Talk:Guild Wars In-Game Store

Currency Exchange

Ok, I read that little footnote on the page about how different countries seem to be paying more. ie. Great Britain. However, I have a gripe. As almost all Australian copies of GW are the EU versions, the online store I access is priced in British Pounds. This is freaking terrible. I've never had to use it before, but I'd much rather it be priced in US dollars. From my calculations, if I were to buy GW:EN from the Online Store to take advantage of the Bonus Missions, I'd be paying $12 Aussie dollars more... for no good reason. I'm not living in GB, why do I have to pay in Pounds??? It's not fair to Australians to be priced in this way. Especially since buying from the online store means paying a total of $8 more than from EB... and receiving less (no box). Sirocco 04:10, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

I have the same problem with the store, I'm Australian also and I do not want to pay $12 just because they want to convert to GDP which I never use. I'd happily pay in American if they change it.124.181.144.112 04:22, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

I wouldn't even mind if they charged us more US dollars than Usonian players are charged; whenever I see the £, I stop and think, "How much is that in Australian money?" The US dollar, on the other hand, is worth my time keeping track of because it's a more prominent global benchmark. (It's about 0.85c at the moment.) Sure, give my money to NCsoft Europe, but if only I could be billed in a currency that is somewhat familiar to me. -- Dashface 05:08, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

How can you tell what you are going to be billed in?...And yes i am Australian.124.186.168.27 08:42, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Add something to your cart and go to check out and it will show in the total. - BeX 08:49, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks a bunch124.177.71.100 21:59, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

The conversion from USD to GBP looks to be correct, considering we pay VAT (Value Added Tax) in the UK at 17.5%. Now, I'm not familiar with the taxation laws of other countries, but shouldn't Australians be exempt from paying UK Taxes? Maybe there's a way to claim it back? Dragon 16:40, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

In the ingame shop, currency exchange generally is a mess for non-americans. Gaile once said: Last time I checked Euro:Dollar was about 1:1, but that was 2003. By now the exchange rate is about 1.4:1 (currently even higher). It's a shop damnit it, they should use fair (meaning: up to date) exchange rates, everything else is an outrage. - TeleTeddy 10:18, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

The Online (In-game) Store

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

When will GWEN come out on the online store? I know its release date is on Aug. 31, 2007 but there isn't a date when you can preorder GWEN on the online store.--Killer of good 02:18, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't have a date for that. You obviously cannot get access until August 31st, but it seems to me that you could have the access keys in place and we would simply "hit the switch" to allow you into the game. I will ask about that. I know there will be information about the Prerelease Bonus Pack soon, and that should be available immediately. I think the contents are related to GW:EN only, though, so for instance the cool new weapons won't be accessible until GW:EN is live. I'll check on that as well. --Gaile 01:29, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for taking your time to read my question.--Killer of good 02:18, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

Was wondering if got and information about the date it will be aviable to buy on the online store.--Killer of good 03:28, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Is there really a difference between buying it on the day of release or buying it earlier? In both cases, you'd still be able to play only after the game has released. -- ab.er.rant 05:51, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

If you buy it before release time you will buy the prerelease bonus pack which means you get the cool prerelease bonus stuff --Miko 07:32, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

You're talking about the prelease bonus pack. Killer of good was talking about pre-ordering GW:EN itself. So unless Anet has plans for giving additional goodies for those who are doing pre-ordering, there's no difference in buying as a preorder or buying on release. -- ab.er.rant 08:24, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Yes and no. I plan of buying the prelease bonus pack from the Guild Wars Official Store, but to buy GW:EN from a retail store (i like to have all those things like a DVD , a map(i hope)and other small things).--Phoenix File:Phoenix-sig.png 08:51, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

As you will have noted in Tuesday's press release and today's news, the PBP will be on sale in the in-game store and through retailers on Friday, July 20th. --Gaile 00:42, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

I am looking in the ingame store but its not there--Killer of Good 19:13, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

New build going up today -- you should see it very soon! --Gaile 22:24, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

In-Game Store Options to Expand

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

While I don't have sufficient details to make this a Gaile News post, I did want to share the following:

We know that players – particularly those in Europe – would like to have more options for purchasing through our in-game store. The store currently offers the GW:EN Prerelease Bonus Pack, and soon will offer the opportunity to buy the GW:EN expansion pack, as well. In addition, the in-game store offers all three Guild Wars games, three PvP Unlock Packs, and individual character slots, too. We want to let you know that the accepted methods of payment for purchases through our store will be expanded soon. Many more players will be able to take advantage of the convenience of our on-line instant purchase and fulfillment options. In addition, remember that purchases made from July 5 through October 31 will be applied towards the Guild Wars Bonus Mission Pack offer. More details will follow soon.

In a word, for those who would like to purchase directly, I would hold on preorder purchases just for a few days, to see if the expanded options make things easier for you. I suspect that they will. :) --Gaile 06:29, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Is this only for Euro players? Or should American players hold off on ordering the PreOrder? Because... I kinda already got it.... Counciler 06:45, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

The expanded options will benefit everyone, but with Europeans being less likely to have a credit card in their possession, we think the options will be particularly helpful to them. But yes, the expanded options would apply to all. If you were able to get the PBP, no problems then -- you're in good shape! --Gaile 06:48, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Gaile, any idea if the variety of products being sold at the online store is going to be increased in the short term? I would guess the answer is no (you guys are already busy enough as it is with GW:EN : D) but it would be nice if there were an official answer to that (oh, and I would like to make the Marketing guys know that I'm still waiting for those Charr plushies!). Erasculio 13:36, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't think there is a plan to expand the offerings in the in-game store right away, but we do know it would be great to do so. One question I was asked was about a PvP pack for GW:EN. We can't offer one in the same format as the full games because the way the normal (game) PvP packs are programmed, they allow campaign access, and it's not possible to give access to GW:EN alone because it's an expansion pack and not a full game. So the programmers are going to take a look at that and come up with a solution. We'd like to offer a skill pack for GW:EN, and I know we will, but I don't know the timeline. As for other products, I think we should offer much more, and I believe that eventually we will. I have a lot of ideas -- I made a bunch of suggestions about digital content we could offer, in addition to a ton and a half about merchandise... including the Charr plushie! :) --Gaile 18:55, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

I would love if we could get in the store the preorder weapon packs from prophecies, factions & nightfall in special upgrade packs similar to the million dollar upgrade.--Phoenix File:Phoenix-sig.png 01:12, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

This is an interesting idea, and I'll pass it along. I am very protective of Collector's Edition content, and I do not believe we should offer that now, after the total limited run of CE's is gone or nearly gone. However, the pre-release items are different, and I will ask if we may want to offer people the chance to obtain them through the in-game store. Thanks for the suggestion. --Gaile 04:32, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

More stuff to buy for PvE players to buy would be nice. I'm having trouble deciding if I should skip the GWEN manual and map in favor of the bonus mission pack (by buying online) or the other way around (by buying from retail). Of course, I'm sure ArenaNet would prefer if I buy both ;) -- ab.er.rant 01:38, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Well... *ahem*... we certainly would not object to your purchasing both. :) But in truth, either way is just fine -- we simply want to offer you more choices. (Oh, and I want to point out, the manual is just a 16-page mini-manual this time, not a full-fledged rendition of The Manuscripts, which have run 144 pages.) --Gaile 04:32, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Thank you Gaile. I recently wanted to buy the pre-order, but every credit card that my family has (since it's the same bank) gets rejected :( I just hope that the different payment methods will be applied before the Sneak Peek weekend. — Poki#3 12:56, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Hmmmm... do you mind using the email link and letting me know what credit card that is? I'd also benefit from knowing your (general) location, too. I can pass this along, so thanks for the info. --Gaile 03:28, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

You mean "e-mial this user"? Sure. I live in Poland, but I'm not 100% sure if the cards I used are eligible for buying online. I don't work right now, so I can't have a card of my own, and my parents don't really know much about technical stuff :P. I searched the error number and I think it was rejected on the banks side, not on your store. Still want an e-mail? What should I write in it? ^^; — Poki#3 09:46, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

(RI) Tangentally related, while you're making all these lovely improvements and expansions and such to the in-game store, would it be possible to give some sort of indicator of how much we've spent that qualifies toward the Bonus Mission Pack? Just a little box up in the corner that says "In thanks for your purchases, you have earned access to the Bonus Mission Pack coming this November" or "If you spend just $x.xx more, you will earn access to the Bonus Mission Pack coming this November"? I know that I qualify, and I've got the receipt to prove it, but it'd just be reassuring to have the in-game store acknowledge that, and help keep people who don't necessarily want to spend all the money at once keep track. - Tanetris 18:32, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

No, with regret, it is not possible for us to add this functionality. I did inquire about it last week but I learned that it's really quite complex and, due to the programmer time that would be required in order to put it into effect, it's just not something we could add for this promotion (although we agree it would be really nice). We are constantly looking at ways to improve the whole In-Game Store/PlayNC Store experience, so perhaps in the future we can add this sort of messaging. If we're looking at future promotions, I'll definitely keep the idea in mind! In the meantime, please visit the PlayNC website where you can access the account interface and easily retrieve the cumulative purchase information that you seek. --Gaile 20:13, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Fair enough. Glad to hear the idea was at least kicked around. Also, that's a handy bit of advice, so I put a note about it on the Mission Pack page. Thanks, Gaile! - Tanetris 20:48, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I just wanted to draw Gaile's attention to a comment I posted else where and did not want to retype it out here and double post. Basicly it relates to more options in the store that I think would be good to see. Not sure if others agree with it or not as nobody has commented yet. Previous Suggestion For GW Store Thanks for your time :) Chik En 20:55, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Any update on whether the pre-order items may or may not become available? I'd love to get them to complete my /bonus collection. Nbajammer 02:44, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

How does the store determine what currency to charge you in?

