Guild Wars 2

Helequin.2608:

Threads on the price of HoT are all over, but I wanted to start a new one mainly with a question about the price for NA customers outside the US.

I’m in Canada, where GW2 on release was $60 CAD. The HoT offerings can only be purchased in USD, and given the published exchange rate that puts it at ~$61 CAD for the basic package. Of course, no one ever gets the published exchange rate so the credit company or bank takes a cut, further raising costs for Canadian (and I’m assuming Mexican or South American) customers.

I get it. ANet is a US based company who prices their stuff in USD and exchange rates fluctuate. I understand that CAD is currently weak. That said, effectively asking a price higher than the base game for an expansion is a bit rich. Okay, it’s ridiculously silly.

So my main question is will we see more localized purchasing options for HoT before physical box sales? If so, should I expect a price hike from USD to CAD?

Just Change your IP to USA and buy it with american dollars from america.

Edit: thread merged
@ WinterSnow’s thread.

You didn’t actually expect a refund of the money you spent 3 years ago, OP? No one ever refunds from that long ago. Obviously it’s for the new players who, as that post states, unnecessarily bought the core game in anticipation of the expansion because they thought it was a requirement.

What the expansion will still cost $50 £35 if you are in the UK its basically the deadline for being eligible to refund the 75% offers if you bought the game during that time.

Not long after the expansion was announced they had a sale on the base game, and a lot of people bought it then (or bought a 2nd account) in preparation for HoT coming out…then found out if they’d waited they could have gotten the base game for free.

Anet admitted their announcements were ambiguous and offered a refund to compensate those people.

Haven’t bought it, so I didn’t notice yet, but that is actually pretty bad. Not looking forward to the idea that I’m going to be paying more for HoT then I did for GW2 because I get the short end of the stick with currency exchange.

Chobits.2430:

Players that purchased the game before that time get a Free character slot, value ~$10.
New players do not get a free character slot, but everyone gets something.

But ONLY if you pre-purchase the expansion before it releases. If you would rather wait until release so that you know exactly what you’re buying, you will need to spend an additional ten dollars for a character slot if you are already maxed out and wish to play the new profession.

Apparently, fifty dollars isn’t enough money for ANet to provide you with an expansion that is fully accessible without extra charges.

Consider it a “penalty fee” for not being loyal enough to hand them your money before release.

minbariguy.7504:

Chobits.2430:

Players that purchased the game before that time get a Free character slot, value ~$10.
New players do not get a free character slot, but everyone gets something.

But ONLY if you pre-purchase the expansion before it releases. If you would rather wait until release so that you know exactly what you’re buying, you will need to spend an additional ten dollars for a character slot if you are already maxed out and wish to play the new profession.

Apparently, fifty dollars isn’t enough money for ANet to provide you with an expansion that is fully accessible without extra charges.

Consider it a “penalty fee” for not being loyal enough to hand them your money before release.

Yes, this was kind of a scuzzy move. If the idea is to reward veteran players because they can’t get the “free” base game included in the purchase price, it shouldn’t have the pre-purchase time limit on it.

Buy after launch, and you mean squat.

Would I be able to buy HoT expansion from a retail store like BestBuy and still redeem the expansion with my account or will I have to only purchase it via Anet?

I apologize if this has been answered previously, but I couldn’t find the answer.

Thanks!

Nzrarfus.4521:

Would I be able to buy HoT expansion from a retail store like BestBuy and still redeem the expansion with my account or will I have to only purchase it via Anet?

I apologize if this has been answered previously, but I couldn’t find the answer.

Thanks!

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

Arcadio.6875:

Is $50 way too much? Compare it against the games closest to it. The recent WoW expansion is $50. Requires a subscription. The FFXIV expansion is $40 and also requires a subscription which immediately puts it over $50 just to play. ESO is going to release dlc every quarter which will end up being over $50 throughout a one year period.

While I personally don’t mind if Anet gave me the expansion at a lower price or even free, I’m being realistic here. $50 every few YEARS to stay up-to-date with a great MMO is fair.

FFXIV could be had for $30, the digital collectors edition for $45. There were tons of sales on them in the months leading up to launch. Let’s see how often ArenaNet puts HoT on sale…

You need to compare the content for the price. What ArenaNet has promised so far is pretty anemic for an expansion. FFXIV:HW had tons of content compared to what we know of HoT and it was cheaper. The business model of the games do not matter here as that pertains to continued development, which GW2 sorely lacks in anyway. FFXIV puts in more content in a 3 month content patch than GW2 does in a year. ArenaNet went the cash shop route in order to fund continued development, if they actually put some things in it that were worth buying at a decent price they would be making a lot more money.

