MMORPG Expansion Packs - Should you Love or Hate Them?

I have played Ultima Online, Final Fantasy XI, and World of Warcraft. All of them have expansion packs extending the games content. Sometimes these expansion packs add new races, classes, abilities, professions, monsters, quests, or even extend the land of the game.

Over time, the game is released with the old expansion packs included in the game price. That way if you were to buy the game and it is on its 5^th expansion pack, you only have to buy the game and the last expansion pack.

This really is a nice feature; however for the gamer that played the game since it was released, they have to buy each one separately versus the person who buys it three years later.

I bought Final Fantasy XI after the Rise of Zilart expansion had been out for a while. So basically when I bought Final Fantasy XI at its base price, I got Rise of Zilart included. Afterward the Chains of Promathia expansion came out, and I had a lot of online friends telling me to buy the expansion.

Why did they want me to buy the expansion so badly?

Basically I was separated from them on the in-game content if I did not. There were new areas to explore, that unless I paid the money, I couldn't come with.

This really was frustrating, to the point where I told everyone, "Brb!" (be right back) and ran out to my nearest retailer to buy it.

I returned and notified everyone I was installing the expansion.

What's to Love?

Brand spanking new content! For anyone who plays the same MMORPG day after day knows how the worlds (no matter how big) eventually seem to get repetitive. Finally there are new quests, new items to get, new ranks or reputations, features, and new areas to explore. It keeps you playing longer. And of course the makers of the games like this, because then you keep paying their online fees.

New visuals! By saying this, I do not mean just extra land and dungeons to explore. Sometimes games actually enhance the visual look of the game. Ultima Online has done it a few times. They even went from 2D to 3D. You can choose how you want to play, but I still prefer the 2D look. Now they are allowing you to download a patch called "Kingdom Reborn" which basically enhancing the look of the game in its entirety but still keeping that classic 2D look.

In the upcoming expansion after Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft is coming out with its next expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. This expansion will actually allow you to change your characters hair style, unlike before. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention new character dances.

Improved game play! Sometimes the games just have those little quirks in it that people always wish were fixed. Or maybe after years of the game being out, the developers realized something just needs to be added. This doesn't always make the game easier, but more functional.

Sometimes these fixes are introduced during free patch updates.

What's to Hate?

I always hated when a new expansion came out, and it separated your friends. You know, the person who can't afford the expansion the day it comes out? Or maybe they do have the expansion, but since they are still a lower level they are left behind while everyone else is doing the new stuff. Basically to continue, you were forced to dish out the money.

Old things that were once amazing and so rare are now obsolete and no one cares about. I remember on World of Warcraft how there were guilds pushing to do as much raiding as they could before the expansion came out. A lot of people didn't want to raid because they knew their armor and weapons would be obsolete the moment the expansion came out. Crappy items dropped off regular trash mobs sometimes were 100x better than the epics that took people months to get before the expansion.

You end up losing motivation to excel in the game. Yeah so you reached the level cap of your character. Now what? Get better gear? When expansion after expansion keeps coming out, it kind of makes you lose motivation. Now for some people, this may be different. Some people, I am sure, enjoy having an expansion come out and be the first person to reach the level cap with great gear, and constantly love improving. Others, however, realize how long it took them to get where they are at, and know it won't be long before they have to restart the experience grind to reach top level again.

Expansions can probably make or break a MMORPG. I enjoy expansions, but sometimes I would prefer most of the content to come out as free patches. Paying monthly for a game can cost a lot. Going and paying $50 to get the expansion on top of that every year can really be tedious, especially because of how it can put an immediate separation on your in-game friends based on who has it and who doesn't.

I guess if you want to be the "first" at things, you have to pay the extra price for it. If you want to be the first to reach that top level, the first to get that gear, or the first to get that special quest item that no one yet has, you have to spend the extra immediate time on the game. If you want the new content first and not wait for it to come down in price, then you just have to pay more for it as well. If you are willing to pay the price, then it must be for you.