ArenaNet Responds To ‘Guild Wars 2’ Expansion Price, ‘Heart of Thorns’ Will Now Include A Character Slot For Veterans

During E3 last week, ArenaNet debuted the new guild halls coming with the first expansion to Guild Wars 2 alongside more details concerning Heart of Thorns. The E3 announcement even concluded with the expansion going up for pre-purchase or pre-order on the official Guild Wars 2 website and within the in-game store. Players were eager to buy the upcoming expansion, but were met with a little concern after seeing how much Heart of Thorns cost.

For $50, players can pick up the base game and Heart of Thorns. Two more tiers at a higher cost are also available with extra bonuses like miniatures, finishers, and glider skins. The issue, though for many players, is that $50 is awfully close to what many players already purchased the base game for. Buying a bundle with a useless copy of the base game and the expansion for what seemed to be an inflated cost really upset a vocal group of Guild Wars 2 players.

In fact, the popular Guild Wars 2 subreddit, home to over 100,000 subscribers, quickly found a new top post of all time; one urging players not to buy the new expansion. As MassivelyOP put it, there are four different groups of players distressed by the $50 price tag and forced bundled experience. Notably, veteran players that have been supporting the game for a while feel overlooked by being forced to purchase something they already own, and they feel they’re not being recognized for supporting the title for some time.

Some players simply feel that $50 is a little too much for a Guild Wars 2 expansion period. After all, just because a one juggernaut does it with a feature-light expansion, doesn’t mean all MMO titles should follow suit. Not to mention, many players felt encouraged to purchase Guild Wars 2 in the past few months after being told they would have to have an existing copy in order to play the new Heart of Thorns expansion only to see a cost-effective bundle upon pre-purchase release. Whatever the reason for the upset, however, ArenaNet surprisingly responded. Today, representatives for the game posted a Pre-Purchase Community Address on the official website.

The post addresses a few concerns Guild Wars 2 players. Firstly, veteran players who purchase the $50 base game and expansion will receive a little something extra. Players that have a Guild Wars 2 registered prior to January 23 will receive a character slot, normally sold for $10. Players that purchased the game between January 23 and June 16 will automatically be refunded the price of the original core game purchase if they decide to purchase Heart of Thorns. Players that purchased the core game during this window that want to completely quit Guild Wars 2 and not continue playing can request a refund as well. Finally, those that purchased Guild Wars 2 between January 23 and June 16 from a third-party retailer won’t be able to get a refund, but if they upgrade to a copy of Heart of Thorns, they will receive a free character slot.

Heart of Thorns will be changing plenty in Guild Wars 2, though. As the Inquisitr reported, new traits, specializations, and much more are being released. Actually, all professions will get a new weapon to wield and a new specialization that completely changes the way the profession plays.

Are you happy with ArenaNet’s compromise on the $50 Heart of Thorns expansion?

[Images via Guild Wars 2]