World of Warcraft has never been a cheap game, but Blizzard Entertainment’s in-game service charges are pushing even the most dedicated fans to their limits. And when WoW players—who already pay a monthly subscription just to log in—start side-eyeing the price tags, you know something’s up.
A recent Reddit post with over 4,000 upvotes summed it up perfectly with the title “The service prices are absurd.” From there, the discussion spiraled into a mix of frustration, disbelief, and some fairly solid economic takes. The main offender? Blizzard’s faction change service, which costs as much as an entire indie game at full price. One player put it bluntly: “I understand putting a price on these services because you want people to think about their decisions, but at the same time, why the fuck so expensive?”
If you’ve ever thought about switching factions, moving servers, or just giving your character a new look, you might want to think again—unless you’ve got cash to burn.
It’s not just faction changes. Blizzard has a menu of premium services with prices that make you wonder if they’re running a fantasy MMO or an upscale spa. Character transfers? That’ll be at least $17.50. Race changes? Another $17.50. And if you want to boost a character to level 70 with some extra perks? That’ll be anywhere from $40 to $100, depending on whether the service is on sale.
The worst part is that these aren’t new features. One player threw an old roommate under the bus, revealing how they used to handle server moves for free behind the scenes—whether they were supposed to or not is another thing entirely. Now, you’re paying a premium price for a glorified script that takes minutes, at most.
There are a few theories floating around. One player suggested that high prices are Blizzard’s way of preventing chaos: “A lot of services used to be manual before they automated them,” the user wrote. “Putting a high but attainable price keeps these services from being overloaded and taking forever to complete.”
Another argued how it’s all about business strategy, replying, “Billion-dollar companies hire economists and psychologists to pinpoint the exact price for maximum profits. They don’t do feelycraft.”
But that was quickly met with a reality check from a third commenter. “Meanwhile, people that actually work for billion-dollar companies are stuck in meetings where their boss’s boss literally pulls it out of their ass, overruling the experts just because,” they wrote.
Some players aren’t mad about the existence of these services—they just think Blizzard is charging way too much. One user had a practical take, commenting, “I actually think Blizzard would make a LOT more money by decreasing the price. If it only cost $5 to race change or faction change, people in retail would likely do it all the time, literally swapping to match their transmog.”
Instead, the high price tag turns what should be a fun cosmetic choice into a serious financial decision. Why spend $21 changing your character when you could just roll a new one and keep your wallet intact?
At the end of the day, Blizzard knows exactly what it’s doing. Just like Riot Games, Valve, NetEase, and every other massive game developer with a devoted player base, the developer charge these prices because it can. There will always be players who shrug, swipe their card, and move on—no matter how much everyone else complains. We’ve definitely seen a few outbursts about prices from Marvel Rivals players recently.
One particularly candid comment put it best: “Welcome to 2025, where every price everywhere is absurd. Call me crazy, but faction change, name change, and race change in a game with a monthly subscription fee to even play should cost gold or some form of in-game currency.”
But hey, at least Blizzard is being generous by putting its $30 faction change on sale for $21. What a steal.
Published: Mar 4, 2025 02:42 pm