Why am I going to pay $50+$10(character slot) for a lightweight expansion that I’m almost 100% sure will last me no more than a week or two? Even further I’m sure that ArenaNet’s post-launch support will echo what we have now, which is incredibly slow and not thought out. Even if you want to add on the monthly sub, HoT is still more expensive and appears to have way less than FFXIV.

Honestly, the biggest detractor for me has been ArenaNet’s post-launch development. I have zero faith that should I buy this expansion that ArenaNet will meaningfully develop upon it. The glacial pace of character balance, the lack of WvW support, SPvP getting nothing to expand the gameplay, no new dungeons, etc. This game needs more depth and HoT doesn’t look like it is adding any so I’m not going to sink $50 into on the assumption that ArenaNet will somehow surprise everyone and actually add depth. I might take the risk for $20, $30 is pushing it, $50 and you’re out of your mind.

My final argument is that the original game was $60 and that covered the cost of 5 years of development. This expansion has what? 3 years? No sale. Content wise it isn’t even close. Orginal game zones vs expansion? No sale. Classes 8 vs 1? No sale! WvW maps 2v1? No sale. 8 character slots vs 1? No sale! Dungeons? What expansion dungeons :P NO SALE. Even by ArenaNet’s own standards the expansion isn’t worth $50.

Distaste.4801:

You need to compare the content for the price. What ArenaNet has promised so far is pretty anemic for an expansion. FFXIV:HW had tons of content compared to what we know of HoT and it was cheaper. The business model of the games do not matter here as that pertains to continued development, which GW2 sorely lacks in anyway. FFXIV puts in more content in a 3 month content patch than GW2 does in a year. ArenaNet went the cash shop route in order to fund continued development, if they actually put some things in it that were worth buying at a decent price they would be making a lot more money.

While comparisons are valuable in one’s own evaluation, they can fall short if ported to another person’s, unless that person also values the same things you do. A game could add tons of traditional MMO PvE content. However, if one finds that kind of stuff stale and unappealing, it does not add to the game’s worth — for that person.

I went into Tera a while back, and was bored to ennui with the game within a day or so. Here was a game with fun combat, and many levels worth of quests and so forth to play through, for free. However, it lacks any value for me.

In the end, everyone must make their own choices as to what they value about a game. For me, the question of GW2 post-launch content value does not relate as much to quantity as it does to quality. The value of GW2 core is still high for me. The game offers things no other MMO does. However, the game has grown in directions I like less than the core game as ANet has iterated. I’m waiting to see whether HoT is just more, bigger or “better” of its recent content models, or whether they’re taking the game in a different direction. So, I’m still very much in wait-and-see mode.

Zalavaaris.5329:

Xillllix.3485:

Helequin.2608:

Threads on the price of HoT are all over, but I wanted to start a new one mainly with a question about the price for NA customers outside the US.

I’m in Canada, where GW2 on release was $60 CAD. The HoT offerings can only be purchased in USD, and given the published exchange rate that puts it at ~$61 CAD for the basic package…

It’s because it’s going to have as much content as the actual game…

Hahaha ha yea… ok….. surly you MUST know that this isn’t true…. almost makes me feel ill how far off base that comment is.

I was making a joke. For that price Anet is better have 50$ worth of content else it’s the last game I ever buy from them. You could get the complete ESO this week for less.

Before I start writing this I must say that the question is directed to ANet.

The new expansion frankly leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Meanwhile I can afford to buy it and prepurchase and probably will do soon I want to explain some things and ask some questions. The GW2 base game price was: 50 usd/ 60usd/ 80usd. The GW2 plus HoT is now 45 eur/ 75 eur/ 100eur. Providing the fact that there are a tremendous amount of players that bought the game at the before mentioned prices I totally disagree with the marketing strategy that you adopted and I will explain why. A veteran who really loves GW and played probably through the whole series has to take out of his pocket another at least 45 eur for expansion pack, a player that has been loyal to you since a long long time and which seems now you don’t give a kitten about. Yet the new players that pay 45 eur will have access to content valued at 90 eur if we do a simple math and ofc scale it with the Deluxe, Ultimate, OP edition or w/e.

