Avenrise.3592

So a thought popped into my head last night that maybe would be worth posting here: GW2 is built upon the gem store. It's an important part of the game's business model and the game wouldn't be here without it. However it's been clear for a while that skins in the store are taking precedence over those earned in game and it's a model that's caused a bit of friction over the past few years. But what if I said that you could introduce new skins to the game via the gem store... but also have to earn them in game? My idea is that instead of flat out buying a skin from the store, you purchase the ability to unlock it via a collection. You can see the finished product on the gem store page but you only buy the initial book/tome that opens the achievement. This collection could be long or short, easy or hard (maybe difficulty listed on the gem page?) and take you to many different locations/game modes. There may have to be a way to cater for PvP'ers and WvW'ers but as I don't participate in those I cant really comment. It scratches two itches- ANET's need to, you know, make a profit and the players wants for in game earn-able skins and reasons to revisit content that they have otherwise given up on. Now I understand there is an issue... this isnt going to magically make skins have more prestige. You cant have a gem store item that ends a collection with 'Go kill Dhuum CM' as it really wouldn't sell. BUT you could introduce a way to upgrade that item in some way (or any other item for that matter) by doing that super hard content? Maybe that's a 2nd idea... Yes this is content that could otherwise be given with free collections but at the end of the day we have to accept that the Gem Store is what keeps the game afloat here. Why not make the best of a 'bad' situation?

Youve got it in one, was using an old bookmark. Thanks both!

Didnt want to start another thread so necro'd an old one. Immortius' site seems to be down, I just wondered if there was an alternative to generally check what I've unlocked.

(wonders whether this thread is read by the devs) I'm just slightly confused as to why only some of the 2000gems mounts have footfalls. As it stands, unless you're rich, you're only going to be able to buy one or two of these unless you save up so why would you ever pick the Goaty McGoatface springer skin over another flashier skin like the Primal Spirit Jackal. Give them all footfalls and/or a unique summon effect and you're more likely to see the others be given a fairer chance. It may also encourage people to aim for the whole set.

I'm not saying that this is an issue because I don't profess to speak for anyone but myself. However with the game being seen as extremely inclusive it baffles me that 9 years later we still have Male and Female options when creating a character. I'm not suggesting a third should be added for non-binary... why not just remove the text below the characters?

Thanks for all the replies everyone, it's given me a great guide for when EoD is released. Having had a think I might give it a few days after launch for the major bugs to be patched and in the meantime just avoid all social media, forums and game chat! I'm pretty casual with GW2 anyway so it's not like I can't take a few days off. When in game I'm thinking of prioritising the story but stopping between maps and taking a day or two to fully explore. Get to know the events/metas, talk to some NPCs and generally get immersed before moving on. Having rushed through S2>S4 I think I can take my time this time around.

So despite me playing from beta my extended break encompassed both HoT and PoF launches. I experienced these after the fact (just before IBS) so I have no experience with regards to what these times were like for the playerbase. Did you wait a few days to enable bug fixes to be patched? I'm most interested in the lore and world of GW2 and will choose this over rewards every time. For those that think similarly... did you stop the story at intervals to go exploring? Before moving to the next map maybe? If so how long did you explore for before moving on? How did you avoid spoilers both inside and outside of the game? With regards to the Guild Halls, did you jump straight in and grab ASAP? If so, did this cause any issues with spoilers? With regards to the Strikes are you going to experience them as they are presented to you or once the story has concluded? I'm sure I'm going to think of some more but this will do for now!

Disclaimer- I know nothing about coding, this may be impossible to do in engine so ignore if that's the case. Just occurred to me that ANET could possibly be able to introduce a cosmetic wardrobe within the current framework of the game - have cosmetic changes save BETWEEN build templates. For those that use all their slots already (you crazy people) there would have to be a trade off somewhere but for those of us that use very little it could be used to just save the same build and just change cosmetics. It would certainly give me a reason to buy more slots!

Okay so idea time. There's tons of items in the game that are named after historical figures or locations or are meant to represent an item from the past but outside of trophy value they're largely useless in the grand scheme of things. For example ascended trinkets with the wrong stats but have a name or location associated with them. They are essentially good for alts, salvage or nothing if you're legendary and are essentially dead drops for some players in the game. Many other items found on vendors or dropped from mobs sound important but dont actually mean anything. What about creating new mini collections based on these items from all around the game. You can link them with lore from the past, use them to teach the story as you go along and travel across Tyria and Cantha finding the next part. The end result? An item you can display either as a placeable novelty, a guild hall item or if housing ever comes to GW2 a display with those items on for your own instance. The item can be interacted with to tell the story and visually it will contain all the items you have collected. Think... a bust with a set of jewelry or a decorative box containing those items.

