…and thats a problem isnt it…
Add a load of cool new stuff behind a massive grind. Then sell packs to reduce the just added grind back down…
Once that becomes ‘acceptable’ or even ‘expected’, expect more and longer grinds. With ever more “packs” to “boost” or ‘assist’ in reducing it.
#PleaseNo
Why is that a problem? Nobody has to purchase these bonuses?
I’d agree with you if this was the norm as you seemingly put it. However, that’s simply untrue as we haven’t gotten content for a very long time. And that’s only a more moral stance.
The reality is coop is like a nearly dried well for a long time, then finally devs dug deeper and there’s water, but you have to work to get it.
Because if we reward that behaviour, all future updates will have this element.
Its like all those mobile games.
Sure you can just unlock this cool skin / level / unit / gun by playing, but it needs 5000 candy. (and you earn 5 per game)
…or step this way and pay $15 for 6000 candy and have it right now!
I dont want Co-Op to descend into XP grind-fest to unlock new tools.
The 1-15 levels for CO’s was great. Does not take too long, and you do it 1 time.
Same for the Mastery/Ascension. They just kinda happen as you play.
So sure you can XP boost your ascension if you want, but it has no effect on the game. You get a higher number next to your name and thats it.
This stuff changes the gameplay. I dont want an incentive to unlock new gameplay with a cash option to get it ‘now’ / faster.
To me thats mobile game toxic design.
That’s just too much projection on your part, no offence.
The game’s been out for a very very long time. It’s doing this well is already an amazing feat. How it turns out in the future just to sustain itself, I can’t say. Even in your apocalyptic view of “losing its soul”, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Everyone generalizes too much when it comes to these things. Prestige is nothing like “pay money get power”. And even if we did pay for thereof future content, it isn’t a set in stone “they’ll definitely be crappy… either you pay to be OP or not pay and lose games”.
There are so many layers of it and I’m sure you know it. So to assume that many steps ahead rather than focusing on trying out what will be new content is quite the waste of time my friend lol.
Let the devs worry about that stuff, I’m sure your worries are noted but personally I find them quite unfounded. (Just as an example, how many years of “let’s play for new maps” topics have floated on here? Many many years, still we don’t have that 
)
As a main Abathur, I see only fews buffs from those prestige for my commander ;
** 1st one : essence hoarder : no more ultimates hurts so much, i’m most likely getting my 1st brutalisk under 5 mins each game on brutal. You’ll be able to put 30/30 on second ascension point option into +45% double biomass but don’t think it will be enough for the loss of 6 ultimates.
** 2nd one : tunneling horror: I can try to go for 150 supply brutalisk/roach/ravager and ignore locust buff, just having a super mobile army could be nice in some situation.
** 3nd one : limitless : is the worst in my opinion. Abathur is weak in early game and insane in late game. By delaying the 1st and 2nd brutalist, it will be harder to snowball the game. Unless you have an aggressive mate commander that will carry you tho early game, where you’ll be nearly useless. Not accounting biomass will be 50% less effective for the same among.
The only buff is the increase of double biomass 1% > 1.5%
Conclusion : for now i’ll be playing the regular abathur with no prestige (the buff of double biomass is well appreciated) or the 2nd prestige w/o locus.
2 to 4 years down the line, if Sc2 Coop does become a full fledged mobile game model, then sure… you get to say “I told you so”. Otherwise, it IS quite a long road to get there.
I doubt Blizzard will, as having stuff like pay $1 for stuff like a 1-time “no cool up times” would cause a lot of us to leave. THAT would be taking it too far. Even if Blizzard is secretly going in this direction, there really isn’t much we could do. Boycotting them doesn’t really go as far as we’d like.
On the contrary, if they can sell more Stimpicks, I’d be all for that. Extra money for people isn’t a guarantee, but it does go a long way towards keeping them honest.
Also, I’m sure you are aware that people can already get XP boosts to fast track regular (talent) leveling up, and Mastery progression? Those do have game play implications. It’s not just for Ascension levels.
Admittedly, I wanted to rush through Mastery since it was the 2nd time of me doing so (I changed from a public account from a video game lounge to my own, personal one), and while I had fun leveling up COs, I just wanted it to be done sooner than later if given the choice (which I did take with XP boosts via War Chests and Stimpacks). I don’t get to play a lot, so that extra time to play leveled up was appreciated.