Skyscale Acquisition Method

[Garamond.9130]

When I am in the Soto maps the game gives me a temporary buff saying that "You have limited access to skyscale mount while in GW2 Soto zones, Unlock permanent access to the skyscale by completing the Flight Training Mastery  track." Here is photo

So can I have skyscale permanently by just maxing out the Mastery track , or do I still have to complete "A New Friend" achievement.

Thank you.

 

[Teknomancer.4895]

You have to complete the first mastery to unlock the achievement, but it's the achievement itself that awards the mount.

Currently it seems to be It was bugged, as some who have completed the achievement completely lost access to the mount, even in the new zone. That seems to have been fixed.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Teknomancer.4895
fixed

[Garamond.9130]

2 minutes ago, Teknomancer.4895 said:

You have to complete the first mastery to unlock the achievement, but it's the achievement itself that awards the mount.

Currently it seems to be bugged, as some who have completed the achievement completely lost access to the mount, even in the new zone.

But it does not say "The first mastery". Instead, it says "completing the mastery track". Isn't that a bit misleading? So in short, ı will not have permanent access to Skycale without completing the "A New Friend" achievement, even if I manage to complete all of the Flight Training Mastery Track. Am I right?

[Teknomancer.4895]

I believe that's correct, yes. Mastery #1 unlocks the achievement, but if you max the rest of it out without completing the achievement, the permanent skyscale is not awarded.

And you're absolutely right, the messaging around basically everything about this expac has been secretive and obscure.

[Garamond.9130]

3 minutes ago, Teknomancer.4895 said:

I believe that's correct, yes. Mastery #1 unlocks the achievement, but if you max the rest of it out without completing the achievement, the permanent skyscale is not awarded.

And you're absolutely right, the messaging around basically everything about this expac has been secretive and obscure.

Got it. Appreciate the help.

[Kastagir.2146]

I swear every time I load the new zone I get pissed off. The way they word the whole Skyscale line is just stupid and I think they are laughing at us. I have never liked the Mastery's point grind system. 

[Teknomancer.4895]

Well the part that gets me about the process (aside from the frustratingly awful temp mount they give you) is that the abandoned nests are apparently first come first served. Otherwise, you have to either stand there and wait for it to respawn or laboriously fly off to the next spot to find out whether a nest exists there or not.

Spoiler alert, the answer is usually "not."

[Tere.4759]

Wow, so instead of making it easier, they just made it different but it's still the same PITA as getting it the other way.  Honestly, I did the griffon.  I love the griffon.  They skyscale just frustrates me at times and to make an expansion skyscale usable only just makes me more frustrated though I am working toward getting it the old way but it takes forever if you don't have the materials needed.

[Dis.1092]

12 minutes ago, Tere.4759 said:

Wow, so instead of making it easier, they just made it different but it's still the same PITA as getting it the other way.  Honestly, I did the griffon.  I love the griffon.  They skyscale just frustrates me at times and to make an expansion skyscale usable only just makes me more frustrated though I am working toward getting it the old way but it takes forever if you don't have the materials needed.

New collection is easier and faster. We have only 2 “timegates” here: 12 charged quarts and provision tokens. Everything else can be done in one day, even full mastery line training. And collections are very easy except this parts, with around zero gold sink.

Rnd with nests can be annoying but it’s still better for new players than original method to get skyscale. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Dis.1092

[Zok.4956]

I already have a Skyscale, but I'm considering doing the "a new friend" achievement (because "a new friend" is unfortunately a condition for unlocking "a new look"). I've been to three dozen nests now, but haven't found a single egg so far. I don't remember the old method of acquisition being so random.

[binidj.5734]

5 hours ago, Dis.1092 said:

Rnd with nests can be annoying but it’s still better for new players than original method to get skyscale. 

The RND is unbelievably annoying, I don't want to waste my game time just searching for nests that are generally a bit of a trial to get to (they're certainly not something you'd stumble across while taking part in zone activities) and makes me wonder why, in 2023, we're still even relying on unmodified RNG anyway. Either give the drop after a fixed number of attempts or, if you really just have to use RND, give each empty nest an additive % bonus for subsequent searches so that eventually even if you are ridiculously unlucky you are guaranteed to get the drop you need.

This was supposed to be a "no grind" game ... hahahahaha!

