Anyone else think this is OVERLY confusing?

Pre-order sales, pre-order keys, pre this, pre that.

I don't even know where I am anymore.

I go to buy the game and what do i find? a box for $9.99, if i buy it I can ring up toll free and...blah blah blah blah blah.

Look I would like to order the damn game, I don't care about beta keys, I don't wnat this, i don't wnat that, i don't anything else.

I would like to know if I have to buy an American version of the game to play with my american friends. I just want to buy teh game and have it shipped to me without paying an extortionate amount of money.

Why is this game so complicated to buy? Why do I need a degree in Marketing and to read 7,000 pages of crap to buy this game?

For the record I been online now for 8 years, I am 32 years of age and I am not some newb new to buying online.

I have played, EQ, DoAC, CoH, WoW....etc and all of them I bought online and had shipped to the UK so that I could play with the vast number of american friends I have on the internet.

I have NEVER in my time trying to buy anything online encountered the kind of confusing mess that the release of this game has become.

Generally pre-orders consist of a $10 payment and that gives the company a reason to note that you're going to buy the game at release.

What confused me is that they came out with a preorder for the Collecters Edition a while after I pre-ordered the game.

I found the process pretty easy....I rode on a beta friend's pass for one BWE, pre-ordered for $10 to get access to everything else, paid $40 a week later, and here I am now. I'll get in on the preorder event, and I'll get my retail key activated once I get it.

You can play in the American world with the EU version. Go to the European pre-order page, choose one of the UK dealers, and they will email you a pre-order code so you can play the 27th and get an extra in-game item. They will mail you the retail box so you have it the 28th where the official start is.

You can order the US version, but it tend to be more expansive when shipping is included, I haven't found any who will mail you the pre-order box, it probably won't arrive in time for the game release, and the EU pre-order item seems cooler anyway. So why bother?

The only confusing thing is that most of the information (including the other answers in this thread) apply to the US version, not the EU version.

In answer to the topic, no. I do not think this is OVERLY confusing.
Surely you're familiar with the concept of pre-ordering a game.
Pre-orders often come with some sort of bonus. For example, Doom 3 had a pewter figure of a demon from the original Doom. With GW the pre-order bonus is access to the beta events and access to the game a day early.
A pre-order usually requires some deposit to be payed first as insurance to the shop that you are in fact going to be buying the game from them when the time comes. $5 or $10 is the standard pore-order deposit.
The game is global so it doesn't matter where you buy it from, you'll still be able to play with your friends.

Thank you, that statement i have been unable to find anywhere, I even posted in the thread up the top about questions, and no one made a statement as clear as this one was.

I still think all this BWE and all the rest of it is very confusing for people that have not 'followed' the game.

I for one, have been playing WOW and friends have turned me onto this game as I find WoW to be tedious at 60. I come to have a look around and I feel like i have to read a small novel...just to understand how to order the game.

Should create a page....

Ordering GW for the newbs!

heh

Double post content:

Also....

EU version is SOO cheap compared to the US version, whats that about?

For the collectors edition in the US, 80 dollars in the UK? 63 dollars. (with exchange rate)

Thats quite a saving.

Hell you could probably get the game shipped to the US for less then 17 dollars.

Two things. The US Dollar has been weak compared to the Pound Sterling/Euro for some time. And shopping on (booming voice) The Inter-Net has really taken off, in Europe. It's not uncommon to see things like brand new games and DVDs being sold dirt cheap because Internet shopping is a highly competitive marketplace.

I just can't understand how buying Guild Wars could be confusing. You find a website selling it, you give them money and pre-order it. You get sent a pre-order pack that has goodies, like posters and Kendals Mintcake.

The search feature of these forums is really good. You should try it sometime.

- Iczer

It's called the official Guild Wars FAQ. Located at www.guildwars.com. Now, please stop double posting.

Thread closed.