I will be the first to admit I am a fool with my money sometimes. I've purchased countless games I never even played wasting money because I just "might" want to play them. I've purchased every pet blizzard has ever put in their stores even before they could actually be used for anything. I've also purchased every mount and a few of them I've never even mounted once to see how it looked. I have had an AoL account and been paying for it for the last 15 years even if I have not logged into it once during that time just because I wanted to have it as a back up if my cable internet went down. When they say a fool and his money will soon be parted, they are talking about me.
Now, with all that said, not even this fool would touch $15 helms with a 10 foot pole. Not only is the price completely out of line but the added fact that it will now become something else to clutter up my already over stuffed bags makes it even less appealing. I would not even buy it with your money. If I put up a pay pal link asking for donations or something and you donated and said, but only if you buy the helm with it, I would have to send it back because that is how much of a waste of money paying $15 for a helm would be. So much so that I would not let someone buy it for me.
We do not live in a world where money grows on trees. Maybe, just maybe, if the helms were actually useful and had 522 item level stats on them I might consider buying it for my alts that need to gear up (but please never do that). But even that is only a maybe in case you missed me stressing that. I'd glady throw away some cash for a mount I will never use and I have because it is for hurricane relief or what have you. I would even do it just to show my support for the game I play and love. But asking me to pay $15 for a helm is about as out of line as you could get.
I think blizzard really needs to rethink their pricing on these items because that is way to pricey, even more so when it is only for something cosmetic. I think a more reasonable price for gear that is for cosmetic purposes only would be $1 or $2. Perhaps I would even go as high as $5 if the item was something that when I saw it I said "OMG I have been looking for something like that for forever" and that would be the only thing worth $5 in my mind.
It is without a doubt my opinion that blizzard has completely lost touch with reality. To ask people that pay $15 a month to play the game to now spend $15 for a texture in game is just wrong. They should give it out for free to anyone that has paid for one year uninterrupted as a thank you for putting up with our shit reward.
But hey, when I log on and I see 100s of people running around with it I will admit I am wrong so I might as well admit it now. I am wrong. I know there will be many people stupid enough to buy it. Perhaps I am not as big a fool with my money as I thought I was. One thing is for sure, anyone that does buy it at that price is without a doubt a fool that will soon be parted from their money.
Don't buy it, send blizzard a message that we do not want over priced cosmetic goods. If you buy it they will just keep putting out useless high priced things that are quite honestly not worth the money, even if you do like how it looks.
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ReplyDeleteUsually I am one of them, but not this time.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNot at all, I called myself that.
DeleteDitto. I saw $15 and went "WTF?!?"
ReplyDeleteI wasn't going to buy them anyway since they look silly, but I'd never pay $15 for a xmog item, even one that I really really wanted.
$1, $2, maybe $5 if I really wanted it, but not $15.
On a side note:
I haven't bought much from the Pet Store. Two charity pets, and I think another pet and mount when they were on sale. I've done some name/race changes too, but only when they were on sale.
The normal prices are too expensive.
I'll probably have to pay for some of those expensive services though soon. My guild is moving to Proudmoore... I don't intend to move there with them, but I'll have no real reason to stay on Drak'thul and I've been thinking about moving anyway. Just don't know where... Not looking forward to paid xfers for 3+ toons and a guild bank though...
I too think all their services are too expensive. That is why I would rather reroll on another server than server transfer. Even more so since shared achievements so there is nothing really lost by doing so.
DeleteThey really need to get their prices in line with reality. What they charge is way to much for something that is a monthly fee to begin with.
I agree about the looks. They are horrible, I am not sure what they were thinking with those.
I have all the pets from the pet store [minus the stuffed animal ones] and all the mounts except the windsteed or w/e it is... I love being able to occasionally [stress on that] pay a few bucks and treat myself to an easy addition to my vast collection...
ReplyDeleteI contemplated buying the helms... but I really have no mogs to go with them and hey, I figured it'd be 5 bucks if account wide or a dollar or two per toon...
15 dollars a piece.
LOL WUT?!
Yeah, no.
I even bought the stuffed animal pets too. But would never buy the helms at that price. Or heck, not even cheaper as they are horrible looking in my opinion.
