Can't understand the pricing.

[Fallen Angel]

Doesn't Valve include free stuff with DotA, though? I've received items from it for characters without ever really playing it.

Yes. After a match you have a chance to gain an item or chest.

[Deleted]

Doesn't Valve include free stuff with DotA, though? I've received items from it for characters without ever really playing it.

I'm sure there's some freebies, like in everything. In HotS you get recolor-grade skins for free for everything you own, for example.

[xenogear3]

Blizzard is very aggressive on pricing.
It is in "fanboy only" mode.

[Deleted]

I'm sure there's some freebies, like in everything. In HotS you get recolor-grade skins for free for everything you own, for example.

just too bad that some recolors you unlock look awesome as hell and actually make the hero look different
while on some it's just the most boring recolor you've ever seen that could have been done by changing the hex in one line of coding


i think their shop is pricey, i know you get "3" skins with a skin since they have recolors, but it's still expensive considering it's a skin
even the bundles with 50% off i feel like what i get is nothing for the price, 10 euro for a high priced hero? 10 euro for a semi good skin? while the good ones go to 15-20 euro and the mounts is 15-20 euro too, that's a whole lot of money for just one cosmetic

sad part is that they european prices are cheap right now, because the economy has changed, i expect prices to rise by 25% or more from what they are now once they get down to changing it

[Hand Banana]

Don't get me wrong I have no problem at all with a company making money, how else are they going to maintain.

I think skins are a bit on the pricey side, but If I have a problem with it I just don't buy it, pretty simple I again have no problem with it. I honestly think they would make more money if they were in the 5 dollar range though. I'm much more likely to buy 3 skins for 15 then 1 for 15, same amount of money but I feel like I am getting more so I will probably do it.

That said I have to completely disagree with you that they encourage you not to spend real money.

The weekly sale only drops the actual dollar amount, that alone debunks that thought.

I mean obviously they don't want to encourage you to not spend money, but the system sure makes it easy not to. I mean, even the base skins get free color changes which is technically a skin variation. You also get free mount variations and color changes on those too. You also get tons of gold to spend on buying heroes without being forced to spend it on other things. I think making skins expensive isn't really a huge deal so long as whats actually important, see buying heroes, is easy to do without money. I have never and will never buy skins so it doesn't affect me in the slightest.

[Nikkaszal]

just too bad that some recolors you unlock look awesome as hell and actually make the hero look different
while on some it's just the most boring recolor you've ever seen that could have been done by changing the hex in one line of coding


i think their shop is pricey, i know you get "3" skins with a skin since they have recolors, but it's still expensive considering it's a skin
even the bundles with 50% off i feel like what i get is nothing for the price, 10 euro for a high priced hero? 10 euro for a semi good skin? while the good ones go to 15-20 euro and the mounts is 15-20 euro too, that's a whole lot of money for just one cosmetic

sad part is that they european prices are cheap right now, because the economy has changed, i expect prices to rise by 25% or more from what they are now once they get down to changing it

EDIT: When first reading this post I was 100% sure the poster made mention of owning a heap of LoL skins before being edited...

LoL skins are expensive too. For one thing, they must be purchased with RP and the cost for skins fall IN BETWEEN RP bundles. Want a 975 RP skin? Too bad, you HAVE to buy the 1270 RP bundle or higher.

And see the thing is, these 975 skins? They're the mark where skins actually start getting OK in LoL. The ones where it's not just palette swaps, but actual model modifications. Like where the HotS skins are at their BASELINE. LoL gets more expensive from there:

975
1350
1820
3250 for the ultimate skins

We've already established that you can't actually pay "cost price" of a LoL skin as you are forced to buy an RP bundle of a higher amount (for reference, they are 600, 1270, 2600, 4650 and then higher). So if you just want that one particular skin, too bad - you have to pay MORE than what it's priced at. Lets now have a look at what these bundles cost (in AUD for me. Work out your own currency) and compare:

1270 - $10
2600 - $20
4650 - $35

So if you wanna get an AVERAGE skin, you're forking over ten bucks at a MINIMUM. Want one of them shit hot Ultimates like PFE or SG Udyr? That's $35 right there

Now let's have a look at HotS skin pricing. We'll start with the current Legendary skins, equivalent to LoL's Ultimate (ignoring the fact that the art assets pumped into HotS skins and the model modifications of even simple ones are VASTLY superior to LoL's):

Infested Tychus and Mecha Tass - $16.49 AUD
Next tier - $10.99 AUD
Next - $8.24 AUD
Lowest - $5.49 AUD


Each skin alao has three recolours tossed in with it.

