How does Blizzard handle their WoW expansions?

[skace]

Originally posted by: Jakeisbest
Wow, (no pun intended) I have played thousands of games of starcraft I don't think I have ever even played through the entire original campaign, much less the expansion.

Same with Warcraft 3 just enough single player to get the feel of the game then straight to on-line.

You are missing out, Blizzard creates some absolutely amazing RTS single player campaigns. Not that tripe shit most RTS's come with.

 

[9mak9]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: Jakeisbest
Wow, (no pun intended) I have played thousands of games of starcraft I don't think I have ever even played through the entire original campaign, much less the expansion.

Same with Warcraft 3 just enough single player to get the feel of the game then straight to on-line.

You are missing out, Blizzard creates some absolutely amazing RTS single player campaigns. Not that tripe shit most RTS's come with.

Something that Blizzard is great at (like the black isle games) is the story which I feel that it enhances any game more than better graphics. You are really missing out in Diablo, Warcraft and Starcraft if you do not play the single player games and experience the story.

Which is something that I feel is missing with WoW (not really invested story) and most MMOs.


It is definitely true that you can get better value by purchasing BC as well but the fact is I have 8 races, 9 classes and 6 unique starting locations that can take a long time to get though. I like variety and trying out all the different aspects of the game. I have been playing for around a month and I have lvl 34 paladin and then 7 other characters from lvl 2-14.

But as someone said, I cannot play Death Knight and the expansions are too high lvl for me anyway.

Also in say 3-4 months I might find a sale or get the game for cheaper since it's been out for awhile.

 

[manko]

I'm probably better off not going back to WoW, but this is one of the things that keeps me away whenever I get the urge to check it out again. Having to buy all the intervening expansions is a big turn off, especially since I would probably only play for a month or two. Over years of play, I guess the initial expense wouldn't be that bad, but I know it won't hold my interest long enough to justify the expense.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Originally posted by: peritusONE

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer

Originally posted by: peritusONE

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer

Originally posted by: peritusONE

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
Technically yes, but if you are going with that approach, "technically" the cost of entry is $0, because free trials are available.

Besides, anybody who would be seriously interested in possibly playing WOW wouldn't start without BC or WotLK. You're just limiting your experience of the game right out of the gate.

No Blood Elves, no Draenei, no Death Knights, no Outlands, no Northrend...basically, you can play the 1-60 game only (which is the worst part of the game ATM), and...you have to buy the expansions anyway. Might as well buy them all up-front if you really want to play WOW.

Blood Elves and Draenei are just another selection of races to choose, but to a new player, what comes with vanilla WoW is plenty enough to get started. Death Knights aren't available until level 55. Outlands is a 60-70 area. Northrend is a 70-80 area.

I don't really see what a new player is missing out on by only buying the $20 vanilla WoW and playing through it for a couple months. You may think it is the worst part of WoW, but that's because you've already invested days of playtime into everything. If you were a new player, then somebody telling you that 1-60 was the worst part of the game wouldn't matter, because you can't even take advantage of hardly any of the expansion content anyway.

Also, if only buy vanilla WOW, then decide to buy BC later, you actually end up spending $10 more.

So, you're wasting money by just buying vanilla WOW. Just get the Battle Chest.

WotLK, yes, that is optional, since it's mostly high-end stuff. BC, however, is required. Not only is 1-20 far superior in the BE or Draenei lands, but someone might get to 60, buy BC, and see that they could have had their mage be a Blood Elf instead of a Troll. Why limit yourself in order to save (not really) a few bucks? If you like WOW, you'll have to buy BC and WotLK anyway.

Burning Crusade is only $20 at Walmart. Besides, just because someone starts playing WoW doesn't automatically mean they'll play all the way to level 80. So if you buy the Battle Chest but quit after a couple of months and only got to level 40 or something, then you wasted money. Not everyone gets hooked.

$29.82 World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC / MAC)

Hmm...really?

I guess yes, for the shortsighted person who doesn't plan ahead properly, just buying vanilla WOW would be a "better deal" than buying the Battle Chest.

