They are selling hero points in the gem store now

[Artemis.8034]

7 hours ago, idpersona.3810 said:

I mean...chances of them removing it are almost zero, I would think.

 

Mind you, I don't like it either. But saying you will leave if it isn't removed is just silly.

I think what he is saying is this is turning into P2W its been starting to trend that way, and im sure its going to wind up that way. Lets face it the game isnt what it used to be. Their investors are demanding more profit even if it means taking a cherished game and ruining it, well it was great while it lasted.

Sadly this is the future 

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Artemis.8034

[Sarge shot Grif.6450]

Oh it's no big deal, they don't have anything else to worry about like making decent new weapons or ACTUALLY fixing convergences instead of adding a new and even worse bug that can cause both bosses to fail now. Priorities.

[Smurfiness.3714]

thanks for the QOL option. It gives players choice to skip some Hero Points. I bought 5. 

Don't understand the whining at all. Nobody is forcing you to buy it.

[Graymatter.4723]

33 minutes ago, Zebulous.2934 said:

Hmm, slippery slope fallacy. 

Now, if they start selling enhancements that double loot drops or that double chest loot.  That would be alarming.

Not really. They are basically selling something to bypass content. It's irrelevant how easy the content is. You can now buy a full elite specialization in the gem store. You can get away with everything else sold to date as being QoL - level 80 boost, well levels aren't really relevant, waypoint unlock, people still have to actually complete the maps. But this is the first time they are bypassing content through the gem store. What about skipping some strikes or why not just sell skirmish claim tickets? This is crossing the line between convenience and paying to bypass content which is not ok.

[Graymatter.4723]

3 minutes ago, Smurfiness.3714 said:

thanks for the QOL option. It gives players choice to skip some Hero Points. I bought 5. 

Don't understand the whining at all. Nobody is forcing you to buy it.

Two reasons:

1. It's a noob trap. You can bypass hero points really easily by playing wvw for a short while.
2. It crosses the line to allowing people to pay real money to bypass content. The only reason people are happy with it is because it's easy content that is being bypassed.

[Graymatter.4723]

4 hours ago, Tiamat.8254 said:

It's difficult for a game like gw2. New players will never be able to catch up to veterans. This gives them the option to. I don't see the point in it personally but the reasoning is sound if you want new players and to make money. They need to make money to keep the game going.

What are the new players battling to catch up with? Gear is readily available.

[Surelia.2651]

5 hours ago, Cuks.8241 said:

Give a real example. Most games deemed as p2w, you pay to skip time to get power. Many korean mmos like BDO for example. 

I actually dont know any game where power is exclusive to swipes.

And yeah I consider gw2 p2w, its just not as impactful as many games because timegaps are lower. But you can swipe for legendaries. Cant get more p2w.

 

Lotro.

They have been selling Virtues and Virtue rank ups tomes in their store for years; among other power items; it was one of the biggest things that turned me against the game.  Back when they still allowed us to do a full build inspect for raid comps, (something which they removed from the game at nearly the same time by the way), people needed to prove they carried not only the correct virtues in their build but the right rank to assure power stats for their role were in line with gear, weapons, etc.  Lot of people tried to get around achieving them in the game by just buying them outright and buying the rank ups.  They skipped achievements needed to earn them and the ranks.

THAT is pay to win.

I will not be surprised if ESO starts doing this soon with Champion points; god know they have been slowly but surely monetizing nearly everything else in the game.  CPs are directly tied to combat power, among other benefits.  Even after the change from the original CP system which watered down their impact, it still did not make a significant dent in power creep.

Buying HPs is this game though? would be slightly akin to buying Virtues in LoTRO but not quite on the same level of egregiousness. 

HPs in this game unlock access to elite specs, for example,  but they do not add power stats in of themselves; they unlock the skills to create powerful builds --- skills which you must still learn to master to be effective.   So the notion you are buying power for HPs is not accurate.   In LoTRO? you could afk sneeze at mobs and kill them if your stats were high enough, lol

I think it would be better if such items, if they must sell them at all here, be limited to people who have already unlocked them all at least once on one character - to make them a perk for leveling up alts.  It's still not "clean" but at least it would be a good compromise.