I assumed that your IP address determined what currency you are billed in, but today when pre-ordering in the store, my American boyfriend was billed in American dollars, and used his American credit card, but from an Australian IP address. I had previously attempted to use his card and got an error back saying that because of the risk of fraud, you are only allowed to use a credit card for the country IP address you are in and that I would need an Australian credit card to purchase anything from the store.

I specifically asked the bank for a Visa as it works out cheaper when all of my online purchases are made in USD. All except for Guild Wars which insists on charging me in GBP.

But what I want to know is why is it that he was able to be charged in USD, but me, sitting 2 metres away am not? We purchased the game at the same time, from the same store, both EU versions. With the exchange rate as it is, and including tax, GW:EN would cost approx AUD$45 if I paid in USD, and approx AUD$60 if I pay in GBP. If I buy it from a retail store it is $50, and I get the map, dvd and other things as well. I would rather that ArenaNet charged me the $8 difference for the mission pack, and I'd go and buy the game from the store, because at this point, it's just ridiculous to be overcharged that much to buy something online. - BeX 15:32, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

I think the exchange rate is interesting in the store the price for the preorder bonus package in Euro was apparently the same price as in Dollar. which doesnt make sense since 1€ = about 1,38$(checked today) meaning if you live in europe you have to pay more than if you live in america ;). I do understand however that the currency changes all the time and with such a small sum of money its just easiest to charge the same numbers. but what i read above me here sounds rather extreme and i have to say its strage that they were charged in different currencies. -ArcticWind 23:06, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

I mean, it is sucky that people living in Europe and the UK have to pay more, but there are different economic factors I suppose. As for people who don't live in Europe, the game is supposed to be $50 here (I can go down to EB and get it, but I wan't the missio pack). If I buy it in the store, I have to pay $60. It really should be cheaper to buy it from the store, because nothing has to be shipped and we don't get any box contents. I just believe that it's unfair to us. We aren't given any sort of choice... - BeX 02:35, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

while it actually makes sense that it should be cheaper to buy in the online store cause of no packaging and materials are needed for it. It also makes sense that is cheaper to buy in a normal store since it would simply be unfair to the normal stores (Who provides a lot of commercial for gw) if arena net would offer the game cheaper. The normal store will then be losing customers to the online store and might feel less inclined to distribute their game next time. thus gw will be losing some of its "somewhat" free commercial :P atleast i think it works something like that. im not really an expert on marketing...hehe -ArcticWind 03:22, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, and that is fair enough, but I don't think paying more for less is appropriate either. I'd be happy to buy it from the in-game store if it was the same price as from a retail store here, but that's the problem - it isn't. - BeX 03:46, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Did you or anyone else ever get around the problem of being charged the wrong currency? A friend of mine here in the US has been unable to purchase GW:EN as it always places his orders in GBP instead of USD. It consistently rejects his attempts as being a possible fraud. --Thervold 16:39, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

Official store question

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

If you get a chance, could you look at this. As an Aussie, I know I'm not the only one extremely frustrated with the in-game store at the moment. I want to be able to play the bonus missions with my friends, but I'm not willing to be ripped off (paying $10 extra for GW:EN and not getting a map or DVD) to do so. - BeX 15:37, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

I have passed along your concerns, Bex. I do not see the pricing changing, with all honesty, but you can be sure that this is something about which the Marketing and Sales Teams are aware. I've commented more fully in fan forums about this. I can dig up the links, if needed, but I'm hopeful that you've seen the messages there and understand there is not intention to cause upset to anyone. Pricing is determined and supported by various teams, and there isn't a straight "conversion rate." In truth, I don't think there is a conversion rate for retail packages, either, is there? Friends in Aus and NZ tell me that they always pay more for games (in stores), and I know there are some variances in various parts of the world. Please know this is not an intentional "diss" at those is Aus or NZ! --Gaile 02:55, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

I can understand that Australians get shafted on pretty much everything, because of the tyranny of distance and other factors, but it is not the same as having such an enormous difference in the online and retail prices for the game. I don't understand how my boyfriend was able to pay in USD, but I'm not, which is the question I was wondering about there. If I were able I'd get him to pay for mine, but it won't work for some reason and forces it to GBP. In my opinion, at this point in time only reason any Australian would use the in-game store is to get the bonus mission pack (whether buying char slots or gw:en), and it's really unfair that we either overpay for the content or miss out on the fun with our friends and guild mates. It isn't a nice choice to be faced with at all. - BeX 06:56, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

There is some difference in pricing for many players, when you compare the in-game and retail stores. There's a store (Jersey or Isle of Man, I think) that has very inexpensive prices for games because they don't have VAT. NCsoft cannot meet their prices through the in-game store, for a variety of reasons. So for those who could buy there -- and for many in other locations -- there is a decision to be made. We hear often that the game is hard (impossible) to find in certain areas of the world, or that the PBP is late, or other things of that sort. The in-game store meets the needs of a lot of people, and we're supporting the use of the store with a special promotion.

Some request that NCsoft lower prices to meet retail, or change the exchange rate, toss in the BMP for purchases made months ago, allow customers to choose their exchange rate, and all nature of things. (Someone is suggesting a "boycott" because of 38 cents.) I'm sorry that business must do what business needs to do, but in truth, most of the requests are simply unfulfillable. You are free to contact Support--as I have made clear in forum threads on the subject--to ask if they are able to reset your currency. But if you're Australian, living in Australia, buying from Australia, I do not believe that they can charge you in US dollars, when it is the UK office that provides your support, server space, etc. (I am unsure about why your boyfriend purchased in US Dollars; I will review your post to refresh my memory.)

I'm very sorry about a situation to which you feel an objection. I do understand and sympathize with what you are saying, but with regret, I do not foresee any changes coming on this matter. --Gaile 07:16, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Isn't the region the account is tied to affect what currency you pay in? I'm not sure, as I've never used the store (though I have looked at it occasionally to see what I could have bought if I bothered to get a credit card and a stable job [wantz moar character slots!]). Window shopping is such a cruel mistress. --Kale Ironfist 07:38, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for the response, Gaile. I hope that in the future customers will have more choice over how they obtain the "bonus" content such as the BMP, because at the moment I think there are far too many people with undesirable choices or no choice at all. And re: your comment about the UK office, I play on the US servers and put all my tickets through the US support, but I don't know how much that affects things. If I had known that there was going to be this much trouble, I wouldn't have waited for Australian distributors to import eu-Guild Wars, and ordered a US copy to be shipped over instead. Would that have grouped me with the USD paying people instead?

@Kale, that's something I am confused about too. My copy of the game is a "eu" copy (as with all of my boyfriend and my accounts) but he was able to pay with USD and his US credit card. That's fair enough for him, because he is not a citizen or resident here and he is not paying with money earned here. If he were to wait until he goes back to the US to buy the game, then that's what he would rightfully be charged in, but it does lead into some questions as to why he was given that ability. If it were possible I would make him pay for mine too. :P - BeX 08:16, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

P.S. Sorry for bothering you all the time. :P - BeX 08:37, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

It's no bother, Bex. :) The placement of region, and therefore the choice of currency, is based in part on IP. The system looks at your IP and says, "Oh, that player is in New Jersey, he/she should be set to use US Currency. This other player is in Adelaide, and he/she should use UK currency, (because as previously explained, that is the office that provides servers and customer service)."

The intriguing thing is that you and your boyfriend would have, presumably, the same IP, so I cannot explain why you had different currencies except... I just thought of why. You say he is not from your area. I'd assume he moved there or is currently visiting there after setting up his GW account? Perhaps the currency was encoded with the creation of the account. Not an actual personal choice, but a software identification toggle that said, "This account is being created and the IP places it in (that country)." And that makes sense, because if I went to Japan or Germany and made a character slot purchase from there, I'd not want to be charged in Yen or Euros but in the currency of where I lived.

