I start getting annoyed with their "pay money to get this mount" promotion.

[Deleted]

I thought about 10% of the Store Mounts/Pet's were also done as Charity Events. Is the OP including them when saying this?

I've always bought the Charity ones when they came out, who doesn't want to support Good Causes and get a nice in-game reward for it.

[jellmoo]

I'm a little baffled by the idea that just because there is a subscription cost, everything else should be free. How many other things in life are like that?

Cable companies sell you a cable box, require a subscription, and sell PPV viewings.

Mobile companies sell you a phone, require a subscription, and then upsell on "premium" packages.

Microsoft requires you to purchase an Xbox, require a subscription for online play, and then sell XBLA content.

Blizzard sells a small handful of mounts. Vanity items that don't offer any benefit over something that can easily be acquired in game through multiple avenues. Whether you choose to purchase these things remains completely optional. If you want a mount, go ahead and buy it. If not, don't. Expecting a company not to try and maximize profits is awfully naive.

[Djuntas]

Blame the Celiestial steed, or that retarded horse (joke at the time..). It sold alot inn the first 24 hours (Doubt sale figures are as high for the new once, considering this was the first one back inn WOTLK)...We could make a damn line off people on my old realm, and it was on a semi-dead realm, with a even more dead alliance side, inn Dalaran by the alliance side bank...Had like 15-20 people there, and I also bought it - Don't regret it really, very usefull for new alts to have a flying/walking combined when you are lazy.

[Stonecloak]

I thought about 10% of the Store Mounts/Pet's were also done as Charity Events. Is the OP including them when saying this?

I've always bought the Charity ones when they came out, who doesn't want to support Good Causes and get a nice in-game reward for it.

Generally because they are used as cross promotions to convince people who are buying them that they are doing something morally pleasing. I will likely believe the people who just say they liked the fey dragon and bought it for that reason. Rather Than they bought it for charity.

[dekal]

I don't get the argument, if people want to spend money on a virtual piece of art, let them. It is not my business or yours to judge people on their spending habits.

That said, Blizzard is a business. their aim is to make money, not to satisfy some peoples feelings of self entitlement.

[Deleted]

I'd bet 90% of the people who complain about this are self-entitled under 16's that get barely any pocket money and consider themselves to be Rich if they have 30+€/40+$/25+£ who are used to pirating everything.

The other 10% are just bitter trolls incapable of being happy about anything.

Case Solved?

P.S. Anyone complaining about the Charity Mounts/Pets deserves a very special 1v1 meeting with the Level 200 Lich King?

[Stonecloak]

I'm a little baffled by the idea that just because there is a subscription cost, everything else should be free. How many other things in life are like that?

Cable companies sell you a cable box, require a subscription, and sell PPV viewings.

Mobile companies sell you a phone, require a subscription, and then upsell on "premium" packages.

Microsoft requires you to purchase an Xbox, require a subscription for online play, and then sell XBLA content.

Blizzard sells a small handful of mounts. Vanity items that don't offer any benefit over something that can easily be acquired in game through multiple avenues. Whether you choose to purchase these things remains completely optional. If you want a mount, go ahead and buy it. If not, don't. Expecting a company not to try and maximize profits is awfully naive.

Yea I agree, and that is not to say that it is ideal for consumers, but it's definitely a reality, and it's not going away even if the entire player base kicks and screams, and it's all because a group of suits sat down and decided to make up lost, or maximize revenue by offering paid mounts. All there is too it.

[Deleted]

We pay a subscription and an initial purchase cost. Gating content behind premiums is unethical and a disservice to the playerbase. However many players are fully content to be bent over a desk and forced to pay more for things they would like, boggles the mind but what can you do.

Are you saying that mounts and pets are gated content?

Even though you can get hundreds of both in game, and maybe a dozen with real money. and they have zero effect on the game itself?

Just want to clarify that i'm reading that right

[Pann]

I'm a little baffled by the idea that just because there is a subscription cost, everything else should be free. How many other things in life are like that?

Cable companies sell you a cable box, require a subscription, and sell PPV viewings.

Mobile companies sell you a phone, require a subscription, and then upsell on "premium" packages.

Microsoft requires you to purchase an Xbox, require a subscription for online play, and then sell XBLA content.

Blizzard sells a small handful of mounts. Vanity items that don't offer any benefit over something that can easily be acquired in game through multiple avenues. Whether you choose to purchase these things remains completely optional. If you want a mount, go ahead and buy it. If not, don't. Expecting a company not to try and maximize profits is awfully naive.

Most cable/satellite TV companies that I know of will supply a box for free to new customers. In the case of PPV showings many times if a person is prepared to wait they will be able to watch it without having to pay any extra.

Mobile phone companies subsidise the cost of the handset and more premium addons you take the better deal you will receive on the handset.

There are many ways to maximise profits and, arguably, attempting to extract more money from less customers is possibly not the best way to go about it.

[Deleted]

Thats a rather big leap dont you think.

it is not because those are basically his actual words: "The keep asking premiums to get a piece of 3D art that other artists give for free all over the internet."

so "I need to pay for a piece of art that I could get someone else to make for free."

