Elite Specializations without an expansion?

[kharmin.7683]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Tails.9372 said:

@"Linken.6345" said:Buying expansions is not pay to win

Sure it's P2W as you get a competitive advantage from it. It's just not a P2W microtransaction which is why no one complains about it.This.Especs buyable from gemshop

would

be p2w microtransactions however(even if there would be nothing "micro" about them).

To win what, exactly? Or is this strictly in the sense of the PvP/WvW crowd?

[Hashberry.4510]

It is an insincere attempt to smear especs with the negative connotation associated with p2w games.

[Astralporing.1957]

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Tails.9372 said:

@"Linken.6345" said:Buying expansions is not pay to win

Sure it's P2W as you get a competitive advantage from it. It's just not a P2W microtransaction which is why no one complains about it.This.Especs buyable from gemshop

would

be p2w microtransactions however(even if there would be nothing "micro" about them).

To win what, exactly? Or is this strictly in the sense of the PvP/WvW crowd?Oh, are you suggesting that "p2w" cannot exist in PvE environment?

[kharmin.7683]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Tails.9372 said:

@"Linken.6345" said:Buying expansions is not pay to win

Sure it's P2W as you get a competitive advantage from it. It's just not a P2W microtransaction which is why no one complains about it.This.Especs buyable from gemshop

would

be p2w microtransactions however(even if there would be nothing "micro" about them).

To win what, exactly? Or is this strictly in the sense of the PvP/WvW crowd?Oh, are you suggesting that "p2w" cannot exist in PvE environment?

Yeah, I think so. I mean, is there an end-game goal in PvE that one can achieve at the expense of other players? How can I "win" GW2 and you lose?

[Arkham Creed.7358]

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@kharmin.7683 said:

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Tails.9372 said:

@"Linken.6345" said:Buying expansions is not pay to win

Sure it's P2W as you get a competitive advantage from it. It's just not a P2W microtransaction which is why no one complains about it.This.Especs buyable from gemshop

would

be p2w microtransactions however(even if there would be nothing "micro" about them).

To win what, exactly? Or is this strictly in the sense of the PvP/WvW crowd?Oh, are you suggesting that "p2w" cannot exist in PvE environment?

Yeah, I think so. I mean, is there an end-game goal in PvE that one can achieve at the expense of other players? How can I "win" GW2 and you lose?

Under normal circumstances I'd agree with this sentiment, but unfortunately GW2 has raids. Now to be clear I don't consider an elite spec, if properly balanced, inherently pay to win, but I do understand where people are coming form. It is a quirk of player psychology that group content demands what they call efficiency, but what is actually completion speed via power. In effect, if you are considered under-powered (usually described as low level or poorly equipped) getting in a group can be very difficult, if not impossible. So if you pay for a feature that does grant power you create a new standard for such group based content, wherein anyone who doesn't pay for the same advantage is considered under-powered, and socially stigmatized and/or barred from joining groups or guilds.

This is why I personally HATE the concept of raid content in general; it exploits holes in the gamer mindset that turn PvE content into a form of experiential PvP. Like the old catch 22; I need experience to get this job, but I need the job to get experience. IE; I need better gear to raid, but I need to raid for better gear. Once you add monetization to that mix you create a situation that isn't so much pay-to-win as it is "pay or not be allowed to play at all."

[Jables.4659]

@Fenom.9457 said:I’d like maybe mini expansions. One type could be elite specializations only for $20-25, and they thematically tie into the current story, and those new maps have hero points for players who purchase the mini expansion

Its funny to me, $20-$25 seems a tad expensive for elite specializations, yet somehow Anet believes that its an appropriate price point for a single mount skin.