Character Level Boost to 90 priced at $60

[PetersenIII]

Why not give everyone Ferrari cars because everyone can't pay for them.

Great logic kiddo.

If you can't afford it then it's not for you.

Your logic is fucking retarded. The equation of a material good that consumes resources to the shifting of a few bits in data that is already taking up space is preposterous.

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While I am outraged at the price and will certainly not be using the service myself (are you shitting me? $60? I could buy /several/ smaller Steam titles for that much!), let's look at this mathematically.

$60 is 10 hours of work at a $6/hour wage (which I believe is below minimum wage). Even with perfect play, is it possible to get an average of 9 levels/hour all the way up to 90? I really don't think so, and since that's /below/ minimum wage, your time is obviously more valuable, so it is perfectly reasonable and rational to use this service.

Nonetheless, this is a fucking pig-fisted (pigs don't have fists, I know) money-grab just like all their paid services are. It's fucking disgusting.

[Wiredmana]

Anyone seeing this? Appears to be gone now.

[jimlow]

People not understanding that with the free boost to 90 feature, anyone could take advantage of it by buying a new account under the same name, boosting a new character to 90, and then transfering it over:
Bchest - $20
MoP - $20
WoD - ~$40 USD
xfer - $25
Total: $105

So the model is Cost of WoD < Cost of 90Boost (legitimate) < Cost of 90Boost (illegitimate)
Which makes sense..

Also it makes a lot more sense from a back end database perspective too. Can you imagine the countless number of battlenet accounts with WOD and 0 toons in them? all tied to fake email address and no more then one month sub fee? The data graphs would be completely skewed. WOD will sell a ton of copies on paper but that's a double edge sword when it comes to the earnings report. You don't want your Q1 reports to show that you had 4 million new unique accounts made but then in Q2 you loose 3.5 million of them because they were all dummy accounts. This way Blizz can get accurate data for how many accounts get sold for WOD and they get a new side line micro transaction business that's much easier to track and manage, and the earnings reports remain some credibility.

[Annoying]

This is a game not real life. It should not make the experience better just because someone has more money.
It was great logic, far better than yours.

His logic is fine. They don't continue to make content for the game because they want to make the experience better. Sure, it's nice that they do put out a quality product, but in the end, they keep making content to keep making money. It's a business. It exists to make money. Ferrari doesn't give away cars because they exist to make money too. If you can't pay for it, you're not the target market for it.

[Deleted]

To those saying/thinking this is a rip-off or otherwise ridiculously highly priced: working as intended.

This feature must be somewhat exclusive to prevent a situation where 1) levelling content becomes too unimportant and 2) everyone and their grandmother run in fresh bought 90s (you can figure out yourselves why thats a bad thing, or read any academic book/script on game design if you don't know). They could have limited the availability by locking the feature (f.e. you can buy one 90 per month) or they could have made it very expensive. They chose the latter, just like they do for other paid features.

[deadman1]

Charging 60 is just offensive... Moreso to someone like me who works with databases.

If I got 60 bucks every time I had to iterate an integer in a record column I'd by a very rich man.

60 dollars is a deterrent, not an actual price of the work put into it.

[Deleted]

Charging 60 is just offensive... Moreso to someone like me who works with databases.

If I got 60 bucks every time I had to iterate an integer in a record column I'd by a very rich man.

I hope you understand (and its been said before) that the price is in no way related to the actual cost of the boost.
The price is set at an amount that makes the boost a commodity that has a certain value in regard to the decision to opt for a boost or not.

[krelios]

People whining about this make me laugh. Please tell me how a new 90 that doesn't know how to play in 483 greens in any way has an advantage over a current 90 in late expansion raid gear? P2W? Only if you are TERRIBLE.

[tormentus]

Blizzard can forget about me using that over-priced service, besides I do not mind the grind it makes me feel as if I have accomplished something.

[Faulty Mitchell]

Anyone who's complaining about the $60 price is retarded.

#1: The cheapest power-leveling service I could find charges $140 for 1-90... over twice the price.

#2: It takes 80 to 100 hours to level to 90... for some people, a lot longer. Blizzard is charging the equivalent of $0.75 a hour to level your character. Would YOU accept a rate of $0.75 an hour to level characters? I sure as hell wouldn't!!

#3: If there was no 'barrier to entry' every stupid failure of a person would have tons of instant 90's. Do you REALLY want that many people who have no clue how to play their class running around? At least it'll be cut down by the fact that someone REALLY has to want it enough.

If you think Blizzard is being greedy... how else are they suppose to make sure its a BIG decision for people? Sell it for $10 and limit it to one a year?

