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Riot, I don't like where you're going with all these passes and exclusive skins.

Tuition Fee··59 votes·16,485 views

Okay, I get it has no impact on actual gameplay, but I feel like Riot is slowly becoming Fortnite now, with all these passes. Their prestige skins are also extremely annoying, as they're basically more expensive re-coloured skins. I have no issues with spending money on Riot's game content, and have probably spent around 300$ in the past two years or so. Artists work hard, and Riot needs money, which I can respect, but when they start to release such an abundant amount of exclusively pay-locked content, it gets extremely annoying, and I'd assume especially for the free to play people, who are still crucial to a game's health.

I don't mind the occasional good pay-locked content, but Riot has literally been shitting out recoloured or tweaked skins and selling them for the price that one would pay for a new, unique skin. Also, the passes are just insanely annoying to buy, as you know there'll be a new one in two months time to buy. Also, please excuse this comparison, but last time I saw a game start throwing out content like this and offering one pass after another, (Vainglory) the game was in a state of decay, and the passes basically killed it, despite a small group of people saying "THE GAME'S NOT DYING" (Queue times were up to 20 minutes)

85 Comments

AntiSJW30 votes

I've never purchased a pass I will never purchase a pass I remember when skins cost less than 1350 Honestly they would be making more if it cost less There are way too many "pieces" of hextech purchase options

The blue essence orange essence split sucks--- the rate of return for orange essence is huge in disparity which tries to carrot-stick you to the store.

If a new skin was 650 with chromas rolling for 250 or less I think people would gladly cough up a few bucks here and there. Yeah that doesn't happen. Also, Emperor Kench? Advertised with the Ult ability they literally just took away for who knows why? at 1350? Barely playable champ in solo?

tangent- one pro outplay equals instant nerf to non- dmg support ult gj balance team Camille Irelia Riven does dance

Linna Excel7 votes

{quoted}

I remember when skins cost less than 1350 Honestly they would be making more if it cost less

I kinda agree with this. My first skin I got was something I really wanted and I waited until it was on sale. I think a lot of people are like this. I doubt most people are going to drop $100 dollars for Ms. Piggy edition Vayne as their first skin.

Oleandervine8 votes

[{quoted}](name=Linna Excel,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=QbYguWFU,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2019-01-29T21:30:14.209+0000)

I kinda agree with this. My first skin I got was something I really wanted and I waited until it was on sale. I think a lot of people are like this. I doubt most people are going to drop $100 dollars for Ms. Piggy edition Vayne as their first skin.

Vayne is not available for prestige points. She's available for the $15ish it costs for the event pass (and the time you invest in the pass).

AntiSJW7 votes

Yeah seriously--- I refuse to give them any more money until they change, even with all the cool stuff. Its just not worth it. The money grubbing is blatant and no one likes that in their games---- Its because we understand they need to make money and we want the content BUT only if we feel its fair

Nothing about how they do their store lately feels fair

SpaghettiVase2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Linna Excel,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=QbYguWFU,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2019-01-29T21:30:14.209+0000)

I kinda agree with this. My first skin I got was something I really wanted and I waited until it was on sale. I think a lot of people are like this. I doubt most people are going to drop $100 dollars for Ms. Piggy edition Vayne as their first skin.

Not their first skin, but I had someone tell me they spent 205$ on launch day the other day to get the whole vayne package, did all the missions too.

Linna Excel2 votes

Wow. I thought that DJ Sona was pushing the boundary and almost didn't get it. I can't imagine spending $200+ on a package like that.

Oleandervine6 votes

{quoted}

I've never purchased a pass I will never purchase a pass I remember when skins cost less than 1350 Honestly they would be making more if it cost less There are way too many "pieces" of hextech purchase options

The blue essence orange essence split sucks--- the rate of return for orange essence is huge in disparity which tries to carrot-stick you to the store.

If a new skin was 650 with chromas rolling for 250 or less I think people would gladly cough up a few bucks here and there. Yeah that doesn't happen. Also, Emperor Kench? Advertised with the Ult ability they literally just took away for who knows why? at 1350? Barely playable champ in solo?

tangent- one pro outplay equals instant nerf to non- dmg support ult gj balance team Camille Irelia Riven does dance

The reason skin prices increased was because it took more and more time and artistic effort to actually develop skins. That's why they're not just shitting out cheap recolors anymore at $5 a pop. It takes weeks of time from a host of people to develop a skin, so it's very understandable that they're priced where they are.

