Enough With the Map-Specific Currencies!

The neverending list of currencies in the game is super irritating. "Oh, a new map! Let me guess...a new something-or-other that we have to collect specific to that map to buy anything." Seashells, scarab carcasses, centaur poop. What will they think of next? What is the purpose? To force people to play the map to get specific rewards? Find a better way, please.

I like it and look forward to it

I like it, too. If I'm saving for something, I don't end up spending that currency on something else. But than I also enjoy mapping, so filling those hearts, again, is no problem.

Not a fan of the endless stream of currencies also.

That's a possibility,Maybe they don't want people to farm only on specific map that will give most currency, just like auric basin meta, between three other maps (VB/TD/DS), I found that auric basin is the fastest to do. If all four HoT map and Living World map like Bloodstone and Ember Bay using the same currency, people will just farm on auric.The other map will feel more boring than it already is right now.

I only hope they make it so that map key such as pact crowbar will be stored in wallet instead of filling one more slot in our inventory for each new maps.

I think this mainly to stop people saving currency from another map through farming, then when a new map comes out with rewards comes out buying everything straight away instead of earning it. So I believe the thought process behind it is to extend play time on thus give us more stuff to do and unlock.

Even if I'm wrong about why, I don't mind different currencies myself.

I'm OK with it. Most of the currencies are either stored in the wallet or in storage. It give something unique to each new zone. So for me, I enjoy the new currencies.

Yes, the purpose is to require people to play a map to get the rewards tied to that map. The currency alternative to currencies specific to a reward would be a more universal currency. The problem with universal currency in games is that most people will flock to the content in which getting the currency is easiest, while avoiding the content in which getting that universal currency is harder. People tend to follow the path of least resistance.

The problem is that GW2 content is designed with numbers of players in mind. This can vary from the larger numbers needed to complete Teq to the smaller numbers required to do group events in Bloodstone Fen. Universal currency can mean that those who want to experience specific content may find too few others doing it.

The non-currency alternatives generally involve random drops. Random drops from specific mobs would remove the need to store the currency, but not the need to play a specific map. General random drops are either so easy to get they are near-worthless in terms of sale, prestige or inducements to repeat content, or they are frustratingly rare (like gen 1 precursors).

I'm not against innovation in game design. However, any solution would have to take the above issues into account.

@particlepinata.9865 said:Not a fan of the endless stream of currencies also.

Me neither.

I don't really mind it. If a new map comes out and there's an item that looks like something I might like then I will just spend more time in that map. If I'm not a huge fan of what I see then I can just worry about the associated story or doing dailies.

I'm mixed on this.

I want to dislike map specific currency. But really, you can get everything that isn't cosmetic via another means. Map specific currency is just opening up another route for you to get ascended gear, or whatever you're looking at.

And as long as the cosmetic items, like minis and such are specifically tied to the map's theme, I think it's good. Should fight for that mini in its environment!

I like the newly introduced two step currencies where the zone rewards require a common currency and a zone specific currency. I hope something like this remains. As long as currencies are stored in a wallet I am ok with needing different ones for different zones. It does act as balance to make sure people are on equal footing when starting a new zone. And don't get me wrong, I have run into the same thing, need something from the zone merchant to find I am short on funds of that type but still see its as a means to keep things balanced.

I'm fine with it as long as they're part of the wallet. Although the wallet could stand to be reorganized to give a simpler snapshot (i.e. move all HoT map currencies to one section, etc.)

Centaur poop? what a wonderful idea for a currency specific to Harathi Hinterlands. If we eat it, we probably get unbound magic, too,gonna forward it to the staff right away!

• MO

It doesn't bother me, especially now most currencies are stored in the wardrobe or count as crafting materials (and therefore go in material storage) and I do understand the benefit to encouraging people to play specific content to get the rewards.

But I do wonder if maybe they could simplify it a bit - for example make all the Season 3 maps use the same one. But then it might need careful planning to stop people farming just 1 location to get everything.

I agree with Einlanzer, I don't mind them as long as they go in to the wallet. Of course they avoid this by making the currency a crafting ingredient or salvageable item as well, which irritates me to no end. It's a chintzy way of forcing people to fill up their inventories, material storage and banks, to try and get them to buy more slots. Winterberries, petrified wood, blood rubies, etc,

The map-specific currencies are getting a bit out of hand, I think, but it is not that bad yet.The basic idea works to an extent, especially when you don't have to dedicate prescious inventory space. But it does devalue other, less specific currencies when done too often, and it turns assessing your wealth (and using it efficiently) into quite the mess with all the different currencies and partially interchangeable items that you can get for one or the other or yet another. What I do like very much is the ability to turn these map-specific currencies into the overarching "season currency" of unbound magic. In that regard the season 3 currencies worked much better than the HoT map currencies.

I understand the need for some specific currencies because otherwise people would farm the easiest areas to get a universal currency to spend in other areas, but the number of currencies is feeling very overdone. My wife is a casual player (so am I, but not as casual I guess) and she's kind of overwhelmed at the number of currencies. I do wish it was slimmed down a bit.

I'm OK with them. They make the zone unique and they are stored in either the wallet or material storage.

When I want something with those currencies, it forces me to go to that zone and gets me into other places I may not have visited in a while.

I've learned to pretty much always have 10k unbound magic in my wallet so I can get the node as soon as possible. I like getting a new node and finding it in each home instance.

What does it change... Farming sea shells or gold or karma or whatever, it's just fictional currency, it doesn't matter. If it does, it's because you intend to play the way anet doesn't want you to

It feels good to have lots of a currency. I can't get (certainly not retain) lots of basic currencies like gold or karma though?

Instead of lots of diff currencies they could have 1 currency but the aquisition process would prob be a pain in the ass.

Season 3 did it the right way.By having a generic currency across maps, then another for each map, all maps stay relevant. You can earn one currency across all maps that has uses in all maps, and then you earn specific currencies for the rewards unique to that map. And each of the specific currencies can be converted in the generic currency, so you can speed up getting something in one map by doing more stuff in the others.

The way HoT maps did it I dislike. Each map has a completely unique and separate currency, all the costs are high, and you can't convert them.Then the 4th map has a currency that is also a material that you pretty much need in large quantities for other stuff. Really annoying.

I don't mind multiple currencies. Most are able to be deposited or are in the wallet. What I dislike is the HoT "keys" that are not account wide so you have to have them on the character you want to use them on. Acct wide shared slots helped alleviate this somewhat but I would rather all keys be put in a "keychain' or wallet so any character can use them without having to use shared slots or bank to transfer them. I realize it's not a big deal to transfer them but with the limited ability to make sure you're going to come back to the same map, forgetting them is a pain when you realize "Dang, I left them on a different character".