Collectors Edition?

Are the extras that you get for the collectors edition worth it?
Thoughts?

Depends. The free trials could be nice if you have some people you want to show the game to. If you're a bigtime fan of the lore and of AoC in general you might appriciate the memorobilia, but if you're only buying it for the in-game items I really dont think it's worth an extra $30-40 IMO. But that's just me.

I think I read you get something like 5 Free trials? Do the trials mean you get to play the full game for X amount of time? Becuase I have an uncle and 2 good friends I am trying to pry away from WoW to play AoC and hopefully join THC maybe if I give them a free trial they will convert.

that is exactly what the free trial is all about

"Worth" is a relative thing. I honestly don't give a crap about the material stuff you get with the CE (map, book, etc); for me, I wanted the XP ring and the drinking cape. Was that really worth paying almost double the cost of the regular edition? Not really, but I'm fortunate enough that the extra cost wasn't really an issue for me.

Plus, I remember when Guild Wars came out (I joined right when it launched, in April 2005); I didn't buy the CE edition because I wasn't sure I liked GW enough. Later on, I always regretted it. Not because you really got anything great, but simply because I liked the idea of having stuff that was a relative rarity. So I told myself the next time I had a chance to buy a CE at a game release, I would do it.

The in-game items (XP ring that gives you a +2% XP increase, and a drinking cape that gives you a free drink at every tavern) aren't all that amazing. (Plus, I believe you get a free drinking cape for subscribing to the AoC newsletter.) But if you don't mind the temporary loss of $30-$50 for the upgrade, I think it's worthwhile to get it.