Finally, the creme de la creme of skins - the prestigeous Masters - are FREE. Not actually purchaseable with real money

So let's say again which is more expensive...? It only looks like HotS because it states dollar price baldly in the shop. LoL is hidden behind an artificial currency which makes you forget what you ACTUALLY paid for that currency, as well as forcing you to overspend on that currency even if you only wanted one item. HotS shop is one price, boom, done.

[Jester Joe]

I'm sure there's some freebies, like in everything. In HotS you get recolor-grade skins for free for everything you own, for example.

Honestly, as far as I know, you can get almost anything from a drop, I think it includes the $35 stuff since your account can be flagged to find arcanas, but it's really really rare. Like crazy rare. That being said, I could be 100% wrong with that, for the most part though, anything in the store can drop, but it's in pieces.

[Mormolyce]

I don't play LoL or DotA but if the estimates people are posting on here are correct the price is actually not that different if you compare like for like.

[Ravex]

I mean obviously they don't want to encourage you to not spend money, but the system sure makes it easy not to. I mean, even the base skins get free color changes which is technically a skin variation. You also get free mount variations and color changes on those too. You also get tons of gold to spend on buying heroes without being forced to spend it on other things. I think making skins expensive isn't really a huge deal so long as whats actually important, see buying heroes, is easy to do without money. I have never and will never buy skins so it doesn't affect me in the slightest.

That is true gold has become pretty easy to come by, sitting on 20k myself thinking about what I actually want.

I do buy skins that go on sale if I like them, it usually shrinks them to a price I think is fair.

Even thought it is competitively priced with the other mobas I still think it is a bit on the excessive side.

[Deleted]

EDIT: When first reading this post I was 100% sure the poster made mention of owning a heap of LoL skins before being edited...

LoL skins are expensive too. For one thing, they must be purchased with RP and the cost for skins fall IN BETWEEN RP bundles. Want a 975 RP skin? Too bad, you HAVE to buy the 1270 RP bundle or higher.

And see the thing is, these 975 skins? They're the mark where skins actually start getting OK in LoL. The ones where it's not just palette swaps, but actual model modifications. Like where the HotS skins are at their BASELINE. LoL gets more expensive from there:

975
1350
1820
3250 for the ultimate skins

We've already established that you can't actually pay "cost price" of a LoL skin as you are forced to buy an RP bundle of a higher amount (for reference, they are 600, 1270, 2600, 4650 and then higher). So if you just want that one particular skin, too bad - you have to pay MORE than what it's priced at. Lets now have a look at what these bundles cost (in AUD for me. Work out your own currency) and compare:

1270 - $10
2600 - $20
4650 - $35

So if you wanna get an AVERAGE skin, you're forking over ten bucks at a MINIMUM. Want one of them shit hot Ultimates like PFE or SG Udyr? That's $35 right there

Now let's have a look at HotS skin pricing. We'll start with the current Legendary skins, equivalent to LoL's Ultimate (ignoring the fact that the art assets pumped into HotS skins and the model modifications of even simple ones are VASTLY superior to LoL's):

Infested Tychus and Mecha Tass - $16.49 AUD
Next tier - $10.99 AUD
Next - $8.24 AUD
Lowest - $5.49 AUD


Each skin alao has three recolours tossed in with it.

