$414, is that enough?

As a follow up to this post, I wanted to touch on the dramatic rise in prices for a Warhammer Online account.  As predicted, the new Skaven and RvR patch has really brought out people from the woodwork, and populations have grown quite significantly over the past few days.  With such a turn around happening, more and more people are selling and buying Warhammer accounts.  It's easier than ever to remain anonymous with the new server transfers, and with EULA it is even apparently legal to transfer ownership of an account.  

Over the past few days I have been scouring the auction sites to find a price range that we are looking at.  There have been highs as much as $1,000 and lows as little as $60 that I could find.  Both for a single renown rank 80 character.  In finding the average price, I went through dozens of auctions looking for what sellers were getting for their accounts.  The answer is actually more than I thought, $414. 

Is $414 enough though for you to sell your account?  All that time invested for $414? For a single character, I would say yes.  For an account with multiple characters, which most of us have now, probably not.  Keep in mind I would not purchase any account for such a steep price, as I feel it is much easier to level now than ever before.  With the recent poll I had going, there was a 50/50 split on whether or not people would sell for $1,000.  I'd imagine the figures would drastically change with the price point of $414.  With the current state of Warhammer, what would you pay for an account?  What if it were rank 100, with all the end game gear?  That might be something to think about, as we're sure to see them for sale soon...

Out with the Old, In with the....Old?

With the onset of the Verminous Horde, there are sure to be more than a few new subscribers over the next few weeks.  Overall, the reviews from the PTS have been on the good side, and forums are giddy with anticipation for the new ORvR content.  Things really are looking on the up and up for the game, and I am very pleased with how things are turning out.

Over the past few months, we have really seen Mythic step up their efforts to lure back old players.  Free T1 play forever, Free 10 days with no cc info, Free transfers for people away for 3 months.  Not to mention all of the press they have been slowly releasing with the upcoming patch.  While I'm sure a there have been a few former subscribers to again pay to play, what about the literally hundreds of thousands that are still out there?  If you all remember, Warhammer Online started with something like 1,000,000 original game sells (please feel free to correct me, this is from memory).....in turn creating that number of accounts.  What is the population now though?  100,000 max?  Obviously EA does not release those numbers, but we are all more than aware of the current state of the realms.

Please don't get me wrong here, I am in no way trying to bash the game.  Tonight I was talking to my brother-in-law who previously played a Rune Priest on Phoenix Throne.  I always try to pressure him to come back, and of course I told him about the new stuff coming in.  Unfortunately though, the beginning of Warhammer really tainted the game for him.  Thus, I truly believe he will never again play.  He, like many others, really hated Warhammer originally.  Justifiably so, as there was not much to offer.  But there is so much more to the game now, and it has grown by leaps and bounds recently.  So much has been added over the past year, and I really feel terrible for those who did not stick through till now.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that my brother-in-law, and others, would surely love the new content.  The RvR is great, and getting better.  The renown abilities will be completely game changing.  Time-To-Kill is slower.  Scenario matchmaking.  More attainable gear.  More customizations.  Just so much more coming into the ever changing world of Warhammer.  How else can Mythic get back a larger part of those old subscribers?

I definitely foresee a jump in the numbers over the next few weeks and months.  Maybe as many as 10,000 even.  How though can Mythic go beyond that, to say 500,000?   What other ideas can they come up with to entice players back?  A free month?  A free rank 40/40?  A free "re-enlistment" weapon?  Maybe something that can be traded between characters on an account?  I know they are doing a lot, but I believe more can be done.  I'm not putting this out there to bash, but putting it out there to garner some positive feedback which is hopefully seen by someone in a position to change things.  So with all that said, all ideas are welcome.  Please leave a comment or send some tweets to @Andy_Mythic with ideas.  Let's get this game the attention it deserves.

The Rise of Warhammer Online, an Account Price Perspective

Example Account Selling

With the announcement of the RvR Packs and 1.4 coming to a near paramount, I think we are about to see a sharp rise in the amount of subscriptions that Warhammer has open.  Obviously this can be surmised from what we have seen recently.  The PTS server being full (no, I didn't get on) being one example the other night.  There has also been a pretty good reception of the price points of the soon to be released RvR Pack, and the Verminous Horde.  One other thing that has led me to believe that Warhammer is again on the rise, is the prices now that accounts are being sold for.  Yeah yeah I know it's illegal to sell / buy accounts, but the fact of the matter remains that it's being done and will continue to be until something is done by Mythic to prevent it. 