[disForm.2837]

A New Friend collection is quite easy, even for players with limited time.

Finding the egg takes a couple of hours max, we already have video guides. Maps are relatively small.

Getting the treats killing stuff is much better than Aurora's similar requirements. Drop rate is significantly higher.

12 skyscale treats, less than 20g at TP prices. Even new players can get them from the Vault.

Annoying part are the T1 essences, easier if you do the weekly and max out the masteries, pop boosters and kill stuff. 

There's nothing complicated, hidden behind deserted metas, bugged content. Quite easier and cheaper than Griffon collection. 

[Tiffany.8576]

It really doesn't take that much time to go around all of the nests. Just pull up a video for the locations:

 

It took me perhaps 30 minutes max travelling around these locations. Helps, obviously, if you have all the waypoints unlocked on the maps beforehand. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Tiffany.8576

[Moira Shalaar.5620]

There is an issue with the RNG where for some people the egg doesn't show up even though they have checked all the nests on both maps multiple times. For myself I found it in one of the last nests to search on the second map, but I have guild members who have gone through the whole set and keep trying with no egg so far. I like the earlier suggestion that each nest checked increases the likelihood of finding the egg in the next nest.  

[gousgou.5438]

On 8/26/2023 at 4:50 PM, Poccik.5718 said:

But it does not say "The first mastery". Instead, it says "completing the mastery track". Isn't that a bit misleading? So in short, ı will not have permanent access to Skycale without completing the "A New Friend" achievement, even if I manage to complete all of the Flight Training Mastery Track. Am I right?

You are right, tooltips for this expansion are seriously flawed (look at relics and despair).

[binidj.5734]

On 8/30/2023 at 2:04 PM, Tiffany.8576 said:

It really doesn't take that much time to go around all of the nests. Just pull up a video for the locations:

If your skyscale mastery is fully levelled maybe, for those of us still levelling the masteries it might take a "little" longer. It took me a couple of hours to get the Archipelago nests with no luck, I've done a couple of Amyntas ones but without masteries I'm not sure that many of them are possible. I have spent several hours trying to get the egg, I'm really pleased for those who got it within half an hour but that is not everyone's experience.

[Thron Stal.9367]

On 8/26/2023 at 9:30 PM, Poccik.5718 said:

When I am in the Soto maps the game gives me a temporary buff saying that "You have limited access to skyscale mount while in GW2 Soto zones, Unlock permanent access to the skyscale by completing the Flight Training Mastery  track." Here is photo

So can I have skyscale permanently by just maxing out the Mastery track , or do I still have to complete "A New Friend" achievement.

Thank you.

 

 

On 8/26/2023 at 9:50 PM, Poccik.5718 said:

But it does not say "The first mastery". Instead, it says "completing the mastery track". Isn't that a bit misleading? So in short, ı will not have permanent access to Skycale without completing the "A New Friend" achievement, even if I manage to complete all of the Flight Training Mastery Track. Am I right?

Sheesh, I am confused too.  WT heck is the right track?  Freaking expansion, I am thinking on going back to do it the old method way. 

[Thron Stal.9367]

On 8/27/2023 at 1:54 AM, Teknomancer.4895 said:

Well the part that gets me about the process (aside from the frustratingly awful temp mount they give you) is that the abandoned nests are apparently first come first served. Otherwise, you have to either stand there and wait for it to respawn or laboriously fly off to the next spot to find out whether a nest exists there or not.

Spoiler alert, the answer is usually "not."

It took me a week and I checked two dozen nests before finally getting one beyond where I was supposed to be. 

[Rod Dasmos.9047]

On 9/1/2023 at 5:50 AM, binidj.5734 said:

If your skyscale mastery is fully levelled maybe, for those of us still levelling the masteries it might take a "little" longer. It took me a couple of hours to get the Archipelago nests with no luck, I've done a couple of Amyntas ones but without masteries I'm not sure that many of them are possible. I have spent several hours trying to get the egg, I'm really pleased for those who got it within half an hour but that is not everyone's experience.

I have been doing events and metas to maxing the flight mastery and when I am around the nest I go check it and keep doing rifts, its better this way as you go unlocking the mastery, gets easier to move around and you get some loot to help later, like essences and can get map completion as well.