In addition to this both the old and the new player wouldn’t be available to have this really basic things:

1. Showing up his own name tag on the HUD (really ANet? Sorry but I’m a programmer and I know for sure that this is not a big deal.)
2. Dueling system that should have been available for ages.
3. More dungeon content.
4. A bit of a revamp of the drops since it takes literally ages to build a legendary.
5. More variety in build development.

And the list can still go on but I want to point out basic features only. Now to wrap it up:

Why do we have this expansion and this outrageous marketing strategy and no listening to what players do actually want?

Oneabove.4167:

Before I start writing this I must say that the question is directed to ANet.

The new expansion frankly leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Meanwhile I can afford to buy it and prepurchase and probably will do soon I want to explain some things and ask some questions. The GW2 base game price was: 50 usd/ 60usd/ 80usd. The GW2 plus HoT is now 45 eur/ 75 eur/ 100eur. Providing the fact that there are a tremendous amount of players that bought the game at the before mentioned prices I totally disagree with the marketing strategy that you adopted and I will explain why. A veteran who really loves GW and played probably through the whole series has to take out of his pocket another at least 45 eur for expansion pack, a player that has been loyal to you since a long long time and which seems now you don’t give a kitten about. Yet the new players that pay 45 eur will have access to content valued at 90 eur if we do a simple math and ofc scale it with the Deluxe, Ultimate, OP edition or w/e.

In addition to this both the old and the new player wouldn’t be available to have this really basic things:

1. Showing up his own name tag on the HUD (really ANet? Sorry but I’m a programmer and I know for sure that this is not a big deal.)
2. Dueling system that should have been available for ages.
3. More dungeon content.
4. A bit of a revamp of the drops since it takes literally ages to build a legendary.
5. More variety in build development.

And the list can still go on but I want to point out basic features only. Now to wrap it up:

Why do we have this expansion and this outrageous marketing strategy and no listening to what players do actually want?

1. Can you reword this?
2. There will apparently be a duelling arena in the Guild Halls. Also, nothing has ever stopped anyone from duelling in custom PvP arenas. What we can’t do, is have dozens of simultaneous duels in highly populated areas, all with crazy spell effects that cause people to lose frames/
3. They haven’t revealed the difficult group content, and, honestly, they need to fix what they got before they just release more cheese farms
4. This isn’t a basic feature. You’re just bootysore (take THAT forum kitten-generator!) because it’s taking you a long time to get a legendary
5. Specializations patch, which expanded the selection of viable builds for the most professions, even if the raw number of possible builds went down. Also, with the Elite specializations, every profession will receive literally hundreds of new trait combinations (some of which probably won’t be viable).

Oneabove.4167:

Before I start writing this I must say that the question is directed to ANet.

The new expansion frankly leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Meanwhile I can afford to buy it and prepurchase and probably will do soon I want to explain some things and ask some questions. The GW2 base game price was: 50 usd/ 60usd/ 80usd. The GW2 plus HoT is now 45 eur/ 75 eur/ 100eur. Providing the fact that there are a tremendous amount of players that bought the game at the before mentioned prices I totally disagree with the marketing strategy that you adopted and I will explain why. A veteran who really loves GW and played probably through the whole series has to take out of his pocket another at least 45 eur for expansion pack, a player that has been loyal to you since a long long time and which seems now you don’t give a kitten about. Yet the new players that pay 45 eur will have access to content valued at 90 eur if we do a simple math and ofc scale it with the Deluxe, Ultimate, OP edition or w/e.

In addition to this both the old and the new player wouldn’t be available to have this really basic things:

1. Showing up his own name tag on the HUD (really ANet? Sorry but I’m a programmer and I know for sure that this is not a big deal.)
2. Dueling system that should have been available for ages.
3. More dungeon content.
4. A bit of a revamp of the drops since it takes literally ages to build a legendary.
5. More variety in build development.

And the list can still go on but I want to point out basic features only. Now to wrap it up:

Why do we have this expansion and this outrageous marketing strategy and no listening to what players do actually want?

4 and 5 are being done. Fractal mastery could be considered “dungeon content”.

Oneabove.4167:

Before I start writing this I must say that the question is directed to ANet.

