My Experience With The New Mount Licenses

So first of all, I bought the spooky mount pack back in Halloween. Skins were pretty neat but the Jackal felt worse then the other for some reason, think blue dyes were not working so well with it. So then this patch comes out and I see this new system. I then see a guildie who buys 10 and get like 1 special mount....I think a bit and go like "I'll try this shit out"Warning: You're about to see some very bad RNGSo I started out buying 2 of those licenses in hunt of the doggie jackal.... and end up with 2 unique skin Springers (no effect). That was pretty meh, getting 2 of the same type. Then I bought 2 more and got a normal Springer and a normal griffon.....okay shit.So here I'm like "Dang Anet should do so you at least get 1 of each class before you start getting more". I then do the thing I always do when I, luckily rarely, am in a situation like this "It can't go any worse now".I get ANOTHER Springer and I'm now about to throw out my PC buuuut this one is the icy one though. I have now spent 20 Euro and like 230g (2400 gems) on 2 skins that I will use on main, maybe use the other 3 alts and stuff but yeah, bad RNG here with FOUR Springers. I am quite beaten by the RNG right now. There's 1 license left....I pray to the doggie god in the skies to keep those cats at bay and make my dream come true and then....out of the corner of my eye....I SEE IT

ThoughtsI have, so far, been fairly defending of this system but that's mainly cause people are comparing it to lootboxes which it is not. However, when I look at the amount I paid for 3 main skins and 3 alt skins it looks bad and it feels a bit bad. The only redeeming fact is that this skin is rare in a sense and that it was the one I really wanted (although I think everyone want the Cosmic Griffon). If we look totally gem-wise on this, I kinda still won the value game when looking at single price skins like the 2000 gem Warhound....but that price is nuts.RNG is not my friend in this game for the most part, but I make due and I have a good enough income to "brush" off stuff like this easily but as a person I still feel bad when losing to RNG, opposite when I win however. I don't consider myself any form of gambling addict but I am a sucker for new stuff like this. I will not be buying anymore, both cause of this experience and since I got the one mount I wanted the most, but I will not deter others from buying them cause they are a 100 times better than black lion chests, even though RNG still is RNG.

Imagine how different your post would be if you didnt get any mount skins you think are attractive, which is very possible with the RNG system.

The system shares some aspects with loot boxes, but not all. The main similarity is that the system is designed to get players to spend more than they would on any 1 desired item. The main difference is that there is a max you can spend to get the one thing you want (assuming you want 1), which is not true with the gamble boxes. I suppose I could laud ANet for taking one step back from a true gambler's fallacy exploitation system, but were I to do so I would be damning them with faint praise.

One of the main reasons this rng needs to change is that not everyone has access to all the mounts. A guildie mentioned getting 4 griffon skins and not even planning to get the mount!So if she wants to get the payout from this gamble, she needs to spend an additional 250g plus time served. Not cool having to pay to use a reward, not at all.

You've literally proven the point of everyone who is disgruntled about this. You had to spend over. 20 monies to get what you want.

You justified everyone's complaints with this topic really.You said you wanted one mainly. That blue dog thing one. Just one.

If you could've picked out the ones you wanted, guess what... forget if it's 400 gems, even if it was like 500 gems or 600... 700... or whatever... you would have that mount and not have to hope you get it.

You got 4 springers and 1 griffon before you got the one you wanted. You also said "maybe on alts" which isn't certain.And you know that was just literally luck. No matter whether good or bad... it was luck. You could've went and bought 29 before you got the one you wanted. You could've also gotten it in the 1st pick... the thing is chance should not be in this situation at all.

Dyes are random, but you can buy them off people who did gamble. This case, you can't. You will find ways to use all those mount skins you got I'm sure to at least try and justify the gamble/purchase, but you shouldn't have to. That is what people are arguing.

I only see a few "okay" skins in the 30. None of them thrill/wow me at all so I'm already a bit on the cautious side to even want one for 400 gems. Not saying they're expensive as I got the halloween mounts, but I at least liked how those looked.Either way, I only see a few "okay" ones while the majority are nothing I want at all and will never ever use. Ever. I shouldn't have to gamble on getting the few I'm simply okay with and getting like the flaming griffon or the icy springer or the sparking raptor or anything Jackal related that I would never use as they don't appeal to me just because "OH! YOU GOT LUCKY ON YOUR FIRST TRY AND GOT THE FLAMING GRIFFON!" That's nice... can I sell it or give it to someone that wants it? As I sure would never use it.No. I can't. I'm stuck with it.