Some of us arent useless at leveling. Dont state 80-100 hours as fact. My last lvl 90 took under 2 days.

[lichbane]

The point may well be moot anyway. Having just logged on, I can confirm the feature is not even turned on yet. Blizzard may just be using the data-mined price and the consequential public discussion to test the waters to gauge public opinion. It's not like something like THAT hasn't happened before :-/

Personally I was THINKING about it to level my two shelved characters in the early 70s and leave my level 50 for the free transfer to take ALL of my characters to 90. Doing eight other characters has taken it out of me a bit. Now I think I MAY just do one ... perhaps.

[Berethos08]

60 US dollars seems reasonable for such a boost. At least it will deter some people from buying tons of 90s, which some forum goers have said that they would have issues with players doing. I personally would never buy such a lvl 90, but I don't see the major issue with this feature as some others have.

Don't see an issue with boosting in general myself either.

What did concern me was whether or not this was going to end up being a first potential step at adding blatant F2P style monetized options to the game (anyone who has spent more than a few seconds in a Western F2P game knows they monetize the shit out of convenience and vanity, both typically at often lower prices, and a boosted 90 is convenience in concentrated form) and be priced as such - in other words, low enough that people eat it up despite also paying a required $15/mo already.

At $60 it definitely doesn't appear to be following that approach, which is a good thing. The last thing WoW needs is for Blizzard to decide it can get away with milking vanity and convenience like F2P games do while still requiring a subscription fee.

[Annoying]

Even with perfect play, is it possible to get an average of 9 levels/hour all the way up to 90? I really don't think so, and since that's /below/ minimum wage, your time is obviously more valuable, so it is perfectly reasonable and rational to use this service.

This just in! No one plays video games for fun! People only play video games to equate them to money per time spent!

It's rational if you only like the end-game and are tired of leveling yet another toon. Or rational if you have a group of friends who wants you to catch up to them so you can do group stuff. It's not rational if you like leveling a toon.

[Frozen Death Knight]

You and me both, I have no issues with it but man that is a price tag lol.

Haha, yeah, that is one expensive price tag. Still, it's reasonable considering what kind of boost it is. I mean, who would seriously want to buy a server full of lvl 90s now? XD

[Tavin]

I'm not the fastest leveler. I do all solo (no boost etc) apart from doing most instances 1 time each for quest. My 3 last characters went from 1-90 in less than 2 days played, without elixirs.

As I see this, it's only for people with no heirlooms. Leveling is easier than it ever been atm.

[Deleted]

His logic is fine. They don't continue to make content for the game because they want to make the experience better. Sure, it's nice that they do put out a quality product, but in the end, they keep making content to keep making money. It's a business. It exists to make money. Ferrari doesn't give away cars because they exist to make money too. If you can't pay for it, you're not the target market for it.

This is a game. Its supposed to be departure from real life where everyone should be equal. How much money you have outside of the game should have zero influence in it. Now it does and that's P2W.

[krelios]

$60 is 10 hours of work at a $6/hour wage (which I believe is below minimum wage). Even with perfect play, is it possible to get an average of 9 levels/hour all the way up to 90? I really don't think so, and since that's /below/ minimum wage, your time is obviously more valuable, so it is perfectly reasonable and rational to use this service.

Nonetheless, this is a fucking pig-fisted (pigs don't have fists, I know) money-grab just like all their paid services are. It's fucking disgusting.

I agree with your first point, which makes me not understand your second point at all. How can you hold both (conflicting) opinions?

[Aildrik]

For those of you saying you don't mind this service because no one is forcing you to use it, I want to also ask if you wouldn't mind being able to, for example, buy a full set of iLevel 553 for $100 or something? A weapon for $? Again, no one would be forcing you to use this service.

[zaneosak]

Kiss my white ass, Blizzard. They advertised this as a "way for friends to catch up" and return to the game. Putting a monetary value on it is pretty shitty. If you go back and watch the Blizzcon VODs they advertise it as "For most of you here this means a free level 90 alt" I bet you can go find something almost identical to that quote.

It was also advertised as a 1 time thing per account, if it is a cost I am sure they will allow as many as you want. Which means it will basically bring the PTR situation of every body playing a class they have no business playing at max level, which makes finding pugs even worse. Can't wait for this shit storm.

[Qly]

This price is ABSURD! I'm always against screaming the sky is falling, but seriously, fuck you Blizzard. That's ridiculous.

How is it absurd, powerleveling, paying a dodgy site would set you back at the VERY least 2~3 times that, I'll continue to level my alts on my own, but if you think this is too expensive, then obviously this isn't for you