Just adding my view quickly! I agree with you about pre-purchasing.. and yet I pre-purchased EoD. The risks associated with pre-purchasing an MMO expansion, or expansions in general, are much smaller than when you pre-purchase an 'offline' game. You know you like the game, the systems involved and the style and are buying more of the same. In the case of an MMO it's adding to an existing world and it's content that if you do not enjoy it you can just ignore it and carry on playing the game after experiencing it. In the specific case of GW2 theyre showing you large parts what youre going to get and even letting you test out some of it. It is also, opinion here, very cheap for the perceived content you are getting. If you know for a fact the expansion interests you, you can afford it now and you will likely buy it on launch anyway then why wait?

This is going to get lost in this thread but it's a small suggestion so not worth a separate thread. We now have the tech for coop chairs and this could open up all kinds of possibilities. Cuddle benches for couples springs to mind! What also pops into my head (not sure why) is a few years ago IRL where people were doing the ice bucket challenge for charity. What if you had a specialised chair that one person bought, then everyone else can use that chair to dump various liquid/items over the first player. The animation is already there for a 'pouring' motion with a bucket, just link that to a step behind the chair (he says as a non-programmer like its super easy) Donate some of that gem store purchase to charity and you've got a decent charity event that the playerbase will probably lap up.

Just when you think ANET are done with the surprises.....BAM! Coop chairs. I love this game so much.

Im talking purely as an outsider here and that may be the case. I dont profess to speak for the entire playerbase (like some on the forums seem to want to do!), just writing what I personally see as a potential problem. If I'm wrong then, well, I'm really happy to be wrong as there isnt an issue! To respond to the 'You dont need LW content'... well, it's the same as saying you dont need the expansions. Technically true but youre missing out on a huge amount of content. LW episodes are integral to the story, provide new maps, new farming/meta opportunities and currently provide a couple of mounts as has been mentioned. They are in themselves expansions. With regards to the charging $ thing... if ANET are willing to point, in big neon lights outside of the game, towards the fact you can use gold to get gems to then buy the LW episodes and explain how to do this then no worries, $ not needed. Otherwise my uneducated mind doesnt see harm in charging $2.50 an episode outside of the game (cost of 200 gems) (cheaper for buying all) and listing what you get for your $. Frankly IMO its a bargain even if youre using real money.

So I'm a no-lifer and spend a lot of time on the forums and Reddit just reading for the most part and like to see what the general feeling is regarding the game. One thing that I feel is coming up more and more (apart from the blight that is AFK farmers!) is the issue of Living World content and in particular the fact that there does seem to be a disconnect between expansions and LW. The 'Return To...' events have been a huge success in my opinion. I obviously don't have access to the analytics but content is being revisited and populated by current players and new players are coming in and enjoying, well, the free stuff. But now that we're approaching the end of the 'event' what now? Where is the signposting as to what is needed to get these new maps and content? Apart from word of mouth where are the directions to buy this content? LW episodes are ridiculously cheap IMO for what you actually get and dont need a promotion/discount. But to players of other MMOs the concept of buying expansions then using gems to buy content in between may seem alien to them and I've seen countless instances of players just playing the expansions and getting confused at the story jump, not even knowing about LW and what it is. There needs to be a clearer way of buying LW content. More signposts and a focus on explaining exactly what LW is in terms that other MMO players can understand. It is episodic mini expansion content with story that ties into the main game+expansions and adds a new map(if applicable). In my opinion, and many might disagree or have other ideas so feel free to post below, I feel just charging cash for the content would clear a lot of the confusion up. In that way it would be easier to bundle with expansions and you can basically explain that its, at its core, a mini expansion. Still offer the content for free to those that log in and in terms of cost it should be the same as the gem price is/will be. Lets be clear- I understand why they are being offered for gems. Essentially its ANET saying 'you can earn LW content in game if you wish, whether thats logging in or gold>gems' which is a really great business practice but at the end of the day it has caused a lot of confusion and it's not like ANET can come out publicly and say 'buy our content with in game gold rather than give us $'. In my own opinion the game would benefit from just simplifying things and marketing the LW episodes as being very important if you want this extra content. Obviously feel free to state your own opinions :) Edit: So I feel I went off on a tangent to my original point. If you want just ignore the 'charging $ for LW' thing, that was more me just spit-balling. The main point I wanted to raise was the issue of confusion due to LW being, essentially, an in game buyable thing as opposed to treated like expansion content. Marketing itself would help without my '$' idea.

Just to clarify, my original post suggesting a new type of boss / new combat possibilities based on Skiffs and the Siege Turtle would be future content. Nothing we are going to see anytime soon but the thought of the type of combat these two could introduce to the game really makes me excited for the future of the game. I have seen many posts saying that they bring very little to the game but novelty value but when you start to look to the new mechanics that can be introduced as a result of these? Crazy IMO... just got to hope the devs have the same vision I guess! Underwater combat itself... shouldnt be expanded upon IMO but it still has a place in the game in the form of short set pieces in, say, a boss fight or of course the exploration side of things.

