Off topic:
I'm a little curious about how does $30 worth in US...
A $25 WoW mount has a price tag of 120 CNY in China, which is roughly $18, or ~$32 according to 'Big Mac Index' (it costs $5.04 to buy a big mac in US, but $2.79 in China), the whole community (or the ones I'm in) seems fine with that price...

Phinix1 wrote: »

f047ys3v3n wrote: »

The crates are very high priced and have terrible RNG but ZOS did include a token system so you do eventually get to buy, at very high cost ~$250 if crowns bought at no discount, the atro mount of your dreams and if were all honest we do all want at least one.

I don't. I see them as gimicky and lore breaking. Plus they are a constant reminder of a beautiful franchise being dragged through the muck by greed.

I would never want top be seen on one even if I had it. It would just make me want to mudball myself for being a selfish part of the problem ruining something I loved, and I would totally deserve it, too.

Im right there with you. Ive refused to buy the Mehrunes Dagon Horse, the Ice Horse, the Hist Guar and the Dro m'athra mounts because of their overly supernatural, poorly explained presence and the fact that they are entirely too flashy for what I feel belongs in a Fantasy MMO setting. Its like someone thought the flashiness of Tron and World of Warcraft would be great selling points here in ESO. Even though the setting has always been more bleak and reserved. These Atronach Mounts are just a continuation of ZOS moving away from the traditional TES feel and aesthetics so they can sell cheaply done flash mounts at a overly marked up price to someone that feels the need to stand out in a group of others who are also trying to stand out.

Every last one of my mounts are more grounded creatures and not of the Tron Supernatural kind. I dont think less of anyone buying these things. But I do feel like it detracts from the setting and sets a terrible precedent for the future of the game. We're almost 3 years in and we're already moving down the path of 4500 Crown Mounts that look like they crawled out of new Pokemon game.

Given that the last DLC (Shadows of the Hist) was 1500 crowns to purchase, and 1T and Homestead are free updates, and the likelihood is that most of the game's population will choose to purchase houses with in-game gold rather than the crown store and use the furniture crafting option for decor, they were going to jack the prices up in the crown store and I fail to see how anyone did not see that this was going to happen.

No way in heck would I pay 4500 crowns for a mount. That is a silly notion. But some people will.

I think the mount is well done. I took no issue with the animations. They aren't the same as the horse. I also do not think every mount needs visual upgrades. It should notify people though like the costumes do when they are not able to be dyed. This mount would be good at 2500 crowns. 4500 crowns is too much.

Pandorii wrote: »

JD2013 wrote: »

Given that the last DLC (Shadows of the Hist) was 1500 crowns to purchase, and 1T and Homestead are free updates, and the likelihood is that most of the game's population will choose to purchase houses with in-game gold rather than the crown store and use the furniture crafting option for decor, they were going to jack the prices up in the crown store and I fail to see how anyone did not see that this was going to happen.

No way in heck would I pay 4500 crowns for a mount. That is a silly notion. But some people will.

It's true that they haven't been generating revenue from DLCs. But they have been generating revenue from subscriptions and game sells (like the gold edition). Every new major upgrade and/or holiday season seems to bring in a new wave of players.

I think their decisions to mark up the prices, act inconsistently, and mislead or miscommunicate with the community is doing them overall more harm than good. I may not have the figures to genuinely understand, but I really think that an elk priced at 2500 would sell more than double than an elk that sells at 4500. An elk at 2000 crowns could sell triple! So why would they mark up the prices other than to be predatory towards collectors, wealthy players, and those RPers who need just the right mount for their style?

Also (and most importantly), who asked for one tamriel? It was a major overhaul of the game that required a new system of gear dropping that required the introduction of dozens of new sets. Nobody wanted that... sure some people wanted to play with their friends and not get locked behind faction walls. But the community wasn't clamoring to have all the world scaled to their level.

They decided to provide this free of cost. It was a bad business decision. We're paying for it now. Aren't the crown crates enough? Isn't it enough that we're pretty much pigeoned-holed into subbing, unless you want to have a really terrible time managing materials?

Ah but we don't have figures for how many subscribe either. We can guess at numbers all night and still in all likelihood not guess a correct number. Same goes for how many buy crown crates etc.

Now I agree that lower price would in all likelihood generate greater sales of said product, that is simple economics. No argument there.

As to who asked for One Tamriel - well there were a large portion of people asking to be able to play together, and bad business decision or not - the game's population seems healthier than I've ever seen it in my (almost) 3 years here. And being able to quest with friends in other factions is a very welcome change, as well as other things it bought.

Really, nobody here has to buy a thing apart from the base game if they don't want. And yes, that is endlessly parroted around here too. Are the prices set by data analysis? By management? I would likely say its management, and managements goals are always to make more profit no matter how much profit is being made. I saw that they're hiring in a bunch of new people too.

