Guild Wars 2

I see that any missed season 2 content is up for sale. Interesting.

It was my understanding that AN was developing this game with the promise that all content, past present and future, would be free for a lifetime, and the only aspect of the game that was to be store bought was aesthetics and convenience items. It was the main selling point for me to buy the game and to support AN this far.

It is concerning for me, no so much as the price of the current Living World content now, but if this is the current policy how will this effect the expansion and future expansions? Is AN expanding their horizons when it comes to what they charge for and what they do not?

Myself, my family and many of the people I game with are questioning what appears to be a rather liberal stance on marketing, is this a first step towards future price tags on content, upgrades, etc?

The content was free for anyone that logged in for two seconds during the weeks the chapter was live. ANet is unlikely to ever charge up front for anything smaller than an expansion.

Find me where they promise that and I’ll sympathize with you. You may be happy to hear that they’ve said that future expansions will include the previous xpacs they release to not have to isolate new players behind huge paywalls though this was never mentioned to include Living Story seasons (although it would make sense). LS2 was only ever free the 2 weeks it after each episode came out and they told us that would be the way it works at the start of the season. Also if/when they remake and bring back LS1 it will likely be in the gem store as well.

If you play the game actively it’ll be free, coming in 3 years later, its understandable some things cost some gems.

If you plan to stick with gw2 from now on, everything in the game will be free for you(except for expansions, ect.)

if you missed game of thrones on tv when it was aired, you can purchase the dvd.

They did never in any way or form every claim that every single thing ever released in the game would always be free.

You are also aware that there is an expansion coming that also require payment in order to access, right?

They never promised that everything ever released would always be for free.

What they DID promise is that you will never fall behind if you stop playing for a long time, as there is no gear threadmill and increased level caps.

I don’t think they made such a promise. You have to pay for the expansion for example. If they introduced new content that only could be accessed via gems from the start, I’d see it as a problem. If you did play the game regularly, that content would have been free. If not, gems can still be acquired via in-game gold so you could get it without paying and actually just playing the game.

ArchonWing.9480:

I don’t think they made such a promise. You have to pay for the expansion for example. If they introduced new content that only could be accessed via gems from the start, I’d see it as a problem. If you did play the game regularly, that content would have been free. If not, gems can still be acquired via in-game gold so you could get it without paying and actually just playing the game.

Dont every 5k ap chests also give gems so you could get it useing those aswell

I know this is just gonna come across as sour grapes. But I really feel like this is a dishonest move on the part of Areanet. It’s not only that we’re missing out on loot and achievement points and collections and stuff. We’re missing out on lore that is a vital bridge to HoT. For this to be gated behind a paywall as punishment for not logging in at a certain point is not what I thought the Guild Wars 2 ethos was.

On a related note, I would really like it noted on the collections achievements that they cannot be gained without accessing content that is currently disabled to you, like it does with other achievements you have to unlock by doing something else first.

Bandit.3856:

I know this is just gonna come across as sour grapes. But I really feel like this is a dishonest move on the part of Areanet. It’s not only that we’re missing out on loot and achievement points and collections and stuff. We’re missing out on lore that is a vital bridge to HoT. For this to be gated behind a paywall as punishment for not logging in at a certain point is not what I thought the Guild Wars 2 ethos was.

On a related note, I would really like it noted on the collections achievements that they cannot be gained without accessing content that is currently disabled to you, like it does with other achievements you have to unlock by doing something else first.

It does in fact come across as sour grapes.

Arenanet is a business. It cost time and money to develop those LS episodes, and the financial model that supports the LS is that it encourages users to log in regularly, as users that remain engaged are more likely to purchase gems when items are on sale.

Nearly every other game that releases “seasonal” content doesn’t release it for free at all. Take a look at DCUO, or LOTR, or a multitude of other games. When their “episodes” release, they’re paid content on the day of release.

No one at arenanet every promised all content would be free forever. What they said was that participating in the ongoing living story would be free.

Also note that in the time you were not logging in to get your free LS episodes, they also added daily login rewards that hand out free black lion items once a week, achievements that grant items otherwise obtainable only with gems, and added permanent open world content alongside those releases that requires no payment at all to access.

Simply put: You could have taped the show (LS) when it aired with advertising support (gem store sales), and you didn’t. Thus, they’re asking you to buy the DVD.

I was one of those who wasn’t playing when LS2 came out. That’s my fault. If I had logged in for just a couple seconds I would have been able to play it for free. Now I have to pay for it. shrug It is what it is (and I actually just bought it on sale today). Again, that’s 100% my fault.

