Battle passes: Paying for rewards, grinding to unlock them, and always-online requirements
The latest trend in games is met with criticism as battle passes are slammed by players for being “anti-consumer” and a “money-grabbing tactic.” Players express frustration at having to pay for rewards, then invest countless hours into grinding to unlock them before they can use them. They also complain about battle passes being filled with useless items, such as voice lines and sprays.
“Battle passes are a scam,” one user writes. “They make you pay for cosmetics, then make you grind to earn the right to use them.” Users claim that the time commitment required to complete battle passes is unfair, especially for those with busy lives.
“It’s a tactic to keep you playing,” another user writes. “The grind is intentionally difficult to keep people playing and coming back.” This is often a result of the games being designed to be always online to maintain player engagement and generate more revenue.
Some users go as far as to say that the implementation of battle passes can even lead to always-online requirements for offline games, as seen in the case of the game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
The comments regarding battle passes are just a small sample of the overall thread, and users also express frustration at feeling pressured to play multiple games with battle passes simultaneously. Others argue that battle passes are a symptom of the “games as a service” model, which is also heavily criticized for what many see as exploitative and anti-consumer practices.
However, there are also some players who praise games with battle passes, such as the underground mining game Deep Rock Galactic, which is free and allows for the inclusion of past rewards in future updates. The game’s fans express their love of the game, including its now-famous catchphrase “Rock and Stone.”
Players also praise other games with battle passes, such as Halo: MCC and Warframe, which they say offer great value with their passes and allow players to use past rewards in future updates.
However, it is not all good news, as one user points out that the upcoming Diablo 4 includes a battle pass despite its high price point. “$60+ pricing for PC games is so common now that they can have a battle pass?” they write. “I mean, it’s not like it’s a digital game and you can just refund it.”
Another user replies to this, saying, “I’m willing to pay $60 for a game, but not if it has a battle pass.”
The comments in the thread are largely from players of the game Diablo 3, but other players contribute their views on battle passes, as well as the shift towards higher prices for PC games.
“I wish I could be surprised by this but I’m not,” one user writes. “The $60+ price tag is here to stay.”
In a separate thread on the game The Witcher 3, a user shares a screen of a battle pass they found while playing the game that asks players to donate to the developers so they can continue to produce future updates for the game.
“A battle pass asking for donations,” the user writes. “What a time to be alive.”