Sitting here with my morning coffee and something really cool just popped into my head. The introduction of Skiffs and Siege Turtles has potentially opened up a new way of fighting and in turn has maybe meant that a differently designed world boss would be possible. With Skiffs being able to carry an entire party, players can use them as mobile barges to either travel to set locations and then complete said objective OR use the Skiff as a mobile turret of sorts, the players being the guns. Imagine being out on the sea, islands dotted around and a giant...well, lets just say Kraken for now, in the middle. Evil Kraken dude is just throwing out old ships parts as projectiles, slamming its tentacles into the water and generally getting angry as all hell that we're in its home shooting at it. Skiffs as far as the eye can see racing to either get a better position or a mad dash to the neighbouring islands to complete the objectives. There's the occasional task under the water for those that crave a little underwater combat (you're mad) where the Skiff players jump out and Skimmer up to travel down into the depths. All the while Siege Turtles are bombarding the Kraken from afar or maybe have other objectives like breaking defiance bars of something getting in the way, dealing with adds on the islands or maybe used during set sequences to stun 'said beasty'. Skiffs and Siege Turtles are exciting as they are but I'm not sure players fully grasp the type of content they could bring with them. I'm not saying this is coming but there's potential there for something new and exciting.

This is going to sound like a complete cop out... I don't tip but I do 'pass on' the generosity at Xmas by doing multiple Secret Santa donations. I mean I'm pretty sure I'd do Secret Santa anyway but the sense of community in GW2 during the year just makes me more sure that sending fairly expensive things is the right thing to do. That makes sense right?

Never mind, troll post. Move along folks!

You didn't read the quote properly. Q3 likely doesnt contain the EoD figures. But even if it did you can't directly compare between expansions. What matters is that GW2 seems to be on the up while NC's other MMOs are flagging a little. This is great news for GW2 (not so much for the other titles) as NC might be more likely to double down on a product that is on the up.

I just replied to another thread with this exact article :p Good news all round!

https://massivelyop.com/2021/11/11/ncsoft-q3-2021-financials-guild-wars-2-just-had-its-best-quarter-in-years/ 'We’re assuming that End of Dragons preorders aren’t realized in these figures yet, but the summer reveals and recent expansion beta events, coupled with the mass-exodus from a certain rival MMORPG, have pushed players to the game with their wallets in tow. All in all, it’s an excellent place to be as ArenaNet marches on to its February 2022 launch.' Took a 5 second Google...

So the ToS is a lot more vague than it needs to be. Essentially so long as someone can respond to a GM whispering them they are good to go. This, in my opinion, needs changing. Yes from a technical standpoint they are not AFK. But are they actually 'playing' the game to get those drops? THIS is what needs some clarification. ANET are not doing nothing, I know that but I don't agree that they have a hand on the situation purely because of the amount of new farmers I'm seeing popping up all over the places and in new maps. The amount of chatter on the subject over the past few weeks/months has increased also. To Veprovina specifically- material prices go down which means new players get less gold for their time not to mention those of us that don't want Legendaries. In addition this means you play the game less to get the Legendary... not sure that's something that's good for the game, are you? To those that are saying it's pointless posting about it no it really isn't. You cannot enact change by being quiet on a topic, you have to speak up. In this specific case I put in a Support ticket and was directly encouraged to make a forum post as devs 'often' read the forums for feedback. There's not a lot more I can personally do here, I don't wave my own personal ban hammer above my head. Lets just get more eyes on the problem, have a discussion and then see what happens.

...essentially because I was directed to do so by Support! I was informed that Support are just customer service and have no way to contact game devs which is absolutely fine, it's normal for many businesses but I was pointed towards the forums to maybe get dev eyes on the issue again. Just be aware that I am not here to personally debate the issue with other players although I'm sure others will for me (and no doubt the conversation will lead to getting the thread locked!) Posted to support: I am seeing more and more complaints on both the forums, on Reddit and even on GW2 Twitch streams regarding the 'AFK farmers' (and semi-afk'ers just paying attention to chat) plaguing the game and really feel that this could become a much larger issue for GW2 going forward. We have already had the massive disruption to the PvP ladder recently and that escalated from something small to something game breaking. I honestly feel that AFK farming needs addressing ASAP to stop it impacting the game more than it currently is. They are an eyesore and new 'afk farming spots' are popping up all over the game now because many see it as acceptable. Is there any way to, well, encourage those that could change the situation in some way to discuss what could be done in a meeting? Even if it's just a set of rules that could be officially laid out for the community as opposed to major changes of mechanics? (although personally I feel something does need to change with regards to player summons but that's just me). I just feel this is a problem that is going to escalate pretty quickly if the issue is not addressed and having that feeling for a game you're attached to you have a responsibility to speak out.

Tweeted by GW2 official twitter and rightly so, this is amazing!

I'm just wondering when we're going to see the Watchwork backpiece/glider set either in the store or the Statuette vendor really... it's been a little while! :)