Alfiq Banker and Merchant

Thrawniel · June 2019

There's no difference between horse you buy with gold and radiant apex mount functionality-wise. And yet there's no discount to any crown store mounts for people who already have some versions of them.

Why should merchants be treated differently? If you only care for function - you do not need new merchant. Simple as that.

So why new merchant skins should be treated any different from mount skins? It is all about cosmetics. Some people do not care, others will break a bank over it.

I do own banker and merchant. Did for a while. I got a good use out of them. But I will still get new merchants at the same price, just because I want visual variety. I will be using both new and old assistants, depending on characters.

New merchants do not function any better than old ones. Old merchants were useful for years before alfiq ones were first datamined, so you did not spend money for nothing. And they will be just as useful for years to come. I welcome more cosmetics. Ideally there should be bankers and merchants for every race (also they can double as housing NPCs!)

If you have no problem with mounts in crown store, why the issue with merchant and banker reskins?

bluebird · June 2019

Thrawniel wrote: »

There's no difference between horse you buy with gold and radiant apex mount functionality-wise. And yet there's no discount to any crown store mounts for people who already have some versions of them.

Why should merchants be treated differently? If you only care for function - you do not need new merchant. Simple as that.

So why new merchant skins should be treated any different from mount skins? It is all about cosmetics. Some people do not care, others will break a bank over it.

I do own banker and merchant. Did for a while. I got a good use out of them. But I will still get new merchants at the same price, just because I want visual variety. I will be using both new and old assistants, depending on characters.

New merchants do not function any better than old ones. Old merchants were useful for years before alfiq ones were first datamined, so you did not spend money foe nothing. And they will be just as useful for years to come. I welcome more cosmetics. Ideally there should be bankers and merchants for every race (also they can double as housing NPCs!)

If you have no problem with mounts in crown store, why the issue with merchant and banker reskins?

Different mounts have been in the game since day 1, switching between them was known and intended since day 1. But Merchants and Bankers are an account upgrade. There's never been a precedent for a reskinned account upgrade (You bought the Imperial edition, but buy a different Imperial edition with different looking Imperials! Or hey here's the warden class for your account, and later we will add a reskinned warden class for the same price!)

Also when merchants and bankers were added, ZOS justified the way higher price tag with the 'unique functionality' that they provide, as you couldn't get this functionality anywhere else. For people who already own the assistants, the new cats only offer a reskin, not a unique functionality so they should cost less as a skin.

When you buy mounts you don't buy funcionality (your riding skill and inventory upgrades are from your character's skills, not from your mount, and you can access that functionality with the basic free ingame horse you get for leveling up). Extra mounts are just reskins of a functionality you already have, and new merchants and bankers should have also been a reskins of a functionality you purchase. It would have been a far more sensible business decision as they could've expanded that system.

blnchk · June 2019

Thrawniel wrote: »

If you have no problem with mounts in crown store, why the issue with merchant and banker reskins?

Unlike mounts, the merchant and banker are not sold as cosmetics. They are sold as upgrades. No upgrade in the store is set up to cash in through cosmetic variety. Imagine if they'd start selling new character slots tied to new character backgrounds, while the old slots would keep the old backgrounds.

Granted, the "Assistants" category that's still in-game is nowhere to be found in the web-based Crown Store, so it's possible that they're trying to "remedy" this.

Thrawniel · June 2019

bluebird wrote: »

Extra mounts are just reskins of a functionality you already have, and new merchants and bankers should have also been a reskins of a functionality you purchase.

Alfiq assistants literally ARE reskins. They do not have different functionality to old assistants. So if you only need assistants for function alone - why do you even care for new ones?

Like, all crown mounts are more expensive than basic ones, and they do nothing different. New assistants also do nothing different. All their 'worth' is in looks. Aka, the difference between them is literally cosmetic.

So now new players have a choice in look. But the main reason they would want to get them will still be functionality. Does this make you so mad? That new players will have more visual choices than you did? Get over yourself.

