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Griffon or Skyscale?


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So i'm thinking of finally expanding my mount collection with flying ones.

But i don't know which one to get first. I don't have enough gold for both, but i'm going to take the gold cost in chunks anyway, as i'm making money, don't want to drop too low.I know Griffon costs 250 gold, but i can't find the cost of Skyscale anywhere. I know there's materials involved but, what's the approximate price, anyone know?

Anyway... I heard Griffon is very fun to fly but Skyscale is an actual flying mount, i know i can't go up on the spot with a Griffon.I'm going to get both eventually, but i need to decide which one to get first, can't work on both for obvious reasons.

Which one would you recommend first and why? Which one is easier to get?I have HoT, PoF, LW3, LW4 and i think 3 episodes of LW2. Will that be enough? I also think i have the Icebrood saga but i haven't started that yet.

Post your thoughts please.Thank you!

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@Veprovina.4876 said:Anyway... I heard Griffon is very fun to fly but Skyscale is an actual flying mount, i know i can't go up on the spot with a Griffon.I'm going to get both eventually, but i need to decide which one to get first, can't work on both for obvious reasons.

Which one would you recommend first and why? Which one is easier to get?

It depends on what you mean by 'actual flying mount'. Neither of them can fly like I've heard WoW mounts can where it's pretty much free movement in 3 directions. The skyscale can rise straight up a short distance, gain more height by wall jumping once that mastery is trained and can hover in one spot indefinitely but when it's moving it's like when you're gliding - it will gradually lose height and will eventually have to land and take off again.

The griffon moves faster, but it can't gain much height (no more than a jump) on take-off so it needs to start from a height to be really useful and it can't stop in the air - it's always moving forwards. You can slow down in the air, and it's possible to speed up and even gain some height by diving and swooping, but that needs a lot of open space. Also like the skyscale it will gradually lose height as it flies so it can't stay up forever. In the right conditions it's possible to go a long way (like all the way across Desert Highlands from Fortune's Vale to Prophet's Fall) but most flights will be a matter of going between perches.

The description I like is the griffon is a fighter jet and the skyscale is a helicopter - neither is fundamentally better than the other, it's a question of which fits your needs best. The griffon is probably easier and quicker to get, but it depends on which is most worthwhile for you.

If I was choosing just 1 I'd pick the skyscale because it's more useful for me given I'm not usually in a hurry and spend a lot of time exploring, where being able to take off from a ledge and hover to look at the area from the air is useful (also I love dragons, so I'd never pass up the chance to have one of my own). But I've got both and the griffon is the one which usually stays on my mount button for quick access, because if I don't have time to think about it and reach the dedicated keybindings I probably am in a hurry and the griffon is the most versatile fast mount.

@Veprovina.4876 said:I know Griffon costs 250 gold, but i can't find the cost of Skyscale anywhere. I know there's materials involved but, what's the approximate price, anyone know?

If you don't mind spoilers for the process you can find info on what's required to unlock each mount on their respective Wiki pages:https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Griffon_(mount)#Unlockinghttps://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Skyscale/Walkthrough

You're probably aware of this but both require a series of collections which involve doing various events as well as buying items, neither is a straight purchase.

Part of getting the griffon is buying 10 items at 25g each, for a total cost of 250g. The gold cost of the skyscale is more complicated because a lot of it depends on how you choose to do things. For example you need 12 pieces of skyscale food and you can craft them at a cost of 1g 68s each, buy them from the TP for 2g 51s with a buy order or buy them instantly for 2g 81s (and like all TP or crafting prices those will change over time). Later on there's a collection which requires you to complete 21 jumping puzzles or world bosses, or you can use a special item to skip any/all the things on the list. Those cost 4g 56s to craft or 4g 61s or 6g to buy from the TP.

So it's impossible to put a definite price on the skyscale collection. An individual player can work out for themselves how much it will cost based on how they plan to complete each step, what materials they already have etc. but it will be different for each person. But I'd say if you're willing to pay the 250g for the griffon then the gold cost of the skyscale is irrelevant because you'd almost have to go out of your way to spend more than that getting it.

The bigger cost for the skyscale is that it requires 250 of each Season 4 map currency (Kralkatite Ore, Difluorite Crystals, Inscribed Shards, Lumps of Mistonium, Branded Masses and Mistborn Motes). There's several different ways to get each of those, but unless you've already got them it's going to take a while.

