Explorers Pack in Crown Store - say it ain't so!

Bouvin · March 2015

So much for being "exclusive".

Guess it just proves, don't trust what ZOS tells you.

Lethal_Instinct · March 2015

This doesn't affect anyone's game play except it opens up options to those who didn't have the ability to play any race, any alliance.

The way I see it, if it doesn't affect me negatively, I don't care--I'll keep playing. Even if it means someone else can now be a Breton in AD when they couldn't before. WHO CARES! At least that person is happier to play the game. I'd rather have thousands of happier players than try to please a handful of upset people who feel entitled. I'm a pre-orderer and feel good that if I got a friend to join for the first time, they don't have to have the race restrictions and play the race they love in the alliance I am in!

Too many people feel they are more deserving of things because they were here first, pre-ordered, etc etc etc. I'm happy I pre-ordand am happy I got to create all my characters (back at release) in one alliance of all different races and don't have to worry about restarting any characters. People who get this option from the crown store have to start from scratch which may be what ZOS is aiming for... get people to start new characters and play through the content again or simply make new players happier to be able to gain these options at an extra expense.

Stop being dramatic people and play the game and let others play to enjoy it as well. It's everyone's game, not just yours.

starkerealm · March 2015

Yeah, I'm with Lethal here. And, yes, I've got a pact Breton as my main.

Honestly, back during prerelease, my understanding was once you'd finished a faction's campaign you'd unlock that race for the other two factions. Not that you'd simply wander through their zones in silver and gold.

So, this being available to other players really doesn't bother me. I would much rather have players able to roll up whichever race they want if it means they'll actually play the game.

DeathTrap · March 2015

Lethal_Instinct wrote: »

This doesn't affect anyone's game play except it opens up options to those who didn't have the ability to play any race, any alliance.

You're right. It doesn't affect my game play. However, it does affect my trust in ZOS, as it was supposed to be a preorder exclusive. Not timed exclusive - just exclusive. Now, in the end, I don't really care that much... But it definitely has a negative impact on my view of ZOS and my willingness to buy products from them.

UrQuan · March 2015

Rosveen wrote: »

Why not? The Explorer's Pack was the sole reason why I pre-ordered, but I'd be happy if it was available to everyone. It isn't Elder Scrolls if you aren't free to choose your allegiance independently of race.

You get all of the agrees.

As someone who pre-ordered partly for the "any race any alliance" (that wasn't really the main reason I pre-ordered though: the main reason was to get the limited physical Imperial edition that came with the statue of Molag Bal and the awesome coffee table book), I've always believed that "any race any alliance" should be available to anyone.

Danikat · March 2015

theweakminded wrote: »

Do the pre-order codes still work? I have an unused copy of the game with that code in it...

Mine worked a month ago. I think it's unlikely they've changed it since then.

Streega · March 2015

Lionxoft wrote: »

If I remember correctly @ZOS_GinaBruno confirmed that the Any race any alliance perk would not be offered again. Was that another lie? I'll have to check the ESO Live episodes but I can't remember which one it was stated. [...]

Here: http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/1509562/#Comment_1509562

And let me quote myself: (from http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/151782/put-the-imperial-edition-and-adventurer-pack-benefits-behind-the-subscription)

Streega wrote: »

This is my only real problem with buying "ariaa", it's lore-breaking. You can call me a nerd, but imagine Skyrim flooded with Khajits and Redguards or Auridon full of Nords. Especially during this war.
On the other side I know the real world is driven by money, so I wouldn't mind if the new subscribers could buy an option to have ONE "ariaa" character, and ONLY during the subscription. I think it would encourage people to subscibe and would be less upsetting for "preorder" owners like me. Treasure Maps? Meh, it's usually trash anyway. As for the IE pack - no problem here, put it in the Crown Store for everybody... oh wait, they already did

ThinkerOfThings · March 2015

Perhaps a compromise?

If they maintained the value of the pre-order bonuses, say by making it so that non pre-order players could purchase each race individually ( or sets of 3 making for an entire faction) to be available in all alliances, then I would be ok with that feature being implemented for players. That way it gives players access to the races they want in the factions they want and those players that did pre-order get the bonuses without having to pay for them and their pre-order still retains value.

Zershar_Vemod · March 2015

Well another good example on how ZOS wants to get rid of the original playerbase....

Gidorick · March 2015

But you see @Streega... it's NOT the Explorer's Pack... It's the "Adventurer Pack".

Completely different. "Explorer's" has an apostrophe and it's 10 characters (if you count the apostrophe) and "Adventurer" is ...er... "Explorer's" is only 9 characters because you don't count the apostrophe and Adventurer is 10 characters!

Also, the Explorer's Pack included any race-any alliance, a Scuttler Pet, and maps. The Adventurer Pack includes any race-any alliance, a Bantham Guar Pet, and maps. Totally different pack. A Bantham Guar is NOT a Scuttler... so the packs are COMPLETELY different. Everything's cool.

