Guild Wars 2

The expansion is 50 dollars. If you don’t already have the game, then you get the base game for 0 dollars. So the price for ‘just the expansion’ is 50 dollars.

still on first page, not hard to find at all.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/HoT-Price-Feedback-Base-game-included-merged/first

They gave a free character slot, this made most people happy. These people are too easily pleased.

The game is out next month and I still dont see how this “expansion” is deserving of my £35

Don´t buy it, problem solved, no need to complain

If you won’t want to pay £35, don’t. Either wait or a 2 second google search will get you the game right now at less than £25.

Base game (with restrictions) even became free. Free base game means only expansion cost money. But to live the restrictions you must buy A VERSION of the game, any. Since HoT is the box that now costs money it is the one that removes the restrictions.

Is that clear now?

Kal Spiro.9745:

Heylel.2109:

The only solution is to drop the game, spread the word, inform the others that ANet stops caring for you once they get your money in the bag and the only important customers for them are the potential new ones.

You mean like every company ever?

Companies vary. Some spend time courting their current customers to keep them current customers while still looking for new ones. Others just base their business model on a constant stream of new customers.

gooeykat.1875:

All that said, GW2 is still an incredible value and anyway you look at it ArenaNet is offering alot of game for very little price.

No, clearly there are ways to look at it in which that is not true. We wouldn’t have people disgruntled with the price, otherwise.

Conversations about “fairness” and the like are irrelevant to me. I don’t care if the price point compares to other MMORPGs. The only thing I really care about is whether I think the price is worth what I seem to be getting.

A handful of new zones with 1-3 biomes a piece and a bunch of fixed for various parts of the game that should have been there at launch. Gliding is new. This doesn’t seem like enough for the price of a full game. I might as well jump into another game and get a great deal more new stuff to explore.

Yes, my initial box price got me a lot of play over the last three years. But that is completely irrelevant to whether I want to pay this much for the content that it will unlock. No business in the world asks people to pay money for stuff they’ve already received because the initial price they paid was so cheap. It doesn’t work that way.

So I log in some days to get the login chest. I’ll buy HoT when it gets down to $20-30, and I’ll be swimming in laurels, loyalty chests and level up tomes to get going. I’ll have the added advantage of enjoying HoT after the worst of the bugs have been cleaned up because the early adopters have done their post-launch beta testing.

Gibson.4036:

gooeykat.1875:

All that said, GW2 is still an incredible value and anyway you look at it ArenaNet is offering alot of game for very little price.

No, clearly there are ways to look at it in which that is not true. We wouldn’t have people disgruntled with the price, otherwise.

Conversations about “fairness” and the like are irrelevant to me. I don’t care if the price point compares to other MMORPGs. The only thing I really care about is whether I think the price is worth what I seem to be getting.

A handful of new zones with 1-3 biomes a piece and a bunch of fixed for various parts of the game that should have been there at launch. Gliding is new. This doesn’t seem like enough for the price of a full game. I might as well jump into another game and get a great deal more new stuff to explore.

Yes, my initial box price got me a lot of play over the last three years. But that is completely irrelevant to whether I want to pay this much for the content that it will unlock. No business in the world asks people to pay money for stuff they’ve already received because the initial price they paid was so cheap. It doesn’t work that way.

So I log in some days to get the login chest. I’ll buy HoT when it gets down to $20-30, and I’ll be swimming in laurels, loyalty chests and level up tomes to get going. I’ll have the added advantage of enjoying HoT after the worst of the bugs have been cleaned up because the early adopters have done their post-launch beta testing.

You are forgetting that the expansion is more than what they are showing, there is also all the content additions that are going to be made through the life of the expansion. They already stated that all new content additions, like living story, will be for the expansion and you need the expansion for this stuff.

Also, each biome is basically a map all by itself, so we are getting something that is more equivalent to 9-12 maps. And honestly, I cannot think of any other AAA MMO that added just as much maps in the expansion as there was in the core game, they always seem to be half as much if not less.

Can anyone tell me. I know, that i will look like dumb, but if i have core game. There is no way to get only expantion?

ODINAS.7512:

Can anyone tell me. I know, that i will look like dumb, but if i have core game. There is no way to get only expantion?

