Would you like a GW 2 Optional Monthly Membership?

Pause that first thought you may have had that GW 2 was built on the no-sub fee feature. We all know that and we are all glad there is no monthly sub required to play, and even more happy that there is a F2P option as well.

Now imagine, that GW 2 introduced a monthly paid subscription feature... BUT... the best part of this feature is that it's entirely OPTIONAL.By not getting the membership, you lose NOTHING. The game is exactly the same way it is to you now.So what is the point of getting the membership? Well here are a few ideas of benefits we could get:

GW 2 Ascended Membership -

$10-15 a Month (£7.47-11.21)*Option to pause or cancel your sub at any time.

Cost and Fee Benefits:No cost to use waypointsNo crafting license feeNo coin cost for salvagingReduced material amount for all crafting recipesGold discount on Trading Post feesDiscount on all gem store itemsDiscount on expansion releases(*special in-game, popular features like the griffon mount can serve as greater gold sinks to compensate)

Perks:Soul-bound items are now only account-bound.Black Lion Keys can be aquired from the Story Mission 3 times a week instead of the current 1 key per week.Can hire a henchie for free that lasts 1-2 hours in PvE non-dungeon content.Daily Membership Buff (gives all the bonuses of the strength, speed, armor, karma, heroic, and celebration boosts for 2 hours after daily reset and does not count down while logged off - resets each day - alters for PvP and WvW).Unlimited and free item skin transmutation.Pickup loot radius is increased.Double amount of materials from gathering nodes.Extra chest in addition to the daily chest from world bosses.Extra rewards from daily achievement chests.Special badge by your name on the forums to indicate your membership status.Access to exclusive avatars for your forum account.Character Screen Background now can be switched with a few other select backgrounds.

Bonus Items:A Rune and Sigil Bag that takes up one slot and holds all available types of runes and sigils.An additional special item with each daily log-in reward.Exclusive access to unique items from skins to wardrobe items and toys released on occasion.Exclusive Guild Hall decorations and finishers.Exlusive mini, dyes, and titles.Dyable cape with your membership to show off your membership status.

Time-Based Bonuses:A Membership Ranking for how long you've been a member. (doesn't include time paused or cancelled) - overtime you gain special bonuses such as:One extra shared-slot for your account.One extra character slot for your account.One extra bank tab for your account.Two extra bag slots pre-filled with 20-slot bags.

These are just a few ideas. Feel free to add more or remove any for speculation.

But what about the issue of pay-to-win? None of these benefits will make you more powerful than another player in a PvP or WvW setting, but they will make you more beneficial to your parties and squads in PvE content.

This membership would be, more than anything else, for the purpose of CONVENIENCE to the player. Less time grinding money and experience. More rewards and "bang for your buck".

Of course this depends entirely on what type of player you are and what you want. If you need lots of transmutation charges, dislike grinding, want some cool perks, and want to pay a lesser price than the average gem store and gold cost, this membership is for you. If none of this applies to you, then you simply don't get the membership and can still play with all your friends and the community regardless of membership.

Goals and Overall Benefits:

1. Those who are invested in GW 2 enough can proudly pay for a monthly membership fee to get more from the game and know they are ultimately helping improve the game for everyone.
2. Anet can get additional funding without squeezing the gem store so much or using such things as lootboxes on popular features like mount skins.
3. It creates incentive and satisfaction in players to pay a monthly amount and feel as if that one payment a month covers a large portion of what they would usually spend their money on in the game.
4. An available subscription model shows to new players that a game may have quality worth paying for, and this further separates it from the common reputation of F2P games.
5. ArenaNet has more options and room to spread their development to more areas of the game. This means PvE, PvP, WvW, all have broader and more in-depth development. Patches and expansions will be larger and have more depth.

That ends up being worse than no-subscription: first, there's nothing in it that can't be achieved today except for the exclusive perks. And second, it uses exclusivity to sell the "optional" subscription — it would no longer be optional for people who want those things, whereas currently folks can spend on just what they want to spend on.

And it doesn't mean that ANet will get more money and it doesn't mean the income will be more consistent; it just means they'll get money in a different way. It doesn't guarantee different amounts of development. In fact, if the current management isn't good at managing the budget with their current income, throwing more money at them wouldn't help.

And all that is at the expense of undermining one of the core 'personality' features for GW2: no subscription; it's all voluntary.

I picked this option, but it's more of a preference on not really how the game should be, but I don't like the whole "pay = benefits" as that can cause issues of people considering it pay to win and those that pay for it kind of now held hostage on their account as now they would feel obligated to always pay after the 1st time or lose all of those benefits which in the end some people would get tired of feeling that way and might just stop playing the game when they don't feel like it's worth it no more.

