Disspelling the 4-8 hour time frame in acquiring the GoB or any reward track

[Cyninja.2954]

Ever since the last reward rework where WvW reward track potions where removed and rolled into the skirmish reward track chests, I have a feeling players are still stuck on pre patch notions of how long it takes to actually complete a reward track.

Here is what my not very scientific approach resulted in today:

Since it came up a few days ago I decided to make a note of my reward track progress in WvW. I didn't pay attention to the exact step I was on pip wise and did wait 5 extra minutes to finish a section, but this is where I was at reward track progress wise:

1. Birthday Booster, Snowflake and Candy Corn Gobbler bonus as well as food bonus where all up (no 5% reward track from amulet or Black Lion Booster)

2. I was already past my first Diamond chest this week, all following segments cost 55 pips and yield 7 reward track potions

3. I was rewarded 14 pips per tick (first in skirmish +6, +1 from wood chest prior week, +7 from diamond rank)

At the start my reward track had reset and was at 747/20,000. due to spillover. 1h 35m later, my reward track was at 16,717. So in 1h35m I gained approximately 15,970 reward track points, bit more than 3/4 for a full reward track.

Now obviously this will be slower at lower ranks, less pips, not maintaining tier 6 participation, or faster with more reward track bonuses like amulet and black lion bonus (and even faster during special events).

In fact, if we do the EXACT math for middle server (+5), wood chest completed previous week (+1) and WvW initiate (rank 1- 149, +1), with Birthday Booster (and no Gobblers), and maintaining tier 6 participation, we end up at:

- 215 points per tick, a total of 2,574 points per hour

- 84 pips in 1 hour, resulting in 3 instant reward track progress in wood chest, short 16 pips for 2 more, thus 750 reward track progress

we end up at 6 hours (2,574 + 750 = 3,324. 20,000/3,324 = 6.01). That's pretty much the absolute maximum time frame for any player who is not simply blindly going int o WvW and uses a minimum of boosters (so no 8 hour nonsense). Notice also that wood chest, the first 100 pips is also THE most inefficient reward chest per week. Starting Bronze chest, the amount of instant skirmish reward chests  nearly doubles, granting 6 for 90 pips instead of 3 (or 4 for 60 pips).

Now let's do the math for this same rank 1 player WITH booster:

- 439 points per tick, total of 5,268 points per hour

- 3 instant reward track potions, 750 points progress

result in a total of 6,018 reward track progress per hour (again on WOOD chest, the most inefficient chest for reward track progress). This amounts to 20,000/6,018 = 3.32, so 3.3 hours to complete 1 reward track (actually less since every following hour past Wood chest speeds this up again, I just don't feel like doing that math now). This is absolutely attainable by ANY player , IF they decide to maximize their reward track gain and minimize their time spent in WvW and it speeds up significantly with more pip gain and later chests (which every player will roll into).

TL;DR:

The common notions of reward tracks taking 4-8 hours in WvW are antiquated and outdated. They only hold true for unprepared players with minimal effort in acquiring the reward track rewards and should not serve as baseline.

Edited October 6, 2023 by Cyninja.2954

[Remus Darkblight.1673]

In the grand scheme of making legendary items I don't think even 8 hours spent in WvW is a big ask. You can do that in 2 hours per evening for a week. You even get a day off, and don't have to waste your weekend on it either. Considering that it is in fact demonstrably less than 8 hours, I really can't get behind any of the complaints.

 

[Dawdler.8521]

1 hour ago, Remus Darkblight.1673 said:

In the grand scheme of making legendary items I don't think even 8 hours spent in WvW is a big ask.

PvErs think 8 hours doing the same thing in WvW over and over again is too much to ask.

Then they go and do 200 hours to get the rest of the mats in PvE by doing the same thing over and over again but pfff thats like no time at all.

[TheGrimm.5624]

5 hours ago, Cyninja.2954 said:

Ever since the last reward rework where WvW reward track potions where removed and rolled into the skirmish reward track chests, I have a feeling players are still stuck on pre patch notions of how long it takes to actually complete a reward track.

