Witch of Doom.5739

I haven't read every comment but will agree with those who say the quotes from random players wouldn't particularly sway new/potential players. If you must have quotes, some from well-known review sites would be better. The Crystal Desert is GORGEOUS, so really show it off. A night sky with the stars and the moon, more sweeping vistas. Could you show the Griffon mount with a disclaimer (unlockable content), because I think it would appeal to many. Finally, female characters are seriously underrepresented in this video. Thank you.

What a great idea!

The brandstorm over Amnoon was gorgeous, but then the fighting in the first section was too much -- too many mobs and WAY too many purple glowing visual effects. I had a long, hard time finding the crystals I was supposed to destroy because they blended in with all the other effects. Overall, though, I feel very positive about LWS4E1. Great map, lots of varied terrain, lots of verticality in map but not too much. Great job of reminding us old players of the glory of Istan. Astralarium looks like what I imagine heaven to be -- beautiful and with lots of books!

That's exactly what I came here to say. The new raptor is nice, if you like the big, bright, flashy model. I haven't completely ruled out buying it but I need to find out how it dyes and give some thought to what I'd do with it first. But what I really want, and what I've been waiting for since PoF was released is just some relatively plain/'realistic' (for the creatures in question) skins with 3-4 dye channels each which are available by direct sale. For example if I could buy the Savannah Monitor, Tawny Hare, Oasis Skate, Banded Mystic and Spotted Sylph from the RNG packs as a 5-pack (so I'm guaranteed to get those 5) for 2,000 gems I'd do it immediately. I'd recommend looking at Dulfy's video of this new skin in motion. That killed my even remotely wanting it.

I think they could work the way other crafted items do, in that after a few you don't get any more leveling points from them. Actually I think they're already like that.

The new 2,000 gem raptor skin is very ornate. I get it; you're a business that needs to make money. But please consider selling some 400-500 gem individual mount skins that are NOT random choices. ty

Please make them salvageable. Right now they're such a waste of materials.

I have unlocked all and while I think the griffon is the prettiest, I use the springer most of the time, even though I think it looks ridiculous. It's usually the most useful for where I want to go.

Thank you for bringing back the Magitech and Braham's armor skins! I would like to request: Top Hat, Wire-Rimmed Glasses.

So he acknowledges missteps but doesn't sound sorry, and nothing's going to change. Wow. And then there's "... our next planned mount skin releases will focus on individual sales like the Reforged Warhound and bundles like the Spooky Mounts Pack." Does that mean the only way to get a skin will either be one overprice skin at a time or you have to buy a bundle? Color me SUPER DISAPPOINTED. You just said nothing will change, and then you state what will change (they will not do it this way again and they will not add anymore skins to the adoption license system) and say you are disappointed. Which is is? Pretty much everyone who was against this said he would pay more if it was not RNG, or that he wants bundles like the halloween bundle. Mike said they will be doing exactly that in the future, and now this is once again not ok?I meant nothing is changing in the present set; i.e. no individual skins for sale from the current batch of thirty, already bought skins that are unwanted or unuseable will not be sell-able on the Trading Post. That's what I wanted most, so yes, I am disappointed. I don't know -- none of us do -- if by future individual sales he means they'll be 2000 gems each or not. I did buy the Halloween Spooky pack and like it, but if future bundles don't contain ALL skins that I like, I won't buy those. Does that satisfy you?

So he acknowledges missteps but doesn't sound sorry, and nothing's going to change. Wow. And then there's "... our next planned mount skin releases will focus on individual sales like the Reforged Warhound and bundles like the Spooky Mounts Pack." Does that mean the only way to get a skin will either be one overprice skin at a time or you have to buy a bundle? Color me SUPER DISAPPOINTED.

.> @pah.4931 said: It would be an option but still seems too pricey. I wish people could sell their unwanted skins on the TP. I have the feeling I want the ones that others don't. 'Cause I'm contrary that way.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Yes, you gambled gems and got a skin you cannot presently use unless you spend another 250 gold and unlock the griffon. Ain't RNG grand?