"The benefits don't help anymore, but if I stop paying... I lost all of these advantages... I guess I'll just stop" would be one situation I can see happening.

I have to say no.

Some of these are too close to P2W but I'd definitely buy it

No thank you.

Giving away potentially dozens to hundreds of dollars worth of items/services for $15/month. Sounds like a great deal for players....not so much for the studio.

@"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:That ends up being worse than no-subscription: first, there's nothing in it that can't be achieved today except for the exclusive perks. And second, it uses exclusivity to sell the "optional" subscription — it would no longer be optional for people who want those things, whereas currently folks can spend on just what they want to spend on.

And it doesn't mean that ANet will get more money and it doesn't mean the income will be more consistent; it just means they'll get money in a different way. It doesn't guarantee different amounts of development. In fact, if the current management isn't good at managing the budget with their current income, throwing more money at them wouldn't help.

And all that is at the expense of undermining one of the core 'personality' features for GW2: no subscription; it's all voluntary.

There are plenty of benefits from what I listed that can't be achieved. Extra chests from events in addition to all that you can currently get? 3 keys a week triples what you can get from key-grinding the story missions.

Everything in and of the game is optional and based on what the player desires. Buying the game at all is optional. The difference between this and something like a lootbox is that if you become a member, you know what you will get. With a lootbox, you might get something you never expected or wanted. Can you get the wild magic glider directly? Currently, players CANNOT spend on only what they want to spend on if they want something exclusive.Anet would certainly make more money from a sub-model if it's being bought.

A sub would not undermine the core features, but it would alter it. It's still voluntary and it gives more benefits to the players.

It would go directly against their core design philosophy.

Breaking Trust like that, would make instantly easy to drop this game.

@Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:Giving away potentially dozens to hundreds of dollars worth of items/services for $15/month. Sounds like a great deal for players....not so much for the studio.

That depends. How many players are spending real money on these items and services and how much are they spending? If more people bought subs in addition to those who buy from the gem store without the sub, Anet wouldn't be losing money, but creating more incentive for players to spend.

@Fenom.9457 said:Some of these are too close to P2W but I'd definitely buy it

Could you elaborate on what is too close to P2W?

Just no for me. If players wish to have a subscription they can purchase 800 to 1200 gems each month and make their own pseudo subscription.

Even with the best of intentions I fully believe that a monthly sub will creep into and adversely affect the game. Every new thing that is to be implemented will first have to pass a "Is this addition superfluous enough to not outrage players if we include in the subscription bonus, while also being desirable enough to encourage players to subscribe?" More and more things will be only accessible to subscribers, and bit by bit it will hurt the quality of the game. This might be even more true for GW2 where some/many consider the endgame to be cosmetic.

No cost to use waypointsNo coin cost for salvagingReduced material amount for all crafting recipesGold discount on Trading Post feesDouble amount of materials from gathering nodes.With enough crafting and playing the market you'll save more by subbing than by not subbing (esp. if you can buy the sub with gems). When you're better off giving your items to a subscribed friend to craft/sell for you, something has gone very wrong.

Can hire a henchie for free that lasts 1-2 hours in PvE non-dungeon content.A Rune and Sigil Bag that takes up one slot and holds all available types of runes and sigils.This is exactly what I'd be afraid of with a subscription. Fixes/additions for current game problems being lumped into a subscription because the problems aren't game breaking enough for the mass populous. How long until subscribers get access to Elite specs 3 months before non-subscribers? Or have priority when joining high population maps? Can bypass WvW queues or have a separate material storage with additional items in it?

@Cyrin.1035 said:

@Fenom.9457 said:Some of these are too close to P2W but I'd definitely buy it

Double amount of materials and extra chests, depending on how extreme you make it. Maybe add a second part to the daily chest that's only for members

@Cyrin.1035 said:

@Fenom.9457 said:Some of these are too close to P2W but I'd definitely buy it

Reduced material amount for all crafting recipes.Gold discount on Trading Post fees.Double amount of materials from gathering nodes.Extra rewards from daily achievement chests.

@"Ayumi Spender.1082" said:I picked this option, but it's more of a preference on not really how the game should be, but I don't like the whole "pay = benefits" as that can cause issues of people considering it pay to win and those that pay for it kind of now held hostage on their account as now they would feel obligated to always pay after the 1st time or lose all of those benefits which in the end some people would get tired of feeling that way and might just stop playing the game when they don't feel like it's worth it no more.

