They are selling hero points in the gem store now

[Ashen.2907]

Just now, Splat.7981 said:

I'm not saying that this is that but seems that could be Arenanet next step.
The WoW token is an item/currency you buy on the cash shop with real money and then when in game you can convert it to gold.

That has existed in GW2, is at the core of the business model, since launch.

You buy gems with real money and then can use the currency exchange to trade them to other players for gold. You get gold, they get gems to spend in the black lion store. It allows players with more time than money to get everything they might want by just playing and allows players with less time, but more money, to do the same...all while funding ongoing development of the game.

[Splat.7981]

Just now, Ashen.2907 said:

That has existed in GW2, is at the core of the business model, since launch.

You buy gems with real money and then can use the currency exchange to trade them to other players for gold. You get gold, they get gems to spend in the black lion store. It allows players with more time than money to get everything they might want by just playing and allows players with less time, but more money, to do the same...all while funding ongoing development of the game.

Ok so it's already in the game, cool, so now why sell Hero Points?

[Ashen.2907]

Just now, Splat.7981 said:

Ok so it's already in the game, cool, so now why sell Hero Points?

Whenever the question, "why do they," or some variation, is asked, the answer is almost certainly, "money."

In my wife's case it will allow her to finally unlock all elite specs on her massive number of alts.

[Splat.7981]

2 minutes ago, Ashen.2907 said:

Whenever the question, "why do they," or some variation, is asked, the answer is almost certainly, "money."

In my wife's case it will allow her to finally unlock all elite specs on her massive number of alts.

Good for her.

But now a new player instead of exploring the world of Tyria can just buy the hero points at the store right? They don't need to complete challenges in order to obtain hero points.

[Ashen.2907]

1 minute ago, Splat.7981 said:

Good for her.

But now a new player instead of exploring the world of Tyria can just buy the hero points at the store right? They don't need to complete challenges in order to obtain hero points.

Sure, I suppose. But:

1) How many of them are actually challenges rather than just a POI with a different map icon?

2) Why would a new player do so when getting those HP by playing the game is trivial?

3) Why should we care that someone else paid real money to skip something that is trivial, has no P2W impact, and has no impact on our own play?

[Trejgon.9367]

9 minutes ago, Ashen.2907 said:

What is a WoW token?

WoW token is an item you can purchase for irl money, that can be consumed to extend subscription timer, that can be sold to other players. Basically you pay for it with cash, sell it for gold, and another player get's to have another month of sub without having to pay cash for it. Very similar case to EvE Online's PLEX. Sounds to me like every game with mandatory sub at some point have devised means to allow people to grind for sub, while the cash from subs checks out.... (and yeah EvE is no longer required to have sub to play the game, but they did the PLEX before the whole alpha/omega clone stuff)

14 minutes ago, Splat.7981 said:

Being a new player that recently decided to give this game a proper go it's very disappointing to see this.
I don't know if this decision on their part will not hurt the game in a medium to long term.

What's the next step? Arenanet adding their version of the WoW token?

There is no need for WoW token equivalent, because game has no sub attached to it to be obtained with gold this way, and currency exchange has been there since launch. It works both ways, and allows players to get stuff from gemstore with gold, while people who want to support the game, can get some gold out of it.

6 minutes ago, Splat.7981 said:

Ok so it's already in the game, cool, so now why sell Hero Points?

For same reason ESO (Elder Scrolls Online) sells skillshard packs per map. "Technical" explanation of allowing people convenience of not having to repeat hero point grind on alts, practical one being monetizing sheer human lazyness for additional revenue stream.

1 minute ago, Splat.7981 said:

Good for her.

But now a new player instead of exploring the world of Tyria can just buy the hero points at the store right? They don't need to complete challenges in order to obtain hero points.

In all fairness core tyria hero points were kinda pointless outside of gift of exploration (and they are not included in the package anyway since it's expac hps only) since just leveling to 80 gave you enough hero points to unlock all core specialisations and skills, so the only way to spend the thing are especs. And why farm 250 separate hero challenges in core tyria if you can do 25 in expacs?

There is hardly a point for a new player to buy those, and the only point for established player to buy them is if they are alergic to pvp or want the hps right away with no delay at all.

[Splat.7981]

1 minute ago, Ashen.2907 said:

Sure, I suppose. But:

1) How many of them are actually challenges rather than just a POI with a different map icon?

2) Why would a new player do so when getting those HP by playing the game is trivial?

3) Why should we care that someone else paid real money to skip something that is trivial, has no P2W impact, and has no impact on our own play?

I never mentioned P2W or that had an impact on my gameplay.
We can discuss and debate about things right or do we have to stay silent just because many see this as a simple convenience for alts for example?

So you say it's trivial...i see so a game that was originally based on world exploration can, bit by bit, become trivial, or introduce new ways to avoid random POI's...i wonder if one day GW2 will be like WoW, where most of the people sit afk in a capital just waiting for that "enter instance" pop up.

[Lucius.2140]

23 hours ago, Cernoch.8524 said:

True I guess, but there is already something wrong with people who want to pay for everything from the start to finish without even playing teh game for 20 minutes (pretty sure you come across the HP in that time when you start playing)
Not sure where you came with that price though, isnt 1 HP for 50 gems? Thats like 0,6 dollars per HP.

Apreciate the correction, i got the idea of 400 since i did way before a calculation around that number and the hero points. Fixed it in my original point also.

The conclusion there is that it cost around 10 dollars (considering bundles) to unlock your elite specialization.

