Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About...

The Vanguard Pre-Order

by Shayalyn

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I had the opportunity to chat briefly with Nick "Glip the Gnome" Parkinson, Community Manager for Sigil Games Online, about the recently announced Vanguard: Saga of Heroes pre-order package. There's been a bit of confusion about what the pre-order contains, and whether or not people who pre-order online will be entitled to the same benefits as those who purchase the physical pre-order box. Let's first take a look at Nick's post today on the official Vanguard forums:

Where can I buy the pre order box? You can purchase the box at Gamestop, Best Buy, Fry's and other retailers across the country. Not all locations seem to have it though at this point in time, so make sure you call before going in to double check. What is included with the pre-order box? Included with the pre-order is the following: Early access to the game! Log on and get a jump start up to three days prior to the official launch! A special account key that will grant you a unique exclusive in-game scroll, allowing your character to sprint for longer periods of time due to an endurance buff (one per account). An invitation to the Vanguard: Saga of Heroes beta (for eligible participants). Guild Mail – a fun recruitment tool to help you build your guild before launch! A king’s ransom of assets, including videos, wallpapers and screenshots What if I already pre-ordered? Do I get a box? What about if I ordered online? Contact whoever your pre-order is with and ask if you can arrange to pick up a box in person. While technically they may not be required to provide this we've reports that many have indeed given boxes to existing preorder customers. I do not live in the United States, will I be able to get a pre-order box? We are working with Koch Media to mirror the program internationally. We will post more details as soon as we are able to. When can I get in to beta? Those who receive a beta key through a pre-order box will be able to get into open beta. There have been posts claiming that people are already able to log in and we are looking into this issue. However, as previously stated pre-order customers are given a key for OPEN beta.

As I mentioned, I was able to chat a bit with Nick this afternoon. This little interview should provide further clarification for those who are still confused about the pre-order program.

[Shayalyn]: Hey Nick. I'm wondering if I could fire you off a few quick questions about the pre-order so we can publish some clarification on Ten Ton Hammer. Our forum members seem to have a lot of questions.

[Nick Parkinson]: Sure, how can I help?

[Shayalyn]: Okay, first off...people are wondering whether any of the benefits from the pre-order package will be available to folks who order online. Will they get beta keys and headstart play?

[Nick]: You see this thread, by chance?   

[Shayalyn]: Probably not. Ah, okay...geeze, I'm slow. It's been one of those days.

[Nick]: Haha...no worries

[Shayalyn]: So, just to double check...only a physical box comes with any pre-order goodies. No beta keys or headstart play by email, right?

[Nick]: Correct; though Gamestop has said they're trying to get keys from SOE. I'm not aware of that happening, but I am trying to find out from someone over there what the deal is. But for now, yeah, people need to physically get the pre-order box.

[Shayalyn]: The descriptions from the press release read "up to 3 days head start play." What's with the "up to" part?

[Nick]: Max of 3 days. If you log in 2 days before launch we're not going to delay launch a day. :P

[Shayalyn]: Ah, that makes sense. Is there any reason the box and press release descriptions weren't a little more specific that the beta access was for open beta? I know it's clear to people who follow Vanguard closely, but I also know there are people who are expecting to pick up their boxes and jump right into beta.

[Nick]: The instructions in the pre-order box (which is on an index-sized card) say open beta no less than 5 times--twice in giant bold letters--and clearly says it in every way we could possibly think of. I really dont know how much more clear we could have been

[Shayalyn]: That works for me. Just trying to set the record straight for everyone here.

[Nick]: That's honestly the only question that I don't get. I mean, it's literally plastered everywhere that its for open beta.

[Shayalyn]: I suppose folks could argue that if the information is inside the pre-order box they won't have it until they actually buy the box. There's a similar issue with the "3 months free gameplay!" thing. [Although the pre-order information] very clearly says that the Collector's Edition comes with 3 months access to Station Players, people still read it as three months of free gameplay. I must've cleared that one up 100 times on our forum.

[Nick]: Yeah, thats easy to get confused though I suppose, if you're not familiar with Station Players

[Shayalyn]: True. Thanks again for your time. I'll let you get back to slaving away for the cause. And I'll do my best to make sure all our community members are well informed. I appreciate it!

[Nick]: You bet.

So, let's recap:

• Only by physically picking up a pre-order game box from a participating retailer are you guaranteed the pre-order benefits such as beta access and head start play.
• "Up to 3 days" head start play means that you'll be able to play 3 days if you happen to log in during the 3 day head start period. Yes, folks...head start will be a full three days. Take advantage of them!
• Beta access from the pre-order package is for Vanguard's OPEN BETA. You will not get instant access to beta by picking up a pre-order box. 
• The collector's edition pre-order box does not come with three months of free gameplay. You will receive 3 months of access to Vanguard Station Players, a website with character stats and guild management tools.

I hope this clears things up for some folks! If you still have questions or you'd like to talk about your pre-order experience, we're discussing the pre-order in this thread in our forum.