That's the problem.I keep bringing it up, but it's the same issue with me and the ugly fallen Balthazar outfit. The only thing is I can't complain on getting it as I got it from a free key I got from map completion as I never buy keys. I wish I could've sold it, but I couldn't. It was either unlock, throw, or make it take up space in my inventory. The next thing is that I never know what I'm getting from the chests either. There's a huge list there and of course I might never get the certain things I want...... but that's how the chest were always.Skins and cosmetic things that you get in the gem store (that is account bound) should never be hidden behind RNG ever. At all. This is wrong.This is also why those same dyes I mention earlier... When you get a pick of a choice for your character's birthday that they are account bound. Because you get to pick the one you want.

The wheel of Karma.Gz pal!

I am happy for you that you got what you wanted. The fact that these skins are allRNG based however, bought from a store, and not available in game is still unforgivable and terrible.

Seriously no real sympathy on the money you lost. You know where you get into when you go to RNG looting. It's 'experiments' like this that completely justify Anet pulling these tactics.

I didn't like the Halloween skins, so I waited. All I wanted was additional dye channels, so it wasn't much of a gamble for me. /shrug

Wait a minute.Did you just say "Normal Griffon and Normal Springer"?

@Zedek.8932 said:Wait a minute.Did you just say "Normal Griffon and Normal Springer"?

If you look at the 6x skins per mount class, you can divide them into categories.

First there are 2 that just have different skin patterns, like having stripes or being spotted.Then we have the 2 that have special models like the Husky/Shibe Jackal or the Droopy-eared Springer. (Here Skimmers are lame as it only seems that the tail changes)Then we have the last 2 that have special sounds and effects like the Cosmic Jackal or the Flame Griffon.Do keep in mind that you have the same chance of getting all of these skins when you buy a license even though their looks vary from meh to "I NEED THIS".

@Lorath.2504 said:Imagine how different your post would be if you didnt get any mount skins you think are attractive, which is very possible with the RNG system.

I am such person. I used my long lasted 2k gems supply to test the system. I got 3 (!!!) springers in a row, none of which is one of cool aura skins, 1 griffon (also basic repatern, nothing cool) and 1 jackal (also basic pattern).

I feel disgusted with this lootbox. It's clearly made to suck money from players and nothing else. There is no fun involved. They hid 5-6 nice skins/remodels under the rng wall of 25 basic colour patterns.

@Kheldorn.5123 said:

@Lorath.2504 said:Imagine how different your post would be if you didnt get any mount skins you think are attractive, which is very possible with the RNG system.

In a small defense of this, if you didn't buy the Halloween pack, any skin is okay cause you get 4 dye slots....but getting like 3 or 4 of the same mount class absolutely sucks :s

I bought two adoption licenses...the first thing I got was the Starbound Griffon, the second was the Primal Hare.

What I think would make these more desirable would be to allow us to choose what Mount type we want a skin for. The most desirable would be to allow us to view and select the exact skin. To be honest, the Starbound Griffon is one I definitely wanted so the RNG was spot on. The other is the Stardust Jackal. Will I chance another roll? Uncertain.

I would love to get some new mount skins, and was really looking forward to what I knew would eventually come to the gem store. But I was expecting it to be quite a bit different. When you go to the gem store to spend your hard earned cash, you do so with the expectation that you are shopping for something. You see a cool new outfit, you try it on, you buy it. You're happy with your purchase. You find a weapon skin or glider skin that you absolutely must have. Again, you shop for that specific item, buy it, and are happy with your purchase. Now comes the mounts. You would think that in the gem store, just like all the skins for outfits, weapons, gliders, et cetra, you would be able to pick out the one you want, and purchase it.

But this is not how it works. I'm afraid that I don't have the luxury of having a never-ending supply of gems. I'm lucky if my finances allow me to purchase maybe one or two gem cards a year. I'm very choosy on what I spend my gems on. And I'm afraid with a lottery system for mount skins, I will not buy any of them. Ever.

Out of necessity, I am not a gambling type. I have never, and will never buy Black Lion keys. If I earn one in game, hey no problem, I'll open a chest with it not expecting much. Most often there is nothing but junk. Every once in a while I'll get a claim ticket or something decent. But that is the exception rather than the rule. And I'm fine with that since I didn't spend my hard earned gems on the chance to get something.

I see the mount skins the same way. I will not spend gems on a random loot box chance.

If they would make the mount skins like any other outfit, skin, etc., I would happily spend 400-500 gems on my choice of a skin. Because then I would be shopping in the gem store, I would find the item that I really wanted, and I would be happy with my purchase...

