Guild Wars 2

Since you can buy it in game, is there a way to buy Heart of Thorns as a gift for another player?

Since you can buy it in game, is there a way to buy Heart of Thorns as a gift for another player?

Can you buy a HoT Pre-Purchase as a gift for someone else?

HoT is labeled an expansion but that is an outright lie.

HoT is now the core game. Any information telling you otherwise is marketing.

If it were REALLY an expansion then I would be able to buy just the expansion. However since the option to buy regular gw2 disappeared from your official store it’s very clear to me how you mean to play this.

New players getting a gift? That’s great!
So what does a loyal customer receive because they can’t claim this free gift? Nothing!

Thanks! I feel so satisfied as a long time customer!

There are numerous and legitimate reasons as to why other people are angry and those should be kept to those topics.

Here I am only talking about the fact that officially vanilla gw2 does not exist anymore according to Anet. This disregards the fact that physical copies are still circulating and ripping less savvy customers off.

I’m just disappointed because I’ve now lost trust in a company that I loved.

Wow, this changes even more how I feel about this. Thanks for pointing out that vanilla is no longer available. Pls anet, lets us trust you again by giving us an upgrade cost.

INB4 ‘yer entitled, staph complainering you whippersnapper spoiled rat.’

Anyways, on topic, it wouldn’t cost them anything if they gave SOMETHING to the veteran players, I mean, the only things veteran players really want are some digital ‘upgrades’ like a character slot so they don’t have to shell out more money, especially after not being able to use the ‘free’ Guild Wars 2 Core Game. If veteran players are greedy, then anet must be far worse.

AWACS.6537:

INB4 ‘yer entitled, staph complainering you whippersnapper spoiled rat.’

Anyways, on topic, it wouldn’t cost them anything if they gave SOMETHING to the veteran players, I mean, the only things veteran players really want are some digital ‘upgrades’ like a character slot so they don’t have to shell out more money, especially after not being able to use the ‘free’ Guild Wars 2 Core Game. If veteran players are greedy, then anet must be far worse.

+1

AWACS.6537:

INB4 ‘yer entitled, staph complainering you whippersnapper spoiled rat.’

Anyways, on topic, it wouldn’t cost them anything if they gave SOMETHING to the veteran players, I mean, the only things veteran players really want are some digital ‘upgrades’ like a character slot so they don’t have to shell out more money, especially after not being able to use the ‘free’ Guild Wars 2 Core Game. If veteran players are greedy, then anet must be far worse.

+1, coming from a player who only have 1 character and got ripped off due to fake labeling HoT is an expansion that requires GW2 original is required during their sale of GW2.

Tironas.7053:

HoT is labeled an expansion but that is an outright lie.

HoT is now the core game. Any information telling you otherwise is marketing.

If it were REALLY an expansion then I would be able to buy just the expansion. However since the option to buy regular gw2 disappeared from your official store it’s very clear to me how you mean to play this.

New players getting a gift? That’s great!
So what does a loyal customer receive because they can’t claim this free gift? Nothing!

Thanks! I feel so satisfied as a long time customer!

There are numerous and legitimate reasons as to why other people are angry and those should be kept to those topics.

Here I am only talking about the fact that officially vanilla gw2 does not exist anymore according to Anet. This disregards the fact that physical copies are still circulating and ripping less savvy customers off.

I’m just disappointed because I’ve now lost trust in a company that I loved.

Hope this is not true. The Anet should describe it clearly. Will I lose my current benefit or be forced to upgrade when GW2:HoT is released? Under the concept of GW2:HoT=GW2:core, I can easily understand the reason why ArenaNet give GW2:core for free.

+1 coming from a gw1 at launch player. Sad to see this type of marketing by anet, never thought this day would come.

Honestly I’d buy the thing if it was $40 dollars for just HoT and not the core. So newbs would still have to pay the $50 dollars. i’m buying two, one for me and one for my gf.

hapvis.7059:

Tironas.7053:

HoT is labeled an expansion but that is an outright lie.

HoT is now the core game. Any information telling you otherwise is marketing.

If it were REALLY an expansion then I would be able to buy just the expansion. However since the option to buy regular gw2 disappeared from your official store it’s very clear to me how you mean to play this.

