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What's the point of subscription?

AuthorMessage
Survivor
Jul 01, 2010
2
Can someone give me a legitimate reason for it other than it temporarily unlocking worlds, which you can do permanently, on all your characters, for some extra money via crowns?

Been 30 levels, not seen a single benefit, but have seen a lot of "Oh, you're a subscriber? Too bad, you still have to spend hundreds of crowns to use this service! And no, you don't get a discount for being a subscriber."
Cosmetic stuff I can understand, but training points? Good luck trying to test out different builds/secondary schools with your training points. Making a new character is not a valid or acceptable excuse, especially for the subscribers considering they are playing on limited time.

Subscribers: Play the extra worlds for an extended amount of time, rush levels as a result.
Crown buyers: Pay a bit extra, literally buy the world, spend all the time you want making as many characters as you want and not lose out on anything the subscribers are paying monthly for.

I think this goes into my top 5, maybe even top 3, things I regretted spending any money on.

Archon
Feb 07, 2011
3175
OoAPieceOfCandy on Mar 13, 2014 wrote:
Can someone give me a legitimate reason for it other than it temporarily unlocking worlds, which you can do permanently, on all your characters, for some extra money via crowns?

Been 30 levels, not seen a single benefit, but have seen a lot of "Oh, you're a subscriber? Too bad, you still have to spend hundreds of crowns to use this service! And no, you don't get a discount for being a subscriber."
Cosmetic stuff I can understand, but training points? Good luck trying to test out different builds/secondary schools with your training points. Making a new character is not a valid or acceptable excuse, especially for the subscribers considering they are playing on limited time.

Subscribers: Play the extra worlds for an extended amount of time, rush levels as a result.
Crown buyers: Pay a bit extra, literally buy the world, spend all the time you want making as many characters as you want and not lose out on anything the subscribers are paying monthly for.

I think this goes into my top 5, maybe even top 3, things I regretted spending any money on.
it depends on your play-style. if you're the kind of person who has lots of friends (or free time) and/or can burn through quests easily, then a subscription is definitely the way to go; if you only play sporadically and like to take your time/stop and smell the roses, buying individual zones is a better option.

think of it like this:

if you're young, love to travel, or tend to change cities on a dime, then perhaps settling down is not for you; you're better off to rent or sublet a place than to tie yourself down with a pricey mortgage that you probably won't pay off before moving on.

if you're retired, looking for stability and/or have a family, you should probably buy a place. if you amortize the cost of the mortgage over how many years you live in that house (not to mention the memories your family will make there), it definitely trumps renting.

as for questing, i take my sweet time; i don't feel rushed, by any stretch. my space in-game is mine: maybe not forever, but for as long as i decide i want it.

-

"Oh, you're a subscriber? Too bad, you still have to spend hundreds of crowns to use this service! And no, you don't get a discount for being a subscriber."

i'm very confused by this. i have been a subscriber for 3 years, and not once have i been forced to buy crowns; the add-ons in the shop are not required to progress in-game. they are mostly just fluff, for those who can afford it, and a lot of it is available for purchase with in-game gold.

i do occasionally buy crowns~ mostly for stitching gear, or if there's a specific item in the shop i want that i can't buy with gold. and i buy them on sale, so i get 3 blocks of crowns for the price of 2 (or something ludicrously cheap) most times.

plus, subscribers do get a few other perks: can post to forums; larger buddy-list, bank, and backpack; unlimited access to pvp and pet derby, and shorter crafting cool-down times, to name a few.

-von
level 95 x3


Administrator
Echoing Dr Von's response, it's really about how you play games.

Whether you purchase a Membership or Pay by Area, really depends on how you think you will play the game.

If you plan to push through as much of the content as possible in the shortest amount of time, then a month to month Membership is the best value for you.

If you plan to play several characters over a long period of time, then a 6-month or 1-year Membership is probably the best value for you.

If you only have a few hours a week to spare, or will hold off playing for long periods of time, then purchasing individual areas is the best value for your time. It allows you to purchase just the next street you need to progress, and once you've purchased an area, it's accessible to all your characters on that account. Purchasing individual areas lets you progress at your own pace without feeling like you have a Membership hanging over your head.

The prices for the individual areas can be found here: https://www.wizard101.com/game/areapricing

We encourage our players to use the Free to Play portion of the game as your guide. See how fast you move through to the end of Triton Avenue, and gauge your passion and your available time accordingly.


community@wizard101.com
Explorer
Jan 19, 2009
56
Dittoing what Dr. Von and what Lydia Greyrose said, it's all about your speed.

Personally, I like to rush quests and all that, but it's just me. I'm not really lax in games like these as whenever a new world opens, there's a huge rush of people trying to level up as fast as they can, and I'm not even CLOSE to that crowd since they're like 3 times my level!!!

I only use crowns to buy packs as I can get great pets (I hate hatching IMO), great snacks (I don't have a lot of time to train pets endlessly), great furniture (who buys furniture anyway?), and great gear.

