Update 8:58 PM EDT: Added some strings.
Buying Arcane Dust? Blizzard Gets Around Loot Box Regulations in China
This evening a new patch hit the Hearthstone CDN for the Chinese servers. Included in this patch are some minor text adjustments and an interesting couple of new images which change the store over to a "purchase Arcane Dust" mode.
This is very likely only to ever be China only change.
- It has been confirmed that players in China now purchase Dust from the in-game shop.
- Upon purchase of Arcane Dust, players receive a gift from Blizzard with Card Packs equal to the amount of Arcane Dust Purchased.
- This is to get around the new gambling laws (see speculation section below) surrounding loot boxes in games.
Thanks to nobravery for the image provided via iyingdi.com.
Datamined Images
A new file for the StoreSwitchButtons was added which contains a CN suffix. This is usually an indicator that this image is only going to be used on clients which connect to the Chinese server. This file has an Arcane Dust Jar button in the usual spot for the button for card packs (see difference below).
In addition to this image, a StoreFrontIcon was also added for Dust to match the button above.
New Strings
There's some great new strings available.
Quote from HearthPwn
- GLUE_CHINA_STORE_BOOSTER_GIFT - Gift:\n{0} Packs
- GLUE_CHINA_STORE_WELCOME_BUNDLE_GIFT_1 - Gift:\n\n10 Packs
- GLUE_CHINA_STORE_WELCOME_BUNDLE_GIFT_2 - 1 Legendary Card
- GLUE_STORE_PRODUCT_DETAILS_HEADLINE_DUST - Dust Bundles:
- GLUE_STORE_PRODUCT_NAME_DUST
- {0} |4(Dust,Dust) with {1} {2} Gift |4(Pack,Packs)
- 0=quantity of dust, 1=quantity of packs, 2=pack type
- GLUE_STORE_PRODUCT_DETAILS_FIRST_PURCHASE_BUNDLE_DUST
- 10 Dust which also includes: 10 Classic packs and 1 random Classic class-specific legendary minion
- Each pack has 5 cards, with at least 1 Rare or better
- Dust can be used to craft cards in the Collection Manager
- GLUE_STORE_PRODUCT_DETAILS_DUST
- Your Dust comes with a set of packs
- Each pack contains 5 {0} Hearthstone Cards and at least 1 card will be Rare or better
- Dust can be used to craft cards in the Collection Manager
Speculation
Update: This isn't speculation anymore since it's now live. Leaving this information because its important.
Out of pure speculation, my guess would be that this could be a backup plan in case Chinese regulatory agencies aren't happy with the way Blizzard presented the drop rates of cards thanks to the Loot Box regulations law. Should China ultimately want more information on the card packs, forcing people to buy dust instead of card packs would be a good way around giving up their secret sauce. It's even possible that you buy some arcane dust and as a reward, Blizzard gives you "free" card packs along with that purchase as a "bonus". Time will certainly tell!
What Do You Think?
Expand upon your response in the comments below!
Pretty shady to try to create an entire new system to get around having to reveal how much they shaft us with their legend %'s
Not really. They also have to keep a big database of ALL the packs bought with money for FIVE YEARS e keep track of how many of each card was opened. They would have then to start to separate Packs bought from gold from those bought from money.
Then make a system to get all this info publicly available so the government can keep tabs on them. It's a lot of work and money invested into this just to make one country happy.
And if they want to make stuff like tip the system into giving some specific stuff, like making it so you're more likely to get legendaries for the class you play the most? Well, then that data might not reflect the reality of packs opened because they are custom tailored even if it's for a better experience for the players.
It's a dumb law, you're buying the packs knowing that there is RNG to it. Don't like? Don't buy it.
This is how it looks like in the CN server.
Buying 78 dust for 78 packs, to fit into the Chinese law forbidding selling packs directly.
LOL this is hilarious! it seems blizzard just come up with the Idea of selling dust instead of packs overnight. To be fair we all want to get those extra dust too!!!
Ok, just so people know, it's EXACTLY what they are going to do in Overwatch China.
They are trying to circumvent the new legislation that forces them to disclosure drop-rates. The problem with it is not even the transparency but the fact that they need to keep a public database on every card pack bought for like... 5 years I think. It's not feasible and pretty expensive.
The deal is, they are no longer selling packs or boxes. They are selling dust or credits, so the law doesn't apply to them.
The fun fact is:
They will be selling a ridiculously small amount of Dust/credits, but award you, for being a nice customer with an absurd amount of packs/boxes!
Basically if you were to buy the $60 to 40 packs for example you'll buy 400 dust for the same price! (but along with it get 40 packs anyway, because they are generous!)
It's just a scheme on technicality to not have to abide to the chinese law. Very clever and trolly on Blizzard's part I'd say!
They have to keep the database. It's also in the legislation that passed through in China.
The government wants proof so they can't lie on the drop rates. But then again, they can't meddle with them either even if it is to improve the experience to the customer.
Buy Dust? Really that is nothing new, after 70-80 Packs the only thing you buy is DUST!
But what must we give in return?!
Your firstborn child.
First, one must realize that dust gets more valuable relative to packs as you open more packs, so the only people who would consider paying for dust directly are people that spend fairly significantly already. Someone like myself, who typically buys 170 packs each expansion (plus 80-90 freebies). How much is dust worth to me?
Well, if I were to blow another $20 on 15 packs at the usual price, I'd get around 1000 dust, 2-3 golden commons or rares that I didn't already have, have about a 20% chance of getting one of the few crappy legendaries I didn't already have, a similar chance of getting a golden epic, and a bit under a 10% chance of getting a golden legendary, a quarter of which I would dust because I already had them or they totally suck. Plus I'd get the fun of opening the packs, which certainly counts for something.
How much straight-up dust would you have to give me to tempt me to do it that way? I'd say 1000 + 2.5 x 200 + 0.2 * 1000 + 0.2 * 1000 + 0.05 * 2000, which adds up to 2000. In other words, right about 100 dust per dollar. Anything higher cost, and I'd still prefer the packs.
God damn, this game is 10 times more expensive than WOW. Now we have to buy dust now. OMG until there is something more to do than rank or play casual ill be finding something more to do with my money. Dont get me wrong i love playing HS, but geez three xpacs a year. Now the return on my investment is very little. I can pay 180$ a year to play wow and get 10 times more to do than paying nearly 700 to 800 to play a card game that has 3 classes that play the same deck over and over again. Boring . I think its time to hang it up.
Um, you know you don't have to pay anything? I just save dust between expansions and get 3/4 or more of the cards I want. Being a completist comes at a price but there's no need for it.