Guild Wars 2

Hello. Just recently bought the HOT and POF for 50$…

Tbh i feel angry right now. Because i need to spend another $ for living world story… i need the access to the maps and achievements..

I know i can exchange gold for gems. But this is so wrong, farming almost maybe 500gold to unlock another content while i just bought all content that anet sells on website… for new player who want catching up this is too much work, cant enjoy while im thinking im playing this way…

If i knew this i will never buy hot and pof expansion…. suck… seriously suck… i feel i had been caught in false advertisement…

To be fair anet should give us new players 1 week login chance for unlock all living story again, or maybe make ls free and return gems to the one who already bought the ls unlock…

Dont kill the new players spirit please.

Only false advertisement if they had advertised those two seasons with the expansions which they didn’t.

The theory is that the living story costs ANet to make, so they require us to pay extra. They they offer it to us for free as a loyalty reward, for those of us who are online when it’s released (whether or not we own the relevant parts of the game).

So one way or another, some group of players is going to be fine with the system and another group unhappy with it.

I’m sorry that you’re in the latter group.

200 gems=50-60 gold=2-3 Tarir Metas/2 world boss runs=1 episode.

Season 2:
8 Episodes=1600 gems=400g=23 Tarir Metas/16 world boss runs
So it takes 16 days only world boss runs- yellow gear, a chance to get exotic

or 2 tarir metas takes few days less- much more yellow gear, bigger chance to get exotics, more expensive materials.

So it will take 10-16 days if you will play regularly. Sell mats, destroy yellows for globs of ectoplasm-more gold, and you will get them all before PoF release.

Gold is easy to farm in:
1) HoT metas- Verdant Brink, Auric Basin, Tangled Depths and Dragon’s Stand.
2) Tequatl and other World Bosses
3) 40 lvl Fractal- you have to have some Agony Resistance (you can buy them for gold)
4) Events in Silverwastes/chest farms.
5) Dungeons
6) PvP- season has started so playing Ranked Matches gives you pips, more pips=better rewards.
7) WvW- find the commander on the Borderlands, Eternal Battleground- you will also get pips every 5 minutes by your participation.

It makes newbies upset that you have to pay for seasons, but it just rewards people who get into the game regularly.

If Season 4 will start, just get into the game and unlock episodes forever. You can also unlock 6 episode of Season 3 I think.

You just have to click the green star above mini map and you don’t need to start any chapter, just log in and click the green star.

There are many ways to get the gold and you don’t need to spend your dollars. to get your episodes

50 gold is not much for 1 episode- if you will play the game ~5hrs per day so I am sure you will get them all fast.

I mean the game has to sustain to provide these updates. They are free for like a month or 2 at a time then they go b2p which isfair id say.

Please re-open discount package on Living World Season 2…

The choices are;

- Everyone pays for each episode/season as it comes along
- Everyone pays more for the expansion, with LS included in price
- Free for a period, then pay after grace period expires (current)
- Free for everyone

The latter isn’t an option since we’d have considerably less content due to a lack of funding. Option 2 is clearer and more accessible for newer players, but option 3 is the fairest for loyal players and encourages players to login for each episode rather than wait. It also appears to be the most popular since an increasing number of players get it for free.

I do think it is a barrier to new players as it is, but that is more likely a lack of clarity in how they advertise their content to new players.

Living World seasons were never part of the expansions, i dont know what u are angry about.

zoomborg.9462:

Living World seasons were never part of the expansions, i dont know what u are angry about.

I don’t understand why it’s hard to understand that people see “expansion” and they think it includes all the previous & future updates. It’s only with some research that some folks realize that doesn’t apply to access to the Living World seasons including LS3 maps. It’s probably more difficult for an outsider/new player to see the difference when the LS2 maps (Dry Top & Silverwastes) are included in the core game, even though the LS2 stories aren’t.

I don’t have a problem with ANet’s pricing model, which includes offering LS2 and beyond to anyone logging on during the relevant 3-4 month period. All the same, I can see why some people might not be happy and some will be surprised to find out there’s a cost.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

zoomborg.9462:

Living World seasons were never part of the expansions, i dont know what u are angry about.

I don’t understand why it’s hard to understand that people see “expansion” and they think it includes all the previous & future updates. It’s only with some research that some folks realize that doesn’t apply to access to the Living World seasons including LS3 maps. It’s probably more difficult for an outsider/new player to see the difference when the LS2 maps (Dry Top & Silverwastes) are included in the core game, even though the LS2 stories aren’t.

