Pre-Purchase Community Address

[Karizee]

Pre-Purchase
Community Address

by The Guild Wars 2 Team on June 22, 2015


As many of you are aware, we began the Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™ pre-purchase program on June 16. This is an exciting time, but we also recognize that there is some frustration and confusion. We would like to clarify our intentions and address these concerns.


Veteran Player Appreciation

For our long-standing fans and loyal players, we would like to say thank you and show our appreciation. For all players who registered the core Guild Wars 2® game prior to January 23, 2015 and who upgrade their account by prepurchasing and registering any Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns edition before Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns‘ launch, we will add one additional character slot to your Guild Wars 2 account. The process of delivering your additional character slot will take us some time, but rest assured we will get it to you as soon as possible. We’ll provide more details about the specific timing soon.


Pre-Purchase Clarification

In our January 23 FAQ, we wanted to clarify that Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns would not be a stand-alone campaign like those offered in Guild Wars ® in the past (Factions® and Nightfall®), but instead would be a true expansion to Guild Wars 2 similar to what Guild Wars: Eye of the North® was to our original game. We wanted you to know that access to much of the content in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns requires access to Guild Wars 2. Some read the FAQ as us urging players to buy the core game now, in preparation for the expansion release. This was not our intention and amendments made to the FAQ following the announcement were a good-faith attempt to clarify this misinterpretation. As such, we’re offering a comprehensive refund policy.

For all players who purchased the Guild Wars 2 core game from our website and registered it between January 23, 2015 and June 16, 2015 in anticipation of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, we will automatically refund what you paid for the core game should you decide to pre-purchase Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns from our website or in-game store any time through July 31, 2015. If you take advantage of this refund and pre-purchase Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, all of your current account progress will be kept intact. We’ll provide further details on when refunds will be processed in the next couple weeks as we set up this process.

If you purchased the core Guild Wars 2 game from our website and registered it between January 23, 2015 and June 16, 2015, and you no longer want to play Guild Wars 2, we will refund your core game purchase price and close your account provided you make the request by July 31, 2015. Please contact our Customer Support team to make this request.

If you purchased the core game from a third party, we are unable to provide a refund. However, if you registered the core game between January 23, 2015 and June 16, 2015 and upgrade it by prepurchasing any Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns edition before Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns‘ launch, we will add one additional character slot to your Guild Wars 2 account. The process of delivering your additional character slot will be the same as described above. If you would like a refund, you will need to contact that third party, as refunds are dependent on their policies and rules.


Business Model Clarification

We want to be clear about our business model for future expansions now that we are approaching our first paid expansion for Guild Wars 2. We believe that to keep the game dynamic and vibrant with a constantly growing community, it should be as easy as possible for new players to get into Guild Wars 2. For Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, we didn’t want the core game’s price to be a factor in a new player’s decision to begin playing Guild Wars 2. In the future, if we release further Guild Wars 2 expansions, we plan to offer all of the prior expansions, the core game, and the latest expansion for one single purchase price.

We are committed to our players and believe we remain the single best value in the MMO space. We set out on this journey to challenge the conventions of MMOs, to knockdown the barriers to accessibility, and to fulfill the promise of what online worlds should be. In the process, the best community in gaming came together in Guild Wars 2. It is to our community—past, present, and future—that we are committed. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you in game.


https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/p...unity-address/

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Took them a week to figure out how to do it but it looks like they've been able to resolve the issue with the refund! (At least, for those like me who thought to buy the game in preparation for the expansion after HoT's announce), and the people who paid $40 for the game are no longer facing a $90 total purchase but just have to fork out $10 more (which isn't THAT bad).

Nice to hear older players get another slot; a standard in modern day MMORPG expansions and older players probably have all their current slots filled up.

[PACOX]

Took them a week to figure out how to do it but it looks like they've been able to resolve the issue with the refund! (At least, for those like me who thought to buy the game in preparation for the expansion after HoT's announce), and the people who paid $40 for the game are no longer facing a $90 total purchase but just have to fork out $10 more (which isn't THAT bad).

Nice to hear older players get another slot; a standard in modern day MMORPG expansions and older players probably have all their current slots filled up.

They already said that they were going to issue refunds, they added the character slot for vet players though. Most reasonable people just wanted the character slot.