Here is what my not very scientific approach resulted in today:

Since it came up a few days ago I decided to make a note of my reward track progress in WvW. I didn't pay attention to the exact step I was on pip wise and did wait 5 extra minutes to finish a section, but this is where I was at reward track progress wise:

1. Birthday Booster, Snowflake and Candy Corn Gobbler bonus as well as food bonus where all up (no 5% reward track from amulet or Black Lion Booster)

2. I was already past my first Diamond chest this week, all following segments cost 55 pips and yield 7 reward track potions

3. I was rewarded 14 pips per tick (first in skirmish +6, +1 from wood chest prior week, +7 from diamond rank)

At the start my reward track had reset and was at 747/20,000. due to spillover. 1h 35m later, my reward track was at 16,717. So in 1h35m I gained approximately 15,970 reward track points, bit more than 3/4 for a full reward track.

Now obviously this will be slower at lower ranks, less pips, not maintaining tier 6 participation, or faster with more reward track bonuses like amulet and black lion bonus (and even faster during special events).

In fact, if we do the EXACT math for middle server (+5), wood chest completed previous week (+1) and WvW initiate (rank 1- 149, +1), with Birthday Booster (and no Gobblers), and maintaining tier 6 participation, we end up at:

- 215 points per tick, a total of 2,574 points per hour

- 84 pips in 1 hour, resulting in 3 instant reward track progress in wood chest, short 16 pips for 2 more, thus 750 reward track progress

we end up at 6 hours (2,574 + 750 = 3,324. 20,000/3,324 = 6.01). That's pretty much the absolute maximum time frame for any player who is not simply blindly going int o WvW and uses a minimum of boosters (so no 8 hour nonsense). Notice also that wood chest, the first 100 pips is also THE most inefficient reward chest per week. Starting Bronze chest, the amount of instant skirmish reward chests  nearly doubles, granting 6 for 90 pips instead of 3 (or 4 for 60 pips).

Now let's do the math for this same rank 1 player WITH booster:

- 439 points per tick, total of 5,268 points per hour

- 3 instant reward track potions, 750 points progress

result in a total of 6,018 reward track progress per hour (again on WOOD chest, the most inefficient chest for reward track progress). This amounts to 20,000/6,018 = 3.32, so 3.3 hours to complete 1 reward track (actually less since every following hour past Wood chest speeds this up again, I just don't feel like doing that math now). This is absolutely attainable by ANY player , IF they decide to maximize their reward track gain and minimize their time spent in WvW and it speeds up significantly with more pip gain and later chests (which every player will roll into).

TL;DR:

The common notions of reward tracks taking 4-8 hours in WvW are antiquated and outdated. They only hold true for unprepared players with minimal effort in acquiring the reward track rewards and should not serve as baseline.

Nice. Thanks for the taking the time to update the numbers. It's reset, which means Friday everywhere else might have to consider how to add this into ways give WvWers a way for do hearts faster. 🙂 But joking aside again, thanks!

[ArchonWing.9480]

In the context of the GoB, it has never really been a rational discussion because the grievance is having to play WvW at all. You could make them play for 10 minutes and it would not be ok. These players simply lack the braincells to realize they can just buy weapons off the TP. with the exception of Gen 2 but making a Gen 2 is already a case in masochism and also completely unnecessary.  So you have to understand why they insist on legendaries only requiring participation trophy content because they can't do anything else. Well, reward track is also partcipation trophy content too but maybe that's also too much. (Just read the expected backpedaling on OW legendary armor.)

In practice, the GoB hasn't really filtered many from getting their legendaries anyways and thus the issue has and always will be a non-issue. So unfortunately, all this math will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes.

But my point is in this context, there is simply not any discussion at all. Whether or not the reward system is good for fly by night, wood league players has always held zero relevance in my eyes.  It would be like complaining about how long it'd take to get Fractal God by doing t1 fractals.

 One  has to consider there is some setup time to start playing this game mode, since going GoB means you can't go Warclaw. Newer players may also not have access to many boosters at all, especially the gobblers. I don't even know about the snowflake one, and the candy corn one is so cumbersome. Anet also decided they're not always available.  A system that requires boosters to work I don't think is a good system.

That being said, I think Anet already agreed as the recent buff to potions does improve speed by a lot, if you actually play the game. And regardless of what anyone says, it is your responsibility to participate and not just expect a free carry.

But I suppose you would say that if you're willing to spend thousands of gold on a legendary, then what is a few hundred more? I do think some players are not smart enough to realize they just aren't ready yet.

Edited October 6, 2023 by ArchonWing.9480