darkSpyro

I was thinking about this, and would really like to hear your thoughts.

Try to be as objective and realist as possible.
It's not a matter of "I like Knight Light" or "I find Dark villains useless, so the Dark trap is worth nothing".

Each Elemental Expansion Pack gives you:
- a new level (let's say, 10$/€)
- a new Element's Trap Master (15$/€)
- a unique (as of now) mold trap that lets you play as 4 new villains (around 7$/€)

Are those things listed above worth the 30$/€ they cost, or are they prices too high for what they give?

In my opinion, they are more than worth their prices.

Eh, I'm honestly fine with it. It equals roughly the same price to buy them all together as if they were bought separately. Since I only get 1 gimmick skylanders per element each ye ah, that got me those. I always buy every adventure pack, so there's two thirds I needed anyway. And then I bought one of every element trap, so that gave me a light and dark trap. Everything I needed all in one bundle. I was lucky enough to get both, so it saved me the hassle of hunting down all these items individually later on.

Same here. Got them at TRU when they first got them on 12/21/2014. Was there at 6 AM, purchased both packs & Blastermind, which allowed me to finish the story, as well as accomplished what GinjaNinja mentioned. Getting everything all together:trap, trap master & new level.
Can't go wrong with that, especially how hard they're to find now.

well i do feel that they where kind of expensive. trap master 15 bucks and trap 6 buck so thats 21 there. so like you said the new level is worth 10 dollars, i dont think its worth that, maybe 5 but it was kind of short and was hoping for more like most games with DLC. It was my first expansion and i guess the figure itself is probably worth 5 bucks but yea, i was hoping for a little more from the new level, maybe 2 new levels? ( per expansion)

but i mostly got them so i can 100% the game and new villains and masters are really cool.

Quote: Drek95

I was thinking about this, and would really like to hear your thoughts.

Try to be as objective and realist as possible.
It's not a matter of "I like Knight Light" or "I find Dark villains useless, so the Dark trap is worth nothing".

Each Elemental Expansion Pack gives you:
- a new level (let's say, 10$/€)
- a new Element's Trap Master (15$/€)
- a unique (as of now) mold trap that lets you play as 4 new villains (around 7$/€)

Are those things listed above worth the 30$/€ they cost, or are they prices too high for what they give?

In my opinion, they are more than worth their prices.

You won't get much objectivity as this is a fan forum. Fans will feel they are worth it. When first announced, I did feel the $30 price point was over the top and although they're selling like hot cakes, I still think it's too much and it sets a dangerous precedent for the next game that $30 is perfectly fine for one figure packaged with some extras. I think Activision took a page from the Nintendo Amiibo play book and made these appear more popular than they really are by limiting the quantity shipped out to stores. If they had over-flooded the stores like they did with everything else, these would have easily been yesterday's old news and wouldn't still be talked about this much a month after release. Create buzz through rarity might be the new trend as long as it's still profitable for the company and helps create franchise longevity.

Quote: mastermc54

Quote: Drek95

I was thinking about this, and would really like to hear your thoughts.

Try to be as objective and realist as possible.
It's not a matter of "I like Knight Light" or "I find Dark villains useless, so the Dark trap is worth nothing".

Each Elemental Expansion Pack gives you:
- a new level (let's say, 10$/€)
- a new Element's Trap Master (15$/€)
- a unique (as of now) mold trap that lets you play as 4 new villains (around 7$/€)

Are those things listed above worth the 30$/€ they cost, or are they prices too high for what they give?

In my opinion, they are more than worth their prices.

You won't get much objectivity as this is a fan forum. Fans will feel they are worth it. When first announced, I did feel the $30 price point was over the top and although they're selling like hot cakes, I still think it's too much and it sets a dangerous precedent for the next game that $30 is perfectly fine for one figure packaged with some extras. I think Activision took a page from the Nintendo Amiibo play book and made these appear more popular than they really are by limiting the quantity shipped out to stores. If they had over-flooded the stores like they did with everything else, these would have easily been yesterday's old news and wouldn't still be talked about this much a month after release. Create buzz through rarity might be the new trend as long as it's still profitable for the company and helps create franchise longevity.

