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Champion Pass - buyable champs sets a terrible precedent

Champion Pass - buyable champs sets a terrible precedent

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Nov 9, 2023, 15:4111/09/23
06/25/20
6644

Champion Pass - buyable champs sets a terrible precedent

From what I can tell, this is the first time they're introducing a direct relationship between a specific champ and money. Sure, you can argue that fusion events/etc allow people to essentially buy them, but as FTP you can get those too. Might take more effort, or more require resource management to have enough to get them, but they've always been doable. Even the ostensibly highest-cost ones such as those on the different Path events were doable as FTP.

But for Champion Pass, you literally need to spend money in order to get the champ at the end. That's a really, really bad path for this game to be going down. I sincerely hope they don't continue down it, but I worry that's exactly what they're planning on doing. 

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206
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98
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Nov 9, 2023, 16:2011/09/23
12/16/21
979

Well, apparantly you can also get her from a prism shard summon pool.


And didn't you need to buy the battlepass to get Wyrlim Frostking?

Nov 9, 2023, 16:2111/09/23
09/07/21
2

I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Raid and my spending allows the game to be Free of Charge to those who cannot afford (or don't wish to) invest in the game. I'm generally very happy to share what I have with others but quite frankly, what incentive do I have to spend on the game if I can get everything for free? 


So - Plarium is putting a champion behind a pay wall - what in the world is wrong with that? Those of us who spend tremendous sums of money deserve tremendous things in return. The entitlement of Free2Play individuals amuses me - not even Minecraft is free (!), but yet Plarium has somehow gone insane for charging limited fees for certain content? Oh come now, surely not. 


In my opinion, large amounts of the game should be open to everyone, but there simply is nothing wrong with offering access to special content, champions, bosses, rewards and more to the individuals who directly fund the development of a great game everyone can enjoy (almost all of). 😉

Nov 9, 2023, 16:2911/09/23
06/25/20
6644
MooredRat

Well, apparantly you can also get her from a prism shard summon pool.


And didn't you need to buy the battlepass to get Wyrlim Frostking?

Yeah I'm excluding that because it was very early in the game, and I wasn't playing at the time, so I can't comment on that.

As for the summon pool - that's not really comparable. All that does is gives you a higher chance of pulling from a shard. Doesn't give you a guaranteed champ by spending money.

Nov 9, 2023, 16:3611/09/23
03/19/23
1

"I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Raid "

I cannot for the life of me understand how someone can justify the spending of that much money on an online game.   Having played the game now for a little over a year, I've probably spent in the realm of $400 and even that seems extremely excessive but I justify it as personal entertainment expenses.

I won't be paying for this new event, yet another new champ to add to the long list of champs I want to someday invest books into is not a priority when I'm trying to pay down credit.

Nov 9, 2023, 16:4311/09/23
12/16/21
979
kramaswamy.kr

Yeah I'm excluding that because it was very early in the game, and I wasn't playing at the time, so I can't comment on that.

As for the summon pool - that's not really comparable. All that does is gives you a higher chance of pulling from a shard. Doesn't give you a guaranteed champ by spending money.

Right, but it still means it's *possible* to get her as an F2P.

Though if she's like previous 'celebrity' champs, I have to assume she'll only be obtainable for a short time, and thn never again, like Ninja or Ronda

Nov 9, 2023, 16:5611/09/23
06/16/22
203

I'm conflicted on this - I think I've heard a lot of user sentiment that goes along with "if I could just pay for this champion (albeit a reasonable amount) - I would do it". 

The Elva battle pass (I still don't fully understand this one) works like this. And I know a lot of even FTP individuals would pull the trigger on guarenteed S tier champions. 

Theres been mentions of people basically just saying if they could guarantee pull Taras they would do it (since it's essentially just all RNG). 

So I totally understand your point about involving pay into the game - but it also takes some potential RNG out of the equation. 

If she's an S tier champ, and the only way to pull her outside of the Pass is to pull her on the summon events - that's fair, FTP players can try their RNG on the summon events. If someone wants her as a guarantee, they can get her through the pass. 