AntiSJW8 votes

I mean that's a reason, but not an understandable one. Definitely not a good justification to cross from profit to outright greed.

I mean as a consumer I began consuming significantly less the more they increased price and frequency. That's how you kill games, not sustain them.

AntiSJW5 votes

Also, they're leasing the content, you don't actually purchase anything from the artists or Riot so setting such high "prices" is ludicrous. Its an ugly cash grab scheme

Oleandervine3 votes

Artists still have to get paid. And Riot games owns the content, and they indefinitely lease it to you. That's irrelevant to the point, because you are still paying those people's salaries who were involved in the creation of the skins. Skins are not really an ugly cash grab scheme.

The prestige point system IS an ugly cash grab scheme though.

AntiSJW2 votes

Yes but the relation between what Riot pays them and what they charge me isn't my problem. You and I don't even know if its alot or not. They could be paying them crap and making bank.

They are printing money that you "indefintely" lease----- they set the price and value for the consumer.

10 bucks minimum plus more for bells and whistles (borders, chromas) means that per "design" they can now make an average of 20-30 dollars per skin per champ per person and they are cranking them out faster than their "5$" recolors. Then they gate them behind events, passes, prestige, and alllllll sorts of other useless, superfluous nonsense that isn't game related in order to get that dough

Nah, no money from me man, I don't support greed like that. Its bad for the world. Its a bad example for young kids and if this is their super hobby they are totally screwed for any long term return from it. At least if they play a paper card game their purchases can make some return. Hell almost any other art collectable has some form of secondary value, so I can't see the justification in a permanent lease with no use or value other than my jollies.

Tuition Fee4 votes

Agreed. I don't blame the artists, as they aren't setting the price, but I feel like Riot probably isn't giving them a fair share of the cash (Capitalism, so can't blame them either). Like I've previously stated, no issue with paying for the skins, just not happy when they start shitting out recolours for like $20.

Oleandervine1 votes

Through the pass, the skins are $15, and that also nets you extra content like capsules, icons, a ward skin (so far), and emotes. Given that a typical skin is about $10, that's not a bad deal for $5 extra bucks. And even if Prestige Vayne is a recolor of Firecracker Vayne, if you don't own Firecracker, it's not a recolor for you.

Tuition Fee1 votes

Sorry, I meant in CAD >-> Our conversion rates and economy are a bit fucked right now, haha.

Oleandervine2 votes

Ah, sorry then!

Glaricion2 votes

I agree the average quality for a skin has increased, but the audience size has also (drastically) increased. Even for a chroma of a skin you are shelling out about 2USD on top of the base price (290/1380*10).

The mode skin is about 1350RP or 10USD. Axiom Verge, Mary Skelter, Bayonetta, a bundle of Far Cry titles, etc... are also about 10USD each. Maybe the economy of scale makes the price of 10USD/skin and 2USD/chroma reasonable, but I doubt it.

MankeyMadness1 votes

But they are, attaching 7 or 8 chromas to every new skin or champion.

Not every skin needs new particles, fancy recalls, VFX or voice overs. Sewn Chaos Amumu is still one of my favorite skins since I started, but it got scrapped because Orianna 's Sewn Chaos skin is 520. More proof "but they're high quality!!!" argument is a scam - Championship Ashe is an equal or lower quality skin then Thresh, yet cost 1350 AND came packed with an ultra pricey Presti-- Chroma (Prestige hadn't been thought up yet lol) And then theres Kha-45 chromas-Zix, also priced at 1350 + several thousand for all of its dozens of chromas. Which all look exactly the same when Ult upgrades btw.

Riot has made good choices but don't deny they're scamming us with excessive marketing and raising prices. There was a time when they released 4-5 1350s a year with most skins at 975. Know why they stopped? Project skins.

Ever since PROJECT Zed etc came out, Day 1 sales were replaced with fancy borders and 975 skins became rarer and rarer. And yet we get CS Ashe, $12 chromas, GGMF, Arclight Yorick and Mecha Aurelion. Dont tell me those skins deserve their massive price tags or that Riot put any effort into them - that's blatantly, provably false.

