There are a lot of conversations about the mount adoption option that was released today. Many of the comments in the individual threads repeat ones made by the same person in another thread. We very much want to hear your feedback, but have found that a single feedback thread offers the best opportunity for you to share your thoughts and for us to review it in the context of a wider set of feedback.
So here's a thread into which you're invited to post your thoughts on the subject of the Black Lion Stables Mount Skins.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Gaile Gray
Communications Manager: ArenaNet
Fansite & Guild Relations; In-Game Events; Community Showcase Live
Comments
The Black Lion Stables are pleased to open their doors and offer new mount adoption licenses. Each license will allow you to claim a random mount skin from the Black Lion Stables, and they are available in the Style category of the Gem Store for 400 gems each.
If this trend continues, RNG skins upon RNG I won't fund this game anymore, simple as that. This is stupid.
The math:
400 * 31 = 12,400 gems.
Is this the direction ArenaNet is taking? Loot box skins?
What do you have against mount skins?
Absolutely nothing, I suggest you read before putting words in my mouth.
It's not the skins, it's the method by which they're sold. They're making them random so we buy more to get the skin we want (like loot boxes). This is the kind of kitten that's gonna push me away from this game to go find another.
How is that different from spending 100 gems for a chance at an exclusive dye]? Or 80 gems (in bulks) for BL keys, with a random chance of skins? Like any lotto, play if you think you'll get lucky, otherwise hang tight and buy the specific skin(s) you want when they show up at a discount later.
Hype is the path to the dark side. Hype leads to unfulfilled expectations. Disappointment leads to anger. Anger leads to disgust. Disgust leads to "oh, new shinies! I'm back!"
Too much. I can't really expect things to change, since these gambling ripoffs are probably how they make most of their money. But not from me...
Those dyes can be bought on the TP and flooded quite nicely with supply. Mount skins cannot be bought on the TP.
It's not that it is different, it's that overwhelming feedback has been against such methods. It is understandable players are getting fed up with new lotto systems
What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coiling of the snakes mortal shuffling. weapon in my hand. My hand the arcing deathblow at the end of all things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it. . .
Amazing. It took only seconds for the people that defend companies to come out of the woodwork.
I mean what the hell, Anet needed to take a page from EA and Ubisoft, didn't they? Friggin' wonderful.
Lootboxes lootboxes lootboxes.
The dirtiest game sales practice of recent times and Anet immediately adopt it.
They are called bundles.
It could be unfair, i understand, that's why I will give players a ln alternative.
1600 bundle.
700 single skin.
I dislike instead the account bound drops from blc, while i am fine with bundles.
More predatory RNG practices. Basically loot boxes for Mounts. This is truly disgusting. I'd tell A.net that they should be ashamed for continuing down this road but after today I doubt they have any shame left.
Very disappointed that 400 gems nets you a random mount skin. Too much risk of not getting anything you actually want. Can skins come as unlock items so that you can sell unwanted ones for gold?
There is a new single skin on the TP today as well.
2000 gems
What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coiling of the snakes mortal shuffling. weapon in my hand. My hand the arcing deathblow at the end of all things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it. . .
What happens if you already got a certain skin and get it again?
You will get nothing probably, at least in OW and HOTS you get shards/gold which you will use to buy skins.
1) Explosions makes me wet.
2)Yeah... That's it.
The whole point of the gem store is to buy what you want. The Black Lion Chests are already lootboxes; add the random mount skins to them. This stable thing is predatory and unnecessary. I won't be purchasing your gambling stables and will encourage everyone else not to. Allow people to purchase the skins they want directly.
I'm ashamed that Anet had decided to start dipping a grubby finger into the lootbox mania that's taken over the game industry. Your gem store is where it should be. All this is going to do is make people angry, alienate your customers, and cause people to stop buying gems. Is that really the goal here?
This is why I haven't played some certain other MMOs who offer gambling style items in the cash shop, I have spent a lot of money on Gems from Anet on various items including the previous mount skin pack, but I refuse to pay for gambling items.
If this is how Anet wants to bring new items into their store in the future then they will lose sales from me (charge a higher price for items fine, but I will not gamble).
I have been very happy generally with direction things have been going with PoF apart from this (disappointed because I use the gem store a lot).
I say no to the random aspect of the Mount Adoption License, And the 2000 gems for a "limited" time mount
There's some really nice skins in there (skimmers aside which are just recolours), but I don;t want them all. I really can't just buy the one I want? That's not encouraging
Sadly people are already running around LA with them, so the practice will be justified
What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coiling of the snakes mortal shuffling. weapon in my hand. My hand the arcing deathblow at the end of all things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it. . .
The FB page says you won't get duplicates.
Youtube | Twitter
Well, lootboxes are here. Is anyone surprised? Are we going to put up with this?
"Every license guarantees the successful adoption of a unique breed, so it’s easy to make room in your heart for all of them."
My take on this statement from ArenaNet is you won't get duplicates.
2000 gems for a goat hahahahaha good one Anet...sheeeesh
Thank you very much for answering my question
Not happy about it, but at least this might mean more variety in what mounts I see people using.
Click on your name up top. Click the little icon with the down arrow for preferences. Click Signature Settings to the right.
