What does Win in P2W mean?

CavalryPK · April 2017

I see lot of P2W posts. in ESO when I hear "Win" I generally think about you winning a pvp fight... basically if you spend actual money, then you are more competitive in pvp. what do you guys think "Win" means ?

kargen27 · April 2017

Could be in PvP or could be leader boards for PvE content.

An example of pay to win would be a weapon being offered in the crown store that has a powerful trait not offered in the game or a potion that returns more health than any potion in the game.

Pallio · April 2017

Basically some perceived advantage that would allow someone to beat someone else in a duel, purchased with $$, eluding to the fact that it wasn't skill, it was $$ that allowed them to win.

As win most sayings today, it is not actually true or accurate as nothing in crown store or otherwise can be purchased with $$ does anything to improve combat effectiveness.

Vapirko · April 2017

In PvP or end game dps really, as in every progression or vet trials run will want warden dps. Though that seems unlikely. If anything it could be a threat in PvP from top players, but then so is any class. I don't see it being any more op in the hands of ur average player than other classes.

Edit: the bear ulti seems like it could be op with a huge stam pool from draugr + bone pirate but we shall see.

Drdeath20 · April 2017

In a game thats main focus is platforming i feel that win means be better than players that dont pay

srfrogg23 · April 2017

CavalryPK wrote: »

I see lot of P2W posts. in ESO when I hear "Win" I generally think about you winning a pvp fight... basically if you spend actual money, then you are more competitive in pvp. what do you guys think "Win" means ?

It means: "I don't want to pay for this expansion, but I still want the content for free. I think if I cry foul loud enough for long enough, I'll get free stuff."

Seriously, though, good luck getting anything resembling an actual answer.

billp_ESO · April 2017

It's really more like "pay to not play".

In the old days, if you had the Uber Sword of Doom (USoD), it meant you were a good player and won it. You also gained more abilities and powers by playing. A high level player gained respect for their skill and experience.

Today, the USoD can be bought; a player having it means nothing. Abilities and powers likewise mean nothing. There is no real "winning", so it's really pay to not play the game, just get the rewards.

TheStealthDude · April 2017

Pay2Win is something locked behind a pay-wall that gives the person who pays for it a direct advantage in competition against other players who don't pay for them.

This game has some small things that could fall under P2W, but nothing game breaking. Examples of things that possibly fall under P2W in ESO would be the Imperial Race and the "Any Race, Any Alliance" upgrade. Even though these don't provide huge (or maybe even noticeable) advantages, they could be argued as P2W. You could also argue that items that are from DLC are P2W.

Even though there are potentially P2W elements in ESO, I don't believe they cause any noticeable problems in game balance. ESO is pretty good about minimizing P2W, in my opinion.

kevlarto_ESO · April 2017

P2W is you buy something with real money, that gives you an unfair advantage, makes you impossible to kill or one shots anything or anyone in your path, there are many opinions about what makes an item p2w but to me those are the only criteria that fit my version of p2w, some people claim lesser things are p2w but unless it gives you huge advantages it is not, and in the end no one really wins. It mostly pertains to pvp, but with any game that has a leader board or competition, it can bleed over to pve as well.

zaria · April 2017

TheStealthDude wrote: »

Pay2Win is something locked behind a pay-wall that gives the person who pays for it a direct advantage in competition against other players who don't pay for them.

This game has some small things that could fall under P2W, but nothing game breaking. Examples of things that possibly fall under P2W in ESO would be the Imperial Race and the "Any Race, Any Alliance" upgrade. Even though these don't provide huge (or maybe even noticeable) advantages, they could be argued as P2W. You could also argue that items that are from DLC are P2W.

Even though there are potentially P2W elements in ESO, I don't believe they cause any noticeable problems in game balance. ESO is pretty good about minimizing P2W, in my opinion.

Expansions / dlc is not P2W, if so WOW has been the worst P2W MMO the last decade.
In WOW the power curve is insane, you more than double your dps on an expansion, BiS raiding gear from previous expansion is worse than quest rewards at the end of the next.

Now if maelstrom weapons had been in the crown store ESO had been P2W, even if you could get them the current way in vMA, simply as you has to be an good player to do vMA and the grind is insane.

Kiralyn2000 · April 2017

The kind of stuff I've seen in some other companies' MMOs (especially the free-for-all PVP ones):

- if you die in PvP, people can loot your gear.... unless you pay $ for these consumable Protection scrolls!
- you won't die as much in PvP if you pay $ for these Massive Automatic Healing potions!
- upgrading your gear has a tiny % of success, and your gear might be destroyed if it fails.... unless you pay $ for these consumable Upgrade crystals!
- Best gear in the game, only in the cash shop!

So yeah. That's P2W.

AhPook_Is_Here · April 2017

It means anytime you want something you can't get for free the game has gone P2W.

Liofa · April 2017

According to ESO forums , anything someone doesn't want to buy is P2W . Bank Space increase that is coming with next patch for ESO Plus members got so many comments about it being P2W for example .

In reality , P2W means this . You are not paying . Someone else is . There is no way of you doing better or even close compared to that person who pays . Which is not the case with ESO . There are lots of players who doesn't use vMA weapons and do much more DPS than players who use them . So , no . There is no P2W in ESO . It is all just a matter of executing the act we call ''git gud'' .

dday3six · April 2017

As I stated in previous threads: In an attempt to incentivize real money transactions, something that is so much stronger and easier to acquire that it creates a power vacuum of viable options that neither player skill or time invested can overcome.

The Elder Scrolls Online

What does Win in P2W mean?

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