[/sarcasm]

Varicite · March 2015

"Since the Explorer’s Pack was only available as a pre-order bonus and was not sold on our website, it will not be moving to the Crown Store. We’re going to remove this note from the patch notes to avoid any further misunderstandings."

I'm not really misunderstanding anything here. It was marketed as a pre-order exclusive. We were told it would remain exclusive. It didn't.

People seem to think that we have a problem w/ the pre-order exclusive bonus being available to other people. I don't have any issue w/ other people making whatever races they want on whatever faction they want. Should never have been gated behind an exclusive bonus in the first place, tbh.

Just to avoid further misunderstandings, I don't have a problem w/ others having the bonus. I have a problem w/ being straight up lied to.

DeathTrap · March 2015

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Apologies for the confusion on this, everyone. This was simply a miscommunication and something that was intended to be removed, but an old version of this note inadvertently got published. The gist of this note was that items currently on the web store will be moved to the Crown Store (such as the Imperial Upgrade). Since the Explorer’s Pack was only available as a pre-order bonus and was not sold on our website, it will not be moving to the Crown Store. We’re going to remove this note from the patch notes to avoid any further misunderstandings.

Well, so much for this. I don't appreciate blatant lies, ZOS.

Streega · March 2015

Gidorick wrote: »

But you see @Streega... it's NOT the Explorer's Pack... It's the "Adventurer Pack".

Ups... my mistake, what I was thinking

It's even a different game, I meant TESO and this is all about TESO:TU! Silly me...

Anyway, back in my home village we say: even if you pack *poo* in a box of chocolate, it still tastes like *poo*.

MasterSpatula · March 2015

This is a pretty small disappointment, but it is a disappointment. "Any race, any alliance" was something limited and special. Not gonna get worked up over it or anything, but it is disappointing.

Keron · March 2015

Is it or is it not available on crown store? Just yes or no, based on NA crown store offers on live.

Gidorick · March 2015

Keron wrote: »

Is it or is it not available on crown store? Just yes or no, based on NA crown store offers on live.

YES.

It is, but with a different pet. The Bantham Guar.

Ashigaru · March 2015

Keron wrote: »

Is it or is it not available on crown store? Just yes or no, based on NA crown store offers on live.

Its called the Adventures Pack NOT explorers pack, it has the all faction thing but i dont know if anything else was offered in the explorers pack. What does it really matter though, they have lied to us numerous times and nobody has really seemed to let it bother them or is this just a case of i am special and nobody should have what i have kind of thing?

Keron · March 2015

[snip] me silly.

I don't know why, but that for me feels like one of the biggest disappointments, maybe even THE biggest one.

I can stand the bugs, I can stand the bad performance in PvP, I could come to terms with P2W eventually. I even accept that now we seem to have to spend real bucks if we want a character appearance that is not "appropriate for cloister wear".

I can even live with the epic [snip] of the so-called "senche mount loyalty reward" that more truthfully should be called "shove enough money down our throat prior to ESO:TU equal to 300 days future total subscription" and loyalty be damned!

But to take away the only thing that showed at least a minimum of appreciation towards early supporters of the game, just days after having denied that selfsame thing explicitly, now that is cold.

And don't dare to justify that by calling it "adventurer pack".
[Moderator Note: Edited per our rules on Cursing & Profanity]

Gidorick · March 2015

Ashigaru wrote: »

Keron wrote: »

Is it or is it not available on crown store? Just yes or no, based on NA crown store offers on live.

Its called the Adventures Pack NOT explorers pack, it has the all faction thing but i dont know if anything else was offered in the explorers pack. What does it really matter though, they have lied to us numerous times and nobody has really seemed to let it bother them or is this just a case of i am special and nobody should have what i have kind of thing?

You haven't spent much time on these forums, have you?

Varicite · March 2015

Ashigaru wrote: »

Keron wrote: »

Is it or is it not available on crown store? Just yes or no, based on NA crown store offers on live.

Its called the Adventures Pack NOT explorers pack, it has the all faction thing but i dont know if anything else was offered in the explorers pack. What does it really matter though, they have lied to us numerous times and nobody has really seemed to let it bother them or is this just a case of i am special and nobody should have what i have kind of thing?

It has every single item that the Explorer's Pack had ("Any Race, Any Alliance", "Pact Treasure Maps", "Covenant Treasure Maps", "Dominion Treasure Maps", "Coldharbour Treasure Map") except the Vermillion Scuttler.

Instead of the Scuttler, the "Adventurer's Pack" comes w/ a Bantam Guar pet, which is actually cooler imo, but that's completely subjective.

Basically, they changed the 1 pet and now it's the all-new, never-before-seen Adventurer's Pack!

