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Gemstore makes me want to quit playing


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I’ve played this game since day one and I’ve definitely seen most of the content. Once you hit endgame, you’ll most likely be on a hunt for the most epic gear in the game. Legendary weapons aren’t just looking awesome, they’re a token of your effort and skill as a top tier player. Other players immediately understand you must be one strong dude and are looking forward to crafting one themselves one day.

 

Or so it should be.

 

Unfortunately, with the gemstore making more and more insanely looking weapons available to the average joe, aside from a few benefits, they completely lost their significance. Even people that have just started playing are running around looking like shiny unicorns and it makes me feel like all the effort I made to get my legendaries was kind of a waste.

 

So why not buy a few epic skins then?

 

I feel like epic gear should be something that makes you want to keep playing the game and try out more challenging content. And what else is there to do after you’ve seen everything to game has to offer? If I would just buy, then what incentive is there for playing raids or T4 fractals? Money? To buy what?

 

I understand this is a free game, and they need to make money somehow, but there should’ve been a line. I think weapons skins like the ones you find at The Vaults in LA  are acceptable, but anything with some kind of effect or animation should not have been there.

 

There is no way Anet would undo some of these changes, so in that sense this post is kind of pointless, but I’m very curious if more people feel discouraged to keep playing because of this.

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The bigger question is are we currently getting a return in terms of content for all these skins funding the game.

Im all for them putting as many shiny skins in the trading post - esp given the cost of legendary variants - but there needs to be a return in quality and output.

Everyone will have their own answer for whether we are getting that

Edited by Randulf.7614
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Nope.  Don't feel discouraged.  I play, earn more gold, save up, and then buy the pretty skins that I like.  That IS part of the endgame, imo.

There are many gorgeous skins that are exotics or from collections.  Some even have effects!  As for legendaries....to each their own.  I love my short bow and shooting little tigers.  Some love shooting little unicorns that scream.  I agree some are unappealing to my senses, but the convenience of stat swapping on different characters and also the fun and challenge of making them is part of the endgame.  Do I think it takes away from them if someone has a shiny transmute... absolutely not.

Why do you think the Black Lion skins are ok?  Because you can buy them off the TP?  They require someone to buy keys or farm a lot of them.  Interesting you perceive that as better than earning and converting gold, then buying it with gems.  

Also, not everyone likes roads or T4 or has the time to commit.   Sure, there are some things that would be nice.  But they're just skins, and I just say oh well and move on and find something else to decorate my little pixel doll with.

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The issue I have with your rationale and the gem store, is that Legendaries themselves can be simply bought with no effort at all. So while the pursuit and crafting of them does indeed represent an investment in significant resources (not really skill, just time), it doesn't really signify the level of skill and competence that you suggest it should... Maybe this could have been mitigated somewhat by adding some kind of bonus to those who craft and keep their legendaries versus those who purchase...  Though as a relatively unskilled player myself, I am grateful that I have been able to craft legendaries without having to demonstrate extraordinary levels of skill... that would have been frustrating.  Maybe you would argue I am undeserving...  While overall there might have been a more satisfying way to identify and reward crafters of Legendaries and I don't necessarily disagree with that ideal, in its current state I'm not sure that the availability of other skins diminishes the impact or perception of having a legendary or not... not from my perspective, anyway.  

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At this point, legendaries are more about convenience and quality of life, than the skins.  Account wide, stat selectable, free sigil and infusion extraction, free tranutasion. Stat-whise they are equal to ascended and most people assume that your weapon is ascended anyway, so why not use the skin you like. GW2 is a non-progressive mmorpg, so there is and will never be better gear than ascended, so there is no "epic" gear players can aspire to.

 

There are however epic skins 😁

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2 hours ago, Wallieappel.2640 said:

I’ve played this game since day one and I’ve definitely seen most of the content. Once you hit endgame, you’ll most likely be on a hunt for the most epic gear in the game. Legendary weapons aren’t just looking awesome, they’re a token of your effort and skill as a top tier player. Other players immediately understand you must be one strong dude and are looking forward to crafting one themselves one day.

 

Or so it should be.

 

Unfortunately, with the gemstore making more and more insanely looking weapons available to the average joe, aside from a few benefits, they completely lost their significance. Even people that have just started playing are running around looking like shiny unicorns and it makes me feel like all the effort I made to get my legendaries was kind of a waste.