Another thought about how this could work (caveat: this is not my preferred method, which would be no RNG aspect to buying the mount skins at all, but that horse, I mean raptor, has left the barn and I doubt it's coming back) -- what if ANet announced new skins and said, "Here they are, you can buy them randomly or in one big expensive honkin' package and be the first to own them BUT in two (four, whatever) weeks' time they will be available for purchase individually in the Gem Shop." This way the whales and gamblers and impatient could get them first, and those of us who have more patience than money could wait.

But we don't all want particle effects. I want some of the more subtle skins but am not gambling on the chance of getting them or (more likely) not getting them.

Your very words; this is gambling. Spending 400 gems is risky in that I would hope for a desired result, and it is risky in that I would most likely end up with a skin I don't want and cannot gift or sell. Haha! You've made the same mistake I was making for ages there thinking GreyWolf and WolfHeart are the same person. It made the conversation between the two of them particularly confusing to follow. Oops, sorry! Yes, the quote thing can be a mess. Yesterday someone was "quoting" me yet it was nothing I said at all; it was someone else. OK, Witch of Doom out for now. Carry on!

Your very words; this is gambling. Spending 400 gems is risky in that I would hope for a desired result, and it is risky in that I would most likely end up with a skin I don't want and cannot gift or sell. Which will be different for every player. It is a gamble if you won't be happy with any skin possibly being the outcome. If you will be happy with any of the skins, then it isn't a gamble. It is not 100% black and white gambling.And I'm sure there are many people who sit in casinos, hour after hour, pulling that handle, saying, "I'm not gambling; I'm socializing with my best friend Mr. Slot Machine." Rationalization at its finest. Whatever. Not arguing over whether or not RNG in games is gambling, as I clearly think it is but you do not.

Your very words; this is gambling. Spending 400 gems is risky in that I would hope for a desired result, and it is risky in that I would most likely end up with a skin I don't want and cannot gift or sell.

Can we please stop using real living things that need a real home as the equivalent to this? It's absurd. There are so many more factors that go into adopting an animal than getting a mount skin in a video game. Then perhaps that should start with ANet themselves, who went the marketing-puffery route by advertising the new mount skins license as "The Reforged Warhound and friends are looking for homes! Adopt a new best friend from the Black Lion Stables!"

I'm not seeing many people wanting ANet and GW2 to fail. If we play and enjoy the game, why on earth would we want it to fail? Personally I hope ANet realizes the RNG aspect was a mistake to most players and changes it. I want ANet and GW2 to do well and keep putting out content, maps, things to do, things to buy. Honestly happy for you that you wouldn't mind getting any of the mount skins. As for me, there are more I dislike compared to ones I do like, and I'd be furious if I gambled 400 gems and got one of the (imo) ugly ones. I'm reading comments from my guildmates on another site about how angry/upset/sad they are that they gambled and got what in their minds is an ugly skin. A few are happy, but more are unhappy.

OMG, no. That is adding gambling to gambling. smh

Uff da, pages and pages more of comments to read since yesterday. That's good though -- ANet must know they have a PR disaster on their hands if they don't do something quickly. To add to my comments earlier, which boiled down to "no RNG, make each skin buyable on its own, make the plainer ones less expensive than the fancy-flashy ones," I'd like to add something I haven't seen addressed. ANet, if you don't sell the skins individually and by choice, how do you know which ones are the most popular and which ones people REALLY want to spend their gems on? Don't you want to know which direction your artists should go, where they should be spending their time and talents? Sure, maybe more people want the fiery or starry ones, but will they pay more for them than the plainer ones? Personally I want a couple of the more subdued ones, especially for the Skimmer, whose default in-game appearance is less than thrilling for me. I got the Halloween Spooky pack and am glad I did, because often I just dye my mounts all black and really like it. Yeah, I'm dull. But I have gems to spend! Thank you.

I hope all the ANet suits and employees who were involved with putting the mount skins behind RNG watch this. Again, make the skins available individually and by choice, and I will buy some.

Actually, I would. After previewing all the new mount skins, I prefer the more subtle ones, although some of the Raptor ones are too bland. The flashiest ones are IMO tacky and I think they look pretty ridiculous in-game. Personal opinion only; if you love them, great, but not everyone does.

Preach it, sister/brother. And then there's Grenth's Outfit, which appears to show, over the crotch area, a skull vomiting up a phallus. You can't make this stuff up, folks.