Finally, the creme de la creme of skins - the prestigeous Masters - are FREE. Not actually purchaseable with real money

So let's say again which is more expensive...? It only looks like HotS because it states dollar price baldly in the shop. LoL is hidden behind an artificial currency which makes you forget what you ACTUALLY paid for that currency, as well as forcing you to overspend on that currency even if you only wanted one item. HotS shop is one price, boom, done.

i still feel like i get more out of LoL
the 975 rp skin is with all new vfx and spell animations with a heavily modified model making it look different
1350 rp is for when they add just that little bit more with some voice changes too
and legendary is more or less a completely new champion

also, pricing is different around the world, same with the amount of rp you get
until recently i got 1780 rp for 10 euro or the same as 10 bucks
that allowed me to buy a 975 skin and still have 805 rp left
20 euro netted me close to 3700 rp

making me able to buy 3 skins and have 775 rp left
usually they sell skins at 50% off in bundles allowing me to get 6-7 skins or more for 20 euro if i were to buy a bundle
now if i spend 20 euro in heroes of the storm it would be 2 skins or 1 mount

Now on the quality of skins
975 skins used to be bad in LoL but Riot have overhauled the way they make and price skins, they don't even make recolor skins anymore and the cheapest ones you can get they still make is 750 rp which by the looks of it is the same as a heroes of the storm skin
since i don't think skins in HotS has any effect on spell effects?

and for me it seems that i get 1 skin with 2 recolors for it for the price of 10 euro
while i in LoL get a skin that have all new spell effects and visuals for 10 euro and still have 775 rp left

i'm not saying HotS is insanely expensive, but already now i think it's a little bit too much

[Nikkaszal]

A LOT of HotS skins have overhauled GFX, even non-Legendary

Some examples are Medic Uther, Countess Kerrigan, Pyjamathur, Luxorian BWing, Magni and Kandy Muradin

The two Legendaries (Tychus and Tass) have completely brand new models and animations to go with the unique GFX.

[Mormolyce]

My Winter Veil Jaina has a bigass snowman instead of a Water Ele, the Rehgar has reindeer horns and a Rudolph nose in ghost wolf form, Mecha Tassadar transforms into a motherfucking jet fighter for a mount...

What you get out of those premium HoTS skins is pretty fucking awesome IMO, and they've already gone back and added more detail to existing alt skins several times so who knows, maybe there'll be even more of that kind of thing.

[Nerraw]

A LOT of HotS skins have overhauled GFX, even non-Legendary

Some examples are Medic Uther, Countess Kerrigan, Pyjamathur, Luxorian BWing, Magni and Kandy Muradin

The two Legendaries (Tychus and Tass) have completely brand new models and animations to go with the unique GFX.

Magni Muradin transforms into diamond form with Avatar.

[Deleted]

just too bad that some recolors you unlock look awesome as hell and actually make the hero look different
while on some it's just the most boring recolor you've ever seen that could have been done by changing the hex in one line of coding

Oh, not all the freebies meet your standards, only some are awesome? That's so terrible.

i think their shop is pricey, i know you get "3" skins with a skin since they have recolors, but it's still expensive considering it's a skin
even the bundles with 50% off i feel like what i get is nothing for the price, 10 euro for a high priced hero? 10 euro for a semi good skin? while the good ones go to 15-20 euro and the mounts is 15-20 euro too, that's a whole lot of money for just one cosmetic

sad part is that they european prices are cheap right now, because the economy has changed, i expect prices to rise by 25% or more from what they are now once they get down to changing it

In comparison to what? In LoL recolor skins you pay for, in HotS they are free. Skins that actually modify the model cost ~$7(though you have to pay $10 since RP is annoying) to ~$30 - in HotS the cheapest actual skins are $7, and that constitutes majority of them. Then there are $10 ones comparable to LoL's $15($20 if you want only the skin and leftover RP is shit) legendaries, and $15 ones comparable to LoL's $35 ultimates. HotS is truly expensive in a direct comparison, isn't it? Let's not even mention the constant half price weeks. I'm not very familiar with DotA prices, but the most expensive skins are $35 and I imagine the worse ones are priced comparably.

Honestly, as far as I know, you can get almost anything from a drop, I think it includes the $35 stuff since your account can be flagged to find arcanas, but it's really really rare. Like crazy rare. That being said, I could be 100% wrong with that, for the most part though, anything in the store can drop, but it's in pieces.