DeleteI couldn't agree more. I buy all the pets, all the mounts, and I probably shouldn't even do that. I am a transmog nut but not in a million would I spend rl money on a transmog helm. No way!!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I would really go for anything that was transmog for a fee but maybe if it were something I liked and it was cheap I would consider it. 15 is just way to much.
DeleteDon't buy it, send blizzard a message that we do not want over priced cosmetic goods.
ReplyDelete[...]
I've purchased every pet blizzard has ever put in their stores even before they could actually be used for anything.
Arguably, you have already voted with your wallet. I thought $10 pets and $25 mounts were obscene, and yet here we are. $15 hats is not something to get worked up about in this environment.
The thing is I did not mind paying 10 for pets and 25 for mounts. I am a collector and I felt that was reasonable.
DeleteFor a trasnmog item I do not believe 15 is reasonable. That is my line in the sand and where I will vote with my wallet.
Keep the pets coming at 10 and I will keep buying them, but add cosmetic items for 15 bucks and I would not even buy them with your money.
That is my vote.
"Don't buy it, send blizzard a message that we do not want over priced cosmetic goods."
ReplyDelete-The Grumpy Elf
I don't want to sound rude when I say this but...
How many pets and mounts did you say you bought form the Blizzard store?
You have already stated to them loud and clear that you are more than willing to pay for over priced cosmetic goods. So why shouldn't they charge you $15. You have already paid $10/$25 multiple times.
Maybe this is a joke like the "LFR queue times" post and it's just going over my head? Maybe it's because I'm embittered by the Blizzard store. But by your own actions, you, and millions like you have guaranteed that Blizzard will continue with this course of action. More and more items will not be going into the game but will go to the store instead.
You made your bed.
As I said to the previous poster. There is a huge difference. I made a choice to buy the pets and mounts. I believe 10 for a pet is a reasonable price. I do not believe 15 for a cosmetic item is reasonable so I will make the choice not to buy it.
DeleteI personally believe 25 for a mount and 10 for a pet is reasonable. I would keep buying them if they kept releasing them. Within reason of course. Come out with one a year or maybe two and I would buy it. If they start coming out with them every other week I wouldn't.
I do not believe that 15 for a transmog item is even something to consider.
We all have our thresholds, and that passed mine. That is the point of what I said.
I said, I am willing to waste money, but not even I would waste money on that. It is not a joke, it is stating the fact that too much is too much and this is just too much.
If anyone was in the place to call them wrong for their pricing it would be me, the person that is willing to spend money.
Anyone that has never bought anything and never would has no right to judge, they do not buy anything anyway. I have the right to judge because I spend the money and I will judge by not buying the helm.
Put another pet out of 10 bucks and I will buy it like I have all the others. I think that is a fair price, even if you do not. That is the beauty of opinions, we are all allowed to have out own.
First of all, I want to line of all of my Arts diplomas and say one thing: boy, are those things ugly.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I was reading two posts ago of how much you or other people would pay for something, sometimes seeing things like 1$, 2$, 5$. I was thinking to myself, yeah right, like Blizz would ask for anything less than 10E. This is why I outraged saying 10-20E is way way too much for some ingame item.
That was my assumption, something above 10E. I know, a pet is 10E and that seems like, aside form mesh and texture, at least it does something, has some added animation, newest tree even changes with seasons. Yet... not everyone is interested in pets. This is why those helms aren't cute or even beautiful. So, from a presales pov, that is a good price. 12 euros. That's 3 days worth of food for someone with my country's minimum wage.
I've bought stuff in the past, I admit. I bought a Pandaren monk when it was 5E. A Lil' Ragnaros when it was 5E. A kitty I gifted. Two game cards for two of my friends.
Never did buy a mount.
I did receive some gifted pets though. Quite a few on Christmas when they were 5E. A kitty. And more recently a tiny tree and a Cenarion Hippogryph. So more was spent on my account.
Yet... my biggest gripe is still server transfer prices. I don't receive anything in return, I am just allowed to play a game I already pay for, but on a different realm. And why do I move? To get away from a dead server, maybe. Which isn't my fault. I've had 9 server transfers on my previous realm. And 4 more now, will probably get to transfer the other 5 again.`That's already a month and a half in terms of my country's minimum wage.
