I have always been loudy against the retainer rental idea from the start, but as an omni crafter+gatherer and with various melee classes in different level ranges (so needing individual gear) I gave in and rented my 2 extras. This latest retainer rental announcement really annoyed me though.

The problem isn't the monthly cost, at least in my opinion. A lot of players spend more than $30 a month on junk they don't need.

The problem is that MMO's are designed to keep players paying for the long haul. Even if they charged a flat out fee of $20 per retainer, that would still be cheaper than renting them for $1 a month for a lot of people. Heck, plenty of people play the same game for over a decade. That's $120 for just a single retainer, let alone the people who will be getting 6 of the paid things... There is honestly no end to the nickel and diming in a rental scheme and they just keep adding up. I don't like that at all...

If they want to charge for retainers, I think they should have a buy option instead of (or even as well as) a rental option. Sure, some people might not use a bought retainer for 20 months (or the equivalent to however much they choose to charge for it) and those people may lose out if buying is the only option, but selling instead of renting rewards long term loyalty instead of punishing it, and if both systems are employed then everyone benefits. SE gets plenty of money too.