"New" RAF System Unveiled

Blizzard released their revamped Recruit-A-Friend system today, aaaand.. well not much has changed in terms of eligibility for rewards and the process in general. Some notable changes include being able to recruit without having to log out, and more mount/pet options to pick from.

To redeem any of the new pets or mounts, you'll need to recruit four friends (or yourself four times). After they buy the starter game, if they buy 2 months of game time, you'll get one month of free game time for your main account and the choice of one pet or one mount.

Honestly, I can't say I'm all that impressed with the changes. I was hoping for some changes in pricing to accommodate a little bit for collectors who will probably only be doing this for the pets and mounts, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Here's an estimate of what you'll be spending to collect all four pets:

Purchasing battlechests not on sale -

$20 x 4 (starter game)
+ $30 x 4 (two months game time)
$200
- $15 x 4 (one month free game time for you)
$140

OR

Purchasing battlechests on sale -

$5 x 4 (starter game)
+ $30 x 4 (two months game time)
$140
- $15 x 4 (one month free game time for you)
$80

Regardless if you purchase during the sale or not, these are PRICEY pets. Compared to the Blizzard Pet Store companions, RAF pets cost 3-5 times (depending on when you buy) more. It's quite a jump.

On the one hand, I can understand that these pets were originally special pets, even in the Asian regions. To offer them to (nearly) everyone, it's a major decision. So it's somewhat reasonable to put a larger price-tag on these pets.

On the other hand, it makes me a little irritated. Collectors have been requesting for these pets for years, so Blizzard knows that they are hot items and mainly collectors will be going after them. Yet they chose to hand them out in such a capitalistic way, that seems to take advantage of that collector mentality. You want this? Ok, we know how much you've been longing for it, but still pay this huge price. The cost may still mean these pets are out of reach for many people. So does the system accomplish the goal? I don't know since I don't know what the intent was for adding these pets to a (not-really) revamped RAF program.

Even if the prices hadn't changed, if these pets were made giftable or something similar, perhaps it would be more acceptable. Some countries don't allow the RAF system, so how are those collectors supposed to obtain these pets? On top of that, if the pets were giftable, it might also be an incentive for some players (who were recruited back into the game) to start collecting again. Come join me in Azeroth, and here's a neat pet to get you started! Or something like that...

In the end, I'm not all that jazzed about the whole thing. I have mixed feelings of frustration yet gratitude. Thankful, yes, that Blizzard has given us the opportunity to collect (if we have the means to) these "rare" pets. But a little upset with the way they chose to implement it.

It's not just the price of these pets, but the seemingly uncaring mentality behind it. Rather than taking into consideration who exactly has been requesting the pets, and finding a compromise so that the target community doesn't feel like they're being taken advantage of, Blizzard instead puts the pets behind a wall that only a large sum of money will allow access through. I give Blizzard the benefit of the doubt many times, but right now I can't shake the feeling that this is all money driven. (Well, everything is money-driven, but not everything Blizzard has done is as blatantly so.)

There's also this sense of self-contempt that I have since I will be purchasing the battlechests when they go on sale. It feels hypocritical of me since I don't necessarily agree with how the pets were implemented, yet I'm seemingly supporting it by buying into the system. But that's the nature of a collector/completionists. You are literally compelled to collect, no matter the price (in most cases). This mentality is what I feel Blizzard is taking advantage of. They KNOW that many will invest in the RAF program just for the pets. And yet there's no compromise to maybe ease up on those that must collect them all.

Anyway, that's just me ranting a bit about this "new" RAF system. It's not really new; sure there are new pets and you can do it all from within the game itself. But the process is still the same. The price is still the same. There are no other changes other than the formerly mentioned points.

The collector in me squees at the thought of new pets to collect, but every other part of me groans discontently because it just doesn't feel good to think that that side of you that's compelled to collect is being taken advantage of. It may not have been Blizzard's intent, but that's the resulting feeling of it all.