Buying HoT and applying the code to an existing account is buying only the expansion. There is no lower-priced version, if that is what you’re asking.

I can understand a paid expansion and I enjoy the fact that the game keeps evolving, but come on, make it fair for the people that purchased the game already.

I mean not only the core game is attached to the Hearth Of Thorns and you ask for the full price even though we have purchased the core game but you also made the core game free which beats the hole idea of adding it to the expansion and increasing the price for it.

I get that the free to players have more restrictions but I still think that it needs some more management and rethinking… otherwise I think you may loose on more from veteran players than the new players… IMO losing old players=loosing more money

But this is MY opinion and if no changes are made I will never buy or preorder the actual expansion and given that new updates will center around it I might put this game to rest for good.

Also I want to know what are the opinions of other players, am I just spewing crazy stuff, do you think that this is the way it should be or do you agree with me? I really want to hear the DEVS opinion on this and why was this decision made and especially the players opinion.

Except they didn’t raise the price for adding the core game to it. With or without the core game added to it, it would still be 50$. That is the price of the expansion.

Don’t buy or preorder the expansion…it’s not going to change. The six guys that don’t will be replaced by the thousands that do. So this isn’t much of a threat.

Actually starting an MMO late is much harder than being there early on. You not only miss content but you have to deal with inflation without having had the time to build resources.

I don’t know about you but I’ve got a ton of stuff new players never get. By removing barriers to entry, new players come into the game which is actually good for veteran players.

Anet made the right call. If you won’t buy the expansion because of it, the only one who loses out is you.

The prize wont change, so you can give up on that point.

Also, if you honestly feel that 44 euros, or your regional equivalent, is to much for what is easily at the very least 100 hours of entertainment…. Then I have no words.

I buy games for PC and PS4 that often cost 50-70 euros and most of them last at most, 30 hours, and I usally stick to a 1 euro per hour mentality, so I only buy said games if I really enjoy them even tho they are so short.

MMO forums lately have been nothing about complaints here and there, and honestly expansions have always been priced between 30-45 euros, only lately DLC packs have been mixed up into this and those are way cheaper.

For what HoT is, its worth its price in time and quality, the beta weekends have proved that to me without a doubt.

And the argument that because a now 3 year old game went F2P, with about half the QoL as the normal core game, and that you already own the core game and thus should get it cheaper… I mean come on, if you’re a veteran you get a character slot worth 10 euro, aka the price becomes 34 euro instead.

Bottom line is, if you feel that 44 euro is to much money for an expansion that will provide tons of entertainment, then you probably would be wise to reconsider how you spend your money.

For me? It’s a no brainer, I will be playing it for at least 6 months if not a year, and for that ammount of time, 44 euros is nothing.

I see… thank you for the reply, it will also help me decide the worth of the expansion better as this MMO is the only one i have put money in, purchesing the game 3 times now for me and gifts
Also about “Changes” I simply mean information, I need opinions and more info, so thq

Eh, the way I see it, the price of the xpac is about the same as 4 months in a game with a subscription fee, so if I get at least 4 months of enjoyment then I’ve gotten my money’s worth. Considering the core game gave me 3 years of enjoyment I think HoT will probably be worth it.

This is a good thing for the game
No you don’t deserve a refund and you are wrong to think so

I have prepurchased and played in the 2nd beta and it is tonnes of fun, don’t regret it one bit and if you want to deprive yourself of that its your business but if you enjoyed the core game then I think you are making a big mistake

If you don’t buy HoT, you won’t be able to unlock the living story for free. Next expansion, the price of those missed seasons will be around the same price that HoT was at launch. Their new model simply makes it a single price to get started, but the actually cost will remain somewhat the same. Those that join in late or don’t bother to login however will end up basically paying twice.

If you choose not to buy HoT and assuming you want to eventually continue playing and want the living story, follow its development. Eventually those missed episodes will outweigh any discount you may find (assuming you see the monetary value in gems).

