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The Hero Pass is an extremely controversial Battle Pass-like feature introduced by Jagex in Runescape (RS3, not OSRS) that led to a huge backlash. Many players saw the addition of such a system as more P2W microtransactions in a game already littered with microtransactions. Naturally, this led to people voicing their concerns and review bombing RS3 on Steam and other platforms.
Jagex finally delivered a detailed response to the divisive Hero Pass on September 8, 2023. The UK company admitted that several parts of this new Runescape feature were a mistake and plans to remove the more controversial aspects in a recent blog post detailed below.
Jagex addresses Runescape players' concerns with the Hero Pass
Jagex released a blog post called "Hero Pass - Player Feedback Update #2," which was addressed to the whole Runescape community. It starts off with:
"We messed up. The launch of Hero Pass alienated and frustrated many in the community. You've told us, amongst other things, that it was too pay-to-win and you'd lost important aspects of Daily Challenges."
Many RS3 players hated the nerfs to Daily Challenges, a Premier Pass having Hero Pass XP buffs, and the ability to purchase Hero Pass levels. Unsurprisingly, Jagex addressed these issues:
- A hotfix to disable purchases of Hero Pass levels and Underworld Emblems
- A cold-fix next week to remove Hero Pass Content Buffs
- Hero Pass XP buffs are no longer limited to the Premier rewards section, as of a cold-fix intended for next week
- Premier Pass will only have cosmetics and consumables
- The Daily Challenge system will be returning as it was
- All Hero Pass rewards will be made easier to obtain in an assessment next week
These are some significant changes.
Note that Jagex has no plans to remove Hero Pass as a whole. The company has long-term plans for this system in Runescape, which they are expected to announce in the future. Anybody who wants a refund can contact customer support if they're unhappy about the changes to the Premier Pass.
Initial backlash against Hero Pass
Note: All these Reddit posts were made before the recent changes. They are merely posted here to give readers an idea of how much the Hero Pass was hated in its original state.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Hero Pass's debut was one of the most scrutinized features in recent Runescape history. The community unequivocally despised it, especially on social media platforms. Some popular posts on Reddit can be seen above, which range from a former Jagex moderator being disappointed to people canceling their subscriptions.
Some people envied how much better OSRS seemed to be faring as that community barely has microtransactions and is getting Sailing as a new skill.
Given the immense vitriol toward Hero Pass, it should come across as no surprise that some Runescape players started review-bombing RS3. The above Reddit post shows a significant increase in negative reviews that was virtually unprecedented in the game's recent history.
Community reactions toward microtransactions
The above Reddit comments are examples of fans who are happy that Jagex finally decided to revert some controversial aspects of Hero Pass. Modern reception to the adjustments has been almost universally positive, although it has incited new discussions about microtransactions as a whole.
The new popular topic for Runescape players to discuss is removing the game's abundance of microtransactions. This game is over-monetized when compared to OSRS (which only has bonds as MTX). Some players don't mind cosmetics, but any microtransactions tied to gameplay tend to be much less appreciated by the general community.
It will be interesting to see if this new movement will affect how Jagex looks at microtransactions for Runescape 3 as a whole, as unlikely as it may seem.
