General website feedback: I just wanted to buy a game. It’s a terrible experience. I had to create an account, and it’s been over 40 minutes of procedures and I still haven’t finished downloading the game. I just about quit without buying it. I need to vent, and you need to hear how awful this has been.
I used to play Warcraft II back in the day, and I figured I’d indulge some nostalgia. The version on Battle.net supposedly can play LAN games with the old CD version, once I find my old CD. Sure, let’s buy it. But first, I have to create an account. It’s like a 100-step procedure. Okay, I’ve given you my email. OK yes, I have to verify my email now, fine. Ugh, some weird CAPTCHA, more brain cycles to figure that out. OK, now I can create my account. Wait, you need my real name and you want to show it to everybody? And you want to show which information of mine to how many people? No, turn that off. OK, I should turn on MFA. Sure, fine, whatever. Now I need to download the mobile app to do that, can’t use a normal authenticator app like 99.9% of websites. OK, fine. Now I need to log in to the mobile app too. OK, text me a code. Still haven’t bought the game yet. Great, now the authenticator is enabled. But enabling it means I now need to log in again on the mobile app. Wait, why did I just get a text saying my account has been locked? And why was I able to log in anyway? Oh, now I also need to download the Battle.net app for Windows. Great, another app that wants to run all the time on my computer so I can play a game for about two hours every three years. Still haven’t bought the game. Let’s get that done, I can install the Windows app later. Sure, PayPal should be easy. Nope, need to do email 2FA with PayPal. And now my PayPal is linked to my Battle.net account, ugh. OK, fine, install the Battle.net app so I can play my game. Now I need to log in again. Skip the password, I’ll try my passkey. Not found. OK, I have to log in on the browser again. Wait, I just enabled the mobile authenticator, why are you using email 2FA now? Why did you send me THREE codes? OK, passkey created. Restart the login process and use the passkey, so I can finally start the app. Skip the tour. OK yes, no games found installed. Yes, it sees I have the game in my account. Click on it. Now click on the “Learn more” link, since that’s the one that seems visually most obvious right now, though that sounds suspiciously unlike installing the game. The “Learn more” link just pops up an empty page. Ugh! OK, I see the “Install” button now. Starts downloading. Blizzard needs to hear just how bad this has been, it’s almost comical. Let’s see… no email address to contact support, of course. To the support website, Batman! Sigh… Maybe file a ticket. No, I’m not having “trouble logging in,” I’m doing everything your system is designed to force me to do. Fruitless. OK, forums it is. Wait, why isn’t there a way for me to post to the forums? No – I have to log in AGAIN you must be kidding me.
For those keeping score at home, that’s at least seven separate times I’ve had to login, with ten different verification steps. Not counting PayPal. I think some of the account settings I changed required me to re-verify as well.
If I had just played the gray-market, in-browser version online, I’d be six levels in by now. Instead, I’m trying to do things the “right” way and actually pay for the game. (Or pay for it again, since I do in fact own the original CD version.) And this is how it goes.