I don’t have a problem with ANet’s pricing model, which includes offering LS2 and beyond to anyone logging on during the relevant 3-4 month period. All the same, I can see why some people might not be happy and some will be surprised to find out there’s a cost.

This.

My only concern is when people start tossing around phrases like false adverisement, price gouging, greed, etc.

“I bought two expansions expecting to be getting two expansions and 14 DLCs. WTF I hate you!”

That is literally the OP.

The Living World is DLC that is temporarily free for those playing the game. Nowhere ever does Anet ever proclaim that the Living World Seasons are packaged with the expansions.

Now, while I can find arguments for why they should be packaged with the expansions, they aren’t nor ever said to be. When you buy the expansions, you’re buying just the expansions, as is said. The LW are DLCs that are separate from the expansions (but in S3’s case, require owning HoT too).

Konig Des Todes.2086:

“I bought two expansions expecting to be getting two expansions and 14 DLCs. WTF I hate you!”

That is literally the OP.

The Living World is DLC that is temporarily free for those playing the game. Nowhere ever does Anet ever proclaim that the Living World Seasons are packaged with the expansions.

Now, while I can find arguments for why they should be packaged with the expansions, they aren’t nor ever said to be. When you buy the expansions, you’re buying just the expansions, as is said. The LW are DLCs that are separate from the expansions (but in S3’s case, require owning HoT too).

You realize that not everyone understands what you mean by “DLC” or “Expansion” — I certainly don’t. The entire game is downloadable and full of content, so why isn’t that all “downloadable content” aka DLC? And what is an expansion other than a bunch of DLCs bundled into a package for easier marketing?

Of course it’s up to ANet how to price, how to advertise, how to offer elements of the game. It’s also up to every other game company to do it their own way, and they do.

So it’s simply not obvious to everyone where the line between “expansion” and “DLC” is drawn. Confusion is inevitable, no matter how many threads about this we see, no matter how much ANet includes an explanation as part of their purchase website (which, by the way, isn’t the only source of the game).

tl;dr not everyone is familiar with the definitions and not everyone who is has the same understanding. People are going to misunderstand — it takes only an extra minute to explain politely than it does to dismiss the concerns as “entitled” or “unreasonable”.

Truff.4201:

Hello. Just recently bought the HOT and POF for 50$…

Tbh i feel angry right now. Because i need to spend another $ for living world story… i need the access to the maps and achievements..

I know i can exchange gold for gems. But this is so wrong, farming almost maybe 500gold to unlock another content while i just bought all content that anet sells on website… for new player who want catching up this is too much work, cant enjoy while im thinking im playing this way…

If i knew this i will never buy hot and pof expansion…. suck… seriously suck… i feel i had been caught in false advertisement…

To be fair anet should give us new players 1 week login chance for unlock all living story again, or maybe make ls free and return gems to the one who already bought the ls unlock…

Dont kill the new players spirit please.

Just to be fair (and accurate), you can purchase Living World Season 2 on the website; you could have added it into your initial purchase. Thus, you did not purchase all the content offered.

But, on the bright side, as you noted, you can acquire all Living World Seasons (sans Season One) without spending a penny by using the Gold-to-Gems exchange!

Good luck.

I bought Star War 2 and I was really angry that I had to buy Star Wars also to see that content Why are games different from anything else?

Vayne.8563:

I bought Star War 2 and I was really angry that I had to buy Star Wars also to see that content Why are games different from anything else?

Because this is more like paying for Doctor Who Season xyz and having to pay again for the Christmas Special of the same year. That would be one of many possible (and fair) ways to price the content, it just surprises some people that LS isn’t consider part of the main game/expansion.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

You realize that not everyone understands what you mean by “DLC” or “Expansion” — I certainly don’t. The entire game is downloadable and full of content, so why isn’t that all “downloadable content” aka DLC? And what is an expansion other than a bunch of DLCs bundled into a package for easier marketing?

If you play any game that has expansions or DLCs, you know the difference.

Expansions are basically half-games, while DLCs are even smaller. It’s like comparing flash fiction to short stories to novels (DLC to expansion to stand alone game respectively).

And there is no one who is not aware of this if they spend 10 minutes to look at it.

