Breakfast Topic: Paid services
by Zach Yonzon 
Jul 5th 2009 at 8:00AM
What we're essentially seeing is Blizzard's own clever version of microtransactions. Sure, we can't buy powerful items like those in free-to-play games (which will soon become endangered in China...), but we can pay real money to cater to our vanity or convenience. I've paid several times for server transfers, name changes, and even character re-customization. My wife grumbles whenever I shell out real money for those things, but I'm sure she'd pay to morph her former main, a Troll Priest, into a Blood Elf in a heartbeat. Even Matthew Rossi would pay good money to turn his Human Warrior into a huge-like-Rossi Draenei. There's only one problem, though -- they can't. Race change is one thing Blizzard hasn't given the go signal to... yet.
Anything's possible, though. Years ago, Blizzard unequivocally said that they would never allow PvE to PvP realm transfers. See how that turned out. What other paid services do you think Blizzard lacks? You probably already know that I'm all for race change as part of character re-customization. But how about paying for levels? I mean, despite all the changes they've made to make leveling easier, I abhor it. I'd gladly shell out some cash to get a high-level character right off the bat. What other paid World of Warcraft services do you think the game needs or players want?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Docp Jul 5th 2009 8:08AM
Paying for levels would be a step too far I think, I like that the changes Blizzard has allowed so far have been purely (or mostly) cosmetic which hasn't changed the way people play, even the upcoming faction change will be pretty inconsequential unless they mess it up and we see vast population changes, but I'd hate to see something that gave advantages to people with money.
Perhaps paid for mounts or cloths would be pretty cool, as long as they had no stats and didn't count towards achievements.
Marc Sadowski Jul 5th 2009 2:37PM
Technically, you CAN change races within factions. In the article, you mentioned that your wife would love to change her troll priest to a Blood Elf priest.
Step One: Change the Troll Priest to an Alliance Priest.
Step Two: Wait a few months
Step Three: Change Alliance Priest to a Blood Elf Priest.
Step Four: Blizzard Profits.
Tumnus Jul 5th 2009 2:42PM
The RaF Zhevra is essentially a paid-for mount that counts towards an achievement.
Magma Jul 5th 2009 2:55PM
This is incorrect Marc Sadowski. Blizzard already said that if you revert back you would become the same race you were.
Jon Do Jul 6th 2009 9:31AM
With RAF there is already some Blizzard sanctioned pay-for-level capability.
Kryxx Jul 7th 2009 2:47AM
Ummm, no. RAF does not cost anything to the recruiter.
Nathanyel Jul 5th 2009 8:08AM
There is also something fishy going on involving additional payments for playing SC2 or D3 online:
http://www.worldofraids.com/wow-blue-tracker/bn-forums/13832554353-we-going-to-have-to-pay-for-diablo-3online.html
Autowand Jul 5th 2009 8:11AM
I seriously doubt they'll add anything after this. Even if they wanted to give the option for someone to buy weapons/armor or buy levels, it would be completely unfair to several players and the idea would probably get dropped the second it came up.
Ametrine Jul 5th 2009 8:42AM
the paid faction changes should've been dropped when it came up, too.
Tirris Jul 5th 2009 10:36AM
"several players" hahahaha
Shockmore Jul 5th 2009 8:15AM
I'm not convinced that buying a high level character right off the bat with a little cash would be such a good idea. What I foresee happening would be a large decrease in endgame skill with new players.
Why spend 80 levels learning to play your class when you can just buy said class for a hundred bucks or whatever? Perhaps I'm a little biased, but that's what I see happening with Death Knights. Quite a few know nothing of their class by the time they get to 80 and try to faceroll through battlegrounds and raids, finding their dps to be terrible and their survivability in PvP null. Then comes the complaining, but that's a discussion for another time.
As much as I loath leveling my paladin, rogue, shaman and my own death knight from 70-80, I know that time of soloing and non-heroic running will teach me my class better, and prepare me for 80. Supposedly atleast.
Aceman67 Jul 5th 2009 9:21AM
so what you're saying is that since I only leveled my Pally to 55 just to get my DK and now that my DK is 4 levels from 80, I don't know how to play my class... I'm insulted.
Kinda odd when I was 7th on total DPS behind a bunch of Ulduar geared 80s in a Black Temple achievement run (full 25 group, 75+)
MechaKingGhidra Jul 5th 2009 10:37AM
@Aceman67:
You missed the part when Shockmore said "Quite a few" and not *all* Death Knights were essentially oblivious. There are plenty of decent Death Knights out there that actually put the time in to make things work for them and it really doesn't matter about trying to impress anyone with specifics on some random raid you went on.
Anywhoo, regarding the main topic, I'm not too terribly sure how I would feel about paying for increased starting level should it ever be implemented. I think staying on the fence about this would be best and just continue leveling characters from 1 is the best course of action since at least I'm getting *something* done rather than waiting to make more characters based on a paid service that may very well never occur in all likelyhood.
Plus, expanding my options with time I actually put in and not jumping in with a hundred things pulling me every which-way all at once seems to sound more pleasant should I make a class that is more or less foreign to me (rogues and shamans, how I've always loathed such awkward-feeling classes but I'll understand the fast pace even if it drives me insane).
virtualgigi Jul 5th 2009 8:15AM
I think that paid character levels should only be allowed to a point. For example you need atleast a level seventy to start your character out at 35 by payment, or level 80 to start them at 40 etc.
Trippy Jul 5th 2009 8:16AM
Personally I think the paid services should stay with stuff that doesn't impact the game too much. Changing server, changing gender and even changing race is not going to make a huge impact on whatever server you are playing on. I think that's all fine and quite cool, i've changed servers 3 times already, the cheering stops for me at the option to buy gear or gold with real life money. Such a service would influence the game too much. Luckilly, I believe Blizzard will not get to the point where they'll let you buy gold.
GormanGhaste Jul 5th 2009 8:16AM
How about paying to create additional character slots on a server?
Bod Jul 5th 2009 8:22AM
I think, as you correspondant wrote a couple of days ago, that if they're going to allow faction transfers they may as well also allow race transfers within faction. As the owner of a dwarf priest (which was a good choice 4 years ago) i'd definitely swap its racials now.
Rylka Jul 5th 2009 9:04AM
I also want additional character slots per server! You can see my full comment on this below.
heston_hoffman Jul 5th 2009 8:36AM
I'd love to finally see an option whereby you can transfer your characters between the US and EU servers out there. It would be great for all of us globetrotters. :)
Nevermindz Jul 6th 2009 3:44AM
This.
I had to create a brand new character on US realms when I had the toons I wanted to play stuck on EU realms. Bummer.