I can ask about this, but again, there isn't an opt in/opt out choice for players. None of us can "currency shop" to find the better deal. I do know that the setting of territory via IPs helps cut down dramatically on fraud (via the use of stolen credit cards), and that benefits everyone. --Gaile 04:58, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, he hasn't moved here yet, but is just temporarily in the country (we're working on it though!). I did a little digging and I think it may be because he has played a few other NCsoft titles, and his master account is all American stuff. I hope that he doesn't end up having to pay more because of me saying this though. :P It'll suck if I have to put his games on my credit card too. >_< - BeX 07:04, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

*waves hands* "These are not the customers you are looking for." I don't see anything changing in his account (or yours) because of this discussion! :) --Gaile 07:07, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

ZOMG Jedi mind tr-ooh shiny! - BeX 07:13, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

In-game store question

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

Hello Gaile, maybe you can answer me the question why the ingame store requires me to enter a valid address and telephone number. Buying the game in store would not need me to give away those and I am very weary towards giving that information to anyone on the internet (I'd probably just enter a made up address and number). --Xeeron 09:59, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Isn't that for verification purposes for the credit card purchase? -- ab.er.rant 10:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Paying with a credit card doesn't require a telephone number, but it does require your billing address. - BeX 10:49, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I assume when I'm asked for a phone number that it's for security/identification reasons, in case I need to prove who I am if a problem arises. I also assume that it's there in case an issue arises on the biller's end. I can't think of too many places from whom I make purchases that don't ask for a phone number, so I haven't really hesitated to provide it, when I'm initiating the purchase. I have placed a call to our Billing Support Lead and I'll let you know what she tells me. --Gaile 21:53, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Just heard from Billing Support, and Renee tells me that identification is not the reason that NCsoft asks for the number. The only reason they ask for it is in the rare case when they need another method of contacting a customer. In one case the customer had a support issue, but could not receive NCsoft emails so that was the only way to reach her. They've only ever used a telephone number twice. The important thing to know is that your number will never be sold, given, traded, or in any other way revealed to a third party. --Gaile 22:07, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

as is stated in a similar way in the privacy policy (which is pretty easy to read i think...) Alexanderpas Talk|Contrib 12:29, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

"Game of the year edition"

→ moved from Talk:Gaile News

How can this be only avalible in America, if I bought it 2 weeks ago? I'm from Slovenia / Europe :S --Шєвч [TALK] @ 18:28, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

It is called one million edition in europe, at least it is for me. --Lemming64 18:38, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Oh, now I see .. It's 1 million edition in GW store, but when you get the bill mailed on your email adress, it says Game of the Year edition :-) --Шєвч [TALK] @ 19:17, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Weird - I'm supposed to be billed and whatever eu-style, but it's called GotY for me. - BeX 04:24, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Couldn't we buy the game before august 31th and the content only be available on August 31th? This would save time and hassle, since with the Pre-Release Pack the online store was crashing for some people.

Especially if the content could start downloading ahead of time for those who pre-order, it would ease up on the servers rather than everybody downloading the day before. Alaris 16:38, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Keep in mind that we are already downloading GW:EN content, and that part of it will be downloaded by everyone, even those who do not buy the game. Item skins, armors, skills, skill icons and all the things that a player could see even without buying GW:EN are likely already in our computers, and some other things are likely there as well. Erasculio 16:50, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

As the above person says, you're getting the content for it already :) Try doing an -image if you want it all at once (but be warned, the most recent I did was 450mb or so, which took a while at the 30kbps the server seemed to be able to give me) --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:85.92.166.37 .

I think you're missing the point. It's not the content download that is the issue; it's being able to play the content. When the pre-order became available on the ingame store, everybody tried to order it at the same time, thereby making the service unusable to most. If EotN is only purchasable ingame on the day of release, that will lead to chaos. Give us a week or so - we all want to start playing the instant the game goes live - not have to wait for a whole day or more for the servers to unclog enough to process our credit cards :/ --Snograt 19:49, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Well, clogs will happen with credit cards, and with downloads of GW:EN-specific contents (like new cities, areas, and monsters). Better plan ahead and allow people to start downloading early. Alaris 21:02, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

I would hope they would have noticed what happened with the pre-order (or even the mission bonus pack) and are going to have some plan in making the ease. I'm personally buying it on their online store for the purchase to count towards the mission bonus pack, and I sincerely hope that I won't get a black screen and crash again when it becomes available to buy. Foxysheri 16:26, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

(Reset indent) I understand completely what you're suggesting. In fact, I hit up the co-founders with this plea, earlier. "Why don't we let folks order the game the final week and just we can just turn it on at 12:01 on the 31st?" But for business reasons, it's not considered appropriate to do that so far in advance. I'll let you know if that changes, but in the meantime, just start trying that final day and you'll be one of the first when the option to buy does go live. -Gaile 16:44, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

Alternative Payment

There is still only credit-cards as payment, no alternatives. i´d like to buy something while the bonus-missions are still aviable, but i dont see why i should pay 50€ per year for a preapaid-creditcard that i use only once to pay for some stuff in the ingame store while the cost of the creditcard is much more than the stuff i buy. Will there be an alternative before the bonusmission-thing ends? (Sir Astaroth 12:40, 7 August 2007 (UTC))

i want the mission pack... (already decided how i'm gonna get it...) but i have no credit card... so i'm seconding this request for alternative payments... if only we had the option to pre-pay store credit (by using our bank account) or even paypal or something else Alexanderpas Talk|Contrib 12:20, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm still waiting on an answer when SMS payment gets added. As at the moment, that's the only way for me to buy anything in the Online store =/ Karuro 22:08, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

Any Way To Change Currency?

Well I live in America, and when i setup my GW account it was under an American address. But it charged me in £...(to lazy to find out if thats Australian or British). I even used an American Visa. Any ideas on what to do?Ssj2TrunksB 02:24, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Bump.. this is plaguing a friend a friend of mine who lives in the US but was being phailure and made his account in Europe by mistake. He changed his territory, but its still trying to charge him in pounds. --69.255.226.122 00:23, 24 October 2007 (UTC) EDIT- forgot to sign in --Shadowcrest 00:24, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Purchasing GWEN in Online Store

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

There is a quite interesting post on GWG about when GWEN will be available for purchase in the online store. I think we could use some clarification. It will be a major let down if it isn't available for purchase at 12:01 due to lag or something. Is there any chance of it being for sale in the store before then? So there isn't a massive overload of the Online store..which will result in numerous unhappy people. The only reason I am buying the Online store is for the BMP and will be bumbed out if I am not allowed to enter the game at the same time as someone who purchases the game from a retail store--Coridan 16:00, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

We absolutely intend to have the game in the In-Game Store, and in the PlayNC Store, the instant that the game goes live. And while it's not wise to tempt fate (or that rascal Grenth ;) ) we're confident that all who want to purchase will be able to do so at that time. --Gaile 17:57, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

For Nightfall I got the game and box one day early so you could do that for the online store right? You make it so that the game can't be used untill it goes live. We were able to add the code early for Nightfall so I hope the game can be bought a day before. Natalie Black 01:50, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes please, do that. That wouldn't mean a disadvantage for retail stores, since they usually do sell game copies before a game is officially released. --Lumenil 02:27, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

I asked about releasing a day or even two days in advance and merely toggling the game live at the specific minutes. However, it's unlikely we'd offer the game a day in advance. I suppose it's entirely possible the programmers may hit the switch a bit in advance of the instant of 12:01 Pacific time, but that's not something I could say with certainty. --Gaile 17:38, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

For the record I'm the one who started that thread (and this one over at GWO as well)Is the release of the game in the online store tied to being able to access the content? I don't care about being able to access the content early...I just don't want to have to deal with the lag I (and many others) experienced with the online store when the preorder for GW:EN was released. I didn't get charged multiple times but I'm sure there were some who didn't catch that they got an email confirming their order (despite the timeout errors)...and hit the confirm order button multiple times. Considering the laggy experience people had when they got the preorder...wouldn't it be wise to try to find a way to give people a little time to order the game before it goes live? So they don't get upset when not only do they have trouble placing their order but they potentially get double/triple charged. Aren't you guys just setting yourself up to get a lot of complaints and bashing on the boards?--Thor79••Talk 09:44, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I have included this issue in the weekly Community Summary, and I know that this concern will be given careful consideration. --Gaile 00:31, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Tips for Successful Use of the In-Game or PlayNC Store

Here are some steps that players can take to help the purchase go as smoothly as possible:

• Set up your PlayNC Account now. You need to have such an account to make the purchase, so why not be set and good to go when the game is offered?
• Remember to use a unique user name and a solid password. Do not share this information with anyone, and make sure that both are different than your Guild Wars user name and password.
• Enter credit card and personal information carefully and use a credit card that isn't near the maximum spending limit. ;)
• If you are rejected, you can try again. Remember: Enter all information with care. The rejection can be for something as simple as forgetting that your credit card uses your middle initial.
• If you time out, wait for a couple of minutes before trying again.
• If you time out, check your email before you attempt to make the purchase again, because the time out message may have been sent a split-second after the transaction actually completed.
• If your purchase is rejected, immediately send a support ticket with all the details. Support will be on board to deal with any store issues, and they can and will help you if they are able to do so.
• Keep in mind that because we're hold a Sneak Peek Weekend this week, and are releasing in less than two weeks, we have already been streaming most game content to you over the last few weeks. Therefore, there will probably not be a lot of downloading on the day the game is released. If you have not played recently, you may want to log into your account(s) and download all the files now, rather than wait until August 31st at 12:01 AM Pacific time.
• Remember that the Nightfall release went just fine and we feel sure that the GW:EN release will go as nicely.