And of course, this is ignoring the fact that ArenaNet explicitly states that they’re selling Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire, not Season 2, Heart of Thorns, Season 3, and Path of Fire. And no “not knowing terminology” is going to make that confusing.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

You realize that not everyone understands what you mean by “DLC” or “Expansion” — I certainly don’t. The entire game is downloadable and full of content, so why isn’t that all “downloadable content” aka DLC? And what is an expansion other than a bunch of DLCs bundled into a package for easier marketing?

If you play any game that has expansions or DLCs, you know the difference.

Expansions are basically half-games, while DLCs are even smaller. It’s like comparing flash fiction to short stories to novels (DLC to expansion to stand alone game respectively).

And there is no one who is not aware of this if they spend 10 minutes to look at it.

And of course, this is ignoring the fact that ArenaNet explicitly states that they’re selling Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire, not Season 2, Heart of Thorns, Season 3, and Path of Fire. And no “not knowing terminology” is going to make that confusing.

Sorry, no. I see people referring to HoT as “DLC” — the terms aren’t used with a universal definition. I certainly had no idea what “Dragon’s Age: Origins” meant by DLC, since that was the first time I had seen the term. And I still feel the distinction is entirely arbitrary on the part of publisher — all content is downloadable to me, some of it is bundled and some of it isn’t, including stuff that can be labeled “DLC”.

While it’s true that a little bit of research will uncover what ANet offers for free, what if includes in the the price of each expac, etc, I’m sure you’re aware that not everyone follows the fine print.

So my point remains: it’s not obvious to everyone.

I don’t agree with critics who say that ANet misled them deliberately or that it’s unfair. I’m just saying it’s understandable that some people are confused the first time they run into this, potentially for each game.

I’m glad it’s easy for you and some other posters to understand without effort what is and isn’t included. I just ask that you consider that not everyone has the same innate understanding of game industry jargon.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

You realize that not everyone understands what you mean by “DLC” or “Expansion” — I certainly don’t. The entire game is downloadable and full of content, so why isn’t that all “downloadable content” aka DLC? And what is an expansion other than a bunch of DLCs bundled into a package for easier marketing?

If you play any game that has expansions or DLCs, you know the difference.

Expansions are basically half-games, while DLCs are even smaller. It’s like comparing flash fiction to short stories to novels (DLC to expansion to stand alone game respectively).

And there is no one who is not aware of this if they spend 10 minutes to look at it.

And of course, this is ignoring the fact that ArenaNet explicitly states that they’re selling Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire, not Season 2, Heart of Thorns, Season 3, and Path of Fire. And no “not knowing terminology” is going to make that confusing.

Sorry, no. I see people referring to HoT as “DLC” — the terms aren’t used with a universal definition. I certainly had no idea what “Dragon’s Age: Origins” meant by DLC, since that was the first time I had seen the term. And I still feel the distinction is entirely arbitrary on the part of publisher — all content is downloadable to me, some of it is bundled and some of it isn’t, including stuff that can be labeled “DLC”.

While it’s true that a little bit of research will uncover what ANet offers for free, what if includes in the the price of each expac, etc, I’m sure you’re aware that not everyone follows the fine print.

So my point remains: it’s not obvious to everyone.

I don’t agree with critics who say that ANet misled them deliberately or that it’s unfair. I’m just saying it’s understandable that some people are confused the first time they run into this, potentially for each game.

I’m glad it’s easy for you and some other posters to understand without effort what is and isn’t included. I just ask that you consider that not everyone has the same innate understanding of game industry jargon.

People are referring to HoT as a DLC as a sort of attack towards that expansion based on it not containing X number of maps that they felt it should have, not including a new race, and so on. It’s all based on some biased list because WoW provided such and such in theirs.

If we go by the phrasing “downloadable content”, pretty much every expansion for any game can be consider a DLC if it can be downloaded instead of needing a disc. However, if we use DLC in the way that it’s traditionally been used, HoT doesn’t qualify nor do other downloadable expansions.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

You realize that not everyone understands what you mean by “DLC” or “Expansion” — I certainly don’t. The entire game is downloadable and full of content, so why isn’t that all “downloadable content” aka DLC? And what is an expansion other than a bunch of DLCs bundled into a package for easier marketing?

If you play any game that has expansions or DLCs, you know the difference.