New players getting a gift? That’s great!
So what does a loyal customer receive because they can’t claim this free gift? Nothing!

Thanks! I feel so satisfied as a long time customer!

There are numerous and legitimate reasons as to why other people are angry and those should be kept to those topics.

Here I am only talking about the fact that officially vanilla gw2 does not exist anymore according to Anet. This disregards the fact that physical copies are still circulating and ripping less savvy customers off.

I’m just disappointed because I’ve now lost trust in a company that I loved.

Hope this is not true. The Anet should describe it clearly. Will I lose my current benefit or be forced to upgrade when GW2:HoT is released? Under the concept of GW2:HoT=GW2:core, I can easily understand the reason why ArenaNet give GW2:core for free.

They’re not going to force core players to buy the expansion otherwise the outrage would be tenfold. However Colin has stated repeatedly stressed that HoT features are the features that will grow the game for years to come and the features that they wanted to get in but couldn’t.
A number of systems are already changing to reflect this.

It’s just all so kitten ed misleading. I understand why they can’t outright say ‘HoT is now GW2’ but telling us it’s an expansion, stating specifically that the base game was needed to play it then suddenly releasing HoT+Vanilla package as if it were going to be like that all along is not cool. Then NOT rewarding anybody who bought the base game in good faith that the expansion was coming soon or anyone who bought the game at launch.

I understand that other games have expansions but don’t give character slots but those games can have 8-10+ slots to begin with. Nor do they reward older players who have played since vanilla. What they don’t do is spit on the purchase of every expansion before it buy including it in a nice bundle for new players while existing players have to pay the same price.

Yes, OP. I am glad people are talking more about the fact that it’s now impossible to buy GW2 without buying HoT.

The only package that anyone is able to buy is, consequently, THE WHOLE GAME FROM SCRATCH (even though, if you’re an existing player, you don’t get a separate code for the base game or any credit for repurchasing it whatsoever).

Let’s dwell on that for a moment: regardless of how long anyone of us has been playing, whether from launch or from six weeks ago, we must now purchase the exact same item that a brand new player is purchasing to begin playing the game.

Calling the base game a “bonus” for new players when they buy HoT is pure marketing spin, and it’s simply disingenuous. It’s not a bonus. It is THE ONLY WAY for new players to buy the game at all.

This is not a bonus, it’s a bundle, and it is a bundle that’s content is only 1/2 irrelevant for existing players. They’re not giving anything away as a free bonus; they’re trying to twist all our arms into (re)buying the same core game package as new players while giving us only a portion of the value for purchasing the same product.

You can buy guild wars 2 at other stores. Such as amazon. They aren’t offering it in website other than as a free bonus but if you just want core game its available. Amazon lists ncsoft as seller.

So… buy the base game on it’s own for $50 (outside sale prices) or buy the base game and HoT expansion preorder offer for $50…

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……

I wonder why they might have possibly got rid of the base game for the time being

rapthorne.7345:

So… buy the base game on it’s own for $50 (outside sale prices) or buy the base game and HoT expansion preorder offer for $50…

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……

I wonder why they might have possibly got rid of the base game for the time being

“For the time being” based on what? What makes you think that this is a temporary change rather than a permanent one? I’ve seen nothing official anywhere that states that this is a temporary change. If you can find a source I would love to see it. Frankly, though, I am not going to just assume this is a temporary change based on zero evidence or clear statements from ANet to indicate that.

Regina Buenaobra.6193:

To clarify: $50 is the price of the expansion. We included the core game as a free bonus to make it easier for new players to get into it.

A comment like this one would seem to indicate the opposite: that this is a general, not a temporary, bundling.

Yeah giving you a free acc with the option to upgrade to HoT on another would be alright, I would be down with that.

rapthorne.7345:

So… buy the base game on it’s own for $50 (outside sale prices) or buy the base game and HoT expansion preorder offer for $50…

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……

I wonder why they might have possibly got rid of the base game for the time being

I would be more understanding if pre-purchasing was the reason why player would receive the core game as a bonus but nothing indicates to me that this is the case. From what I understand the $50 package is what will be sold from now on. Nowhere is it stated that this offer or these packages are time limited. The only pre-purchase bonus I can see is beta access and a title.

