Buying BFA but still having to "Unlock" Allied Races - your thoughts?

[ro9ue]

I've heard a few people bring up an interesting point about buying the BFA expansion, with a perk being Allied Races, but then also having to "unlock" them and it feels weird you can't automatically get them for the purchase.

For me personally, I already have the achievements I need to play all the races so this doesn't apply to me, but I find the principle an interesting discussion point.

Do you think it's a valid concern that you have to "unlock" allied races that are pitched as a perk of buying the BFA expansion? Like you would have to "unlock" a Demon Hunter, even though you bought the expansion it and it was pitched as a main feature.

Or do you consider it something like buying an expansion with the opportunity to unlock said allied races, sort of like you buy Legion, but you don't automatically get access to 110. You have to work through the levels. Or although you bought Legion to play a Demon Hunter, you still had to level it. (Or do you contest those are even fair analogies).

On the other hand, the unlock requirements for the Legion-based allied races are... Legion content technically.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

How dare people have to play the game to get cosmetic bonuses. What next can’t I not get all the mounts instantly for free?

[Directionalk9]

I agree man, I think it’s dumb too. It’s exactly as stupid as not getting all my transmogs after I run a raid once.

[united]

oh nice, are we doing another EA style hate fest again

[Jazzhands]

I had to do a quest to get into Cataclysm zones. HOW DARE BLIZZARD MAKE ME BOTH BUY AN EXPANSION AND DO A QUEST (IN A GAME ABOUT QUESTING NO LESS!) TO ENJOY ITS CONTENT!

Basically what this thread is saying. If you play the game at all right now, you have the requirements for pretty much all allied races already done. All that's left is some short story quests, and if you can't even do that, you don't deserve allied races.

[Detheavn]

Hear hear. It's like DKs and DHs. They never had any type of restriction, so why should we have to bleed for Allied races...

[Jagscorpion]

So... you initially had to "unlock" dk's by getting to level 55. Touting it as a feature of the expansion but then requiring engagement with the game to use it isn't necessarily misleading, as long as it's not too strenuous. If the experience of the questline is supposed to be engaging then I can see the lock being reasonable. To be perfectly frank the subraces don't excite me, so more quest content to use them is just meh, in my opionion.

[Heladys]

Do content, get rewards. How is this concerning?

[Shrouded]

I think it's fine. In fact, I wish more things in the game followed the same kind of system. The only real issue I see with it is that reputation is a really dull, unimaginative way to unlock them.

[Rendark]

Ya it's dumb. It would be like having to grind rep to unlock goblins and worgen or DK and DH.

[ro9ue]

So... you initially had to "unlock" dk's by getting to level 55. Touting it as a feature of the expansion but then requiring engagement with the game to use it isn't necessarily misleading, as long as it's not too strenuous. If the experience of the questline is supposed to be engaging then I can see the lock being reasonable. To be perfectly frank the subraces don't excite me, so more quest content to use them is just meh, in my opionion.

I feel like the discussion revolves around player expectation. For Wrath, you likely had a level 70 already when you were buying the new expansion. If a new player bought it, it made sense to not allow them to make a level 55 immediately without any prior experience with the game (or really any sense to get Wrath right away if they had Vanilla + BC content to work through still).

With BFA its a little different. Basically it's saying you buy this expansion you get access to Allied Races. Which is true, the content is now available. For me I already have those achievements completed. But imagine you're a PVPer who doesn't much really like questing. Or you focus on crafting or maybe you do quest, but only to hit level cap and don't really care much about finishing the storyline.

So you buy BFA with the expectation you are getting Allied Races, but you actually have to go back and finish out those questlines in Legion and grind out that rep. Now as someone who has paragon reputation on multiple level 110s and has done the full questline - of even Suramar - twice, I STILL recognize there are even more casual players or people with different playstyles.

I think that's what it comes down to.

Now if they want to add some bonus stuff like say hey, if you hit 110 on a Nightborne AND you have those other achievements, will give you a bonus lore thing for your efforts. Like another xmog or a title "of Suramar" or something. That makes more sense to me. If you buy BFA, it feels like those other races should be unlocked for you if they are tryign to pitch those as a feature.

That's at least how I view this.