I hope this is helpful information. --Gaile 18:41, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Sigh....well hopefully that'll help some people. All that info is a review for me. So...no ability to buy it prior to the content being activated. Everyone keeps mentioning Nightfall when talking about how they expect this release to go, problem is...there is a significant incentive now to buy from the online store (Bonus Mission Pack) whereas before there was no such incentive. Because of that I completely expect to run into problems...the same problems I ran into with the preorder...and the same problems I've tried to warn you guys about. All the information you posted above is known information and clearly points out that you're not going to make it possible to place a preorder for the actual game. Thus there will be a huge rush of people to try to buy it and that will result in timeout errors. Those errors will no doubt result in a few people getting double or triple charged. Tried to warn you...tried to suggest a couple of ways that you guys can use to avoid headaches for your customers...seems you're content to deal with those headaches instead of trying to avoid them. I just hope that you know something that we don't...such as improvements made to mitigate any lag issues that may occur as a result of the rush.--Thor79••Talk 00:19, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Should that include some online activated gift cards like mastercard or visa? Not everyone uses or likes to use credit cards online. :P also, having it available early doesn't hurt as some local stores sometimes sell earlier than they suppose to or other online stores sending them too early. People can't access the game unless it goes live and the appropriate access key to one of the games.--Bane of Worlds 21:15, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I am told that prepaid gift cards that are branded with MasterCard or Visa will be accepted. Or will be accepted if Visa; I would need to check if MasterCard is even accepted in the PlayNC Store. But yes, giftcards that are a form of pre-paid credit card, will be accepted. I know this doesn't apply to all countries or all continents, but for those who do not have a CC, this is a very viable option for purchase if, again, the prepaids are accessible to you. (And on that subject, the PlayNC team is working to expand options, but I don't know that any more options will open between now and release.) --Gaile 04:08, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Bane, We're simply asking for the ability to preorder in the online store like we can preorder in retail stores...put down all the money to reserve our copy. The content is being delivered regardless of whether or not we are buying it in the online store, from a retail store, or not buying it at all. By the release date we'll have most if not all of the content. The concern we brought up here was we can't actually reserve our copy until the day of release...and that will mean lag on release day for the online store. We can't give them the full amount and purchase our copy until the time when everyone else will be clamoring to do the same.--Thor79••Talk 13:31, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

So, how do I send a ticket? --CJNyfalt 08:39, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

In-Game/PlayNC GW:EN availability

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

Hiya Gaile! Haven't spoken to ya in a while, wondering, when will GW:EN be available via in-game store? - File:Drago-sig.gif Drago 23:05, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Whoops! Wasn't logged in. -File:Drago-sig.gif Drago 23:04, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Drago thinks he should've scrolled up. :P I missed it in the above conversation. -File:Drago-sig.gif Drago 23:06, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

In game store issues

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

please see http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10192520 people are having issues wiith ordering - my problem with this is "transaction marked as being possibly fraudulent... Ive made several purchases from the store and this account is also stored on my plaync account... the cut/paste response from ncsoft is buy it in the store - problem is 1) i preordered it from u, and 2) this will deny me access to the Bonus mission pack... a little help please? Note: im not the OP - several users (and possibly more customers) are getting hit by this. --Midnight08 11:06, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I'm also getting this. Presumably the store is overloaded. Not a big surprise. Backsword 11:18, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, a few customers are getting this message, which is why we have had and continue to have extra staff on hand to deal with it. There's no way of saying why the "fraud alert" got triggered -- and no, we're not saying you're a credit card thief -- but something is causing it to pop up and in nearly all cases, Support is able to help amend it. We have Support at the office now to help, so please write a support ticket and give them the particulars they need so they can help correct this issue. --Gaile 16:19, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

After getting several replies from NC Support, it appears at this time that NCSOFT will not do anything to correct the billing issue (ie you can send all the support tickets you want and they won't do anything). The only advices offered were 1) buy from a retailer (ie no discount from preorder or bonus mission pack) 2) wait another 24 hours before trying again with zero guarantee it will work. Well we are FRIDAY already, and this weekend is LABOR DAY WEEKEND, meaning that if it fails again today, I have to wait until TUESDAY (ie 96 more hours or 4 days) before I can try again with no guarantee of working. My bank says if there's any problem, they are ready to have a rep on the phone to work through the problem. But apparently NC Support cannot handle that because 1) there's no phone line to call to 2) they don't even handle the billing (billing is handled by "the processor" - I think in this case RBS Bank). What I didn't understand was why accounts were blocked and there was no way to lift the block. Most online merchants (ebay, amazon etc.) can handle many transactions without overzealous account blocking. Can ANET put a WARNING MESSAGE in the official online store? Say something like if it fails it will take 24 hours to try again??? -- Flaky

if u check the link above u get a few things... 1)my entire support ticket (to see their response), as well as a link to whois... (use at yer own risk, but it does feel alot more personal to get voice on the phone. Even if its voicemail. either way its pretty sad to have 0 phone support in situations like this, and to have to do a whois lokup to get a # at all... Lets just say im sure alot of us have lost alot of faith in anet and ncsoft after this.(if u could see my history youd see im 1 of those loyal ncsoft fans... well... i WAS one.--Midnight08 18:54, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Try playing pretty much any other online game and see how great their customer service is. ANet actually care about players, you can see that in their actions. While this might be an unfortunate issue, it's silly to change your attitude towards them because of it; does this one thing out-weigh all the good they've done? Capcom 19:09, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

I HAVE played multiple mmo's... (note Customer support is generally greta wih anet- its technical and account support that sucks)the ones whic so far have provided by far the worst account and technical suport of all the major games companies who's games i have played is NCSoft. There is no easily accessible contact # for account support, and the one you have to dig for doesnt support all games and is open 5 hours a day... So youre stuck using their horrid email based service. For example: the following company is pretty bad at actual CS, but if you call 18005925499 you will get some of the best account/technical support i have seen... If you want to play WoW,. theyre going to do their damnedest to make sure u can. I understand more limited support fo anets games due to the lack of reccuring income. but for a release there should be a change. the email support fails and the online store also fails when it comes to this. For example... most people who got this error started with another error that basically said either refused, or try again... now the thing is, if you follow the directions and try again, you lock yourself out of their system. Also their error codes are coded to show what the failure in question is... the only thing is they dont transilate them for the end user... so if the bank returns insufficient funds, the code will be diferent than lets say incorrect account.... problem is, the user doesnt know, he asumes they just have to correct the information and if they do they get locked out. im done ranting, have to goto work, and just bought mine from gamestop... The online store is now blacklisted in my boks and besides the 3 character slots i wanted a while ago (and need for the bonus pack), i wil never waste my time in that store again.. ESPCIALLY for a major release. --Midnight08 19:27, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

I own all 3 editions of GW and I'm playing the game since it came out. Tried to puchase GW:EN with 2 perfectly working cards (Master and Visa Virtuon). Got Fraud suspicion: 1751058 on both. Visa vas issued 2 weeks before and only used 2 times: 1) on amazon.com(5 days before trying to purchase GW:EN) and 2) eve-online.com(8h after trying to purchase GW:EN). Both purchases were done without any problems. MasterCard I have for long time and I have also used it on amazon.com several times. Anyway, I was perfectly sure that there is NO PROBLEM with any of my cards. Also name and billing information for both cards is the same, and that billing info has been also on my PlayNC account.

