Make skyscales mandatory

[Dark Red Killian.3946]

It took me 3 weeks after RELEASE of season 4, episode 6 to complete. I had to grind alk the skyscale food, the materials, and was timegated out much further. Anet made this so much easier to do now. Things like eternal ice shards let you convert. There are numerous achievements and festival rewards that give currency. Even the return to achievements give you a full stack of currency for completing. I had to grind each map meta back then and it was abyssal. You have it easy now. I see too many posts like this anymore. People need to stop comolaining about this already. If you want it, do the work. It is not going to change now.

[LucianDK.8615]

37 minutes ago, Dark Red Killian.3946 said:

It took me 3 weeks after RELEASE of season 4, episode 6 to complete. I had to grind alk the skyscale food, the materials, and was timegated out much further. Anet made this so much easier to do now. Things like eternal ice shards let you convert. There are numerous achievements and festival rewards that give currency. Even the return to achievements give you a full stack of currency for completing. I had to grind each map meta back then and it was abyssal. You have it easy now. I see too many posts like this anymore. People need to stop comolaining about this already. If you want it, do the work. It is not going to change now.

Exactly. If you think the Skyscale is a grind, then you will weep once trying to make legendaries.

[Gehenna.3625]

1 hour ago, Mortifera.6138 said:

Exactly, it is “optional” but makes all the difference. Just make it required and decrease the grind.

I don't really see why making it required is required for making the "grind" less. However, grind is very personal and not everybody will think of the same thing when you say "insane grind". It took me a while, but I wouldn't call it insane... just a lot. For me the argument is more along the lines of it's a one-time grind for your entire account and it's actually worth it after it's done. 

 

And you can take as long as you want. I got it in a few weeks but there's nothing that says you have to. Just do a little bit each time you play and at some point you'll be done. The thing is that you need to pace yourself with this sort of thing instead of looking at the whole list of things that you need to do for it. Small steps will get it done...it's just that it takes longer but you'll get there just the same.

[babak.3654]

I'm doing the Skyscale collection at the moment and have got as far as Troublesome Skyscales. It's a long series of collections but I'm working on it in the downtime between "Return to" instalments (which also reward the needed stack of each LS4 mat) or other activities. Done that way it's been ok. I don't think the collection itself is excessive as currently implemented.

 

I'm going to disagree that there aren't any issues, though. I have every other mount (including Griffon and Beetle) but still find myself left a long way behind on some meta events. It must be frustrating for newer players, and will become worse over time as more and more established players get around to unlocking the Skyscale mount. It's also gated behind the Living Story 4 episodes, which not everyone will have access to going forward, unless Arenanet chooses to roll them into the core game at some point as they did with Heart of Thorns.

[LucianDK.8615]

3 minutes ago, babak.3654 said:

I'm doing the Skyscale collection at the moment and have got as far as Troublesome Skyscales. It's a long series of collections but I'm working on it in the downtime between "Return to" instalments (which also reward the needed stack of each LS4 mat) or other activities. Done that way it's been ok. I don't think the collection itself is excessive as currently implemented.

 

I'm going to disagree that there aren't any issues, though. I have every other mount (including Griffon and Beetle) but still find myself left a long way behind on some meta events. It must be frustrating for newer players, and will become worse over time as more and more established players get around to unlocking the Skyscale mount. It's also gated behind the Living Story 4 episodes, which not everyone will have access to going forward, unless Arenanet chooses to roll them into the core game at some point as they did with Heart of Thorns.

See it as an incitament to aquire the ls4 episodes.  I am sure it wont be the last time they will be offered for free.

[Sugar Min.5834]

On 9/22/2021 at 6:12 AM, Mortifera.6138 said:

Then we won't have to trade our souls in trying to acquire one.

 

Seriously, the grind is unreal. And it's always excused with: "Well, it's optional!"

 

I'd rather have a mandatory skyscale that wasn't an egregious grind than an optional skyscale that left me feeling excluded and inferior for not being able to obtain one.

Why would you feel excluded and inferior for not having a skyscale? Tell yourself it has nothing to do with ability but wants. I don't have one either and to date i am fine with my Griffon. The super grind really put me off and i would rather be doing something i enjoyed than forcing myself to grind all day.

On meta maps, my Griffon flies way faster than any skyscales. And, when it comes to higher grounds, my bunny can jump way higher than any skyscales. I know many will say you can slowly take your time to acquire it but the thing is, when i have nothing to do in game, I would rather log out and do the stuff i like IRL. Definitely not going to do long boring chores in a game. I do have a decent social life.

Edited September 22, 2021 by Mil.3562

[Julischka Bean.7491]

Lisa walks into thread with a concerned look on her face.

 

Mortifera, I am a solo player.  I am a Klutz and do not want to inflict myself on other players, though honestly, that appears to be changing..I actually tagged along on a few Bounty runs the other day and nobody ordered me to go elsewhere.

 

Solo or not, I wanted the Skyscale and after reading up on the requirements, I went for it.

 

What a journey.  I stomped into these forums several times when I ran into roadblocks and two wonderful people upon reading my  posts, found me in-game, and helped with the few parts that I needed help with.

