Why Is A Free 90 A Bad Thing To Some?

[Weightlifter]

Because it's not free.

[Neyze]

I don't think a free 90 is a bad thing. In fact, I think it's a pretty good idea. But it should be limited to ONE. No exceptions. And ABSOLUTELY no paid 90s. That is way beyond crossing the line. To me, having multiple 90s doesn't show skill. It shows commitment. And when any player can purchase multiple level 90s, people who put time and work into leveling their characters aren't recognized. However, I do think Blizzard is making a HUGE mistake introducing this feature, from a financial point of view. I honestly don't know what they're thinking. Okay, sure, leveling 100x might be a bit much for a new player. But a free 90 goes totally against Blizz's philosophy of having maximum content for players to enjoy. With a free 90, 90% of the game is completely skipped. Leveling is huge part of WoW, and they're crazy to think this is going to keep new players interested. The way I see it is like this, a player new to MMOs in general shouldn't have a problem leveling. It's a part of the game and it's something new they're experiencing. On the other hand, a player experienced in MMOs but new to WoW shouldn't have a problem leveling either, because they'll be able to breeze through it and get to end game quickly anyway. IMO the free 90 should be heavily heavily discouraged, but still an option. And honestly the greed of Blizzard is starting to sicken me as well. Paid 90s it pathetic. Mounts and pets were bad enough, but an ENTIRE fucking CHARACTER?! God I can't even express how disappointed I am in Blizzard.

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I play a mage and i have never needed ice block or to do any of that stuff. Polymorph is completely pointless because ppl just aoe and pop it back.
And as for your second point Blizz said that the levels are designed to help teach you your class so its a non issue

You play a mage and you've never needed to use ice block? Hate to tell you this but you're doing it wrong. Do you not use blink either? They might seem like simple fun spells but they are extremely useful situational spells in pve.

[Deleted]

I don't understand how it can be intimidating .. I mean, you got a shitton of fucking content!

I wish I was a total noob again and knew close to nothing about WoW. That's when WoW was best. Strolling around in the barrens for weeks mindlessly killing stuff just because..

ahh..

[jcf190]

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/to...9749?page=2#38

[Giscoicus]

But if the level cap is 100 how is this "pay to win?"

Easy answer. It is not. You still have to level 91-100 then gear up at 100.

For the arguments that people dont know their class, there are a SHIT TON of people that do that now. You can get buy with it in LFR. But flex normal, heroic, and mythic, you definately wont be able to. You will be kicked for not pulling the numbers.

People bitch just to bitch. Buying a 90 when level cap is 100 does not hurt you, me, or any one else.

How would normal mode gear for sale be P2W when there is still heroic?

Now if they were selling normal-heroic gear, I can promise the response would be a lot different, but nevertheless it's an advantage. Blizzards statements on the reasoning behind this change especially are applicable to gear being sold.

[Maggibesti]

Getting a character to level 90 requires nowhere near decent skill level.

No one is talking about skill level. But a knowledge of the class they're playing. Like if you're playing a mage, you know he uses Frost bolt as frost, Firebolt as fire etc. But if a new player just purchases an instant lvl 90, what does he know about his class? Sure he may know to queue for PvE or PvP, but he surely doesn't know a single thing what he´s doing except pressing buttons. But if he would level that char to 90, he would at least have a little knowledge on how his class's ability's work. But he wont know that if he just purchases a level 90.

Sure it's alright to reward a free level 90 for those who purchase WoD, but with restrictions. Like you will need a level 100 to use it. You will have to do a series or tests to teach you the new class. Use buffs, what they do, what spells are your strongest spells etc. I wouldn't want a feral druid with mixed gear of int, str and agi to queue as healer cause he thinks he can heal.

And you know that the "free" level 90, is just there so they can start selling it, specifically. Like add to the store "Hey, purchase a free level 90 boost for only 24.99$!" Next thing we see "Purchase this Heroic Warforged Weaponf or only 4.99!" Yeah, I bet ya it will be like that in 2-3 years tops, maybe sooner.