Heh. The funny thing is people who say: this isn't pay to win, why the outrage, I'd draw the line if it had stats... we outrage now because it's gonna happen. For whomever truly thought these wold be 1$,2$... you're not really in touch with reality.
I'd line up all my art diplomas too but I don't have any and I still agree, they are ugly.
Delete$1 or $2 is not out of touch with reality. It is how micro transactions work. You sell tons of junk cheap.
Admittedly, my definition of cheap might differ from theirs, or yours for that matter.
I think 10 is cheap for a pet. I think 15 is expensive for a helm. Others might think differently.
I too, like you, knew that blizzard would go full out stupid and put it up at an insane price. I just wish they wouldn't and I hope people do not buy them.
They are just textures. It would take a first year art student maybe 1 day to make something like that at most and then they can throw 458,000 different textures on it and sell them for 1 buck each.
At least the mount had functionality. I liked, before shared mounts, that when ever I created a new character I had a mount waiting for me. One less thing to worry about. The pets had animation, can now be used to battle, looked cute, in other words, had some sort of value.
A helm is a helm. One with no stats at that, so it is completely useless in every sense of the word. It does nothing and in this case does not even look good. There is no reason it should cost more than a pet.
$1 or $2 is a reasonable price. If they wanted to go high end then $5 would be a good high end price. But nothing cosmetic should ever be more than $5 unless the proceeds are going to charity.
Charging for XP bonuses and transmog items is bothering me, quite frankly.
ReplyDeleteIt has been said that Blizzard push everyone to pay in three ways (for each expansion, for each month of playtime, and for some items) while other games manage with one or two. Blizzard have been aggressively expanding the reach of their item show (third way above), and that's certainly a concern. First, they had services, then they added mounts and pets, now they are adding buffs and items. It doesn't take an Einstein to predict that they are going to expand the range of things that they sell more and more. At some point playing without items from the shop might become unpleasant. Heck, you already have to invest money to collect all pets and mounts, which is already unpleasant for collectioners.
I know the argument that this is just business, etc, and that other companies would like to do the same as Blizzard and charge three ways - that's not the point. The point is that Blizzard are going to fail, at least with respect to me. And yeah, I know that the sky isn't falling just yet, but then I am also not going to wait until it falls for real. The moment they start selling items with stats, I am out, because I know what the next step is (making gear harder and harder to get in the game, because "what's up, it's only $10, you are playing this game every day, don't you see that it is worth it to play with comfort?").
I should clarify my first phrase. I would buy XP bonus, yes. This or a brand new level 90 are about the only things I can consider buying in the game at all (I buy services, including x3), I said as much in a comment to one of the previous blogs. But I still don't like that I have to pay for these things, I don't like to pay three ways, I think one or two is enough. And if they continue to push this further, as they do now, nudging everyone to buy more and more from the item shop, I will like it even less and will leave for greener pastures.
DeleteGear for sale is coming, I wrote a post about it years ago. I knew then it would only be a matter of time. And not just this transmog gear but real gear with real stats.
DeleteI am not sure if I would quit, like you said you would, if that happens. But I doubt I would take playing all that seriously any longer. While I have the money to buy them I don't think I should feel I "have" to. And I know people will say you do not have to. But I would have to.
Look at it this way. This raid tier I can not get a 522 bow. I have thunderfogred crap, I have tier items, I have the legendary cloak, I have everything I could have, but I do not have the bow. So if they offered that for 15 I would buy it in a heart beat. And that is where the problem is.
They would just keep making the drop rates worse and worse so I would feel more like I had to buy it to keep up. And I know me, I would, and sooner or later I would suffer from buyer remorse because I wasted money on something I felt I should not have, and I would end up quitting.
As of now I see no issue with mounts and pets. I also see no issue with the transmog because I would not spend that type of cash, it is just out of line.