I do not see where the leap is

[Pann]

We pay a subscription and an initial purchase cost. Gating content behind premiums is unethical and a disservice to the playerbase. However many players are fully content to be bent over a desk and forced to pay more for things they would like, boggles the mind but what can you do.

Whilst I agree with you points, I can understand that Blizzard are catering to a market they have created and obviously many people are happy with buying additional in game items. What I do not understand is the aggressive manner, that people who support Blizzard charging extra for in game items, react in when anyone mentions that they do not support the store. Surely even if someone is happy with and likes the items in the store they would prefer that said items were part of their monthly sub?

[Wildtree]

i got a celestial steed as a gift from a guildie. i feel a bit dirty every time i mount it.

you mounting the guildie?
Kinky.....




OT: I don't have any of the store mounts. I simply don't feel like shelling out the money is what I wanna do..
Still don't have a problem with anyone else who does so.
I think anyone who has a problem with it better does not have any TGC item, or store pet etc.. Cause all of that is essentially the same principle.
But the TGC item money goes to the player/person not to Blizzard. Sure, after Blizzard and the distributor made money from selling the cards, and that's likely a lot more than what the items go for...

[jellmoo]

Most cable/satellite TV companies that I know of will supply a box for free to new customers. In the case of PPV showings many times if a person is prepared to wait they will be able to watch it without having to pay any extra.

Mobile phone companies subsidise the cost of the handset and more premium addons you take the better deal you will receive on the handset.

There are many ways to maximise profits and, arguably, attempting to extract more money from less customers is possibly not the best way to go about it.

Cable companies: Maybe where you live, but certainly not where I live. The box is an additional purchase (which may get a deal if it is on special). Not sure why waiting for a movie to become available for free is really all that applicable...

Mobile: You don't have to subsidize the handset, you can buy it outright. You are still required to have a subscription service if you want to use it as a phone. The company still offers upsell extras.

Except it appears to be a working model on how to maximize profits insomuch as it is, in fact, working. Not just with Blizzard, but with many different companies and groups.

[Karnak]

it is not because those are basically his actual words: "The keep asking premiums to get a piece of 3D art that other artists give for free all over the internet."

so "I need to pay for a piece of art that I could get someone else to make for free."

I do not see where the leap is

If he knows somebody who can provide it for free (he doesn't) then he should go there instead.

[Deleted]

If he knows somebody who can provide it for free (he doesn't) then he should go there instead.

i totally not gonna contest that right of his

[Eroginous]

The keep asking premiums to get a piece of 3D art that other artists give for free all over the internet.

It reached a point that I seriously devalue the value of the game itself in my brain because of this travesty. I'm sure a lot others have the same feeling. I wonder if they have done that evaluation, if their begging for money for artificial useless to progression items have a good impact on people's perception of the game in whole (if not, lords have mercy on our souls).

There's a certain demographic of people who enjoy buying store items because they think it makes them feel special or unique.

So what.

[Linthirri Ravensong]

How are they begging? They aren't hindering any-ones game-play? They aren't making you buy them?

[Durantye]

Chill out. What does a mount DROPPING from a boss have to do with earned? Oh yeah, nothing with neither earned or dedication or being hardcore or casual. RNG favored you.

And then people whine about "toxic community" - apparently they are on the forums.

A thought on "fucking casuals" They pay 15 Euros like you and make it possible that Blizzard invests that extra time so you can have your precious HM raids. At the same time they might not even be interested in those raids and maybe only clog up the server 1 hr a day while you play 10 hrs.

The only one of those mounts that I didn't earn when it was current was Invincible which took me over a year and a half to get after killing him nearly every week, all the others I got when they were current and you think they should be 20$ on the fucking store? 15k posts obviously didn't do much for you to learn anything, I called him a 'fucking casual' cause he wants raid mounts that many people out there have farmed for months some even years if they are unlucky to be on the store. What does it have to do with earned? Well I killed the boss didn't I? Pretty sure Rag progression and Garrosh progression hours are plenty to define them as 'earned' and of course the endless lich king kills, if RNG favored me I'd have every raid mount and never care about whether they'd be on the store.

- - - Updated - - -

Considering that listing your mounts, and then going "Fucking casual" wouldn't even support a good discussion. Invincible is quite simple to obtain if you have the will to farm (or money to buy). The Spawn of Horridon isn't really a problem in the end either, except for finding people still wishing to do ToT for it. Blazing Drake wasn't that of a problem either - a LFR geared Blood Death Knight could solo tank 25m Madness of Deathwing (I said solo tank, no solo, of course healers and DPS around), I was declined loot, but awarded the Blazing Drake because of that. Even then, many were offering to buy it within the raid. Smoldering Egg of Millagazor still drops and can be obtained, don't have it as I never won the roll though.

But I find myself quite casual, of course I admit, I also buy some mounts or pets from the store because I like to collect. But really, "Fucking casual" isn't really discussion value.



Yeah, this I quite agree with.

So go farm them at their 1% drop rate, don't try and get them on the store which undermines anyone who earned them current or farmed them afterwards.

[Sastank]

Other artists are giving away mounts online for free?
Where!

[Durantye]

Congratulations. You just disqualified yourself from any serious discussion.

Also, the Juggernaut isn't as hard to get as you maybe like to tell yourself. 300k gold will usually seal the deal.

Nice only 400$ in gold to get it right? No biggie.