[ro9ue]

How dare people have to play the game to get cosmetic bonuses. What next can’t I not get all the mounts instantly for free?

Do content, get rewards. How is this concerning?

I think it's fine. In fact, I wish more things in the game followed the same kind of system. The only real issue I see with it is that reputation is a really dull, unimaginative way to unlock them.

I'm mostly trying to make the point that if they are pitched Allied Races as a feature of the next expansion, but you are required to do questlines and reputation to actually get them, it can be a bit misleading. It requires completed content from a previous expansion. So technically when you put your money down for BFA, you don't get allied races unless you do the other content.

[Detheavn]

They both had restrictions. You had to have at least a level 55 to 'unlock' DK and you need to have a level 100(?) in order to 'unlock' a DH, so when you think about it like that. Blizzard is only doing what they have always done: set very low requirements to unlock something.

Ah yes, I should have known sarcasm was hard to read...
And yes, I agree, if you played the game, you would have passively unlocked the classes, as is the case with the races now. Pretty sure some people will still go "qq effort" though.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

I'm mostly trying to make the point that if they are pitched Allied Races as a feature of the next expansion, but you are required to do questlines and reputation to actually get them, it can be a bit misleading. It requires completed content from a previous expansion. So technically when you put your money down for BFA, you don't get allied races unless you do the other content.

It’s not misleading at all they also play up raids as a new feture and you have to actively play the game to do thoses to. If you want things in the game you should have to play the bloody game to get them.

[Scottyjscizzle]

Oh boy another allied race unlock thread! Haven't seen one of these in a few seconds.

[Detheavn]

People already are going "QQ" about this

For once I wanted to pretend there was nothing wrong yet ...

[Shrouded]

I'm mostly trying to make the point that if they are pitched Allied Races as a feature of the next expansion, but you are required to do questlines and reputation to actually get them, it can be a bit misleading. It requires completed content from a previous expansion. So technically when you put your money down for BFA, you don't get allied races unless you do the other content.

Yeah, I understand - but I don't think that's any more misleading than having the Lich King on the cover of an expansion, but having to gear up and get into a raiding guild and fight through all of ICC before you get to kill him, to be honest. The BfA website explains that you need to unlock them, so if anyone feels misled, well, I don't think it's Blizzard's fault.

[ro9ue]

It’s not misleading at all they also play up raids as a new feture and you have to actively play the game to do thoses to. If you want things in the game you should have to play the bloody game to get them.

But those are in the expansion content itself.

- - - Updated - - -

Bullshit. Theyve always said new zones as a feature and those weren't instantly available. Same goes for flying, raids, etc.

That's not really the point though. You buy expansion, you do the intro and go into the new zone. That's pretty much instantly available. Flying isn't a flagship feature they are trying to sell the expansion on.

When you bought Legion, you had instant access to make a Demon Hunter. When you bought Cataclysm you could instantly make a Goblin or Worgen... or pick up Archaeology.

With BFA if it goes live as is, you bought an expansion with a flagship feature = allied races, but in order to actually get them you have to first grind out reputations and finish a long quest storyline (in the previous expansion's content).

Those things aren't comparable to what you mentioned.


Just to reiterate - I have these things unlocked already, but you have to look at it from the average player's perspective. Most quest to hit level cap. Some don't even raid or grind reputation at end game. Why should they have to do old content in Legion, potentially hours worth of it, to have access to something they paid for?

[Katchii]

But those are in the expansion content itself.

So are the new 110-120 level zones, or any new zone content for previous expansions. Can't get to those unless you have a character of the appropriate level to enter those areas, which most peopel don't typically just automatically get for just buying the expansion. You buy the content and the ability to see it once you get to the appropriate checkpoint (usually level, but not always), expansions have never been about instantly getting to see everything the expansion had to offer. I don't see this "feature" as anything different.

[Alvito]

How dare people have to play the game to get cosmetic bonuses. What next can’t I not get all the mounts instantly for free?

It isn't just cosmetic they aren't reskins of current races they are 6 new races with some pretty strong racial abilities. Now I don't mind them adding quest in BfA content to unlock them, but wanting people to farm content from Legion content for 4 of the 6 races is pretty damn stupid.