What are the benefits of making a pre-purchase?
Everyone who pre-purchases Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns (whether via buy.guildwars2.com, official retail partners, or in-game) will receive access to all Beta Weekend Events and the exclusive in-game title “Maguuma Trailblazer.” The pre-purchase bonuses and all other digital items from your purchase will be delivered in-game within 3-4 hours of redeeming your serial code.

If you wish to purchase the core game alone, you can do so here: http://buy.guildwars2.com/store/gw2/en_US/html/pbPage.heartofthorns?cid=42:5::::Global:174:1021288d1032231853a7cde8ef4e6b:34

(Bog Otter’s linked Official Store site)

Just click the shopping cart without choosing a HoT bundle. Good luck.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

If you wish to purchase the core game alone, you can do so here: http://buy.guildwars2.com/store/gw2/en_US/html/pbPage.heartofthorns?cid=42:5::::Global:174:1021288d1032231853a7cde8ef4e6b:34

(Bog Otter’s linked Official Store site)

Just click the shopping cart without choosing a HoT bundle. Good luck.

You have an empty cart if you don’t buy a HoT bundle.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

If you wish to purchase the core game alone, you can do so here: http://buy.guildwars2.com/store/gw2/en_US/html/pbPage.heartofthorns?cid=42:5::::Global:174:1021288d1032231853a7cde8ef4e6b:34

(Bog Otter’s linked Official Store site)

Just click the shopping cart without choosing a HoT bundle. Good luck.

Q.E.D. That link takes you to the HoT purchase page. If you click on the shopping cart without choosing a bundle it tells you your shopping cart is empty.

Tironas.7053:

HoT is labeled an expansion but that is an outright lie.

HoT is now the core game. Any information telling you otherwise is marketing.

If it were REALLY an expansion then I would be able to buy just the expansion. However since the option to buy regular gw2 disappeared from your official store it’s very clear to me how you mean to play this.

New players getting a gift? That’s great!
So what does a loyal customer receive because they can’t claim this free gift? Nothing!

Thanks! I feel so satisfied as a long time customer!

There are numerous and legitimate reasons as to why other people are angry and those should be kept to those topics.

Here I am only talking about the fact that officially vanilla gw2 does not exist anymore according to Anet. This disregards the fact that physical copies are still circulating and ripping less savvy customers off.

I’m just disappointed because I’ve now lost trust in a company that I loved.

Imagine if some players get’s something that other’s don’t. There will be hell to pay “I should get that too!” “I played for 2 years, what do i get?!” “I played for 1 year and bought loads of gems, what should i get?!” “If you don’t get me something special i won’t buy HoT!!”

IT’s better to keep things equal, you pay 50$ you get the expansion, if you want 4k, 8k, 12k gems you buy it from the store, simple as that. Cause none of that is needed to play HoT.

That people don’t trust Anet after all this time, 3 years of gaming for 50$ is insain.
The best way to get you people to understand is to leave this game and try your luck on other games, all other games, that way you will get some perspective over how much you do get for the low price.

If you don’t think it’s worth 50$then wait for more information about the expansion. I trust Anet so i will buy this expansion in a few days. I don’t feel like i should deserve more than someone who will buy it at release.

My 20 year old car is not worth as much as a new car, that’s a fact. The same applies to games. If i buy WoW and all it’s expansions today, i wont pay as much as someone who bought it on release, i don’t kitten and moan about that.

hibari.9836:

Yes, OP. I am glad people are talking more about the fact that it’s now impossible to buy GW2 without buying HoT.

The only package that anyone is able to buy is, consequently, THE WHOLE GAME FROM SCRATCH (even though, if you’re an existing player, you don’t get a separate code for the base game or any credit for repurchasing it whatsoever).

Let’s dwell on that for a moment: regardless of how long anyone of us has been playing, whether from launch or from six weeks ago, we must now purchase the exact same item that a brand new player is purchasing to begin playing the game.

Calling the base game a “bonus” for new players when they buy HoT is pure marketing spin, and it’s simply disingenuous. It’s not a bonus. It is THE ONLY WAY for new players to buy the game at all.