[Bhrutei.5937]

This is one foot in the door for pay to win. I say that because this is how all pay to win models get started. They start off really small and innocent and just get worse and more blatant over time. Dont go down this slope Anet!

[kharmin.7683]

5 hours ago, Kiki.9450 said:

Reread. I agree with you.

 

5 hours ago, Randulf.7614 said:

That's exactly what the person you quoted said though?

No, they said that people could pay for legendary while everyone else is stuck with exotics.  They completely ignored the fact that legendary (and ascended) can also be crafted.  P2W would mean that legendaries could ONLY be purchased with cash giving those with wallets the advantage that the extra power of those weapons brings.  This is not the case since everyone has equal access to legendary (and ascended).

[Randulf.7614]

32 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

 

No, they said that people could pay for legendary while everyone else is stuck with exotics.  They completely ignored the fact that legendary (and ascended) can also be crafted.  P2W would mean that legendaries could ONLY be purchased with cash giving those with wallets the advantage that the extra power of those weapons brings.  This is not the case since everyone has equal access to legendary (and ascended).

I know. That’s what Kiki said as well. I think you have misread or misunderstood them that’s all—they didn’t say people could pay for legs whilst everyone is stuck with exotics, they said if the only way to get legs was exclusively via cash, then it would be p2w. But, as you both state, it’s not the case here since other methods exist.

You are both on the same page on this one.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Randulf.7614

[Derktarlms.6213]

With the fireballs of the skyscale we increase the level by selling hero points well anet ZzZz

[Ashen.2907]

People have been able to skip content for as long as the game has existed.

[RebelliousChyld.6427]

I'm going to get straight to the point.

 

I'm a filthy casual, there are times when I put down the game for a few months, only to come back to it, and then put it down once more.  It's because my IRL can be chaotic, and I sometimes just don't have the mental bandwidth to figure out what it is I need to do, or I am too exhausted.

 

I've been a supporter of this game since it came out, giddy with excitement when it was announced and had put money down on a pre-order because I wanted it so badly, and have all the expansions.  I've busted my hump getting the HP's for core Tyria.  Do you know which one I DIDN'T bust my hump for?  HoT, and that's a -me- thing.  I find that expansion to be very difficult, and not enjoyable due to the verticality of it all.  I used heroics in WvW for it.  Not -every- single expansion is going to be a person's cup of tea, and WvW isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea either.

This game is meant to be inclusive, to be enjoyed in the manners in which the player sees fit.  So if that means Billy Joe Jim Bob who's played Guild Wars since the first moment it dropped in Prophecies and on up doesn't -really- like an expansion OR WvW, should he just.. go kick rocks? How is that even remotely fair?  

 

Is it P2W?  As many others have said.. what exactly are they winning?

 

Unless you mean they're winning the game of enjoyment because they're getting to go and play a specialization they otherwise MIGHT not be able to,  because they just can't get over a specific expansion/game mode.  Then.. yea.. I guess it is?

 

And for those who might not have the time to go and hunt down HP's (yes, I know, they're 'easy'), they have a chance to be able to play a specialization they might enjoy.  No harm, no foul.  

 

This is a win win for casual players, players who might not enjoy a specific thing in the game, and for the company.  

 

This isn't going to take away from the HP trains, and if anything else, it might encourage those players who DID buy the HP unlock, to go and try it on their next character.

 

Okay.. maybe not so straight to the point.

[Lucius.2140]

On 11/28/2023 at 3:17 PM, Cernoch.8524 said:

Why do you even call this a noob trap? Very early in the game you learn that doing HPs is pretty easy, I can not imagine any new player, coming to the game and instantly buying all HPs for money. If they do then well....up to them, they probably have enough money and Anet deserve it in that case. If anything I would call it stupid trap and not noob trap. Cause if you buy it, it is all you are.