If you already have assistants, you just do not need a new ones. Simple as that. The only reason to want new ones is cosmetic, not functional.

Alfiq merchants are probably not even meant for old players, and more geared towards new players who got into the game because of Elsweyr.

bluebird · June 2019

Thrawniel wrote: »

bluebird wrote: »

Extra mounts are just reskins of a functionality you already have, and new merchants and bankers should have also been a reskins of a functionality you purchase.

Alfiq assistants literally ARE reskins. They do not have different functionality to old assistants. So if you only need assistants for function alone - why do you even care for new ones?

Like, all crown mounts are more expensive than basic ones, and they do nothing different. New assistants also do nothing different. All their 'worth' is in looks. Aka, the difference between them is literally cosmetic.

So now new players have a choice in look. But the main reason they would want to get them will still be functionality. Does this make you so mad? That new players will have more visual choices than you did? Get over yourself.

If you already have assistants, you just do not need a new ones. Simple as that. The only reason to want new ones is cosmetic, not functional.

Alfiq merchants are probably not even meant for old players, and more geared towards new players who got into the game because of Elsweyr.

The cost of a 20/20/20 mount functionality is 6000 crowns. (And you can get it with ingame gold, albeit super slowly).
The cost of accessing a mobile banker or merchant functionality is 5000 crowns.
If you want a different skinned mount they start at 900 crowns in the store, and there are many ingame skins for them too.
If you want a different skin for that banker and merchant functionality, buy the new ones for 10000 crowns (guessing).
The game launched with several different mounts to purchase (both with ingame gold and with rl money).
Banker and merchant were added as a unique functionality with a crown-exclusive 5k price tag.

So if people could stop pretending that it's the same thing, that would be great, thanks

And yes, the point is precisely that they're only cosmetic. So people who already own the banker and merchant functionality shouldn't be charged the same 'exclusive utility' price for them, but a lower cosmetic reskin price for them. You're also not charged the 7k crowns every time for a new mount, because you already have access to riding fast, and having high stamina, and having those inventory slots that mounts provide.

And the 'only cosmetic' thing isn't an excuse to condone this. They could start adding zone variants too - they added sandy Elsweyr, they'll add snowy Elsweyr for the same price. And even though you already have all Elsweyr features, and it's only cosmetically different, it should also cost you $30, it's fair right? Or you'll buy the Warden class, and then later they add a reskinned warden class with different spell effects - it's only cosmetically different, and you already have a Warden, but if you want a reskinned spell you should buy the whole class again for the same price, right? No thank you.

As others pointed out, this would have been an excellent opportunity to expand the 'Grey Warden bear' skin section. We pay for the function of the class separately, and get the cosmetic reskins for less than purhcasing the entire class again. We pay for the mount function separately (with gold or crowns) and get the cosmetic reskins for less than purchasing the functionality again. The Banker and Merchant could have worked the same way, with purchasing the functionality and then buying separate skins for it, with the potential of adding to this system later! Adding sorc pets to the mix too, it would be a very profitable business model.

iLLcrime · June 2019

bluebird wrote: »

Thrawniel wrote: »

bluebird wrote: »

Extra mounts are just reskins of a functionality you already have, and new merchants and bankers should have also been a reskins of a functionality you purchase.

Alfiq assistants literally ARE reskins. They do not have different functionality to old assistants. So if you only need assistants for function alone - why do you even care for new ones?

Like, all crown mounts are more expensive than basic ones, and they do nothing different. New assistants also do nothing different. All their 'worth' is in looks. Aka, the difference between them is literally cosmetic.

So now new players have a choice in look. But the main reason they would want to get them will still be functionality. Does this make you so mad? That new players will have more visual choices than you did? Get over yourself.

If you already have assistants, you just do not need a new ones. Simple as that. The only reason to want new ones is cosmetic, not functional.

Alfiq merchants are probably not even meant for old players, and more geared towards new players who got into the game because of Elsweyr.

