When and how much do you tip?

[EpicName.4523]

I speak about jumping puzzles, especially particularly annoying ones like Chalice of Tears. 

 

Do you tip when you get ported to the end of a daily JP and if so, how much? 

 

Just when do you tip people in general and what is the acceptable amount?

[kharmin.7683]

Well, the ports are essentially "free" so tipping isn't mandatory.  I will usually tip 1gp unless the mesmer porting is asking for tips (which I find crass) in which case it would be far less.

[Flasterko.4087]

When I have money I give 1gold.

[AgentMoore.9453]

Boy howdy, this varies I guess.

20-50 silver is usually my go-to for someone just porting normal, non-challenging puzzles, 1-5 gold for really frustrating puzzles (sent to each Mesmer if a chain of them are helping people through), variable amounts of gold for someone who is porting and also doing so on a hilarious character, 1-5 gold for effective commanders running HP trains or other dedicated content.

Tips, at least for me, can also be affected by someone's demeanor. If a person is aggressive or openly begging for tips, I'm not as inclined to use whatever service they're offering. Once, I had a person - sitting AFK in the Khan Ur cavern, offering in LFG to let people join their squad and use a TP to friend for faster access to the chests there - send me an angry chain of in-game mails several hours later demanding 10 gold for the service (despite their LFG saying 'tips appreciated :)' and nothing more). Most people aren't like this though, so don't let it put you off tipping helpful players.

Your mileage may vary when it comes to tips, when to give, and how much is appropriate, but mostly people seem happy to be sent whatever whenever.

[thehipone.6812]

I tip commensurate to my estimate of the time that it saves me, with a rate of about 20g/hr applied.  I usually don't take ports for the easy daily stuff, but for that I'm tossing them 1g if I do seek out a port for some reason.  For chalice of tears or searing ascent, the guide videos alone are 12-15 minutes long.  Add on the time that I'd spend flipping back and forth figuring out where to go or missing a jump and I'm tipping 10g for searing ascent and 20g for chalice of tears. 

[AlCapwnd.7834]

Ive tipped anywhere between 1 gold and 5 MC's. Chalice was 5 MC's and was well worth it for me.

[Batel.9206]

For the people who shepherd blind cats through a blizzard--I mean, who run hero point trains--I give as much as I'm able to, which is anywhere between five and fifteen gold depending on how much I actually have right then.

[Farohna.6247]

1 gold for daily jumping puzzle ports.  5 gold for the very long, multi checkpoint puzzles.  

[asterix.9614]

For normal jp I tip mesmers 5 gold, for chalice of tears 30-35 gold, as I have been known to wander around and accidently fall down somehow just because I get bored easily and wander about in the wrong place.

[Handsel.2891]

I think I should dust off my mesmer and strike up a porting enterprise...

I don't tip. Sue me.

Then again, I only use the portal if it happens to be up when I'm passing by. I usually thank them in chat, though.

Edited November 11, 2021 by MikeG.6389

[Handsel.2891]

6 hours ago, AgentMoore.9453 said:

Once, I had a person - sitting AFK in the Khan Ur cavern, offering in LFG to let people join their squad and use a TP to friend for faster access to the chests there - send me an angry chain of in-game mails several hours later demanding 10 gold for the service (despite their LFG saying 'tips appreciated :)' and nothing more).

Sheesh... Some people...

What about the checkpoints in that JP? You can't open the chest without lighting all the braziers along the way, so if the person was sitting at the end chest, they didn't really help all that much. The last section is rather easy, compared to the one over the pond, at least.

[Linken.6345]

9 minutes ago, MikeG.6389 said:

Sheesh... Some people...

What about the checkpoints in that JP? You can't open the chest without lighting all the braziers along the way, so if the person was sitting at the end chest, they didn't really help all that much. The last section is rather easy, compared to the one over the pond, at least.

I think it was in the vault and there you can open all the chests but the big one that you need keys from meta events.

[Handsel.2891]

11 minutes ago, Linken.6345 said:

I think it was in the vault and there you can open all the chests but the big one that you need keys from meta events.

Right. I missed the plural on the word chests.

And it somehow makes it even more confusing. The small chests offer so little reward that demanding 10 gold for the access is just laughable.