What worries me is the XP boost. Sure, it is just a quality of life thing most would say, but it is the start of a road that can only lead to the Drop Rate Boost, that will increase the success chances of coins. And the Valor Boost, which will give you an extra 50% valor on all your characters for the week. And the reputation boost that will double reputation gains, and if they ever do something like they did at the beginning of the expansion it would be required for anyone that takes maxing out right away seriously. Once all that is done it is only a short trip to me buying all heroic gear and regretting that I wasted my money a few weeks later when it is all dropping and getting disenchanted because I don't need it because I was an idiot that wasted money on it.
"So if they offered that for 15 I would buy it in a heart beat. And that is where the problem is. They would just keep making the drop rates worse and worse ..."
DeletePrecisely.
Same with the rep boost, drop rate boost, etc, good points.
Every time Blizzard take a step towards these things, like they do now with the helms, many people are suggesting that we all should stay calm, because it is no big deal, we don't *have* to buy anything (how tired can this line of reasoning get??), etc. Well, I have been here for about three or four steps already, and I am starting to notice that the crowd around me is changing, too. Many of those saying that there's nothing to worry about with the helms are new guys (eg, new bloggers), many of those who were saying the exact same thing during previous nudges have left the game, so... yes, one or two more steps and it is time for me as well.
And it's not like I don't have the money. I just don't want to subsidize the idea that it's OK to make a game that charges for everything, I'd rather play something that charges for subscription only *as a point*.
Same here. It is not like I do not have the money, I could afford a few pieces and not worry about it. It is just the point that those pieces should never be there. They will do it as a pure revenue generation thing.
DeleteIf a reputation boost existed at the beginning of this expansion they would have made millions, many millions, selling it. I would have been one of the people that bought it too. And they see that. They see that people would gladly pay to skip parts of the game they do not enjoy.
They have even said so much. I'll paraphrase GC because I can not recall when he posted it on twitter to go looking for it be he said something to the effect that things like "lesser charms could be something we add for the people that do not have time to grind them"
And that is a HUGE remark. Because if they will let people buy lesser charms what is there to stop them from buying valor, buying levels, buying reputation, buying gear, buying anything to bypass a step of the game that they might not enjoy or have time for?
Are they going to let me buy all the PvP achievements and honor kills because I do not PvP? Maybe. They seem like they are willing to sell everything else.
Correction, it was Bashoik that mentioned the lesser charms thing.
DeleteLink: http://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/263752-54-in-game-store-100-xp-buff/
Rant incoming that's going to disagree with the majority here. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteOne caveat before I hit Publish... I've never spent a cent outside of the game on any cosmetic items in the Blizzard store (authenticator aside) and I've never ONCE been tempted to. Never. The idea that Blizzard "pushes" or even "encourages" store purchases is nuts... I've never felt the slightest pressure to even GO to the store. If any of you feel that pressure it's coming from within, not from Blizzard. I get annoyed that STORY happens outside the game and costs money but that's not what we're talking about here, here we're discussing strictly cosmetic items that are strictly optional for those who WANT to buy them.
If the in-game store results in, when going to the tmog interface, a new button being added in that interface to take you to the store? That's arguably encouragement. At this point, they aren't doing that. Period. If you didn't even read blogs or patch notes you wouldn't even know this was HAPPENING. Sure, you might see someone with a fire helm down the road and go "ooh - that's pretty, I want one" and that STILL isn't Blizzard pressuring you in any way, that's a WANT. You then learn it's a store item and costs $15, you weigh your desire against $15 and you either buy or not. This isn't complicated.
In terms of the actual price, I thought $15 was high too but that's why Blizzard is in charge and not me (or anyone else here who thinks it's high). If they thought they'd sell more than 3x as many at $5 I'm sure they'd price it that way instead.
I thought $10 for pets was NUTS. I've never bought one, ever. If I *had*, it would be 1 pet out of hundreds that I have and I still haven't trained for pet battles, I just casually collected them in-game previously. I don't run with pets out... I'd be spending $10 for something to collect and never actually run. For those of you who have purchased pets in the store, what %age of your play time is spent with each of the store pets out? Somewhere around 0%? Money well spent?
I thought $25 for mounts was NUTS. I've never bought one, ever. I have a pretty large in-game collection and have spent semi-obscene amounts on a few BMAH mounts but I bought those because I actually use those, I only replace them when I get something I like better. When was the last time you saw someone on a sparkle pony? I see the golden serpent occasionally, but only occasionally. I can't even remember what other mounts were available for sale, they just weren't memorable. Again, for those who have purchased mounts, which of those are you still actively using?