The cost of a 20/20/20 mount functionality is 6000 crowns. (And you can get it with ingame gold, albeit super slowly).
The cost of accessing a mobile banker or merchant functionality is 5000 crowns.
If you want a different skinned mount they start at 900 crowns in the store, and there are many ingame skins for them too.
If you want a different skin for that banker and merchant functionality, buy the new ones for 10000 crowns (guessing).
The game launched with several different mounts to purchase (both with ingame gold and with rl money).
Banker and merchant were added as a unique functionality with a crown-exclusive 5k price tag.

So if people could stop pretending that it's the same thing, that would be great, thanks

And yes, the point is precisely that they're only cosmetic. So people who already own the banker and merchant functionality shouldn't be charged the same 'exclusive utility' price for them, but a lower cosmetic reskin price for them. You're also not charged the 7k crowns every time for a new mount, because you already have access to riding fast, and having high stamina, and having those inventory slots that mounts provide.

And the 'only cosmetic' thing isn't an excuse to condone this. They could start adding zone variants too - they added sandy Elsweyr, they'll add snowy Elsweyr for the same price. And even though you already have all Elsweyr features, and it's only cosmetically different, it should also cost you $30, it's fair right? Or you'll buy the Warden class, and then later they add a reskinned warden class with different spell effects - it's only cosmetically different, and you already have a Warden, but if you want a reskinned spell you should buy the whole class again for the same price, right? No thank you.

As others pointed out, this would have been an excellent opportunity to expand the 'Grey Warden bear' skin section. We pay for the function of the class separately, and get the cosmetic reskins for less than purhcasing the entire class again. We pay for the mount function separately (with gold or crowns) and get the cosmetic reskins for less than purchasing the functionality again. The Banker and Merchant could have worked the same way, with purchasing the functionality and then buying separate skins for it, with the potential of adding to this system later! Adding sorc pets to the mix too, it would be a very profitable business model.

This ^

wnights · June 2019

mistermacintosh wrote: »

I want the new assistants, but would have preferred skins for my current ones. As far as whether ZOS is treating us unfairly, I guess I would say that technically, no, they are not because this is a luxury item.

It's like buying a car then seeing the new model and regretting your purchase. Do you need a new car when your current one functions just fine? Did the company wrong you buy not giving you the new one for a fraction of its cost? No, they did what companies do - change the product slightly, call it new and sell it again.

The primary difference here is that you can trade in your current vehicle toward the price of the new one because a car has resale value. Unfortunately, a digital assistant does not.

So is it worth it for ZOS to lose money on full-priced assistants purely to keep their customers happy? I would like to think subscribers who have already pumped hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars into this game since its launch would be given special consideration, but I'm not holding my breath.

I guess we will find out tomorrow.

You know, I thought about it like that too, but then we are not pying for a physical item. It takes new materials and testing, working hours to make a new car model.

These new merchant use the mechanic that already exists in the game, assets that have been created for elweyr. Nothing that required years of additional deveopment just for that specific item. Only the dialog had to be recorded which made comoany incurr additional costs. And it costs 2x DLCs!? Okey....

Nothing that has been done justifies why people should get another banker merchant with a different skin for the same price.

But! Who says people have to? It is only fair that those won don't have a merchant or banker pay the same price as others, and people who want the other merchant... just like another reskinned mount, do you really need it? After all no one forces you to buy them if you think they are overpriced. As someone pointed out, it is a luxury item, nothing you can't live without.

You're better off just not buying things you think are overpriced rather than complaining and then still buying them.

AlienSlof · June 2019

You can also part-exchange a car.

Aimora · June 2019

bluebird wrote: »

Thrawniel wrote: »

bluebird wrote: »

Extra mounts are just reskins of a functionality you already have, and new merchants and bankers should have also been a reskins of a functionality you purchase.

Alfiq assistants literally ARE reskins. They do not have different functionality to old assistants. So if you only need assistants for function alone - why do you even care for new ones?

Like, all crown mounts are more expensive than basic ones, and they do nothing different. New assistants also do nothing different. All their 'worth' is in looks. Aka, the difference between them is literally cosmetic.

