Is 30 dollars for a faction change/server change just too much?

[nekobaka]

I had ended up rerolling before WoD end. I left my main from Classic on a now effectively dead server that had a thriving raid community up until MoP. While I understand why the cost is what it is there was not a need for me as I was not taking a relevant character to another server expecting to start playing end game.

The services like transfers along with cosmetics have helped Blizzard make more money with less subscribers. From a business standpoint it has done well.

[Relapses]

well, what should i say? you just strenghten my arguments with your own wow history. you transfered. and you had reasons for (mostly dead realms). well, what should i say?

as i said before, i am fine customers feeding blizz with alot of money for that stuff. look at you. 40 char transfers x 25 bugs (or 45 with faction change) (EU prices). what you did, do a lot of ppl. bc, like you, they have to. its in the freedom of every player to feed em or not. but i dont like your word "optional", bc optional here means: paying them or stop playing, bc playing a mmo alone on a dead server = stop playing (you understand that, as you showed above). so 15 bugs a month arent the real costs for the "whole game", as someone said above. and there is nothing optional in this.

I'm not strengthening your arguments, you asked me for my personal experience (after making an incorrect supposition) and I provided it to you. You can feel they're "being greedy" but without a paywall for server transfers, the idea of server identity wouldn't exist at all. There's arguments about the fairness of the cost (literally the reason for this thread) but I think (for the reasons I mentioned) it's perfectly fine the way it is and there's likely more harm to be done to the game if it were lowered. Additionally, as I said in the very first post I made in this thread, you'll soon be able to use in-game currency to buy transfers which will make it slightly less foreboding for players who are financially strapped but may be sitting on millions of gold on a mostly dead server.

[Akka]

Of course, it's too much. Their reasoning is to dissuade customers doing it all the time.

They don't care if people do it all the time. Why would they ? The reasoning is just that they have evaluated it as the more beneficial amount which will bring in the most money.

[Doomchicken]

Honestly should be about 10 dollars or less. Why is a virtual change so important and why is it 85% of the price of a current expansion pack? Makes no sense.

Having it too cheap also presents the possibility of creating even bigger server imbalances/faction imbalances due to low population servers becoming even more deserted as they transfer to higher population servers. This also can cause high volume queues on high population servers. Blizzard (for whatever reason) don't want to shut down servers, so creating a large cost nets them good profit while keeping the transfer number on the lower end. Which I imagine would be a win win scenario.

At the end of the day regardless of what the actual reasoning is behind this I agree they should at least have package deals to soften the blow for people on completely dead servers to ease the financial pain in the ass that is starting again somewhere new.

[Deleted]

It is a little expensive IMO and I think there should be some sort of bulk discount if you want to transfer multiple characters.

[Paula Deen]

I know this thread is for bitching about the prices, and as someone who just spent a good 100 on doing shit with transfers and name changes, I think the problem is close to being solved. I cannot think of another big feature for this game besides merging all realms of a likeness together. I know it will make RPers assblasted, as usual, because they have to look at someone from another RP Realm, but really, its the only solution short of doing a name reset, and thats a good way to piss of MILLIONS.

[Relapses]

I know this thread is for bitching about the prices, and as someone who just spent a good 100 on doing shit with transfers and name changes, I think the problem is close to being solved. I cannot think of another big feature for this game besides merging all realms of a likeness together. I know it will make RPers assblasted, as usual, because they have to look at someone from another RP Realm, but really, its the only solution short of doing a name reset, and thats a good way to piss of MILLIONS.

"How to Irrevocably Destroy World of Warcraft for the Lulz," by Paula Deen.

It's a pretty great pitch, hope to see you on the New York Times bestsellers soon!

[Paula Deen]

"How to Irrevocably Destroy World of Warcraft for the Lulz," by Paula Deen.

It's a pretty great pitch, hope to see you on the New York Times bestsellers soon!

Its funny, I remember all the bitching in MoP about XRealm and now everyone screams for more of that bullshit but when it gets suggested people scream. Literally all Blizzard has to do is create a list of balanced servers together. Slam Illidan with 10 Medium Pop Ally Heavy Realms. BAM. I solved the problem. This isn't a difficult thing, its Blizzard engineering running on fucking Valve Time.

