Guild Wars 2

Hi,

I played this game since beta but got bored of it, and was rather put off (a little bit sour) by the fact I had to pay full price for the game again at the HoT update, after financially supporting the game as best I could with gem purchases over the years/months since release…

Anyway I’m wondering if there is any worthwhile content for me to return to without paying any more than I already have? I didn’t buy the HoT expansion. If I return will it be the same old grinding repetitive events in Orr and tediously dull dragons for trash items? Is running off a cliff for 10 minutes still the PvP meta game?

I tried to play a few months ago, took one look at the guild halls update and logged off after about 20 minutes. I see there is a new update approaching, are we going to have to pay full price for this one as well? Is it only for HoT players?

What ever you decide, you have till the 20th to get the LS3 ep 1 for free. I do believe that HoT is worth it since LS3 got here.

If you bought the vanilla you can still log in to unlock the LS3 episodes, so if you don’t want to buy now, at least log in to unlock it and when you want to play it, buy it.

tomlin.8204:

Hi,

I played this game since beta but got bored of it, and was rather put off (a little bit sour) by the fact I had to pay full price for the game again at the HoT update, after financially supporting the game as best I could with gem purchases over the years/months since release…

Anyway I’m wondering if there is any worthwhile content for me to return to without paying any more than I already have? I didn’t buy the HoT expansion. If I return will it be the same old grinding repetitive events in Orr and tediously dull dragons for trash items? Is running off a cliff for 10 minutes still the PvP meta game?

I tried to play a few months ago, took one look at the guild halls update and logged off after about 20 minutes. I see there is a new update approaching, are we going to have to pay full price for this one as well? Is it only for HoT players?

No, it isn’t worth it for you.

Jhoul.6923:

What ever you decide, you have till the 20th to get the LS3 ep 1 for free. I do believe that HoT is worth it since LS3 got here.

If you bought the vanilla you can still log in to unlock the LS3 episodes, so if you don’t want to buy now, at least log in to unlock it and when you want to play it, buy it.

Stupid question, but I just have to log in and that “unlocks” LS3?

RoosterTooth.1024:

Jhoul.6923:

What ever you decide, you have till the 20th to get the LS3 ep 1 for free. I do believe that HoT is worth it since LS3 got here.

If you bought the vanilla you can still log in to unlock the LS3 episodes, so if you don’t want to buy now, at least log in to unlock it and when you want to play it, buy it.

Stupid question, but I just have to log in and that “unlocks” LS3?

Yep. If you login now you will unlock part 1 and then part 2 comes the 20th. You won’t be able to access it until you purchase HoT tho.

Sweet. I bought HoT awhile back, but just got back into the game a few days ago. Glad I won’t be missing anything.

Just in time then – I think it’s a great thing to give active players the LS for “free” (actually bought with HoT) and people who don’t play, have to pay later – with € or gold.

Also, paying a price for a product is fine. You paid for GW2 and if you want to consume GW2-HoT, you will have to pay for it, it’s just like that: Products must be paid. (“must” as in: if you want to have it, no one forcing you)

RoosterTooth.1024:

Sweet. I bought HoT awhile back, but just got back into the game a few days ago. Glad I won’t be missing anything.

Yep, you have to log in for every ep to unlock each ep, soooo don’t forget to come back for each one, and if you have HoT, play the episodes, episode 1 was freaking awesome, and the trailer for ep 2 looked even better, soooo I’m hopeful it will kick kitten too

CMM.6712:

No, it isn’t worth it for you.

Yeah, seems that way. Shame.

I’m kinda salty that I put so much money into this game when I had a lot more disposable income/less responsibilities, only to be forced to pay for it again at a later date. Hate to sound self-entitled about it – I definitely believe in paying for entertainment but I was under the impression this game was buy to play, which I already did. And tbh I’m just looking for something to do when I’m bored, not an actual gaming investment. The game lost most of its spark for me in the first year, though I did enjoy the clockwork invasion things a while back.

tomlin.8204:

Hi, I played this game since beta but got bored of it, and was rather put off (a little bit sour) by the fact I had to pay full price for the game again at the HoT update, after financially supporting the game as best I could with gem purchases over the years/months since release…

Well since quite a few MMO’s are going the route the GW2 is going with new expansions having all the old stuff with it too then I would suggest just not playing any other MMOs or just stopping when they start adding expansions since they will usually cost the same amount as a new game.
I’ve played online games since the old BBS days, seen it too many times. The new game costs $40 to $60 and then an expansion comes out and the price is the same. Now the MMO companies are realizing that they need to bundle the core game with a new expansion in order to bring in new players.