I have contacted support 48h ago. This is in short disscussion thread since then: 1) Generic reply 2) * Redirected me to Account support 3) Request for more info about transaction, which I provided 4) * Redirected me to European support 5) Nothing happens 6) I send more info: statements from the bank, proofs the my cards work, that they have not been missused by any means etc... And I have requested an answer. 7) * Redirected to Senior Account Support Representative 8) No reply for 12h 9) Requested an answer again, and no reply until now again

Btw, I'm programmer and have just finished working on project for credit card payment system for online-poker which has MUCH more risk, so they can't send me an answer with some mumbo-jumbo with bank statements, money reserved etc...

This is my guess what happened: I would say that some programmer put billing information check for fraud protection. First billing check didn't pass and now my account is locked. This is well know fact that this information CANNOT be used for credit card verification. They can read number of articles on internet regarding this issue.

I'm sorry if I jumped with conclusions but after 48h of agony with this and I'm getting very frustrated. --ngtv618 08:57, 02 Septembar 2007 (CET)

After 60h of waiting and frustration which i described above i got following answer: "Thank you for your kind update. We are looking into your problem and we will get back to you as soon as possible. However, our investigation may take some working days. Please do not submit another request as that will only cause further delay." I need to add that for 2.5y for how long I play GW this is my second dealing with support. First time was even worse. In my playing time i have met about 10 players which also had dealings with support, all had the same experience. 5-10 replies and same reply on the end, "do not contact us again or we will make this problem even longer".

I don't say that people who work there are bad, but that whole system of technical support in GW is one of the worst in on-line gamming industry. First step of fixing it: ticket system out.

--ngtv618 19:03, 02 Septembar 2007 (CET)

5th day without any reply from support or change in my situation. Anyway went to store to purchase it and got even better answer. Exclusive distrubutor for my country expected games on Monday but has now been informed that shipment with games will arrive MAYBE in Thrusday afternoon. Nice going NCSoft... Anyway, I'm tired of writting on forums, trying to contact bad support, googling the solutions etc... Last week I bought 22" monitor and planned to spend weekend playing GW. I envy those who managed to purchase it on time and now are enjoying playing, I will turn to some other on-line games on the market. It will be fun to tell my friends that I playing WoW after 2.5y of claiming that GW is better... --ngtv618 18:00, 04 Septembar 2007 (CET)

Got reply from support that my problem is fixed and that I should try to purchase again. I tried and succeded! Started playing immediatelly. Need to say that 7 days for fixing this kind of problem is really a lot. Gaile, thanks for help once again.

--ngtv618 23:26, 07 Septembar 2007 (CET)

Online Store - Making GW:EN Available Early

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

Thank you Gaile for passing on our suggestions for putting GW:EN in the online store early. Because of that I was able to purchase my two copies with no problems.--Thor79••Talk 02:16, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

I got mine! ^___^ Arshay Duskbrow 02:25, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Cool -- glad to hear all is going well for you! --Gaile 02:30, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Got mine as well, thanks to everyone on Arena Net for allowing us to buy it a bit earlier. Time to get some sleep now before the grand opening : D Erasculio 02:34, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Got my copy early too but have to wait until college classes are through. oh well, a weekend of GW:EN sounds like heaven to me afterwards. Thank you ArenaNet.--Bane of Worlds 13:55, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

I thought it was really cool that the store opened a bit early, too, and I'm glad that you guys were able to purchase your copies and start playing right away. :) --Gaile 16:45, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

SMS Payment Fiasco

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

Redirect this to another page if needed, as I have no idea where to ask this. Anyways, with the recent addition of SMS Payment to the store, I just have to ask as my last hope gets shattered into tiny pieces with a sledgehammer: "Why?" Why does only the UK & Germany get it, but not the rest of Europe (like the Benelux, Scandinavia, Spain etc)? It was basically my last chance to be able to purchase anything to get the Bonus Missions, but now that's down the drain. Throw in some hope, please say asap when the rest of us can cheer in happiness (and hopefully before the deadline). -- Karuro 18:48, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

I understand that SMS will be available more broadly, that the countries listed are just the start. Let me see if we can get more info on that. --Gaile 18:51, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Germany does NOT have SMS payment! But IVR phone billing, which next to SMS was one of the least favourite payment options according to community polls at German fan sites! And before I start to repeat myself plz look here: http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Talk:Guild_Wars_Bonus_Mission_Pack#Player_Polls:_Payment_Particulars Regards ~Garbaron~ ; 29 September 2007 --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:84.58.141.133 .

From the Update notes: Starting on Tuesday, October 7, players in the UK and Germany will be able to purchase character slots and the Guild Wars: 1 Million Edition Upgrade from the Guild Wars In-Game Store using telephony interactive voice response (IVR) billing. Players in the UK will be able to purchase the Guild Wars: 1 Million Edition Upgrade from the Guild Wars In-Game Store using premium-rate short messages (SMS). --Gaile 16:45, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

So no news about the rest of Europe/the World? Might sound a bit like heavily prodding your back, but as the deadline is nearing, we tend to go a wee bit crazy :S -- Karuro 18:06, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

I don’t get why Gaile quotes the update notes: It only confirms what I said: SMS is NOT an option for Germany, its UK only. Germany can only use IVR. And as of now other EU states are left out completely by those payment options! Where are “direct debit” and “bank withdrawal” options? Why still can’t I use my German Maestro EC card at the in game store? Where is ANet listening to its customers? You want our money right? Then give us AS MANY options at the in game store as possible so that we can give it to you! NOT only a few ones you can implement easily! ~Garbaron~ ; 2 October 2007 --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:84.58.141.133 .

It's not cheap to implement more payment systems. Different systems have pretty high costs to take into use afaik, so doing that just to get a couple players to buy some char slots isn't worth it. -- (gem / talk) 10:38, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Ah.. so the EU is just “a couple of players”? As far as I know Germany holds the biggest GW community in Europe. And those "couple of players” are having real issues with the SMS / IVR payment options and want “bank withdrawal” and “direct debit”, something they can use in about EVERY online store. But hey, why doesn’t ANet axe the entire EU and concentrate on the US and Asia only, like they do with their promotional min pet stuff and such? Since the EU only has “a couple of players”, why worry about them at all? Bet they’ll still make enough money out of those two parts of the world alone and save money by not making thinks available in the EU. Now that’s a good idea for ANet! Seriously, if ANet wants to succeed in its move to online content distribution (BMP is indicator for this) they MUST add as many payment options as possible, regardless of if they have to pay a bit more for some options or not in order to do it. ~Garbaron~  ; 2 October 2007 --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:84.58.141.133 .

You don't have the statistics and numbers and neither do I. There might also be other complications due to laws or regulations in certain countries. We'll see how it goes, but I have faith in the ANet team. They haven't let us down in the past so they most likely wont do it now. -- (gem / talk) 12:20, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

I don't understand where the problem with IVR is. I believe everyone in Germany has access to a phone (and of course those who play GW). IVR is rather easy as ANet won't have that much problems with it. Direct debit is not possible for online/virtual content as the money won't be immediately secure when you press "buy" in the store. There are too many risks; for other things which need to be shipped it works as there is a time span between "buy" and shipping. But IVR (as well as Credit cards) is secure for ANet as they can immediately charge the money.

Also I think that ANet first wants to test those payment methods. If it is successful, they will probably add methods to other countries. poke | talk 12:32, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

There is no need for sarcasm. The whole of EU is not asking for SMS payment and you don't have the numbers on EU credit card users. Obviously, it's only those who don't have credit cards who voice out, so you won't know if the ratio is feasible versus cost. Setting up SMS payment is so many countries is not exactly a trivial thing and not exactly something that won't cost Anet. Try to understand that they first have to start slowly and double-check costs vs benefits. -- ab.er.rant 14:23, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Can US/Asian players pay with direct debit/bank withdrawal? o_O I thought everyone had to use CC. - BeX 14:32, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

In the US, banks issue what are called Debit or Check Cards, that can be used identically as a credit card would. --Valshia 23:37, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Yea, still awaiting an answer. Getting the feeling the topic is being ignored a little ~_~ Karuro 17:43, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

I checked on this on Monday, and the QA team is currently testing the IVR functionality, so I don't think it will be too long before that is live. I'm told that IVR accessibility will not be limited to only the UK, as some inferred, but that it will extend to Germany and perhaps other countries that also use IVR.

I was also made aware of some problems with SMS, in that in some countries (I believe France is one) the ceiling on SMS amounts is so low, it doesn't really help with Guild Wars purchases. :( However, I mentioned the words "Pay" and "Pal" and I know the teams are looking at other options, too. I wish they could be in place before the BMP promotion ends, but I am not at all sure that they will be, for which I'm very sorry. -- Gaile 03:36, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Running out of time

I thought there was going to be some new things in the online store to buy so I can get those bonus missions.

Here is a few ideas you might have missed...

Let someone upgrade to the (digital) collector's edition if they don't have it for a particular campaign.