So now new players have a choice in look. But the main reason they would want to get them will still be functionality. Does this make you so mad? That new players will have more visual choices than you did? Get over yourself.

If you already have assistants, you just do not need a new ones. Simple as that. The only reason to want new ones is cosmetic, not functional.

Alfiq merchants are probably not even meant for old players, and more geared towards new players who got into the game because of Elsweyr.

The cost of a 20/20/20 mount functionality is 6000 crowns. (And you can get it with ingame gold, albeit super slowly).
The cost of accessing a mobile banker or merchant functionality is 5000 crowns.
If you want a different skinned mount they start at 900 crowns in the store, and there are many ingame skins for them too.
If you want a different skin for that banker and merchant functionality, buy the new ones for 10000 crowns (guessing).
The game launched with several different mounts to purchase (both with ingame gold and with rl money).
Banker and merchant were added as a unique functionality with a crown-exclusive 5k price tag.

So if people could stop pretending that it's the same thing, that would be great, thanks

And yes, the point is precisely that they're only cosmetic. So people who already own the banker and merchant functionality shouldn't be charged the same 'exclusive utility' price for them, but a lower cosmetic reskin price for them. You're also not charged the 7k crowns every time for a new mount, because you already have access to riding fast, and having high stamina, and having those inventory slots that mounts provide.

And the 'only cosmetic' thing isn't an excuse to condone this. They could start adding zone variants too - they added sandy Elsweyr, they'll add snowy Elsweyr for the same price. And even though you already have all Elsweyr features, and it's only cosmetically different, it should also cost you $30, it's fair right? Or you'll buy the Warden class, and then later they add a reskinned warden class with different spell effects - it's only cosmetically different, and you already have a Warden, but if you want a reskinned spell you should buy the whole class again for the same price, right? No thank you.

As others pointed out, this would have been an excellent opportunity to expand the 'Grey Warden bear' skin section. We pay for the function of the class separately, and get the cosmetic reskins for less than purhcasing the entire class again. We pay for the mount function separately (with gold or crowns) and get the cosmetic reskins for less than purchasing the functionality again. The Banker and Merchant could have worked the same way, with purchasing the functionality and then buying separate skins for it, with the potential of adding to this system later! Adding sorc pets to the mix too, it would be a very profitable business model.

This explains it so well thank you 🙏🏻

MoonPile · June 2019

bluebird wrote: »

The cost of a 20/20/20 mount functionality is 6000 crowns. (And you can get it with ingame gold, albeit super slowly).
The cost of accessing a mobile banker or merchant functionality is 5000 crowns.
If you want a different skinned mount they start at 900 crowns in the store, and there are many ingame skins for them too.
If you want a different skin for that banker and merchant functionality, buy the new ones for 10000 crowns (guessing).
The game launched with several different mounts to purchase (both with ingame gold and with rl money).
Banker and merchant were added as a unique functionality with a crown-exclusive 5k price tag.

So if people could stop pretending that it's the same thing, that would be great, thanks

...

Agree with bluebird.

Pasting my comment from this thread:

MoonPile wrote: »

I was planning to purchase both Alfiqs to replace Tythis & Nuzhimeh if the price was reduced for people who already own the banker and merchant.

Disappointing (but not surprising) that ZOS confirmed there will be no incentives for current T&N owners.

If there's no new functionality then it's just a re-skin; really not worth 10K Crowns (~$100) or 6 months of ESO Plus & 100 crowns (total ~$86 since the smallest crown pack is 750 for $8). With gold-for-crowns, the current rate would put these at something like 2 million (or so I hear... and, well, time is money and unless you're a top guild store seller or a full-time thief, that's a long grind).

Even with the ability to afford any of these methods, on principle, it's just not an attractive offer.

I've heard that something like this happened a couple of years ago with humanoid banker and merchant re-skins and it really didn't go over well with the community. Curious how it'll go this time; I honestly double there will be as much of a problem, if any, because... cats. People will put out.

Someone posted the link to the thread from years ago, regarding the datamined B&M:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/289130/no-no-no/p1
Looks like it was largely a misunderstanding / assumptions made based on datamined content.