Ari chąn1 votes

{quoted}

And yet we get CS Ashe, $12 chromas, GGMF, Arclight Yorick and Mecha Aurelion. Dont tell me those skins deserve their massive price tags or that Riot put any effort into them - that's blatantly, provably false.

How could you forget about the abomination that’s called Pro”scam” LeBlanc which is a 1350 RP skin that uses a slightly distorted version of the classic skin’s VFX with questionable design and thematic choice plus a completely hideous color palette on the base skin just get people to buy chromas for it.

SpecterVonBaren1 votes

{quoted}

Honestly they would be making more if it cost less

Anything to base this on?

Tuition Fee2 votes

On paper, he or she is theoretically correct. Law of supply and demand indicates that if price decreases, the amount of consumers goes up, until they have exhausted the current supply, making prices shoot up. Riot can't sell out of skins, whales won't stop buying because the price decreases, and more people able to afford them if prices are lowered.

SpecterVonBaren1 votes

Except we don't know how well these are selling. If they are getting more money by having them be this price then what logical reason would they have for not doing things this way?

AetherArising1 votes

{quoted}

I've never purchased a pass I will never purchase a pass I remember when skins cost less than 1350 Honestly they would be making more if it cost less There are way too many "pieces" of hextech purchase options

The blue essence orange essence split sucks--- the rate of return for orange essence is huge in disparity which tries to carrot-stick you to the store.

If a new skin was 650 with chromas rolling for 250 or less I think people would gladly cough up a few bucks here and there. Yeah that doesn't happen. Also, Emperor Kench? Advertised with the Ult ability they literally just took away for who knows why? at 1350? Barely playable champ in solo?

tangent- one pro outplay equals instant nerf to non- dmg support ult gj balance team Camille Irelia Riven does dance

Whats this about tahm ult being removed?

Chromatic Eagle1 votes

Riot has said that players are less grateful for cheaper skins. At least those who have gone years without one.

AntiSJW1 votes

Thats rich when you consider they calculate their own value

rtbf360887379 votes

Literally every single element of this game prior to "Welcome to Summoner's Rift" is designed to make you spend money. The actual League of Legends game is just a way to convince you to open the client.

Grocery store split up the milk/ bread/ eggs/ diapers and put them at the far corners of the store so you have to walk around the entire store. Flowers are often near the entrance/ right before the fresh fruits and veggies because it psychologically programs you to think of freshness.

That's why this game is such shit now.. we keep opening the client even though they make nothing but negative changes.

Edit: I understand that Riot needs to make money but they're just turning into another EA clone. The great gaming crash is coming buy stock in small indie companies (which Riot can no longer claim it is)

Ragnaveil7 votes

Here's my only gripe about the whole Prestige skin shit: What was the whole purpose of the Hextech skins then? Thats a skin line thats stuck behind needing money to obtain (because odds of getting 10 gemstones is gonna take long without money period)

AntiSJW10 votes

My main is old. I have 8 gems total since they started it. Never did the mass purchase. Stupid cash grab scheme. The fact I've played for years and only gotten 8 made me quit caring about that particular line a long time ago

Placentas3 votes

they lie and say you will get one every so and so boxes too, which is bullshit. I dont remember the last time I got a gemstone from a box.

Speeedy1 votes

i've purchased over 200 chests and never got 1 so, what are the RNG odds of getting it? Equal to winning the lotto?

Infernape1 votes

The only certain way to get one is to level up.

Jbels7 votes

Funny thing about exclusive skins, if you release them constantly, they stop becoming "exclusive" and start becoming worthless. If I have a shiny rock that nobody else has, but everyone else has shiny rocks of their own that only they and nobody else have, then why the fuck is this shiny rock valuable?

(This of course ignores the fact that League skins are only valuable in League of legends, but please bear with my metaphor)

ModAcademy Kayn3 votes

Funny thing about exclusive skins, if you release them constantly, they stop becoming "exclusive" and starting becoming worthless. If I have a shiny rock that nobody else has, but everyone else has shiny rocks of their own that only they and nobody else have, then why the fuck is this shiny rock valuable?

Because that isn't a shiny rock. It's a shiny rock that's made out of your favorite type of rock out of all the other 140 rocks in the game. There may be other versions of that rock, but they aren't as shiny as your rock. Why care about the other shiny rocks, they're probably made out of shittier rocks, like Garnet, Amethyst or Pearl. All that really matters is that your phosphophyllite is shinier than all the other phosphophyllites.

