I hate them alongside any other extrinsic factors the game companies try to push on us to increase engagement. I want to want to play the game because I like playing it, not to get some reward or FOMO. This applies for battlepasses just as for daily quests or similar things. In fact, I recently have started to prefer games which are not (pseudo) MMOs as these usually come with way less bullshit even if I don’t like the game as much. For example, I think Diablo’s (at least 3, did not try out 4) gameplay is way superior to Grim Dawn’s gameplay, but I still play the latter because it’s not D3 and I want something different.

I’m not really interested in most microtransactions, but I don’t mind battle passes in games I intend to spend a lot of time playing. It gives me something to do in game that feels rewarding, helps make the seasons feel different, and throws a couple of bucks at something I enjoy doing to keep that thing being made. And unlike a subscription fee I can buy in or avoid it season by season without any cancellation drama.

i hate them, only suckers like them.

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Isn’t it just another progress tracker like the seasonal journey? You get small rewards as you gain experience or complete achievements or whatever.

The premium battle pass is claimed to only be cosmetic items, we’ll see how long that lasts. I have zero interest in purchasing cosmetics so I’ll only be doing the free battle pass stuff, I guess.

If the progression of other live service games is any indication the only difference between how those games operate their battle passes and how diablo 4 will operate is the time it takes to ingrain it into their community.

I doubt this initial battlepass will have anything too egregious to start but as the game progresses more and more they’ll start to add in items and service that drift the battlepass into more predatory territory and if they do this slow enough or cultivate their whales hard enough they’ll be able to continuously move their communities goalposts. I’d imagine they’d want to avoid going full diablo immortal right now as I think the general perception of that game to most people semi-familiar is that its a gacha mobile game with a diablo skin and they’d likely want to avoid that until they have a more dedicated player base to exploit.

tldr: This battlepass probably won’t be too bad to start but overtime it’ll get a lot worse.

I really don’t mind them, but honestly if they don’t pay for the next pass I wouldn’t bother. Well it really depends on how they are set up. I do enjoy having another goal with interesting rewards to look forward too. Getting a guaranteed reward is nice when you are grinding and nothing is set.

To people saying they are just for the money, of course everything about a game is for the money. Gaming companies aren’t charities and live services aren’t cheap. If you want constant updates and new features, there will be a required fee as you move along.

I don’t really get the concept of battle passes, what are they supposed to do? Season pass I get (basically preordering the dlc), but battle pass?

It depends on how they handle it. I don’t mind the passes where you can earn another battle pass by completing the one you bought. However, I do hate that they are timed; I’d prefer to buy “Battle Pass 1” and complete it at my own pace instead of losing the chance to get items that I paid for.

I wouldn’t expect the free currency though if they weren’t timed.