 

So why not buy a few epic skins then?

 

I feel like epic gear should be something that makes you want to keep playing the game and try out more challenging content. And what else is there to do after you’ve seen everything to game has to offer? If I would just buy, then what incentive is there for playing raids or T4 fractals? Money? To buy what?

 

I understand this is a free game, and they need to make money somehow, but there should’ve been a line. I think weapons skins like the ones you find at The Vaults in LA  are acceptable, but anything with some kind of effect or animation should not have been there.

 

There is no way Anet would undo some of these changes, so in that sense this post is kind of pointless, but I’m very curious if more people feel discouraged to keep playing because of this.

I doubt very much that anyone ever thought you were some epic, powerful, or whatever dude because you completed a collection without any real challenge or skill requirement.

The only merits to legendary weapons are:

The Legendary Armory.

Free Reskins

Ascended stats, every stat option.

On the fly stat selection.

 

If you like the skin, kudos to you.

When I see someone running around with a ton of legendary weapons I dont think, "wow, how cool is he!?!?" I think, "wow, someone has spent a lot of time doing not challenging content."

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Actually I prefer some festival skins (SAB, holographic from Dragon Bash) - over the gem store stuff and over the legendary stuff. Legendaries I'm aiming only for one of each item type so I can gear chars and switch stats for free. This is like 16 or 19 weapons (including maybe some duplicates to fill both slots for 1-h stuff that can go in both hands) ... and them armor for each weight class.

Trying to mix the weapons - some from each generation. Not going for every skin there. (Well ... this might happen should I manage to somehow finish the main goal - to get one of each weapon as legendary. Then I could go for leftover skins just for the skin if needed.)

Edited by Luthan.5236
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30 minutes ago, Ashen.2907 said:

I doubt very much that anyone ever thought you were some epic, powerful, or whatever dude because you completed a collection without any real challenge or skill requirement.

The only merits to legendary weapons are:

The Legendary Armory.

Free Reskins

Ascended stats, every stat option.

On the fly stat selection.

 

If you like the skin, kudos to you.

When I see someone running around with a ton of legendary weapons I dont think, "wow, how cool is he!?!?" I think, "wow, someone has spent a lot of time doing not challenging content."

True, but my point is that I believe it should be like that. It's a shame they don't require any real skill. Only some require you to enter fractals or raids for the armor, but I think they should've all been like that. The point I was trying to make with this post specifically is that I think having gemstore items looking as epic as they do right now, it kind of removes the incentive to pursue it in-game, as I personally believe that is the main reason to make them. For you the benefits might be enough. And that's fine. I just want to know your opinions.

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33 minutes ago, Mariyuuna.6508 said:

Someone did a count of all content in the game back in LWS4 era, and 85% of all items in the game were available from playing the game, with only about 15% of items being gemstore exclusive.

 

Its really not nearly as bad as players make it out to be.


And more to the point, you can get any item in the gemstore through gameplay by farming the gold for it. Skins aren't that expensive. The rotating stock can get annoying when trying to farm but aside from that, it's not like the only way to get them is to swipe a credit card.

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If you spend $100,000 in the gemstore do you get such awesome weapons you can no longer get through the sPvP matchmaker because other also players need to spend $100,000 in the gemstore to match your gear?

No? Meh prolly not so bad then.

Edited by Dawdler.8521
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30 minutes ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

If you spend $100,000 in the gemstore do you get such awesome weapons you can no longer get through the sPvP matchmaker because other also players need to spend $100,000 in the gemstore to match your gear?

No? Meh prolly not so bad then.

That pay2lose situation is hilarious.

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Go for what you want. As long as you’re happy about your fashion that’s what matters. Taste is different anyway. What you think is amazing someone will find hideous. 
 

and about legendaries and gemstore skins. I know the effort ppl did to get the legendaries. and no matter how good looking or shiny gemstore skins are, I will always be more impressed when I see an astralaria. Some ppl just don’t want to go through the effort to get one. Which is fine since it’s their game experience. Focus on your game and what makes you enjoy it. 

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My only concern is how most content looks weird or oddly specific.