This is not a bonus, it’s a bundle, and it is a bundle that’s content is only 1/2 irrelevant for existing players. They’re not giving anything away as a free bonus; they’re trying to twist all our arms into (re)buying the same core game package as new players while giving us only a portion of the value for purchasing the same product.

You don’t get 1/2 when you buy HoT, you already have 1/2 so you get 2/2 when you buy HoT.

Not that hard.

You are saying that if i buy WoW and all it’s expansions today i should pay the price it costed on release? The value of those things have since long decreased. And i will never buy a 20 year old car for the price of a new one. Neither should you.

for 50$ you get the expansion, that’s it. You don’t get 4k gems, 8k gems, 12k gems or whatever you want. You get the expansion. If i’m new and buy HoT i too get the expansion and the core game as a bonus since it won’t play without it.

So i’m new i pay 50$, you bought gw2 on release so you payed 50$, and you have to pay another 50$ for this expansion.

New guy pays 50$, you pay 100$ alltogether. You could have waited until today to buy it to save some money, same goes for everything else. If i wait to buy something i will most certainly save money, but i won’t have it until later on.
This iphone i have right now, if i waited 1 year or more to buy it, let alone 3 years, it would not nor should cost as much today as it did 3 years ago, can we atleast agree on that?

As a old gw2 player, this makes sense to me, and it should make sense to everyone. IF HoT is worth it is another matter, the only way to know that is to play it. But anet has yet to let me down, that’s why i trust them that HoT will be worth it. =)

Tirien.1326:

If you don’t think it’s worth 50$then wait for more information about the expansion. I trust Anet so i will buy this expansion in a few days. I don’t feel like i should deserve more than someone who will buy it at release.

My 20 year old car is not worth as much as a new car, that’s a fact. The same applies to games. If i buy WoW and all it’s expansions today, i wont pay as much as someone who bought it on release, i don’t kitten and moan about that.

I agree with this, even tho I will not buy the expansion. And that’s simply because it’s not worth 50$ yet. We don’t even have a release date for it.

Tirien.1326:

hibari.9836:

Yes, OP. I am glad people are talking more about the fact that it’s now impossible to buy GW2 without buying HoT.

The only package that anyone is able to buy is, consequently, THE WHOLE GAME FROM SCRATCH (even though, if you’re an existing player, you don’t get a separate code for the base game or any credit for repurchasing it whatsoever).

Let’s dwell on that for a moment: regardless of how long anyone of us has been playing, whether from launch or from six weeks ago, we must now purchase the exact same item that a brand new player is purchasing to begin playing the game.

Calling the base game a “bonus” for new players when they buy HoT is pure marketing spin, and it’s simply disingenuous. It’s not a bonus. It is THE ONLY WAY for new players to buy the game at all.

This is not a bonus, it’s a bundle, and it is a bundle that’s content is only 1/2 irrelevant for existing players. They’re not giving anything away as a free bonus; they’re trying to twist all our arms into (re)buying the same core game package as new players while giving us only a portion of the value for purchasing the same product.

You don’t get 1/2 when you buy HoT, you already have 1/2 so you get 2/2 when you buy HoT.

Not that hard.

If a person has already bought part 1 of 2, then they should only need to buy part 2 of 2. They should not need to rebuy part 1 along with part 2 in order to get part 2. Of anything.

Not that hard.

core game is not free. They are lying because they want to sell the game in bundle

Brostrodon.1657:

Honestly I’d buy the thing if it was $40 dollars for just HoT and not the core. So newbs would still have to pay the $50 dollars. i’m buying two, one for me and one for my gf.

you DO know that if the core game was removed from the pack, the price wouldnt change a bit right? the core game is in there for free and likely only a prepurchase bonus – for all those who only want vanilla, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guild-Wars-Heroic-PC-CD/dp/B00EQK5OHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434620838&sr=8-1&keywords=guild+wars+2 here you go

Catseye.3164:

You can buy guild wars 2 at other stores. Such as amazon. They aren’t offering it in website other than as a free bonus but if you just want core game its available. Amazon lists ncsoft as seller.

exactly this!

I have an idea or two for a contest, for my guild and my server (all Hail the Toast). One of the prizes I’m considering would be a digital copy of Heart of Thorns. Does anyone know if I can gift this?