"The benefits don't help anymore, but if I stop paying... I lost all of these advantages... I guess I'll just stop" would be one situation I can see happening.

I have to say no.

If the benefits aren't an advantage to them, then why would they feel they are losing something? If a player likes and wants those benefits, they would need to remain a member. If it's not worth it to them, then pause or cancel the sub. Which features of the membership are P2W?

@STIHL.2489 said:It would go directly against their core design philosophy.

Breaking Trust like that, would make instantly easy to drop this game.

How would it go against their core design philosophy? A sub as optional as buying a mount skin has no effect on a player who doesn't buy it other than perhaps the desire to have what others have, which is nothing new to GW 2.

There should never be a monthly fixed cost.The gemstore allows you to donate as much as you like, and choose the boons you want in return

@"Glacial.9516" said:Just no for me. If players wish to have a subscription they can purchase 800 to 1200 gems each month and make their own pseudo subscription.

Even with the best of intentions I fully believe that a monthly sub will creep into and adversely affect the game. Every new thing that is to be implemented will first have to pass a "Is this addition superfluous enough to not outrage players if we include in the subscription bonus, while also being desirable enough to encourage players to subscribe?" More and more things will be only accessible to subscribers, and bit by bit it will hurt the quality of the game. This might be even more true for GW2 where some/many consider the endgame to be cosmetic.

No cost to use waypointsNo coin cost for salvagingReduced material amount for all crafting recipesGold discount on Trading Post feesDouble amount of materials from gathering nodes.With enough crafting and playing the market you'll save more by subbing than by not subbing (esp. if you can buy the sub with gems). When you're better off giving your items to a subscribed friend to craft/sell for you, something has gone very wrong.

Can hire a henchie for free that lasts 1-2 hours in PvE non-dungeon content.A Rune and Sigil Bag that takes up one slot and holds all available types of runes and sigils.This is exactly what I'd be afraid of with a subscription. Fixes/additions for current game problems being lumped into a subscription because the problems aren't game breaking enough for the mass populous. How long until subscribers get access to Elite specs 3 months before non-subscribers? Or have priority when joining high population maps? Can bypass WvW queues or have a separate material storage with additional items in it?

You're jumping and fearfully assuming quite a bit here. As I mentioned the features of this model are just ideas. Anet would certainly need to cover their bases and decide on how to best implement the feature as they have with any other new feature.

@Cyrin.1035 said:

@STIHL.2489 said:It would go directly against their core design philosophy.

Breaking Trust like that, would make instantly easy to drop this game.

From MO himself.

Mike o'BrianSo if you love MMORPGs, you should check out Guild Wars 2. But if you hate traditional MMORPGs, then you should really check out Guild Wars 2. Because, like Guild Wars before it, GW2 doesn’t fall into the traps of traditional MMORPGs. It doesn’t suck your life away and force you onto a grinding treadmill; it doesn’t make you spend hours preparing to have fun rather than just having fun; and of course, it doesn’t have a monthly fee.

GW1 and GW2 prided themselves on the B2P option, they literally invented such an idea for an MMO. In an era of MMO's going F2P.. trying to input a Sub into a game that was a trendsetter to not have one.. they may as well slit the games throat.

I'm happy to support the game through ultimate edition purchases and the occasional gem card however I'm not buying gem cards until they bring down the mount skin cost and provide an alternate way to purchase those RNG locked mount skins. If they want future money from me they'll have to fix those along with fixing the lag and frame rate issues. It'd be nice if they would put more of the load on graphics cards rather than being processor heavy. After all that is what gfx cards are made for. They don't seem to have any love for AMD processors.

Oh well the money I'm saving by not buying gem cards is probably going to go towards getting an Intel PC.

@Fenom.9457 said:

@Cyrin.1035 said:

@Fenom.9457 said:Some of these are too close to P2W but I'd definitely buy it

@Cyrin.1035 said:

@Fenom.9457 said:Some of these are too close to P2W but I'd definitely buy it

The TP prices and value of gold would change drastically, yes. There has to be a way to compensate for this, but overall I think it would give you more for your time spent doing the work you normally do and just playing the game. Players feeling their time is being spent well is worth more than anything in the long run.

I appreciate that GW2 is sub-free, but I would be willing to pay a relatively small monthly sub (more in the $5 range) for some reasonable perks. Some of your ideas there sound good, but many would be a bad idea. The discount perks would be bad because people would just abuse them to get a sub every once in a while, make a bunch of discounted purchases, and then cancel by the next month. The things like TP discounts and harvesting bonuses would not work because they would throw the economy in disaray, basically allowing TP sharks with subscriptions to have a massive competitive advantage over other players.

