Coming Soon: Battle.net BalanceFollow

Soon, we’ll be introducing a new feature called Battle.net Balance that will give players an alternate way to purchase Blizzard products and services directly through their Battle.net account. Players will be able to “charge up” their Battle.net Balance using a variety of payment methods, and then use their Battle.net Balance to buy services like World of Warcraft character transfers, digital products like pets and mounts, and more. Players will also be able to use their Battle.net Account Balance to buy items and store their earnings from Diablo III’s currency-based auction house once the game is released.

We’ll be rolling out the new Battle.net Balance feature in the weeks ahead -- but in the meantime, check out our Battle.net Balance FAQ to find out more about how it’s going to work.

What is Battle.net Balance?
Battle.net Balance is a new Battle.net feature that will allow players to store value in their Battle.net account, which can be used to buy Blizzard Entertainment products such as World of Warcraft game time, paid services, digital versions of games, and in-game pets and mounts.

With the upcoming launch of Diablo III, players in certain regions will also be able to use their Battle.net Balance to acquire items from the game's currency-based auction house. Diablo III players will also have the option to store earnings from items they sell on the auction house in their Battle.net Balance, to be used on future auction house purchases or to buy Blizzard products. For more information on the Diablo III auction house, read the auction house FAQ.

How will I add value to my Battle.net Balance?
When you log in to Battle.net Account Management, you will be able to add value to your Battle.net Balance through a variety of different payment methods, such as debit or credit cards or a variety of region-specific payment methods. Please note that depending on the payment method, it may take some time for the Battle.net Balance you purchase to become available to use.

Can I convert my Battle.net Balance into cash?
Once funds or Diablo III auction house earnings have been added to your Battle.net Balance, you are not able to convert that Balance into cash. Battle.net Balance can only be used to buy designated Blizzard Entertainment products or to acquire items from Diablo III's currency-based auction house.

In certain regions, Diablo III players who wish to "cash out" the proceeds from the sale of an item from the currency-based auction house instead of storing it in a Battle.net Balance will be able to do so via PayPal for an additional fee. Players will need to determine which method they wish to use at the time they post their auction. For more information on the currency-based auction house, see the FAQ.

Will I need to use Battle.net Balance to make Diablo III auction-house purchases, or will other payment options be available?
Diablo III players will be able to make purchases on the currency-based auction house directly (without using Battle.net Balance) via several popular payment methods, such as major credit cards. A wider range of payment alternatives will be available for those who wish to use Battle.net Balance.

What currencies can I use to charge my Battle.net Balance?
In general, you will be able to add value to your Battle.net Balance using your local currency (in EU, for example, players will be able to use Euros, GBP, and RUB). In certain regions where game realms and servers are shared by players in multiple countries, you may also be able to use additional countries' currencies. However, please note that Battle.net Balances for different currencies are tracked separately and cannot be used interchangeably. For example, you cannot use Battle.net Balance purchased using U.S. dollars in a non-USD-based auction house, and you are not able to transfer Battle.net Balance purchased in one currency to or from Battle.net Balance purchased with a different currency. We'll have further details to share closer to release.

Will there be a limit to how much I can store in my Battle.net Balance?
Yes, there will be limits on how much can be stored in your Battle.net Balance. We'll have more information closer to release.

Can I transfer my Battle.net Balance to another Battle.net account, or give Battle.net Balance as gift?
Your Battle.net Balance is non-transferrable. At launch, there will not be a way to give Battle.net Balance as a gift to another Battle.net account holder; however, we're looking into the possibility of adding that feature in the future.

How long will my Battle.net Balance remain in my account? Will it ever expire?
Depending on local laws and regulations, we may be required to remove the Battle.net Balance from any Battle.net account that hasn't been accessed in over 3 years.

Will I be able to track purchases made with my Battle.net Balance?
Yes, you'll be able to track your purchases through Battle.net Account Management.

Can I use my Battle.net Balance as the automatic payment method for my recurring World of Warcraft subscription?
No, though you are able to pre-purchase World of Warcraft game time using your Battle.net Balance.

What payment methods are available to charge my Battle.net Balance?
All of the payment methods we currently support through Battle.net will be available to charge your Battle.net Balance, with a few exceptions. We'll have more details to share closer to launch.

Can I use Battle.net Balance in combination with other payments to make a purchase?
You will be able to use Battle.net Balance in combination with another payment type to make certain purchases through Battle.net Account Management, such as World of Warcraft paid services. However, you will not be able to combine payment types to make Diablo III auction house purchases.

Are there any fees associated with using Battle.net Balance?
Blizzard Entertainment does not charge additional fees to add to your Battle.net Balance or to use it to buy Blizzard Entertainment products. However, there are listing and transaction fees associated with the Diablo III currency-based auction house, regardless of the payment type.

Where can I see my Battle.net Balance?
Your Battle.net Balance will be visible in Battle.net Account Management, as well as in-game in Diablo III.

Is Battle.net Balance available in the Diablo III beta test?
In the Diablo III beta test, we are currently testing the in-game functionality of Battle.net Balance. Players are given a limited number of "beta bucks" to use on currency-based auction house purchases. These "beta bucks" reflect how Battle.net Balance might be displayed and/or used when Diablo III is ultimately released, though as with all things in the beta, this is subject to change. Please note that any "beta bucks" earned in the beta test will not be retained when Battle.net Balance is released.

Can I convert my Battle.net Balance into cash?
Once funds or Diablo III auction house earnings have been added to your Battle.net Balance, you are not able to convert that Balance into cash. Battle.net Balance can only be used to buy designated Blizzard Entertainment products or to acquire items from Diablo III's currency-based auction house.