[Relapses]

Its funny, I remember all the bitching in MoP about XRealm and now everyone screams for more of that bullshit but when it gets suggested people scream. Literally all Blizzard has to do is create a list of balanced servers together. Slam Illidan with 10 Medium Pop Ally Heavy Realms. BAM. I solved the problem. This isn't a difficult thing, its Blizzard engineering running on fucking Valve Time.

Since the sarcasm in my first post wasn't obvious enough, I'll spell it out: Your idea is terrible.

[Paula Deen]

Since the sarcasm in my first post wasn't obvious enough, I'll spell it out: Your idea is terrible.

It was obvious. The first part of the post about the bitching and whining is (you)

[Relapses]

It was obvious. The first part of the post about the bitching and whining is (you)

Okay, so you're attributing something to me which I haven't said at any point during this thread (or ever) then proclaiming you've solved a problem which doesn't exist. Congratulations?

[Deleted]

Honestly should be about 10 dollars or less. Why is a virtual change so important and why is it 85% of the price of a current expansion pack? Makes no sense.

Believe it or not the price is set at an amount that's affordable, but still deters players from using it without caution. Blizzard want the servers to feel refined with a sense of community, being able to change server essentially for free would just encourage realm hopping. Obviously things are different with cross realms now and player cities having less of a exclusive community, but it would be even worse with cheaper server transfers.

All in all I think 30 is the perfect amount to stop playing from just spamming the service when they felt like it. You said it yourself it feels too expensive, that's how it should feel. You should feel like you're making a big change to your character when you do it

[Triceratrozer]

Most of Blizz's services are too much.

Dunno if this is one of them, but, could be. I don't see people realm-hopping often.

Faction-change I see a lot more often.

[Beckers]

Yes it's far to much for a fully automated service.

Greedy bastards!

You guys are missing the point, transferring servers for free or cheap would ruin servers and most guilds, the fluctuation of population levels would just be destructive. the price is there to make it an option but one you need to think through.

On a side note, servers should just be a thing of the past and guilds, AH or whatnot should be region wide and not serverwide.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

It is that high because people pay it. I wouldn't doubt if it's one of the reasons why WoW is still such a cash cow without the sub numbers of the past. I have zero doubts that is why they don't fix the dead realms issue along with a number of other population situations. Just so many people pay up. This makes it very justified from the business perspective but sure a pretty shit one to the consumer. But that's the world we currently live in.

[Relapses]

It is that high because people pay it. I wouldn't doubt if it's one of the reasons why WoW is still such a cash cow without the sub numbers of the past. I have zero doubts that is why they don't fix the dead realms issue along with a number of other population situations. Just so many people pay up. This makes it very justified from the business perspective but sure a pretty shit one to the consumer. But that's the world we currently live in.

I think you are vastly overestimating the effect of server transfers on Blizzard's profit margins. The paywall doesn't exist because of greed, it exists because it's the kind of decision which needs to merit a significant weight, lest we end up with realm populations in total freefall and the sense of server community completely destroyed.

[oraz4000]

Absolutely its way to much should cost no more than 10$

[Lochton]

Honestly should be about 10 dollars or less. Why is a virtual change so important and why is it 85% of the price of a current expansion pack? Makes no sense.

Not really that much. It is an optional service which is part of where they earn their money. I could maybe agree on cheaper faction change, but not server change. Doesn't matter what you think would be a fitting price for a virtual product, it is still their product and people buy it.

[ItachiZaku]

Shit, $30 is 150% what I paid for expansion with amazon prime daily deal.

[Sansnom]

Its "criminal" because you don't want to pay for something you want to buy? okay then.
.

I suppose the one main question is whether these services are seen as additional revenue or as a mean to improve their customer relationship.

One simple comparison is a restaurant can offer to give free coffee. This may cost the operator but it could increase the number and retain customers.

You could easily start new characters, if you just got back into the game what items on your 6 characters are so important you can't leave them behind? I used the free boost that came with the game when I started in Legion to play on a different server and realm, no problems so far.

234 pounds is a lot.

From Blizzard perspective, there are two options.

Pay.

Or reroll.

I have a third option, a finger to Blizzard and stop being a customer, which is what I would do. So their desire to squeeze more revenue from the game has actually cost them a customer which would have pay them more over a longer term.