Every MMO that I know about has Expansions that people have to pay for. Even WoW which not only do you buy the game but also pay a subscription still has expansions that you have to pay for. Of course if you want to wait you can get it for cheap or maybe even for free if you wait until the NEXT expansion. But its not exactly unusual to pay for an expansion.

I don’t really understand people being upset about paying for content – if Anet doesn’t make money, the game will be shut down.

As for HoT being worth it, I don’t enjoy the HoT maps as much as I enjoy core Tyria but I think it is worth playing. I was disappointed that they didn’t give us a full set of new Legendary weapons, and would have waited to pay less because of that, but I’m still not sorry I purchased it overall.

Heart of Thorns was recently offered for half-price. It’s possible it may be offered for a discounted price, again, soon.

Good luck.

CMM.6712:

tomlin.8204:

Hi,

I played this game since beta but got bored of it, and was rather put off (a little bit sour) by the fact I had to pay full price for the game again at the HoT update, after financially supporting the game as best I could with gem purchases over the years/months since release…

Anyway I’m wondering if there is any worthwhile content for me to return to without paying any more than I already have? I didn’t buy the HoT expansion. If I return will it be the same old grinding repetitive events in Orr and tediously dull dragons for trash items? Is running off a cliff for 10 minutes still the PvP meta game?

I tried to play a few months ago, took one look at the guild halls update and logged off after about 20 minutes. I see there is a new update approaching, are we going to have to pay full price for this one as well? Is it only for HoT players?

No, it isn’t worth it for you.

Agreed.

I really do take issue with this idea that you think you’re having to pay for the game twice. I wonder how much people would whine when, after expansion no 4, the game became less and less populated because new players didn’t want to have to pay £50 then £35 then £35 then £35 then £35 for the core game and all the expansions. Had ArenaNew just accepted they might have to go down the expansion route and stated you’d get the core game free with any expansions right from the start we likely wouldn’t be having this constant I’ll feeling.

I for one support their current model and don’t feel at all cheated that the core game is free with HoT. (Whether HoT was worth what they charged is another debate entirely). Self entitled people just can’t get over the fact that had they waited 3 years they could have had the core game “free”. Sad.

But then I’m one of these players who gets a lot of value out of the game. I speak to the NPCs without voice acting. I read their text. I hang around for the extra story after events finish. I don’t just play through the story one time and call it done. I don’t just resort to boss farming and stagnating my endgame. Guild Wars 2 isn’t like other MMOs and from what the OP has said I’ll reiterate the quote.

It isn’t worth it for you.

Moreover, if all you do in game is boss farm you can still do that without HoT.

tomlin.8204:

CMM.6712:

No, it isn’t worth it for you.

Yeah, seems that way. Shame.

I’m kinda salty that I put so much money into this game when I had a lot more disposable income/less responsibilities, only to be forced to pay for it again at a later date. Hate to sound self-entitled about it – I definitely believe in paying for entertainment but I was under the impression this game was buy to play, which I already did. And tbh I’m just looking for something to do when I’m bored, not an actual gaming investment. The game lost most of its spark for me in the first year, though I did enjoy the clockwork invasion things a while back.

You’re not paying for it again…. you’re paying for an expansion. If you seriously think you deserve an entire expansion and all of the LW stuff years after the initial release because you spend 60 dollars on the game back when it was worth that much (news flash: games depreciate over time just like anything else), then I’m at a loss as to what to tell you. Anyway, whether or not the expansion is worth it is up to you. If you’d asked me a month after the HoT launch, I would have said no. Now that we’re getting consistent, quality LW updates though, I’d personally say it is.

Also, I don’t understand the mindset of people acting like buying gems is some kind of charity. You’re getting stuff with those gems… I don’t buy them because I’d rather earn stuff in game than just pay money for it. For me, that defeats the purpose of playing (setting goals for myself and then going about achieving them in my own way).

tomlin.8204:

CMM.6712:

No, it isn’t worth it for you.

Yeah, seems that way. Shame.

I’m kinda salty that I put so much money into this game when I had a lot more disposable income/less responsibilities, only to be forced to pay for it again at a later date. Hate to sound self-entitled about it – I definitely believe in paying for entertainment but I was under the impression this game was buy to play, which I already did. And tbh I’m just looking for something to do when I’m bored, not an actual gaming investment. The game lost most of its spark for me in the first year, though I did enjoy the clockwork invasion things a while back.

To be clear, I bought HoT and I feel that it’s worth it for me, as I knew that besides the main content, LS and other updates would come along as well. I feel Anet should be paid for their work. The $50 average price tag is debatable. I don’t think it is fair to expect to pay once for a game and then continue to get the updates to it for free until the end of time.

lol.