Now, are the prices fair? Most of the time no. But the absolute best way is to close your wallets and purses and let them see the data of how few people are buying and maybe that will give them some realisation or maybe it won't. Time will tell.

I do genuinely think it rather outrageous that they price a mount at more than Wrothgar. A massive zone with lots of quests. But clearly cosmetics have value in this game and they see that for sure.

lordrichter wrote: »

JimT722 wrote: »

I think the mount is well done. I took no issue with the animations. They aren't the same as the horse. I also do not think every mount needs visual upgrades. It should notify people though like the costumes do when they are not able to be dyed. This mount would be good at 2500 crowns. 4500 crowns is too much.

I think that it is a good looking mount. I like it more than I thought I would when I figured that it was going to be Rudolph. Value is up to each person. If I had reason to, I would spend the 4500 Crowns. I do not have a reason to have this mount, and I don't buy mounts I don't need.

I will say that I would spend 4500 for this mount before the same amount for any of the Storm Atronach mounts. I really dislike those things.

Yes I agree. Those atronach mounts are eyesores. They couldn't price those low enough for me to buy. I obviously got the Elk though. Limited time and it's different. Curiosity got the best of me. I like it but why so much crowns. If they all start costing so much I might just consider using what I have.

Abeille wrote: »

Admittedly, if I had a character that needed it to have their concept complete, I would most likely get it.

But since the character I had in mind just "sorta fits", I would only get it if it was for the standard limited time price (2500). Next!

That's me, I have a character that I would have really liked this for. Unfortunately for me, I only have enough extra money to buy 3k crowns. I should have just went ahead and bought the white wolf in its place as that would have still fit the character. =/

Edit: This is honestly a first. I've bought every mount up to this point other than the white wolf, and this Elk. The only reason I didn't buy the wolf mount this month is because I had wanted this Elk, and money is short.........ya know, it's Christmas and all! >.>

The way I see it, the elk is just a pathway for them to milk 90 day subs before the end of the fiscal year. You get the perfect amount of crowns to unlock the elk, and ZOS gets to brag about having X subscribing members going into 2017.

And if they had kept up their quarterly paid DLC schedule, it might have even been worth it. But we're looking at probably May at the earliest for our next storyline content, which will have been a year since Dark Brotherhood. Sure, The Winds of Winter probably still won't be released but when your relevant content release schedule is comparable to George R.R. Martin's, you are putting more faith in your fan base's patience than you should ever feel comfortable with.

This here exemplifies the problem with their ridiculously overpriced, price not revealed until the last minute, limited time only mount offerings. They make the game less fun. That's not how a game succeeds.

Happy customers. That's what you want.

Midori_Oku wrote: »

That's me, I have a character that I would have really liked this for. Unfortunately for me, I only have enough extra money to buy 3k crowns. I should have just went ahead and bought the white wolf in its place as that would have still fit the character. =/

Edit: This is honestly a first. I've bought every mount up to this point other than the white wolf, and this Elk. The only reason I didn't buy the wolf mount this month is because I had wanted this Elk, and money is short.........ya know, it's Christmas and all! >.>

You have my sympathies. I was in the same boat with the glow kitty and refused to spend $40 on a mount. This time I was prepared though. Bought crowns when they were on sale and have been sitting on them. Not spending. And there were things (like the snow wolf) I might have bought otherwise.

For your sake I can only hope that some time in the future they release another mount which works for your character. In all likelihood there'll be a white elk eventually. Don't sub. Buy crowns when they're on sale. Don't spend crowns on anything else.

4.5k for a horse with horns? No thank you.

I really dislike where this game is heading. From my most played game since official release to one I barely touch now. I find this a bit of a finger to your community.

First off, the game is still plagued with bugs, some which were present since the Beta. But instead of fixing these issues you'd rather sell a disgustingly overpriced mount that, by the sound of people who bought it, isn't even good and lacks more features than cheaper mounts.

I've been subbing this game untill now and I really expected more respect or gratitude towards the players. All your paid content seems to just go up in price and go down in quality. Why don't you give us some nice mounts we can unlock by playing your game for a change?

I was shocked when I saw buy only motifs and crown crates, and now I am again by the price of your mount. Last one I got, and probably will ever get, is the alliance mount since I like to PvP as well and it fits it (which IMO should have been purchasable with AP Instead to begin with).

At least you didn't lose the Christmas spirit when you priced this horned horse....Wait...

***-***, merry Christmas.

Edit: ***-*** without a dash is considered a curse word and censored?

Edit edit: the censored word is the sound Santa Claus makes.

SantieClaws wrote: »

Khajiit she thinks none of those hat racks look like a mousse.

They lack the smooth and oh so chocolaty texture of a fine desert.