I disagree that this is “seasonal content”, this is not time gated , side content, like the winter and halloween events. This is the main story of game, bridging the gap towards the next expansion. This is like if they time gated part of the Zaitan story if you didn’t buy Guild Wars 2 at launch. It’s money grabbing and I expect better from Areanet.

I already bought the dvd, this is hiding an epilogue if you didn’t watch it at a certain time.

And yes, I know Areanet is a business and they are free to make money however they want. But hiding story behind a paywall is not what I expected from them when I bought the game and I am disappointed in them.

Radakill.3469:

It was my understanding that AN was developing this game with the promise that all content, past present and future, would be free for a lifetime, and the only aspect of the game that was to be store bought was aesthetics and convenience items. It was the main selling point for me to buy the game and to support AN this far.

Then you were under a false understanding.

Season 1 content was free, but temporary – it went away after 2 weeks or a month, whenever the chapter was ended (chapters were in 2 releases).

Season 2 was content to those who logged on for the first two weeks after the episode’s release.

This was explicitly stated before and during each season. If you thought otherwise, it’s of no fault of Anet’s.

It makes perfect sense for Anet to charge for content.

I think what you’re mistaking is that Anet said they’ll never put pay to win content on their gemstore.

Bandit.3856:

I know this is just gonna come across as sour grapes. But I really feel like this is a dishonest move on the part of Areanet. It’s not only that we’re missing out on loot and achievement points and collections and stuff. We’re missing out on lore that is a vital bridge to HoT. For this to be gated behind a paywall as punishment for not logging in at a certain point is not what I thought the Guild Wars 2 ethos was.

How I am comprehending this post:

“Anet made DLCs that bridge the story of a base game and it’s expansion together. Why do I have to pay for it? Why? I bought the base game and the expansion!”

Well you didn’t pay for the DLCs.

Honestly, your post doesn’t come off as sour grapes, it comes off as wine.

It’s not punishment for not logging in. It’s a reward for if you did log in.

Glass half full, Anet sees. Glass half empty, players see.

Anet has no requirement to give you the Living World for free. It was their choice to offer it free for a limited time, just as any business sometimes offer limited time bonuses to their services.

Bandit.3856:

I disagree that this is “seasonal content”, this is not time gated , side content, like the winter and halloween events. This is the main story of game, bridging the gap towards the next expansion. This is like if they time gated part of the Zaitan story if you didn’t buy Guild Wars 2 at launch. It’s money grabbing and I expect better from Areanet.

I already bought the dvd, this is hiding an epilogue if you didn’t watch it at a certain time.

And yes, I know Areanet is a business and they are free to make money however they want. But hiding story behind a paywall is not what I expected from them when I bought the game and I am disappointed in them.

Don’t forget you can always play the episodes for free. Just join a party with someone who has it unlocked.

This is in no way dishonest, nor shady, nor “money grabbing”.
They were upfront and honest about it from even before season 2 launched.

Besides, this has been discussed at length a multitude of times. There are several threads about it, where people are voicing their displeasure.

Please merge this with one of those. Thanks!

/thread

I understand your point of view and why you are defending this practice. I just fundamentally disagree.

This is a cut and paste directly from the official GW2 Wiki:

What’s the difference between “Living Story” and “Personal Story”?

The personal story is a customized story for your character that is determined by the choices at character creation and the choices of your actions during the personal story. The living story on the other hand is a progressive story that is consistently updated for free with 2 week period gaps, this takes place after the personal story; but you do not have to complete the personal story line in order to participate in the Living Story.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Frequently_Asked_Questions

Does it say “for free, unless a player does not log on during a specified period..?”

No.

Never is there any mention of any hidden fees if you happen to miss a period, or couldnt play for a few months.

