Is Buying Skyshard SP Pay to Win?

Turelus

With the release of Elsweyr information we now know that players will be able to buy Skyshard SP unlocks on their alt characters.

The way this works is if a player has already unlocked an achievement on one character for a zones Skyshards they will be able to unlock those Skyshards (and SP) on new characters they make via a Crown Store purchase.

Do you think this is P2W and why? Let the great debate happen.

Note: This is all based on in the works information, other than we will be able to buy the SP if we've unlocked it before no details are set in stone.

Edit to add a shameless plug to my Q&A thread for those interested in what I learned at the London press event.
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/465498/eso-zos-q-a-information-london-elsweyr-press-event-info

Universe

Yes it's P2W.

Skyshard packs, monster helm items and skill lines in the crown store etc. is P2W.
The moment it lands in the crown store, I will safely label ESO as P2W game.

Some shortcuts are fine, like upgrading the Riding Speed/Stamina/Capacity and reducing crafting research time, but when the shortcuts are directly related to combat effectiveness and hard earned achievements, it crosses a thin line to the P2W model.
While players will not get exclusive special weapons/power from the new crown store features, they will utilize the crown store to get stronger and skip a lot of normal gameplay & achievements.

Tasear

Yes it's P2W.

Each character should be own to raise.

Hati

Other.

Depends on the cost, but still, its Skyshards that you already got right? and you can uso only one char per time so..

Urvoth

No it's not P2W.

Universe wrote: »

Skyshard packs, monster helm items and skill lines in the crown store etc. is P2W.
The moment it lands in the crown store, I will safely label ESO as P2W game.

Some shortcuts are fine, like upgrading the Riding Speed/Stamina/Capacity and reducing crafting research time, but when the shortcuts are directly related to combat effectiveness and hard earned achievements, it crosses a thin line to the P2W model.
While players will not get exclusive special weapons/power from the new crown store features, they will utilize the crown store to get stronger and skip a lot of normal gameplay & achievements.

They’re going to have to already have gotten the achievement though

Lord_Eomer

Yes it's P2W.

It should be also available to purchase from gold i.e. 100,000 Gold etc.

Limiting to crown store is just making players more frustrated!

grannas211

No it's not P2W.

No its pay for Convenience

Svenja

No it's not P2W.

it's pay2belazy


i don't like it, but as you have to have the skyshards collected already on a different toon, it's pay to be lazy.

Turelus

No it's not P2W.

For me I don't consider this P2W as the that line for me is when you are required to pay money to win, or you simply can't compete with someone who does.

ESO already has a lot of things which are exclusive to real purchases (a race and class) as well as numerous things to speed up character power/advantage (XP scrolls, Riding Lessons, Vampire/Werewolf) which although some have argued are P2W never came to actually be P2W.

This system requires the player to have invested the time once before to find all the Skyshards before being able to unlock them with new characters via the Crown Store.

Additionally we don't know the pricing yet and as much as I love ZOS they've never really understood the finer points of pricing items. It'll probably cost so much most folks will just do the grind again.

driosketch

Other.

I honestly don't care with regards to skyshards. If someone wants to buy skyshard completions per character, which is in my view is one of the easiest collects on an alt, let them get fleeced. I hope they are 5000 per zone.

majulook

No it's not P2W.

You already need to unlock them on 1 character.

Lots a of players here in the forums have been asking for Skyshards to be account wide. Are you really surprised that ZOS did this via crown store purchases?

Since reports are it is a per-character purchase, concerns on Crown cost and the amount being unlocked purchased is it all or by Zone or by Alliance or by number of Skyshards ?

Aurielle

No it's not P2W.

It’s pay for convenience. It would be P2W if a brand new player could purchase skyshards and skillpoints without having discovered them on at least one character first.

Knowing that this is coming up is making me consider grinding out those last few skyshards on my main (who has more than enough skill points).

KhajiitFelix

No it's not P2W.

Can you achieve it in game? Yes so it's not a p2w.

jaws343

No it's not P2W.

It's a convenience thing only. P2W is only for things that are not available in game already. So, if they released a set of skill points that you could purchase that were unobtainable in game or if you could pay for the end of dungeon skill points, that would be pay to win. This is only pay to not spend 20 hours collecting skyshards. Which is fine. What does it matter if player x spent days collecting skyshards and player y spent a little money to get them pr-ecollected for an alt based on an action they already did. It isn't like skyshards are at all challenging to get.
Will I spend money on them, no. They are super easy to get. (I may spend my ESO crowns on them though.)

phaneub17_ESO

Yes it's P2W.

And I don't care if it is. This will make it so much easier on those who collected all the sky shards in Cyrodiil and be done without having to do it again multiple times.

redspecter23

Other.

If it requires that I have it unlocked on a toon already, I personally don't consider it pay to win. It's pay to save time. It would most likely be priced at a point I would never consider it anyway. It's not giving me an advantage that I couldn't just earn in game anyway. It will save a boat load of time, which I guess is the point. However, it's only one piece of a larger puzzle. Even if I have all the skyshards, I still want skill points from public dungeons. I may be clearing the rest of the zone anyway if I'm a completionist. There is a certain market for this purchase. I don't think I'm it.

grannas211

No it's not P2W.

KhajiitFelix wrote: »

Can you achieve it in game? Yes so it's not a p2w.

Exactly this

Nemesis7884

Other.

Pay2win or not....its VERY cash grabby and VERY player unfriendly...i honestly didnt expect zos would sink to EA levels

Kiralyn2000

No it's not P2W.

Paying to make something you already have account-wide? Nah, not P2W.

If it were paying for skyshards you don't have, it'd be closer.


Still a bit cheesy, and nothing I'd ever pay for, but not P2W.


(do the people voting "p2w" think the same thing about games that let you get character level boosts, as long as you have one max-level character?)

kylewwefan

No it's not P2W.

It’s more like paying for what should be a standard feature IMO.

I’d also really like to pay for unlimited bank space as compared to just the measly double and a crafting bag.

coop500

Yes it's P2W.

I impulsed voted but now I feel it's not Pay to Win as much as... pay to be lazy or pay to save time. I don't support it nor will I be buying any, despite having 15 chars (soon will have 18 chars if we get 3 char slots).

I am glad that you still had to find them on one character but... Feels scummy of ZOS to offer it.

Suddwrath

No it's not P2W.

I would definitely consider it Pay for Convenience.

MyNameIsElias

No it's not P2W.

You dont get any combat advantage over others for purchasing it, you only pay for convenience.

Siohwenoeht

Other.

It's disappointing, but at least those players who had been requesting things like this have an option now, and they still have to earn them in some way.

MissBizz

I was waiting for this poll..

Left4Daud

No it's not P2W.

Doesn’t bother me.

Browiseth

No it's not P2W.

yea it's p2w because now it will be impossible to find skyshards if you don't buy them from the crown store. skyshards are now being physically removed from the game world, and the only way to add them to your character will be by purchasing them with crowns

[sarcasm]

Aznarb

No it's not P2W.

Look more like a cash grab than p2w.
Skyshard are easy to get, boring, but easy.
And you've to unlock on a char bfore be able to pay for an other one.
Also it's only by region, gonna be hella expensive for all.
So, not P2W, just cash grab for lazy.

Turelus

No it's not P2W.

MissBizz wrote: »

I was waiting for this poll..

I expected someone else to make it, but as the debate started in my write up thread I made it.

My notifications button regrets it already.

Banana

Other.

Hopefully the other stuff will follow. Skill lines, exploration, mount training.......

NightSquirrel

Yes it's P2W.

Edited because I don’t actually care. It’s not really P2W but only cause there is no winning in ESO.