World of Warcraft Firelands, free for 20 levels

(CBS) - Rejoice, World of Warcraft "n00bs." The massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) is now free to play for up to 20 levels. That means players can now take as long as they need to get familiar with the game, before they have to pay a subscription fee.

The game's developer, Blizzard Entertainment, has eliminated the prior pay model, which had a free 14-day trial period.

The move is brilliant considering that WoW, which was first released in 2004, is known for immersing users in a deep game world. The limited time seemed too short to get acclimated to the rich virtual world.

Although the trial subscription had its limits, WoW remains wildly successful, reaching 12 million subscribers in 2010. Will the recent upgrade help grow the MMORPG's number of users?

According to GameSpot "players will [now] be able to amass just 10 gold, have their trade skills capped at 100, and will be unable to trade via the Auction House, mailbox, or player-to-player."

The addictive game also got an update today with the release of Patch 4.2 - Rage of the Firelands, the next exciting chapter in the game which includes a host of changes, various interface tweaks and new content.