Expansions are basically half-games, while DLCs are even smaller. It’s like comparing flash fiction to short stories to novels (DLC to expansion to stand alone game respectively).

And there is no one who is not aware of this if they spend 10 minutes to look at it.

And of course, this is ignoring the fact that ArenaNet explicitly states that they’re selling Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire, not Season 2, Heart of Thorns, Season 3, and Path of Fire. And no “not knowing terminology” is going to make that confusing.

Sorry, no. I see people referring to HoT as “DLC” — the terms aren’t used with a universal definition. I certainly had no idea what “Dragon’s Age: Origins” meant by DLC, since that was the first time I had seen the term. And I still feel the distinction is entirely arbitrary on the part of publisher — all content is downloadable to me, some of it is bundled and some of it isn’t, including stuff that can be labeled “DLC”.

While it’s true that a little bit of research will uncover what ANet offers for free, what if includes in the the price of each expac, etc, I’m sure you’re aware that not everyone follows the fine print.

So my point remains: it’s not obvious to everyone.

I don’t agree with critics who say that ANet misled them deliberately or that it’s unfair. I’m just saying it’s understandable that some people are confused the first time they run into this, potentially for each game.

I’m glad it’s easy for you and some other posters to understand without effort what is and isn’t included. I just ask that you consider that not everyone has the same innate understanding of game industry jargon.

Konig does make a valid point, however in your defence, the terms of DLC and expansion have blurred a lot over the last few years. Especially as some companies use DLC to cover basic patches and others use it to cover large chunks of content, whilst expansions themselves have shrunk (albeit not universally) as a result of the increased use of DLC’s.

Those who referred to HoT as being DLC though were just trying to to be facetious, people who thought they sounded big and clever by reducing something down because they knew better. HoT, despite any faults, was a clear expansion.

1st of all. when i decided to bought HOT and POF expansion, i already research what content that locked, such as elite, mastery, revenant class and HoT maps… If you are new/return to GW2, how can you know to extent details that some story and maps are locked behind Living World expansion??

2. If Anet include this in some package, like when i want to buy PoF anet include HoT in bundle of recommend with the explanation to it, maybe i will know there is another expansion that i need to buy.. so the decision was mine to buy or not. If not, how could i know there is some “hidden” old expansion… this is why i dare to say that was false ads, because when i bought that HoT&PoF i was smilling that i can play GW2 to the fullest!!

3. Like i said above, this is an old game.. Some of you say Loyality earn you that free Living World… Again if i knew i need to “farm to unlock content” not to “farm to pump my char” in this Guild Wars 2, maybe i would need to consider few times to buy HoT&PoF….. Loyalty to old players is good, but give some advantage of old content to boost new players/returners is a good way to sustain the game..

4. last, i return here not just for play to free too, i indeed support Anet by buying old expansion like HoT. and if i buy and use my gems, would you not think i dont want to buy some shiny costumes or maybe unlimited gathering tools, instead of buy another hidden expansion / dlc or whatever you call it. And on top of that i already upset with this expansion behind the big expansion!

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Sorry, no. I see people referring to HoT as “DLC” — the terms aren’t used with a universal definition. I certainly had no idea what “Dragon’s Age: Origins” meant by DLC, since that was the first time I had seen the term. And I still feel the distinction is entirely arbitrary on the part of publisher — all content is downloadable to me, some of it is bundled and some of it isn’t, including stuff that can be labeled “DLC”.

On the first, most of those people are using it sarcastically – as noted by others above – in that HoT had very little content. It was, however, an expansion.

Regarding you knowing/not knowing what DLC meant when you first saw the term – that’s rather to be expected with anything in life. Common sense is, in fact, not common.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

While it’s true that a little bit of research will uncover what ANet offers for free, what if includes in the the price of each expac, etc, I’m sure you’re aware that not everyone follows the fine print.

Those who do not read the “fine print” (in this case, is not very fine but rather bold) have only themselves to blame, and in no way hold any sway in complaints against ArenaNet.

Confused or not.

Asking “why” is not a problem, but the OP does not seem to be merely doing that. Few people who bring this up do.

Truff.4201:

1st of all. when i decided to bought HOT and POF expansion, i already research what content that locked, such as elite, mastery, revenant class and HoT maps… If you are new/return to GW2, how can you know to extent details that some story and maps are locked behind Living World expansion??

By reading the PoF FAQ?