Keep this in mind, AN has also “promised” that there would never be any sub fees, I think we can all agree on that…

Take a look at their license agreement:

4(b)Periodic Payments Related to Accounts, Service and Content – ArenaNet may, in its reasonable discretion, _require You to pay to establish or maintain any Account, to use any Service or to use any Content. You acknowledge that if You are required to do so, but do not, then ArenaNet may terminate Your Account under Section 3(b). _You additionally acknowledge that ArenaNet may require such payments on any basis it deems appropriate in its reasonable discretion, including but not limited to any per-use or periodic basis (such as a number of hours, days or months). And You acknowledge that ArenaNet may, in its reasonable discretion, establish the timing and form in which such payment must be made, including but not limited to credit cards or online payment services. EXCEPT FOR THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, YOU ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ARENANET HAS NO OBLIGATION TO REFUND ANY PAYMENTS, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, RELATED TO AN ACCOUNT WHETHER OR NOT SUCH PAYMENTS WERE MADE OR AUTHORIZED BY YOU, FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INTERRUPTION OR UNAVAILABILITY OF SERVICE (SEE ALSO SECTION 10). YOU ACKNOWLEDGE, AND FURTHER AGREE, THAT ArenaNet MAY, IN ITS REASONABLE DISCRETION, TERMINATE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 3(b) ANY ACCOUNT RELATED TO ANY ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN A REFUND OF ANY PAYMENTS, WHETHER SUCH ATTEMPTS ARE MADE BY CONTACTING AN ISSUER OF CREDIT CARDS OR OTHERWISE, AND THAT ARENANET MAY TAKE ANY OTHER ACTION IT DEEMS APPROPRIATE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO RECOURSE BY WAY OF ANY COLLECTION AGENCY AND/OR CREDIT REPORTING AGENCY WHEN A REFUND HAS BEEN OBTAINED WITHOUT SIGNED WRITTEN CONSENT FROM A LEGALLY AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF ARENANET.

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/legal/guild-wars-2-user-agreement/

What this says is, that AN or NCS has the right to start charging ANY fees at ANY time, and you will have to pay it at the risk of losing your account, or at the very least, even if they offer refunds for those that want one, you lose the time and effort you spent, your characters, all you have put into the game.

That is IF they even offer a refund, the LA you agree to when you play the game says they do not have to.

Now, not to be an alarmist here, but what they are “promising”, and what they are explicitly writing in their legal agreements, as a possibility, that everyone MUST “agree” to in order to use the game, are two totally different animals.

“Hidden” fees can be the start of something very unpleasant, all I am saying is, they have laid out the groundwork to do whatever they want to do, just be aware.

Bandit.3856:

I understand your point of view and why you are defending this practice. I just fundamentally disagree.

I just don’t get why people feel they should be given everything for free for forever.
It was never promised, nor implied, not stated that everything would be free forever and for all time.

As far as the TV show and DVD analogy.
There are often times certain extras, or even episodes that require a “subscription” to watch that were not a part of the DVD collection, nor were aired on TV.

Battlestar Galactica had several “webisodes” that only were available online for residents of the US. If you were outside of the US, you had to buy the special DVDs. Also, they were only available for a limited time. Thus, if you wanted to watch them, you had to either buy the DVDs, or watch them through a paid subscription service (i.e. hulu, netflix etc.)

Radakill, the wiki is written, edited, and maintained by the playerbase, not ArenaNet.

That FAQ you quoted are our, the playerbase’s, words, not Anet’s.

If you look at the history of that article, that line was added on July 10th, 2014, by Deyadissa. This was before Episode 1 had to be bought, even, so the editor might not have known about that announcement – and yes, it was announced. A full month before Season 2’s release, in fact.

Your entire argument is founded by a player-worded paragraph which contradict ArenaNet’s official statements. What you quote are not ArenaNet’s words.

To quote Anet:

To unlock an episode and have it added to your Story Journal, you simply need to log into a map with any of your characters during the two-week period that the release is live to be given permanent, free access to the storyline of that episode. Once you’ve unlocked it by simply logging in, you can replay that episode’s storyline on any character on your account as many times as you like from your story Journal forever. Past episodes will be available for purchase for 200 gems. (Don’t forget you can earn gold and purchase gems to unlock the episode for your account).

Part of the linked blog post, published June 5th, 2014.

As for sub-fees?

The Living World is not a subscription. You do not have to pay monthly, weekly, annually, or whatever. You do not have to pay at all after buying the base game. You will not get all the content they make, sure, if you miss that 2 week free period, but you still do not have to pay to continue playing GW2 – hell, you do not even have to pay to play Season 2; you can party up with someone who has it unlocked.

Anyone with half a brain would realize that you’re just trying to create dust where there’s none to be found.

Radakill:

That highlighted portion concerning the implication of a paid sub…
It’s been confirmed that there will not be a paid subscription for GW or GW2. It’s more there for legal reasons, and “standard verbiage” in such agreements.

You seem to be missing the point. I know that Areanet have every right to do this. I am just providing them feedback on what I think of it the only way I have open to me.