 

I think, solo, without the help I had, the hardest part for me, was playing ball with the baby Skyscale...did I say I was a Klutz?

 

You should do just fine.

 

Anyway, there are wonderful, helpful guides online only a google search away.

 

If you get stuck, give a cry in map chat and I bet you will get assistance.

 

This flying critter was meant to take time to get.  It is the nature of the beast.

 

If you want to fly about, you have to earn it...and if I got it, I am positive you will too.

 

Big warm virtual Texas size hugs to you.

Lisa.

 

[Obfuscate.6430]

There are people who complain that the game is too casual because there are no worthy goals that are difficult, that there isn't enough content that gives them a feeling of accomplishment or progression. 
WELL, welcome to the type of content that accomplishes delivering all of the above with a reward that actually adds so much more to the sense of exploration to the game and even goes so far as to diminish much of the difficulty in certain maps entirely.  

In the process of earning the currencies you need, you should be exploring, experiencing the metas, stock piling materials and gold as well as looking in to certain map/story related achievements. It's an all around win when it comes to what this game has to offer. The skyscale offers convenience but the other mounts can get you to the areas the skyscale can, so you have a way to accomplish what you need to while working on getting it. 

Look, trust me on this - these long haul collection grinds are Guild Wars 2's way of giving people long term goals that feel worth it. I'm working on my 4th legendary weapon. Even though I've been playing since launch, I still find the last part of it (making the gifts) to be a grind due to my limited time and disinterest in farming.  But it's supposed to be your hard work paying off. Don't you want to experience that?
If not, there's not going to be much in the long term for you to really work towards and enjoy. 
 

[kharmin.7683]

5 hours ago, Mortifera.6138 said:

Exactly, it is “optional” but makes all the difference. Just make it required and decrease the grind.

I agree!  So is legendary gear.  It is not required to complete content.  Let's give it away for free, too.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

4 hours ago, Julischka Bean.7491 said:

Lisa walks into thread with a concerned look on her face.

 

Mortifera, I am a solo player.  I am a Klutz and do not want to inflict myself on other players, though honestly, that appears to be changing..I actually tagged along on a few Bounty runs the other day and nobody ordered me to go elsewhere.

 

Solo or not, I wanted the Skyscale and after reading up on the requirements, I went for it.

 

What a journey.  I stomped into these forums several times when I ran into roadblocks and two wonderful people upon reading my  posts, found me in-game, and helped with the few parts that I needed help with.

 

I think, solo, without the help I had, the hardest part for me, was playing ball with the baby Skyscale...did I say I was a Klutz?

 

You should do just fine.

 

Anyway, there are wonderful, helpful guides online only a google search away.

 

If you get stuck, give a cry in map chat and I bet you will get assistance.

 

This flying critter was meant to take time to get.  It is the nature of the beast.

 

If you want to fly about, you have to earn it...and if I got it, I am positive you will too.

 

Big warm virtual Texas size hugs to you.

Lisa.

 

Pretty sure the OP has had the Skyscale for quite some time. Save your kindness for those that deserve such attention. 

[mythical.6315]

7 hours ago, babak.3654 said:

I'm going to disagree that there aren't any issues, though. I have every other mount (including Griffon and Beetle) but still find myself left a long way behind on some meta events. It must be frustrating for newer players, and will become worse over time as more and more established players get around to unlocking the Skyscale mount. It's also gated behind the Living Story 4 episodes, which not everyone will have access to going forward, unless Arenanet chooses to roll them into the core game at some point as they did with Heart of Thorns.

It’s an issue with players not properly using the mounts available to them. There really isn’t anywhere that skyscale gives a significant advantage over other players and in the majority of cases it’s actually inferior to using the other mounts. 

[babak.3654]

24 minutes ago, mythical.6315 said:

It’s an issue with players not properly using the mounts available to them. There really isn’t anywhere that skyscale gives a significant advantage over other players and in the majority of cases it’s actually inferior to using the other mounts. 

 

I don't entirely agree. Yes the different mounts combined can have similar capabilities, but it isn't uncommon to get stuck in combat transitioning from one to the other. Also while the Springer can jump high it needs appropriate geometry to climb, which can be inconsistent. 

[Eraden.8740]

The ONLY location that I can think of where the skyscale is clearly at an advantage over all of the other mounts is Dragonfall. Not surprising as it is the location where you start your skyscale quest. Everywhere else, there is at least one or two mounts that can do as well if not better than a skyscale at getting around. I don't even count Verdant Brink as such a location as a combination of bunny, gliding and just plain knowing how the zone works, will get you the same or better results.

[Walle.6045]

I don't understand? Its a mmo literally a genre designed to be a time sync. 3 weeks is nothing, it could be done in less than a day if it was not for time gating especially with them handing out the mats with these replay chapters.

 

Should change name to thread to, no excuse not to have a skyscale now

[Panda.1967]

On 9/21/2021 at 5:17 PM, Hannelore.8153 said:

If you want a less stressful option, go with Griffon instead which was designed to be more easily acquired by casual players.