If I miss a world that I completed in the past, then I buy premium zones.

Just my honest opinion.


Melissa Smith
Magus Sorcerer
Honorary Engineer

Defender
Nov 19, 2009
160
Dr Von on Mar 13, 2014 wrote:
it depends on your play-style. if you're the kind of person who has lots of friends (or free time) and/or can burn through quests easily, then a subscription is definitely the way to go; if you only play sporadically and like to take your time/stop and smell the roses, buying individual zones is a better option.

think of it like this:

if you're young, love to travel, or tend to change cities on a dime, then perhaps settling down is not for you; you're better off to rent or sublet a place than to tie yourself down with a pricey mortgage that you probably won't pay off before moving on.

if you're retired, looking for stability and/or have a family, you should probably buy a place. if you amortize the cost of the mortgage over how many years you live in that house (not to mention the memories your family will make there), it definitely trumps renting.

as for questing, i take my sweet time; i don't feel rushed, by any stretch. my space in-game is mine: maybe not forever, but for as long as i decide i want it.

-

"Oh, you're a subscriber? Too bad, you still have to spend hundreds of crowns to use this service! And no, you don't get a discount for being a subscriber."

i'm very confused by this. i have been a subscriber for 3 years, and not once have i been forced to buy crowns; the add-ons in the shop are not required to progress in-game. they are mostly just fluff, for those who can afford it, and a lot of it is available for purchase with in-game gold.

i do occasionally buy crowns~ mostly for stitching gear, or if there's a specific item in the shop i want that i can't buy with gold. and i buy them on sale, so i get 3 blocks of crowns for the price of 2 (or something ludicrously cheap) most times.

plus, subscribers do get a few other perks: can post to forums; larger buddy-list, bank, and backpack; unlimited access to pvp and pet derby, and shorter crafting cool-down times, to name a few.

-von
level 95 x3

I would Like to friendly point out a mistake.. Subscribers do not get a larger Bank. All the rest is true however. Loved how you explained this btw. Very well worded.

Archon
Feb 07, 2011
3175
Maycast on Mar 14, 2014 wrote:
I would Like to friendly point out a mistake.. Subscribers do not get a larger Bank. All the rest is true however. Loved how you explained this btw. Very well worded.
ah yes, you are right; my bad.
(and thank you, i'm glad you liked it!)



the original poster may want to have a look at this:
https://www.wizard101.com/game/options

because i left out a bunch of stuff:

-von "i'm not evil, i'm nice-challenged" shadowsong
word-wizard extraordinaire

Survivor
Jan 26, 2011
9
Dr Von on Mar 13, 2014 wrote:
it depends on your play-style. if you're the kind of person who has lots of friends (or free time) and/or can burn through quests easily, then a subscription is definitely the way to go; if you only play sporadically and like to take your time/stop and smell the roses, buying individual zones is a better option.

think of it like this:

if you're young, love to travel, or tend to change cities on a dime, then perhaps settling down is not for you; you're better off to rent or sublet a place than to tie yourself down with a pricey mortgage that you probably won't pay off before moving on.

if you're retired, looking for stability and/or have a family, you should probably buy a place. if you amortize the cost of the mortgage over how many years you live in that house (not to mention the memories your family will make there), it definitely trumps renting.

as for questing, i take my sweet time; i don't feel rushed, by any stretch. my space in-game is mine: maybe not forever, but for as long as i decide i want it.

-

"Oh, you're a subscriber? Too bad, you still have to spend hundreds of crowns to use this service! And no, you don't get a discount for being a subscriber."

i'm very confused by this. i have been a subscriber for 3 years, and not once have i been forced to buy crowns; the add-ons in the shop are not required to progress in-game. they are mostly just fluff, for those who can afford it, and a lot of it is available for purchase with in-game gold.

i do occasionally buy crowns~ mostly for stitching gear, or if there's a specific item in the shop i want that i can't buy with gold. and i buy them on sale, so i get 3 blocks of crowns for the price of 2 (or something ludicrously cheap) most times.

plus, subscribers do get a few other perks: can post to forums; larger buddy-list, bank, and backpack; unlimited access to pvp and pet derby, and shorter crafting cool-down times, to name a few.

-von
level 95 x3

actually crown players can post on forums (i am a crown player)

Archon
Feb 07, 2011
3175
michael9999305 on Mar 17, 2014 wrote:
actually crown players can post on forums (i am a crown player)
yes, but you have to have made a purchase within the past 30 days, no?

Explorer
Nov 27, 2011
98
I really think subscription is better, what would happen if you ever get bored of playing W101 and already bought all areas until Dragonspyre? You spent a lot of money you can't recover. But if you're sure you'll never get out of w101 then use crowns
Just my opinion!
Brahm NightShade
Richard FrostBreeze

Survivor
Feb 01, 2009
25
Another thing that people aren't mentioning is that you can do PvP and Pet Derby ranked matches for free as a subscriber. So if your competitive, then a sub is the way to go.