The new expansion frankly leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Meanwhile I can afford to buy it and prepurchase and probably will do soon I want to explain some things and ask some questions. The GW2 base game price was: 50 usd/ 60usd/ 80usd. The GW2 plus HoT is now 45 eur/ 75 eur/ 100eur. Providing the fact that there are a tremendous amount of players that bought the game at the before mentioned prices I totally disagree with the marketing strategy that you adopted and I will explain why. A veteran who really loves GW and played probably through the whole series has to take out of his pocket another at least 45 eur for expansion pack, a player that has been loyal to you since a long long time and which seems now you don’t give a kitten about. Yet the new players that pay 45 eur will have access to content valued at 90 eur if we do a simple math and ofc scale it with the Deluxe, Ultimate, OP edition or w/e.

In addition to this both the old and the new player wouldn’t be available to have this really basic things:

1. Showing up his own name tag on the HUD (really ANet? Sorry but I’m a programmer and I know for sure that this is not a big deal.)
2. Dueling system that should have been available for ages.
3. More dungeon content.
4. A bit of a revamp of the drops since it takes literally ages to build a legendary.
5. More variety in build development.

And the list can still go on but I want to point out basic features only. Now to wrap it up:

Why do we have this expansion and this outrageous marketing strategy and no listening to what players do actually want?

Actually the base game price was 59.99$ for base and 79.99$ for deluxe. I don’t remember the price for the CE, but i know it was higher then 100$. Compared to the price for HoT right now, it is, tho not by much, cheaper. Whether you think the price it is now is worth it is all on you to decide.

As for the additions you mentioned:
1. I guess it would be nice, but it would have to come with a way to disable that because i personally don’t like it when you walk around with your name tag above your head.

2. Dueling has been brought up couple times, but its not something thats missing because its not something that HAS to be there, some people i’m sure would like it, but its not essential in the least as far as i know. So while it would be nice to have this as a feature , doesnt mean it “should” . Oh but i do think you can duel in spvp maps if you set them up or something like it, not rly sure about all that.

3. I would love to see more dungoen content, but the dungeon team was disbanded, we still have to get more information about the hard content that they ahve mentioned before, but it was stated that it didnt apply to open world bosses like the Wyvern we’ve seen in demo’s so i’m hoping that when we get more information about it, there will be some instanced group content like dungeons, tho i’m sure they’ll have another name for it. But until they reveal more information about it we can’t be certain what the hard content is reffering too

4. this was actually talked about, something about map reward bonuses, its been quite a while since the blogpost (https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/a-legendary-journey/) But it has been mentioned, i hope you find what you seek in there

5. I guess the elite specs will bring some more variety but i’m not sure that’s what you’re looking for ^^

Oneabove.4167:

A veteran who really loves GW and played probably through the whole series has to take out of his pocket another at least 45 eur for expansion pack, a player that has been loyal to you since a long long time and which seems now you don’t give a kitten about. Yet the new players that pay 45 eur will have access to content valued at 90 eur.

Welcome to every game that has paid expansions / DLC ever.

Of course new players will get a better deal. As time goes by, the value of the game depreciates. Anet has probably looked to see how many people are buying the game and have deemed that they’ll get more players buying if they include it free with the expac.

Oneabove.4167:

1. Showing up his own name tag on the HUD (really ANet? Sorry but I’m a programmer and I know for sure that this is not a big deal.)

Type out exactly how Anet have their code. Only if you know how they’ve done it can you say it’s easy.

Oneabove.4167:

3. More dungeon content.

Dungeons aren’t all that ‘basic’ when you consider what goes into developing them.

Oneabove.4167:

4. A bit of a revamp of the drops since it takes literally ages to build a legendary.

We will be having a revamp of the drop system:

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/a-legendary-journey/ (look under Map Bonuses).

Oneabove.4167:

Why do we have this expansion and this outrageous marketing strategy and no listening to what players do actually want?

1. Different players want different things, and if you think it’s feasible that they cater to every player, I got some bad news for you.
2. Funny thing that; players asked for an expansion.

Oneabove.4167:

4. A bit of a revamp of the drops since it takes literally ages to build a legendary.

Don’t forget we will also be able to acquire precursors with Heart of Thorns through an achievement collection rather than pot luck or great expense.

Also, the expansion is a little cheaper at some retailers at the moment, so search through the official retailer list and check the stores near you to see if they are any cheaper (e.g. Amazon UK has the basic edition up for £19.90 at this moment of writing).

Edit: It is no longer at £19.90.

This! I agree. As someone who has been playing since launch/beta, I find this completely ridiculous. I had to pay $59.99 for the core game + now I need $49.99 for the expansion. That’s $109.98 for the core game and the BASIC Expansion! BASIC!. Meanwhile the new player pays $49.99 and gets both. What the actual hell? How is this fair? This feels like a giant slap across the face of everyone who purchased the game from the start.