So, I guess I'll just be happy with the fact that I have mounts at all, and I'll enjoy wowing over the neat ones I see other people with.

I really hope ANET will have a change of heart, but I'm not really going to hold my breath on that one. I'm really not much of a gambler...

To those who say they bought chances in this lottery "to test the system," oh PLEASE. Pure rationalization; call it what it is, which is gambling. It is not a system that needs to be tested. You gambled, period, and you either got what you wanted or you didn't. No way I'm wasting my gems on a 1/30 chance of getting what I want.

@smsarasin.3468 said:I would love to get some new mount skins, and was really looking forward to what I knew would eventually come to the gem store. But I was expecting it to be quite a bit different. When you go to the gem store to spend your hard earned cash, you do so with the expectation that you are shopping for something. You see a cool new outfit, you try it on, you buy it. You're happy with your purchase. You find a weapon skin or glider skin that you absolutely must have. Again, you shop for that specific item, buy it, and are happy with your purchase. Now comes the mounts. You would think that in the gem store, just like all the skins for outfits, weapons, gliders, et cetra, you would be able to pick out the one you want, and purchase it.

But this is not how it works. I'm afraid that I don't have the luxury of having a never-ending supply of gems. I'm lucky if my finances allow me to purchase maybe one or two gem cards a year. I'm very choosy on what I spend my gems on. And I'm afraid with a lottery system for mount skins, I will not buy any of them. Ever.

Out of necessity, I am not a gambling type. I have never, and will never buy Black Lion keys. If I earn one in game, hey no problem, I'll open a chest with it not expecting much. Most often there is nothing but junk. Every once in a while I'll get a claim ticket or something decent. But that is the exception rather than the rule. And I'm fine with that since I didn't spend my hard earned gems on the chance to get something.

I see the mount skins the same way. I will not spend gems on a random loot box chance.

If they would make the mount skins like any other outfit, skin, etc., I would happily spend 400-500 gems on my choice of a skin. Because then I would be shopping in the gem store, I would find the item that I really wanted, and I would be happy with my purchase...

So, I guess I'll just be happy with the fact that I have mounts at all, and I'll enjoy wowing over the neat ones I see other people with.

I really hope ANET will have a change of heart, but I'm not really going to hold my breath on that one. I'm really not much of a gambler...

A "Peacock Raptor" line was datamined but I don't think there was any model yet. We'll have to see if Anet chooses to sell separate mount skins at a lower price than 2000 gems. They will never be 400-500 gems though, I think we all can agree on that.

@Preyar.6783 said:A "Peacock Raptor" line was datamined but I don't think there was any model yet. We'll have to see if Anet chooses to sell separate mount skins at a lower price than 2000 gems. They will never be 400-500 gems though, I think we all can agree on that.Why shouldn't mount skins cost the same as glider skins? The Halloween ones did.

@Nikal.4921 said:

@Preyar.6783 said:A "Peacock Raptor" line was datamined but I don't think there was any model yet. We'll have to see if Anet chooses to sell separate mount skins at a lower price than 2000 gems. They will never be 400-500 gems though, I think we all can agree on that.Why shouldn't mount skins cost the same as glider skins? The Halloween ones did.

It was a pack of 5 mounts at the cost of 2000 gems, discounted to 1600 gems, so 400 gems for each mount in a 5 pack. They might do another of these this Christmas, but mounts sold seperately are not gonna be in this same price tag.

@Preyar.6783 said:

@Nikal.4921 said:

@Preyar.6783 said:A "Peacock Raptor" line was datamined but I don't think there was any model yet. We'll have to see if Anet chooses to sell separate mount skins at a lower price than 2000 gems. They will never be 400-500 gems though, I think we all can agree on that.Why shouldn't mount skins cost the same as glider skins? The Halloween ones did.

oh I don't mind, some of skins in the box are worth more than 400 gems (only if I could chose them) but most of the skins (20+) I would ever ever buy even if they were 100 gems

I spent a stash of gems on 10 contracts. Got 3 or so skins that I liked. No raptor skins at all. A guildy did the same and got no pretty skins but much better distribution across mount types. RNG will be RNG.

I suspect that ANet is aiming to continuously add mount skins to the pool. Some of which will be great, some will be bad. Overall the pool will get more an more diluted and people will need to keep spending gems like crazy to get skins they want. Its a great money making scheme as long as the players won't refuse to gamble or quit in disgust from all the milking.

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