Blizzard has launched a new Recruit-a-friend program for World of Warcraft, and players are feeling nothing but frustration for the way in which things are being rolled out. As always, the program aims to have players do some work on behalf of the developer, encouraging friends to convince other players to try out the game for the first time or return after a long hiatus.
The program has been in place since 2008, and at its core has provided rewards and perks for both the recruiting and recruited player. Often these include bonuses to leveling experience when playing together, further solidifying the bond between players as they play, as well as some cosmetic items or mounts. This time around, Blizzard has locked too many rewards behind what can only be described as arduous conditions to fulfill, and it did it at the worst possible time.
First, we should talk about the rather steep conditions to acquire all the recruitment rewards. In total, a player needs their recruited partners to purchase 12 months of game time. This means that one person can purchase a full year’s worth of game time, or up to twelve people can credit you for their single month of game time purchased, or any combination in between. For each month purchased, the rewards are as follows:
- One Month: Rikki monkey pet
- Two Months: A month of game time
- Three Months: Explorer’s Dunetrekker, a two-person camel mount
- Four Months: “Renowned Explorer” title
- Five Months: A month of game time
- Six Months: Stinging Sands cosmetic weapon enchantment
- Seven Months: Renowned Explorer’s Tabard
- Eight Months: A month of game time
- Nine Months: Explorer’s Jungle Hopper, a two-person flying mount
- Ten Months: Renowned Explorer’s Rucksack, the first backpack obtainable in the game
- Eleven Months: A month of game time
- Twelve Months: Renowned Explorer’s Attire, completing the adventurer archaeologist look
This is rubbing players the wrong way because too many of these items are long-requested from the community, such as the archaeologist attire and the Explorer’s Rucksack, which serves as a replacement to the tired and boring looking cloaks we have had since the game launched fifteen years ago. As they are the highest-level rewards, and therefore the most wanted among the community of players, Blizzard has essentially locked their access behind a paywall that needs to be paid by other players.
Worse still is the timing. If this program had been announced in mid-August, in the ramp up the release of World of Warcraft: Classic, then no one would have any complaints, since players have come back in droves to try out the old style of the game. Instead, Blizzard has launched this program weeks after those players have already come back. This makes the recruit-a-friend program all but useless to most players, since it is probable that most players on their friends list have already returned to try out Classic.
The decision may have simply been the result of overlooked details, whereby the release date of each fell through the cracks, but that is little consolation for die hard players who have been itching to get their hands on these kinds of items.
Source: Kotaku.com