I just don’t get why people feel they should be given everything for free for forever.
It was never promised, nor implied, not stated that everything would be free forever and for all time.

I think your reading too much into this.

No one is saying everything should be free forever.

However, when you say something will be free, with no strings, you should keep your word.

Ill say this again, I dont mind paying for fees, subs, box costs or even services, as long as its up front, and no strings. I feel the same way about my bank, they start adding crap on my statement when they did not explicitly list those charges up front, or they hide them in miles of tiny disclaimers, that I have a problem with. And I dont care if its 25 cents or 50 bucks, I have a problem with it either way.

But it is up front.
They stated very clearly multiple times both before and during Season 2 that you could unlock it for free by logging in and otherwise you could buy it for gems.

They did never ever in any way or form ever say that you would never need to pay anything other than the original box-cost to access everything in the game forever.

Radakill.3469:

I just don’t get why people feel they should be given everything for free for forever.
It was never promised, nor implied, not stated that everything would be free forever and for all time.

I think your reading too much into this.

No one is saying everything should be free forever.

However, when you say something will be free, with no strings, you should keep your word.

Ill say this again, I dont mind paying for fees, subs, box costs or even services, as long as its up front, and no strings. I feel the same way about my bank, they start adding crap on my statement when they did not explicitly list those charges up front, or they hide them in miles of tiny disclaimers, that I have a problem with. And I dont care if its 25 cents or 50 bucks, I have a problem with it either way.

Can you show where Anet said, or implied, that LS content would be free, with no strings?

Again, this wasn’t something they snuck up on us. They were very open and honest about it from the word go. The exact opposite of what you are saying.

Radakill.3469:

I just don’t get why people feel they should be given everything for free for forever.
It was never promised, nor implied, not stated that everything would be free forever and for all time.

I think your reading too much into this.

No one is saying everything should be free forever.

However, when you say something will be free, with no strings, you should keep your word.

Ill say this again, I dont mind paying for fees, subs, box costs or even services, as long as its up front, and no strings. I feel the same way about my bank, they start adding crap on my statement when they did not explicitly list those charges up front, or they hide them in miles of tiny disclaimers, that I have a problem with. And I dont care if its 25 cents or 50 bucks, I have a problem with it either way.

Pretty sure during LS2 , they sent out emails stating that you can log in for the next 2 weeks to earn the episode for free.

They didn’t hide anything, you’re just whining.

I paid for it all too, but i completely understand that it’s my fault for not logging in(or playing for that matter since i hadnt played for like 2 years lol)

What ArenaNet has promised to us is, pay once play forever, not pay once get everything for free. The price of admission guarantees continued access to the service, not necessarily everything in it at all times (see Living Story season 1).

This has been discussed from many different angles to death at this point, most recently when HoT pre-purchase was criticized (justifiably to a point, even though value of 50$ is very relative to every individual).

At the end of the day what they are doing with living story stuff since season two is a perfect analog to a TV series with eventual box sets released at retail down the line as far as business model is concerned.

Radakill.3469:

I think your reading too much into this.

No one is saying everything should be free forever.

But what you said in the OP is that it should be free forever.

Radakill.3469:

It was my understanding that AN was developing this game with the promise that all content, past present and future, would be free for a lifetime, […]

Radakill.3469:

However, when you say something will be free, with no strings, you should keep your word.

As I and others have pointed out now, ArenaNet explicitly stated that Season 2 would only be free for the first two weeks after the episodes’ release. This is what they did.

They kept their word.

With each release, they sent out an email to those on the newsletter subscription saying the new episode was released and you had two weeks to get it for free.

And, in fact, the only change to the system they implemented was the addition of a bulk purchase discount. Meaning that they have, in fact, given you options to pay less than they originally stated – not by changing what they originally said, but by adding different methods.

As long as we can convert gold->gems its still “free”. All it take is ingame time getting that gold.

Anet has probably the best gemstore system I know of – it encourage player to play the game (which we all want) and it obviously make enough people willing to pay real cash as well because GW2 earnings has always been decent. There is no p2w mechanics in it, just conveniance. We are happy and Anet are happy. Its literally a win-win situation, which given the current p2w or pay 50 bucks for game that has 1/3rd its content kitten bucks dlc on release day gaming climate. Its really amazing if you think about it. Granted, the price of HoT put a slight dent into that impression but it wasnt that bad. Luckily Anet listens to its community, unlike many other devs. Well, most of the time, at least when it comes to PvE.

