There is only a binary answer: yes or no. So let’s see.
2 days ago i was involved in a debate with a few people regarding if WoW is or not P2W. And what i’ve noticed is that some “defenders” could not accept the reality that WoW is p2w and they started to debate the philosophy of the meaning of p2w. I am not making a cry post here. I have bought a lot of tokens and used that gold to boost my acc. I am not upset or bothered that WoW is p2w. The only issue i have here is that some people don’t want to admit it. Can we accept the reality? I just want to know if it easy for people to accept that WoW is P2W.
My definition of P2W is the following: A game that sells you for real money means to progress your account, directly by selling items or stats in cash shop or indirectly by selling currencies used to boost your acc (aka WoW’s case where you buy tokens, convert them in gold and buy boosts).
Please do not come with comparisons between WoW and other “Korean MMO’s”. The topic is not about how much P2W is WoW compared with others. The topic is WoW p2w or not.
Also don’t come with excuses like " you get x item in vault in the next 2 weeks". That’s lame. You don’t get mythic raiding gear in vault if you do only normal dungeons. So stop bringing this type of comparison.
Also don’t try to “minimalize” the p2w by saying : " it’s your personal achievement or mount". Because we all know what the core of this game is: the feeling of accomplishment , aka achievement. It’s not a game like Black Desert where you farm stats for infinite time and who played most is the strongest. It’s a seasonal game based on achievements and collectibles. So obviously, who has the most collectibles, is the winner here.
Let the drama begin.
Enjoy xD
It cannot be a binary answer because as always, someone will ask “What do you define as win?”
Personally I consider it to be P2W. Because I can pay real life currency to acquire in-game currency that I can use to achieve/acquire in-game stuff that I would not be able to otherwise due to actual physical/time limitations.
No, because, while YES, you can buy a level-boost to max level, but that does not complete the hardest raids for you, nor give you the best gear, or teach you how to reck people in PvP, so no, its NOT pay to win, being max level with average gear is going to get you creamed in the harder content.
I would argue that any influence of real-life wealth that undermines the game’s integrity is P2W.
In the case of WoW the integrity is built around this concept:
Time + Effort and/or Skill = Reward
Any way you can affect that formula with your wallet is P2W.
In the old days where I had a Game Genie for my NES it was simply called cheating.
Cheat codes or money, it’s all the same. You’re seeking to influence the formula that yields the rewards in the game by twisting it in your favor.
The fact that you make 100k gold in 5 min (which i doubt, but let’s say i believe you), doesn’t mean everyone can make it. If gold is so easy to make, there would be no reason for the token’s existence in shop. So just it’s existence, proves that not everyone can make gold easy.
No offence (usually i would troll and meme you for this, but now i try to be nice and serious), but this is the most ridiculous definition.
How can you get advantages in a game where those advantages are not available in the game? It like you would say: p2w = only if you can buy a gm weapon that one shots everything.
You can buy mythic raiding boost and PvP Gladiator title boost. Check the boosting communities.
And you’re basically saying usage of gold for any service or gear is P2W too… literally anyone can make gold. Your argument falls flat.
So unless Blizz offers a new currency that’s only available off their online store that’s used for power gains outside what’s available to other players the game isn’t P2W.
Perhaps, but even if you make a new alt on a brand new class, you’re now just a mid-tier raider with high-level gear, at best you can do looking for raid content for fun now.
Again, the basic formula that has held true for MMORPGs since the dawn of time lays it out nicely:
Did you acquire your gold in-game by doing quests, playing the AH, or farming mobs? Then it’s fine, because the gold you’ve earned is a product of time + effort.
Did you acquire your gold by grabbing your credit card and buying some WoW Tokens? That’s P2W, because you haven’t used any time, effort, or skill to acquire it. You’ve circumvented the game’s gameplay intent to acquire the reward without doing any work for it. That’s P2W.
Yes, i dont understand why ppl buy boosts myself, but they do. I dont wanna call it a win cause you just paid someone else to play the game while u afk and wait for your loot/achievment/whatever. You didnt win anything, you still cant manage that on your own. But the means to spend real life money to “get ahead” is there, so technically its p2w i guess.
(just kidding ofc)