With so much content included in the subscription, though, I'm sure many players will now wait to see if this latest expansion eventually gets added for free as part of the subscription rather than buying it next month. The Battle of Azeroth expansion arrives on August 14 and will cost $49.99 for the Standard Edition, $69.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition, or $99.99 for the Collector's Edition. The game now simply costs $15 a month to play and you get access to all available content by default. I hate to think how much all that cost if you purchased each expansion on release.īy removing the need to buy the game, Blizzard both lowers the barrier to entry and clears up any potential confusion. So for you $15 each month, you get the base game content as well as The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, and Legion. The Battle Chest Box has disappeared from Blizzard's online store and a subscription allows all content to be accessed right up to Legion. The one exception to that is future expansion packs including the forthcoming Battle for Azeroth.Īs Polygon reports, Blizzard isn't making a big deal of this (yet).

Instead, simply subscribing allows access to all currently available content. Nearly 14 years later, and Blizzard is finally changing that model by dropping the requirement to purchase the game first. After that, a $14.99 a month subscription was required to keep playing. First, you needed to buy the game, which comes with 30 days of free play time.

Since its release way back in 2004, World of Warcraft has stuck to a very familiar revenue model.

How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.In the history of expansions, the issue of gold acquisition was high on the list of player complaints with the original game, which is why it was one of the first things to change with The Burning Crusade in 2006. How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages In Classic WoW, the amount of gold you could earn was a serious issue.In retail, you still need gold, but it's much easier to make and keep than it was in Classic.

Is wow worth it