New Stuff Coming to the Pet Store!

[Skorpionss]

yeah... I think it's time for private servers... at least I can get all items without spending any $$ on those ...

[Seolla]

Still.. Is the fact that they sell the good looking armor ( thats subjective ) for real money really something to get winded up over? I could see the problem if it was actual gear with any stat benefit but as long as it is a purely cosmetic item I honestly still don't see why people throw a tantrum.

Yes, it is a problem. Because the time taken into designing those awesome looking armor sets could of went into designing new armor sets for everyone else instead. We're already paying for this game, both a one time purchase per expansion and a sub fee, there's no reason why we have to pay extra to gain access to certain items.

[Kempix]

Dat Cashmog. Dayum!

[Deleted]

Still.. Is the fact that they sell the good looking armor ( thats subjective ) for real money really something to get winded up over? I could see the problem if it was actual gear with any stat benefit but as long as it is a purely cosmetic item I honestly still don't see why people throw a tantrum.

Sure. Everything can be done. Too bad that you pay more and receive less than any other MMO customer. If you are happy with it, go for it. I suspect many others are not. Just don't complain or be surprised next time you'll see subcriptions fall and people move to other games which offer more for less money. You actively supported that outcome by encouraging Blizzard down this road...

[Kuthe]

The 3 items from the shop is nothing compared to the amount of items you get with a new expansion and tier.

Take the mounts for example. There are over 300 mounts in the game, only 5 in the store. That makes up for less than 2% of all the mounts.

That's still 5 less mounts, 3 new helmets, a couple of pets, and new TGC like objects that are being created for the sheer purpose of making additional money instead of giving everyone who already pays the $15 a month just to play.

- - - Updated - - -

Weren't most of these created in the past, backlogged and just piling up for announcement? Hardly seems like they are expending anyone but a person to compile all these screenshots and text together.

Yes, but the point is.
They were created, by someone.
Whoever created them, should be creating objects for everyone who PAYS every single month to get on the game, not just people who want to spend even more money to get objects.

[Deleted]

That icy helmet looks great. The rest...meh.

- - - Updated - - -

yeah... I think it's time for private servers... at least I can get all items without spending any $$ on those ...

Private servers lol.

[Idoru]

A lot of games are doing this and getting away with it after changing their business model. I can't think of one game which has got away with an extensive cash shop on top a subscription.

How is this being extensive?
How is this any different from what they have been doing with the TCG for many years already?

[lettuce]

It would all have been better used as in game rewards for difficult achievements or kills. These helms, pet store mounts, battle pets, TGC crap. All of it would be better used as in game incentives. Regarding TGC -- reasonable cross promotion would be like... 1 or 2 items. Having a huge number of exclusive items that essentially cost thousands of dollars due to exclusivity is ridiculous. Should not the primary reason to buy card packs to be to get lucky cards to use within TGC? It is telling that they felt it would not stand alone without ongoing influx of Wow-cross over exclusives.

So many interesting ideas for items that could have been exalted rewards for factions, achievements, etc but were instead used to encourage people to shovel out extravagant amounts to have these items. Consider the amount of money one would have to have spent to get every item as it came out, all on your account. Collectors editions are one thing, one or two cross promotions per game is acceptable.

The sheer number of items that are ONLY available from purchases things outside of this game is irresponsible to their loyal customers. This is why it is obvious that Blizzard's integrity as a company striving to give the people the finest quality product has been slipping. Just like many other gaming industry giants these days: They only seek to make as much profit as possible. Perhaps it is unavoidable. Business is business.

WoW is still the best MMO out there but when the day comes when that changes they'd better hope that they own the next big thing because their customer loyalty is slipping along with their integrity.

[Masternewt]

What bothers me is that they are implementing this now, making it obvious it's a cow milking attempt, rather than an additional business model.

I mean, WoW bleeding subs - fix the damn game, fix the outdated gfx and make it look like this game has life in it past 1 more expansion, rather than trying to cash in at a point where there only people who have good things to say about WoW are pre teen fanboys and blizz CMs while the rest of us are more or less waiting to see what 6.0 will be.

