The Skyscale.. it better be worth it

[HazyDaisy.4107]

@HazyDaisy.4107 said:

@"Cragga the Eighty Third.6015" said:Someone was talking about story achievements having to be completed for the collection. Does anyone know if this is true? Because if it is I can probably give up right now.

The Saving Skyscales collection (The collection after Eggs) requires you to find Gorrik in Suns Refuge. Suns Refuge isn't unlocked unless you've completed half of LS4 Ep4 - Jahai Bluffs and even going with a friend who's unlocked SR won't work, because you'll see Gorrick, but can't interact with him.

That's about all I know with LS so far as we (a friend and I) were on this collection yesterday and he had to unlock SR so we could continue together.

Edit: It's also possible the core story is involved as there's a part of Saving Skyscales where you go to Fort Trinity and tell your egg how you defeated Zhaitan, but we'd done that already so I can't say if you can tell the egg you defeated Zhaitan if you didn't actually defeat Zhaitan :).

[Cragga the Eighty Third.60]

@HazyDaisy.4107 said:

@HazyDaisy.4107 said:

@"Cragga the Eighty Third.6015" said:Someone was talking about story achievements having to be completed for the collection. Does anyone know if this is true? Because if it is I can probably give up right now.

The Saving Skyscales collection (The collection after Eggs) requires you to find Gorrik in Suns Refuge. Suns Refuge isn't unlocked unless you've completed half of LS4 Ep4 - Jahai Bluffs and even going with a friend who's unlocked SR won't work, because you'll see Gorrick, but can't interact with him.

That's about all I know with LS so far as we (a friend and I) were on this collection yesterday and he had to unlock SR so we could continue together.

Edit: It's also possible the core story is involved as there's a part of Saving Skyscales where you go to Fort Trinity and tell your egg how you defeated Zhaitan, but we'd done that already so I can't say if you can tell the egg you defeated Zhaitan if you didn't actually defeat Zhaitan :).

Okay, thanks--nothing scary to hear about yet. Maybe the people who were talking were just basing guesses on how Aurora required a certain number of achievements completed in each LW3 map. Fingers crossed.

[Ravenscall.9437]

The only good thing about this mount is how it looks and that it can hover. Other than that it's probably the worst designed mount I have ever ridden. It's a pain to land, gripping walls becomes extremely annoying, and the fact that you are limited to how high you can fly in short time gaps is ridiculous. It doesn't even feel realistic. It feels like you're piloting a gimped bird with it's wings clipped. In such a huge online world having a gimped mount system is pretty sad. I'm definitely not spending my time collecting this ridiculous amount of silly things to ride a gimped wing clipped dragon trainwreck. Hopefully they figure out they would probably have more active players with a simple normal flying mount and something better is introduced in further expansions or living worlds.

[Ygdrasill.9135]

It took me two weeks to get the skyscale and some of that time was breaks to farm karma and gold as well as the map currencies. I just bought the food, toys, and eventually a couple extra pungent treats. In the end it was well worth it for me. Being able to hover and touch down precisely where I want to is a major advantage.

[OStork.9534]

@"Ravenscall.9437" said:The only good thing about this mount is how it looks and that it can hover. Other than that it's probably the worst designed mount I have ever ridden. It's a pain to land, gripping walls becomes extremely annoying, and the fact that you are limited to how high you can fly in short time gaps is ridiculous.

Skyscale feels great. By far, my favorite mount - moving through the world feels so fluid! Some notes.

• Most players, and you possibly, don't realize that there is a descend button on your keybinds. Landing is difficult until you realize that you can make it slide directly down with no hassle. After learning that, I see no reason why it would be a hassle for anyone unless you just want to insta-dive to the ground.
• I like the "stamina" system for the Skyscale. There's enough objects in this game to bounce on -- I think free flight would have felt a bit boring. Plus, between wall climb jumps restoring stamina, mount endurance skill buff, and the barrel roll dash (the other keybound skill that most players don't know about..), it is ridiculously easy to get higher in the air and stay up there, unless someone wants to hug the skybox the whole way.
• The collection itself wasn't nearly as bad as many players made it sound when it released. Maybe that is why this necroed thread is a month and a half old -- because all these worried folks just went ahead and got it. :P The biggest flaw with this whole thing was that there was no communication on players needing the map tokens at the end of the collection. I've looked into it and realized that I could take my time and just do events, earning the stuff I need gradually rather than rushing it all at the end of the skyscale collection. If you are farming quartz then yes this sounds massive but if someone would rather do that over spending the gold on the treats themselves, then that sounds more like a personal decision than an issue with the game.

All in all, I enjoyed having a big quest to take my attention away for a while. Gave me a chance to explore the LWS4 maps some more and really learn the metas + visit old jumping puzzles/locations. This game needs more stuff like that because it is a shame how many well designed maps/locations are out there that go unused because it isn't a Raid/Fractal/Dragon Stand. I also like that Skyscale doesn't erase the other mounts from existence -- once I set up my mount keybindings (another thing most don't do) I've found great enjoyment in racing forward on a beetle over a cliff only to pop off and whip out my skyscale. These mounts were designed to be used together!

