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Those new to WoW.
VirusDancer
Member UncommonPosts: 3,649
In comparison to other games, I have to wonder how Blizzard manages to get new players into the game. With Cataclysm right around the corner, somebody looking to get into World of Warcraft is looking at the following:
WoW - $19.99
WoW:BC - $29.99
WoW:WotLK - $39.99
WoW:C - $39.99
$129.96... is a bit much, you know?
In having looked around at various games that the GF may or may not be interested in (have run into more that she was not than she was by a long shot), I thought about reactivating my second WoW account that I had bought early on - it is just the vanilla version. In order to get her current, it would be a case of looking at $69.98 before Cat...
In looking at other games from that time period, we have things such as City of Heroes. They just released Going Rogue, their third expansion. For $29.99, a person not only gets Going Rogue - but they also get City of Heroes and City of Villains (j both of which at one time were full retail)...
Sony has done similar things with EQ, EQ2, and SWG. Turbine did it with LotRO. Funcom did it with AO. If you look around at games that have been around a certain period of time, this tends to be the case.
How on Earth do you convince your friends and the like to spend as much to get into WoW...with another xpac right around the corner?
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
Comments
Because they can. But your numbers are somewhat off. Battlechest comes with WoW and BC. So that knocks off those two for 40 dollars. I don't know though, seeing as people really don't need the expansions until they get to the content that needs it. Like you only need vanilla until 58, then you need bc until 68, then wotlk. And even then you don't know if the person is going to end up getting that far. But I understand the complaint, it is quite a bit for the game + expansions. But it isn't like the other games have those bundles open for the players who play it as the expansions come out. They still have to pay for every single one of them if they want to keep up to date with the content as long as the game holds them. That would have been what 11 expansions for the original EQ? That's quite a bit more than 130 dollars.
Where are you getting the 4 dollar markdowns? I wanna save 8 dollars if I end up buying them again for some reason.
36 + 36 is 72, not 62... but yeah, buying the chest for new folks would save them $10.66 by going through Amazon.
But that is $72 for a game with an xpac coming out right around the corner where you are shelling out another $40. $112.
I suppose I had not looked at the chest since I already have the spare vanilla account sitting there. But yeah, the Amazon prices are around $8 less than at GameStop.
It is funny, because I generally do not think twice about spending $40-50 every couple of years on an xpac - but I never looked at it with the lump sum cost like that all at once.
She has shot down AO, CoX, EVE, and a couple of others. She tools around in DDO some, preferring the "fantasy" setting. Having played WoW off and on since beta, it is one of those games that is on my my faves here, and I figured I would give it a go.
Suppose that is right though, at the most it will cost me a month's sub at this point for her to see if she likes it - then it would be a case of perhaps hoping they come out with a new chest with Vanilla, BC, and LK...
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
Last I read up on Cataclysm they were revamping even the early zones so not buying Cataclysm until I get to 58 sounds completely incorrect if you are trying to get the full experience from the new expansion. When a friend recently asked about the same thing, I went based off local resources because they would be buying the game locally (not online) the cheapest we can find it is for $120 (not including tax). That is with Battlechest, WotlK, and Cataclysm.
The new 1-60 changes are implemented regardless if you buy Cataclysm or not, there will not exist two different 1-60 experiences for those who have cat and those who don't. What won't be available is new races, new race/class combos, Death Knights, Outland, Northrend, and specific zoned locations for each expansion pack.
Yes, getting into WoW can be a bit of an expensive proposition. I imagine if you wait a little while after the release of Cataclysm there will be a new battlechest with Core+BC+WotLK for $40.
You are wrong. All the early zones are FREE for those who do not buy CATA.
or just wait a few months. in order to push Cata sales once it's released they will surely put out a new Battlechest that will include Vanilla/BC/Wotlk for a reduced price. garanteed.
What you guys may not understand is that its a subscription based game. and with each copy/expansion of the game you get an extra month free so lets do the math
WOW battlechest roughly 40 dollars with a month free of time
WRATH is anywhere from 30 to 40 dollars
CATA is going to be 40-50 dollars
you end up paying for 4 months of subscription fees when you buy the game so thats 60 dollars
Grand total 40+40+40=120-15=105 approx
So you save a little money but in the long run it does look like a large slump of money ><
If all fire is extinguished, will life still continue?
That seems like a hefty sum to just get into the game. And the worst part is that I've read somewhere that says unless you buy cataclysm, you Can't use Goblins and Worgen, AND you cannot use the extra classes that come with the races (human hunter, etc.)
I know that they will do something to lower the funds, or maybe make a small battlechest that contains 3 of the 4 cases.