But I wasn't talking about objectivity regarding the Trap Master, levels or villains.
I was talking about the price, and only that.

Consider that an Adventure Pack costs around 25$, and contains a Core (10$) a level (I'd say another 10$) and 2 Magic Items (5$ in total should be ok).
The Expansion Packs contain a Trap Master, instead of a Core and a trap instead of two Magic Items.

I personally find the trap to be much more useful, as I almost never use Magic Items, but That's not what I'm asking here.

I thought the light pack was worth it. Still have yet to get the Dark pack.

Quote: Medicus

I thought the light pack was worth it. Still have yet to get the Dark pack.

But, do you think a Trap Master, a trap (both from new Elements) and a new level are worth 30$?

That's what I'm asking.

Don't take personal tastes in account, please.

Quote: Medicus

I thought the light pack was worth it. Still have yet to get the Dark pack.

Same here

Quote: Drek95

Quote: Medicus

I thought the light pack was worth it. Still have yet to get the Dark pack.

But, do you think a Trap Master, a trap (both from new Elements) and a new level are worth 30$?

That's what I'm asking.

Don't take personal tastes in account, please.

Yeah, I mean a core Skylander, 2 magic items, and a level are $25 and a Trap Master is $5 more so I'd say it is worth it.

I think they are...
You figure $15 for the Trap Master (standard price) + $5 for the trap ( compared to the $6-$7 for a single trap) + $10 the the expansion, which each one is a Lightcore.
Look how hard it is to find the Kaos trap, let alone the Wave 3 Trap Masters.
You got to remember that the Hawk & Spider traps are the only other unique traps besides Kaos trap.
The other Light/Dark traps are from existing molds. Whether or not they would be on shelves for a long time, I find it more practical to have the packs than try to hunt for everything individually.

The general way I look at Skylanders is that none of this stuff should cost what it does, but the game is good enough that I put up with it.

I paid 38 euros for the light expansion pack, which I believed was very expensive. However it dropped to 25 euros after christmas which is a reasonable price. American customers are quite lucky in this sense because it's usually far cheaper.

I got them for $25 each during the week of the Skylander's Day promo at GameStop using a gift card. Definitely worth it.

One can argue if anything in Skylanders is worth the price but they are worth the slightly higher cost than a regular adventure pack if the game equates a trap master being $5-6 higher than a core character then the jump from $25 to $30 is sadly justified. $15 for a trap master. $6 for a trap. $9 for the expansion level. For Mirror of Mystery, its $10 for Blades, $9 for the expansion and $6 for the extra magic items.

As far as playability, given they are the only light and dark elements out at this time and the only way you can get a dark trap, I would say light and dark expansions are worth it.

First off knightlight and nightmare are two of the best trap masters, powerful and speedy with great attacks. While the levels are short I find them quite replayable. And I doubt you will find everything in one go through. The doom raiders are challenging to fight and you get a light or dark trap. At retail, I think they are well priced and worth the moola.

good luck finding it

I think the price was mostly justified coz the pack contained everything you needed for that element in the game. You knew that buying a light or dark pack meant you had everything you needed now .

I'm grateful they did this . Element packs is the right direction for figures I think. it just seems convenient, even though it's not a huge bargain or anything.

If the pack came with blackout instead of nightmare and was the usual price, I don't think anyone would complain. The extra $5 does cover the extra cost for a trap master.

Quote: wild_defender

I think the price was mostly justified coz the pack contained everything you needed for that element in the game. You knew that buying a light or dark pack meant you had everything you needed now .

I'm grateful they did this . Element packs is the right direction for figures I think. it just seems convenient, even though it's not a huge bargain or anything.

If the pack came with blackout instead of nightmare and was the usual price, I don't think anyone would complain. The extra $5 does cover the extra cost for a trap master.

Exactly, that's the point.