That explicitly says what non-core content is and is not part of buying PoF. And it’s linked to on the official site.

Truff.4201:

2. If Anet include this in some package, like when i want to buy PoF anet include HoT in bundle of recommend with the explanation to it, maybe i will know there is another expansion that i need to buy.. so the decision was mine to buy or not. If not, how could i know there is some “hidden” old expansion… this is why i dare to say that was false ads, because when i bought that HoT&PoF i was smilling that i can play GW2 to the fullest!!

There actually is an “add to cart” section when you go to checkout, where you can add the other expansion, character slots, and, you guessed it, the full Season 2 – among more.

And you don’t even have to scroll down that much.

Truff.4201:

Tbh i feel angry right now. Because i need to spend another $ for living world story… i need the access to the maps and achievements..

I know i can exchange gold for gems. But this is so wrong, farming almost maybe 500gold to unlock another content while i just bought all content that anet sells on website… for new player who want catching up this is too much work, cant enjoy while im thinking im playing this way…

You got the original campaign for free, other had to buy it. Those who were not online when a Living World season’s newest episode was released, have to later buy it. That’s how things are — anyone is always going to complain, but ANet has to make money somehow, no?

I agree completely with the OP. I recently returned to GW2 after taking a 5yr break to see if it was worth playing again. I thought I needed to get the lastest expansion just to get an accurate indication of where the game was at now and if PoF would be worth it. It would ATLEAST give me access to all areas/specialisation I needed was the thought process. As a returning player I didnt do too much in terms of research before buying HoT. Why? because could simply go and see for myself after I bought the expansion, and to my surprise I got bitten by that approach. I would never have bought HoT if I knew I would still miss out on potentially important areas of the game (that were for Free for a limited time but cost extra now?!?), or pay extra.

This is an mmo where efficiency matters so having access to be all areas is important and having this information obscured seems misleading to buyers and for meagre financial gain. If they make the new maps accessible at least then I wouldnt have much issues with it cause I dislike the story anyways.

eldrjth.7384:

I agree completely with the OP. I recently returned to GW2 after taking a 5yr break to see if it was worth playing again. I thought I needed to get the lastest expansion just to get an accurate indication of where the game was at now and if PoF would be worth it. It would ATLEAST give me access to all areas/specialisation I needed was the thought process. As a returning player I didnt do too much in terms of research before buying HoT. Why? because could simply go and see for myself after I bought the expansion, and to my surprise I got bitten by that approach. I would never have bought HoT if I knew I would still miss out on potentially important areas of the game (that were for Free for a limited time but cost extra now?!?), or pay extra.

This is an mmo where efficiency matters so having access to be all areas is important and having this information obscured seems misleading to buyers and for meagre financial gain. If they make the new maps accessible at least then I wouldnt have much issues with it cause I dislike the story anyways.

S2 had the same system so anyone that played the game prior to HoT should have been aware that LS3 would likely be the same. If they didn’t play at all during S2, they should have done the due diligence to research h how the living stories were being implemented if it was important to them.

The information was never obscured. Each expansion clearly says what it is offering. There is no LW season episode as part of the expansion. That is made clear. If u are out of the loop or dont check what u buy that’s not Anet’s fault.

Both S1 and S2 Maps are accessible to me even though I didnt log in during those times where kitten map areas are not. If one were to work of prior experience youd think S3 areas would be also. Why do you say I should exercise “due diligence”? if the game sells expansions maps are typically bundled under the one package one of the reasons is so you dont have to go digging through a catalogue of dlc to see which ones are important. Theres also less segregation of the player base that way. Games that have dlc maps usually market all their stuff as dlc in my experience. Like Borderlands. Well after taking a look at battlefield you can see all the dlc stuff are weapons packs/starter kits NON of them are maps. This is an important distinction. Like I said earlier if I didnt get access to the story componant I wouldnt care about it. There are a few mmo style of games I dont even bother with beating the main story if I can avoid it.

It never says you would be denied access to certain areas of the game. This is KEY. To be completely clear they need to say you have to buy DLC maps for that. and who knows how many SEPARATE dlc maps they would make. Kinda defeats the purpose of expansions in the first place.

