Should the Skyscale map currency be reduced?

[ragingpuma.4618]

I would just be happy if the currency was easier and faster to get

[Urgi.3504]

Probably the worst thing is silence. At least tell us you are not going to do anything about it.

[Drecien.4508]

Leave it as is. They nerfed the time gate so no need to hand it over easily.

[Jokubas.4265]

I know the developers only talked about reducing the time-gating, but I was disappointed to see that the map currency step wasn't affected at all in the patch notes. I think it might be the worst step, and I think it might even be entirely accidental. I feel like the number was decided based on Istan, where you can get 25 per Heart vendor, and then applied across the board. The grind for the rest of them is probably the single slowest part of the entire unlocking process, and it doesn't really add anything to the story or the effort.

What really makes it stand out to me, is the Beetle made you collect map currencies for only one map, and it wasn't anywhere near as much. That one slowed down the rest of the collection, but it was more or less just a time gate. The map currency requirement here is straight up a grind, and one of the longest ones I've ever experienced in this game.

For the record, while I do have a few level 80s characters, I still mostly play this game with a "main." That means and matters less in this game, but there are still places it matters. I don't bother to keep up with map completion and story on my alts because of how much time that would take up for little gain (and nothing particularly fun), for instance.

So I would have to do another hurdle before I could begin using alts to help with me the grind. At the same time, it's not like that means I spend less time on the grind, it just means the time spent is less spread out.

That ties into part of the reason this still bothers me, though. I feel like more and more of the game expects you to be "caught up." My fear of that was proven with the patch notes today, and I was not expecting that to come so soon. It starts right off by admitting that a new Legendary will require you to have Skyscale Masteries.

Sure, the Legendary is optional too, and I actually have never gotten a Legendary and never plan to, but that itself ties into my concern. I've seen a lot of arguments that compare the Skyscale grind to rare item grinds. Those don't mean anything as a precedent for the Skyscale for me, because I've never done them and I don't plan to. I've gotten enough idea of how they are, and that's why I avoid them.

I hate sounding like I'm harping on this, I really do. But it really seems weird to me when only the time is changed. The time gate is just annoying. It's other things that makes this not fun. I just want it to be fun. :(

[Magnus Godrik.5841]

Unless anet reimburses me the difference.

[SmirkDog.3160]

@Urgi.3504 said:Probably the worst thing is silence. At least tell us you are not going to do anything about it.

It wouldn't be ideal to hear them say they won't do anything about it, but overall I agree. Yelling in a room by ourselves without knowing if they're even listening is annoying.

[Jokubas.4265]

Since I didn't actually specify in my post, I think reducing it to 100 each would go a long way, but I think 50 each is still enough. The Beetle only wanted 50 from one map and I think that's a fine precedent. I'd really be curious to know why such a huge jump between the mounts came about to begin with.

Also, I would definitely be behind reimbursing anyone who already completed those steps. Sometimes keeping track of something to reimburse is tough, but it should be a relatively simple matter to check those achievements.

[Lady Celtaine.3760]

Yes to 150. (Read as yes to 200.) It was great it felt like a challenge and a real achievement so it shouldn't be too easy to get it, but if you start with the mats at zero or no higher than double digits going around the same map for more than the 5th time to farm on a single character across all required maps it is just not fun anymore.

[Katastroff.1045]

You guys just wait till you start grinding for the new Legendary trinket, you're gonna love it.

B)

[SmirkDog.3160]

@Katastroff.1045 said:You guys just wait till you start grinding for the new Legendary trinket, you're gonna love it.

B)

It's very bold of you to assume people who want the mount also want the trinket. I have no interest in anything legendary beyond the weapon I already have (unless they add a short bow I actually like). I have no idea why people assume everyone wants everything in the game.

[Loki.7860]

The fact that there was no response about the currency requirement at all and that they put the skyscale as part of a legendary collection is a pretty big indicator that they will not do anything. Considering how it takes them a month to respond back for customer support, I would imagine that they won't even acknowledge the currencies until further down the road so that they can say "well at this point it would be unfair to all the players who already purchased it," even though there is the pretty easy thing they can do where those that already have the mount can get the difference returned to them, OR THEY CAN JUST FUCKING CHANGE THE MAPS TO ALL OFFER A REASONABLE AMOUNT FOR HEART COMPLETION LIKE ISTAN.

