The true value of Prime Access

[Loremaster.Dasmodeus]

Hello guys, hope you are doing great!

With the last new game releases like Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur's Gate 3, and the like, it came to me the consideration about how DE and Warframe has been taking its seasonal premium DLCs releases: the Prime Access.

WIth the last releases being very small (and sometimes not truly meaniful) releases priced at a AAA game price tag, our group of Warframe players got unto a long discussion about the weight of investing on it to support DE endevours on development of Warframe. As a way to broaden the scope, I would ask you guys the HONEST opinion about buying or not the Prime Access releases, its monetization and overrall content brought to the table, and why you got the the point you are.

Please, be gentle, be kind and treat people you disagree with with utmost respect. We are all Tenno here.

Have an AMAZING DAY!!! :)

Yours, Dasmodeus.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Loremaster.Dasmodeus

[Voltage]

It's just a matter of whether or not you can afford and/or want the tiers offered. Honestly Prime Access is pretty tame. It could be worse and be Wayfinder monetization.

[TeaHands]

Personally I think PA is ridiculously expensive for what you're actually getting. It also just feels like paying to skip content even if that content is just grinding relics. I'm very lucky with the fact that I'm on PC and regularly get 75% off coupons and support DE through that.

I've only bought one PA before and it was the lowest tier for a Necramech skin and some plat, was way too expensive but I wanted the drip. I also won a free Prime Vault for Ember and Frost Prime through a raffle. And yeah I was slightly bummed I couldn't grind them out. So now I don't bother with raffles and get the primes myself.

[(PSN)robotwars7]

the value is subjective, and can be determined by answering the following questions:

- do I have the time to farm for this, and/or the money to pay for it?

- are the items on offer ones that I know I'll like, from using their basic version?

- do the cosmetics look right for me?

if the answer is yes to at least two out of 3 of those questions, then I reckon the PA pack has Value to you, or at least there's a motive for you to buy it. personally I didn't bother, and now that Prime Resurgence is a thing, the prime accessories are within reach too, once they come around. I tend to more than make up for not buying PA by getting and using coupons when they drop, and almost never trading for plat but buying it instead.

[(PSN)Unstar]

Warframe is a vast and bountiful game at a high level of quality, and its price is free.  There are plenty of things you could buy in the game, but you can get just about anything in the game without paying a cent.  Prime Access is the main exception to that rule.

The price of Prime Access is indeed high, but given that I've spent more than a thousand hours playing Warframe for free, I don't think that's bad.  Rather, I look at Prime Access as a way that I can support Warframe's development and actually pay the devs for the game I've been playing.  I don't buy every Prime Access, but when I feel like they dev team has doing a great job of delivering content I try to find one I like and pick it up primarily as a means to get DE paid and give them positive feedback about their efforts.

[Surbusken]

To each their own.

I'd rather get universal cosmetics, since I switch frames around.

 

Been waiting half a decade for them to make the butterfly wings a toggle. Also waited 10 years to have a universal color palette or matching palette or what you want to call it.

It's really hard to get invested in visuals when you can't even color match 'white' or 'black'...

Also waited my whole time in the game for anything non 'melted plastic clay spikes on everything' visuals.

 

Warframe visuals are like a car wreck, all melted, distorted, squashed, burned and missing pieces. When it isn't straight up insect legs and helmets, which I guess you could say hey we had antman and spiderman insects are cool right?!?! But I am just not digging it.

 

I am more into Gort, Iron Man MK I, NCC-1701 and ED-209, stuff like that. Minimalistic and slick, not a spike in sight... lol. Normal and symmetrical.

So to me it isn't so much I don't want to support them, it feels more like they don't want me to.

[Leqesai]

Prime access price hasn't changed over the years since I have been playing so the value has increased. $1 in 2015 is roughly $1.29 today, so prime access today has the value of a $180 product. But because it is still $139.99 you are saving around 40 dollars over the expected market price due to inflation.

So... what you get today is a better value than what you got in 2015 (or earlier).

Having said that, even at its 2015 value the platinum alone justifies the price.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Leqesai

[Birdframe_Prime]

So, I have actually bought the full level of Prime Access, although for the majority I buy the Accessories when I see something I like.