Yes. Just make sure you buy it through the website and not through the in game gems store. When you buy it you will be emailed the serial code with instructions. You can then email that code to your gift recipient who can then register it to their account or create a new account if they wish. Just make sure you don’t register it yourself when you receive the code.

Here is a quick blurb in the FAQ that discusses buying for someone else and making sure you do so through the website:

https://help.guildwars2.com/entries/94582027-Heart-of-Thorns-Pre-Purchase-FAQ

so if you’re buying Heart of Thorns for someone else, you’ll want to use buy.guildwars2.com instead.

What you get from your order is a CD-Key. As such, you could simply gift that key to someone.

Catseye.3164:

You can buy guild wars 2 at other stores. Such as amazon. They aren’t offering it in website other than as a free bonus but if you just want core game its available. Amazon lists ncsoft as seller.

This is true, until stock on the base game goes out. This is more of an actual question that I cannot answer rather than a rhetorical remark, but what will happen then? I will not be suprised if only the heart of thorns bundle gets restocked.

K A O S Theory.6825:

This is true, until stock on the base game goes out. This is more of an actual question that I cannot answer rather than a rhetorical remark, but what will happen then? I will not be suprised if only the heart of thorns bundle gets restocked.

The original game will not be restocked because it’s too cheap to sell. It would have been damaging to the game to permanently sell it for only $10. Instead, they simply decided to waive the price and include it with HoT. They could have simply sold the bundle for a little higher to avoid most of this, but whatever.

I would like to gift this part of the game for a friend. She doesn’t have the money to buy it. And yes I am a vet play so is she so I would like to buy her the preorder one of the $100. Why wont Anet let us do this for those who cant afford it?

You can. I read here somewhere that if you buy it from the GW website you can then just give your friend the game key to apply to her account.

Sorry can’t find the post but someone else may be able to help

Buy it from buy.guildwars2.com, and when they email you the serial key, send it to your friend, and she can apply it to her account.

No fuss, no muss. (You can’t do it from inside the Gem store, though.)

Good luck.

Anyone can buy one for me please?! I have no money or friends…

(kidding about the buy part, but indeed I cannot afford it lol)

Well, I would love a gift key as well. (for real, I’m unemployed)
But just to be sure I would contact support, and make sure you actually get a key to gift her.

Hi,

My apologies if this has been asked before (I did glance through the forums but couldn’t spot it) – but is there anyway to gift the expansion to someone, or buy it for them? I wanted to pre-order it for a friend for their birthday as a surprise, but can’t see anyway to do it.

One time account upgrades have never been giftable, to avoid the repercussions of buying it for someone who already has it.

You might have to gift them enough gems, and spoil the surprise to make sure they don’t buy it themselves in the meantime. Or else do the pre-order yourself and send them the serial code at whatever moment you want to spring the surprise.

gift them a pre-paid visa card. and then tell them to buy the expansion with it. that would be your best bet, until Anet decides to retail box HoT.

wait, why does it have the option to buy up to three of the game in the preorder, I thought it gives you a code to put into any account? that how you gift it i thought?

It does give you a code. There is nothing stopping you from giving that code to somebody else. My wife and I both bought our HoT upgrades using my PayPal (and my email); we just applied the codes afterward to both accounts.

Buy the game upgrade through the website, and send the code as the gift. Make sure only that person gets the code though! The safest way is to get them a gift card for the amount, but that extra tax makes it a pain.

MiniEquine.6014:

It does give you a code. There is nothing stopping you from giving that code to somebody else. My wife and I both bought our HoT upgrades using my PayPal (and my email); we just applied the codes afterward to both accounts.

Buy the game upgrade through the website, and send the code as the gift. Make sure only that person gets the code though! The safest way is to get them a gift card for the amount, but that extra tax makes it a pain.

except that the codes are automatically applied to your accounts. The codes are for reference only and are not actually usable.

sirsquishy.8531:

MiniEquine.6014:

It does give you a code. There is nothing stopping you from giving that code to somebody else. My wife and I both bought our HoT upgrades using my PayPal (and my email); we just applied the codes afterward to both accounts.

Buy the game upgrade through the website, and send the code as the gift. Make sure only that person gets the code though! The safest way is to get them a gift card for the amount, but that extra tax makes it a pain.

except that the codes are automatically applied to your accounts. The codes are for reference only and are not actually usable.