There are no motivations to complain about the prices, because it's more or less the total cost of the same items, if they were sold separately.

You have all the right to think that Cores, Trap Masters and traps are overpriced, but, objectively, since those are the prices, and probably won't change, there is no reason to complain about the Packs, from that point of view.

I am fine with the expansion pack, my only point was bringing up the fact that it's a new (higher) price point. Yes, a new trap master of a new element, trap and location piece is great....and more importantly the content in game was MUCH more better than the adventure pack levels. Conversely, even though the adventure pack had more pieces, the in game experience was very lukewarm by comparison---and NOT worth the price even though was $5 cheaper.

Quote: GhostRoaster

I am fine with the expansion pack, my only point was bringing up the fact that it's a new (higher) price point. Yes, a new trap master of a new element, trap and location piece is great....and more importantly the content in game was MUCH more better than the adventure pack levels. Conversely, even though the adventure pack had more pieces, the in game experience was very lukewarm by comparison---and NOT worth the price even though was $5 cheaper.

Agree, add to that the fact that, personally, I've hardly used any of the Magic Items I own more than one time, while I use the Light and Dark traps quite often.

Honestly I would prefer 2 Cores and an Adventure Piece, instead of one Core, two Magic Items and the said Adventure Piece.

Also have to admit that, while I still enjoyed the MoM and NE, SS and MM were waaay better.

From a utility standpoint, the light and dark traps are a requirement for 100% whereas the magic items are a nice to have, so there's that as well--good point.

Looking strictly at the price, here in Australia I paid $34.95. If I break it down into what each thing costs, I can buy Trap Masters for $16 although their 'normal' price is $19. Traps are $7, so that's $23 or $26 depending on how you look at it.

So is the chunk of plastic that unlocks the new level and the new level itself worth between $9-$11?

Well I can buy a brand new starter pack for $65. In it are one trap master ($16), one core ($14) and two traps ($14 total), coming to a total of $44. Ignoring the cardboard trap holder and poster, that means the game disc is worth $21. It contains the Kaos challenges, arena challenges and 18 levels. If I look only at the 18 levels, that's $21 divided by 18 levels, which means each level is theoretically worth $1.17.

Therefore based on those figures, the Light and Dark packs are overpriced by about $10. Which to me feels about right. I felt like I was paying about $10 too much.

That being said I enjoyed playing them - except for the stupid pinball part of the dark pack. And I think in the coming months we will see more and more sitting on shelves with their price dropping. So if you're willing to wait you will probably pick them up for a fairer price.

Quote: kaosmumishot

Looking strictly at the price, here in Australia I paid $34.95. If I break it down into what each thing costs, I can buy Trap Masters for $16 although their 'normal' price is $19. Traps are $7, so that's $23 or $26 depending on how you look at it.

So is the chunk of plastic that unlocks the new level and the new level itself worth between $9-$11?

Well I can buy a brand new starter pack for $65. In it are one trap master ($16), one core ($14) and two traps ($14 total), coming to a total of $44. Ignoring the cardboard trap holder and poster, that means the game disc is worth $21. It contains the Kaos challenges, arena challenges and 18 levels. If I look only at the 18 levels, that's $21 divided by 18 levels, which means each level is theoretically worth $1.17.

Therefore based on those figures, the Light and Dark packs are overpriced by about $10. Which to me feels about right. I felt like I was paying about $10 too much.

That being said I enjoyed playing them - except for the stupid pinball part of the dark pack. And I think in the coming months we will see more and more sitting on shelves with their price dropping. So if you're willing to wait you will probably pick them up for a fairer price.

Australia usually has higher prices, right?

Because, 35$ for an Expansion Pack is waaaay too much, no matter how you consider its features.
I guess so, since you also said Trap Masters cost around 19$ (yuck!).

Yeah unfortunately we do have much higher prices. But Skylanders isn't too bad. Now software and things like iPads, iPhones etc, that's where we REALLY pay overs.