That kinda make the monetization more sense. I want to play since the start an elite spec, i dont need to unlock maps, explore them or do hero points.

Its a sour taste for me to be honest, but it worry me more if thats the path we are heading.

[Danikat.8537]

48 minutes ago, Splat.7981 said:

Ok so it's already in the game, cool, so now why sell Hero Points?

The two are unrelated. Hero points have never been purchasable with gold, so being able to get gold already doesn't help get hero points.

[Splat.7981]

2 minutes ago, Danikat.8537 said:

The two are unrelated. Hero points have never been purchasable with gold, so being able to get gold already doesn't help get hero points.

So now a new player like me can just buy them with cash without the worries of exploring the world and find them...
It looks and seems kinda mobile gaming monetization.

[azorean.1850]

have u taken that kitten out of the gem store yet anet?

[IAmNotMatthew.1058]

17 minutes ago, Splat.7981 said:

So now a new player like me can just buy them with cash without the worries of exploring the world and find them...
It looks and seems kinda mobile gaming monetization.

Considering these have been in the game since like 2017 and I haven't met a person who ever bought one with most of my friends not even knowing they exist I highly doubt new players will be throwing away ~25€ just to max out an elite spec. People are stingy enough to spend 30€ on HoT+PoF.

Like a week ago some people complained that all the content in the game can be bought for 125€, because that's a lot, but now in this thread 25€ or more for kittening HPs is something every new player will buy. 

[Torbins.2367]

On 11/28/2023 at 7:00 PM, SpyderArachnid.5619 said:

I don't know how to feel about this...

So now apparently you can buy an item that allows you to complete a hero challenge in any expansion. Pay some money, skip the hero challenge and get the points. Plus bonus, makes map completion easier cause you don't have to do them now, you can just pay money to complete it.

I don't know. Feels like a slippery slope. I'm curious why they thought to add this to the gem store. Just buy the power, no need to earn it now.

Hmm...

So what?

1. It's not a competitive game.

2. They sell inventory slots for bags for 10+ years and it's not bothering you?

[Gazrul.3086]

While I do hope they'll end up removing this entirely, I doubt it'll affect anything in the long run. No one in their right mind would pay this many gems for such a pathetic number of HPs, which are also completely random. You'd need literally dozens of thousands of gems just to max out a single character. This purchase is DoA in my opinion, and I'm happy about that. Hopefully it'll be removed entirely once they see the feedback and that it doesn't sell at all. 

50 gems for 1 HP when you need 250 per spec, I mean come on. It's a terrible noob trap and it needs to be removed. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Chronardis.4028

[Gazrul.3086]

2 hours ago, IAmNotMatthew.1058 said:

I highly doubt new players will be throwing away ~25€ just to max out an elite spec.

You'd need 10 25 HP packs to max out one elite spec, and that's 10k gems. That's way more than 25 euros. Not to mention that if you own multiple expansions the HPs you get are completely random and can be from any of those expansions from what I understood.

 

So yeah, it's just a noob trap. No sane person who knows the in-game methods of gaining HPs will be throwing one cent for this garbage. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Chronardis.4028

[DeanBB.4268]

No, 1000 gems = 250 HP

[Gazrul.3086]

I am in the store now, and it says 25 scrolls for 1000 gems. Where did you get the 250 HP from?

[Sobx.1758]

3 minutes ago, Chronardis.4028 said:

I am in the store now, and it says 25 scrolls for 1000 gems. Where did you get the 250 HP from?

1 scroll is 10hp.

[Gazrul.3086]

3 minutes ago, Sobx.1758 said:

1 scroll is 10hp.

Odd. Then the store description is misleading, as it says on the scroll to ''Double-click to complete a random hero challenge from an expansion you already own.'' It doesn't say it grants 10 HPs, it's worded as granting only 1. 

[Sobx.1758]

1 minute ago, Chronardis.4028 said:

Odd. Then the store description is misleading, as it says on the scroll to ''Double-click to complete a random hero challenge from an expansion you already own.'' It doesn't say it grants 10 HPs, it's worded as granting only 1. 

Expansion challenges = 10 hp, so not odd and not misleading, just how expansion challenges work.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Sobx.1758

[Gazrul.3086]

1 minute ago, Sobx.1758 said:

Expansion challenges = 10 hp, so not odd and not misleading, just how expansion challenges work.

My bad then. It's been a while since I last did the challenges. I just buy the HPs in wvw these days. 

Guess it's a fair price then. Still unlikely to be used much though. 

[Freya.9075]

8 hours ago, DoomNexus.5324 said:

sPvP is not affected but WvW is tho.

Is it? If I swiped for legendaries and hp as a new player a few years ago, I would get one hit there as it’s about skill and not gear/build. It will not carry you. I am a walking loot bag even now after achieving 14 legendaries the “hard way” and playing pve 1000 hours+ in this game by now. And I also use the infamous/famous “meta gear/builds” while running for my life when I visit WvW.  You cannot buy experience, you earn it. 

[Caitmonster.9036]

I just noticed it today when I popped into the BL store to peep the sales. Definitely a head scratcher but I almost feel like it's a 'trap' item... 50 gems for one hero point? Just do some WVW and redeem proofs of heroics instead. When I started map comp on another alt that's what I did for ultra lazy mode tbh lol.

[Poormany.4507]

Give me the auto heart completer next, Anet.

[Vilin.8056]

Likely Coming Up Next on gemstore:

WvW track progression / Gift of Battle

Edited December 1, 2023 by Vilin.8056