Guild Wars 2

HoT doesn’t have enough content on its own to constitute $50. I saw in another discussion someone comparing HoT to the average PC game just being released and saying it’s a fair deal (because it’s what other games are costing nowadays). But it’s not.

HoT is like DLC for any other game, and I would not pay $50 for one piece of DLC. Not even with the new class, items, and maps. It doesn’t justify paying so much money for so little (at least from what we’ve seen).

When the expansion costs just as much as the core game did several years ago, there’s a problem with the “business model”.

The value is not worth it, and HoT is definitely not a full game. Using the model of what current PC games go for at release is not accurate.

Example: Buying Mass Effect 3 at $20, and then having to buy Citadel DLC and Omega DLC would add up to $30 ($15 each) for a total of $50. Those two are DLC. Their combined story and extra goodies for the game totals out to the same we are expecting from HoT.

Now, HoT for old players is $50. That is the price of a fully-fleshed out core game, not a “DLC” (in this case, the term is expansion) which is what HoT is.

It’s not getting something for nothing.

I bought the game when it first came out. I pre-ordered the game almost a year before GW2 actually came out. I was there for the beta access, and the three day head start. I paid the total price and have played it since. I’ve been there for the content updates, the megaserver roll-out, the living story part 1 and part 2 now. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on gems, and I’ve spent hundreds of hours in the game.

When the expansion is $50 and comes with the base game for a new customer, that seems like a fair deal. When I have to pay $50 for the expansion and don’t even get the base game free with it, then it’s a ripoff. Instead of giving me the option of attaching the HoT expansion to my current active account, and just using the serial code to create a vanilla account that comes free for whatever I want, they are saying I have to pay $50 for HoT and get nothing else.

Someone else gets a whole new account with everything attached, and I get the same thing they are getting for the same price, minus the base game?

Unfair.

If they gave incentive for veteran players to benefit from the $50 price, such as even letting us keep the extra base game it comes with free, then it might be worth it. But unless more incentive is given, I’m not paying 50 bucks for a small amount of content compared to the new customer.

Going with the previous example of the cafe owner:

New Customer is given a deal when going to the cafe for the first time. The deal is: “First time customers who buy a coffee get a sandwich free!” This makes sense to draw in new customers. However, for old customers, they get nothing. Companies I’ve seen who have promotions for new customers generally do so with the added benefit of a different promotion for older customers. So offering a sandwich free to a new customer is a deal for the new customer. Offering 10% off their coffee for an older customer at the same time keeps the consumer base happy.

If you provide a smart deal for new players, but ignore the veteran players by offering them nothing for the same value as a new player, you are going to lose people. You are going to see lack of players who are upset that all their time and love and energy is forgotten or sacrificed (see: ignored) for new customers who may not even stick around.

My suggestion is to offer something to the veteran players at the same time as the new players. Such as “if you already own the game, $10 off HoT!” or something similar.

Because before, the base game without any upgrade stuff was $10 on deal, and it went on special a lot. So now they’re paying the $10 it would have been, plus $40 to get the expansion (this is for new player). People who already own the game get the expansion for $40, and it breaks even.

@just getting a new account person:

My old account has been around since the beginning of GW2. I played in GW1, but that’s irrelevant. I want to use HoT on my current account so I can get access to the new areas and continue the stories of my current characters. Not make whole new ones and leave my current account in the dust. I don’t use accounts and characters just to farm, or play PvP, or WvW. I use my characters and love them all equally. I enjoy playing them; it’s why I made them. I’m not going to just forget that in favor of a shiny new account where I won’t have any of my progress from the living stories, or from the effort and time I put into them.

Had difficulty with Orr as well, specifically Malchor’s Leap. Even with all level 80 exotic weapons and armor, still had difficulty. Did a toughness minion master build with the dagger and focus, as well as the staff. Managed to get through in a good couple of hours. No one was there to help at the Statue of Dwayna, so my friend and I had to be smart about it. I used the necro to draw the attention of the enemies while she stealthed on her engineer, then went in and got the skill challenge. We did die once or twice and had to run back, but then she drew the attention of the enemies with her crate and turrets, and I got the skill challenge after she threw stealth on me.

We had to use a variety of tactics to get some of the skill challenges, such as the one guarded by the Champion worshipper, and the one with the Champion risen knight. Otherwise we just had a tough time figuring out how to get to some vistas. We were going for completion, not the group event stuff.

Tactic was everything when going for stuff with just the two of us.

Hopefully the megaserver will solve some of these issues, because I have a major problem with Orr not being covered at least with enough people to take on a boss (even five will do). I mean, I’m good against champions with just me, the minions, and my friend’s engineer. Cursed Shores? Not looking forward to on completion if it’s the same way. Straits of Devastation was easy compared to this.