I’m more with hyou.4351 (this had to be changed because of merge of threads)

I accept that pricing policy is up to Arenanet / NCSoft to decide about, but that does not mean I have to like it.
I did not object for paying the price when the game came out. I accept that new players get the full game AND the expansion for the same prices. But I don’t like to pay the same price I paid for the game now again to get an expansion (and I don’t care about how big that expansion is). I don’t like to be forced to pay for extensions, that has been free to other players before. Attitude like that I just call a “rip off”. And I don’t buy that. No way I will do it. – It doesn’t matter how much you claim that GW is no P2P game, if you do things that way, you are making it P2P.

I have no problems to pay for content (like I paid for additional character slots). You have any right to get paid for your work. But I stop paying for content that has been F2P at one time or another.
For players who once paid a full price for GW2, I would have expected to get a reduced price for the expansion and that expansion pack for existing players should have at least 1 character slot for trying out the new class as well. My idea would be to have that expansion for about half the price you put on it.

Getting some added money for the improved versions seems to be ok though. If you add 50 € on diamonds, you can add that 50 € to the price. But the expansion alone should be about 20 € and if you add the requested character slot the price should be around 25 to 30 €.
That would be acceptable.

But since you made the normal game to be F2P now, you would have to make a difference between the old players and the new F2P players, because only the old players should be getting the reduced price. And because of the change, it is not easy anymore, you would need some software in place to make sure this offer is only available for the customers who have paid already.

Just my 2 cents.
I don’t buy the extension as it is. You decide about your monetary policies, but I decide about how I use my wallet!

hyou.4351:

Also I want to know what are the opinions of other players, am I just spewing crazy stuff, do you think that this is the way it should be or do you agree with me? I really want to hear the DEVS opinion on this and why was this decision made and especially the players opinion.

Gaile Grey summed it better than I could in another one of these types of threads…

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/new-business-model-equality/page/2#post5436673

I do not understand these threads. “My family and I have played thousands of hours, but we feel ‘cheated’ because the person who is joining now plays the core game for free or pays just the one fee for Heart of Thorns.”

Let’s consider another type of purchase, that of DVDs. FotR was $30 when it came out on DVD. You now can get all three chapters of LotR for less than $20. But the person who buys now lost years of viewing pleasure because he didn’t own the video at release. LotR is shown for free on television, but that doesn’t negate the value of purchasing the DVDs, for those of us who chose to make those purchases. Imagine showing up at a DVD retailer and saying, “This movie is now free. I want money off another title.”

The hours in Guild Wars 2 that your family has enjoyed—very likely the thousands of accumulated hours—are not without value. They are not, to us, without cost. The 40 major updates we have made to the game that you have been enjoying for three years each add significant value to your purchases: Wintersday festivals that a new player will never be able to attend, major in-game events they’ll never see, drops that were only available to you, as a veteran player, during a limited period.

The position in the first post has been put forth by different people and successfully dispelled time and time again. OP — Please know that we greatly appreciate your support. I encourage you to make whatever purchase decision is best for you and your family. But please never forget that all you have gotten for each of your purchases does have value, in the overall view of things.

So basically, you want more stuff for free or cheaper??
It actually does add up to a very normal business model. When something is new it is more expensive.

I can get a nintendo 64 with 100 games for free right new. Why, cause my friend has it unused in a box in his basement. Why is it unused, cause he now is playing a playstation (shame on him missing out on GW2).

You had the privelege to play GW2 core game when it was new. You still have the same privelege as the new free to play players or the people who get the core game for free with the xpac. you can continue to play the core game for the same amount they are paying for it from now on till eternity.
If you want to play HoT you have to buy it, just like them. It all makes perfect sense and we are all treated equally. If you want something when it is new you have to pay. Feel free to wait three years till the second expasion drops. you (likely) will get HoT then for free.

the moment you drive 1 mile in a brand new car it drops 50% in price, just cause it is no longer new. That is no different then what is going on here!

Someone getting a better deal than you =/= you getting ripped off.

Just wait till the next expansion when we find out GW2 goes console.

This again? No, for a thousand time, the price of the expansion will remain at the price tag Anet decides.
Also i find it very puzzling how people can judge the worth of something, that isnt even out yet, and they havent even tried the beta of it. As someone who enjoyed both beta weekends so far, i havent regretted my choice in purchasing HoT. Quite a contrary – I am pretty exited for the release, and looking forward to explore the new regions and raids.