Nov 9, 2023, 17:0211/09/23
12/19/19
6311
doctor_blur

I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Raid and my spending allows the game to be Free of Charge to those who cannot afford (or don't wish to) invest in the game. I'm generally very happy to share what I have with others but quite frankly, what incentive do I have to spend on the game if I can get everything for free? 


So - Plarium is putting a champion behind a pay wall - what in the world is wrong with that? Those of us who spend tremendous sums of money deserve tremendous things in return. The entitlement of Free2Play individuals amuses me - not even Minecraft is free (!), but yet Plarium has somehow gone insane for charging limited fees for certain content? Oh come now, surely not. 


In my opinion, large amounts of the game should be open to everyone, but there simply is nothing wrong with offering access to special content, champions, bosses, rewards and more to the individuals who directly fund the development of a great game everyone can enjoy (almost all of). 😉

I'm f2p and I agree with you 100%

Thank you for your service 😆 

Nov 9, 2023, 17:1111/09/23
06/25/20
6644
MooredRat

Right, but it still means it's *possible* to get her as an F2P.

Though if she's like previous 'celebrity' champs, I have to assume she'll only be obtainable for a short time, and thn never again, like Ninja or Ronda

To be clear, my complaint isn't that she can only be obtained by spending money. My complaint is that she can be obtained *guaranteed* by spending money, but cannot be obtained *guaranteed* without spending money. Nothing else in the game allows this.

Nov 9, 2023, 17:3911/09/23
12/12/19
2
doctor_blur

I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Raid and my spending allows the game to be Free of Charge to those who cannot afford (or don't wish to) invest in the game. I'm generally very happy to share what I have with others but quite frankly, what incentive do I have to spend on the game if I can get everything for free? 


So - Plarium is putting a champion behind a pay wall - what in the world is wrong with that? Those of us who spend tremendous sums of money deserve tremendous things in return. The entitlement of Free2Play individuals amuses me - not even Minecraft is free (!), but yet Plarium has somehow gone insane for charging limited fees for certain content? Oh come now, surely not. 


In my opinion, large amounts of the game should be open to everyone, but there simply is nothing wrong with offering access to special content, champions, bosses, rewards and more to the individuals who directly fund the development of a great game everyone can enjoy (almost all of). 😉

Everyone from the player base should have the same opportunities and be treated equally, regardless of the "thousands of dollars" they spend in the game. As a player, you can choose to pay money to progress faster and unlock the game's content more quickly because perhaps you enjoy the game and, by doing so, you also fund the development of a great game.

However, that is not the point you've made. You are discussing unlocking new content that isn't available unless you spend money, and that is a very dangerous mindset to adopt. If not all players are treated equally, then you, as a company (Plarium), will be creating a divide between the players who spend money—the "valuable" ones—and the "disposable" ones. 

If one cannot afford to pay or simply chooses not to, they should not be treated as less important. Such an attitude towards non-paying players will likely drive them away from the game over time. Project this trend into the future, and the game will gradually lose all the players who don’t spend money, including those who once did but have ceased to do so. Eventually, only those who continue to pay will remain. 

This is a dangerous scenario for a company, becasue your goal should be to expand your audience. Creating this virtual barrier -a "pay to unlock" model -will make the game more frustrating, more unequal, and less appealing for new players who are unfamiliar with it. 

Nov 9, 2023, 17:4811/09/23
01/07/23
1

I get what you mean, but in the world of Raid this is a step in the right direction. Anyone who buys shards are basically buying champs/power so it is nothing new, the only difference is that you could never target them at a 100% before. This is actually better as it eliminates the gatcha mechanics. Paywalling her like this sucks but if her kit is anyrhing like an S tier champ i'd rather spend the 20 bucks then gamble with bought shards.

harleQuinnModerator
Nov 9, 2023, 17:5011/09/23
02/24/19
7831
doctor_blur

I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Raid and my spending allows the game to be Free of Charge to those who cannot afford (or don't wish to) invest in the game. I'm generally very happy to share what I have with others but quite frankly, what incentive do I have to spend on the game if I can get everything for free? 