[Nehezbegar]

Well people will still cry, after launch

and who upgrade their account by prepurchasing and registering any Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns edition before Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns‘ launch

Also i think it was not that good move in a long term, because now entitled kids will think that they can cry out everything

[Deleted]

Well people will still cry, after launch



Also i think it was not that good move in a long term, because now entitled kids will think that they can cry out everything

They should always have the same deal, but I understand they want to push pre-purchase, they did same for vanilla GW2. However, after launch for sure they will meet many upset people, but then they already have pre-purchase money which is most important now, they can throw in something else after, either the same, or put char slots on sale 50% off or something else clever. It's easy to deal with then, and for sure something they don't want to talk about now =) They can't make people think they can wait to get the bonus, because then some people probably will, and they want the money noooow! =)

[Deleted]

A good move on ArenaNet's part. That lack of character slot with the standard version was a dealer-breaker for me. Still, the expansion is a tad pricey for me at the moment. I'll have to wait.

[Deleted]

A good move on ArenaNet's part. That lack of character slot with the standard version was a dealer-breaker for me. Still, the expansion is a tad pricey for me at the moment. I'll have to wait.

Well, pre-purchase cost will most likely stay the same, unless some retailers decide to go cheaper. And so far it's only pre-purchase standard version that gets the slot, not pre-orders or after launch buys

[Arlee]

Took them a week to figure out how to do it but it looks like they've been able to resolve the issue with the refund! (At least, for those like me who thought to buy the game in preparation for the expansion after HoT's announce), and the people who paid $40 for the game are no longer facing a $90 total purchase but just have to fork out $10 more (which isn't THAT bad).

It didn't take them a week to figure it out -_- More like a weekend. Why do people continually discount that they had a large presence at E3 and many of the people who make these decisions were tied up with that? Getting any kind of business done at a conference is pretty close to impossible even if you are press/exhibitors with a separate internet connection. Not to mention, anything they came up with more than likely needed to be approved by NCSOFT as well. Not to mention Wed to Mon is not even a week

[Fencers]

In the future, if we release further Guild Wars 2 expansions, we plan to offer all of the prior expansions, the core game, and the latest expansion for one single purchase price.

Sorta makes me not want to buy a GW2 game again or at the very least not purchase till it is deeply discounted. Seems kinda a poor deal to purchase early given the permanence and non-time sensitive nature of GW2's extremely casual play environment.

This is sorta the way I buy Bethesda games actually, I just wait fro the deep discounted/steam sale legendary GOTY director's cut enhanced edition because their games are so damn unreliable on release.

[Arlee]

Sorta makes me not want to buy a GW2 game again or at the very least not purchase till it is deeply discounted. Seems kinda a poor deal to purchase early given the permanence and non-time sensitive nature of GW2's extremely casual play environment.

Because that totally not how pretty much all goods and services work right? You pay the most to get them right away and brand new; people who wait get things on sale but in the meantime they don't have the thing. If all you care about is the money side though, the best plan is to wait for them to put out the last expac for GW2 ever and then buy them all at once as a package.

[Fencers]

That's not to say that I necessarily think their price is unfair, it just doesn't seem like a purchase that I need to make regardless of price.

This is more or less exactly my feelings. I don't even mind the price, it's not burdensome or anything. But if the better value is to wait for the dirt cheap sales and further Anet plan on doing this til the money train's wheels fall off- I would be making a poor decision by pre-purchasing/buying at MSRP.

Kinda like a weird non-incentive.

Because that totally not how pretty much all goods and services work right?

Right? I mean I am pretty sure it is right in so far as not pretty much all goods & services work that way. Yes, right.

[Arlee]

Right? I mean I am pretty sure it is right in so far as not pretty much all goods & services work that way. Yes, right.

Of course because games, game systems, books, phones, cars, music, clothes, jewlery, appliances, shoes, movies, medicine, medical procedures... yea none of those things cost more when they are the brand new version and cost less if you wait and buy them later. Oh wait... they DO cost more when they are brand new.

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Oh I forgot computers and computer parts also cost more when they are brand new. Also computer accessories. And TVs. Tablets. I just keep thinking of more things which cost more when brand new.

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Oh oh! Exercise equipment too.

[Malthanis]

Indeed. In fact, I feel like the concept of an expansion is a poor fit for the GW2 model in the first place.

I may end up getting it eventually anyway, but it feels like there's no real reason to do so. Unless it somehow locks me out of WvW/PvP/Farming/etc, the only draw seems to be a new class and a new zone - the latter of which we usually got for free as part of regular content pushes. (And which will likely just be another event train zone or something.)

That's not to say that I necessarily think their price is unfair, it just doesn't seem like a purchase that I need to make regardless of price.

Don't forget guild halls. I think the elite specializations are tied up in HoT too. I'm not entirely certain on that, though.

Sorta makes me not want to buy a GW2 game again or at the very least not purchase till it is deeply discounted. Seems kinda a poor deal to purchase early given the permanence and non-time sensitive nature of GW2's extremely casual play environment.