One last thing – How exactly you decided, that old players accumulate more money towards the game? As far as I know old players have thousands of gold in most cases, which they’re putting towards gems via the currency exchange system. How is that more money for Anet. (Here im NOT saying ALL veteran players do this and doesnt put any money towards the game. Dont try to use this to counter my point). Actually more money are always made by new players, while they unlock all the new skins and additional paid content (LW2). Thats not a speculation, thats a simple fact, I perfectly understand from my point of view.
I myself, as someone who’s been playing for around 2 months, have put quite a bit of money on the gem store, beside the initial purchase. So stop talking nonsense about things you clearly have no idea about.

And for god sake, stop throw around that word ‘veteran players’ everywhere. Just because you’re veteran player, doesnt mean you’re entitled to something beyond what you paid for. You’re not. Just like the new players, just like me, and everyone else.

ODINAS.7512:

Can anyone tell me. I know, that i will look like dumb, but if i have core game. There is no way to get only expantion?

No. Because Core is being added for free in the expansion for those who do not already own core. And in the next expansion, HoT and Core will be free for those who do not own HoT and Core, and then in the next expansion after that will include everything before it for free, and so on.

Monk Tank.5897:

Just wait till the next expansion when we find out GW2 goes console.

They couldn’t make this game for the consoles, not enough buttons on a gamepad to make it possible.

MirrorOfNature.4279:

This again? No, for a thousand time, the price of the expansion will remain at the price tag Anet decides.

You can already get it cheaper and from those listed as official sellers of the game.

Guys shop around, there are plenty of alternatives, use your freedom as a consumer to do right by yourself. You’re not locked into anything, ideally I’d even say don’t pre-order it either.

eisberg.2379:

Monk Tank.5897:

Just wait till the next expansion when we find out GW2 goes console.

They couldn’t make this game for the consoles, not enough buttons on a gamepad to make it possible.

FFXIV has more abilities (3 bars after the expansion, not a limited action set game), yet you can play it fairly well with a controller, even though you need to be a bit more skilled. It works by rotating between bars.

Mirta.5029:

eisberg.2379:

Monk Tank.5897:

Just wait till the next expansion when we find out GW2 goes console.

They couldn’t make this game for the consoles, not enough buttons on a gamepad to make it possible.

FFXIV has more abilities (3 bars after the expansion, not a limited action set game), yet you can play it fairly well with a controller, even though you need to be a bit more skilled. It works by rotating between bars.

Looking at videos, looks like it is a tank and spank type battles, where people just stand in one spot and have no real need to actually move around, especially constantly like in Guild Wars 2. That explains why the controller works, a lot less going on so switching around works.

so if im understanding this right, basicly anet dosnt care what we say there not going to budge on the price period? does that about sum it up?

as long as it stays a pc only game cause I think there tends to be more people playing since I play on pc. other games when they release on xbox and ps4 like elder scrolls online did, the pc gamers basicly dry up and it aint a lot of fun not nearly as many people ecxt.
so as long as my dollar will help anet keep it a pc only game to offset what they could make on console then I gues i’l just have to suck it up and make a choice

winterlove.6834:

so if im understanding this right, basicly anet dosnt care what we say there not going to budge on the price period? does that about sum it up?

Why should they decrease the price of the expansion just because they are including the base game for free? Base game has a $0 value on the expansion, so there is no reason to decrease the price. You don’t like the price, then just wait for it to go on sale. Otherwise they are charging a fair price.

eisberg.2379:

Looking at videos, looks like it is a tank and spank type battles, where people just stand in one spot and have no real need to actually move around, especially constantly like in Guild Wars 2. That explains why the controller works, a lot less going on so switching around works.

https://youtu.be/AD5YEenBxoE?t=3m35s

that’s your average FFXIV raid type encounter. If you do not dodge the bad, it insta kills. While it might appear slower, more than half the dungeons in GW2 are solved by backing the boss into a courner and DPSing with an odd dodge to the wall, so you don’t really need much movement.

So if you can play FFXIV on a controler, chances are you can do majority of GW2s PVE on a controler too.

Erukk.1408:

hyou.4351:

…

Gaile Grey summed it better than I could in another one of these types of threads…

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/new-business-model-equality/page/2#post5436673

…

Nice try, but I don’t buy it.