@Ygdrasill.9135 said:It took me two weeks to get the skyscale and some of that time was breaks to farm karma and gold as well as the map currencies. I just bought the food, toys, and eventually a couple extra pungent treats. In the end it was well worth it for me. Being able to hover and touch down precisely where I want to is a major advantage.

Yeah! Took about the same time for me - a week and a half to two, I believe. I had family and my gf visiting right when I unlocked the collection so I pretty much only played enough to hop in, find/medicate/feed the skyscale and do a few hearts/events a day.

Really, the only thing I want the devs to do going forward is change the collection interface and make the achievements/etc easier to see and track! Maybe add tokens as a random drop to allow players to get a little bit from events that aren't map metas.

[MachineManXX.9746]

@Ravenscall.9437 said:The only good thing about this mount is how it looks and that it can hover. Other than that it's probably the worst designed mount I have ever ridden. It's a pain to land, gripping walls becomes extremely annoying, and the fact that you are limited to how high you can fly in short time gaps is ridiculous. It doesn't even feel realistic. It feels like you're piloting a kitten bird with it's wings clipped. In such a huge online world having a kitten mount system is pretty sad. I'm definitely not spending my time collecting this ridiculous amount of silly things to ride a kitten wing clipped dragon trainwreck. Hopefully they figure out they would probably have more active players with a simple normal flying mount and something better is introduced in further expansions or living worlds.

Skyscale is by far the best all around mount in the game. I also find it funny that you claim how terrible it is in one sentence, then the next sentence state that you won't waste your time unlocking it. Makes sense.

[Rasimir.6239]

@"Ravenscall.9437" said:Hopefully they figure out they would probably have more active players with a simple normal flying mount and something better is introduced in further expansions or living worlds.Judging from the many players in game riding their Skyscales in a multitude of situations as well as the many reports on the forum of players saying the ease and convenience of the mount has made the Skyscale their most used mount quickly, I doubt ANet will change much about this mount, if anything at all. It's turned out to excell in many areas beyond the other mounts, without totally invalidating any of the others.

If what you are waiting for is a boring mount that just lets you fly above everything indefinitely, then you probably are wasting your time. ANet has explained the design choices between this game's mount several times, and a "simple normal flying mount" doesn't fit into that picture at all.

[YoukiNeko.6047]

Why is getting the skyscale so hard for people?You can skip the jumping puzzles, ANet already nerfed some of the parts. Just by playing hour or two each day should be enough to complete it under a month.Now if you are just starting the game, it will take you some time.

TLDR: Unless all you do is RIBA, getting the skyscale is easy by just playing.

P.S. Dragon bash grind is way worse and the items you get from it are trash, so I can't see why are people complaining for easy quest with mount attached to it.

[Turkeyspit.3965]

I didn't think it would be, but I did the collection just so I wouldn't feel like a nub should ANET create any content/mechanics in the future that would be easier to complete with the Skyscale, and I figured I wouldn't really use it for much else. I was completely 100% wrong, and I now rarely if ever bring out my Griffon. YMMV ofc.

[TheGrimm.5624]

@elrin.4750 said:With all the hassle and unfun things we have to do to get it, I expect this should be the best mount in game.

If you already feel this way I would say don't go for it. Your expectations are already in a position where you are setting yourself up for disappointment. If in doubt, use the rentals and make sure you enjoy how they move. The masteries will improvement it but use the rental as your base expectation and gauge from there. Did the collection casually since we didn't need the mount to complete the story line and it wasn't a big deal in the end. You can also check other forum posts where people are still saying yes they have the Skyscale and it's not the end all be all mount so the other base mounts are still quite widely used even without discussions on the Griffon vs Skyscale. Personally have one and my workhorse remains the Springer though I have all the mounts. Each has their role and so far, IMO none dominate.

[Witch of Doom.5739]

@"YoukiNeko.6047" said:Why is getting the skyscale so hard for people?

I don't think most people found it "hard." I certainly didn't. I found it a boring grind, especially the map currencies... to the point that I never want to visit the LW4 maps again. I do love having the Skyscale and was obviously willing (reluctantly) to work for it, but I did NOT enjoy the process.

[Turkeyspit.3965]

@Witch of Doom.5739 said:

@"YoukiNeko.6047" said:Why is getting the skyscale so hard for people?

I don't think most people found it "hard." I certainly didn't. I found it a boring grind, especially the map currencies... to the point that I never want to visit the LW4 maps again. I do love having the Skyscale and was obviously willing (reluctantly) to work for it, but I did NOT enjoy the process.

Indeed. "Hard" implies difficulty, or challenge. Getting LNHB title is hard, but getting Leader of the Yak is just a long grind. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. A hard challenge is usually short, just requires practice and skill. Long grinds usually just require repetitive action, but can be accrued over the long term, some times even without specifically trying for it.

The only part of the Skyscale collection that you could describe as "hard" would be the jumping puzzles, which can be circumvented either via a Mesmer, Tele to Friend, or using the treats, thus removing the difficulty. Ultimately it is just a long grind.