[Harfang.1507]

It would seem I am of the cheaper variety. For most daily JP's, I tip 10 s by default. I sometimes give more if it is one I know to be very aggravating. Searing Ascent? Gold! HP Trains I tip proportional to the number of HP's that get unlocked.

 

In the same vein, I am curious whether people tip, and how much, for joining someone in their home instance.

[Harfang.1507]

3 hours ago, asterix.9614 said:

For normal jp I tip mesmers 5 gold, for chalice of tears 30-35 gold, as I have been known to wander around and accidently fall down somehow just because I get bored easily and wander about in the wrong place.

With the way you count your money, are you sure you aren't Obélix? 😁

[Alcatraznc.3869]

1-2 gold, depending on my mood. 

[SkyCake.4216]

I'll usually tip 2 gold to comms that are fun and interact with the squad. If the comm has a lieutenant that does all the talking, I'll tip the LT instead. 

[Doggie.3184]

Just the

[ProtoGunner.4953]

I usually do not tip.

[Tyncale.1629]

When I had to do the chalice of tears again for the Return to achievement I tipped 5 gold, that was certainly worth it.  For simple puzzles I do not tip the Mesmer, but I always type out a sincere "Thanks!" , then do a /cheer, fire off the fireworks launcher and maybe even do a little /dance.  So helping to cheer up the place!  🙂 (Pink is the Best). 

 

To give something back, I often run a Full Home Instance where I never want tips, even stating so in the lfg to make sure the more shy folks will join the group too. 

[Funky.4861]

For annoying jp's it's generally 1g. Chalice and searing ascent it was nothing cos i did them myself. I suspect the amount varies between eu/na servers, as tipping is not as hardcore in the uk, where table staff are actually paid and don't rely on tips to get by.

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

Not using portals from mesmers. But I have to rely on mercenaries once in a while. Depending on the task 3-5 gold. When purchasing stuff from other players (for guildhall upgrades) I usually round up to full gold and try to get an even number. 

When helping others, I usually refuse tips in general. If we have a small chat and a good time, that is payment enough.

[Gibson.4036]

I used to tip daily jumping puzzles, but then I got several tips returned to me, and saw people on a previous "what do you tip thread" saying that on normal-difficulty puzzles tipping isn't customary, so I stopped. Now, after reading this, I'm thinking I should have been?

This is why tipping in real life gives me hives. The rules and expectations seem to be constantly changing.

I don't make nearly as much gold as others here seem to. My main source of income is daily completionist and fusing quartz, which comes out to a little under 4g/day. I've never been much of a farmer, and tend to use my mats rather than sell them.

20s for a daily JP seems reasonable... thats 10% of what you're getting for completionist.

I'm kind of surprised by people reacting poorly to players saying they'll accept tips. I find that helpful. It lets me know expectations. I get being put off if it is presented in a demanding way, but "Tips appreciated, thanks!" seems like a great, friendly way to let me know someone would appreciate a return for their time.

-------------------------------

On a related question, is it rude to offer portals if you were portaled? If I take someone's portal up, should I not offer portals to other players while the original portaller is still around?

For that matter, if I do the jumping puzzle, and there's already someone portalling, would it be ruder to also start offering portals?

[Lyssia.4637]

16 hours ago, Farohna.6247 said:

1 gold for daily jumping puzzle ports.  5 gold for the very long, multi checkpoint puzzles.  

That's what I give, too, with a thanks in chat, and I'll sometimes give more if I have the gold, if someone comes by and stops to help me or a small group of people having trouble (instead of doing it "service style"), or if they're especially nice or helpful.  I'm always surprised at the number of surprised mails I get back thanking me for the tip; I'm guessing a lot of people don't tip at all.  I can't do jumping puzzles at all, so I figure, it's the least I can do for the ability to complete content I'd otherwise just have to pass on.

[neighto.7386]

I don't tip for Jump Puzzles.   They aren't that hard, and find it incredibly off putting that people ask for handouts for doing basically nothing.   That said, I have tipped well (10-25G)  for the first time I got helped through Chalice (the only real tough JP in the game)  and for the dive goggles and how to fall to the water at the end of Not So Secret as they were ones I couldn't manage on my own.  

 

If I am in the position of porting people up... I never take tips from them, thanks is more than enough for me... I have seen tips ranging from 10s-4g in all the years of porting JPs.      

 

So really, the answer is tip if you want to, and tip what fits with your budget.   Tips are NOT obligated!