Thank you Anet,
Good to see how you don’t give two sh**s about your long-standing loyal customers.
Sincerely,
A p***ed off customer who has been with you from the very start.

Zsigmond.8073:

This! I agree. As someone who has been playing since launch/beta, I find this completely ridiculous. I had to pay $59.99 for the core game + now I need $49.99 for the expansion. That’s $109.98 for the core game and the BASIC Expansion! BASIC!. Meanwhile the new player pays $49.99 and gets both. What the actual hell? How is this fair? This feels like a giant slap across the face of everyone who purchased the game from the start.

Thank you Anet,
Good to see how you don’t give two sh**s about your long-standing loyal customers.
Sincerely,
A p***ed off customer who has been with you from the very start.

The base game has been constantly on sale for like 10$ so tehy’d still pay less then you, you’re free tow ait till the expansion gets really cheap to pick it up if you think its too much.

Plus ofc the 3 years of playing. But what does that mean to anyone.

Games get cheaper over time, if you don’t like that, you’re free to wait till a game is rly cheap before you pick it up.

Your math is incorrect, as the multi-thousand-reply thread already covering this topic shows over and over again.

Veteran player: 1-3 years prior to now
Purchase core game, standard edition: $60
Content: Core game, Living World S1 (if logged in), Living World S2 (if logged in, repeatable), All holiday events, SAB, Tequatl (when difficult), TTW (when more difficult).
Bonus: 1 extra character slot (added later): -$10
1-3 years of being able to play the game at will.
Purchase GW2:HoT, standard edition: $50
TOTAL: $100, 1-3 years gameplay time

New player: 1 month ago to present
Purchase core game with GW2:HoT, standard edition: $50
Content: Core game, NO Living World S1, Living World S2 $20, No holiday events so far, no SAB.
Bonus: GW2:HoT does not need to be purchased separately
1 month of being able to play the game at will.
TOTAL: $70, 1 month gameplay time

Veteran players essentially paid $30 to get a 1-3 year head start. If you do not place any value on the time you are playing this game, why do you play it? Either that, or you are perfectly allowed to start a brand new account with nothing on it if you really think you are getting a raw deal. After all, it is more worth it to you for a new player, so become a new player, right?

dsslive.8473:

Zsigmond.8073:

This! I agree. As someone who has been playing since launch/beta, I find this completely ridiculous. I had to pay $59.99 for the core game + now I need $49.99 for the expansion. That’s $109.98 for the core game and the BASIC Expansion! BASIC!. Meanwhile the new player pays $49.99 and gets both. What the actual hell? How is this fair? This feels like a giant slap across the face of everyone who purchased the game from the start.

Thank you Anet,
Good to see how you don’t give two sh**s about your long-standing loyal customers.
Sincerely,
A p***ed off customer who has been with you from the very start.

The base game has been constantly on sale for like 10$ so tehy’d still pay less then you, you’re free tow ait till the expansion gets really cheap to pick it up if you think its too much.

Plus ofc the 3 years of playing. But what does that mean to anyone.

Games get cheaper over time, if you don’t like that, you’re free to wait till a game is rly cheap before you pick it up.

Well in that case, I also want another copy of the core game for purchasing HOT expansion. If the new players get it, I want it too. Maybe I can give it to a friend or something. But NOOOO, we don’t get the core game even though we pay the same price as the new players. Again, explain how this is fair? If I pay $49.99, I want HOT + Core game like everyone else.

Zsigmond.8073:

This! I agree. As someone who has been playing since launch/beta, I find this completely ridiculous. I had to pay $59.99 for the core game + now I need $49.99 for the expansion. That’s $109.98 for the core game and the BASIC Expansion! BASIC!. Meanwhile the new player pays $49.99 and gets both. What the actual hell? How is this fair? This feels like a giant slap across the face of everyone who purchased the game from the start.

Thank you Anet,
Good to see how you don’t give two sh**s about your long-standing loyal customers.
Sincerely,
A p***ed off customer who has been with you from the very start.

Just because you don’t value your years of time spent playing this game doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. If you feel you are getting literally $0 in value while playing the game, then why do you play the game or why don’t you start a new account?

Things cost less over time. I bought this account for $10 back in January. Are you upset that I have only been able to play this game for 6 months but I got the game for a sixth of the price that you had to pay for it?