Quote: kaosmumishot

Yeah unfortunately we do have much higher prices. But Skylanders isn't too bad. Now software and things like iPads, iPhones etc, that's where we REALLY pay overs.

UGH. X(

Well, hold on, my friend, at least Wave 4 isn't that closer, so our wallets can breath a little.

spent my Christmas money on them, so it didn't really dent my wallet, the prices are fine.

So, aren't these discontinued? Can anyone here with "Activision connections" confirm this? I've heard of multiple cases here and first hand by store clerks I trust that in fact these items can no longer be ordered. If not, can someone tell us why? I'm sure there are plenty of us who haven't bought them yet. Ironically, the levels for light/dark are INFINITELY better than the other adventure pack levels.

Quote: GhostRoaster

So, aren't these discontinued? Can anyone here with "Activision connections" confirm this? I've heard of multiple cases here and first hand by store clerks I trust that in fact these items can no longer be ordered. If not, can someone tell us why? I'm sure there are plenty of us who haven't bought them yet. Ironically, the levels for light/dark are INFINITELY better than the other adventure pack levels.

I dont think they are, thou I havent seen them since jan at all, maybe this port issue ppl keep talking about out west has delayed restock of them possibly? I mean it's not like they werent selling.

I'd say they're worth it.

Adding new levels stops things getting stale.

Considering I bought them for £8 each as amazon.co.uk seemed to not make money from them yes- but in general if you want the 2 extra levels, being able to trap 8 more villians and opena bunch of gates its probably worth it- much better value than the normal expansion packs tbh- I never use magic items, and as much as Blades and Deja-Vu are fun- they don't unlock any new content so they have much less upside than a trapmaster

Quote: GhostRoaster

So, aren't these discontinued? Can anyone here with "Activision connections" confirm this? I've heard of multiple cases here and first hand by store clerks I trust that in fact these items can no longer be ordered. If not, can someone tell us why? I'm sure there are plenty of us who haven't bought them yet. Ironically, the levels for light/dark are INFINITELY better than the other adventure pack levels.

There aren't for sale in any of the stores (both physycal and web retailers) that I have checked at my country, and I have checked dozens of it. In my opinion they have been discontinued. They probably were the "Skylanders Christmas newness" you know, give a "new Skylander product" to buy on those dates. Additionally it was a way to compete with amiibos released on those days as well. Now that Christmas has passed, there are really in the necesity of releasing them, specially considering that the newest waves are coming out.

Quote: Terreneflame

Considering I bought them for £8 each as amazon.co.uk seemed to not make money from them yes- but in general if you want the 2 extra levels, being able to trap 8 more villians and opena bunch of gates its probably worth it- much better value than the normal expansion packs tbh- I never use magic items, and as much as Blades and Deja-Vu are fun- they don't unlock any new content so they have much less upside than a trapmaster

8 pounds each? Lucky guy. I paid 38 euros at game, which was too much, but what I really want it so...

When someone on hear mentioned the price, I said "It sounds overpriced, by I'm still getting it because I want it"

A couple months later and I still feel the exact same way.

You're kidding yourself if you don't feel it's overpriced. It's not like...
1) The added content is 'long', especially the Midnight Mueseum, that takes me back to my 2-3 minute level play throughs in SSA with Stealth Elf.
2) It's not like the figures themselves are high detail work for painting.
3) You can add up the price, but I'd wager that outside of a "finally a Magic Trap Master!" situation, most of us don't pay full retail for ANYTHING. Meaning? That $30 is them getting us to buy it at full retail price, in fact I'm pretty confident that part of the delay has been tied to prevent people from using Holiday "B1G1 x% Off" sales with buying the game for Xmas and then getting the pack for $15-$20.

But, just because it IS overpriced, doesn't mean you can't want it, can't get it, and can't enjoy it. I'm happy with my purchase, despite understanding that I paid too much. It's just like buying Jordan's off eBay, you know you're spending too much, but that's OK if it's something you actually want.
- Unreall

Quote: Unreallystic

When someone on hear mentioned the price, I said "It sounds overpriced, by I'm still getting it because I want it"

A couple months later and I still feel the exact same way.