[Deleted]

How is this being extensive?
How is this any different from what they have been doing with the TCG for many years already?

My bad. . The datamined XP potion a couple of weeks ago. The announcements of new services in Asia(?). Now these transmog helmets. These don't all spell out an extensive restructuring of the cash shop.
Are we just going to blow off all the cosmetic additions with "hey it just be for da looks and not dem stat things" and "it's just like the TCG"? Really? That's an actual argument? We should be demanding less of these things not more until they restructure those payment options.

[PenguinChan]

Yes, but the point is.
They were created, by someone.
Whoever created them, should be creating objects for everyone who PAYS every single month to get on the game, not just people who want to spend even more money to get objects.

And there shouldn't be something wrong with people paying extra money for things they like, so long as they are cosmetic. They aren't abundant, they aren't taking a lot of content away from people who refuse to pay for the store times, and actually help pay for future content.

[Deleted]

Subscription vs. Cash Shop?

Why not both?


Guys...I have zero respect for you if you continue supporting such a product.

[Wolfhart]

I'll only worry when a mogg helm looks worth the effort.. those helms, do nothing for me.

[Deleted]

For christ's sake people --stop with the stat gear argument. Cosmetic acquisition accounts for huge amounts of gameplay and circumventing gameplay is circumventing gameplay.

True, especially after them pushing the game towards that for years now. Cash shop just doesn't belong to a subscription based game. I didn't mind mounts much as I personally just don't care about them. A mount is a mount unless it's faster or has some other better properties, besides the best looking ones are free.

But then again they're losing subs and doing things like that is just going to accelerate. In a few years this might serve as a valuable lesson to all the companies not to overmilk their cows..

[Deleted]

Seems a lot of people responding don't really understand F2P and its implications for this game. Wow would be completely decimated by F2P. The infrastructure behind Wow is enormous. There is a reason this game is so widely played after nearly ten years, it's very polished and has unmatched support. In fact it wouldn't be decimated, it just wouldn't exist. The game cannot live off F2P with a few things in a shop for micro-transactions. It's too late for that now. And if you all think they have all that money from all those years just sitting in an account, then again, you are not looking at this properly. The money has largely been re-injected to sustain the interest and keep the going with outlandish figures which it boasts even today.

F2P would see about 90% of their team lose their jobs and if you think Blizzard have lost their way with the game of late (which I do but I think they will make up for it with next expansion) then you have seen nothing yet. Mounts, pets, faction changes, race change, name change have been there for years and perhaps there was uproar at first, but they are accepted and another avenue to make revenue, just as these new things will be accepted and part of the game. I don't sub by the way as I don't like the game at the moment (not a fan of MOP) but I am not against any of these new announcements. It's par for the course and certainly not the frankly ridiculous 'pay2win' notion people are wildly throwing around without it seems, even thinking about what that would entail.

If you love the game, trust me, you do NOT want F2p as that is nails in the coffin, F2P is where MMOs go to die. If your reply to that is GW2, then you have no idea of the difference in size of the teams, it's like comparing a convenience corner store to an international chain store.

[Galexander]

really blizz? paying for transmo armor, why not increase the monthly subscription while ur at it........

[Idoru]

My bad. . The datamined XP potion a couple of weeks ago. The announcements of new services in Asia(?). Now these transmog helmets. These don't all spell out an extensive restructuring of the cash shop.
Are we just going to blow off all the cosmetic additions with "hey it just be for da looks and not dem stat things" and "it's just like the TCG"? Really? That's an actual argument? We should be demanding less of these things not more until they restructure those payment options.

Then go demand that.

[Deleted]

Then go demand that.

I do. But thank you for the permission I guess.

[Pendragon]

So instead of giving us the chance to obtain these items from within the game, they've decided to put them on the store. Brilliant. The main problem I have is more and more items will be made for the store instead of in-game, and I'm willing to bet that entire transmog sets will appear on it.

I expect to see city/town guard sets, faction sets(Defias Brotherhood, Scarlet Crusade, Bloodsail Buccaneers, etc), themed sets, seasonal sets, and more.

[Feindy]

gg blizz, im done with you.