It's totally different now, guys. Not the same thing at all. /endsarcasm

Pentegarn · March 2015

One of my buddies and I recently bought the game a little over a month ago. We purchased from Amazon, and ended up with the Explorer's edition, though it didn't say it on the Amazon page. We just purchased the cheapest one we could find to try the game. I later upgraded to the Imperial edition.

So why would ESO restrict anyone from being able to play whatever race they wanted in there alliance of choice? It doesn't make sense. Racial benefits in this game make a difference. If someone were choosing a race based on a build they wanted to play, it might restrict them to a particular faction. That doesn't make any sense. Especially considering other new players, like myself, purchased the Explorer's edition from Amazon.

I know the Explorer's edition was supposed to be a bonus for pre-order, but it is what it is. I'd rather see players like this game and ensure a longer life for it. And I'd like to see ESO make enough profit that we see continued development. And I'd like to see these things happen without Pay-to-Win items on the cash shop, as it currently is. Because Pay-to-Win would definitely kill the game for me and many other players and potential players, leaving and attracting the types of players/people that I don't like to see in any game, MMO or otherwise.

So there are many things, a hell of a lot worse, that could happen than allowing players to purchase the ability to play the race they want to play in whatever faction they choose.

Varicite · March 2015

Pentegarn wrote: »

I know the Explorer's edition was supposed to be a bonus for pre-order, but it is what it is.

It is a flat-out lie, and just the latest one in a very long string of lies told to us by Zenimax.

That is my problem.

sagitter · March 2015

Explorer's pack can be bought in all e-key sites, everyone got it, so i can't understand why complaining about it.

Micallef · March 2015

DeathTrap wrote: »

You're right. It doesn't affect my game play. However, it does affect my trust in ZOS, as it was supposed to be a preorder exclusive. Not timed exclusive - just exclusive. Now, in the end, I don't really care that much... But it definitely has a negative impact on my view of ZOS and my willingness to buy products from them.

Spot on. At this point it seems ZO no longer even bothers keeping up appearances. Instead of working on their tainted image, it's all about grabbing the cash now.

As someone above said, their game their rules. I agree with that too, but at the same time, my money my choice where to spend. If this company thinks it's ok to backflip on anything it says, it seems unwise to consider this a worthwhile 'investment' now that it's gone F2P (I know I know, it's B2P, big runny deal. I already had the box when they did an about face, so to me it's F2P).

Varicite · March 2015

sagitter wrote: »

Explorer's pack can be bought in all e-key sites, everyone got it, so i can't understand why complaining about it.

Because ZOS said they wouldn't. And then they did. Again.

How is this hard to understand?

LtCrunch · March 2015

Varicite wrote: »

sagitter wrote: »

Explorer's pack can be bought in all e-key sites, everyone got it, so i can't understand why complaining about it.

Because ZOS said they wouldn't. And then they did. Again.

How is this hard to understand?

It's common for pre-order incentives to be sold at some point, ZOS never said they would NEVER offer it through some other means in the future. They said at the time that it was the only way to play any race in any alliance and when that statement was made, it was the truth.

How is that hard to understand?

starkerealm · March 2015

Streega wrote: »

And let me quote myself: (from http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/151782/put-the-imperial-edition-and-adventurer-pack-benefits-behind-the-subscription)

Streega wrote: »

This is my only real problem with buying "ariaa", it's lore-breaking. You can call me a nerd, but imagine Skyrim flooded with Khajits and Redguards or Auridon full of Nords. Especially during this war.
On the other side I know the real world is driven by money, so I wouldn't mind if the new subscribers could buy an option to have ONE "ariaa" character, and ONLY during the subscription. I think it would encourage people to subscibe and would be less upsetting for "preorder" owners like me. Treasure Maps? Meh, it's usually trash anyway. As for the IE pack - no problem here, put it in the Crown Store for everybody... oh wait, they already did

With respect, that's fan logic. I mean, it makes sense, but has no baring on what the developers are going to do.

Kahrgan · March 2015

Mr.Hmm wrote: »

I dont care about anything else but Explorers Pack SHOULD NOT be sold!, it was pre-order only item ffs...

Stop with the special snowflake attitude. Let ZoS make some money.

Edhelas_Naven · March 2015

As long as the Explorer's Pack or the Imperial Edition cost roughly the same amount that I paid for it when I bought mine then I have no problem.

They have to generate revenue from somewhere and there is nothing wrong if new players wants to play any race they want to in any faction. That is how the TES games have always been if I am not mistaken as my first was Morrowind and then all others that followed it.

starkerealm · March 2015

Edhelas_Naven wrote: »

As long as the Explorer's Pack or the Imperial Edition cost roughly the same amount that I paid for it when I bought mine then I have no problem.

The Adventurer Pack is substantially more expensive than the Explorer Pack was. Well, the Explorer pack was free, but for those who had to cough up because G2A screwed them out of their preorder codes...