You're kidding yourself if you don't feel it's overpriced. It's not like...
1) The added content is 'long', especially the Midnight Mueseum, that takes me back to my 2-3 minute level play throughs in SSA with Stealth Elf.
2) It's not like the figures themselves are high detail work for painting.
3) You can add up the price, but I'd wager that outside of a "finally a Magic Trap Master!" situation, most of us don't pay full retail for ANYTHING. Meaning? That $30 is them getting us to buy it at full retail price, in fact I'm pretty confident that part of the delay has been tied to prevent people from using Holiday "B1G1 x% Off" sales with buying the game for Xmas and then getting the pack for $15-$20.

But, just because it IS overpriced, doesn't mean you can't want it, can't get it, and can't enjoy it. I'm happy with my purchase, despite understanding that I paid too much. It's just like buying Jordan's off eBay, you know you're spending too much, but that's OK if it's something you actually want.
- Unreall

Yeah, that's also the conclusion I came up with when deciding to buy it. Well, that and the fact they seemed to be dissapearing from the shelves

I wonder if there was a production issue with these figures as well. I've noticed that my Knight Light and Knight Mare figures rattle, meaning there's a loose part...most likely the chip. Both of them. If other's have the same issue, then perhaps it's a design flaw they stopped production in order to fix. Perhaps they needed to switch manufacturing plants. Point is, perhaps we're not getting new shipments because there was a stall in the production, not just shipping issues. I have nothing to base that on other then my rattling figures, just a guess.

As for the price, I see the lack of sale pricing due to the known low stock. I am sure TRU (and others) didn't offer sales for these packs because they were going to sell out without a sale easily. If the packs came back today in good quantities, I'd be surprised if we didn't see a B1G1 40% from TRU.


Related, I don't think Activision is responsible for any sale pricing on figures. I know that some manufacturers are very strict about their pricing and don't allow sales unless it comes from them. Because we see such variation in pricing from store to store, and TRU has a lot more sales then other stores, it's clear that stores can set price away from MSRP and set their own sales. Again, I'm taking guesses here.

Quote: melvimbe

I wonder if there was a production issue with these figures as well. I've noticed that my Knight Light and Knight Mare figures rattle, meaning there's a loose part...most likely the chip. Both of them. If other's have the same issue, then perhaps it's a design flaw they stopped production in order to fix. Perhaps they needed to switch manufacturing plants. Point is, perhaps we're not getting new shipments because there was a stall in the production, not just shipping issues. I have nothing to base that on other then my rattling figures, just a guess.

As for the price, I see the lack of sale pricing due to the known low stock. I am sure TRU (and others) didn't offer sales for these packs because they were going to sell out without a sale easily. If the packs came back today in good quantities, I'd be surprised if we didn't see a B1G1 40% from TRU.


Related, I don't think Activision is responsible for any sale pricing on figures. I know that some manufacturers are very strict about their pricing and don't allow sales unless it comes from them. Because we see such variation in pricing from store to store, and TRU has a lot more sales then other stores, it's clear that stores can set price away from MSRP and set their own sales. Again, I'm taking guesses here.

My Knight Light doesn't rattle, and my Knight Mare does it, but just a little.

I don't think that's the problem, but, speaking about manufacturing issues, EVERY single Knight Light figure released so far lacks part of the right hand thumb.
Almost like it has ben cut off... But it hasn't.

Pop Thorn kinda had a similar problem, on his tail, and that's why I think he got remolded and re-sold in Single Packs.
That and because he is part of an Adventure Pack.
And, coincidentally, Knight Light also does... Mmmmh...

We have enough "Activision" connections here to get a real answer. Matteomax, others...do your magic. I really want to know why they've stopped shipping these, yet continue to prance those pretty pictures on their web site as if someone can just go and buy it. I just can't believe if you didn't buy it for the 5 minutes it was on the shelf or 10 minutes it was on Amazon that you're toast.