Anyway, people who are comparing the Alfiq B&M (banker & merchant) reskins to buying new cars/electronics/houses/whatever — the analogy doesn't work. All of those things can be re-sold, returned, replaced under warranty, etc. We can't re-sell any of these crown items or do anything at all to recoup, so it's not a 1-to-1 comparison. If I buy expensive headphones in black and then they come out with a shiny, new, gold set 6 months later, I can always sell the black ones on eBay and put the earnings toward the cost of the new headphones. Would I get back 100% of what I paid for them? No. But similarly, most people here who were interested in the Alfiqs (before the negative confirmation on reddit) were asking if they'd be discounted for current B&M owners.

The examples given about purchasing cosmetic mounts doesn't hold up either. To extract the general from the specific: personally, I'm a semi-casual player. When I do play, I play A LOT, I buy ESO Plus, etc. Over the past year or two of off-and-on ESO gaming I've accumulated enough different mounts and pets to actually warrant installing the Random Mount addon so I could use them all. However, how many of those did I buy? One. Maybe two. The rest came with expansion purchases, from in-game events, monthly rewards, free crates from monthly rewards or Twitch streams, etc.

And I'm really glad ZOS has improved on that recently! I'm happy to have gotten more into the game at a time when it's easier than ever to actually earn cool stuff by playing. They're improving on a lot of things and it shows given how many new people are joining nowadays; the ESO subreddit is constantly filled with newbies and "refugees" from other mmos.

I just don't see how this Alfiq thing is a sensible move — not financially, and not in keeping long-term customers happy. I'd think they'd rather sell, for example, 100 Alfiqs for $50 ea. (to new owners) AND 100 Alfiqs for $20 ea. (to current B&M owners) rather than 100*$50 (new owners) + maybe 20*$50 (whoever is desperate enough for these cats even though they already own the original B&M). I doubt the desperate-for-cats group is going to outweigh, in numbers and spending, the group that would have spent some money but is now totally turned off by the lack of incentive...

...I could be wrong, of course. Maybe ZOS' marketing people have figured out that the desperate-for-cats group is HUGE, so nobody else really matters. Or, maybe (I'm hoping) that someone from the team will see the many comments, "agrees", etc. here and consider that it might be worth reaching out to the players in the discount-or-nothing group.

max_only · June 2019

MoonPile wrote: »

Maybe ZOS' marketing people have figured out that the desperate-for-cats group is HUGE, so nobody else really matters.

This. I’ve been following the changes up to Elsweyr and already came to this conclusion .

Every time a cat Khaleesi is made a Zos accountant get it’s wings.

When something ridiculously expensive comes out, like a limited time house people say, “wouldn’t Zos rather get “500 sales at $10” rather than “15 sales at $50”. And every time Zos just shrugs and says, Nah. Only Zos has the numbers to know if their tactic of (what we assume to be) higher prices/fewer sales is working. The reality is, we don’t know. Even if you are in 5 guilds at 500 accounts each, and every single person says they won’t buy it, you can never be sure. Zos May very well be making “500 sales at $50” for all we know.

luen79rwb17_ESO · June 2019

I feel the pain for those of you guys who paid for the original ones. I skipped them even when they were on discount based on the fact that they looked ugly as hell for my tastes.

Jaraal · June 2019

A lot of housing people like using Tythis and the merchant as props in their homes. I'm wondering if people who purchase both sets will be able to place all four at a time in their homes?

Anyone on test tried this?

LordLomax · June 2019

Will they add the other banker and merchant that were data mined ? As they look much better ?

Girl_Number8 · June 2019

Zos doing something reasonable, lol.

Probably 0% off because they know we like cats. Well, some of us do.

Dojohoda · June 2019

I've got the banker and merchant already (since they came out). I like them. The cats are certainly adorable, but I like my 2-legged versions just fine.

efster · June 2019

It is monumentally disappointing that they are not allowing this to be a reskin for those who already own the banker and merchant.