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@Danikat.8537 said:

@Veprovina.4876 said:Anyway... I heard Griffon is very fun to fly but Skyscale is an actual flying mount, i know i can't go up on the spot with a Griffon.I'm going to get both eventually, but i need to decide which one to get first, can't work on both for obvious reasons.

Which one would you recommend first and why? Which one is easier to get?

It depends on what you mean by 'actual flying mount'. Neither of them can fly like I've heard WoW mounts can where it's pretty much free movement in 3 directions. The skyscale can rise straight up a short distance, gain more height by wall jumping once that mastery is trained and can hover in one spot indefinitely but when it's moving it's like when you're gliding - it will gradually lose height and will eventually have to land and take off again.

The griffon moves faster, but it can't gain much height (no more than a jump) on take-off so it needs to start from a height to be really useful and it can't stop in the air - it's always moving forwards. You can slow down in the air, and it's possible to speed up and even gain some height by diving and swooping, but that needs a lot of open space. Also like the skyscale it will gradually lose height as it flies so it can't stay up forever. In the right conditions it's possible to go a long way (like all the way across Desert Highlands from Fortune's Vale to Prophet's Fall) but most flights will be a matter of going between perches.

The description I like is the griffon is a fighter jet and the skyscale is a helicopter - neither is fundamentally better than the other, it's a question of which fits your needs best. The griffon is probably easier and quicker to get, but it depends on which is most worthwhile for you.

If I was choosing just 1 I'd pick the skyscale because it's more useful for me given I'm not usually in a hurry and spend a lot of time exploring, where being able to take off from a ledge and hover to look at the area from the air is useful (also I love dragons, so I'd never pass up the chance to have one of my own). But I've got both and the griffon is the one which usually stays on my mount button for quick access, because if I don't have time to think about it and reach the dedicated keybindings I probably am in a hurry and the griffon is the most versatile fast mount.

@Veprovina.4876 said:I know Griffon costs 250 gold, but i can't find the cost of Skyscale anywhere. I know there's materials involved but, what's the approximate price, anyone know?

If you don't mind spoilers for the process you can find info on what's required to unlock each mount on their respective Wiki pages:

You're probably aware of this but both require a series of collections which involve doing various events as well as buying items, neither is a straight purchase.

Part of getting the griffon is buying 10 items at 25g each, for a total cost of 250g. The gold cost of the skyscale is more complicated because a lot of it depends on how you choose to do things. For example you need 12 pieces of skyscale food and you can craft them at a cost of 1g 68s each, buy them from the TP for 2g 51s with a buy order or buy them instantly for 2g 81s (and like all TP or crafting prices those will change over time). Later on there's a collection which requires you to complete 21 jumping puzzles or world bosses,
or
you can use a special item to skip any/all the things on the list. Those cost 4g 56s to craft or 4g 61s or 6g to buy from the TP.

So it's impossible to put a definite price on the skyscale collection. An individual player can work out for themselves how much it will cost based on how they plan to complete each step, what materials they already have etc. but it will be different for each person. But I'd say if you're willing to pay the 250g for the griffon then the gold cost of the skyscale is irrelevant because you'd almost have to go out of your way to spend more than that getting it.

The bigger cost for the skyscale is that it requires 250 of each Season 4 map currency (Kralkatite Ore, Difluorite Crystals, Inscribed Shards, Lumps of Mistonium, Branded Masses and Mistborn Motes). There's several different ways to get each of those, but unless you've already got them it's going to take a while.

Wow, thank you for the detailed explanation! Much appreciated!

I really thought the Skyscale was a full 3D mount, i had no idea it behaves like a glider when flying, i really thought you could go up and wherever you want. Didn't really pay attention to how players use their Skyscales, nor did i youtube it obviously. :tongue:

Good analogy though, helpful to visualize how each one controls (though i tried the griffon once when i started the collection, there's free ones at the sunspear).

As for the gold cost, i understand now. I did look at the wikis previously, but wasn't sure. But your post helped, it's all relative to TP costs, but if it's not that much cheaper/expensive than the Griffon, then i guess my only real question is, what i really want in the first place.

And i think i will start with the Griffon. I already started that collection, and it's accessible right now. I'd have to wait for the Skyscale since i didn't even get to that part of the story yet. I don't even have the Beetle unlocked yet. Plus, all the map currencies you need to collect, and since i don't even have all those maps yet, i will wait until i actually have all that unlocked and am familliar with them before i start. So while i'm working on the griffon, i can do the story in parallel and slowly unlock all that's necessary for starting the Skyscale properly.