Anet are inconsistent.
Southsun Cove was part of LS1 – available to everyone for free.
Dry Top & Silverwastes are part of LS2 – available for free, you pay only for the story.
LS3 maps – locked behind the paywall.
This inconsistency is not healthy for customers faith to the developer. Anet should either charge price for accessing LS1 & 2 maps or remove the “pay to enter” aspect of LS3 maps and start charging people only for story instances.

Ider.1276:

Anet are inconsistent.
Southsun Cove was part of LS1 – available to everyone for free.
Dry Top & Silverwastes are part of LS2 – available for free, you pay only for the story.
LS3 maps – locked behind the paywall.
This inconsistency is not healthy for customers faith to the developer. Anet should either charge price for accessing LS1 & 2 maps or remove the “pay to enter” aspect of LS3 maps and start charging people only for story instances.

It’s not exactly inconsistent, as both Southsun and the Maguuma Wastes were both released when the core game still had to be purchased. Similarly, Southsun’s “story”, as it was during the 2 season 1 releases that involved it, are lost to time, similar to how season 2 is behind the pay wall. The only change is that the season 3 maps are locked from the free to play players, as well that those who have Heart of Thorns but haven’t unlocked the related chapters. I think it’s part of the necessity of going free to play. We’ll have to see what season 4 is like to see if it matches up with what they’ve established in season 3 or not.

Ider.1276:

Anet are inconsistent.
Southsun Cove was part of LS1 – available to everyone for free.
Dry Top & Silverwastes are part of LS2 – available for free, you pay only for the story.
LS3 maps – locked behind the paywall.
This inconsistency is not healthy for customers faith to the developer. Anet should either charge price for accessing LS1 & 2 maps or remove the “pay to enter” aspect of LS3 maps and start charging people only for story instances.

So they should start charging for Dry Top and the Silverwastes. It’s a change. Things do change over time in MMOs. Dyes were once character bound, now they’re account bound. It’s a change.

In this instance, the entire game, all of it, if you were to buy it today costs roughly $90. Considering that’s half a year of Final Fantasy XIV I think that’s a pretty good deal. People who don’t want to pay for that content don’t have to buy it, but it’s weird to think it should all be included.

I’m not sure it’s even $90. Core – free/HoT + PoF – $50/Living World Seasons 2+3 – ~$25 for a grand total of ~$75.00. Almost the cost of a console game nowadays, which is around 30-40 hours vs. thousands of hours.

Pretty sweet deal.

I agree that it is marketing wise a bad idea to let you pay 50-90€ and then they ask again for money. At least you have the option to use in game gold to turn to gems.

eldrjth.7384:

I agree completely with the OP. I recently returned to GW2 after taking a 5yr break to see if it was worth playing again. I thought I needed to get the lastest expansion just to get an accurate indication of where the game was at now and if PoF would be worth it. It would ATLEAST give me access to all areas/specialisation I needed was the thought process. As a returning player I didnt do too much in terms of research before buying HoT. Why? because could simply go and see for myself after I bought the expansion, and to my surprise I got bitten by that approach. I would never have bought HoT if I knew I would still miss out on potentially important areas of the game (that were for Free for a limited time but cost extra now?!?), or pay extra.

This is an mmo where efficiency matters so having access to be all areas is important and having this information obscured seems misleading to buyers and for meagre financial gain. If they make the new maps accessible at least then I wouldnt have much issues with it cause I dislike the story anyways.

The maps are the biggest part of this “dlc”. Dlc being lw the maps are what give the replayability value the episodes have right now. Should anet have it on a big panel to purchase with your expac for an increased price? Sure but having the importand stuff free? Then why should i even buy it.

ProtoGunner.4953:

I agree that it is marketing wise a bad idea to let you pay 50-90€ and then they ask again for money. At least you have the option to use in game gold to turn to gems.

Why?

Why give them out for free in the first place then. Nobody likes to miss the boat on that offer and have to pay later. If it was always paid content or even became FREE once its been out long enough like the base game, it would be easier to stomach paying for it obviously. The guys that argue A.net does these things to make money never answer this one. In any case they got it the wrong way around. Maybe it could be argued they wanted ppl to try LW out first with S1 before they began charging to give players a chance to test that style of content out but S3 still follows the same model, but is the only LW that doesnt have its map accessible. Surely make them available for those who get PoF at the very least. If not another another way to unlock it like login rewards which is what it was originally anyways.

Anyone new to the game will simply get both expansions and expect to explore all regions and not have to encounter blanked out lvl 80 area.