Excited by the prospect of Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited going free? Who isn't? DDO is one of the best MMOs out there, and being able to jump in without that pesky monthly fee is, well, awesome. Sadly, it's not available for another week... unless you already pay to play! Hooray!

Turbine has opened a head start program that grants access the new content for the game to VIP members. A new server, called Cannith (based off of Eberron's House Cannith), is also available, where players can try beginning the game anew on a shiny, empty server. All of the other updates, including the Turbine Store, increased level cap, and new items, are also available. The only thing that isn't is playing for free, which is sort of a big deal.

The press release is below as well as a few new images (check out the full gallery here). Anyone planning on taking advantage of this program, or are most of you waiting for the full release later this month?

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE®: EBERRON UNLIMITED™ Head start begins

First Premium Free to Play MMO Opens to Select Players

Turbine, Inc. announced today that Dungeons & Dragons Online®:  Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited), the premium free-to-play massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), is now live for all current and former subscribers as well as recent participants in the closed beta. DDO Unlimited introduces an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content.

DDO Unlimited raises the level cap, introduces a new player class, adds major new content and makes the game free to play for everyone.  The new DDO Unlimited delivers heart-pounding gameplay featuring the industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found in premium subscription-based MMOs.

DDO Unlimited is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® franchise of  Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.® (NYSE: HAS),  under license to Infogrames Entertainment S.A.®  Published by Atari, Inc.®, DDO has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, PC Gamer, Game Informer and many more. For the latest information, please visit www.ddo.com.