The way I've worked it out, the actual Frame, Weapons and Accessories, are barely costed into the pack. The majority of what they're charging is the Platinum.

If you look at the cost of, say, the top tier Plat bundle, which is (for me in England) 130 and nets you 4300 Platinum. The Prime Access, by comparison, costs just a little less than 100 (about 98), and gets you 3900 Platinum. The next tier of Plat bundle is 66 and gets only 2100 Plat.

Meaning that, for buying the full tier of Prime Access, the vast majority of the cost is the Plat. You're buying Plat with a frame and weapons as a bonus.

Weird, but... yeah...

The value of any in-game purchase is subjective, I would say, but surprisingly DE have got Prime Access set to have you mostly buy their currency, which has a defined 'worth' in real world currency.

[Leqesai]

23 minutes ago, Birdframe_Prime said:

So, I have actually bought the full level of Prime Access, although for the majority I buy the Accessories when I see something I like.

The way I've worked it out, the actual Frame, Weapons and Accessories, are barely costed into the pack. The majority of what they're charging is the Platinum.

If you look at the cost of, say, the top tier Plat bundle, which is (for me in England) 130 and nets you 4300 Platinum. The Prime Access, by comparison, costs just a little less than 100 (about 98), and gets you 3900 Platinum. The next tier of Plat bundle is 66 and gets only 2100 Plat.

Meaning that, for buying the full tier of Prime Access, the vast majority of the cost is the Plat. You're buying Plat with a frame and weapons as a bonus.

Weird, but... yeah...

The value of any in-game purchase is subjective, I would say, but surprisingly DE have got Prime Access set to have you mostly buy their currency, which has a defined 'worth' in real world currency.

Exactly. The platinum makes it a really solid purchase IMO.

It is enough platinum to keep me in forma and slots until the next prime access is released, while also allowing me to purchase the weapon bundles, skins and deluxe packs that come out. 

[(XBOX)EternalDrk Mako]

honestly it feels like the price for PA keeps going up over the years, swear when i started on xbox it was maybe 49$ and 59$ per pack offered (cosmetic & frame+weapon) , which at the time i felt was fair and equal to getting a new game once in a while

now its 79-89$? iirc , so it slowly seems to have increased over time , i just stopped looking at PA , easier to earn plat and buy the weapon + frame that way, cosmetic pack was the only thing "exclusive" usually, and often enough its not something i like aesthetically 

still , i honestly had thought de was going to do an Umbra Access to fill the gaps between PA at some point to try and get more $ from that frame type and add more over time  

[Leqesai]

45 minutes ago, (XBOX)EternalDrk Mako said:

honestly it feels like the price for PA keeps going up over the years, swear when i started on xbox it was maybe 49$ and 59$ per pack offered (cosmetic & frame+weapon) , which at the time i felt was fair and equal to getting a new game once in a while

now its 79-89$? iirc , so it slowly seems to have increased over time , i just stopped looking at PA , easier to earn plat and buy the weapon + frame that way, cosmetic pack was the only thing "exclusive" usually, and often enough its not something i like aesthetically 

still , i honestly had thought de was going to do an Umbra Access to fill the gaps between PA at some point to try and get more $ from that frame type and add more over time  

According to the wiki, the GBP price has gone up over the years.

The first prime access (excluding ember) was GBP 32.99 and now it is 39.99

There has not been an increase in price with USD and Euro (the wiki doesn't include prices in other currencies from what I can see).

[(XBOX)LadyWinterstorm]

It's expensive tbh. If you wait for resurge you get it a lot cheaper. I've purchased quiet a few different ones over the years, not sure if I'll buy anymore though. I've not enjoyed the last few updates

 

20 hours ago, Leqesai said:

The first prime access (excluding ember) was GBP 32.99 and now it is 39.99

It's more expensive on consoles prime accessories are £49.99 access is £66.99 today 

[(XBOX)EternalDrk Mako]

On 2023-08-23 at 12:11 PM, (XBOX)LadyWinterstorm said:

It's expensive tbh. If you wait for resurge you get it a lot cheaper. I've purchased quiet a few different ones over the years, not sure if I'll buy anymore though. I've not enjoyed the last few updates

 

It's more expensive on consoles prime accessories are £49.99 access is £66.99 today 

On 2023-08-22 at 4:07 PM, Leqesai said:

According to the wiki, the GBP price has gone up over the years.

