P2W in my opinion is something that gives you a competitive advantage against other players in content that matters.
So in the case of WoW that would be in Arena/RBG, mythic+ and raids. There have never been and still isn't anything that you can buy from Blizzard that gives you a competitive advantage in these areas.
Edit: I am wrong. You can buy a race change and races can give you an advantage, albeit a small one, in competitive end-game settings.
In the case of the TBC boost I would rather call it Pay-to-avoid-hassle. You can to a small degree compare it with the tab-system in PoE where you can still play the game with the free tabs, but it is a goddam hassle.
But it’s not skipping straight to the endgame. You are literally starting at the beginning of TBC. Which is the game being released.
There is absolutely nothing about this boost that gives me an inherent advantage over someone of equal level. It’s not granting me extra power. It’s not granting me better stats, skills, or gear. It’s not even putting me ahead of anyone else playing TBC proper.
but they do that already (or did? I think SL they removed it)
U can buy tokens for real life gold, buy from BMAH best gear when it get released, and bam u are better than 99% of wow players without even setting a foot inside a raid
not to mention u can always buy tokens for gold, buy a hc raid boost, and get 2nd best gear with just being online and probably /follow the healer in end of raid, yeah not top but still some of best gear, and all it needed from u is just hard cold cash, zero effort
So yeah u don't get the best gear possible (mythic raiding), but u still get 2nd best with just paying cash non stop, how is that not p2w? compare it to 50% of world players who live in fucked up 3rd world countries, sub price is already 1/4 of their salary, they have to bust their ass to work daily to not die from starvation, they can't afford boost, and they can barely raid, will at most achieve same status as the p2w player after months of actual hard effort
that scenario didn't even exist pre-token era, gold hoarding had weak to no value back when gold didn't give u any reward outside of potions and flasks and repair bills, something that even least free hardcore raider can get by just doing dailies once a week at most (if he even needs that)
The beginning of wisdom is the statement 'I do not know.' The person who cannot make that statement is one who will never learn anything. And I have prided myself on my ability to learn
Thrall
http://youtu.be/x3ejO7Nssj8 7:20+ "Alliance remaining super power", clearly blizz favor horde too much, that they made alliance the super power
Explain to me how a boosted character have an advantage over a character lvled from 1 att lvl 70? Keep in mind that the lvl 1 character easily could ding 70 before the boosted one.
P2W is paying to get advantage over other players. Slipping a few lvls in a game where a majority have Raid Gear at lvl 60 now is not an advantage over other players.
how exactly that? u both work, u both have 2 hours only to play a day, u are already doing hcs and getting badges while he still didn't get to outland in first place
how is that not advantage? saving time IS advantage, raid spots are limited and u'll get to raid and top gear while he has to fight with 1502 of non p2w players to find a raid spot, assume he picked a class that is needed in first place
The beginning of wisdom is the statement 'I do not know.' The person who cannot make that statement is one who will never learn anything. And I have prided myself on my ability to learn
Thrall
http://youtu.be/x3ejO7Nssj8 7:20+ "Alliance remaining super power", clearly blizz favor horde too much, that they made alliance the super power
How is it that people still don’t know the definition of pay to win? What unobtainable in game advantage is being purchased? People just love to cry.
Most likely the wisest Enhancement Shaman.
explain to me how exactly it is start on same footage when both played for just 1 second, one is already 58 and other is lvl 1? how exactly are they same value?
p2w is any advantage that real money gives, regardless u can achieve it later with invest lot of money or not, most p2w games btw do that: pay now to get service fast or just grind it slowly without paying
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time, since ur time has no value for u, for me he is saving more time just because he payed more in a sub-based game already is ridiculous
The beginning of wisdom is the statement 'I do not know.' The person who cannot make that statement is one who will never learn anything. And I have prided myself on my ability to learn
Thrall
http://youtu.be/x3ejO7Nssj8 7:20+ "Alliance remaining super power", clearly blizz favor horde too much, that they made alliance the super power
Apparently even buying a mount is p2w.
- Look at my mount, now show me yours
- Didn’t buy it
- Hahaha I win
- Fuck this piece of shit greedy company, I remember they had a soul in 1995
I mean, you can define it that way of course, but then every micro transaction is either cosmetic or p2w and that would just make the conversation around them less precise.
There is a lot of good f2p games that let you safe time or give you convenience for money.
The are no good p2w games (pay for power).
Wow is clearly part of the first group. It just shouldn't really have any micro transaction because it's not a f2p game.
"And all those exclamation marks, you notice? Five?
A sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head."
For endgame focused players, the time they save levelling up is a very noticeable advantage.
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I think you were being very witty when you typed this... but I would really consider editing this if I were you. Friendly advice