Thank you very much! :smile:

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If you don't have the Crystal Champion mastery all done I suggest you start the skyscale first, it's the poor people's choice because it's cheaper in gold then the Griffon but it's more grindy. The Griffon can be faster than a Skyscale in some situations and it can dive at an incredibly fast speed and you can mount on a Griffon while falling from a cliff or while gliding but it takes longer than a Skyscale to master.

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Griffon is easier to get by far, but skyscale is probably more useful. Griffon has very niche uses -> adventures, it's very fast when maxed with mastery and you can start from a large drop, it's pretty fun. Skyscale can go up way higher. The griffon is kind of like a baby flying mount without starting on altitude -> You can jump before flapping so you can get some distance off the ground and glide for a bit, but as far as traversing HUGE cliffs or something, it's not that great. It's probably my favorite mount, but it just has really niche uses.

Also note, you will have to complete the mastery achievement for Jahai if you want Vision, Griffon adventures are one of the categories. You will also need skyscale for Vision as well. It just occurred to me some of the rifts are only accessible via skyscale.

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@Touchme.1097 said:If you don't have the Crystal Champion mastery all done I suggest you start the skyscale first, it's the poor people's choice because it's cheaper in gold then the Griffon but it's more grindy. The Griffon can be faster than a Skyscale in some situations and it can dive at an incredibly fast speed and you can mount on a Griffon while falling from a cliff or while gliding but it takes longer than a Skyscale to master.

Why does that matter for the Griffon? I have 2/4 of that mastery trained.

And thank you all for your input. I will consider getting skyscale as well.But, since the griffon only requires gold and a collection (no gathering), i can probably work on both simultaniously. Cause skyscale will take way more time to get than griffon, and as i do griffon collections, i can do some skyscale gathering as well. Still need to get to that story part to unlock the collection for skyscale in the first place. So griffon might be done sooner.

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@Veprovina.4876 said:

@Touchme.1097 said:If you don't have the Crystal Champion mastery all done I suggest you start the skyscale first, it's the poor people's choice because it's cheaper in gold then the Griffon but it's more grindy. The Griffon can be faster than a Skyscale in some situations and it can dive at an incredibly fast speed and you can mount on a Griffon while falling from a cliff or while gliding but it takes longer than a Skyscale to master.

Why does that matter for the Griffon? I have 2/4 of that mastery trained.

And thank you all for your input. I will consider getting skyscale as well.But, since the griffon only requires gold and a collection (no gathering), i can probably work on both simultaniously. Cause skyscale will take way more time to get than griffon, and as i do griffon collections, i can do some skyscale gathering as well. Still need to get to that story part to unlock the collection for skyscale in the first place. So griffon might be done sooner.

I would say those masteries affect griffon to much lesser degree than skyscale. But imo the vigor one and the leap masteries are essential for skyscale, it's a completely different experience when you are not able to use 4 dashes, instantly regain altitude or use the dash-boosted leap to quickly mount off. Griffon is pretty much the same experience with or without them (being a bit more pleasant with, of course), but skyscale is not skyscale without them. I actually suspect that might be the reason some people dislike skyscale, they don't have those masteries or don't use them.

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@Kondor.2904 said:

@Touchme.1097 said:If you don't have the Crystal Champion mastery all done I suggest you start the skyscale first, it's the poor people's choice because it's cheaper in gold then the Griffon but it's more grindy. The Griffon can be faster than a Skyscale in some situations and it can dive at an incredibly fast speed and you can mount on a Griffon while falling from a cliff or while gliding but it takes longer than a Skyscale to master.

Why does that matter for the Griffon? I have 2/4 of that mastery trained.

And thank you all for your input. I will consider getting skyscale as well.But, since the griffon only requires gold and a collection (no gathering), i can probably work on both simultaniously. Cause skyscale will take way more time to get than griffon, and as i do griffon collections, i can do some skyscale gathering as well. Still need to get to that story part to unlock the collection for skyscale in the first place. So griffon might be done sooner.

I would say those masteries affect griffon to much lesser degree than skyscale. But imo the vigor one and the leap masteries are essential for skyscale, it's a completely different experience when you are not able to use 4 dashes, instantly regain altitude or use the dash-boosted leap to quickly mount off. Griffon is pretty much the same experience with or without them (being a bit more pleasant with, of course), but skyscale is not skyscale without them. I actually suspect that might be the reason some people dislike skyscale, they don't have those masteries or don't use them.

@Dawdler.8521 said:Between the two a fully mastered skyscale is a mount you use 99% of the time and the other 1% is a griffon on that very specific route from point A to point B on a very specific boss meta on a very specific map where you
could
use the skyscale, you'll just arrive a little later.

