Guild Wars 2

It appears that the forums are in an uproar about the HoT Pre-Purchase Editions, with many supporters and detractors coming out and having their say about the value of the packages. There is a main thread on pricing feedback, but I noticed no thread for constructive suggestions about what could be offered in the packages themselves.

Personally, as the owner of the GW2 Collector’s Edition and a particularly imposing Rytlock statue, I am somewhat surprised that Arenanet did not offer a similar package with the release of this much-hyped new expansion, but instead went for a primarily low-key release with digital bonuses. I suppose I will have to fashion a Revenant blindfold for Rytlock myself to get in the spirit of the game. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement regarding the digital offerings.

Miniatures and skins have their place in Guild Wars, but some players expect a little bit more with the release of an expansion for a AAA title that has been around for 3 years. There appears to have been a missed opportunity to provide the pre-purchase crowd the usual collector’s edition items such as a partial soundtrack or an artbook, which could have easily been digital items included in the Deluxe or Ultimate Editions.

In addition, the expansion brings in a new profession, which is not easily made accessible to existing players with full character slots. From my experience in the Closed Beta, the Revenant appeals thematically to long-time Guild Wars players as well as veteran players looking to master its relatively complex mechanics. It makes sense to include a character slot as a Standard feature for existing players, so they can experience the Revenant without facing the unappealing prospect of deleting an existing character. The types of players that are more likely to purchase an expansion are existing players, so it would be good to make the purchasing decision that much more easier for them.

To sum it all up, I believe that the Standard Edition may be more appealing with a character slot for existing players, while the Deluxe/Ultimate Editions may be more appealing with usual new game release bonuses such as a soundtrack or an artbook. The gems offered in the Ultimate Edition do not appear to be that much of a special deal and does nothing to garner excitement for the new expansion itself.

As a question to other players, new and veteran alike, what bonuses/modifications to the existing packages would you want to see in order to make pre-purchasing HoT an easy and appealing choice?

None, other then them releasing a road map of post HoT release plans.

As far as I read here:
There are those who felt mislead by the wording of the shop site (it can sound like getting a free additional copy of gw2 base)

There are those who want the same value as newcomers (something of the same value as a new additional copy of gw2)

Some say it isn’t worth the money (either because the content seems to little, or they miss another char slot, like they got in gw1 and so on) There are more reasons behind for some players who say it isn’t worth the money

I think all Point of Views have their points and could have been avoided, though as I said, they are PoVs and there is not much room to debate a PoV ;D

• [quote=5179908;BrooksP.4318:]None, other then them releasing a road map of post HoT release plans.
  [/quote]

this would help – if we pre-purchase, that’s guaranteed. Anet’s half of the deal is only a promise right now, we could at least get a rough gist of _what_’s being promised.

• the character slot would be a good move

• splitting the HoT and GW2 keys as well, that would calm a fair number of people.

• offering a package without GW2 included. you don’t need to remove the current packages, but an expansion-only package would make sense. unless…

• it’s possible that they’re trying to combine GW2 and HoT into a single item. if this is the case, then it has been marketed, advertised, and misrepresented. at the very least, we should be told about this. honesty is the best policy.