Foreword, I have beaten the game on Impossible Difficulty and finished Classic Mode. Working on Pure Survivalist at the moment. So I do actually know what I'm talking about here.
Alright, now, the biggest complaint that I've seen is 'They changed the game to force you to use the microtransactions'. They have not. Honestly, the Resource pack DLC seems like it was added on at the last minute, because really, weapon and RIG progression seems about right when compared to the other two games in the main series. There is no grind if you want to get decent upgrades or weapons. You find plenty of Circuits to keep your weapons up to par, and can even get powerful sets by completing achievements.
Without using the microtransactions at all, I had my RIG fully upgraded just past the halfway point, and my weapons were fully upgraded shortly after that (because I'd been collecting parts, attachments, and circuits this entire time just by playing the game). Additionally, you can purchase the DLC with ingame currency called Ration Seals. 10 gets you a basic resource pack, 30 gets you an 'Ultra' resource pack, and 60 gives you an 'Epic' resource pack. Now, if you only want resources, then just get basics. Ultra has twice what a resource pack has, and Epic has four times as much. But an Ultra is three times the price while Epic is six times.
The extra cost is because of the MK-V parts that you get from those packs- but honestly, you can make ridiculously powerful weapons without those parts, which add very small bonuses as it is. The main point of the MK-V parts is because they have a custom finish, but you can get Silver parts (MK-II Overclocked) and +3/+3 Circuits by running through New Game+ mode, or get full sets of both by completing Pure Survivalist. I think the only difference between MK-V and MK-IIO parts is that V are gold while IIO are silver.
Next, the so called 'exploit' that 'ruins' the point of the DLC. The 'exploit' involves 20~ seconds of work for a single randomized item that can be repeated ad infinitum. Thing is, you can get more than that by just playing the game normally. The exploit is largely pointless.
Aaaand for the final argument; "I paid $60 (or the equivalent), so I deserve to have EA suck me off." I'll be honest here, I never quite understood the "I paid for this disk, therefore I deserve all of it's contents, regardless of what anyone says." Now, I'm no fan of D-LC (Disk-Locked Content), but TOS/licensing agreements should not be a new concept for people, especially gamers. You're paying for the core game, and not the DLC. I would agree that this is unreasonable if and only if they somehow tricked you into buying the game without telling anyone about the DLC. But it was widely known and reported that DS3 would have both DLC and microtransactions. This should not have been a surprise for anyone. If they come out and say 'This game will also have microtransactions.', then it's incredibly incredulous to buy the game and then insist that you deserve the DLC because you paid for the base game. You were told what the $60 would get you. If you choose to disregard that, then that's a personal problem. Analogies will not be accepted as valid arguments because; 1. They are inherently flawed and 2. Arguments about DLC that involve analogies turn into fusterclucks of semantics. "YOUR ANALOGY SUCKS BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT TAKING X INTO ACCOUNT." "NO, IT'S NOT LIKE X BECAUSE X ISN'T NEEDED. IT'S MORE LIKE Y BECAUSE DICKS."
To be honest, I really wish people would stop complaining about DS3's microtransactions because if a publisher demands that they be added (something the developers have no say in), I would very much prefer that they're done like DS3. Buying the DLC packs allows you to get stuff sooner, but it doesn't reduce the grind because there is no grind to begin with. You can gather resources perfectly fine on your own. And to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have gotten through Classic Mode without the DLC packs (Purchased with Ration Seals, of course), because it's demonic. They force you to start with a Plasma Cutter...but it eats ammo like a champ. So you're constantly low on ammo and have to keep making more (and more health, because the lack of ammo is a killer), but crafting that stuff means it'll take longer for you to be able to craft the pre-determined weapon sets. I didn't even get a new gun until chapter 14~ on Classic Mode, which is where I swapped the Plasma Cutter for a Pulse Rifle. Which also burned through ammo. All of the classic weapons seem to hate ammo...
Alright, now, the biggest complaint that I've seen is 'They changed the game to force you to use the microtransactions'. They have not. Honestly, the Resource pack DLC seems like it was added on at the last minute, because really, weapon and RIG progression seems about right when compared to the other two games in the main series. There is no grind if you want to get decent upgrades or weapons. You find plenty of Circuits to keep your weapons up to par, and can even get powerful sets by completing achievements.
Without using the microtransactions at all, I had my RIG fully upgraded just past the halfway point, and my weapons were fully upgraded shortly after that (because I'd been collecting parts, attachments, and circuits this entire time just by playing the game). Additionally, you can purchase the DLC with ingame currency called Ration Seals. 10 gets you a basic resource pack, 30 gets you an 'Ultra' resource pack, and 60 gives you an 'Epic' resource pack. Now, if you only want resources, then just get basics. Ultra has twice what a resource pack has, and Epic has four times as much. But an Ultra is three times the price while Epic is six times.
The extra cost is because of the MK-V parts that you get from those packs- but honestly, you can make ridiculously powerful weapons without those parts, which add very small bonuses as it is. The main point of the MK-V parts is because they have a custom finish, but you can get Silver parts (MK-II Overclocked) and +3/+3 Circuits by running through New Game+ mode, or get full sets of both by completing Pure Survivalist. I think the only difference between MK-V and MK-IIO parts is that V are gold while IIO are silver.
Next, the so called 'exploit' that 'ruins' the point of the DLC. The 'exploit' involves 20~ seconds of work for a single randomized item that can be repeated ad infinitum. Thing is, you can get more than that by just playing the game normally. The exploit is largely pointless.
Aaaand for the final argument; "I paid $60 (or the equivalent), so I deserve to have EA suck me off." I'll be honest here, I never quite understood the "I paid for this disk, therefore I deserve all of it's contents, regardless of what anyone says." Now, I'm no fan of D-LC (Disk-Locked Content), but TOS/licensing agreements should not be a new concept for people, especially gamers. You're paying for the core game, and not the DLC. I would agree that this is unreasonable if and only if they somehow tricked you into buying the game without telling anyone about the DLC. But it was widely known and reported that DS3 would have both DLC and microtransactions. This should not have been a surprise for anyone. If they come out and say 'This game will also have microtransactions.', then it's incredibly incredulous to buy the game and then insist that you deserve the DLC because you paid for the base game. You were told what the $60 would get you. If you choose to disregard that, then that's a personal problem. Analogies will not be accepted as valid arguments because; 1. They are inherently flawed and 2. Arguments about DLC that involve analogies turn into fusterclucks of semantics. "YOUR ANALOGY SUCKS BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT TAKING X INTO ACCOUNT." "NO, IT'S NOT LIKE X BECAUSE X ISN'T NEEDED. IT'S MORE LIKE Y BECAUSE DICKS."
To be honest, I really wish people would stop complaining about DS3's microtransactions because if a publisher demands that they be added (something the developers have no say in), I would very much prefer that they're done like DS3. Buying the DLC packs allows you to get stuff sooner, but it doesn't reduce the grind because there is no grind to begin with. You can gather resources perfectly fine on your own. And to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have gotten through Classic Mode without the DLC packs (Purchased with Ration Seals, of course), because it's demonic. They force you to start with a Plasma Cutter...but it eats ammo like a champ. So you're constantly low on ammo and have to keep making more (and more health, because the lack of ammo is a killer), but crafting that stuff means it'll take longer for you to be able to craft the pre-determined weapon sets. I didn't even get a new gun until chapter 14~ on Classic Mode, which is where I swapped the Plasma Cutter for a Pulse Rifle. Which also burned through ammo. All of the classic weapons seem to hate ammo...
