Are we now putting precursors in lootboxes Anet?

[Randulf.7614]

@Danikat.8537 said:

@"Randulf.7614" said:Wait... they put precursors in black lion chests now?

With an additional step, yes. The guaranteed item in the current chests is

Gnashblade's Exotic Weapon Grab Bag

, which gives 1 random exotic. According to the contents preview the possible drops include gen 1 precursors.

I assume the drop rate for precursors is absurdly low (probably about the same as the Mystic Forge) so anyone looking to buy one with gems is better off converting them to gold to get it directly, but the end result is still that buying black lion keys could give you a precursor.

OK thanks. Not as bad as I feared

[Felipe.1807]

@zealex.9410 said:Last time i checked this wasnt the chinese server and moves like that really do give the wrong impression to players. You said there wouldnt be any p2w so then why are you giving ppl the precursor to the best items through paid lootboxes?

Your ncsoft is showing...

How is precursors Pay to Win? This game might have many things that are worth complaining and bringing attention to it, but this aint one of them...whats the diference between gambling with BLC and the Mystic Forge? What the diference in buying gems for keys and buying gems to gold and getting on the TP? Nobody in their right mind will open boxes for the precursors...and even if you got one, you still have to actually craft the Legendary weapon(which might be the one you dont even want it), mine Saven the Queen still rotting on my bank been years.

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

The flip side of this is to assert it is superior to never, EVER, put exotic weapons as a possible random drop from the chests. Because otherwise, there's a rare chance that exotic will be a precursor.

I don't see a problem with the chests giving random exotic gear.

[Josiah.2967]

@Blood Red Arachnid.2493 said:The flip side of this is to assert it is superior to never, EVER, put exotic weapons as a possible random drop from the chests. Because otherwise, there's a rare chance that exotic will be a precursor.

I don't see a problem with the chests giving random exotic gear.

I feel like this is more about tradewars. I received multiple pieces of ascended gear and an emote from the PVP/WVW bags. Not one post about those... The only difference, you can trade these.

[yoni.7015]

This is not pay to win.

[Teratus.2859]

The drop rates are low anyway so it's hardly an issue.

I had 17 keys saved up from weekly key runs and only 2 of the exotics I got from the 17 bags were worth over a gold.Most of the time you'll get trash exos that are only worth salvaging so I don't agree this was a bad move at all.You'll be very lucky to see pre's from them and it's definitely not worth buying keys for either.

[Kurrilino.2706]

@Clyan.1593 said:This BLC loot slot changes every few months. I think somewhere around winter they put PvP/WvW reward track tonics in it. Noone complains about that either, despite the fact that it let's you gain PvP / WvW exclusive skins and rewards like Gift of Battle without ever playing those modes.

There are no Sub Fees, so I guess they somehow have to make money via the gem store. Really, that's not an issue.

You are right, that's no the issue. The issue is they expose children to gambling addictionsAnd yes, they have to make money............. what about an expansion every 6 month?

[yoni.7015]

They don’t expose children to gambling addiction with that. This is nonsense.

[Kurrilino.2706]

@JTGuevara.9018 said:....that is not pay-to-win, that's cosmetic.

Pay-to-win basically would be opening a black lion chest and getting a higher tier item above legendary with better stats. That does not happen.

I repeat: Cosmetics is not pay-to-win!

Now, loot boxes are a problem in and of themselves. It's a question of whether they should even be allowed in games in the first place. ANet's way, at the very least, deals only with cosmetics. As everyone says, other games abuse this system way worse.

Well yes and no,

A precursor is not cosmetic in any meaning.It is an item you NEED to enter the end game content of crafting a legendary.Precursors are also high priced items and offering an easy way out doing gambling is the critical issue here.If they would have thrown random yellow or exotic meaningless weapons in there, nobody would care at all.

So no, it's not pay to win but it highly encourages gambling to take a short cut.

[yoni.7015]

@Kurrilino.2706 said:

@JTGuevara.9018 said:....that is not pay-to-win, that's cosmetic.

Pay-to-win basically would be opening a black lion chest and getting a higher tier item above legendary with better stats. That does not happen.

I repeat:

Cosmetics is not pay-to-win!

Now, loot boxes are a problem in and of themselves. It's a question of whether they should even be allowed in games in the first place. ANet's way, at the very least, deals only with cosmetics. As everyone says, other games abuse this system way worse.

Well yes and no,

A precursor is not cosmetic in any meaning.It is an item you NEED to enter the end game content of crafting a legendary.Precursors are also high priced items and offering an easy way out doing gambling is the critical issue here.If they would have thrown random yellow or exotic meaningless weapons in there, nobody would care at all.

So no, it's not pay to win but it highly encourages gambling to take a short cut.

No it does not and we are talking about gen1 legendaries, you can buy them at the TP and they don’t cost much. you are imagining an issue here, but there is none.

[Clyan.1593]

@Kurrilino.2706 said:

@Clyan.1593 said:This BLC loot slot changes every few months. I think somewhere around winter they put PvP/WvW reward track tonics in it. Noone complains about that either, despite the fact that it let's you gain PvP / WvW exclusive skins and rewards like Gift of Battle without ever playing those modes.

There are no Sub Fees, so I guess they somehow have to make money via the gem store. Really, that's not an issue.

You are right, that's no the issue. The issue is they expose children to gambling addictionsAnd yes, they have to make money............. what about an expansion every 6 month?