Suppose a dude just bought EoD and wants to start to play his vindicator, since unlocking hero points take time in an impulse he buys everything. 0.6 dollars per hero point.

Same with a returning player, specially the ones that played HoT at it release.

Theres a bunch of situations where this will happen.

And take in consideration that this option came just about they sold HoT and PoF bundled to 10 dollars; at the price of around 16-20  random hero points lol

Edit: I made a mistake and heard the hero points were at 400 gems each. That's not the case as someone pointed out later they are at 50 gems.

The bundle goes around 25 for 1k gems, that means for 10-12.5 dollars you get your elite specialization unlocked since the start.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Lucius.2140

[Gorem.8104]

So one of the things that made HOT Great, its hard HP's that were a skill check for people or trains setup, can now just be bought past with RL Money. 
Another stab to GW2 amongst all the recent stabs the game has undertaken. The best part about GW2 was that it was different to other MMO's and did things differently. Obviously they don't want that anymore and have not since EoD. Ever since that Expansion launched we've had so many of these changes that no one asked for.... 

At least buying them with WvW currency still required you to actually play the game. What about those people whose ONLY defence of the Wizards Vault is "you have to play the game, wow!" where are they now? 

If I could play a version of this game that's in the state it was the day before EOD released, I would play GW2 for the rest of my life.... It was always meant to be a mmo different to other mmo's. It was never meant to be compared to them. Why are they doing this. 

[Biziut.3594]

6 hours ago, SpyderArachnid.5619 said:

I'm the OP, and I already know about the WvW stuff. I've always known about it. I never said anything needed to be removed.

I don't speak for everyone, I never did. I just made a post about it giving my own opinion on this. Please don't put words in my mouth and act like you know me.

I just brought up this discussion to see what others felt about it, and it derailed into P2W drama and then I think it got merged with another thread.

Yes, becouse threads were merged coz someone is averse to the search function. I meant @Tanuki.4603 who stated that ANet by selling hp on gemstore is "Disgrace for community" or something like that, and was op in amother thread...

[SpyderArachnid.5619]

59 minutes ago, Biziut.3594 said:

Yes, becouse threads were merged coz someone is averse to the search function. I meant @Tanuki.4603 who stated that ANet by selling hp on gemstore is "Disgrace for community" or something like that, and was op in amother thread...

Ah my bad. I didn't know your post was from the other thread. Thought it was from this one (that I made). 😉

This is why I dislike when they merge threads. It makes everything confusing.

Edited November 29, 2023 by SpyderArachnid.5619

[IAmNotMatthew.1058]

5 hours ago, Graymatter.4723 said:

Not really. They are basically selling something to bypass content. It's irrelevant how easy the content is. You can now buy a full elite specialization in the gem store. You can get away with everything else sold to date as being QoL - level 80 boost, well levels aren't really relevant, waypoint unlock, people still have to actually complete the maps. But this is the first time they are bypassing content through the gem store. What about skipping some strikes or why not just sell skirmish claim tickets? This is crossing the line between convenience and paying to bypass content which is not ok.

So, buying services that unlock all the waypoints in an expansion or a region in core GW2 or fast track you to max level with decent gear is fine, but being able to buy HP is... not? Either all of those are fine or none are fine.
By your own logic buying HPs is the same QoL service as level 80 boosts and WP unlocks.

You're literally bringing up gemstore items bypassing content and compare it to another item bypassing content and say the former is QoL, makes literally no sense. 

[Smurfiness.3714]

5 hours ago, Graymatter.4723 said:

Two reasons:

1. It's a noob trap. You can bypass hero points really easily by playing wvw for a short while.
2. It crosses the line to allowing people to pay real money to bypass content. The only reason people are happy with it is because it's easy content that is being bypassed.

well I'm pure PVE and don't do WvW or PvP. It's my choice how I want to play my GW2. And my playstyle doesn't hurt anyone. 

So why are some peeps so buttiehurtie about how others are choosing to play GW2?

More power to Anet for offering choices to players. 