In certain regions, Diablo III players who wish to "cash out" the proceeds from the sale of an item from the currency-based auction house instead of storing it in a Battle.net Balance will be able to do so via PayPal for an additional fee. Players will need to determine which method they wish to use at the time they post their auction. For more information on the currency-based auction house, see the FAQ.

Will I need to use Battle.net Balance to make Diablo III auction-house purchases, or will other payment options be available?
Diablo III players will be able to make purchases on the currency-based auction house directly (without using Battle.net Balance) via several popular payment methods, such as major credit cards. A wider range of payment alternatives will be available for those who wish to use Battle.net Balance.

Blizzard isn't the Blizzard we fell in love with any more.

This is simply another way to squeeze money out of their franchises

Fish, that sounds just creepy. They're a business, not my ex wife. I don't "fall in love" with a business, I buy their product. On a good day, I get a product that I like and they get my money.



I'm going out in search of booze. Apparently I've awoken to find myself stranded in an alternate universe where businesses don't behave in the manner I'm accustomed to. Actually, given the practices that many businesses use, Blizzard pretty much is unicorns and rainbows. Consider this. How many other companies haven't raised the price of the service they provide in the last seven years?

Now the question is this: Is Blizzard aiming to make money by making a great game? Or is it it now just great IP?

I know I'm guilty of it...but I'm wondering if our outlook on the game would be better if we weren't so busy having a pity party and spent more time discussing what we do like about it.

RE: Criminy: They are charging you for directing the funds to PayPal because there's usually fees that need to be processed when you move cash around. Either they pay the fee, or you do. SOMEONE has to pay the fees, and if we the consumers don't like it, then we need to tell the banks and credit card companies to stop charging the stupid fees already. It is the same reason why a lot of vendors will not allow credit card purchases for less than $5. The fee makes it simply not profitable to do so.

RE: Everyone else: This is something a LOT of players have asked for on O-boards. They are implementing this because we (playerbase, collectively) asked for it. Numerous suggestions/inquiries/etc were made on O-boards asking for this sort of feature in WoW. They refused to do this to their flagship MMORPG, but they thought "Hmmm, we could make Diablo more Online, and then add an AH that allows people to do what they've been asking to do" and they went ahead and did it.

Don't like Diablo's Real-Money AH? You're not forced to use it -- you can buy and sell in pure in-game gold if you like. Heck, that's an improvement over Diablo2 which had no AH and you had a .00001% drop rate on anything worth talking about! I, for one, didn't like the idea of killing Pindleskin or whatever his name was 5 million times before I saw a gold item worth mentioning, only to probably be scammed out of it anyways.

I honestly don't see what the fuss and issue is, since they're giving us something we supposedly wanted for a long time. Then, then finally do give what a bunch of players asked for, and they get yelled at.

Quitting WoW because Diablo3 has a Real-Money AH is kinda stupid, IMO. Complaining about, and refusing to buy Diablo3 because you'll be charged a small fee for In-game to real money transactions is also kinda "meh", as lots of places charge you for similar transactions. Complaining about the real money AH itself in a non-MMORPG game is also something I just shake my head at. Nobody's forcing you to use real-money and if I recall correctly, you can tell what sort of funds the seller is going to receive for their goods, don't buy it if you don't want to give someone else real money.

You still have the choice to play the way you wish. Nobody is forcing you to participate in RMT.

This kind of thing has become common practice in the video game industry. You have Microsoft and Sony to thank for that with DLC. Blizzard has become as big as many of the mainstream console franchises, and frankly it's surprising that it took them this long to jump on board.

Edited, Dec 9th 2011 10:34pm by MooMooKitty

The Winged Guardian mount, look at the development of that mount it is absolutely amazing. T12 "Glory of" mount is a rehashed mount with its skin colour changed.


Rehashed legacy dungeons, non teir gear that looks exactly like teir, the list goes on and on. They are cutting corners on free content and putting their effort into extra services that generate additional revenue outside of the monthly subscription model. A lot of players aren't capable of communicating effectively about how they feel about this, or even necessarily tie it all together into one post. However the moment Blizzard changed their paradigm they lost the source behind their monolithic success.

And the rub is this: We pay $40 or 50 for a new expansion. So we're paying the same price everyone else pays for a new game. But it doesn't stop there. Now we end up spending $15 a month to continue to play it. There is absolutely no option for us to continue to play the game for that initial $40. So every month we're paying $15. In almost any other "Free to play" model that would include the premium services. That would be akin to a "gold membership". Yet with the new WoW, $15 a month is your basic subscription.

We're all paying an extra $180 a year (not adjusted for long duration purchases) to be treated like second rate customers. If you want the real, nice, well modeled, animated mounts/pets you have to pay more than your $180.

Putting that into perspective. Your subscription of $180 a year is enough to purchase 4 and a half A-list video games that you could play forever for free.

That's why people are upset that they are receiving half assed rewards for $180 a year.

ME2 and DA2 offered a lot of tiny DLC packages with less gameplay total than what you get in a single WoW content patch, so there's that too. The large $8~ DLC only added a single mission that you could blow through in about an hour (ME2). I haven't looked at the DLC for DA2, but I want to get Mark of the Assassin. I don't expect more than a couple hours out of it, and it's $10, or about 20 days of WoW.

Also, the average retail for a AAA title these days seems to be $60, not $50. That's 3 games or a year sub to WoW, and most of those don't have 100+ hours of gameplay like Skyrim. Even at 120 hours per game, that's the equivalent of playing WoW for 2 hours a night twice a week, and 3 on the weekend. If you play WoW more, or get less than 120 hours out of each new title, WoW comes out ahead.