SydneyGrey · June 2019

It would be nice to at least get a small discount if you already own the original assistants, but I doubt that will happen.

Like I said before, though, if they were cheaper, this wouldn't be an issue.

MLGProPlayer · June 2019

Exclusive footage from inside Zenimax headquarters:

max_only · June 2019

SydneyGrey wrote: »

It would be nice to at least get a small discount if you already own the original assistants, but I doubt that will happen.
Like I said before, though, if they were cheaper, this wouldn't be an issue.

If they were just flat out cheaper people would complain that “new players don’t have to pay the ridiculous amount of money they had to pay it’s not fair someone gets something cuter for less”

mjharper · June 2019

I’m good on the merchant, because I don’t have that yet. But torn on the banker.

I already have the banker, because it’s more useful to me. But his purpleness is desummoned as soon as possible. And there’s a difference nobody seems to have mentioned. For me at least, these Alfiq will most likely become almost permanent pets. They will be more useful to many players, simply because they won’t be unsummoned.

That doesn’t justify the price, of course. But I’ve found myself thinking about these as ‘deluxe pets’ rather than ‘banker/merchant reskins’.

SydneyGrey · June 2019

max_only wrote: »

SydneyGrey wrote: »

It would be nice to at least get a small discount if you already own the original assistants, but I doubt that will happen.
Like I said before, though, if they were cheaper, this wouldn't be an issue.

If they were just flat out cheaper people would complain that “new players don’t have to pay the ridiculous amount of money they had to pay it’s not fair someone gets something cuter for less”

I meant if all the assistants had been cheaper, including the original ones, then this wouldn't have been an issue.

Stonegrave · June 2019

As I suggested over in the crown store forum, they probably should have just made everyone buy the originals for 5,000 each if they want the functionality, whether they want to use the original appearance or not.

The additional appearance options, which could then be purchased for something less, would start grayed out in the store but become purchasable after you've bought the originals.

Yes, the people who only want the alfiq or whatever future skins come along would complain that they're paying for merchants they don't use, but it makes it fair for everybody for the remainder of the life of the game. We all pay 5,000 for the functionality, and we all pay whatever (say 2,000 crowns) for the various "skins" we want when they come along. It's still costly, but nobody feels like they got ripped off for having bought at an early time in the game's life.

twev · June 2019

max_only wrote: »

SydneyGrey wrote: »

It would be nice to at least get a small discount if you already own the original assistants, but I doubt that will happen.
Like I said before, though, if they were cheaper, this wouldn't be an issue.

If they were just flat out cheaper people would complain that “new players don’t have to pay the ridiculous amount of money they had to pay it’s not fair someone gets something cuter for less”

Alternatively:
People who already own the functionality are paying double for the same functionality but now dressed as a banker in a cat-furry outfit.
Or it's the same guy who went trans-species... I dunno.

Thats the fundamental difference between buying the assistants and multiple horses.
One horse (mount) = another horse (mount).
But the 'new' banker is just the same old hobo wearing a fur suit to LOOK like a cat.

Even if the skin was discounted to 1250 gold - we'd still be paying 25% more for virtually the same thing in (for all intents an purposes) a 'different color'.

ZOS_RikardD · June 2019

Greetings,

We have had to remove a few comments for baiting. Please remember to keep commentary constructive and civil and take a moment to review our Community Rules here.

Thank you for your understanding.

HappyTheCamper · June 2019

I think they need to have a “select a race” option for each one as you buy them, then let us choose from the 10 races. I’d like Imperial or high elf options.

Also, I think it’d be cool to have faction guards for houses. Like I could buy a dominion guard or something.

Jayne_Doe · June 2019

reoskit wrote: »

The one concern I have with the base + skin concept is the outcry there would be for those who've waited to buy a banker/merchant. They'd find that they have to buy the OG *and* the skin to get the Alfiq.

I have no skin (see what I did there) in that game, since I already have the two base, but I think people would be a bit miffed to be made to buy the banker/merchant they don't want and then have to pay to skin them.