I hate lootboxes and the gambling practices companies use for them which is why I am kind of disappointed in A-net for this one. There is nothing wrong with having people buy what items they want directly without having to do with RNG. This is very low of Anet to pull off.
If Life gives you lemons, put the lemons in a sack and beat up Life for giving you lemons in the first place.
You still have to spend over $120 to get all the skins (or spend up to that amount for the ONE skin you WANT). This is predatory and while there are "no duplicates" it's like saying a diet cola is better for you because it's diet. This is Diet Lootbox (TM) presented by Anet.
Still, someone had to play the lotto for folks like you or I to take advantage of the discount. In fact, at least in this case, the 400 gems guarantees a skin; the other RNG boxes on the gem shop contain more junk than not.
I'm not likely to be willing to plop down 400 gems without getting to choose a skin, but all the same: I can see why you (like I) won't want to spend that amount for RNG, but why does it affect your paying for anything else that the game has to offer?
Hype is the path to the dark side. Hype leads to unfulfilled expectations. Disappointment leads to anger. Anger leads to disgust. Disgust leads to "oh, new shinies! I'm back!"
The prices would be okay, if the skins weren't random. I'm not ready, willing and able to spend almost 10k to get the desert loop. I like about the halt of the skins, so I won't even try. The danger to get skins I don't even want and can't sell.
I was quite intrigued until I saw that it was random, at which point I randomly decided that anet won't get any of my random money for this random kitty litter. I ain't (randomly) doin' it.
In Germany the full pack cost 9600 Gems. In € that's 120€! I mean the first collector edition cost the same! A-Net, why? This are only Skins for a Mount!
In Overwatch i can buy 150 lootboxes!
Sorry for my bad english. I hope you understand my point.
I counted 6 skins I might actually use out of the 30, but I wont play this RNG game for them, try again Anet, I can wait, and you are having a laugh trying to get 2k gems for a jackal that no ones uses...
Aurora Glade Diamond Legend [VV]
Ultimate Dominator
This is too much with the RNG. Make them buyable and tradeable. This kind of RNG kitten is too much on top of the already punishing RNG of the BL Chests.
I'd honestly be okay with them even costing a bit more than 400 per skin if they weren't randomized. I took a look at every one of the mount skins and there are some I really liked and that I'd love to use, but there were also some that I wouldn't even want to get, so having to basically gamble to get my prefered skins feels bad for that price.
Someone else already pointed it out, but the reason I don't buy the randomized dye packs is because I'd rather just buy them with gold on the trading post since I can choose which one I'll get then.
I'd pay 800, even 1000 gems for something I WANT, rather than an RNG lootbox which will give me 5 bunnies before I will get a gryphon... and not the one I want.
People were totally fine with 20 dollars for dye channels and asked for more. Here you go lol.
The fact that they couldn't even be bothered to add any that were obtainable in-game, for starters. Like, just add a set of mount skins, like the ones that are just a recolor of the basic ones, to the actual game, for Christ's sake.
Anet, let us at least choose for which animal we'll get the random skin! x.x
Nice job Anet. 31 gemstore mount skins + 16 gemstore weapon skins + 1 gemstore glider/backpack in just one patch with zero new content. This game is going downhill at an alarming rate.
I don't buy randomized anything with gems. I don't want to participate in encouraging ANet to use this practice which exploits human weakness and the gambler's fallacy.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -- Santayana
I don't like that way to obtain skins as well. I would love to see some in-game random drop, but random skin for 400 gems? Well... That's just awful. Let us at last choose with type of mount we want random skin for.
I hate gambling; however, I realize some people love the thrill (for them) of it. Been burned enough on random stuff from the GS in the past to wait and either (a) buy exactly what I want, or (b and more often) do without.
Predatory loot box mechanics, a balance patch that address none of the concerns players have had and actually hurts most classes.... I'm starting to think it's time to look for a new game.
Everything is happening exactly as was to be expected. Mounts are going to be heavily monetized. If you think gliders were bad, hehe, good morning, the future is today.
Judging by twitter and FB and the number of bought skins being flaunted in LA, the tactic is working and Anet are proud to encourage gambling. Shame really.
What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coiling of the snakes mortal shuffling. weapon in my hand. My hand the arcing deathblow at the end of all things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it. . .
It's honestly sickening to see.
Yeah no. Anet come on. I'm not spending over $100 just to make sure I actually get what I want, that isn't a "deal," stop pretending it is. It was scummy to give the base mount skins only one dye channel in the first place. This basically just says you only care about preying on the whales. You want me to buy into your RNG garbage than at least make the price REASONABLE, cause it's not.
This is how a game dies... with thunderous shower of lootboxes.
Eh it's fine, ill be buying some fairly soon
I'd rather keep going.. wherever the wind takes us
So I'm in Lion's Arch where a ton of people have those random skins.
From what I'm seeing from this bunch? I'm not seeing a single good mount skin.
Is there a way to see what choices there are without buying the thing? I know the thing say I can right click to see but I kind of refuse to pay for one. Next is, if what I'm seeing are the choices, that is also even more of a reason I would never buy one as they all look atrocious at the moment.