[Heibi.4251]

Once I finished everything - swearing at many of the steps - I was very satisfied with the Skyscale. I use it more than any other mount now. Once your masteries are done you might do so as well. I did mine before the time gate was reduced. So those doing it today can thank those of us who suffered and convinced ANeT that the time gate was way too long.

[sorudo.9054]

with dulfy pretty much offline (last update was on april), doing the collection is a big pain in the behind so it's more a bother then anything else.

[Makion.3457]

It is. at first I was so piss off with all you have to do to get it, but at the end I found myself having fun getting all the stuff for the collection and now I love the mount, currently only using Skyscale and Raptor.

[Taygus.4571]

@"sorudo.9054" said:with dulfy pretty much offline (last update was on april), doing the collection is a big pain in the behind so it's more a bother then anything else.

there's a reddit guide.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/brs41g/complete_skyscale_unlock_guide/

[Ithilwen.1529]

@"Cragga the Eighty Third.6015" said:

@LucianDK.8615 said:Untrue, you dont need all the story masteries. But theres leylines, lava tubes, updrafts and more. You will move around a lot easier if you got them.

I meant achievements, edited it a bit too late. :D Masteries would be no problem, I have all of those. Repeating story chapters over and over till I get a tough achievement is something I do not do and am not planning to start now.

the achievement you need is rune locked gates from Derelict Delve. You must have this one to complete skyscale.

[anninke.7469]

Although I nearly smashed my keyboard on the JPs, the skyscale is definitely worth it. And as a bonus, I felt VERY proud of myself when I actually finished the puzzles on my own (well, not all, but still. I suck at those).

[Kaliwenda.3428]

@Ithilwen.1529 said:

@"Cragga the Eighty Third.6015" said:

@LucianDK.8615 said:Untrue, you dont need all the story masteries. But theres leylines, lava tubes, updrafts and more. You will move around a lot easier if you got them.

I meant achievements, edited it a bit too late. :D Masteries would be no problem, I have all of those. Repeating story chapters over and over till I get a tough achievement is something I do not do and am not planning to start now.

the achievement you need is rune locked gates from Derelict Delve. You must have this one to complete skyscale.

I forget why you need to get into the water room - was it an egg or something in there? - but anyways, there was a commander in the room one day when I went there and that's how I got that step done (TP to friend). I still don't have that achievement yet. So maybe you can check or ask in chat for a port to get that particular step done.

[Cragga the Eighty Third.60]

Those are pretty old quotes you guys are quoting from me. I've had my skyscale for quite a while, now. But thanks.!And, no it did not require you to finish all the achievements on any story chapter, thank goodness.

I was kind of glad it made you do Derelict Delve, I hadn't really realized what was there, and it was kind of fun. Went back and got the weapon skins afterward. ^^

[sorudo.9054]

@Taygus.4571 said:

@"sorudo.9054" said:with dulfy pretty much offline (last update was on april), doing the collection is a big pain in the behind so it's more a bother then anything else.

there's a reddit guide.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/brs41g/complete_skyscale_unlock_guide/

that's reddit.....i prefer a proper guide, not an annoying place full of text that's hard to keep track on and a youtube video only makes things worse.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

@sorudo.9054 said:

@Taygus.4571 said:

@sorudo.9054 said:with dulfy pretty much offline (last update was on april), doing the collection is a big pain in the behind so it's more a bother then anything else.

there's a reddit guide.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/brs41g/complete_skyscale_unlock_guide/

that's reddit.....i prefer a proper guide, not an annoying place full of text that's hard to keep track on and a youtube video only makes things worse.

Then, the Wiki may be what you seek.

Good luck.

[JustTrogdor.7892]

@sorudo.9054 said:

@Taygus.4571 said:

@sorudo.9054 said:with dulfy pretty much offline (last update was on april), doing the collection is a big pain in the behind so it's more a bother then anything else.

there's a reddit guide.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/brs41g/complete_skyscale_unlock_guide/

that's reddit.....i prefer a proper guide, not an annoying place full of text that's hard to keep track on and a youtube video only makes things worse.

AyinMaiden has a lot of guides and can be a nice alternative to Dulfy especially since Dulfy seems to be on a break from doing updates. I actually prefer many of Ayin's guides over Dulfy's. Here is her Skyscale guide.

https://www.ayinmaiden.com/skyscale

[RoastedBloop.9817]

@Kaliwenda.3428 said:

I forget why you need to get into the water room - was it an egg or something in there? - but anyways, there was a commander in the room one day when I went there and that's how I got that step done (TP to friend). I still don't have that achievement yet. So maybe you can check or ask in chat for a port to get that particular step done.

Yeah, you take the eggs around for them to absorb elements.

[RoastedBloop.9817]

@sorudo.9054 said:with dulfy pretty much offline (last update was on april), doing the collection is a big pain in the behind so it's more a bother then anything else.

The biggest pain is the grind for the mats, unless you have umpteen characters that can farm, as it wouldn't be that much of a grind. Or you already had excess amount on hand. Going around the maps aren't that bad.