So - Plarium is putting a champion behind a pay wall - what in the world is wrong with that? Those of us who spend tremendous sums of money deserve tremendous things in return. The entitlement of Free2Play individuals amuses me - not even Minecraft is free (!), but yet Plarium has somehow gone insane for charging limited fees for certain content? Oh come now, surely not. 


In my opinion, large amounts of the game should be open to everyone, but there simply is nothing wrong with offering access to special content, champions, bosses, rewards and more to the individuals who directly fund the development of a great game everyone can enjoy (almost all of). 😉

I'm with Trips. Thanks for keeping the lights on for us. 🙏

Nov 9, 2023, 20:2611/09/23
12/19/19
6311
atamanenkoproductions

Everyone from the player base should have the same opportunities and be treated equally, regardless of the "thousands of dollars" they spend in the game. As a player, you can choose to pay money to progress faster and unlock the game's content more quickly because perhaps you enjoy the game and, by doing so, you also fund the development of a great game.

However, that is not the point you've made. You are discussing unlocking new content that isn't available unless you spend money, and that is a very dangerous mindset to adopt. If not all players are treated equally, then you, as a company (Plarium), will be creating a divide between the players who spend money—the "valuable" ones—and the "disposable" ones. 

If one cannot afford to pay or simply chooses not to, they should not be treated as less important. Such an attitude towards non-paying players will likely drive them away from the game over time. Project this trend into the future, and the game will gradually lose all the players who don’t spend money, including those who once did but have ceased to do so. Eventually, only those who continue to pay will remain. 

This is a dangerous scenario for a company, becasue your goal should be to expand your audience. Creating this virtual barrier -a "pay to unlock" model -will make the game more frustrating, more unequal, and less appealing for new players who are unfamiliar with it. 

Most business treat their customers better/different than non customers (that's us f2p).  To expect anything different is beyond rational. The fact that nothing in the game is gated (paywalled) demonstrates how f2p friendly the game WAS (currently still is imo).  The shift will continue in the perks for pay area both directly and indirectly.  Attracting new freeloaders is no longer any part of the strategy.  New spenders > old timer f2p never gonna spend.

Nov 9, 2023, 21:1011/09/23
06/16/22
203
atamanenkoproductions

Everyone from the player base should have the same opportunities and be treated equally, regardless of the "thousands of dollars" they spend in the game. As a player, you can choose to pay money to progress faster and unlock the game's content more quickly because perhaps you enjoy the game and, by doing so, you also fund the development of a great game.

However, that is not the point you've made. You are discussing unlocking new content that isn't available unless you spend money, and that is a very dangerous mindset to adopt. If not all players are treated equally, then you, as a company (Plarium), will be creating a divide between the players who spend money—the "valuable" ones—and the "disposable" ones. 

If one cannot afford to pay or simply chooses not to, they should not be treated as less important. Such an attitude towards non-paying players will likely drive them away from the game over time. Project this trend into the future, and the game will gradually lose all the players who don’t spend money, including those who once did but have ceased to do so. Eventually, only those who continue to pay will remain. 

This is a dangerous scenario for a company, becasue your goal should be to expand your audience. Creating this virtual barrier -a "pay to unlock" model -will make the game more frustrating, more unequal, and less appealing for new players who are unfamiliar with it. 

"Everyone from the player base should have the same opportunities and be treated equally" just does not fit any standard in monetization or the gaming industry in general tbh. 

Look at the Forge Pass - you literally get MORE opportunites to earn EXP and Silver through the pass. Look at the Shard deals, you get MORE opportunies to get better champs. Look at the gem pack, you get MORE opportunities to spend energy, buy masteries, etc. There is no such thing as "Fair" opportunities in a game like this. 

I think a pay to guarentee is honestly not that bad - you give people the option to guarentee a champion from spend, instead of say, buying $40.00 worth of shards and geting 30 rares. It's a terrible terrible feeling to get that, which is why most people don't want to spend on gambling. People are okay with spending to get something that is a guarentee. 