Alright then, but this thread is not about gambling, it's about the precursors.

[IndigoSundown.5419]

As much as the OP wants to exploit the negative impressions inherent to the term "pay-to-win," this is not P2W. He's trying to port the term to a new meaning while ignoring the original meaning. Whether done consciously or not, the only reason to do so is because the term evokes revulsion in some players.

What it is, though, is ANet taking rewards once offered exclusively in the game and putting them in the gem store. Meanwhile, they are inundating us with salvage bait and crafting mats in such amounts that many mat prices are considerably lower. All this does is lend credence to the contention that the game is not rewarding, while the gem store is. It's not a huge move in that direction, but it is a move.

To top it off, these items seem to be available via a low-chance random roll. This is yet another attempt to get players to spend more than they would if an item were priced at what the market would bear. Par for the course really. This is what the ANet gamble boxes have been doing since they were introduced. 90-99% garbage with just enough people getting lucky to fuel the idea that you might get lucky, too, with the gambler's fallacy doing the rest.

[OutOfOrder.3719]

If the black lion chests were putting out ascended gear, then it would be more pay to win type scenario. But these are exotic drops, without “good” stats that are commonly used.

This monthly item is a great way for new accounts to get exotic weapon unlocks. Most skins are worth a max of 1 gold anyway. Getting a precursor is hard enough to get, that probably won’t happen opening 25 chests or less.

[aspirine.6852]

I dont see how a skin is pay to win...

[Ashantara.8731]

@zealex.9410 said:Last time i checked this wasnt the chinese server and moves like that really do give the wrong impression to players.

It's also super bad for the in-game ecomomy. 95% of exotics had already lost their former value long before this patch. Now it's going to get only worse.

[Trise.2865]

It's no more gambling than regular Exotic drops.

[Vayne.8563]

You've always been able to get precursors for cash anyway. Even full legendaries. What's the most expensive precursor now? 700 gold? 2800 gems is $35, enough to get you any precursor in the game. By comparison you onliy have a small chance of getting a precursor from the current setup, which you can get by farming keys. This is a non-issue. It's not even the first time you could get a precursor from a black lion chest.

[Dreams.3128]

I said this in one thread and I'll say it in this one:

You people have completely diluted the meaning of pay to win. Great job. Our government is still going to do nothing about it.

[ShadowCatz.8437]

@"mtpelion.4562" said:It would be more cost effective to convert cash into gems and then gems into coins, buy as many rare unidentified equipment bags as you can afford, and then open the bags and repeatedly use the Mystic Forge on the results in an attempt to obtain the precursors.

This is more like "Pay to Lose".

Why not actually use Gems to Coin and just buy those 1 gen Leggy directly then? There is no reason to play a loosing game if really just want those stats and maybe that skin for leggy...

[Danikat.8537]

@"Lilyanna.9361" said:I said this in one thread and I'll say it in this one:

You people have completely diluted the meaning of pay to win. Great job. Our government is still going to do nothing about it.

Bear in mind this game has an international audience. There is no such thing as "our government" in the context of GW2 players.

Some countries already have put restrictions on loot boxes (although I think only one has actually affected GW2, Belgium if I remember correctly, where they're now banned). Some are considering changes to the law which may affect it, others have given no indication they're even considering it. I suspect it's going to get quite complicated in the next few years, although not really any different to all the varying laws on age ratings for games or running competitions, but it will be another thing developers have to consider when designing their games and deciding which markets to go for.

[mtpelion.4562]

@ShadowCatz.8437 said:

@"mtpelion.4562" said:It would be more cost effective to convert cash into gems and then gems into coins, buy as many rare unidentified equipment bags as you can afford, and then open the bags and repeatedly use the Mystic Forge on the results in an attempt to obtain the precursors.

This is more like "Pay to Lose".

Why not actually use Gems to Coin and just buy those 1 gen Leggy directly then? There is no reason to play a loosing game if really just want those stats and maybe that skin for leggy...

You definitely SHOULD do that over buying lootboxes. I was just pointing out how inefficient getting a precursor is via the lootbox as compared to other inefficient methods in game already. If you're buying keys to get a precursor, you're doing everything wrong (i.e. paying to lose).

[Oakendale.2849]

@zealex.9410 said:Last time i checked this wasnt the chinese server and moves like that really do give the wrong impression to players. You said there wouldnt be any p2w so then why are you giving ppl the precursor to the best items through paid lootboxes?

Your ncsoft is showing...

Using Buzz words while trying to prove an invalid point is apparently becoming the norm.

This is not P2W as many replies above me have already explained.

Also, this would be no different then opening your wallet buying gems converting them to gold and buying it off the Trade Post - which this system has been in game since day 1.

I mean people like you will literally complain about anything.

I can only assume you belong to the cancel culture.

[Svarty.8019]

Everybody should remember the one phrase that absolves everybody of wrongdoings, in many many cases;

"It's immoral, but it's not illegal".

[Oakendale.2849]

@"Svarty.8019" said:Everybody should remember the one phrase that absolves everybody of wrongdoings, in many many cases;

"It's immoral, but it's not illegal".

Morality is subjective in many things.

[Svarty.8019]

@Azreell.1568 said:

@"Svarty.8019" said:Everybody should remember the one phrase that absolves everybody of wrongdoings, in many many cases;

"It's immoral, but it's not illegal".

Morality is subjective in many things.

To a degree. But I wouldn't say that is an absolute truth, either.