[Deleted]

No one is talking about skill level. But a knowledge of the class they're playing. Like if you're playing a mage, you know he uses Frost bolt as frost, Firebolt as fire etc. But if a new player just purchases an instant lvl 90, what does he know about his class? Sure he may know to queue for PvE or PvP, but he surely doesn't know a single thing what he´s doing except pressing buttons. But if he would level that char to 90, he would at least have a little knowledge on how his class's ability's work. But he wont know that if he just purchases a level 90.

Please. First and foremost it's a boost to level 90 and not 100 meaning that they still need to understand the basics of their character in order to level up. Secondly, rotations change, especially at max level. I highly doubt anyone is convinced that a player that has just reached level 90 on his fury warrior, knows the optimal rotation for his class and spec, given his current stats etc.
Point: People don't know how to play their class when they ding max level, they never do. Shortening a 100 level grind to a 10 level grind hardly makes a difference.

[Deleted]

Why Is A Free 90 A Bad Thing To Some?

It's essentially Blizzard saying "we don't care about anything else except the current content, and neither should you".
It's removing the last vestiges of WoW being an actual MMO as opposed to a everyone-to-the-last-raid-tier-quick queue-a-thon.

It might get the 3 remaining people in the world that haven't tried WoW yet to play it for a month, and perhaps some that skipped MoP to return, but in the long run it's bad for everyone, some just don't realize it yet.

[esach88]

No one is talking about skill level. But a knowledge of the class they're playing. Like if you're playing a mage, you know he uses Frost bolt as frost, Firebolt as fire etc. But if a new player just purchases an instant lvl 90, what does he know about his class? Sure he may know to queue for PvE or PvP, but he surely doesn't know a single thing what he´s doing except pressing buttons. But if he would level that char to 90, he would at least have a little knowledge on how his class's ability's work. But he wont know that if he just purchases a level 90.

Sure it's alright to reward a free level 90 for those who purchase WoD, but with restrictions. Like you will need a level 100 to use it. You will have to do a series or tests to teach you the new class. Use buffs, what they do, what spells are your strongest spells etc. I wouldn't want a feral druid with mixed gear of int, str and agi to queue as healer cause he thinks he can heal.

And you know that the "free" level 90, is just there so they can start selling it, specifically. Like add to the store "Hey, purchase a free level 90 boost for only 24.99$!" Next thing we see "Purchase this Heroic Warforged Weaponf or only 4.99!" Yeah, I bet ya it will be like that in 2-3 years tops, maybe sooner.

I feel like you forget the part where Blizz stated they wanted to implement an instant 90 starter zone similar to the DK's start zone. If that's the case then your argument is invalid. Also selling an instant 90 is very different from selling gear. One allows you access to what many believe is where the game actually begins (level 100 would be to much in my opinion but they still force you to level from 90 to 100.). The other allows you to bypass the game entirely with a clear advantage over other players without an ounce of work. Massive difference right there. Plus you'd lose out on thousands of gold that you build up while levelling. I usually use the gold I've built up levelling on my flying licenses.

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It's essentially Blizzard saying "we don't care about anything else except the current content, and neither should you".
It's removing the last vestiges of WoW being an actual MMO as opposed to a everyone-to-the-last-raid-tier-quick queue-a-thon.

It might get the 3 remaining people in the world that haven't tried WoW yet to play it for a month, and perhaps some that skipped MoP to return, but in the long run it's bad for everyone, some just don't realize it yet.

Yup, that's why they've put pet drops on old bosses like those in AQ and other raids. They did that because they wanted you to only focus on new content. Gotcha!
They are even making sure that the item squish doesn't hinder players who like to solo old content. Blizz has even stated that they like the fact people enjoy reliving old content. Feel free to quit. I on the other hand will enjoy my instant 90 and raiding old content

[Deleted]

No one is talking about skill level. But a knowledge of the class they're playing. Like if you're playing a mage, you know he uses Frost bolt as frost, Firebolt as fire etc. But if a new player just purchases an instant lvl 90, what does he know about his class? Sure he may know to queue for PvE or PvP, but he surely doesn't know a single thing what he´s doing except pressing buttons. But if he would level that char to 90, he would at least have a little knowledge on how his class's ability's work. But he wont know that if he just purchases a level 90.

Sure it's alright to reward a free level 90 for those who purchase WoD, but with restrictions. Like you will need a level 100 to use it. You will have to do a series or tests to teach you the new class. Use buffs, what they do, what spells are your strongest spells etc. I wouldn't want a feral druid with mixed gear of int, str and agi to queue as healer cause he thinks he can heal.