My point about buying gems is a counter to the “Anet needs to make money on their game to keep it going” argument. It makes sense to me. I hate to talk about money and how much I’ve spent, but I’ve spent quite a lot here, more than enough to cover a lifetime of expansions. I know, it doesn’t work like that. Buying gems was optional, my own doing. Do I sound self-entitled? Probably. I don’t care, like I said I have no problem paying for my entertainment if I choose to do so and yes “no one is forcing me” blah blah but it’s forced in the fact that if I want to continue playing this game I do “have” to pay the full price again. Or I can not pay and be locked out of new content.

Yes, I kind of do think I deserve HoT for “free”
I mean not really, no one deserves anything for free. But it does seem a little backward that people who financially support the game a lot less than I do (did), get more content than I do.

“I really do take issue with this idea that you think you’re having to pay for the game twice. "

I am having to pay for it twice. It’s the full price of a game, an unexpected full-whack fee. It’s nothing at all to do with the fact that the core game is included in the package, I have no issue with that whatsoever. The point is that I have to pay full price for an update after paying so much already, after buying into the “buy once” advertising at release.

But anyway your typical wishy-washy RP defense and bizarre, nonsensical arguments about waiting 3 years for a free game is a bit off-topic, as I asked what content is available to such a whining, self entitled cheapskate such as myself.

tomlin.8204:

CMM.6712:

No, it isn’t worth it for you.

Yeah, seems that way. Shame.

I’m kinda salty that I put so much money into this game when I had a lot more disposable income/less responsibilities, only to be forced to pay for it again at a later date. Hate to sound self-entitled about it – I definitely believe in paying for entertainment but I was under the impression this game was buy to play, which I already did. And tbh I’m just looking for something to do when I’m bored, not an actual gaming investment. The game lost most of its spark for me in the first year, though I did enjoy the clockwork invasion things a while back.

Well if you think that by buying the initial game that that will forever cover the cost of keeping it going and providing new content, you need to think again.

Buying gems isn’t like you are giving to charity. You get something for it. You get items that others who do not want to spend their money do not get. Even saying that, gem sales do not cover the time and salaries of all the ANet employees working on new content.

I buy a lot of gems too. No one is forcing me to do so. It doesn’t make me entitled to anything other than those items I buy with the gems.

I am in agreement with others who stated that the expansion price was probably overpriced, but it doesn’t mean that I thought I should get it for free.

OK so in order to see anything new in the game I have to spend another £35.

The way I’m looking at it is: do I think GW2 is a good enough game to pay this amount to continue playing it? The answer is no. There are plenty of other top titles I could buy for this price, a whole new experience.

Thanks for the replies, hf.

1. we all paid for the expansion and those that don’t have vanilla got it for free, this does not mean ‘we paid for it twice’ this means new players got a nice bonus – good for them, and good for the population.

2. Its either worth your money in your head or not. Be a man and take responsibility for your own decisions – not everything needs a debate – especially where personal taste is concerned.

tomlin.8204:

lol.

My point about buying gems is a counter to the “Anet needs to make money on their game to keep it going” argument. It makes sense to me. I hate to talk about money and how much I’ve spent, but I’ve spent quite a lot here, more than enough to cover a lifetime of expansions.

Gems are for “extra” stuff that is not included with the base game (fluff, etc.) or for convenience because you don’t want to wait for stuff included in the base game.

tomlin.8204:

CMM.6712:

No, it isn’t worth it for you.

Yeah, seems that way. Shame.

I’m kinda salty that I put so much money into this game when I had a lot more disposable income/less responsibilities, only to be forced to pay for it again at a later date. Hate to sound self-entitled about it – I definitely believe in paying for entertainment but I was under the impression this game was buy to play, which I already did. And tbh I’m just looking for something to do when I’m bored, not an actual gaming investment. The game lost most of its spark for me in the first year, though I did enjoy the clockwork invasion things a while back.

Well, not to start an argument … but you bought to play, and you can play. That doesn’t mean you only buy once and have access to all content for ever and ever. That would be an unrealistic expectation don’t you think?

let me answer that for you … Yes, that’s an unrealistic expectation. There will never be a business model where you don’t ‘pay’ for content somehow. That’s unsustainable business practice. If 35 pounds is a showstopper for you, maybe MMO’s aren’t your thing, though come to think of it, MMO’s are some of the lowest price entertainment per minute you can get.

tomlin.8204:

lol.

My point about buying gems is a counter to the “Anet needs to make money on their game to keep it going” argument. It makes sense to me. I hate to talk about money and how much I’ve spent, but I’ve spent quite a lot here, more than enough to cover a lifetime of expansions. I know, it doesn’t work like that. Buying gems was optional, my own doing. Do I sound self-entitled? Probably. I don’t care, like I said I have no problem paying for my entertainment if I choose to do so and yes “no one is forcing me” blah blah but it’s forced in the fact that if I want to continue playing this game I do “have” to pay the full price again. Or I can not pay and be locked out of new content.