Mmm chocolaty yes.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

Not mousse, @SantieClaws , not mousse. Moose. MOOSE.

Basically, it's an elk who has eaten moonsugar. It becomes a moose.
The moonsugar might as well have been included in a mousse, though.

A moderator removed my reply from another thread as it "threatened to derail" the discussion because it focused on the cost of the mount (but, funnily enough, kept the positive post that I responded to that ALSO discusses the cost of the mount), so I'll respond here again.

kevlarto_ESO wrote: »

I think it is a pretty cool mount, I am not going to buy one myself, I enjoy seeing others ride by on them. It seems a little Lord of the Ringish, but oh well.

But if you can afford one and like it by all means buy one, it's your money your game and your fun, you are not a sucker for enhancing your game play, the haters are most likely the players that think everything should be free or mommy and daddy will not open up the credit card for them LOL

Anyone who purchases this mount is absolutely a sucker. CDN $50 is almost the price of an entire new game. Think about what you're buying, here: it's an object that gets you from point A to point B. Is that equivalent in value to an entire new video game?

I don't want the mount for free: I want to pay a reasonable amount for it (2500 crowns max).

anitajoneb17_ESO wrote: »

SantieClaws wrote: »

Khajiit she thinks none of those hat racks look like a mousse.

They lack the smooth and oh so chocolaty texture of a fine desert.

Mmm chocolaty yes.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

Not mousse, @SantieClaws , not mousse. Moose. MOOSE.

Basically, it's an elk who has eaten moonsugar. It becomes a moose.
The moonsugar might as well have been included in a mousse, though.

Both of you stop it; I already have the German portion of the fanbase to blame for my last two batches of chocolate pudding; don't make me blame you two for batch #3.

Now, moose, in my experience, is not very good meat; it seems to absorb the flavor from everything leaving it tasteless. Elk IIRC was better meat, but not nearly as good as Pronghorn Antelope (the deer-things in Valenwood). Those are delicious, but sadly not very big.

Figured I'll throw my 2 cents in here.

I'm not mad about the price of the Elk at all. Do I think it's too high? Yeah sure, but I'm not riled up.

Why?

Crown crates.

I was VERY mad about crown crates, but in the end I guess they did better for my wallet. Essentially, crown crates showed I wasn't going to be able to have all the things I wanted, or kind of wanted in this game. Due to this, suddenly all the exclusive mounts have really taken a hit on what my perceived value of them is. Fancy senche? I bought it right away. Things that left the crown store that I didn't even love but though "MAYBE one day I'll use this"? I bought them. Banker? Bought it. Now, now I know I'll be unable to obtain all the things I want, so I'm a lot more picky.

I was never super excited for the Elk mount, but I did think it was pretty cool. Had it dropped with a more reasonable price point, yes, I would have bought it. Had crown crates never came to be, and I still knew I could really get everything I kinda sorta liked, I would have bought it at 4500 crowns. I guess this just means less money for Zos, and more money going to buying other games for friends on steam instead going forward.

So bring it Zos. Bring on the 4500 mounts that I now have a much lower perceived value of. Maybe I'll find my way back into the low cost this game was when it was sub only.

Aurielle wrote: »

rotaugen454 wrote: »

Aurielle wrote: »

A moderator removed my reply from another thread as it "threatened to derail" the discussion because it focused on the cost of the mount (but, funnily enough, kept the positive post that I responded to that ALSO discusses the cost of the mount), so I'll respond here again.

kevlarto_ESO wrote: »

I think it is a pretty cool mount, I am not going to buy one myself, I enjoy seeing others ride by on them. It seems a little Lord of the Ringish, but oh well.

But if you can afford one and like it by all means buy one, it's your money your game and your fun, you are not a sucker for enhancing your game play, the haters are most likely the players that think everything should be free or mommy and daddy will not open up the credit card for them LOL

Anyone who purchases this mount is absolutely a sucker. CDN $50 is almost the price of an entire new game. Think about what you're buying, here: it's an object that gets you from point A to point B. Is that equivalent in value to an entire new video game?

I don't want the mount for free: I want to pay a reasonable amount for it (2500 crowns max).

Absolutely a sucker if you buy? Would you buy it for $1? That is what the $20 (in discounted crowns) is equivalent to for some people. You might as well say anyone is a sucker who buys a coffee at starbucks, which costs as much as several coffees elsewhere.

That's a poor analogy. This isn't about premium mounts being cheaper in other games; this is about inconsistent store pricing in this game. If Starbucks started randomly charging $5 for coffee after consistently charging $2, and people continued to buy their coffee, then yeah, they're suckers. I can buy two full freaking DLCs in this game for cheaper than this mount. Are you people HONESTLY suggesting that the Elk Mount is indeed worth more to you than Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild COMBINED?

Someone gets it.
Thanks for this context