I bought the core game right when GW2 came out. Why should I buy the core game again. I only want to get the expansion.

All arguments about getting hard work to get paid for are valid, but if I see a package claiming that the core game (which I am already playing) is in it, I’ll just ask myself “is this some kind of rip off?”
If I have to pay the same thing over and over again, it’s natural to think that way.
I’ll just remember those old Anet statements to the tune of “you’ll buy the game and that is is, point”. Being asked to buy an expansion AND the core game may be something different than I see, but IMHO it is not what I expected to see.

Going to pay twice for the same thing looks a lot like P2P. Even if it is not EXACTLY the same as P2P. And P2P is something Anet promised not to do.

So offer me the expansion for a reduced price. (I already payed several full accounts in the last years – I’m not doing it again.)

Michael.3218:

Erukk.1408:

hyou.4351:

…

Gaile Grey summed it better than I could in another one of these types of threads…

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/new-business-model-equality/page/2#post5436673

…

Nice try, but I don’t buy it.

I bought the core game right when GW2 came out. Why should I buy the core game again. I only want to get the expansion.

All arguments about getting hard work to get paid for are valid, but if I see a package claiming that the core game (which I am already playing) is in it, I’ll just ask myself “is this some kind of rip off?”
If I have to pay the same thing over and over again, it’s natural to think that way.
I’ll just remember those old Anet statements to the tune of “you’ll buy the game and that is is, point”. Being asked to buy an expansion AND the core game may be something different than I see, but IMHO it is not what I expected to see.

Going to pay twice for the same thing looks a lot like P2P. Even if it is not EXACTLY the same as P2P. And P2P is something Anet promised not to do.

So offer me the expansion for a reduced price. (I already payed several full accounts in the last years – I’m not doing it again.)

http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2/v/13454741

Watch that starting at about 21:30.
To learn why they are doing it this way.

They stated they bundled the core game into the expansion free of charge. And it is going to be like that for every expansion after this one, core and any expansions prior to the newest expansion will always be bundled in for free into the newest expansion.

So you are asking for a $0 discount, cause Core has a vale of $0 on the expansion. So you are not buying the core game again, that $50 is for the expansion, since core game has a $0 value. If Arenanet wants to drop the value of their own game to $0, they have every right to do that, and that is exactly what they are doing with core game, and then with all previous expansions when a new expansion releases.

I would have imagined making the core game free for everyone would have laid to rest the (I dont want to pay extra for the core game I already paid for) argument to rest.

Think about it people, if they can afford to give the game for free to everyone why on earth cant they afford to give the game for free to people buying the expansion. It makes no sense!

I really dont understand why people are having such a hard time believing the core game is included at no charge. Its not like No one ever had a promotion were something was included for free with a purchase. It happens with physical products that have a cost for the company providing the promotion why on earth isnt it in your opinion impossible for a company to do the same with a digital product that essentially has no cost price to give away?

Galen Grey.4709:

I would have imagined making the core game free for everyone would have laid to rest the (I dont want to pay extra for the core game I already paid for) argument to rest.

Think about it people, if they can afford to give the game for free to everyone why on earth cant they afford to give the game for free to people buying the expansion. It makes no sense!

I really dont understand why people are having such a hard time believing the core game is included at no charge. Its not like No one ever had a promotion were something was included for free with a purchase. It happens with physical products that have a cost for the company providing the promotion why on earth isnt it in your opinion impossible for a company to do the same with a digital product that essentially has no cost price to give away?

Giving the core game free to everyone would have killed the T6 market. Every single veteran player getting a separate alt account for free would be getting up to 165 T6 mats a month, about 2150 T6 mats a year, just for logging in. At $50, some might have thought it would be a good idea to get more than one. That part of the market would have crashed and burned.

Forum posters: ANet! Why u no fix the forums!

ANet’s response:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Galen Grey.4709:

I would have imagined making the core game free for everyone would have laid to rest the (I dont want to pay extra for the core game I already paid for) argument to rest.

Think about it people, if they can afford to give the game for free to everyone why on earth cant they afford to give the game for free to people buying the expansion. It makes no sense!

