When Blizzard opened the World of Warcraft pet store last year, there was much discussion and debate. “They’re trying to rip us off even more!” cried the critics. Others shouted back, “It’s an optional luxury purchase!” I stayed quiet, because there was nothing in the shop I really wanted to buy.
Until today. When I saw the Celestial Steed, I wanted it immediately. I mean, look at it. It’s just totally freaking awesome.
Hi-ho, Invisihorse, away!
The in-game mount — which features constellation-like bone structure and translucent wings — costs $25 of real money. But what is not immediately evident is that all of your characters get the mount. It’s bound to the account, so any character you now play or will play in the future on any server gets that Celestial Steed as a ground and flying mount. If you gain Artisan Flying, the Steed goes faster.
As I will sometimes publicly admit, I have 13 WoW characters across five servers. Eight of those are on the same server, split between Horde and Alliance. I’m probably swapping between three of them at any given time, depending on which group of friends I’m running with that day. And when Cataclysm comes out, I will no doubt start another character and check out the new stuff.
For me, this entertainment purchase is absolutely worth it. I’ll have it on all characters, anywhere, for as long as the game shall live. I know some people think it’s stupid to buy something virtual, an object that “doesn’t exist” — but when I think of how I want to spend some of my entertainment budget, other WoW stuff makes less sense. A WoW hoodie costs more. I wouldn’t be caught dead with a Horde wallet for the same price. And I already have this keen hat. The mount is no less functional than any of the above — it gets me places in game and makes it far easier to navigate the world. Plus, it will work in the post-Cataclysm original realms when the expansion comes out.
So I happily waited in the online line to get a Celestial Steed for my wife Kat, and then I got back in line to get one for myself. It was about a two-hour wait in both cases (regardless of the seven-hour counters that are being screenshotted). I think we’ll be very happy with our matching mounts.
$25 and I don't have to feed it? Better than a dog. You can't even ride a dog.
I’ve made my peace with this kind of DLC — I figure, it’s there if you want it, and doesn’t break gameplay if you don’t. What’s your thought? Am I totally silly and finding new ways to rationalize throwing money away, or does this kind of thing make sense to you?