So much skinning + cats commentary in here; I'm shocked no one has pointed it out.

That's a good point. And with these Alfiq merchants, you couldn't really do them as skins. But what I meant was that they'd be considered a skin for those who already have the originals, so they could get them at a reduced price. Those who don't have the originals, could just buy the new ones at the full price.

But, I suspect the reason these are the first we're getting is because they can't technically do these as skins due to the size/animation differences. This will get people used to the idea that if they want a different looking assistant, they still have to pay the full price again.

sevomd69 · June 2019

Y'all tripping...If you don't think its worth it... DON'T BUY IT...pretty simple...

zaria · June 2019

SantieClaws wrote: »

bmnoble wrote: »

I won't be buying more bankers/merchants I bought them once for the utility that's it, could not have cared less if they looked like a rotten corpse so long as I could bank/sell stuff when away from town.

Hmm zombie bankers …

Not a bad idea.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

Now had this one not been so much an Khajiit, she would make an Nuzhimeh lookalike who would be very fun in pug dungeons. She is very cute.

January1171 · June 2019

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Currently the team is still discussing the "premium" banker NPCs and how to make them truly special. While they discuss options, these bankers are on hold.

Runs wrote: »

What will you offer those of us who own the normal ones if we would like to upgrade, as owning both would be useless?

Specifically asking this because you mentioned last year that they would not have any additional features over the regular ones.

While I already had the banker, the merchant was bought with the understanding that the new ones when released would have the same features.

The new banker and merchant that were datamined were intended to be premium, with special cosmetic differences and unique VO. The team is sensitive to the fact that adding more/better in-game functionality would not be fair to those who already bought the current banker and merchant NPC. How the team can make them really special while keeping that in mind is what is still in discussion.

(Also, we have a general rule of not commenting on datamined things for this very reason. They're subject to change. We made an exception in this case to help quell the rumors and concern.)[/quote]

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

CromulentForumID wrote: »

If you allowed players to access the, or a version of, the character creator to make a custom NPC as their banker and/or merchant, you would probably make eleventy bazillion dollars.

Brb, telling the Crown Store team that they can make eleventy bazillion dollars.

Seriously though, that's a great idea and one that a few others have also suggested. We sent it over to the Crown Store team today.

I love my current assistants. They were the first thing I bought with my ESO+ crowns, and they have changed how I play the game. In the original announcement article for the assistants (https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/25637) ESO specifically justified the higher price, stating that they "will be priced at 5,000 crowns to reflect their unique convenience, group-wide utility, and practical services." How does this justification apply for the players who already own assistants, thus having their convenience already? They are being asked to pay for this convenience again, even though what they are paying for is purely cosmetic and does not change the actual gameplay for them. In that way, for players who already own the assistants, these new Alfiq assistants act the same as mounts. Desired cosmetic changes, but no difference in functionality- yet the mounts are close to half the price of assistants. It also has been known from the beginning there would always be new mounts available. Over two years have passed without any official statements about new assistant options- it would be easy for many players to reasonably assume that there would never be any assistants that looked different. Basically, players who have already bought the assistants did so under the assumption there would never be anything different.

As someone who desperately wants my banker and merchant to look different, I would love to have Aldmeri Dominion assistants, but they do not feel special enough to justify paying a second time for what ESO has basically stated is convenience. In essence, they feel exactly like the "premium" assistants that were previously commented on, and there have been no changes except for cosmetics. As it stands they are prohibitively costly when I have bought the assistants once already and they don't add any new functionality. Frankly, it feels inconsiderate of players who have put a lot of time and money into the game, especially when there has nothing other than speculation and testing that there would be an option for cosmetically different assistants, and nothing within the last two years. I'm not saying the new assistants should be free, but for players who already have the assistants it would be wonderful if they were available priced more similarly to mounts.

@ZOS_JessicaFolsom Would it be possible for this feedback to be sent to the Crown Store team? Thank you for everything you and the rest of the ESO team do for this game- this is my favorite game, and reasonably priced cosmetic options would just make it even better