Yes, I kind of do think I deserve HoT for “free”
I mean not really, no one deserves anything for free. But it does seem a little backward that people who financially support the game a lot less than I do (did), get more content than I do.

“I really do take issue with this idea that you think you’re having to pay for the game twice. "

I am having to pay for it twice. It’s the full price of a game, an unexpected full-whack fee. It’s nothing at all to do with the fact that the core game is included in the package, I have no issue with that whatsoever. The point is that I have to pay full price for an update after paying so much already, after buying into the “buy once” advertising at release.

But anyway your typical wishy-washy RP defense and bizarre, nonsensical arguments about waiting 3 years for a free game is a bit off-topic, as I asked what content is available to such a whining, self entitled cheapskate such as myself.

I don’t think you understand what buy once means…. You bought it and you still have access to all of that content. More actually. Nothing has made you unable to keep playing that. Buy once does not mean: buy one thing from a company and automatically get everything they ever make afterwards for free. For example, if I wanted to have a bag of Lays chips. I would go and buy them once. I don’t have to pay an extra fee if I decide to enjoy them over multiple days. However, having bought that one bag of chips, I am not suddenly entitled to every other bag Lays makes from then on. It might be a tough concept to understand, so I’ll happily provide you with more examples if you’d like. We wouldn’t want you demanding all of the cars at a dealership after buying just one. That’d cause quite a ruckus.

And again, you buying gems isn’t a charity. You are buying a product, not simply giving away money. Please explain how my argument about games being less valuable over time doesn’t make sense. That is in relation to the complaint about the base game now being free when you paid for it many years ago. It’s not unrelated, it’s even more to do with your odd sense of entitlement. I know you didn’t mention it, but your arguments always seem to fall in the same camp as the people who are salty about the base game mostly going F2P. My apologies if that doesn’t actually bother you. I’d just be kind of shocked about that given your position on the expansion. Finally, your last paragraph reads like a typical “lalala, I can’t hear you” response given your random claims without bothering to give them any merit.

Onto your actual question. There’s not really anything new for you besides one fractal and a new PvP map. If I were in your shoes and unwilling to pay for the expansion, I know that wouldn’t be enough for me to come back, so farewell I suppose.

Let me put it to you this way: Say, you buy a book. You enjoy the book, you reread the book several times, you go to conventions where they talk about the book, you tip the author for some extraneous tidbits to expand your experience with the book, or pay an artist to draw a character from the book, magazines/websites publish related side stories from the publisher for free, etc., etc…. you have a grand time with it. Then you tire of the book and put it on a shelf for a while.

Later, another book comes out from the same author and publisher. Same world, same characters, similar action beats, calls back to and draws heavily from the original, but new story, and new situations. The author charges the same price for the new book as he/she did for the previous book, which you still own and can read at your leisure, and says all free apocrypha related to the new book would be separated out for people who have read the new book. Not only that, but when you buy the new book, you can get a copy of the original book for free. Does that mean the owners of the original, you, were cheated?

RoosterTooth.1024:

Jhoul.6923:

What ever you decide, you have till the 20th to get the LS3 ep 1 for free. I do believe that HoT is worth it since LS3 got here.

If you bought the vanilla you can still log in to unlock the LS3 episodes, so if you don’t want to buy now, at least log in to unlock it and when you want to play it, buy it.

Stupid question, but I just have to log in and that “unlocks” LS3?

To be clear it will unlock Episode 1 of Living Story 3, not the entire Living Story 3. You still won’t be able to play it until you own HoT but you won’t have to pay extra later if you do.

tomlin.8204:

OK so in order to see anything new in the game I have to spend another £35.

The way I’m looking at it is: do I think GW2 is a good enough game to pay this amount to continue playing it? The answer is no. There are plenty of other top titles I could buy for this price, a whole new experience.

Thanks for the replies, hf.

There are also games out there that require insane amounts of skinner-box grinding. There are also games out there that fuel their continuing development with monthly subscription fees (I’m looking at you, WoW). Given that I was a player who did complain about economic parity (and I was satisfied when they threw in the additional character slot), it just gobsmacks me that so many players on here complain about the price of an expansion when they don’t bat an eye at the way Blizz has been doing things for the last 12 years.

Look at it another way: If you pay $15/month for an MMO, $60 will get you four months worth of play. You paid $49.99 one time for GW2, got the personal/Zhaitan story, two seasons of living world, and all the attendant WvW/PvP content for two years worth of play. Come on, people. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. And I understand that some have differing opinions on this matter, but still!