All of my local Walmarts have Burning Crusade for $20. I'll get proof if you'd like (I'll even find my receipt from when I bought it 2 weeks ago). It still doesn't change the fact that you are basically calling people stupid (my word, not yours) for not buying expansions to a game that they may not even play enough to get any use of. Why buy it now if you can't really use hardly any of it? Unless you're sure you're in it for the long haul, I see no reason for just buying the $20 vanilla WoW and having fun with it until you're sure you need the expansion.

Regardless, this is a stupid argument, I don't even know why I'm participating. You think wasting money is not trying to foresee the future, I think wasting money is buying stuff you can't really use at the moment.

the truth is, you shouldn't buy anything right away. You do the 10 day trial. That alone should give you enough exposure to the game for you to decide if you want to invest in it or not.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
$40 on battlechest?

Yeah right... it usually is like $20

Humble Pie

Originally posted by: manko
I'm probably better off not going back to WoW, but this is one of the things that keeps me away whenever I get the urge to check it out again. Having to buy all the intervening expansions is a big turn off, especially since I would probably only play for a month or two. Over years of play, I guess the initial expense wouldn't be that bad, but I know it won't hold my interest long enough to justify the expense.

This was my point exactly. As I mentioned, in an EQ expansion, 1 or 2 now, all previous expansions are included. If you buy EQ2: The Shadow Odyssey right now, you get EQ2, Desert of Flames, Kingdom of Sky, and Ruins of Kunark with it. Total Price ~40 dollars.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: loki8481
now, the battle chest has original + BC and WotLK as a separate purchase.

after Cat is released, the battle chest will have the original + BC + WotLK and Cat will be a separate purchase.

Thanks for the answer. Not smart of Blizzard though they have been slipping for years now.

Considering the content they release free every few months in each major content patch would be a separate expansion for EQ / EQ2 under the Sony mantra of demanding money rather than making a product that deserves it, the overall investment is lower with WoW for all but the newest players.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: CKent

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: loki8481
now, the battle chest has original + BC and WotLK as a separate purchase.

after Cat is released, the battle chest will have the original + BC + WotLK and Cat will be a separate purchase.

Thanks for the answer. Not smart of Blizzard though they have been slipping for years now.

Considering the content they release free every few months in each major content patch would be a separate expansion for EQ / EQ2 under the Sony mantra of demanding money rather than making a product that deserves it, the overall investment is lower with WoW for all but the newest players.

Err, no. The smallest EQ2 expansion thus far, Desert of Flames, has been larger than any WoW expansion yet released. Every GU for EQ2 also adds content, these usually come once every 30 to 45 days.

 

[CKent]

By what measurement of size?

Last I checked, Sony had given up expansions since they weren't big enough money-makers, and had moved to a new model of releasing something they called "extensions" every 3 months for $20-$30. In other words, the content Blizzard releases for free.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: CKent
By what measurement of size?

Last I checked, Sony had given up expansions since they weren't big enough money-makers, and had moved to a new model of releasing something they called "extensions" every 3 months for $20-$30. In other words, the content Blizzard releases for free.

EQ2 gets 1 expansion roughly every 12 months, costing between 30 and 40 dollars. Initially, they released cheaper priced Adventure Packs, with pricing between 4.99 and 14.99. The Adventure Packs were phased out in favor of free content updates about 2 years ago.

 

[fatpat268]

I bought the WoW Battlechest last November for about $20... so if you have the power to wait, it might drop again.

That said, for someone who is completely new to the game, it's smarter for them to just buy a copy of vanilla WoW for less than $20 as opposed to $40 for the battle chest. Most of the benefits of BC won't be realized until level 58 anyway. Sure, you've got two new classes, but most people don't pick Dranei or Blood Elf anyway. If you do want to play those classes, pay the extra money.

But, if I'm recommending the game to someone new to the game, I'd rather have them only paying $20 (essentially only $5 for the game) if they don't like it or quit before the expansion content. If they are hooked, yes it'll be a little more expensive, but we're talking about maybe $10. Not a big deal, especially considering how long you have to play to get to that content in the first place.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Who is more dumb... The person who thinks they will make it to level 68/70, buys the battle chest, but fizzles out at level 40... Or, the person who buys vanilla because they are cautious, gets to level 58-60 and decides they would now like to buy BC? And let's not forget the person who bought only vanilla and fizzles out at level 40...