Gibson.4036:

Arcadio.6875:

Is $50 way too much? Compare it against the games closest to it. The recent WoW expansion is $50. Requires a subscription. The FFXIV expansion is $40 and also requires a subscription which immediately puts it over $50 just to play. ESO is going to release dlc every quarter which will end up being over $50 throughout a one year period.

The big question here is, will HoT add as much to GW2 as those expansions do to their games? I guess only hindsight will tell us.

While I personally don’t mind if Anet gave me the expansion at a lower price or even free, I’m being realistic here. $50 every few YEARS to stay up-to-date with a great MMO is fair.

If that $50 isn’t for a specific amount of new content, and only to stay “up-to-date”, then it’s a lot closer to a (albeit relatively cheap) subscription than B2P.

If every game expansion and the costs accrued during the expansions are isolated only to “expansion costs”, then a WoW expansion, over the course of 1 year, costs $230 ($50+12*$15).

If GW2 expansions are released every year, this would be $50 per year. Could GW2:HoT’s content be slightly more than 1/5 of the quantity/quality of a WoW expansion (21.7%)? I would say this is not too difficult to imagine.

If GW2 expansions are stretched out every 3 years, and WoW expansions are also stretched to 3 years, then GW2 expansions still cost $50 and WoW expansions ultimately cost $590 (GW2 is 8.47% of WoW cost).

Even if this is classified as “subscription” (more akin to a pseudo-subscription because you can keep playing regardless of paying, you just don’t get new content) then it is EXTREMELY inexpensive comparatively.

$50 = expansion + core for new / expansion + 1 char slot for vets. Those who want to pay for immediate more content will. Those who are going to wait for price drop will. The price is fair for what you are getting: New class, Specialization, Giant kitten map content of 3 area’s. There may even be more stuff they haven’t even announced yet. The only issue i have with it is its priced in American instead of each countries equivalent currency ($50 dollars to them, not every currency = $50 American) like Guild wars 2 core was on release. Payed release in CAD not USD.

The disparity between new and existing account holders has been addressed by A-Net but is not clearly explained in the Store… as it currently stands (at least for pre-order) existing account holders get a free character slot (valued at 800 gems) if they are not entitled to a direct refund from A-Net for purchasing the base game. This is also being discussed elsewhere already.

As for raised items 1-5:-

1. Errm – not really an issue IMO and potentially useful at times (especially when belonging to multiple guilds)
2. As raised by someone else, this is supported by Guild Hall Arenas and from off-forums discussions I gather we can currently “rent” personal PvP arenas
3. I am sure more dungeons will come in time – don’t really see a problem in this area (there are effectively infinite dungeons via Fractals if that is you thing, or so I gather)
4. Covered by HoT changes AFAIK
5. Specialisations, Elite Specialisations and Masteries seems to cover it quite well.

WRT what you consider missing features, perhaps you should be more specific in what you are after and why. At the moment, it sounds more like a general rant than a genuine request for real change as I can see nothing of substance for us fellow members of the community to really discuss.

People need to factor time in the deal too. We veterans payed at least $50 for core game + $40 for HoT but got 3 years of game time out of the core game.

Someone who buys the game now pays $40 and gets both the core game and HoT but doesnt get the 3 years of game time we got.

Its also important to realise what those 3 years mean. It means we were there when the karka invaded. We were there when we liberated Southsun. We got to stop the molten alliance, the sky pirates and the toxic alliance. We enjoyed the labyrinthine cliffs. The Zepherite airship. We saw the inauguration of the queen pavilion. We got to experience when modremoth attacked. We got to experience 3 different incarnations of LA. We fought together to defeat the marionette etc… etc.. Isnt 3 years of GW2 + all that followed in those 3 years worth the extra $50?

Anet didnt make Gw2 core cheaper just for the fun of it. Games age, Even if season 2 of the living story is replayable unlike season 1 doing it months after it first aired will not be the same experience of being there when things are actually happening. There just isnt that same epic vibe where you see everyone joining in a common struggle against a big foe.

Now be honest with me. How hard can it be to sell the expansion without the core game for all the people who already have the core game at a slight discount? For example: 30 euros for the expansion without the core game.

They are already selling it separate. The core game is a free bonus applied to new accounts only.

What Ayrilana said, you do not pay for the base game, you buy only the HoT expansion. As such it IS sold seperately. New people just get an extra free bonus.

The base game has no impact on the price of the expansion.