We all know that the season 2 fees to pay was a bad move. It made many customers angry. That said: you can buy those episodes (which are only 200 gems anyways) with in game gold which is not too much.

LS1 was free and was as advertised. People that simply didn’t play during LS1 were up in arms that they missed content simply because they “weren’t playing the game”.

To continue with trying to create a living story, they brought LS2, which was free if you played it while it was current. Just like LS1. But unlike LS1, they decided to address the issue of people who aren’t actively playing their game missing out on Living Story content, so they made the second season playable even though it was no longer a “living” event, but at the cost of gems (or gold if you look at it that way—which you should).

That way, players have incentive to actually play their game while the Living Story is going on (unlocked for free by simply logging in), and also allows people who missed it to play, but with a slight “penalty” for not playing while it was live. An alternative, of course, was to make it so you couldn’t replay it, just like LS1, which I also would have supported.

ProtoGunner.4953:

We all know that the season 2 fees to pay was a bad move. It made many customers angry. That said: you can buy those episodes (which are only 200 gems anyways) with in game gold which is not too much.

Who is this WE and ALL you’re talking about? If it was truly WE ALL like how you put it then Gw2 would have been long dead.

No one likes to pay if it was initially free. Yeah, I can fully speak for all that this was a bad move. Or do you think it is good, that those people who couldn’t be or haven’t been online for whatever reasons have to play? If so, please give me some positive arguments, logically presented, unbiased and without any fanboy anger and teenage angst.

ProtoGunner.4953:

No one likes to pay if it was initially free. Yeah, I can fully speak for all that this was a bad move. Or do you think it is good, that those people who couldn’t be or haven’t been online for whatever reasons have to play? If so, please give me some positive arguments, logically presented, unbiased and without any fanboy anger and teenage angst.

If a movie or series have a one-time tv-run I have to pay for it if I want to see it again and/or missed it. But apparently there is no issues with that.

Guy.4809:

Find me where they promise that and I’ll sympathize with you. You may be happy to hear that they’ve said that future expansions will include the previous xpacs they release to not have to isolate new players behind huge paywalls though this was never mentioned to include Living Story seasons (although it would make sense). LS2 was only ever free the 2 weeks it after each episode came out and they told us that would be the way it works at the start of the season. Also if/when they remake and bring back LS1 it will likely be in the gem store as well.

I still don’t get why season 1 has been taken away? It is perfectly good content that I’m will to pay (a small price) for but don’t have the option, seems such a waste.

ProtoGunner.4953:

No one likes to pay if it was initially free. Yeah, I can fully speak for all that this was a bad move. Or do you think it is good, that those people who couldn’t be or haven’t been online for whatever reasons have to play? If so, please give me some positive arguments, logically presented, unbiased and without any fanboy anger and teenage angst.

Please do not speak for me or other players. Period. You can not speak for all. I was one of those who missed the original release of LS2. I have NO issue paying for it now because I wasn’t playing at the time. If it had been important enough to me, I would have just logged on and gotten it when it was free. But I didn’t. Too bad, so sad.

Radakill.3469:

I see that any missed season 2 content is up for sale. Interesting.

It was my understanding that AN was developing this game with the promise that all content, past present and future, would be free for a lifetime, and the only aspect of the game that was to be store bought was aesthetics and convenience items. It was the main selling point for me to buy the game and to support AN this far.

It is concerning for me, no so much as the price of the current Living World content now, but if this is the current policy how will this effect the expansion and future expansions? Is AN expanding their horizons when it comes to what they charge for and what they do not?

Myself, my family and many of the people I game with are questioning what appears to be a rather liberal stance on marketing, is this a first step towards future price tags on content, upgrades, etc?

I wouldn’t use word “content” in such liberal terms as you, but I completely agree with you when it comes to story.
Thing is, GW2 is different than other MMOs in many ways. Most of them make it a better game, some not so. I shudder every time when I think how much money I’ve spent for sub in ESO compared to how much money I’ve spent in GW2 and GW2 is miles ahead when it comes to quality.
But this, paying for story, lore, is a bullpoop of epic proportions. Especially when you realize you had to log in for 2 seconds and that part of content would be free. I would understand if the reasoning behind such pay gating was “customer loyalty” or something similar, but the only requirement being a few seconds of game time, makes that untrue.
Luckily for me, I’ve found the story and especially it’s presentation in GW2, to be so bad, I didn’t care much about it from day one. So, I don’t care much because I have three chapters locked. It would be nice to have them unlocked and get achievements and/or other chapter specific things, but I will not be paying even 1 Eur for them.
It’s just a principle I have.