I really dont understand why people are having such a hard time believing the core game is included at no charge. Its not like No one ever had a promotion were something was included for free with a purchase. It happens with physical products that have a cost for the company providing the promotion why on earth isnt it in your opinion impossible for a company to do the same with a digital product that essentially has no cost price to give away?

Giving the core game free to everyone would have killed the T6 market. Every single veteran player getting a separate alt account for free would be getting up to 165 T6 mats a month, about 2150 T6 mats a year, just for logging in. At $50, some might have thought it would be a good idea to get more than one. That part of the market would have crashed and burned.

Thats not what I am talking about. Every person who never bought gw2 can still open an account for free and enjoy every single piece of content. Sure they may not get 2150 T6 mats a year just for logging in but somehow I doubt anyone who didnt own the game, bought it for that reason.

Besides strictly speaking Anet did that anyway. Nothing is stopping any veteran from applying HoT key to a new account and getting a 2nd, fully enabled account for free. The reason why they didnt give everyone an extra free key in my opinion isnt to safeguard the market. Increasing supply would have brought down prices sure but wouldnt be enough on its own to crash the market not to mention they could easily mitigate that by introducing new stuff that required larger quantities of T6. I think they didnt do it to prevent people from reselling their “free” key. Anyway just a theory.

Perhaps it’s still an issue because the core game attached to HoT is the full version, whereas F2P gets a truncated version. I don’t think that way, myself, but I do sort of understand the point of view. It’s pretty obvious that Anet believes they will gain more financial benefit from sales of HoT to new players without the (however small) pay wall of core price. So, what we have is posters ascribing a greater value to core than Anet is.

Sorry for my English.The HoTs looks very crude right now and i dont want buy this right now.Even more,i will not play 2-3 months cause of this :1)On new addon someone can find exploit and if you itncidentally/casually use it >be ready to get perma ban.Same situation was after release with karma trader and all people who buy cheap things(Arena`net fail) got banned even if they didnt abuse this.I dont want loose my account and 100$ because im normally playing in game.No one cant be sure thats it will not happen with him. 2)Bugs 3)Balance/meta. Im sure that veterans players will not able to play normally anymore cause meta will be broken.(specialisation/revenant).If you dont have it->you will loose pvp matches or will not able to go in dungeon with random party.(you will be kicked cause you are not reaper/revenant or whatever).From this point Arena`net push us to buy new content,because if you dont buy it,you will s-u-c-k and after several months most part of OP things will be nerfed like always. Im tired to make new gear after every “balance” patch.

For 3 years arena`net didnt create any new dungeon(like Ascalon,CoF etc.).Also didnt add Cyrillic symbols etc etc etc and was many painfully “balanced” patch`s .About Cyrillic→its very hard to explain some specific things to newbie players if they are Slavs(russians,ukranian etc etc),cause you have to use English symbols.Could they add cyrillic chat?Yes.Its not hard to do.

2) Most likely, and only as expected.

1) Your ‘facts’ are wrong; just a bit of paranoia there

3) You can always form your own groups; not everyone uses ‘Meta’

I have no idea how easy or difficult adding other text character might be.

“Ban hammer” which was on release ->ban every single player which buy a cheap thing from karma trader even for own character(not for abuse).Its not a paranoia,this situation was and accounts wasnt return to casuall people.Some people spent 50$ for 1 week of play.You cant be protected from same situation on HoT release.Example:"You are newbie player and explore the world.You are making some events,buying gear for youself from karma traders(nice skin or better stats) and then BAAAAAAAAAM.You got ban because 1 thing was very cheap.Many people abuse this and you didnt.Result same->perma ban".Honestly->it was fail/mistake of Arena.net ,but was punished normal players.

Berzal.7294:

“Ban hammer” which was on release ->ban every single people which buy a cheap thing from karma trader even for own character(not for abuse).Its not a paranoia,this situation was and accounts wasnt return to casuall people.Some people spent 50$ for 1 week of play.You cant be protected from same situation on HoT release.Example:"You are newbie player and explore the world.You are making some events,buying gear for youself from karma traders(nice skin or better stats) and then BAAAAAAAAAM.You got ban because 1 thing was very cheap.Many people abuse this and you didnt.Result same->perma ban".Honestly->it was fail/mistake of Arena.net ,but was punished normal players.