It must have been a very long time since you've been a casual player... 250gold is not exactly an easy casual grind... the vast majority of true casual players have a mere fraction of that at any given moment, because despite what some people in this community seem to think, gold doesn't just rain from the heavens. I've been playing the game off and on since the original beta and The most I have EVER had at one time (without buying via gems) was 50 gold, and it took me MONTHS to earn that much.

 

Quite frankly, comparing what is needed to get a skyscale to the mountain of gold required for the griffon, I would much rather do the skyscale grind.

Edited September 23, 2021 by Panda.1967

[mythical.6315]

8 minutes ago, Panda.1967 said:

It must have been a very long time since you've been a casual player... 250gold is not exactly an easy casual grind... the vast majority of true casual players have a mere fraction of that at any given moment, because despite what some people in this community seem to think, gold doesn't just rain from the heavens. I've been playing the game off and on since the original beta and The most I have EVER had at one time (without buying via gems) was 50 gold, and it took me MONTHS to earn that much.

 

Quite frankly, comparing what is needed to get a skyscale to the mountain of gold required for the griffon, I would much rather do the skyscale grind.

The most was 50G?  That’s about 25 days of spending five minutes of doing dailies. That’s about 2-3 hours of farming. If it took you months to earn 50G then you really weren’t doing anything in the game. 

[mythical.6315]

1 hour ago, babak.3654 said:

 

I don't entirely agree. Yes the different mounts combined can have similar capabilities, but it isn't uncommon to get stuck in combat transitioning from one to the other. Also while the Springer can jump high it needs appropriate geometry to climb, which can be inconsistent. 

Getting stuck in combat is more of a rarity and also a lack of awareness of one’s surroundings and executing proper aggro control. If you have the mounts hotkeyed, you can quickly transition from one to the other is under a second. The situations where using a springer vs a skyscale will causes someone to be left behind during meta events is marginal at best. If you disagree then provide examples. 

[costepj.5120]

45 minutes ago, Panda.1967 said:

It must have been a very long time since you've been a casual player... 250gold is not exactly an easy casual grind... the vast majority of true casual players have a mere fraction of that at any given moment, because despite what some people in this community seem to think, gold doesn't just rain from the heavens. I've been playing the game off and on since the original beta and The most I have EVER had at one time (without buying via gems) was 50 gold, and it took me MONTHS to earn that much.

 

Quite frankly, comparing what is needed to get a skyscale to the mountain of gold required for the griffon, I would much rather do the skyscale grind.

Everyone plays the game differently and has different priorities, but acquiring 50 Gold is trivial. I spend about 30-45 minutes each day on my "to do list", which I know isn't possible or desirable for some players, but you can adapt the list to your own preferences. For me that's enough time to complete my dailies, Dragonstorm, Matriarch, AB meta and harvest my home instance/hidden garden/Guild Hall. Which combined with the login reward means on average I'm already up nearly 10 Gold before I get on with whatever content is flavour of the week.

[Mik.3401]

I found the process enjoyable past the first collections because I took it easy in doses over time.

if you want to speed run it just to have the skyskale NOW and put skins on it NOW then you gonna be frustrated yes.

Edited September 23, 2021 by Mik.3401

[Rasimir.6239]

1 hour ago, Panda.1967 said:

I've been playing the game off and on since the original beta and The most I have EVER had at one time (without buying via gems) was 50 gold, and it took me MONTHS to earn that much.

Check your material storage. Long-term players tend to have hundreds if not thousands of materials in storage that are easy enough to aquire that they could very well cash in on them to fund other stuff. Other games have conditioned us to hoard materials, but this game relies on regular trading, and a lot of wealth is hidden behind drops that disappear into material storage without you noticing it.

[AlenaVolkova.8179]

Well, at least it's not 250 gold or more this time. With the LW event, one can get quite good amount of map currency.

[costepj.5120]

3 minutes ago, Rasimir.6239 said:

Check your material storage. Long-term players tend to have hundreds if not thousands of materials in storage that are easy enough to aquire that they could very well cash in on them to fund other stuff. Other games have conditioned us to hoard materials, but this game relies on regular trading, and a lot of wealth is hidden behind drops that disappear into material storage without you noticing it.

Mystic coins being a prime example. If you login every day, you get 20 mystics coins every four weeks. That alone will raise over 40 Gold by selling on the TP. When the very casual members of my guild were working on acquiring their griffons, that's exactly how they raised the last bit of gold they needed.

[Dami.5046]

Two years on and we are still here? You could of done it by now.

[Rasimir.6239]

2 minutes ago, Dami.5046 said:

Two years on and we are still here? You could of done it by now.

Judging from their post history, the op has in fact been done for over a year already 😉 .

[SoulRepublican.9150]

The grind is not "unreal", I've never bothered to post anything on any forum before but this post is just so privileged and unnecessary. It's easy to say everything is a "grind" and make everything mandatory but that's for the weak. You literally do not need the skyscale for any content and even if you did, you would be able to rent one. You've had what feels like forever to obtain it. I don't remember how long ago it came out but I do remember it didn't take that much effort. So stop crying, play the game or leave, not sure that anyone would care either way.