If I can say one thing in favour of the helms, they're for Tmog purposes only and, assuming you like the look (otherwise why buy it?), you'd in theory only stop using them if you come up with something better or change your theme entirely. I'd argue you'd get MORE use out of the helms than pets or mounts, long-term at least. I don't Tmog, though, so this is just theoretical discussion for me.
DeletePoint is, it doesn't much matter what price they set it at... folks who want them and have $15 to spend will buy them. Those items are no different than lotteries or slot machines... ways to separate certain people from their money. Unless you're one of those people, you can't really understand those people. I certainly don't but I absolutely recognize that they exist and provide tangible benefit to me (lowering my taxes, if nothing else).
From an outsider in all respects to Blizzard store purchases with absolutely no horse in the race, so to speak? It's all the same. Buying a $10 pet just so your 259 becomes 260? Buying a $25 mount so you can do a same-mount Conga line through Stormwind day one with all the other folks who did the same and then put it away for ... laterish, maybe? You're arguing that a $15 helm is somehow worse? A poorer VALUE proposition?
All of these items are ridiculous, none moreso than any other. But there's a market, otherwise Blizzard wouldn't bother. I still have exactly zero clue how F2P games actually make money but I suspect the same folks who apparently buy enough so the 4% (or 1%, or 0.5%) of them actually fund the 96% (etc) of everyone else play WoW as well... if it makes you feel better, just go in thinking that the helms are for THOSE guys, not for you. Just don't spend too much time trying to justify why $10 would be better and you might actually fork out at that level... or $5... otherwise you kind of turf your own argument. The difference between $5 and $15 is trivial compared to the difference between not buying and $5. 3x vs infinity.
A very good rant there and basically, even if you are disagreeing with many, you said the exact same thing as them. Just from a different perspective.
DeleteFrom my own standpoint I freely admitted I am a fool and his money being parted. I know that and I accept that. I never felt pressured to buy anything I did buy, I did it of my own free will and I have never once suffered buyers remorse.
I am a pet collector and a mount collector however, so perhaps that is why I did not mind buying them because it was the only way to get them. It is also why I think 15 for a helm is too much. Who collects ugly helms? Most people do not even show them. But to each their own, as well like I said in my post, I expect tons of fools to be parted with their money. I just will not be one of those fools this time around.
The bigger key is where this is headed. Pets and mounts are one thing. Maybe you can argue that the transmog helm is nothing to worry about and you might have a leg to stand on arguing that. But I, and many like me, see it as much more, as what it really is. If they can get people to buy helms with no stats for 15 bucks just think of how many they would sell if they put stats on them. And that is where this is going. To a future that very few would welcome.
$500 for full heroic thunder-forged raid gear??? Ugh, that makes me shudder to even think about it.
DeleteThat would make more sense than 500 for transmog get would. lol
DeleteIf you check some of those gold selling sites, that would be around about what they would make you pay for a carry where you get all the loot. Most times even more.
Blizzard could effectively put them out of business by doing that. Not saying I would want them too, I don't. Just saying that price does have a basis in what people will pay because some already do.
There is someone on my server that brags about having cleared heroic ToT. Top guild on my server has only 4 bosses down, so you ask yourself, how did he manage that? He paid for it.
То Anon:
Delete"I still have exactly zero clue how F2P games actually make money but I suspect the same folks who apparently buy enough so the 4% (or 1%, or 0.5%) of them actually fund the 96% (etc) of everyone else play WoW as well... if it makes you feel better, just go in thinking that the helms are for THOSE guys, not for you."
Here is a problem:
I know how item shop effects F2P games. I don't like it.
That's exactly the reason for the displeasure here, that I don't want WoW to turn into one of these games PLUS the subscription / box costs.
@ PvP Anon
DeleteI think that is the biggest issue, what you touch on at the end. Turning into a subscription, box AND shop cost game. It is all a little much.
If the game was free to play no one could complain about the over priced helms. But when we all, over 8 million of us, pay every single month to play, the helms are an insult.