The first prime access (excluding ember) was GBP 32.99 and now it is 39.99

There has not been an increase in price with USD and Euro (the wiki doesn't include prices in other currencies from what I can see).

correct consoles is usually a bit higher due to microsoft/sony /nintedo charges iirc 

to give some quick rough estimates to USD 

66.99 British Pounds= 85 $ 

49.99 British Pounds = 63 $

39.99 British Pounds = 50.4 $

32.99 British Pounds = 41.57 $

Edit [ 

to  clarify these prices would be as follows, as de usually bumps them to a #9.99 type in currencies for sales prices

49.99 $, 59.99$, 69.99$, 89.99$ 

]

the price has most assuredly gone up over time , when whats included hasnt really changed other than prime +weapon and cosmetic pack 

this change iirc started after changyou and then went up again after tencent  , this later also included special irl money packs additions to the game , that had some special exclusives (like infested drone) 

Edited August 24, 2023 by (XBOX)EternalDrk Mako

[(PSN)GEN-Son_17]

I don't see PA as anything other than supporting the devs for giving me the only game I have actually spent 7+years and thousands of hours playing, and counting. That, all by itself, should be way more than enough of a reason to reward the devs....who then use my money to reinvest right back into the game while also giving me exclusive cosmetics that only other fellow supporters can have. I cannot ask for a better hobby investment. 

[Leqesai]

34 minutes ago, (XBOX)EternalDrk Mako said:

correct consoles is usually a bit higher due to microsoft/sony /nintedo charges iirc 

to give some quick rough estimates to USD 

66.99 British Pounds= 85 $ 

49.99 British Pounds = 63 $

39.99 British Pounds = 50.4 $

32.99 British Pounds = 41.57 $

Edit [ 

to  clarify these prices would be as follows, as de usually bumps them to a #9.99 type in currencies for sales prices

49.99 $, 59.99$, 69.99$, 89.99$ 

]

the price has most assuredly gone up over time , when whats included hasnt really changed other than prime +weapon and cosmetic pack 

this change iirc started after changyou and then went up again after tencent  , this later also included special irl money packs additions to the game , that had some special exclusives (like infested drone) 

It is important to note that the prices have gone up for SOME, over time. Where I live the prices on PC have remained stable since the very beginning.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Leqesai

[(XBOX)EternalDrk Mako]

4 minutes ago, Leqesai said:

It is important to not that the prices have gone up for SOME, over time. Where I live the prices on PC have remained stable since the very beginning.

platform and country also have different region prices and costs associated with them , not everyone's felt a pinch on it , but it is a noticeable jump in other cases 

i can recall people changing region on xbox to get plat costs down and sales events 

[Loremaster.Dasmodeus]

On 2023-08-24 at 5:38 PM, (PSN)GEN-Son_17 said:

I don't see PA as anything other than supporting the devs for giving me the only game I have actually spent 7+years and thousands of hours playing, and counting. That, all by itself, should be way more than enough of a reason to reward the devs....who then use my money to reinvest right back into the game while also giving me exclusive cosmetics that only other fellow supporters can have. I cannot ask for a better hobby investment. 

Fair enough, I cant speak for everyone, each has their own, and such a direct and honest reply is what I value highly. Thanks man.

On 2023-08-24 at 5:51 PM, (XBOX)EternalDrk Mako said:

platform and country also have different region prices and costs associated with them , not everyone's felt a pinch on it , but it is a noticeable jump in other cases 

i can recall people changing region on xbox to get plat costs down and sales events 

Its a bit difficult to make all prices plain, since we have some legal and regional issues.

[Loremaster.Dasmodeus]

On 2023-08-23 at 3:11 PM, (XBOX)LadyWinterstorm said:

It's expensive tbh. If you wait for resurge you get it a lot cheaper. I've purchased quiet a few different ones over the years, not sure if I'll buy anymore though. I've not enjoyed the last few updates

 

It's more expensive on consoles prime accessories are £49.99 access is £66.99 today 

Same as me, I saw the new Frost and Mag skins and thought about buying them to support the devs, the latest updates tho, made me think otherwise, I am still thinking about getting Wisp PA acessories, but havent decided yet.