Yeah, but if you want a particular skin you essentially must buy it. Gambling for a 0.1% chance of getting a hyper-super-rare drop, and the one you actually want, worth $30 is not really feasible. ^.^

i'm not saying HotS is insanely expensive, but already now i think it's a little bit too much

You think skins in general, across all mobas are too expensive? Alright, I fully agree. I live in Poland so $20 is actually a lot of money (That coffee comparison from earlier? A coffee costs me ~$1 after converting from PLN) and like hell I'm spending it on some visuals in any game. HOWEVER, if you are trying to claim HotS is more expensive than other mobas in terms of skins, you're full of shit.

[Zuben]

Playing to get gold for heroes, skins and mounts I desire is core gameplay progression for me, so I don't spend a cent on the game and thus don't care about the pricing. I can criticize it just like I can criticize the pricing of the shop-mounts of WoW, but ultimately their value is determined by the market. The price is right when people buy the stuff.

[Primalthirst]

The prices are far higher than what I would deem reasonable. No way I'm going to spend money on any of them.
In fact the prices of the Heroes themselves are probably high enough that I just won't continue playing the game.

I'm pretty sure I got into the Closed Beta so early because I dumped a heap of money on Hearthstone and they think I'm a big spender, but I could see value in those purchases, these seem excessive. I'd rather buy an entirely new game than a single hero or skin.

[Unholyground]

So,

I enjoy Hearthstone, I've spent a lot of money and thought it was worth it.

Sometimes I even spend some extra to get an card back (like pre-ordering Blackrock Mountain Adventure). But I know it's silly, the card backs are just aesthetic, and what's more is that there is already so many card backs, and their visibility while actually playing is almost non-existant other than knowing your opponent is looking at them.

But I can understand spending like $5 on a card back you really like.

What I don't understand is the crazy prices associated with Heroes of the Storm.

In almost ever regard, skins are like Hearthstone card backs, but they cost SO MUCH, and there's SO MANY MORE!

Mounts can cost $20, skins like $8 and heroes themselves are like $10... each! And there are tons of characters and mounts and skins are always being added.

I can understand the $10 for characters, those are like the cards from a pack in Hearthstone, but the massive amount of aesthetic items and their prices seem outrageous.

Anyone else?

Have you played LoL? some of the skins are 20$, and all the champions are about 8-10$ there too if they are new. However you clearly did not even look at the Hero prices because a bunch of them are only 2.99 and not to mention gold is easy to make if you just buy Heroes that way like I am. Their prices are fair.

[rarhyx]

newb question: will gold prices go down?
because anub'arak is now 4k or 7k down from 10k, and I know thrall was 15k at first (I can imagine the 15k to 10k for new heroes, but what about the others)
was it mentioned somewhere? or is it just an adjustment (in anub's case)

[Deleted]

newb question: will gold prices go down?
because anub'arak is now 4k or 7k down from 10k, and I know thrall was 15k at first (I can imagine the 15k to 10k for new heroes, but what about the others)
was it mentioned somewhere? or is it just an adjustment (in anub's case)

All new heroes start at 15k and go to 10k soon after(2 weeks? Not sure.).

As for others, they occasionally get cheaper to be true to the difficulty=price rule as they get old. Those adjustments are rare though, nothing to count on if you plan to buy a hero you like.

[Jester Joe]

Yeah, but if you want a particular skin you essentially must buy it. Gambling for a 0.1% chance of getting a hyper-super-rare drop, and the one you actually want, worth $30 is not really feasible. ^.^

Well, I'm not sure about the arcanas, like I said, I know it definitely used to flag your account so they can drop, but they might not even. That being said, even if they don't drop, there's only like, 5 or 6 arcanas in the game anyway, but yeah, for those chances are you'd have to buy them.

That being said though, the rest of the sets are pretty commonly dropped, in fact, Valve usually has holiday events/update events that will literally just drop sets like crazy.

I mean, granted, I don't think the price in HoTS is too bad, it's just a "wait until it's on sale" type of thing.