Re: Home Instance Portal

[Aldea.4095]

First of all, for 900 gems this item is significantly overvalued. I'll be honest I was expecting a lot more from this item and I think maybe a few updates to it would make it far more worth the 900 gem price tag. The two suggestions I have are a) the item teleports your whole party via prompt to the home instance, not just yourself. b) The home instance it teleports you to should be selectable. Given that this item is probably only bought by people who have a significant number of nodes in their home instance, it would be really nice to be able to select a home instance with a preferable layout of nodes. Curious to hear what others think about this.

[Khailyn.6248]

I got the home instance portal stone a few years ago when it was first on sale and I agree it was largely underwhelming. I even tried to get a refund once (had it too long so no dice on that one). So in a way I was forcing myself more than ever to get home instance stuff to gather every day. While I find it to be a personal luxury so I cant really agree with your first suggestion, I do agree with your second one even if it may not be technically possible on ANs end. I'm sure there is some code in it that locks you to the home instance by race and so it wouldnt work like say.. the tome from season 3. Again, I wish it were town select able for the sake of the daily gatherer achievement.

[Randulf.7614]

I dont think it is overpriced. Its pure convenience and thus i think warrants a premium price tag to it.

I do like the selectable instance idea though

[Just a flesh wound.3589]

The selectable instance suggestion sounds good. That way it’s easier to do the farming daily without swapping chars. I doubt they’ll make it an easy access for parties though. They want people to buy their own home portals, not get access through other people’s home portals.

[Cragga the Eighty Third.60]

I agree that 900 is too much. That's only 100 less than the permanent hub keys, with much less benefit. It does go on sale sometimes, though. I bought it discounted on sale for something like 525, and felt it was worth it. I would say a price around 600 would be more realistic than 900. You get quick access to your racial home city, and access to any nodes you may have acquired.

There are things they could do to make the home instance more worthy of a 900-gem portal stone.

1. Permanence. Because it goes to an individual 'instance,' you can not leave your character there when you log out, and find them at home when you log in. That makes it feel a whole lot less like a home. TBH, Mistlock Sanctuary feels a lot more like my home than the home instance does. Being able to leave your character there would be a huge difference, IMO. Not sure if there's any way to code that, though.

2. More UNIQUE options. The cats and cat toys are the sort of thing, but something actually useful that people would want to play with more than once. For example, the often-asked-for bookshelf that could store the many book gizmos we pick up. A valet golem who could store a few build options/dye sets, etc., and be used for quick switches . Some convertor machines--similar to the ley matter convertor or matter-eaters, but an NPC/machine/golem instead of an inventory item. A mode where you could equip any skin in the game (locked or unlocked) and wield/wear it and dye it as a preview as you run around the home instance. Something that you could ONLY do in the home instance, that is really worth doing.

3. I'm not invested in the idea of decorating like some players are, but it would be nice if you could add just a LITTLE bit of optional, choosable personal furniture and color, to make some area of the instance feel like it's yours. Or even if there was a room or spot in the home instance that made it feel as if your character, you know....actually lived there. Like, say, a bed/hammock/pile of bearskins with some books and weapons stacked around it and a toothbush in a cup or something.

[Just a flesh wound.3589]

1. Permanence. Because it goes to an individual 'instance,' you can not leave your character there when you log out, and find them at home when you log in.

I suspect this is not easily done. The only places that have both permanence and the ability to return to the previous map are outside the regular PvE map structure (eg. They’re in the mists: sPvP, Mistlock). That means to give the home instance permanence and previous map returnability they would need to remove it from the PvE map structure to the mists. The problem then is what happens to all the nodes, cats, added NPCs, etc that have accumulated over the years. It’s one thing to move the map and another to move the map and all the player’s add ons without a host of bugs in the home instance and in other places of the game, such as the Personal Story which is tied to the home instance, that will then need to be fixed.

[Blude.6812]

I use it every day. Between that and the permanent Lily of Elon (or any other permanent pass), all is easy to get to -fast easy and free. Well worth the cost.

[Daddicus.6128]

I use it every day to harvest the nodes in my homesteads. I leave it in my shared inventory, so any character can use it. I don't think it needs an upgrade.

However, one of your ideas I could support: upgrading it to have the home instance selectable. But, I would do this as a mastery (in Core Tyria), rather than bake it right in.