[Drasiel]

On 2023-08-22 at 3:19 PM, (XBOX)EternalDrk Mako said:

honestly it feels like the price for PA keeps going up over the years, swear when i started on xbox it was maybe 49$ and 59$ per pack offered (cosmetic & frame+weapon) , which at the time i felt was fair and equal to getting a new game once in a while

now its 79-89$? iirc , so it slowly seems to have increased over time , i just stopped looking at PA , easier to earn plat and buy the weapon + frame that way, cosmetic pack was the only thing "exclusive" usually, and often enough its not something i like aesthetically 

still , i honestly had thought de was going to do an Umbra Access to fill the gaps between PA at some point to try and get more $ from that frame type and add more over time  

At least in Canada, the price has increased but only by about 6 dollars, which might actually be fair, considering the older prime access didn't include boosters and without a plat coupon 90 days (3 x 30 day boosters @ 200 plat each) of one type of booster costs $41.96 (4 of the 170 plat packs costs the least while still meeting the 600 plat requirement)

Here's the pricing for the current prime access highest tier

and here's the pricing for the highest tier Rhino Prime access from March 2014.

Also that price increase? Might actually have to do with the fact that in Canada on July 1st, 2021 started charging tax on digital goods which they were not previously doing.

[Lilybun]

All the prime access seems to do is deduct content from the game for a hefty pricetag so it seems like dreadful value to me.

The prime accessories are the only interesting part and there's no way to preview them so I'm not going to risk buying them. Maybe some day DE will let us color things, try them on and do some parkour with them before we have to commit to a purchase. A bit off topic but animation sets are the absolute worst for this, you have to go watch youtube showcase videos to see them and even then you have to guess if the way the character holds their limbs and guns results in rampant clipping with your syandana of choice.

[Luka-Song]

They have always been incredibly overpriced and not at all a sound purchase if you consider only the included items themselves. In fact, if you disregard the accessories, it's incredibly cheaper to just buy platinum, especially if you got a good value log-in discount coupon, then just trade for the prime pieces on the market.

 

For this reason, it's been widely accepted in the community that Prime Access is the de facto "donate some money to support us" button, with shiny freebies attached to them. Which I believe is fine; the offerings rotate so nothing is gone forever (no FOMO), the important stuff can be obtained in-game, the exclusive accessories usually aren't that impressive, so there really is no reason anyone would be hard-tempted to buy them unless they're doing it to support DE and/or they have a good amount of disposable income.

 

Personally, I've never bought a Prime Access, cuz I don't have that kind of money lying around, but I also never really felt like I was missing out on anything, or being gouged or any such. And most importantly for me, if I ever am willing to buy them, I know they'll come around again, so I don't feel any pressure from this.

[Dunkelheit]

Am 22.8.2023 um 15:16 schrieb TeaHands:

Personally I think PA is ridiculously expensive for what you're actually getting. It also just feels like paying to skip content even if that content is just grinding relics. I'm very lucky with the fact that I'm on PC and regularly get 75% off coupons and support DE through that.

I've only bought one PA before and it was the lowest tier for a Necramech skin and some plat, was way too expensive but I wanted the drip. I also won a free Prime Vault for Ember and Frost Prime through a raffle. And yeah I was slightly bummed I couldn't grind them out. So now I don't bother with raffles and get the primes myself.

You get 4k platinum with it and this is worth the price tag alone. I have bought like 5 of them in 10 years, which is my thing to show them gratefulness for developing a game that kept me playing for so long. If you don't want to buy it, don't do it.

[TeaHands]

3 hours ago, Dunkelheit said:

You get 4k platinum with it and this is worth the price tag alone. I have bought like 5 of them in 10 years, which is my thing to show them gratefulness for developing a game that kept me playing for so long.

Like i said I can get a better deal on plat from coupons. That's just how it feels to me.

3 hours ago, Dunkelheit said:

If you don't want to buy it, don't do it.

That's the conclusion I came to in my post. I guess I should have clarified I don't bother with raffles and PA anymore.

[(PSN)Joylesstuna]

While I do think it's overpriced (especially in Canada) it is a good deal for the platinum on console. Over $100 for a paid pack is something I personally would never do in a free to play.

Edited August 29, 2023 by (PSN)Joylesstuna
I am guilty of buying one prime access