And you know that the "free" level 90, is just there so they can start selling it, specifically. Like add to the store "Hey, purchase a free level 90 boost for only 24.99$!" Next thing we see "Purchase this Heroic Warforged Weaponf or only 4.99!" Yeah, I bet ya it will be like that in 2-3 years tops, maybe sooner.

I think even people who don't play mages know that frost mages use frost bolt, etc. In the end it depends on the player. A player, who wants to perform well, will research his class.

[Maggibesti]

I think even people who don't play mages know that frost mages use frost bolt, etc. In the end it depends on the player. A player, who wants to perform well, will research his class.

I'm talking about a new player that hasn't played WoW. With free 90 there will be a lot of those, and they can basically ruin your day.

[Vankrys]

i don't know if it's a bad idea, but i certainly think it's sad MMOs has come to that.

By that i mean, ruch to max level, without enjoying much the actual game world and enter the "repetitive" endgame activity (meaning, grind)
I remember with fondness my first leveling in wow vanilla, despite all it's flaw. and after many years of endgame heroic raiding and mandatory daily, i find myself more attracted to a world adventuring than raiding or pvping.

It's my choice, you would tell me, good for me and if other choose to rush to max level, that's their choice too. And you would be right, but it would leave the low level world "underpopulated". Again, don't know if it's a bad thing, but it's sad that MMOs is not about adventuring in the wild world and meeting interesting people along the way anymore.

[Seditian]

I'm willing to bet my right arm that in half a year too they'll be defending Blizzard selling something even more extreme than an instant L90.

WOAH!? Even more EXTREME than selling a simple level 90 which saves you 20 hours of leveling? Goddamn, that's pretty fucking extreme.

[Deleted]

I'm talking about a new player that hasn't played WoW. With free 90 there will be a lot of those, and they can basically ruin your day.

A new player will have to learn the very basics of the game, not just their own class. The average new player will probably not be playing their own class perfectly when they hit 100 in WoD, but I'm not sure whether that would change that much if they start from level 1. Much more interesting to me is, how will these players feel, when they have to start their second character at level 1, or how will those that don't play with their friends even know that their is a free level 90 character waiting for them.

[Yriel]

How would normal mode gear for sale be P2W when there is still heroic?

Now if they were selling normal-heroic gear, I can promise the response would be a lot different, but nevertheless it's an advantage. Blizzards statements on the reasoning behind this change especially are applicable to gear being sold.

No if they'd sell heroic level gear they would something along "You still can get it in raids for free, all you save is some time if you buy it so it hurts no one".

[risingforce]

Because the game is multi-player. Meaning other's skills in their class affect you.

No - I'm not an elitist, but I'd like people to at least have to TRY their best in their class, not PAY their best.

It's different now. We have LFR, Flex and 10 levels to Quest through to learn your character.

Raids will be Cross Realm and with Battle Tag, levelling with friends is so much easier now.

These (sic) people are not 'paying' "for their best", just a small convenience to skip a fossil of the past -levelling thru outdated content. These people will still level appropriately through 90-100 and then enter LFR, while you're off doing stuff 'these' people can only dream of -I presume!

[Idoru]

I'm talking about a new player that hasn't played WoW. With free 90 there will be a lot of those, and they can basically ruin your day.

It's not free when you have to pay for it.

[Cassidin]

Because the game is multi-player. Meaning other's skills in their class affect you.

No - I'm not an elitist, but I'd like people to at least have to TRY their best in their class, not PAY their best.

Only.... they dont. At the level cap of 100, people will still have to level 10 levels and play their class to get to level cap. The 1-90 section of the levelling will not mean a thing for how you play between 90 and 100. Agreed... some people starting a new character may play extra badly in lvl 90 dungeons when they first start - but that isn't for long. After a few levels they will have had the chance to learn how to play their character so it is no problem. If course, they will be those that dont manage to learn how to play well - or even to a minimum standard but we have that now even WITH the levelling - no difference tbh.

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I've experienced 'ebay' characters (when they used to be easy to get) - people could do the basic 3 or 4 things, but had no idea how to dispel, cc, shield or any of the other things you learn ONE at a time as you level up from 1.

