While I kind of agree and would like to see a discount for players who already bought the original assistants, I can easily see why ZOS is doing it the way they are. I mean, they don't give a discount on mounts to someone who has already bought another mount. Plus, this way one can put multiple bankers in their player owned homes so that players don't have to run all the way to the other side of the house just to use a banker. Stuff like this is just the nature of the game as far as I can see, as much as I can sympathize.

I know its too much to ask that we can straight out swap em

I waited to buy the banker until these cats came out
but I have the merchant from a while ago

Marginis wrote: »

While I kind of agree and would like to see a discount for players who already bought the original assistants, I can easily see why ZOS is doing it the way they are. I mean, they don't give a discount on mounts to someone who has already bought another mount. Plus, this way one can put multiple bankers in their player owned homes so that players don't have to run all the way to the other side of the house just to use a banker. Stuff like this is just the nature of the game as far as I can see, as much as I can sympathize.

The difference is that mounts are a separate cosmetic category and everybody was aware from the start that there would be different versions of mounts in the game, with newer ones added over time. But Assistants are account upgrades.

That's like selling a Character Slot and then years later adding better looking character slots (stupid example I know but just go with it - a character slot with a special cosmetic border around it or whatever ). Or selling storage chests which people buy for their account because of functionality and ZOS later adding different reskins that are more cosmetically appealing.

Price concerns are the main issue here I think - the suggestion people mentioned above that ZOS could sell the banker and merchant at the usual high price for their functionality and then sell skins for them at a lower price would be a better solution imo, and they could continue making money that way with future reskins.

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.

I think it should be treated how the Warden bear is. You should be able to slot what look you want for the Banker but not cost a full amount from when you first buy it. Pay a base cost for the banker and additional for "skins".

This should also be added to Sorc pets as well.

bluebird wrote: »

Marginis wrote: »

While I kind of agree and would like to see a discount for players who already bought the original assistants, I can easily see why ZOS is doing it the way they are. I mean, they don't give a discount on mounts to someone who has already bought another mount. Plus, this way one can put multiple bankers in their player owned homes so that players don't have to run all the way to the other side of the house just to use a banker. Stuff like this is just the nature of the game as far as I can see, as much as I can sympathize.

The difference is that mounts are a separate cosmetic category and everybody was aware from the start that there would be different versions of mounts in the game, with newer ones added over time. But Assistants are account upgrades.

That's like selling a Character Slot and then years later adding better looking character slots (stupid example I know but just go with it - a character slot with a special cosmetic border around it or whatever ). Or selling storage chests which people buy for their account because of functionality and ZOS later adding different reskins that are more cosmetically appealing.

Price concerns are the main issue here I think - the suggestion people mentioned above that ZOS could sell the banker and merchant at the usual high price for their functionality and then sell skins for them at a lower price would be a better solution imo, and they could continue making money that way with future reskins.

I absolutely see what you're saying, and while I disagree with the notion that assistants are special (ever since the update like... 4 years ago? mounts are account-wide upgrades that you can swap out with differently skinned ones that you can buy, in my opinion just the same as the assistants) the concerns about monetization we agree on, and how ZOS handles stuff like this should be different. There should be a better way around this.

I'd say what should happen is give all the players that bought the original assistants the new cat ones for free (or give the original purchasers refunds), and then introduce the original assistants as unlocks from gameplay for everyone. That way they're more similar to other crown store upgrades, and it gives them the freedom to and the probability to release more cosmetic assistant upgrades in the future. In that case, even for those that aren't fans of cats, there's a likelyhood we might get I don't know... dwemer machine assistants, or atronach assistants.

It's unlikely, because ZOS could just decide to release the new stuff without giving refunds and make more money, but I think that would make it more fair at least. I mean, mounts should be cheaper, but that's just how things are. Even though they're just reskins for something you already have, they can cost upwards of 30 bucks each.

My bet too is that their response to something like this would be "well, you already got use out of the assistants, so we can't really give you a refund. That's what live service means". I didn't get refunded for my subscription before the craft bag and before DLC, and for... so many other things, and while I disagree with a lot of it, it's a live service game so it should be expected.

My striped senche mount is one of the most boring looking mounts out there, because it released years ago, but I still enjoy it, despite so many better and more exciting cosmetic versions of the senche mount being released. Hell, I still find uses for that old imperial horse and the default brown horse, just like I'd still find a use for the boring storage chests we have now if ZOS released cosmetically superior versions of them, and just like I can use the assistants in my house still even though I have the clearly superior cat assistants.

I still want some Dunmer merchant female, Nuzhi is just meh... TBH I counted more on different kinds of NPC;s that could be used in our homes like stablemaster or bard... guess only Khajiit folks can fill their home with their race.

I say it is unfair and I want skins for all races =]

I don't have a banker, so I'll grab that cat (dark elf is too ugly indeed). But as for the merchant, no cat can replace my Nuzi. I like her much more.

As already reported here, there won't be an upgrade function. This is from the AUA with ZOS Devs on reddit.

mommadani907 wrote: »

As cute as the new assistants are, I'm not getting them. I have the originals, and paying another 10k crowns isn't working for me. There has been no improvements to their functions either. So I'm not interested.

I guess they're (literally?) banking on the whales to spend this outrageous sum a second time. Not surprising, but still disappointing.

Am I the only one that is hoping they are going to put the originals on sale so can buy them then ? As don’t like the cat ones ?

Wow that is totally ridiculous, so basically if they do another banker/merchant option later in the game you are expected to fork out another 5K crowns, I honestly didn’t think ZO$ could actually any greedier, but with each crown store showcase they prove me wrong every time lol

MasterSpatula wrote: »

Offering the new assistants at a discount to anyone who already has the old assistants would turn a lot of Nopes into Yesses. It would be outright foolish of them not to do so.

However, ZOS does seem to be a company that would often rather sell to a few whales than sell to many proles.

Well ZOS might have missed the mark on that then. I probably could be considered someone who is a high spender. I bought a notable Reapers March house this weekend because it is right next to the Clothing survey. I'm not a little bit tempted to drop 20k crowns to replace my banker/merchant on both servers at full price.