As far as a lifetime sub goes I think I will pass and see how things go over the next few years.

How much MMO gaming can you get for $240?
You can buy DCUO and play it for 3 months, then you can buy Rift and play it for a month, then you can buy TOR and play it for 3 months, then you can buy GW2 and play it for as long as you want, and then you can play CO for free if you still feel like it. Do not forget to snatch Mass Effect 3 when it comes out as well, since you will still have enough money even after all that.

@Luk

For a person who likes to jump mmos, LTSs are not good. I got my LTS for CO and it has already paid its value, but I mostly stay at least a year on a mmo before switching.

However, I have to agree that with so many interesting games on the horizons it is not tempting to commit to only one.

@gandales
The only game that i have played for more than a year lately was Borderlands, /gasp, and that game has released more additional content than CO had in a year up to date.

But really, with the amount of online games available now, I am not sure if anyone could stay with one game for long, unless peer pressure and friends are deciding factors in this decision.

I bought the lifetime sub for Star Trek Online when it first came out and I absolutely LOVE it!! to me, i've gotten more than my subs worth of content and fun out of that game :)

Wow. Not even Bear Grylls can squeeze that much water from a turd.

@Tempes Magus

You're thinking about this too hard.

On another note, I would recommend trying DCUO (which also has a lifetime sub offer, I think) throwing $240 at CO.

@SocksForYou

Oops, that sould be "before throwing"

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Blue light special: Champions Online and Star Trek Online lifetime subs to go on sale

Reader Comments (32)

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:09AM truthlesshero said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:21AM Issmir said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:51AM Rayne26 said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 12:34PM ChongShin said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:16AM Lugryn said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:27AM Bladerunner83 said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:40AM Issmir said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 11:05AM Bladerunner83 said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:30AM Bladerunner83 said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:42AM Pyrii said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:32AM Ocho said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:46AM Ocho said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 10:53AM Lateris said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 12:05PM Luk said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 1:45PM gandales said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 4:14PM Luk said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 1:58PM Mylamber said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 2:03PM SocksForYou said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 3:16PM SocksForYou said

Posted: Jan 20th 2011 3:17PM SocksForYou said

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