 

Like, I can understand the christmas theme skins and halloween or even the cowboy and ninja outfits, but then you have skins like stargazer that makes me think "How often would you find someone looking like they're wearing a green screen suit of the universe?"

 

And while I check through most of that stuff, I tend to wait for the skins and content I hope to get to finish a set or look that haven't existed for about a year or so.

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21 minutes ago, JayHog.3280 said:

"How often would you find someone looking like they're wearing a green screen suit of the universe?"

As soon as someone comes up with cheap flexible screen technology ...

Flexible already exist but it's not cheap and doesn't seem flexible enough for a skin tight suit.

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Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I kind of feel like legendaries and gem store items don't need to be mutually exclusive. For example, i bought the dragon armor last night, but I love how I look in it holding eternity and wearing ascension with a full set of legendary trinkets. I look like a dragon knight demigod. The pharoah costume is a great synergy to almost any legendary setup outside armor slots (for males, the female costume is disappointing, because it doesn't shine as much because it's trying too hard to be skimpy).

Legendary weapons usually beat the gem store weapons. They have special projectiles, footfalls. Though I'll say legendary weapons, based on gem vlaue of gold alone, are worth more than the gem skin. One could theortically buy gold to make a legendary weapon (though you still need farm particular things to actually finish it outside mats, like map completion), so even wearing one, you're beating the whales. You're still more prestigious. And Aurene weapons + skins, even more so. 

The line is getting thin, and I don't think anet should release weapons that are too flashy on purpose for that reason, but I'm not really concerned. I don't feel worth any less than people using special skins. 

Outside animations, envoy armor really isn't that flashy, but people still wear it over other things to show they're a raider. So a legendary, because of the effort involved and the rarity of them by nature, will always carry more prestige. 

Edited by Firebeard.1746
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I feel some people are really missing the point I'm trying to make. It's not about getting praise or anything, just about legendaries losing their significance when there's a plethora of epic looking stuff  that can be bought by anyone. Some argue that you don't need any skill to make a legendary and I definitely agree with that. I'd even say that it shouldn't be possible to convert gems to gold. Legendaries make me want to play the required content (like Nevermore has you play fractals and the armor has you play raids) and farm gold, but I just feel like wasting time if I can make that money 5 times faster in real life.

 

Also, I don't believe it if you're just making your character look good for yourself. Of course you want people to see what epic gear you've got. It's fashion wars after all. Why else do people ping their mats before they forge their legendaries? Wouldn't you feel more proud of having them if all other skins were way less epic?

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5 hours ago, Randulf.7614 said:

The bigger question is are we currently getting a return in terms of content for all these skins funding the game.

Im all for them putting as many shiny skins in the trading post - esp given the cost of legendary variants - but there needs to be a return in quality and output.

Everyone will have their own answer for whether we are getting that

Yes, during some periods of development I wondered if they were focused on content over making money. Things look way better now, and I hope they continue this trajectory. But this is the quesiton I need to see answered. I don't just play to look shiny, though it helps. 

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16 minutes ago, Wallieappel.2640 said:

I feel some people are really missing the point I'm trying to make. It's not about getting praise or anything, just about legendaries losing their significance when there's a plethora of epic looking stuff  that can be bought by anyone. Some argue that you don't need any skill to make a legendary and I definitely agree with that. I'd even say that it shouldn't be possible to convert gems to gold. Legendaries make me want to play the required content (like Nevermore has you play fractals and the armor has you play raids) and farm gold, but I just feel like wasting time if I can make that money 5 times faster in real life.


So for me personally, the effort involved makes legendaries feel better. Unless they actually sell Nevermore, I don't feel like this applies, for me. I understand your concern now and I'm sorry if you're feeling this way. I do think Gen3 is really epic, and it would be hard for them to make them feel less than a GS item unless they started outright selling legendary effects. I will say though, they're probably cutting off their nose to spite their face if they do this, because the economy alone already makes legendaries more expensive in terms of gems. 

I like to mix and match both in-game rewards and gem store items, and I would only really buy a GS weapon skin if I felt like it synergized crazy well with another setup over a legendary.  

And I don't mind people with less time but more money doing a gem to gold conversion as long as the other way exists. They support a game I love, the devs have more money to do stuff with. If they stop releasing content, then I might feel different. 

Edited by Firebeard.1746
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