How hard can it be to accept that HoT is priced at $50?

so you’re telling me to accept they get a free game for which i paid 60 euros. yeah… really makes sense. that’s a lot of money, guys

Dracocyborg.5049:

so you’re telling me to accept they get a free game for which i paid 60 euros. yeah… really makes sense. that’s a lot of money, guys

That is exactly what we’re saying, it was a generous gift that will bring new people to the game – be happy for them and the game as a whole.

Personally I think that HoT is the new “core” game but they’re calling it an expansion + old core. Once existing copies of the old “core” game are gone you won’t be able to get it anymore so it only makes sense to me that with each new expansion of GW2, there is a new version of the game that you’ll essentially re-purchase to get the expanded content.

Dracocyborg.5049:

so you’re telling me to accept they get a free game for which i paid 60 euros. yeah… really makes sense. that’s a lot of money, guys

You didn’t pay 60 euros for nothing. You had access to the game for potentially much longer than “they” did.

Dracocyborg.5049:

so you’re telling me to accept they get a free game for which i paid 60 euros. yeah… really makes sense. that’s a lot of money, guys

Welcome to practically every game ever, where the value at launch is greater than the value a few years down the line.

Dracocyborg.5049:

so you’re telling me to accept they get a free game for which i paid 60 euros. yeah… really makes sense. that’s a lot of money, guys

We’re telling you a number of things.

1) Next time, please post this in the relevant thread. You can’t miss it as it has ~6000 replies and ~66,000 views.

2) You are not getting ripped off because other people got something for less money at a later point in time. I bought this account in January for $10. Do you think this is fair that I should get to play this game for $10 over 7 months while you had to pay ~$60 1, 2, or even 3 years ago? I have yet to see anybody respond to this argument.

Dracocyborg.5049:

so you’re telling me to accept they get a free game for which i paid 60 euros. yeah… really makes sense. that’s a lot of money, guys

a game that you paid 60 euros for 3 years ago, the game has since then become cheaper, the cheapest its been was 10 euros, kinda the same amount of money the char slot costs that they give you.

You’re free to wait till the next expansion after HoT, since HoT will come free with it, then you get the same benefit , or wait for the one after that and get both for free.

As with any game the longer it has been out, the cheaper it gets.

Ghin.1653:

$50 = expansion + core for new / expansion + 1 char slot for vets.

Not exactly
$50 = Expansion + core for new players
$50 = Expansion + 1 character slot for vets who prepurchase
$50 = Expansion for vets who don’t.

The extra character slot (which came afterwards) was a reward for vets’ loyalty who buy the expansion. Why exactly don’t vets get that compensation if they do not prepurchase? If it’s because of the price drop if you wait, you’ll still need to wait a year for the price to drop with $10.

Personally I’ll probably buy the prepurchase 1 or maybe 2 days before the release for this reason. I want to know what I’m buying and read up on reviews/recommendations before throwing my money blindly.

Gwalchgwn.1659:

Ghin.1653:

$50 = expansion + core for new / expansion + 1 char slot for vets.

Not exactly
$50 = Expansion + core for new players
$50 = Expansion + 1 character slot for vets who prepurchase
$50 = Expansion for vets who don’t.

The extra character slot (which came afterwards) was a reward for vets’ loyalty who buy the expansion. Why exactly don’t vets get that compensation if they do not prepurchase? If it’s because of the price drop if you wait, you’ll still need to wait a year for the price to drop with $10.

Personally I’ll probably buy the prepurchase 1 or maybe 2 days before the release for this reason. I want to know what I’m buying and read up on reviews/recommendations before throwing my money blindly.

Are you arguing that veterans who do not intend to purchase (or pre-purchase) the game are in fact loyal? It’s a bonus to people who know they are going to be playing the game anyway or who want to continue to support the company.

Don’t forget, a “loyal customer” is one who patrons either consistently or pays a lot of money. They don’t actually get anything else from you if you don’t invest in the gem store, and even that you can save up gold and convert it. Loyal doesn’t simply mean “I’ve played for a long time”.

Gwalchgwn.1659:

Ghin.1653:

$50 = expansion + core for new / expansion + 1 char slot for vets.

Not exactly
$50 = Expansion + core for new players
$50 = Expansion + 1 character slot for vets who prepurchase
$50 = Expansion for vets who don’t.