Correction..... you GET those skills - but from experience I would say that a large number of people never LEARN how to use them. Gaining a skill one at a time does not mean you will learn how to use it. All these arguments were presented when they introduced the DKs and apart from DKs being vastly OP when they came out the doomsayers were all proved incorrect.

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A free 90 would be great but PAYING for a 90 is NOT FREE. People say this is pay to win because it gives people who spend more money an unfair advantage. Hence instead of playing to win they are paying to win.

I'm all for easy lvl 90 alts IF it is a reward for gameplay (in game achievements or currency)

I still don't see how having more level 90 characters (because you bought one or more) gives you an "advantage" yes you have other options as to which character to play but you still have to do the work to get to max level and gear your character and still have exactly the same chances on loot rolls in dungeons and raids. Where is the "unfair advantage"?

if the unfair advantage is simply having more characters then it is also an "unfair advantage" to purchase more copies of WoW so you have 22 character slots per realm instead of 11?

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It doesn't change anything, you can just get your 90 and do dungeons/lfr to learn your class, you need to re-adapt when you reach max level anyway.
It's fun to level alts but when a game goes on for nearly 10 years it makes sense to give people the change of seeing the current state faster.

Leveling from 1 to 100 it will require tremendous amount of time, i think that they should give more than 1 free 90 or vastly increase the leveling process for new characters.

True... personally I would like them to have the option to create a lvl90 character from the character creation screen... you can choose between starting a new character at 1, or 90 (or more generally the starting level of whichever expansion is current). However they are not going to do that - they are going to charge for them which isnt as good... but I really cant find that much problem with it either.

Paying for "optinal extras" is a standard practice in any subscription modal. I subscribe to Telewest TV, Broadband and Phone. I can chose the basic package I want, but then "bolt on" extras like Sky Movies, Sky Sports, or other optional packages. It would be a bit lame for me to complain to Telewest that I already pay a subscription charge so I should get all the optional extras free.

[Deleted]

Getting a character to level 90 requires nowhere near decent skill level.

Lets take 2 players who never played a fury warrior (random class and spec) and let them compete for dps for 5 dungeons. 1 bought a level 90 and 1 leveled to 90.

Dare to take a bet who will play best, and who won't even know what the fuck to put on their action bar.

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It's not free when you have to pay for it.

You get 1 free for just buying the new expansion. In WoW terms, it's free. Stop nitpicking.

[DechCJC]

I hugely disagree that leveling a character doesn't teach you about the class. If you take the time to read the skills and actually practice them in dungeons/bgs etc then you get a lot out of it. Example, from leveling DKs/Hunters/Rogues i've came up with nearly 30 macros some times even by the time i'm level 40. Gradually getting spells and learning how to use each one of them effectively is MUCH MUCH MUCH easier than picking up a 90 that you've never really played and trying to learn everything at once.

Sure, if you want to be an idiot and just speed run leveling without actually looking at what all of your spells are capable of, then go ahead. The only players that should do this are new players, but that's cause they don't know any better. Everyone else should benefit from it, I know I certainly do. I'd much rather figure out how a class works before level 90, and believe me, I learn a LOT from leveling.

I don't mind 1 free 90. It's a fair enough business model and new players will probably want to re-level anyway once they realize they don't have a clue what's going on (I don't do LFR so it won't hurt me, and in BGs/arenas it'll just make things easier). I do mind purchasable 90's though; Maybe if you could only buy 1 90 for every 2 90's that you currently own, but even then I still don't really like it. If people want to buy 10 WoD xpacs and transfer them all to your account, then go ahead; But Blizzard flat out offering 90's is just appalling.

It's nothing to do with it being fair or whatever, it's the aesthetics. I strongly believe that the enjoyment out of everything is the journey towards it, whenever you finally reach your goal it's usually quite underwhelming (well, after 5 minutes) - Being spoon fed absolutely everything just dilutes the experience, you don't 'have' to use everything that Blizzard offers, but just with it being there you know that you're just wasting your time if you don't just spend money on it. That, and I also have a bajillion 90's and it's kind of annoying to know that my time was COMPLETELY wasted (I guess I saved a few bucks but how am I to prove that I didn't just buy all of these characters now?)