Locking in game specializations behind a level wall.

[rol3x]

I have played Dota 2 for a while now and Just got invited to the Heroes beta, I was deeply dismayed to find that 1/2 the skill options were not available to me.
I can understand a free to play game having skins and heroes behind a pay wall, gotta make money somehow but locking in game options away until you play x amount of games is irritating and might cause blizzard problems getting people on board.
For people coming from either dota where this doesn't happen or league where they have the resources already invested, this is a big deterrent.

What are everyone elses thoughts on this trend that seems to (mostly) permeate the genre?

[Jellospally]

It takes like... 6 games to hit level 8? If you play with a group, friend, weekend bonus. It's w/e really. Inb4 ppl qq they don't have the extra hero rotation slot cuz they aren't the right level either.

[Nerraw]

I don't see a problem with it. While it's annoying during the alpha I suppose, you'll only have to get to that point once when the game is fully released. The levelling system works as a learning experience, unlocking one bit at a time to allow players to learn over time instead of just throwing everything at them immediately.

[melzas]

Of course it makes sense, for new player, being overwhelmed with abilities is a bigger deterent than not being able to use everything from the get go. And like someone above me said, getting to that level 8 will not take you more than 1 or 2 evenings of playing anyway...

[TheBlinks]

Generally this is a bad idea but the way that Blizzard does it makes sense. Level 8 can be achieved after under 10 games and the buffer on talents really just serves as a nice stepping-stone for new players so they don't get overwhelmed by all the talents initially.

[Coldkil]

Having tried LoL, Dota 2 and this, and not being a fan of the genre, i must say this game is much mroe accessible - maybe it's even easier to play (tough my experience is very limited).

With LoL/DoTA i had the feeling they aren't exactly friendly with more casual gamers (like me with them); maybe the idea of Blizzard is to cater towards the part of gamers which aren't already playing one of those two so they don't get stuck into a playerbase fight but instead get new people into the genre. Hence all the slow learing path and unlockables thing.

[TheBlinks]

maybe the idea of Blizzard is to cater towards the part of gamers which aren't already playing one of those two so they don't get stuck into a playerbase fight but instead get new people into the genre. Hence all the slow learing path and unlockables thing.

I think you hit the nail right on the head. They kind of already did this with Hearthstone, and brought in a lot of both casual gamers and people who hadn't played video games before, since the game was free to play and so easily accessible. I think Blizzard is doing the same thing with HotS.

[Mormolyce]

Well I got the invite a few days ago, hardly played hots at all and I've just unlocked them. And I only picked one or two abilities I didn't already have anyway.

[Jazzycakes]

I can understand a free to play game having skins and heroes behind a pay wall, gotta make money somehow but locking in game options away until you play x amount of games is irritating and might cause blizzard problems getting people on board.

God forbid you actually work for anything in your life.