Interesting. So it seems most people feel like Skyscale is the way. :smile:Well, it couldn't hurt to start it, i'm doing that story now anyway, i might as well start collecting stuff for it. :smile:

Thank you!

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@"Danikat.8537" said:[Griffon] Also like the skyscale it will gradually lose height as it flies so it can't stay up forever.

That is incorrect. Once you are on superspeed, you merely need to flap the wings once each time the energy bar is filled up to keep your altitude.

That way, you can stay up in the air forever and even perform the craziest stunts:

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@Ashantara.8731 said:

@"Danikat.8537" said:[Griffon] Also like the skyscale it will gradually lose height as it flies so it can't stay up forever.

That is incorrect. Once you are on superspeed, you merely need to flap the wings once each time the energy bar is filled up to keep your altitude.

That way, you can stay up in the air forever and even perform the craziest stunts:

To be honest, those videos are what made me want a griffon in the first place! :smile:

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If you knew where to find high elevated ground and learned how to gain speed by flapping when diving I am sure you would appreciate the Griffon more than the skyscale, the mount is fast. The difference between the two flying mounts can be noticed while doing Dragonfall meta event where you fight the elder dragon and other maps where you can dive with the Griffon.

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@Veprovina.4876 said:

@Touchme.1097 said:If you don't have the Crystal Champion mastery all done I suggest you start the skyscale first, it's the poor people's choice because it's cheaper in gold then the Griffon but it's more grindy. The Griffon can be faster than a Skyscale in some situations and it can dive at an incredibly fast speed and you can mount on a Griffon while falling from a cliff or while gliding but it takes longer than a Skyscale to master.

Why does that matter for the Griffon? I have 2/4 of that mastery trained.

And thank you all for your input. I will consider getting skyscale as well.But, since the griffon only requires gold and a collection (no gathering), i can probably work on both simultaniously. Cause skyscale will take way more time to get than griffon, and as i do griffon collections, i can do some skyscale gathering as well. Still need to get to that story part to unlock the collection for skyscale in the first place. So griffon might be done sooner.

I would say those masteries affect griffon to much lesser degree than skyscale. But imo the vigor one and the leap masteries are essential for skyscale, it's a completely different experience when you are not able to use 4 dashes, instantly regain altitude or use the dash-boosted leap to quickly mount off. Griffon is pretty much the same experience with or without them (being a bit more pleasant with, of course), but skyscale is not skyscale without them. I actually suspect that might be the reason some people dislike skyscale, they don't have those masteries or don't use them.

@"Dawdler.8521" said:Between the two a fully mastered skyscale is a mount you use 99% of the time and the other 1% is a griffon on that very specific route from point A to point B on a very specific boss meta on a very specific map where you
could
use the skyscale, you'll just arrive a little later.

Interesting. So it seems most people feel like Skyscale is the way. :smile:Well, it couldn't hurt to start it, i'm doing that story now anyway, i might as well start collecting stuff for it. :smile:

Thank you!

I tend to think the question is "Do I get Griffon before or after Skyscale?" The answer is Yes.

While many blow up Skyscale to be the be 'the best' mount, I far prefer Griffon in many situations, but both are equally useful when used properly.

The suggestion I didn't see here was to use Bjora Marches (Icebrood Saga Chapter 2 and 3) to help farm for your Skyscale. Eternal Ice can be converted into the currency for Skyscale at a faster rate than farming Season 4 maps, the gold generation is pretty decent at the same time as farming the Eternal Ice.

Whichever mount you get first, it will make getting the second one easier!

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@Veprovina.4876 said:To be honest, those videos are what made me want a griffon in the first place! :smile:

Yeah, but during regular gameplay, you won't be having an experience like that. The Skyscale is much better suited for exploration and regular gameplay. The Griffon is more of a niche mount.

@"Mungo Zen.9364" said:I tend to think the question is "Do I get Griffon before or after Skyscale?" The answer is Yes.

:lol: "Yes" to getting the Skyscale first.

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@Mungo Zen.9364 said:

@Touchme.1097 said:If you don't have the Crystal Champion mastery all done I suggest you start the skyscale first, it's the poor people's choice because it's cheaper in gold then the Griffon but it's more grindy. The Griffon can be faster than a Skyscale in some situations and it can dive at an incredibly fast speed and you can mount on a Griffon while falling from a cliff or while gliding but it takes longer than a Skyscale to master.