This is sorta the way I buy Bethesda games actually, I just wait fro the deep discounted/steam sale legendary GOTY director's cut enhanced edition because their games are so damn unreliable on release.

That's a choice, I guess, especially if you play GW2 more as a single-player kind of thing. But if you actively do stuff with your guild, you pretty much have to sit out or only run 'classic/vanilla' content.

It basically comes down to "new and shiny now" or "old and cheap later".

[Malthanis]

As far as I can tell, the decorations you can set up in the guild halls have collision (alluded to when they talk about the vine wall from the prepurchase package being used to make mazes). So there's going to at least be a modicum of creation involved there. The guild hall maps are also supposed to be of a decent size, so people could make their own "rooms" or even "buildings" if you amass enough decorations.

The only thing PC-wise that might be locked away are new stat combinations, like how Nomad and Sinister gear sets are tied to Dry Top and the Silverwastes respectively.

[Paula Deen]

This expansion still has less going for it than Warlords of Draenor, which says ALOT, I am not dumping 50 Dollars on this, and I already know most of my guild feels the same. Call me entitled or a pissbaby, whatever it is this community does, but this is awful. Never before have I outright refused to buy a game, but this is the first, and hopefully the last.

[Kazgrel]

This expansion still has less going for it than Warlords of Draenor, which says ALOT, I am not dumping 50 Dollars on this, and I already know most of my guild feels the same. Call me entitled or a pissbaby, whatever it is this community does, but this is awful. Never before have I outright refused to buy a game, but this is the first, and hopefully the last.

Bwahaha, they haven't even announced half of what this xpac has and it's on par with 6.2 WoW.

Feel free not to buy it. I haven't bought it yet. I'm still awaiting more info, but I had also just purchased Heavensward, so I've plenty of gaming to do until HoT is ready to ship.

[Paula Deen]

Bwahaha, they haven't even announced half of what this xpac has and it's on par with 6.2 WoW.

They have announced Guild Halls, and 3 Areas. As well as a new WvW Area and some new WvW Mechanics. That is on par with half of 6.0, not even 6.2, which is, once again, not a good sign considering that WoD has been god awful.

I'm still awaiting more info, but I had also just purchased Heavensward, so I've plenty of gaming to do until HoT is ready to ship.

That is the plan for me as well, with the exception of Heavensword. This is just not looking good though. You know when people say they think something was cut and then added back in? This is what it is. This is Living Story Season 3 for 50 USD.

[Kazgrel]

They have announced Guild Halls, and 3 Areas. As well as a new WvW Area and some new WvW Mechanics. That is on par with half of 6.0, not even 6.2, which is, once again, not a good sign considering that WoD has been god awful.


That is the plan for me as well, with the exception of Heavensword. This is just not looking good though. You know when people say they think something was cut and then added back in? This is what it is. This is Living Story Season 3 for 50 USD.

Right now, it's not far from that. I've said elsewhere (either here or on reddit, maybe both) that the prepurchase announcement seems waaaaay too early. Unless the xpac is indeed set to come out 1-2 months from now, which I dare suspect it isn't (I am thinking September-October now).

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That seems like a statement of fairly questionable truth.

I do wish I could trade my WoD purchase in for HoT somehow.

[Fencers]

Oh wait... they DO cost more when they are brand new.

I didn't say anything about the costs being burdensome if you re-read my post. I said the better deal is to wait- as you will get everything successively.

New products do have incentives beyond early adoption too. Phones, cars, music, books, etc.

I can name off my Amazon order list 4 things that each had an incentive to pre-purchase or simply purchase at release this week alone; a book, a game, a phone case and nesting blocks. Each came with a gift, a discount or as a bundle for limited purchase. It's Tuesday.

I also bought concert tickets 2 months early and got a free record download for it, bought Batman and got extra goodies for pre-purchase and the Witcher 3 with goodies/bonuses for pre-purchase and an extra 10% off. Marvel Heroes also doubled down and gave me extra goodies, bonuses and early access for buying their goods and services.

It's not really uncommon practice and it is certainly nor pretty much all goods & services, even if being intentionally hyperbolic.

So, right?

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Oh, and I got free stuff for the Surface tablet I bought and a discount.

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Oh, and my GFX card came with game coupons, a carrying case (absurd) and necklace thing.

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Oh, and I got discount for pre-purchasing shoes last month. 20% off.

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Oh, and I got 1 year of Netflix free, 2 bluetooth speakers, screen protectors and a tablet when I bought my Galaxy s6 edge day of release. I was at the store within an hour of opening.

[Valeron]

Congrats on your stuff Fencers