Survivor
Jul 01, 2010
2
Dr Von on Mar 13, 2014 wrote:
it depends on your play-style. if you're the kind of person who has lots of friends (or free time) and/or can burn through quests easily, then a subscription is definitely the way to go; if you only play sporadically and like to take your time/stop and smell the roses, buying individual zones is a better option.

think of it like this:

if you're young, love to travel, or tend to change cities on a dime, then perhaps settling down is not for you; you're better off to rent or sublet a place than to tie yourself down with a pricey mortgage that you probably won't pay off before moving on.

if you're retired, looking for stability and/or have a family, you should probably buy a place. if you amortize the cost of the mortgage over how many years you live in that house (not to mention the memories your family will make there), it definitely trumps renting.

as for questing, i take my sweet time; i don't feel rushed, by any stretch. my space in-game is mine: maybe not forever, but for as long as i decide i want it.

-

"Oh, you're a subscriber? Too bad, you still have to spend hundreds of crowns to use this service! And no, you don't get a discount for being a subscriber."

i'm very confused by this. i have been a subscriber for 3 years, and not once have i been forced to buy crowns; the add-ons in the shop are not required to progress in-game. they are mostly just fluff, for those who can afford it, and a lot of it is available for purchase with in-game gold.

i do occasionally buy crowns~ mostly for stitching gear, or if there's a specific item in the shop i want that i can't buy with gold. and i buy them on sale, so i get 3 blocks of crowns for the price of 2 (or something ludicrously cheap) most times.

plus, subscribers do get a few other perks: can post to forums; larger buddy-list, bank, and backpack; unlimited access to pvp and pet derby, and shorter crafting cool-down times, to name a few.

-von
level 95 x3

We're talking about a video game, not housing and traveling. How you can attempt to compare them makes no sense what so ever considering there is no correlation to them at all. What does that reference have to do with anything in game? Implying that if I BUY and area (house) for roughly the same price as subscribing (renting) I'm not able to progress forward (travel.) I am though, easily, because they're not too far off price. Where as a house compared to renting is insanely more costly. Not to mention you don't get slashed prices on your rent if you commit to paying multiple months.
However, if you want to make the comparison.
I love traveling, I either rent out houses/hotels to travel or I simply pay a little extra to buy a house in every country/city I wish and travel as much as I want, and because I own those houses people I know, family, friends, (new characters I wish to make) can also travel without ever having to pay for lodging.
Now what do I miss out on other than the fact I paid a bit more for those houses?

Builds. Unless I'm confused, this is an MMO game, no? Builds have been a staple of all MMO games since they began; Wizard101 is the only one I encountered that is going to charge you astronomical amounts to even try to begin experimenting. Even the ones that do charge for skill resets do just that: a complete reset, not per point. You either go off someone's cookie-cutter build or you're s-o-l. How is that enjoyable?
Want to do anything out of linear straight questing? YBetter be a crown purchaser on top of your subscription.

I wouldn't call those perks more as "here's something so you don't feel AS ripped off as you already do." PvP should be a completely free option to begin with Extra bag space? I was a free member for a LONG time, farmed crazy amount of items, and never felt the need for extra bags or bank space. Hoarders are far and few in this game due to insane gold costs on top of all the slaps-in-the-face.

Majority of free to play MMOs with Sub option:
Multiple benefits such as new areas, much more quests, free services (I'm looking at training points, stitching, the like), more dungeon options, discount in cash shop if not the ability to farm practically everything in cash shop, XP boosts, usually weekly/monthly gifts of stuff like stat potions and the like, access to better gear not obtainable simply through cash shop. Everything else aside completely free or for a small fee extras like bags/storage and the like that are permanent. - Check for pretty much other MMO F2P/P2P combo

Wizard101 - Slightly cheaper than F2P if you like to blaze through quests and reach level cap, but once there if you do anything else outside leveling and maybe PvP you have to pay extra just like the F2P members.
If bag space, some crafting cooldown (most MMOs don't have cooldowns for that.) and the option to PvP being free when it already should be are the only positive factors in buying a subscription, then I stand by my feeling of regret.

Defender
Feb 27, 2009
130
Ultimately, it depends on how quickly and for most, how much money you got. If you don't progress on spare cash a lot, (like if you lived purely on Christmas money and birthday money as a child, then a crown zone payment may be best for you.

If you want to really speed up like a tank in a country that can't even defend itself, then subscribe to membership. (I meant to tank thing for real, I know a guy in P101 who went through Monquista and Valencia in 90 minutes, no lie.)

Whether you get membership or not, your ultimately not treated differently, only by how you reach places. How I've seen people are treated is by what chat they've got or if they're a Youtube star.

Marcus Suncrafter, lvl 67

Survivor
Feb 19, 2014
8
You can be immersed in new worlds and know new spells! Plus, it will not seem repetitive because of the new worlds you travel to!
~ Aaron of balance level 45