Got hard proof of this actually happened? Cause they only banned people who were then reselling the item, not the people who bought the item and kept it for themselves.

A simple “we messed up, but in future….” would have sufficed here. Does wonders for your consumers in the long run. Even Razer messed up with real world pricing and took ownership of it by sticking by the orders placed.

eisberg.2379:

Berzal.7294:

“Ban hammer” which was on release ->ban every single people which buy a cheap thing from karma trader even for own character(not for abuse).Its not a paranoia,this situation was and accounts wasnt return to casuall people.Some people spent 50$ for 1 week of play.You cant be protected from same situation on HoT release.Example:"You are newbie player and explore the world.You are making some events,buying gear for youself from karma traders(nice skin or better stats) and then BAAAAAAAAAM.You got ban because 1 thing was very cheap.Many people abuse this and you didnt.Result same->perma ban".Honestly->it was fail/mistake of Arena.net ,but was punished normal players.

Got hard proof of this actually happened? Cause they only banned people who were then reselling the item, not the people who bought the item and kept it for themselves.

In addition, it was only people who bought hundreds of these cheap items, not one or two for themselves.

The one I’m thinking of, the cultural weapons sold for 63,000 karma except one greatsword for 63 karma (or 630 karma, don’t remember, but obviously not in line with the other prices). People were buying hundreds to thousands of these, putting them in the mystic forge and pulling out rare and exotic level 80 greatswords, as well as greatsword precursors and selling them. With the prices back then, they made major big gold doing that.

The people who bought a one or two for their personal use did not get in trouble. It was the mass forgers and sellers who did.

IndigoSundown.5419:

Perhaps it’s still an issue because the core game attached to HoT is the full version, whereas F2P gets a truncated version. I don’t think that way, myself, but I do sort of understand the point of view. It’s pretty obvious that Anet believes they will gain more financial benefit from sales of HoT to new players without the (however small) pay wall of core price. So, what we have is posters ascribing a greater value to core than Anet is.

Well I think it’s still an issue because people are cognizant of the fact that the F2P conversion is a response to complaints that the expansion was overpriced and that it was overpriced partly because of ANETs scheme offer new players the core game free. Now I know you and I have personally unpacked this issue so I won’t go into in detail. I’ll just restate what I think are reasonably concluded based on their pricing.

1. ANET expects the majority of their HoT buyers to be existing customers who would not have repurchased the core game anyway.
2. ANET raised the price of the expansion when they decided to offer new players the core game free.

Nothing about those statement has changed. ANET is still on a strategy to collect the bulk of their money from charging existing customers for the expansion. So it’s pretty normal for people to feel that the sudden F2P conversion is a marketing tactic meant to “outsmart” them and their complaints. It’s normal for them to be annoyed by it, because that kind of behavior is annoying.

Now…they actually have resolved some issues for me. One salient point I heard vets making was that they were paying for the core game, but not getting a copy of it that they could give to someone else and maybe gain a new playmate. That issue is resolved. By making GW2 F2P (at least sort of), it is easier to get new friends to try the game and that does raise the value of owning HoT.

Like I said, the price issue is over for me. I don’t think HoT is worth $50 based on the amount of content it’s offering. And since I am not in the business of loaning my money to for profit corporations in exchange for NOTHING, I don’t see the value in pre-purchasing HoT or buying it on the vague promise of content in the future.

Not when Skyforge is actually free for example, and a dozen other games are coming out that look way more interesting than what ANET is doing with GW2. They need to take some of the sadistic cleverness they are plugging into marketing and plug it into their actual game!

So does anyone think there will ever be a price for just the expansion content and not the expansion content + full base game?

The Core game is free now, so you don’t pay for it, just for the Expansion

The only difference between Newbie and Veteran is:

The Veteran only gets the Expansion for his existing, unrestricted Account (+ maybe one Slot) while the Newbie (with F2P-Account) gets an Account without restrictions + Expansion Content.

No. Core game is just a bonus for new players.

Take it as, you go in store, you purchase for 50€, and a market person says, “here a free coffe for purchase over 50€”, would you tell him to.. no thx please charge me 48€ only Thx

That guy would just smile in your face, put coffe back and say “This will be 50€”