So they would get just the digital bonuses such as

• extra in game music if it applies
• mini pet if it applies
• bonus weapons if it applies
• emote's if it applies

In game Uncovered maps. Would be great to toggle between fog and no fog when your going for some titles. It would also help the noob's find the way around.

A Minipet bag so all your minipets can go with ALL your characters always (only holds one of each type) similar to material storage but its part of your inventory panel (if you bought the bag) so you can show off any pet any time using any of your characters.

A Hat/Mask bag so all your hats are available (similar to the minipet bag) how this functions could be up for debate due to the NPC hat person. Might as well let them access all hat's trained to him via the bag.

Just some thoughts... I would like those missions and I have enough character slots already I think 14 is enough don't you think?Chik En 20:50, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

Many of these ideas -- while fun or interesting in concept -- require programmer time that we simply do not have to spare. On the matter of selling the Collector's Edition items, doing so would result in a devaluation of the specialness of the existing CEs. As we have stated many times, we would not distribute by other means the special articles that were part of the CEs because CEs are, by their very nature, limited in numbers and available only for a finite period of time. To suddenly make those items available for purchase would be a betrayal of those who supported us. We value them (and our principles) too much to do that.

Having said that, I wanted to say that I do like some of your ideas, and when we're brainstorming cool new features, I will keep them in mind. -- Gaile 03:30, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

I did not think it was so taboo since we could upgrade to Game of the Year edition within the store. But I see your point and can't argue with that :) and I truly respect your folks code of ethics of which you stand behind in the face of earning some revenue. I understand not having enough man hours to complete what is already on the list and priority I am sure has to be with GW2. Thanks again for your feedback. Chik En 04:00, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

PvP Editions

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

You mentioned that ArenaNet will be splitting the access portion and the unlock portion of the PvP packs soon. Meaning, a person with the campaigns already will not have to pay for PvP access along with the unlocks. For those of us who already PAID for access (twice) by buying both the campaign and the PvP packs, will you be providing a refund, or ingame store credit?

In addition, will there be a GWEN PvP Unlock Pack? -- Counciler 06:14, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

I'm assuming (although, I'd wait for confirmation from Gaile) that the answer is 'no' in terms of the refund/store credit. After all, if you buy a car, and the price goes down the next week, you're not going to get a refund from that. Kokuou 08:47, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Let's think about refunds: You've had the opportunity to use the products that you purchased for some time, even many months. Just as you don't get a refund when a bestseller hits the bargain table, just as you don't get a refund when a game is offered on a sale months after release, and just as you don't get a refund when you have tacos on Tuesday and the Blue Plate Special occurs on Thursday, you will not receive a refund for a purchase through the in-game store.

I do not know if there will be a GW:EN pack, but I will inquire. --Gaile 15:49, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Hi, back again. Yes, there will be a skill unlock pack for Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Thanks for asking about that. -- Gaile 17:39, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Ok, thank you for checking. And I didn't really care about a whopping 4 dollar difference or something, I was just curious. :P -- Counciler 20:55, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

No problem with asking. I think it's good to have the answer out there, in case people do wonder. -- Gaile 22:16, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, it certainly makes sense. The sheer logistics of refunding everyone who bought a pack or applying store credits to individual accounts would be horrendous, I imagine. Not really worth it IMHO, especially if I was the one refunding. -- Counciler

Unlocks for gwen? Isn't that like 100 skills? who could be bothered? There's only a few really good pvp skills anyway in gwen. -- Salome 10:35, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

The number of skills for GW:EN is not substantially lower than for the other campaigns, when you consider the campaign-specific skills, without the Core Skills. Consider, too, that the GW:EN skills are the newest of all. For these reasons, and because we know that some players would like the option, we will offer the GW:EN skills in one of the new skill packs. Each player can choose if that pack would be a good purchase for him or her. Choice is a good thing. -- Gaile 16:15, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Time is running out...

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

As this article says [here] and I have stated here we are running out of time for things worth buying in the online store or even the plaync store... when can we expect something or what we see is what we get? Because I really don't need more char slots. Chik En 18:58, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

As I have said in the past, there are no plans to add additional items to the in-game store in a timeframe that will make it possible to apply those purchases to the Bonus Mission Pack. I asked again, but that's the answer I received. -- Gaile 03:38, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for asking Gaile. I just hoped there was something small to be added. I already have everything else. Only thing I could keep buying is char slots and I have 14 already. I appreciate your time. Chik En 03:44, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Did you buy gw:en on the online store? because i think if you did that is enough. Coran Ironclaw 03:51, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it is enough. GW:EN, any of the other campaigns, three character slots... Any of those qualify. -- Gaile 03:56, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

I like the boxes :) I have a small collection of them. That is the only reason I did not buy through the store. Chik En 04:18, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

I totally understand that -- I have a game shrine myself. (You won't tell anyone, right? ;) ) What I did was buy one in a box, and then buy one online. I mean, I certainly can use the mules! -- Gaile 04:22, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Well that’s lovely for you Gaile. But normal players do NOT need 2 Accounts! And you dare have a “game shrine”? How environment unfriendly of you! All those trees that had to die for the boxes. All the CO2 produced while manufacturing. And even more for the posters and manual.. shame on you! I hope you remember your PR talk about how environment friendly online purchases are when trying to get ppl to buy at your crappy out fitted, limited payment options only, in game online store. I know that ANet started the BMP to promote the IGS and GWEN being the lure, but by popular demand from your customers you should have stepped over your shadow and either enhance the payment options in tandem with more merchandise VERY quickly (3 month and nothing changed) offered in your IGS, or simply make the BMP available through others means (retailers anyone?)! This stoic mind set of IGS ONLY is not very customers friendly and runs against the old “ demand and offer” mantra of every open market! You want to make money, ppl are willing to pay, but you are just too lazy to offer more items at the IGS! You ANet guys Really income oriented are you? Regards ~Garbaron~ ; 24 October 2007

Whoa... chill. o_O (Aiiane - talk - contribs) 09:31, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

They are income oriented but not money hungry. There is a huge difference. I bought my GW:EN thru the in-game store so I have no problems. Besides, what else can they actually offer in the store? Mini-pets? People will just abuse that. Equips? subjected to abuse as well. If you're so wonderful, why not suggest items to be sold in the in-game store instead? Renin 09:38, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

If we're going to talk good in-game store options, then character- or account-based items seem like a no-brainer. More stuff like the BMP is always great, especially during the time between GW1 and GW2. Small things, like /bonus items (weapons are nice, and that would be a good way to get some more contest winners into the game)... hell, even stuff akin to the CE versions of the games. Not the CE itself, but perhaps a bonus emote pack, or something along the lines of the Divine Aura. I wouldn't mind seeing some /dancenew emotes for my Core professions! And shelling out a few bucks for that wouldn't be a big deal. And dipping into some of the suggestions, why not be able to buy a Xunlai Agent upgrade for your account (barring any reasons why extra storage is a no-go)? It's little things like that which could really be a huge draw for serious players, and a great way for ANet to make a bit of extra money as well. ;P -- Jïörüjï Ðērākō.>.cнаt^ 09:51, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

It's another case of damned if you do, damned if you don't. You know there will be people who complain if Anet actually does sell those things. They'll claim that Anet is milking them dry, they'll claim that Anet is creating a rich-friendly environment, they'll say that Anet is going against whatever it is they promised, they'll say that Anet is ignoring non-credit card owners, etc. *shrugs* -- ab.er.rant 10:26, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

But for every one of those griefers, there will still be at least two (if not two hundred) people who actually like the idea, and enjoy the benefits. Chances are, even the people who complain about it will still get some of the stuff. If ANet takes the time to add new stuff into the game, no matter how it's released, people are still going to enjoy it. People that complain don't do much else other then complain; if ANet's trying to please everyone, then the best way to do that would have been to not make any games at all. Can't be disappointed about something that was never there! -- Jïörüjï Ðērākō.>.cнаt^ 10:47, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

I agree with you, Jioruji, even while I hold Ab.er.rant's comments in mind. There are a percentage of people who will engage in complaints, arguments, dev bashing, and even unwarranted personal attacks. However, we will do what is right for the game and the community. We will address the legitimate complaints and ignore the rest as the needless drama and the pointless negativity that it is. -- Gaile 19:11, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

I think that that's one of the things that aNet learned from Guild Wars hence the reason they no longer will continue with GW and move on to GW2. That many people are willing to buy in-game items in their store, more so to extend playability. Like mission packs or area/dungeon unlocks. With the current system, it is probably extremely complex for the dev team to have such thing added on GW1. I'm sure that they will no longer release new content every 6 months but extend it by releasing content 8 months to 1 year and new shiny upgrades in between those. I'm sure that kind of money making scheme is what we'll be seeing from them; or at least - coming from a business-oriented point of view - that's what I'll do. Renin 11:00, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Just wanted to make 2 points:

1. Trees = renewable resource. As it is, the boxes and maps are probably from recycled paper anyways...
2. Anet considered users' suggestions (or maybe they already had it planned) and released both the map, box art, and book in digital form.

