Isn't PoE's Steam description false advertisement?

I agree with you OP, no point in trying to discuss everything. Its free to try but it's pay to continue playing. Couldn't imagine playing this game without at least a currency tab, map tab, and an extra tab for selling items.

No different from playing a Demon with a set time and paying to continue playing. Eh but let me not type anymore before I trigger someone to exclaim how wrong I am too and why the game is 100% free to play.

I will say, I don't think the game is pay to win. If everyone paid for the few tabs that are 99.9% mandatory then everyone is technically on an equal playing field. Its the macros, scripts, bots and whatever else I missed that people use that makes the game no fair but that's not about paying to win.

PoE uses a strategy known as "create the problem, sell the solution".

Yes, you technically can play f2p this game forever. BUT, you will be extreamly hindered if you dont buy stash tabs, and spend a LOT of time doing tetris and selling chaos for exalts as you cant stack them in more than 10.

Is it f2p? Sure, as much as 99% of phone games are. P2W? Not directly, but time is money. Unless you are 15 years old and have no obligations ofc.

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Ozxell wrote:

ah, this shit again.

free cat! but you might want to buy this litter and poop scoop.

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Charoy wrote:

PoE uses a strategy known as "create the problem, sell the solution".

This is one of the most important observations I've seen on this forum in 8 years.

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PraceAce wrote:

kostenlos means costless. There are no costs - not hidden, not only when you buy something else and get the thing as an extra on top. None at all. It's a gift. Saying it's komplett kostenlos means it's completely costless. Completely = the whole game, including every content there is and, thus, everything there is to find in the MTX store. This isn't the case.

Just to be clear, this thread is not about the Pay-to-win aspect of those quotes. Everyone has their own opinion on that topic whether or not PoE is P2W or not, and can share their desire to discuss it in another of the dozens of threads there are about that aspect. This thread here is about whether or not the "Path of exile is completely free/costless" aspect is true or not. In my opinion, it's not - and therefore false advertisement.

However, while the German description is definitely not fitting the German dictionary definition, I'm not a native English speaker and open to hear your opinions on the English version.

Is this potentially a translation issue then? Is there some other way to say in German that the gameplay content is entirely free, that there is no pay-to-win but that you can buy optional cosmetic and convenience microtransactions? There's a problem there even in English though: 'convenience' can be anything from extra storage (which PoE does sell) to increased experience gains and loot drop boosters (which PoE does not sell). The latter is considered much closer to pay-to-win than the former. But we can't in good conscience just say it's all cosmetic because storage is not just cosmetic.

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Foreverhappychan wrote:

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Charoy wrote:

PoE uses a strategy known as "create the problem, sell the solution".

This is one of the most important observations I've seen on this forum in 8 years.

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PraceAce wrote:

kostenlos means costless. There are no costs - not hidden, not only when you buy something else and get the thing as an extra on top. None at all. It's a gift. Saying it's komplett kostenlos means it's completely costless. Completely = the whole game, including every content there is and, thus, everything there is to find in the MTX store. This isn't the case.

Just to be clear, this thread is not about the Pay-to-win aspect of those quotes. Everyone has their own opinion on that topic whether or not PoE is P2W or not, and can share their desire to discuss it in another of the dozens of threads there are about that aspect. This thread here is about whether or not the "Path of exile is completely free/costless" aspect is true or not. In my opinion, it's not - and therefore false advertisement.

However, while the German description is definitely not fitting the German dictionary definition, I'm not a native English speaker and open to hear your opinions on the English version.

Is this potentially a translation issue then?

No, it's not. It's semantic hair-splitting.
And the issue is not so much the "costless", but rather the "completely", because "completely" does in fact, German or English, entail everything.
But now we come to the same old debate, what "the game" is.
Technically, the game is what is installed on your computer (+ the server, the access to which you also do not have to pay).
In a more pragmatic sense "the game" means the files on your computer, access to the server and gameplay. Those are also free. You don't have to spend a dime for the game and all of its gameplay - but if you don't have friends who toss you gear or currency, it might feel inconvenient to "enjoy" the game for free. But GGG do sell a solution to the inconvenience problem. And this solution is also part of the game.
So, when the game is "completely" free, how can there be anything in the game you have to buy?

I think most people know what the description is meant to say: You can play the whole game, all classes, all areas, PvP or PvE, without buying anything from us and you can't buy anything from us that gives you a real advantage, like experience, super-weapons and other stuff that is usually associated with P2W.

Also, consider it this way. If you were to play SSF you have everything you need to play the game in a league and enjoy all the league content completely free all the way up to level 100. People have proven repeatedly that you don't need anything that doesn't initially come with the game in order to compete in races etc.

However, if you want to use the in game automatic trade hooks then you must buy at least one stash tab. Otherwise you have to manually do all you're trades, which is also completely free.

As for the translations, that is beyond my expertise.

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Mikrotherion wrote:

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Foreverhappychan wrote:

Is this potentially a translation issue then?

No, it's not. It's semantic hair-splitting.

Alrighty. You'd know. ^_^

Well, that was the only potential issue for me here.

Bowin' out as things inevitably go nowhere as usual.

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PraceAce wrote:

This thread here is about whether or not the "Path of exile is completely free/costless" aspect is true or not. In my opinion, it's not - and therefore false advertisement.

it is free... don't have to pay to play all content.
hell you get even some mtx for free by doing challenges if that's what you want. completely free!

mtx obviously is not free which is kinda a no brainer. which means obvious to people even with no brain.

how else do you expect a game to be kept running and updating?

this whole topic is a false statement if you ask me.

"Isn't PoE's Steam description false advertisement?"

Yes, it is deceptive advertising.