[Getting on mounts completely freezes the character in place]

I had this problem constantly, especially when I had just arrived in a new map. I also had problems with lag when involved in large events with lots of people and graphics. After a bit of investigation, the limiting factor on my (quite old) laptop appeared to be that I was running out or RAM. Just got another 8Gb of DDRAM for Christmas and the lag problems have largly gone away. Also, I don't get the problem with the mount freezing anymore either, apart from very occasionally when I mount while a new map is building. Looks like it was all down to computer bottlenecks for me.

[If Skyscale, why Griffon?]

6 hours ago, Alcatraznc.3869 said:

 

I've been using Skyscale for a while now and it does a great job but after a while, flying becomes pretty boring, especially when you're farming a map. First you get excited because you can finally glide/fly but after a while that excitation turns into boredom and you want something that can go from A to B faster. On map with a lot of high space (Verdant brink being a perfect example of that actually) Skyscale will allow you to get a high ground but Griffon will make you traverse the map much much faster.

 

On the long run you will actually save a lot of time by using both. If I wasnt crafting my legendary armour, I think I would have already purchased the Griffon already

Yeah, I just spent almost all of my cash crafting my first legendary weapon and raising another 250g will put a big delay on other things that I'm working towards. Big thanks to all those who have taken the time to convince me that I am going to get the Griffon at some point. It was an if, now it's a when.

[If Skyscale, why Griffon?]

I only ever flew Griffons that I picked up from roosts. Having watched the video that Sir Alric.5078 suggested, I can see how dramatic the improvement is when you unlock the mastery upgrades. Of course, you do need to put the effort in to learn how to do that. My Skyscale is always going to be my favourite because it can hover, and I am a helicopter pilot, but it looks like I'm going to have to stump up the money and get a Griffon. Eventually, when I'm a bit richer.

[If Skyscale, why Griffon?]

1 hour ago, ShadowCatz.8437 said:

Griffon are a faster flying mount that can dive to gain speed. If you use Bond of Faith, then you can jump of your Skyscale, glide and summon Griffon or reverse which make it easier to stay in air. By combining both flying mounts and gliding you have more option fro getting around, avoid getting hit from ground (stealth on mount and gliding helps a lot) and can reset your mounts HP, if it gets dangerously low.

Skyscale can instead increase elevation by using paths in air from Volatail Magic or Karma (Bjora Marches) and with Bond of Faith it is possible to use Griffon to get more speed by diving when Skyscale is at the highest possible position in air from combining paths like this and increase it a bit with Bond of Vigor to get higher up and then BoF and Griffon.

That is very interesting, thank you. I hadn't even considered the usefulness of switching between the two of them in the air.

[If Skyscale, why Griffon?]

1 hour ago, Sir Alric.5078 said:

If you want an example of what a Griffon can do that the Skyscale can't > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWENCGZbVKk&list=LL&index=16&ab_channel=Orpan%2FAlcira 

Anyway, the Skyscale is basically a helicopter while the Griffon is a jet. They are both great, just serve different purposes. 

Thanks for the link but, without realising it, you may have have just made this a very easy decision. Did I mention that I'm a professional helicopter pilot?

[If Skyscale, why Griffon?]

I wanted a flying mount but didn't have 250g, so I did the work and got myself a Skyscale. I love my Skyscale. I now have 250g, but it's not like I have so much money that 250g means nothing to me, it's still a lot of money. Is there any point in spending that money on a Griffon? I understand that if I ever wanted to have 366 mastery points above my head then I would need to unlock the reward track, but I'm not that bothered; certainly not bothered enough to spend 250g. Basically, is there anything that the Griffon can do that the Skyscale can't do that would make it worth the money?

[Getting into Crafting]

You haven't said why you are interested in crafting. If you just want to get the levels up then you can easily find levelling guides on the net. They will suggest what you should buy and make to level quickly. Some of them will let you use an Anet API key to let them look at your stored materials and tell you how much more you will need. This is an example but there are many others https://gw2crafts.net/ You can get an API key by logging into your Anet account https://account.arena.net/login?redirect_uri=%2Fapplications.

If you're getting into crafting because you want to make money then there are also plenty of sites that will work out if you are likely to make a profit and recommend things for you. This is based on what they think the latest TP prices are for the mats and the finished articles. I have made a fair amount by crafting but I would recommend that you always double check the TP prices yourself. I have made money where they thought I wouldn't and lost it where they thought I would do well. Never forget the 15% Anet tax for selling through the TP either.

[How to proceed?]

On 11/27/2021 at 7:18 AM, Shane.4023 said:

Thanks so much for all the info! Um, how and where do I access the Trading Post?

You can trade on the trading post anywhere by clicking the lion icon at the right end of the icon group top left of the screen. If you want to collect money or goods you will have to visit one. Any city will have one, but I find the easiest one to use is by popping into the PvP lobby. It gives you access to merchants, the bank and the trading post from anywhere, and pops you back exactly where you were when you leave. Really usefull when you run out of mining picks or salvage kits or when your inventory is full and you need to ditch some stuff. WvW also works, but if you do WvW then messing around in the Obsidian Sanctum will start to run down your participation level.

[What To Do With Essence of Luck After 300% Magic Find]

2 hours ago, Linken.6345 said:

Why in such a hurry it took me around 6 years to finish it and after that nothing much you can do with luck other then delete or store it for lunar newyear npc.

 

Dident ecto salvage at all.

 

My theory is this. What I'm really after is gold. I'm really stingy, and I flatly refuse to pay hard cash for gems, so I have to earn as much gold as possible to buy gems to pay for the upgrades and game content that I want. Better Magic Find means better loot (from MF affected drops), which means more gold/hour, which means I might get my Skyscale/full home instance/legendary gear before I get senile dementia and forget why I wanted it in the first place.

[What To Do With Essence of Luck After 300% Magic Find]

10 hours ago, Wolfb.7025 said:

It took me a little more than 2 years to get to 300%.

There is a way to get Luck really quick, use your mystic stones to craft mystic salvage kits, and salvage stacks of ectoplasms. For a stack you will get around 470 Crystalline Dust, and 30,000 Luck (enough to increase 1% on the latter levels of Luck).

 

So I took your advice, with the following results. I used my mystic forge stones to craft a mystic salvage kit, direct cost around 20 silver. Salvaged the 180 gobs of ecto that I had in the bank for 352 crystalline dust and 18070 luck. Sold the dust to buy another 180 ecto and made 4 gold profit. Went from 134% to 136% for about 5 minutes work. Judging from the reported salvage rates I was probably a bit lucky to make a profit but, in the long run, until I run out of mystic forge stones, it should probably be about cost neutral. According to the tables I should have made it to around 180% by the time I run out of mystic forge stones. It would have cost about 1.5 gold to use 10 master salvage kits instead, so I'll have to keep an eye on the costs to see if I can keep going after that. Still, thank you for a fabulous piece of advice and I'll let you know if I make 200% by the end of the week.

[What To Do With Essence of Luck After 300% Magic Find]

How long did it take you to get to 300% and did you do anything special to get there? I'm just consuming all of the luck that I generate from salvaging and 300% looks like it will take years. Thanks.