Just wanted to clarify -elviondale (tahlk) 14:13, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

I agree with elviondale. I think they should offer trees in the IGS. We can buy a tree! But that might be too unbalanced. Yes.... yes too unblanaced. NERF TREEZ PL0X! -- Counciler 20:13, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Well Ms Grey since I feel your sentence of “ignore the rest as the needless drama and the pointless negativity that it is” is aimed at me, maybe I should ignore ANets future projects too, namely GW2? You want to reward players buying at the INGs... that’s fine with me. But why don’t you for example also reward players aka accounts that hold every single GW ever released too? Is a player not reward worthy if he got all of your GW chapters? Didn’t he/she support you? Wouldn’t it have been a nice gesture by ANet to also unlock the BMP to ppl who bought all GW chapters? Wouldn’t it have been possible to connect the BMP to any GWEN purchase regardless of being bough at the IGS or at a retailer? (plz don’t give me the “its free when you buy at the IGS” remark it’s NOT free! It’s without additional costs but its definitely NOT free since you HAVE to spend amount X to get it). Where ever GWEN was bough you got your good share out of it right`? And wasn’t/isn’t it apparent that a lot of your customers do not like the exclusive linkage to a 26 EUR IGS purchase to be eligible for the BMP from fan forum reactions? Isn’t it a fact that 3 month after the initial BMP promotion you still did not really get additional payment options working (in case I missed that NEWS of the interactive voice thing now working.. pardon that one) so ppl without cc access can buy at your IGS? That you want ppl to spend 26 EUR at the IGS but for those who got everything there is nothing at the IGS to purchase and you just forgot or where to lazy/greedy to put merchandise there for that particular group of your customers? What I see right now is this: there might be other BMPs on their way but ANet just is not able or unwilling to enhance their IGS with merchandise and more importantly payment options. So what will happen if BMP v2.0 shows up and ANet still did not add payment options? The “buy GWEN at the IGS” excuse wont work then because by then ppl will have it! What is Ms Grey going to tell ppl then? EDIT: @ elviondale 1) you do know that it takes a tree DECADES to grow right? That they produce oxygen? That CO2 levels are also rising because man managed to greatly reduce the earths green lung.. the forests.. in a matter of decades? 2) I very vividly remember Ms Grey saying at GWO that what ever we complain about, what ever we suggest, the Dev team already knows about it and that community discussion most of the time are parallel to what the Devs already work on. And that we as the community do not have an impact on what the Devs do. They already know what needs to be done and they will make the changes… if it happens to be something we complained about and get it done … its mere coincidence (I wish I could find the appropriate post made by here at GWO)! Regards ~Garbaron~ ; 25 October 2007

Not really, all the renewable crap is trees that grow back in a couple of years. — Skuld 08:46, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

I'm curious, in regards to the whole paper/tree thing, am I the only one who received plastic boxes for the three campaigns rather than the aforementioned paper? DelvingAngel 25 October 2007

Lets not even get started on the myth of the human factor on the carbon level in the atmosphere. --Lemming 18:38, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

This paper waisting is only something to laugh at for me because I burn wood just for fun to have a fire so when Gaile and others say that, I think it is more of an "lol" for me but as for this PBP I do hope that they sell is in the IGS for $5-10 USD, so others who got the boxed copy can still get it, as just because I chose to get mine online so I could get the PBP for free doesn't make me hope that it is exclusive to us. About selling other stuff in the ingame store I think that will be along way away if ever. -- Natalie Black 23:21, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

I just find it so funny how demanding and threatening emo kids can be. One, when you buy the magazine, you buy it because of the interesting articles in it not because of the mini-pets you get. It's a definitely absurd idea that you're JUST going to buy a magazine for the mini-pet. Why not just buy mini-pets that are being sold in game instead? It's true that the Dev team KNOWS our complaints and our needs, wants and demands. It's just a good marketing strategy. The marketing department most probably have a SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) of their product and have thoroughly discussed this with everyone. The more you know about your product and the PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environment and Legislative) surrounding it, the better service/product you can provide to your ultimate goal. I just wish that people reconsider the fact of the matter here is that not every single complaint or suggestion will ever be used. Why? If they constantly change what 1 or 10,000 users want, what about the rest of the 990,000 users who is just happy they way it is or just doesn't care? I think threatening aNet that you will no longer support their product is also ridiculous. Why complain or still play when you know you're thoroughly enjoying the game and is still - somewhere deep down inside - is curious as to how GW2 will evolve. If you read on the reasons why they have decided to recreate GW and what will become GW2, it's pretty obvious that they DO KNOW what needs to be done and they DO KNOW the limitations and restrictions that GW1 has that is preventing them from adding more nifty stuff. So hold your horses, stop being a crazy person and grow up. Renin 00:43, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

I am starting to regret asking this of Gaile. She was nice enough to answer. She does not have all the time in the world to answer us. I picked the path that lead to a boxed version. So this is just the way it is. I accept it... Nobody owe's me for loyalty. I am getting what I paid for. In fact thanks to Anet I did not have to finish something I spent nearly a year working on. So thanks Gaile to you and your co-workers... really... Chik En 04:13, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Whatever happened to owning the game you paid for in its entirety? Why do people want all these things added to the store which will add to the in game world? I have no problem with someone buying a mug or mouse pad or other GW paraphernalia they want but as soon as someone with more money than me is able to obtain something in game which I can't get because I can't afford it, (outside of the norms of Expansions, Campaigns and even the BMP). When I buy a game I am equal to everyone else who purchased that game, baring experience and in-game wealth accumulated. It doesn't matter if I am Bill Gates with all his riches or a 14 year old who got the game for Christmas. I wouldn't like to see GW change into a world where if I want the shinier glowing Fellblade I'm going to have to fork over real world cash for it. Mini-pets maybe, simply because they are so irrelevant and limited in scope anyway but once real world money = shiny new weapons it doesn't seem very fair to me. The GotY weapons I can understand - it was an offer limited in a part of the community and this is an easy way to give access to other players, (the fact they have bad mods might also have something to do with it). I wouldn't like to see Aura's either, Ascended armour shows players have a strong desire for shinier avatars in the GW world, it would be really disappointing to see these kinds of things being sold rather than earned, they might not make you play better but it does give people with more cash to spare access to more features of a game we both own. This isn't a threat or a lecture, it's my opinion. I can't tell A-Net what to do and I don't represent every player of the game but I am one of them. Would I be against someone buying Luxon Elite armour or equivalent from the in game store? Probably not, I can get that myself, I wouldn't miss out, sure it would cheapen the "prestige" but that's not why I buy armour. I have no problem with adding new content such as shiny weapons or armours but not for the exchange of real world money. If you sold the BMP (or equivalent, I know its sale post offer is contentious), and there was an armour merchant in the one outpost added in said BMP who sold a new armour that would be fine by me as long as the BMP had merit beyond a gimmicky way to add some armour trader. Paying for extra storage also seems pretty strange when you can buy a mule already. I'm not asking for free content, I'm happy with the game as it is excepting bug fixes and balances etc, I just don't want it to turn into one of the free Korean MMORPGs which hand out the shiny for cash so everyone is walking around with angel wings and pirate eye patches, that's why I bought a game - to avoid the trade of real world cash for in game bling. Dancing Gnome 09:24, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Online products to help endangered species

I know you are not making any new additions at the moment, but here is an idea to maybe think about in the future. Mini pets fashioned after different endangered species! (customized to the spawning account, could also be unaddable to HoM). Things like mini-tigers, mini-polar bears, mini-white creasted eagles etc. And yes, mini-pandas. They could have their own color text (blue?). And here is the kicker: Part of the proceedings could be shared with the WWF. I think this is a product many would like to buy (I know I would), that would give Anet good-will (and probably some mainstream good press), and would help protect endangered species. I know that there is the argument that why choose one charity above all others, but endangered mini pets make more sense than any other:

• They use a mechanic already in place
• The models already exist for most of the pets (bears (polar and panda), tigers, cranes etc.)
• Give no in-game advantages
• To save endangered animals can hardly be interpreted as pushing a political agenda, or to be relevant only for one specific part of the world.
• Minis cant die, so it wont be a problem with depicting killing Pandas etc.

