Windwalker Battle Pass Exercise
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Introduction
My motivations for this blog is to further my learnings through applying what I learn into my game as I develop it. I created this BP as a creative exercise to gain more insight into the challenges of creating a BP. I created a Battle Pass that is designed to maintain player’s progression relative to the standard pace of a free-to-play player. Most rewards are consumables or cosmetics, and most players will consider the highest value rewards to be the unique pets that will only be found in this season’s battle pass.
Placement of Rewards
I began the BP with rewards that most player’s would find interesting. The goal of the BP is to increase player engagement and retention. The BP begins with a XP boost at tier 1, so players can immediately use the consumable to reap higher XP rewards. Then at level 5, player’s are given one of the highest value items in the BP- the Class Change Token(CCT). There are 3 in the BP so player’s can explore changing classes and find one they enjoy playing. Wind Tokens are first found at tier 3, then at 6,9,12,14,16- totaling to 600 WTs. Player’s can use those WTs to purchase other things in the cash shop or save them to get the next BP at a discount. The last tier rewards the player with a grand reward! It contains a 7 day XP boost, a unique Weapon glow, a unique Naga pet, and 3 Pandora’s boxes.
Other Things I Considered
- Duration of Completion: I figured with each mobile player’s session averaging around 16.4 minutes, they should be able to level up their battle pass at least every other session. So with 30~ minutes of play-time, players can expect to achieve the next tier of rewards.
- Development Cost: As a small team, I was careful to design things that would not require too much development work.
- Battle Pass Exclusives: I wanted to design exclusive permanents that player’s could acquire and enjoy forever.
- Vanity Items/Consumables: These types of items are generally easy to balance in an economic perspective, so I wanted to add them where I could.
- Catering to Multiple Types of Players: Different players like different rewards, so I tried to find a balance in the types of rewards given.
- Cost: $7.50 USD or 1500 Wind Tokens (Mobile game BP’s generally cost between $5-$12.)
- Total Value: $28.50 USD or 5700 Wind Tokens
Item Breakdown
- Unique Pet (Rare, Very Rare, Ultra Rare)
- XP Boost (1 day, 7 day)
- Weapon Glow (Uncommon, Rare, Ultra Rare)
- Wind Token
- Helmet Skin (Uncommon, Very Rare)
- Class Change Token
- Pandora’s Box