Jbels3 votes

[{quoted}](name=Academy Kayn,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=QbYguWFU,comment-id=00090000,timestamp=2019-01-30T04:27:11.927+0000)

Because that isn't a shiny rock. It's a shiny rock that's made out of your favorite type of rock out of all the other 140 rocks in the game. There may be other versions of that rock, but they aren't as shiny as your rock. Why care about the other shiny rocks, they're probably made out of shittier rocks, like Garnet, Amethyst or Pearl. All that really matters is that your phosphophyllite is shinier than all the other phosphophyllites.

At the end of the day, a shiny rock is just a shiny rock, and nobody gives two shits about it when more and more keep coming

ModAcademy Kayn1 votes

Yeah, but value is subjective, so that shiny rock may mean a lot more to someone else than it will for another. That's the thing about these shiny rocks, they're not supposed to be appealing to everyone, buy if it's your jam. More rocks being shiny isn't going to invalidate your shiny rock, elsewise the gold and diamond markets are f*cked.

DarkKatalyst5 votes

Prestige skins are too convoluted and expensive for me to care. I fully understand what Riot is doing, and I'm not budging. I only ever buy skins that are in the My Shop. IMO I think those are fair prices in a fair system (and thank you to whichever Rioters came up with My Shop and approved it).

CØulrophobia5 votes

EA: I am the worst gaming company ever!

Blizzard: Excuse me? Strips down shirt to reveal Activision logo.

Riot Games: Hold my beer.

rabirinsu4 votes

KDA kaisa is the first and last event pass content I ever get.

DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON RIOT SO THEY WON'T MAKE SHITTY OVERPRICED CONTENT

6KEMBE4ORBA3 votes

You still bought the KDA skin and who knows how many before that.

The same goes for anyone buying skins in the past few years despite the unwilligness of Riot to properly balance the core game.

After the r%%%%%ed Dynamic Queue fiasco by them which went on for ~whole season/almost a year - I think I haven't bought a single skin and I don't intend to.

They're starting to blatantly milk the game now - that could mean nothing but other games have done exactly the same when they start to lose playerbase and their "steam".

I'm not surprised at all.

Percentages4 votes

They'll keep doing it as long as bone heads keep buying it. My expenditures have been nothing since they started this BS...

Dweeebles3 votes

Agree. Their system is too confusing and expensive. Honestly just make my shop available all the time with discounts on skins for champs I play and I will buy those every time. I am never going to buy a pass or pay for a prestige skin....

AntiSJW7 votes

"prestige" is another way of saying "Expensive ass Chroma"

inceI3 votes

ur such a beta just spend 3 grand like myself and become part of the GSC (golden spatula club)

Tuition Fee7 votes

Bitch I don't even have three dollars

Bârd4 votes

Username checks out.

koshkyra2 votes

Okay, as someone who has played vainglory since 2014 when it came out, those stupid “talent” gimmicks are literally the definition of “Pay to Win” and are killing the game. You are literally paying to make your hero (champion) stronger than other heroes. I cannot see any argument in favor of those.

DracosKasu1 votes

Pass is the new way to make money. Time exclusive which will come back later. It is a way to attract player into microtransaction because of the no longer available for a years.

GayFluffyUnicorn3 votes

Yeah i'm still pissed about getting ravenborn leblanc and headless hecarim. ONE TIME DEAL WILL NEVER RETURN EVER AGAIN FOREVER.

Btw here are the skins again in the following seasons.

That was the moment riot lost me as a paying customer.

Vah Medoh3 votes

They lost me as a customer since Karthus rework, when they announced that reworked champs and/or skins that was payed with RP were not getting refunded.

GayFluffyUnicorn1 votes

Yeah that's a practice i don't agree on too.

Like i bought tyrant swain. Then he gets reworked and the new tyrant swain looks like shit to me.

But im stuck.

Just imagine you buy a golf and then they take it and turn it into a polo. Yeah well technically it's the same car it's not much smaller it has the same HP so dont be too mad about this.

Vah Medoh1 votes

Or like:

You have an Android mobile. And now there is an update that would not allow you to use it unless you updated it to an iOS.

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