I do think that things like free WPs and similar services, membership status symbols, things like that might end up being worth it. Right now I'm in a position wher eI'd like to give ANet money to support the game, once they replace the Mount loot box, of course, but there's not really much being offered that I want to buy. A monthly sub could be way to do that, so long as it was a reasonable value.

I change my mind.. make this happen!

BuyTheDamnedGemsWithRealCash

@Cyrin.1035 said:

@"Ayumi Spender.1082" said:I picked this option, but it's more of a preference on not really how the game should be, but I don't like the whole "pay = benefits" as that can cause issues of people considering it pay to win and those that pay for it kind of now held hostage on their account as now they would feel obligated to always pay after the 1st time or lose all of those benefits which in the end some people would get tired of feeling that way and might just stop playing the game when they don't feel like it's worth it no more.

"The benefits don't help anymore, but if I stop paying... I lost all of these advantages... I guess I'll just stop" would be one situation I can see happening.

I have to say no.

Oh, I see no P2W, but I already know how people are already. Like:

Reduced material amount for all crafting recipesPeople will get mad that let's say an inscription needing 2 dowels instead of 5 or a recipe needing 1 hardened leather than whichever will consider it pay to win as they have to "Pay up, or spend more gold/gems to get this feature" and of course if they stop paying they have lose the benefit.

Soul-bound items are now only account-bound.Black Lion Keys can be aquired from the Story Mission 3 times a week instead of the current 1 key per week.Same as above can be said here with how some people will see it. Especially if for example on the Soulbound ones where if when you stop paying, anything that was on a character would be locked to that character again until they pay up. Can see this putting people off.Also, if anything... I say it should be 1 daily if they pay monthly and not even through story mode. Just during daily reset they get 1 free key to "knock themselves out" on trying at the black lion chests. Won't do any harm seeing as some people might get they want on the first pull or even after 30 (as some people spend hundreds ofs keys and get nothing they want) from the month and still get nothing they want.

Can hire a henchie for free that lasts 1-2 hours in PvE non-dungeon content.I will assume like the ones in GW1. I can't say how this is and can't tell if someone will get mad on this. Maybe GW1 players? Don't know.

Unlimited and free item skin transmutation.Seeing how many call this "Fashion Wars". I can see a looooot of angry people from this one, lol.

Double amount of materials from gathering nodes.Just like the crafting. They gain more and then crafting they use less. People will scream pay to win to this one easily.

Extra chest in addition to the daily chest from world bosses.Extra rewards from daily achievement chests.I think at first this will be fine, but the moment someone say in map chat during Tequila or any other world boss "Nice! I got super ultra rare item/drop from one of those extra chests!" People will swarm the boards saying "So this is pay to win now? He got a better chance on getting items in the game fromthis subscription!"

Special badge by your name on the forums to indicate your membership status.This one they won't I know for a fact. I have not heard anyone get mad at like PoF's title of "Elonian Envoy" behind preordering it. So I doubt anyone would have an issue here.

Exclusive Guild Hall decorations and finishers.Exlusive mini, dyes, and titles.Dyable cape with your membership to show off your membership status.I've seen people make topics about some Mini Itzel or something that someone in Arenanet has only and people wondering "WHY CAN'T WE GET IT?!"Exclusive minis and finishers and capes I can see the annoyance from people who like thise mini things.

@STIHL.2489 said:

@Cyrin.1035 said:

@STIHL.2489 said:It would go directly against their core design philosophy.

Breaking Trust like that, would make instantly easy to drop this game.

Mike o'BrianSo if you love MMORPGs, you should check out Guild Wars 2. But if you hate traditional MMORPGs, then you should really check out Guild Wars 2. Because, like Guild Wars before it, GW2 doesn’t fall into the traps of traditional MMORPGs. It doesn’t suck your life away and force you onto a grinding treadmill; it doesn’t make you spend hours preparing to have fun rather than just having fun;

and of course, it doesn’t have a monthly fee

.

I would assume the comment of not having a monthly fee is about having no walls between the player and just playing the game. I don't think he meant no subscription models at all including optional ones. But if he did, why should players be afraid of a sub that doesn't prevent you from playing and doesn't give you a gameplay advantage over other players?

Also, GW 2 already broke their core philosophy of "no grinding treadmill" long ago. If your idea of fun is playing in WvW at lvl 80 with any stats you want and all abilities or playing in raids or fractals, you have to grind experience, grind for gold, or you have to spend money.