My friend, she bought me the core game back then with a code. atm, I forgot where, but she sent me the code from her buying the game, and I linked it to my account, the website does not know what account you have. also if you can’t send the code to anyone, why would the buy page right now have a thing for buying up to 3 at once?

TJgalon.5012:

sirsquishy.8531:

MiniEquine.6014:

It does give you a code. There is nothing stopping you from giving that code to somebody else. My wife and I both bought our HoT upgrades using my PayPal (and my email); we just applied the codes afterward to both accounts.

Buy the game upgrade through the website, and send the code as the gift. Make sure only that person gets the code though! The safest way is to get them a gift card for the amount, but that extra tax makes it a pain.

except that the codes are automatically applied to your accounts. The codes are for reference only and are not actually usable.

My friend, she bought me the core game back then with a code. atm, I forgot where, but she sent me the code from her buying the game, and I linked it to my account, the website does not know what account you have. also if you can’t send the code to anyone, why would the buy page right now have a thing for buying up to 3 at once?

well, I upgraded my wifes account from the webpage last night. She was logged in to account management and the upgrade purchase auto applied the key to her account. Maybe a bug with the purchase system? But it behaved just like the in game upgrade purchase.

sirsquishy.8531:

except that the codes are automatically applied to your accounts. The codes are for reference only and are not actually usable.

HoT codes purchased through the gem store interface act this way, however, purchases made through buy.guildwars2.com are entirely giftable, the order email even comes with instructions that reference gifting codes specifically.

HoT codes purchased through the gem store interface act this way, however, purchases made through buy.guildwars2.com are entirely giftable, the order email even comes with instructions that reference gifting codes specifically.

Can you buy the expansion through the gem store or no?

Zayth.5164:

Can you buy the expansion through the gem store or no?

You can, but only for your own account and regardless of where you buy it you will pay money for it, as in no purchasing HoT with gems. Which is why, there is no downsides to purchasing from buy.guildwars2.com whereas purchasing through the gem store has the downside (in terms of purchasing the expansion for someone else) of the code being applied to the account logged in at the time of purchase automatically.

If you are looking to save some money (and digital deluxe offerings interest you, or the one you are buying the game for) the only thing you can probably do is purchase the base game for 50$, or your regional equivalent, then upgrade to digital deluxe of HoT through gems, which can be converted from gold, I think.

Edit: reading above replies, be sure you are logged off of any and all Guild Wars 2 accounts while purchasing the game if your goal is to gift a copy. Please note that the main site for Guild Wars 2 and these forums for example (and likely register.arena.net) use different sessions when logged in using an account, so if buy.guildwars2.com interfaces with any one of these safest bet is to make sure all of those are logged out of an account.

sirsquishy.8531:

TJgalon.5012:

sirsquishy.8531:

MiniEquine.6014:

It does give you a code. There is nothing stopping you from giving that code to somebody else. My wife and I both bought our HoT upgrades using my PayPal (and my email); we just applied the codes afterward to both accounts.

Buy the game upgrade through the website, and send the code as the gift. Make sure only that person gets the code though! The safest way is to get them a gift card for the amount, but that extra tax makes it a pain.

except that the codes are automatically applied to your accounts. The codes are for reference only and are not actually usable.

My friend, she bought me the core game back then with a code. atm, I forgot where, but she sent me the code from her buying the game, and I linked it to my account, the website does not know what account you have. also if you can’t send the code to anyone, why would the buy page right now have a thing for buying up to 3 at once?

well, I upgraded my wifes account from the webpage last night. She was logged in to account management and the upgrade purchase auto applied the key to her account. Maybe a bug with the purchase system? But it behaved just like the in game upgrade purchase.

I’m not sure how it happened like that exactly. Like I said, I purchased both my wife’s and my account from the website while logged into my account, using my PayPal, and using my email. Technically, none of her account info was used to purchase it, but she was able to apply it online after it was paid for by logging in and then having the serial code we just received be auto-filled in the box.

Either way, the serial code can be transferred so long as it isn’t applied to the account. This occurs automatically if done in-game, but on the website it doesn’t.