Anyways, there it is, hopefully it may be considered somewhere down the line.--Lensor (talk) 17:20, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Haha, the first thing I thought when I saw "WWF" was not "World Wildlife" but "World Wrestling." And for a split second, I thought of ANet promoting a panda or polar bear being choke-slammed in a ring. My imagination runs wild sometimes. (Better launch a nuke in it.) >_< --Curin Derwin 18:18, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

PvP Access Kit

Does this include Alliance Battles and Hero Battles? 58.110.141.210 06:46, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

It includes Hero Battles, and Alliance Battles depends upon your guild being allied to the Kurzicks or Luxons... Then, you can enter Alliance Battles from your GH as you normally would. - Rainbow Lags Out

Skills packs

→ moved from User talk:Gaile Gray

Hello, I am currently playing a ranger and I was willing to purchase a skills pack for prophecies. But since I have been largely said by other players that the only thing I need to be an elite ranger is a level 20 pet and the skill barage I was wondering if it really is worth it to buy a skills pack. I also planned to buy a character slot but I think I will wait a little because I have also been told that other professions arent allowed in the tomb of the primeval kings and I play almost exclusively in this super elite area. ~Kisses~ - Miranda Sweet Skin

a) Tombs isn't a super elite area, it's a pretty easy one actually.

b) Any profession is allowed, the problem might be finding a group for Tombs if you aren't a pet/barrage ranger, a necro or a monk. The recent pet nerf might have helped with that though, and you can always try to gather your own mixed group. Imo the 'only one build accepted' mentality sucks.

c) There's lots more to the game than the Tombs and a lot more to rangers than pet/barrage. I'd suggest searching for some build ideas at http://www.pvxwiki.com/. Here are a couple of ideas: Toucher, FoW farmer, UW trapping. -- (gem / talk) 16:27, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

I agree with gem... you should rly try other areas too. not just tombs. personally i think it's getting a bit old and boring. Teo 18:11, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

Sarcasm alert! Biscuits 20:01, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

It doesn't really matter, B/P doesn't work any more because of the pet corpse nerf. If you buy the skill pack it won't matter because you can't use the skills in PvP unless you buy them in game from the trainer, and to do that you need to own the campaign they come from. 58.106.236.144 03:12, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

As far as I know P/B still works well if the MM knows what he's doing. -- (gem / talk) 03:13, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

My sarcasm detector is buzzing. --Deathwing 04:32, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

It is irrelevant if B/P still works. You are all ignoring the fact that the person is talking about buying skill unlocks for use nn their ranger in PvE which is NOT how skill unlocks work. They still need to buy the campaigns and acquire the skills normally to use them on their ranger. Talking about anything else is misleading and distracting the OP from the question she asked. To clarify; You CAN NOT buy skill unlocks for use in PvE aside from your heroes. It WILL NOT give you all the skills on your PvE character. The only way to use a skill on a PvE character is to own the campaign it comes from and acquire it in game, from the skill trainer, quest, tome or signet of capture. Buying any of the skill unlock packs will not allow your character to use them in PvE unless you paid for it in game. 58.106.236.144 04:53, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, the unlock packs only give you the skills for PvP and heroes. -- Gordon Ecker 05:30, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Regarding skills, you have two main ways to get them for use in PvE. (1) Unlock them in one of various ways, e.g. unlock packs, other chars, PvP faction, and then use a tome to get it on your own char, or (2) buy them at skill trainers / capture them from bosses. Skill trainers charge 1k per skills except for a rebate for the first few. Regular tomes usually sell for less than 1k. Also, some skills are located far in campaigns, so depending on the skills you need, you may need to do a lot of PvE to get to the skill trainers. I am unfamiliar with the Tombs builds, so I cannot help further. Alaris 06:29, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Thank you all for your help and sorry for the delay, I am quite new at Guild Wars Wiki and was unable to retrieve my post until recently. Finally I checked with mates and other players and I wont ever need other skills than the ones I am told to use so I may never purchase a skills pack. I now also have a better understanding of how the skills packs work thank to you, the Guild Wars community here on the wiki is great. I will soon join a guild and I'm already trained by officers ^^'. For the B/P thing I dont understand what you're saying but my friends got the Protector title ! so they must know what they are talking about, I think... for exemple, last night a ranger who had only a guardian title went to the tomb in our group whithout his pet and we all died because of this. My leader had predicted we would fail because of this and that's what happened when he did make all the little creatures to pop from the ground in the area...and we had only 5 pets :( ~^^^~Miranda Sweet Skin~^^^~

Lol...ONLY a guardian title? I thought most of the time, people who were good enough to get a guardian title were actually pretty decent players...Nicky Silverstar 21:10, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Um, guardian is more difficult to get than protector. That being said, builds and skills help you get titles, but titles are not a guarantee that you know what you're doing. See what works, and try different ideas to get a feel for the game yourself. Alaris 21:42, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

GOTY Upgrade

Any idea why this was removed from the store? At last look, one could no longer purchase it. Nbajammer 20:36, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Paypal?

When will paypal payment be available? I dont have any credit cards and I would like to buy 1/2 character slots :(

Same Pulpulpullie 12:01, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

I really want this as well. Hopefully they can implement it soon so I can purchase some chara slots. User:5.185.23.216 4:27, 24 December 2008 (GMT)

Typical that GW starts supporting PayPal right around the time that PayPal stops supporting normal bank accounts, and only accepts Credit Cards, changing virtually nothing about the fact that Ingame store items can only be purchased by using a credit card. WAY TO GO. =@ Trixor

One - The In-Game store cannot support PayPal, because PayPal requires it's purchases to be done via a website. Two - The NCsoft Store supported PayPal for a good while now... — Poki#3 (talk) 18:39, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Different versions of the access portal

Apparently, the image of the access portal differs in relation to which keys are in your account. The only image that comes up for me is the screenshot on the page, so could anyone with a different image get a screenshot of that and put it up?-- Brains12 \ talk 10:30, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

Cannot purchase the Bonus Mission Pack via Phone

It would be nice to also have the pay per phone option for the bonus mission pack as well.

TIA

26 character slots (in-game store)

Updating old statement from "up to a total of 32 slots" (possibly Prophecies + Factions + 26 from store) to "up to 26 slots can be purchased this way" (meaning that the in-game store will sell up to 26 character slots).

Added a little note on "bonus character slot" from "pre-order nightfall" not counting towards the total (so, you could get 8 + 1 + 26 = 35 character slots if you had 3 campaign + pre-order + upgrades from store). I do not know of any other mean of getting one extra character slot (perhaps PAX?), so I'm not mentioning it in the main article.

Info about the "27th" character slot was obtained here. --NIN37 20:25, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Can't remember my playNC/NCSoft account information

So because In-Game Store doesn't ask for any information, when going there, I can't remember my NCSoft account information anymore. Is there a way to see the information in the In-Game Store? Vihosa 18:57, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

Its possible ?

To buy itens from in game store with brazilian Master card or Visa credit cards ? 189.46.243.24 00:02, 7 February 2010 (UTC)

Reciepts

If you have your account registered at blah@blah.com, and you use that to long in, do they send the receipt to that email or to you billing address? --Sage Talk 00:27, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

The "reciept" is emailed to your account's registered email address, which you use to log in to the account. Sorry nobody answered you sooner. Gwynna Vive 06:57, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Purchasing without CC or PayPal (or just plain paranoid)

I'm "old school" (ie: I refuse to own a cellular or cordless phone, my home network has no wireless ability, and yes, I do take the carbon paper!). After having a few bad financial experiences with online shopping/security, I have since become super paranoid with any credit card use on my computers.

I have found a solution that works for almost all online shopping, without the use of PayPal, or any risk to your credit cards (or even if you are underage or do not have a credit card at all).

Visa and Mastercard both offer gift cards, which can be used for online purchases... I have used these on the GuildWars in-game store, so I can personally attest to them working there. These cards are widely available in many department stores, grocer chains, and convenience chains. It will cost you an additional amount (around $5) to buy a gift card, and may take 24-48 hours to verify them for online purchases. Additionally, the cards only come in a predetermined dollar value ($10, $20, $25, $50, $100...) and are issued in the currency of your nation, so there will almost certainly be a partial dollar value remaining on the card which will be wasted, although many of the retailers selling these gift cards will allow "split payment" purchasing so that you can appply the remaining dollar value towards the next gift card you buy. The cards come with a printed leaflet which will explain the details and the web addresses you need to register them and keep track of the remaining balance.

It is a bit of extra work, but since I started using them, I have had total peace of mind that my credit card information is never going to fall into the wrong hands again.

Alternatively, you may also be able to obtain a "titanium" visa/mastercard which is a reloadable "debit" card and also work in the GuildWars online store (Western Union and many cheque cashing and payday loan chains offer these) Gwynna Vive 06:57, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

store security

I am a little concerned regarding the store security, can anyone tell me if it is well protected and if ppl here can share experiences from the store? thx MarioDX 11:47, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

I've never had issues after... four years of using it. --Curse You(talk|contribs) 16:06, 1 May 2011 (UTC)