Why does that matter for the Griffon? I have 2/4 of that mastery trained.

And thank you all for your input. I will consider getting skyscale as well.But, since the griffon only requires gold and a collection (no gathering), i can probably work on both simultaniously. Cause skyscale will take way more time to get than griffon, and as i do griffon collections, i can do some skyscale gathering as well. Still need to get to that story part to unlock the collection for skyscale in the first place. So griffon might be done sooner.

I would say those masteries affect griffon to much lesser degree than skyscale. But imo the vigor one and the leap masteries are essential for skyscale, it's a completely different experience when you are not able to use 4 dashes, instantly regain altitude or use the dash-boosted leap to quickly mount off. Griffon is pretty much the same experience with or without them (being a bit more pleasant with, of course), but skyscale is not skyscale without them. I actually suspect that might be the reason some people dislike skyscale, they don't have those masteries or don't use them.

@"Dawdler.8521" said:Between the two a fully mastered skyscale is a mount you use 99% of the time and the other 1% is a griffon on that very specific route from point A to point B on a very specific boss meta on a very specific map where you
could
use the skyscale, you'll just arrive a little later.

Interesting. So it seems most people feel like Skyscale is the way. :smile:Well, it couldn't hurt to start it, i'm doing that story now anyway, i might as well start collecting stuff for it. :smile:

Thank you!

I tend to think the question is "Do I get Griffon
before or after
Skyscale?" The answer is Yes.

While many blow up Skyscale to be the be 'the best' mount, I far prefer Griffon in many situations, but both are equally useful when used properly.

The suggestion I didn't see here was to use Bjora Marches (Icebrood Saga Chapter 2 and 3) to help farm for your Skyscale. Eternal Ice can be converted into the currency for Skyscale at a faster rate than farming Season 4 maps, the gold generation is pretty decent at the same time as farming the Eternal Ice.

Whichever mount you get first, it will make getting the second one easier!

Long way from Icebrood saga still but thank you, i'll keep that in mind. :smile:

@Ashantara.8731 said:

@Veprovina.4876 said:To be honest, those videos are what made me want a griffon in the first place! :smile:

Yeah, but during regular gameplay, you won't be having an experience like that. The Skyscale is much better suited for exploration and regular gameplay. The Griffon is more of a niche mount.

@Mungo Zen.9364 said:I tend to think the question is "Do I get Griffon
before or after
Skyscale?" The answer is Yes.

:lol: "Yes" to getting the Skyscale first.

Yes, it seems that Skyscale would be more useful to me.To be fair, i'm mainly playing WvW so you know... Warclaw... :tongue:But i farm Bloodstone fen and stuff for ascended trinkets and the like, plus general PvE when i'm not playing WvW, so yeah, having a "helicopter mount" that can go up and fly me around would be very useful as opposed to the griffing that's basically a faster glider (without masteries).

So yeah, upon further consideration, i'm off to grind for the Skyscale! :smiley:It'll take forever but i'll get there eventually.

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The Skyscale is most suitable for casual players who need an all-round flying mount with a slow speed which can take them almost everywhere that doesn't require a jackal sand portal in order to be reached. At the end of the day I will end up with every mounts available just for collection purposes and I will blast my way in Dragonfall's Meta with my superfast diving Griffon :)

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@Ashantara.8731 said:

@Veprovina.4876 said:So yeah, upon further consideration, i'm off to grind for the Skyscale! :smiley:It'll take forever but i'll get there eventually.

Much success and have fun! :)

Thank you! :smile:

@Touchme.1097 said:The Skyscale is most suitable for casual players who need an all-round flying mount with a slow speed which can take them almost everywhere that doesn't require a jackal sand portal in order to be reached. At the end of the day I will end up with every mounts available just for collection purposes and I will blast my way in Dragonfall's Meta with my superfast diving Griffon :)

Yup! Hopefully it'll help me get around faster.And i'll get the griffon as well eventually and all the other mounts. So no worries. :smile:

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@Veprovina.4876 said:

@"javier.9786" said:I think the real question is "what do you want the mount for?"

Well, to help me get around, farm bloodstone fen and other glider hravy areas, and to fly around in general. :)

Both would be good but skyscale slightly better of course. Griffon takes less time to complete though. Eventually you'd want both of those mounts so I think it doesn't matter which one you do first.

Personally I'd do griffon and then work on your collections for skyscale. You will need some LS4 currency so if you haven't got it saved up it will take you some time. Not sure how much it takes now since I did it on release pre-nerf.

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