The extra character slot (which came afterwards) was a reward for vets’ loyalty who buy the expansion. Why exactly don’t vets get that compensation if they do not prepurchase? If it’s because of the price drop if you wait, you’ll still need to wait a year for the price to drop with $10.

Personally I’ll probably buy the prepurchase 1 or maybe 2 days before the release for this reason. I want to know what I’m buying and read up on reviews/recommendations before throwing my money blindly.

Because they’re not loyal. If even after all of the information that is going to be released has been released the day before the expansion, if they are still on the fence about buying the expansion then their loyalty is questionable.

I have an idea for a compromise, though I bet it’s far too late for them to consider it.

As far as I’m aware, the game keeps a record of gems that you paid money for. Maybe they could have implemented a way where your expansion costs 1% less for each $10 of gems you buy, or something. This would mean the “whales”, otherwise known as their best customers, get the expansion for free as they would have bought >$1000 worth of gems. Suppose you only ever bought $50 in gems, well that’s 5% off the cost. It’s not a lot, but it’s something.

Ayrilana.1396:

Because they’re not loyal. If even after all of the information that is going to be released has been released the day before the expansion, if they are still on the fence about buying the expansion then their loyalty is questionable.

You are actually suggesting that the only way to be considered “loyal” is to hand over your money before the product is even released?

That’s stretching the definition of customer loyalty quite thin.

minbariguy.7504:

Ayrilana.1396:

Because they’re not loyal. If even after all of the information that is going to be released has been released the day before the expansion, if they are still on the fence about buying the expansion then their loyalty is questionable.

You are actually suggesting that the only way to be considered “loyal” is to hand over your money before the product is even released?

That’s stretching the definition of customer loyalty quite thin.

You’re skipping over everything that I said. All info that is going to be released would be released by the week before the expansion’s release. Players would have all of the info to make a decision. If a player is so hesitant to purchase an expansion with so much info made available to them, and would prefer to wait until they see reviews first, would you really consider them loyal?

The use of the L word is PubRelSpeak, pure and simple.

ANet was not going to say, “Pre-sales of HoT were less than expected. There were three main presenting complaints, the lack of a character slot, a lack of information, and the free core game with HoT for new accounts. If we chose to address the lack of info, we’d have to ignore our gag order policy and talk about things we’re not so sure about yet. If we chose to address the core game issue, we’d have to go back to the drawing board on a business plan going forward. Offering the free slot was the least painful way to increase pre-sales.”

Look at and analyze what they do, not what they say. What they say is to make them smell as much like roses as all the kitten thrown at them allows for.

Ayrilana.1396:

If a player is so hesitant to purchase an expansion with so much info made available to them, and would prefer to wait until they see reviews first, would you really consider them loyal?

If, in the end, the player actually ends up purchasing the product (and thereby financially supporting the company), then…yes?

Anyone who makes a repeat purchase from a company is showing customer loyalty.

minbariguy.7504:

Ayrilana.1396:

If a player is so hesitant to purchase an expansion with so much info made available to them, and would prefer to wait until they see reviews first, would you really consider them loyal?

If, in the end, the player actually ends up purchasing the product (and thereby financially supporting the company), then…yes?

Anyone who makes a repeat purchase from a company is showing customer loyalty.

That’s not what I’m saying. What you’re calling loyal is similar to someone who supports a sports team only when it’s performing well.

Ayrilana.1396:

That’s not what I’m saying. What you’re calling loyal is similar to someone who supports a sports team only when it’s performing well.

Well then we simply have differing opinions about what constitutes customer loyalty. (Shrugs)

minbariguy.7504:

Ayrilana.1396:

That’s not what I’m saying. What you’re calling loyal is similar to someone who supports a sports team only when it’s performing well.

Well then we simply have differing opinions about what constitutes customer loyalty. (Shrugs)

Yes, we do. As we will likely not convince the other to back away from their opinion, it’s probably best to drop it.

minbariguy.7504:

Ayrilana.1396:

If a player is so hesitant to purchase an expansion with so much info made available to them, and would prefer to wait until they see reviews first, would you really consider them loyal?

If, in the end, the player actually ends up purchasing the product (and thereby financially supporting the company), then…yes?

Anyone who makes a repeat purchase from a company is showing customer loyalty.

Pretty much this. While I do agree that prepurchase should give something more to people than those waiting ’til after release, the extra character slot should be for all players who bought the core game separately.

I’m a supporter since GW1 prophecies and have bought every single one. I’ve only prepurchased GW2 in that whole list. Does this make me unloyal?