Nov 9, 2023, 21:5611/09/23
06/03/23
70

I'm now F2P after dropping a $1k in my first three months.  Every time I needed something there was an ad for it.   Clearly the company wouldn't destroy mine and their relationship of trust and mutual respect...  They'd never flat out 'raw deal" me, right?  Anywho...  Not all money the Big P earns is "fairly" gotten. That's as kindly as I can put it.

harleQuinnModerator
Nov 9, 2023, 22:0911/09/23
02/24/19
7831
Trips

Most business treat their customers better/different than non customers (that's us f2p).  To expect anything different is beyond rational. The fact that nothing in the game is gated (paywalled) demonstrates how f2p friendly the game WAS (currently still is imo).  The shift will continue in the perks for pay area both directly and indirectly.  Attracting new freeloaders is no longer any part of the strategy.  New spenders > old timer f2p never gonna spend.

Sir, this forum is for rioting, not clearly thought out entitlement-free statements. Also, no saying the game is F2P friendly.... Even if both of us and my buddy @ShortOnSkillz are F2P and do just fine. :D

Nov 9, 2023, 22:4411/09/23
Nov 9, 2023, 22:46(edited)
05/26/22
551

If it starts to be a situation where $50 can buy you insane "S" level champions then I will start getting concerned. Right now the disparity between a whale and a non whale is pretty insane so they just are not who I see or compete against. If a sizable chunk of the player base can start paying to win instead of a small population then the game will get unfun for me. I will hit a wall that I cannot get past. I am ok to spend a little here and there but I am not willing to spend $50 on a semi-regular basis. 


Right now it is pretty well ballanced. Someone can put together a somewhat competitive PvP team with Scyl, Ronda, WuKong, and UKD,... all of which can be gotten for free. It isn't going to be the best PvP team in the world but it can be competitive. If you have been around long enough to have Ninja you could actually put together a pretty solid PvP team with FTP champions. 


If someone though can start dropping $50 every couple of months to buy a Siphi, Yumeko, or Worlord type champion that really unballances things. I hope that never happens. 

Nov 9, 2023, 22:5311/09/23
10/08/17
1078

If this Battle Pass will apply to Plarium Play and PC users as well as mobile I am all in on this

will buy  one for my account and  my wifes

+1  RAID

ShortOnSkillzModerator
Nov 9, 2023, 23:0211/09/23
06/24/19
2216
harleQuinn

Sir, this forum is for rioting, not clearly thought out entitlement-free statements. Also, no saying the game is F2P friendly.... Even if both of us and my buddy @ShortOnSkillz are F2P and do just fine. :D

Fake F2P surely.  Game is only P2W.

ShortOnSkillzModerator
Nov 9, 2023, 23:0311/09/23
06/24/19
2216
PriestGuardian

If this Battle Pass will apply to Plarium Play and PC users as well as mobile I am all in on this

will buy  one for my account and  my wifes

+1  RAID

All signs seem to indicate that would be case.  Original Battle Pass and Forge Pass have always been available for both.  I'm still waiting to see contents and cost before deciding for myself.

ShortOnSkillzModerator
Nov 9, 2023, 23:0511/09/23
06/24/19
2216
Shibb

If it starts to be a situation where $50 can buy you insane "S" level champions then I will start getting concerned. Right now the disparity between a whale and a non whale is pretty insane so they just are not who I see or compete against. If a sizable chunk of the player base can start paying to win instead of a small population then the game will get unfun for me. I will hit a wall that I cannot get past. I am ok to spend a little here and there but I am not willing to spend $50 on a semi-regular basis. 


Right now it is pretty well ballanced. Someone can put together a somewhat competitive PvP team with Scyl, Ronda, WuKong, and UKD,... all of which can be gotten for free. It isn't going to be the best PvP team in the world but it can be competitive. If you have been around long enough to have Ninja you could actually put together a pretty solid PvP team with FTP champions. 


If someone though can start dropping $50 every couple of months to buy a Siphi, Yumeko, or Worlord type champion that really unballances things. I hope that never happens. 

I seriously doubt it ever will.  Those champs are way way too valuable to ever "sold" in such a manner.  At least in my opinion.