^ Why are we disregarding the fact that you do not need to pay a single $ to play the story, even if you missed the free period?

lordkrall.7241:

^ Why are we disregarding the fact that you do not need to pay a single $ to play the story, even if you missed the free period?

I am guessing you are talking about the gold conversion into gems. In that case, you are technically correct, but it’s still purchasing a story.
Either I have to play for months to accumulate enough gold for conversion or use real money. In both cases I have to buy a story. And that’s only because I wasn’t there in those two weeks.
I might be strange, but I would like to use my gold for that single most “important” piece of GW2. A legendary. And spending it for other things, especially those that should be free, is kinda unproductive.
It’s my principle that is clashing with ANet’s thirst for cash.

symke.3105:

But this, paying for story, lore, is a bullpoop of epic proportions. Especially when you realize you had to log in for 2 seconds and that part of content would be free. I would understand if the reasoning behind such pay gating was “customer loyalty” or something similar, but the only requirement being a few seconds of game time, makes that untrue.

The reason is they want you to remain active. It’s better to have an active player base than an inactive one that pays extra. Without active players, an MMO is dead. Additionally, with the gem store being their main source of revenue, ArenaNet wants you to keep up with it.

According to HoT’s website, they’re sticking with the login or pay approach, but with the catch that you have to actually own HoT.

symke.3105:

I am guessing you are talking about the gold conversion into gems. In that case, you are technically correct, but it’s still purchasing a story.
Either I have to play for months to accumulate enough gold for conversion or use real money. In both cases I have to buy a story. And that’s only because I wasn’t there in those two weeks.
I might be strange, but I would like to use my gold for that single most “important” piece of GW2. A legendary. And spending it for other things, especially those that should be free, is kinda unproductive.
It’s my principle that is clashing with ANet’s thirst for cash.

No, I am talking about the fact that you don’t even need to own the episodes in order to actually do them.

lordkrall.7241:

No, I am talking about the fact that you don’t even need to own the episodes in order to actually do them.

Other players can taxi you in?

SirMoogie.9263:

Other players can taxi you in?

If you don’t own it, you can join someone else that does, but you won’t get any of the rewards out of it.

lordkrall.7241:

symke.3105:

I am guessing you are talking about the gold conversion into gems. In that case, you are technically correct, but it’s still purchasing a story.
Either I have to play for months to accumulate enough gold for conversion or use real money. In both cases I have to buy a story. And that’s only because I wasn’t there in those two weeks.
I might be strange, but I would like to use my gold for that single most “important” piece of GW2. A legendary. And spending it for other things, especially those that should be free, is kinda unproductive.
It’s my principle that is clashing with ANet’s thirst for cash.

No, I am talking about the fact that you don’t even need to own the episodes in order to actually do them.

I stand corrected.
To those that are interested in story itself and are satisfied with that alone, this is a good option.

last time i looked anyone can do season 2 as long as someone can open it just like dungeons get a guildie to play with you

I’m still interested to know how HoT living story is going to work in the future.

Can we log in on a vanilla GW2 account to make sure we’ll get the LS without paying for them should we ever buy HoT, or will logging in only count if we currently have HoT.

I want to know if I purchase HoT when it comes down to a reasonable price, if I’ll also have to pay for all LS installments between HoT launch and then.

Gibson.4036:

I want to know if I purchase HoT when it comes down to a reasonable price, if I’ll also have to pay for all LS installments between HoT launch and then.

According to the HoT site, they’ll be sticking with the ability to unlock it for free by logging in, however, you must own HoT.

If you’re a veteran account and see the $10 value in the free character slot, pre-purchasing the game on sale at ~20% off (some of the official retailers have already offered sales) will likely be the best deal you’ll ever find. I wouldn’t count on seeing any more than 25% off post launch, and 6 months in, ArenaNet will likely repackage it as another heroic edition to keep the price up. The 50%+ off sales that happened to the original game will likely never happen again. By the time that would happen, a new expansion will soon be released to reset the price, and although HoT would be given away for free, the cost of all the missed seasons will likely offset that.

Does that make their new model more clear? Buy HoT for $50 and gain the ability to unlock the living story for free. Skip HoT and buy the next expansion to get HoT for free, but those missed seasons will cost roughly the same price as HoT is now (assuming a season per year @ $20/1600 gems, -20% for the package and 2-3 years per expansion).