[Ashantara.8731]

12 hours ago, Tanuki.4603 said:

This community was so fast to screech at Blizzard when we compared GW2 content scheudle to WoW but now you can bypass hours of gameplay with real money wallet investment.

Absolute SHAME on you ArenaNet. We are nothing but coins in your wallet.

Truly disgraceful move and there is no second guessing your intentions anymore.

The community is EXTREMELY disappointed.

First you rebrand living world as expansion and give us less content than living world, and if i'm wrong you're clearly selling unfinished product which i won't even call an expansion seeing as last episode had 20 minute story content, now we're becoming true pay to win.

After 12 years of being a dedicated consumer, I, Unironically shed a tear.

Well, not pay 2 win, but definitely pay 2 progress faster. 😉

I believe that we are having this new "mini-expansion" model to keep us somewhat satisfied/busy until ANet announces what project has been eating up their resources. Until then, they are doing the best they can to monetize everything possible in GW2 to pay the wages. That's at least my impression of the current status quo, but I could be wrong, of course. 🤔 Still, I'm afraid we will never return to a full-fledged expansion/LW model.

[Puck.3697]

14 hours ago, SpyderArachnid.5619 said:

Feels like something those F2P P2W games would do. Or mobile games. Almost like an NCSoft move..

Eh I wouldnt call it p2w. Most just half afk followed a train to do em on a alt anyway

Ngl. 

We can swipe our cards for ascended gear, legendary weapons. Gold. Maxing proffessiond and unlocking every waypoint this is tiny compared to any of those that already exist 

[Puck.3697]

13 hours ago, Tanuki.4603 said:

This community was so fast to screech at Blizzard when we compared GW2 content scheudle to WoW but now you can bypass hours of gameplay with real money wallet investment.

 

Absolute SHAME on you ArenaNet. We are nothing but coins in your wallet.

 

Truly disgraceful move and there is no second guessing your intentions anymore.

 

The community is EXTREMELY disappointed.

 

First you rebrand living world as expansion and give us less content than living world, and if i'm wrong you're clearly selling unfinished product which i won't even call an expansion seeing as last episode had 20 minute story content, now we're becoming true pay to win.

After 12 years of being a dedicated consumer, I, Unironically shed a tear.

Didn't know following a hero point train for a hour was considered hours of gameplay really. Yes if someone was to buy this instead of playing their first run through. Itd ruin content but for many this is just bypassing joining a hero train while playing Netflix. 

How do u consider this p2w. We csn buy legendaries and ascended armour with a credit card swipe lol, if you think its p2w now uve always thought its p2w. 

[Biziut.3594]

1 hour ago, SpyderArachnid.5619 said:

Ah my bad. I didn't know your post was from the other thread. Thought it was from this one (that I made). 😉

This is why I dislike when they merge threads. It makes everything confusing.

Not your fault, I could made a quote, especially since I know they tend to merge threads. xd

[Pete.8251]

Remove this.

This is just bad for the game and devalues the player's effort and character progression.

Also, it is very bad for the future of the game as what will be next? Mastery points for new expansion in the gem store, or mastery experience?

In the end, it is a nonessential noob trap but it is more about what it represents, hopefully, the community will not accept this.

[ShadowCatz.8437]

14 hours ago, Cernoch.8524 said:

Does not bother me, I am skipping all HPs with WvW currency for years. I know it is different but if people are willing to pay for it.....

It is different as you still have to play WvW to get currency that you can use to unlock those HP. We also have Tome of Knowledge which you get from playing this game which can be used to level up a character and at same time will unlock HP in core maps from levelling up. When you use Tome of Knowledge to level up a character to level 80 you will also have enough HP to unlock core trait for that character.

With Gem Store item that now can unlock HP you instead will be able to buy Gem with real money (yes some players might also use Gold to Gem) to unlock maps and builds without even going through playing any game mode before they will play this game.

We already have unlocks for WP that can be purchased, so this adds up into another type of game play where new players for most part will just purchase those Gem Store items without even understanding how to play this game.