Recently on various account buying and selling sites, prices for Warhammer Online accounts has sky rocketed.  Over the past year or so, the median price point for a renown rank 70 character has been $150.  Yes, they could have definitely been found for less.  However over the past few weeks, these sites have boasted accounts of renown rank 80's for upwards of $1,000!  Pretty crazy right?  After all Warhammer is not WoW, where accounts have been sold for well over $10,000.  In my mind in no way does a rank 80 account, let alone any account, justify the price of $1,000.  If you take a closer look at the picture to the right, you will see a total of five accounts for sale, for well over the price of $300.  A price which I feel is more realistic for a rank 80 character. 

No I don't expect most people to believe that $300 is a fair price, but to be quite honest, it is.  In the past I have done plenty of account buying and selling, and can promise you that NO ACCOUNT is worth more than this.  No matter the gear, rank, characters, etc...  If your plan is to just sell an account, never put more than a single character on it.  So what is prompting people now then to ask such absurdly high prices for their accounts now?  Is it what is on the horizon for Warhammer?  I'd like to think so.  One thing you can always break it down to is supply and demand. 

Form w/ Account Selling

Accounts have been selling like hot cakes over the past few weeks.  An account is posted on a site, and usually within 48 hours it is sold.  This was rarely the case over the last year, as near all Warhammer accounts went unsold.  You couldn't give a Warhammer account away until recently.  Now it would seem you would be hard pressed to find a reasonably priced account for Warhammer.  I hate to say it (and do not condone it any longer) but now would be a great time to sell your account, if you're looking for a quick cash grab. 

Another reason I believe accounts have been selling more recently, is that it can most definitely be done now with a sense of anonymity.  The recent addition of $20 server transfers has enabled this.  Someone can go buy an account, transfer servers, and no one would be the wiser now.  There are some that say $20 for a single character transfer is nuts, and I agree.  But for someone who just spend XXX number of dollars for an account, $20 is more than reasonable for a sense of security from other players. 

So be ready to see a bunch of new high ranking players on your server who you don't recognize, because they are coming.  People want to play Warhammer now, and it has been showing in the amount of account buying and selling that has been taking place.  While I don't condone, it selling your account gets you an easy way to several hundred dollars if not more.  If you could make upwards of $1,000 for your account, would you sell? 

Where is my Snotling? and EA Discount Codes!

Why can I no longer purchase a Snotling?  I would think that if any items were still available to purchase it would be that, due to the 3% speed bonus granted.  I sincerely hope this is just an oversight, and not something that is gone for good.  Maybe I just can't find it at the EA Store? 

Also, here are a few discount codes I came across that work at the EA Store, so enjoy

• EASTORE10 - Save 10%
• VoucherCodes.com25% - Save 25%

Mythic Certainly Gives Us Material

Well if there is one thing that is true of EA / Mythic, it's that they certainly give us plenty of material to write and talk about.  As I'm sure everyone has seen, the new "Account Entitlements" have gone public.  All of which don't leave people with the feeling of entitlement at all.  These "Micro-Transactions" as they had been deemed could not be further off base. 

Here are some examples of player frustrations:

• http://social.bioware.com/forums/forum/1/topic/231/index/5161831/1
• http://social.bioware.com/forums/forum/1/topic/240/index/5164260
• http://social.bioware.com/forums/forum/1/topic/240/index/5164362

Mythics pricing scheme, in my opinion, is completely off base.  $20 for a SINGLE character to move?  Yes I know WoW has a similar pricing plan, but guess what, this game is by no means WoW.  $10 for a SINGLE level?  Really?  I could go buy a Renown Rank 80 character should I choose to, with minimal effort, for $60. 

Who is in charge over there at EA/Mythic, and with Warhammer?  Are they really out of touch with their own game?  It is very disturbing to me, and a lot of other players.  While these entitlements could have been one of the best things seen for Warhammer in quite some time, the complete opposite reaction of what I'm sure they had been expecting has happened.