Tier

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Revision as of 18:27, 17 February 2010 by Torley Linden (talk | contribs)
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Tier is a key concept to understand when it comes to Second Life land ownership. There's common confusion about what "tier" means and what it's all about, so hopefully this page will help you straighten it out.

KBcaution.png Important: These are the simplified basics. There are exceptions, be sure to see below.

In general usage, "tier" can mean a "rank".

In Second Life:

  • "Tier" refers to the maximum amount of land you can own on the Second Life mainland, measured in square meters (m2).
  • "Free tier" or variations like "available tier" refer to the remaining, potential land you can own, not counting land you already own.
    • For example, "My tier is 1024m2. I own a 256m2 parcel, so I have 768m2 of free tier. If I buy a 384m2 parcel, that leaves me with 384m2 of tier that's available."
  • Tier is not the same as land use fees; the service and cost are different. What's accurate is that each tier level is tied to Land Use Fees, which is where you change your tier level.
  • A Premium account includes of 512m2 tier, which can be used for a free Linden Home, which is a rather pretty house on a 512m2 parcel.
  • Tier is not the land itself. It's your potential container to own land. Think of it like this: each land parcel is a building block (larger parcels are bigger blocks), and tier is a box. Buying land "fills the box with blocks".
    • For example, if you have "4,608m2 of available tier" — the Premium account's included 512m2 + 4,096m2 additional tier level — then you can own any combination of land parcels up to a total of 4,608m2. So owning a 1,024m2 parcel + a 2,048m2 parcel + a 1,536m2 parcel = 4,608m2 which completely fills your tier.
  • If you need more land, you need to upgrade. By upgrading to a higher tier, you also increase your land use fees, but you also get a "bigger box for building blocks".
  • When purchasing a land parcel, you're notified if buying it will increase your tier.
  • Tiers don't have formal ranking names aside from the amount of land you can hold. But to have a tier, you need to have a Premium account.

Since a Premium account includes a 512m2 of tier, does it also come with free land?

With the introduction of Linden Homes as a benefit for all Premium account holders, yes, if you choose a Linden Home. Previously, the answer was no: you had to buy the land separately, which you can still do if you want, but if you're new, why not give a Linden Home a try? It's free, after all.

Exceptions