This skyscale saddle collection is simply the last straw for me, I can no longer support this game or suggest it as a reasonable game for anyone to play. I have been playing Guild Wars ever since the first game, spent countless hours on the whole collection of them, but GW2 just keeps on plunging deeper into the void and is at this point no longer recognizable as the "MMO that isn't a grind." All the game is now is just completing meta event trains each day (since they are limited to once per account per day), and grinding legendary/ascended collections.

[SmirkDog.3160]

@Loki.7860 said:All the game is now is just completing meta event trains each day (since they are limited to once per account per day), and grinding legendary/ascended collections.

I definitely feel this hard. I remember back in the day just playing and doing whatever I wanted, maybe doing some world bosses, dungeons, or whatever my friends and I felt like doing. Now it's just event trains and grindy collections. I used to play all the time, but in the last couple years I've barely played much at all. After the novelty of HoT wore off, I think. It's disappointing, because I've really enjoyed the story and how GW2 deviated from the usual MMO formula, but it's getting harder and harder to convince myself that it's still that way.

Maybe it sounds dramatic, especially to the people that are saying this collection is easy, but I'm just so tired of it at this point. It's not fun anymore.

[eldrin.6471]

one good thing to come from this collection was it forced me to stop playing.i was addicted to guild wars 2.and spent way to much money over the 7 years i played.lesson learned.i no longer trust anet and no more of my money goes to them.

[YoukiNeko.6047]

@eldrin.6471 said:one good thing to come from this collection was it forced me to stop playing.i was addicted to guild wars 2.and spent way to much money over the 7 years i played.lesson learned.i no longer trust anet and no more of my money goes to them.

Can I have your stuff?

[DutchRiders.2871]

They should have made the base skyscale easily obtainable and then a cool skin,armor or unlock for mastery behind the collection.

But I'm fine with the costs.

[ScyeRynn.4218]

@"Ayrilana.1396" said:Question for those voting to reduce the quantity:

Have you already purchased all of the items for the saddle?

Yep, one of the first to get Skyscale and I can confirm it is pure redundancy, silliness, over-the-top nonsense from Anet design as usual. And you still have to pay a large amount of gold along with this silly, overly-stretched legendary collection that has mostly nothing to do with the Skyscale in which they claim is for "story". When you don't have true endgame content in your game, what's the next best solution? Stretching, grinding, repetition, and forced time-gating. Current day Anet excels at this.

[eldrin.6471]

I suspect when they add skins for the sky scale sales may be a tad lower than expected.Maybe im wrong and anet are geniuses and forcing customers to do collections stacked on top of collections that unlock new collections with sub collections inside before they can buy your products will be a huge success.

[Rasimir.6239]

@"SmirkDog.3160" said:You see people covered in legendary armour, back items, and stacked auras, atop their griffons with expensive gem store skins that were just released. Because of stuff like that, we can't just put a bit of time into a collection and have some fun earning it. You have to be a person that plays all day every day for weeks on end or someone who's willing to do that in order to catch up just to have something nice.

"Optional" in MMOs these days mean you'd better exhaust yourself physically and neglect your social life if you want it.This game has a ton of content for people like you and me that aren't able (or willing) to put a lot of "time and effort" into aquiring shiny stuff. There are however players that do have the time and interest, and the game needs content catering to their playstyle and time availability, too. A lot of the "high effort" rewards tend to be shiny to give people extra incentive to do it, but they still are entirely optional. On the other hand, there is also a lot of shiny (as in noticeable, even though considerably less rare of course) stuff you can get much easier.

If you don't have the resources (time, patience, perseverance) to fulfill the requirements for the more intense collections (I know I don't, as a full-time employed parent), your best bet is to pick and choose. For example, I did get the Skyscale (and nobody is more surprised than I that I already finished it ;) ) because the whole collection really appealed to me, but I have neither Aurora not Requiem armor nor most of the season 4 meta achievements done, since I wasn't prepared to fulfill the requirements. Would I like to have some of them? Sure, but either there'll come a time when I find myself in a situation where I'm prepared to do them, or I'll do without. Not having those shinies in no way impacts my ability to play this game.

[YoukiNeko.6047]

@Rasimir.6239 said:

@"SmirkDog.3160" said:You see people covered in legendary armour, back items, and stacked auras, atop their griffons with expensive gem store skins that were just released. Because of stuff like that, we can't just put a bit of time into a collection and have some fun earning it. You have to be a person that plays all day every day for weeks on end or someone who's willing to do that in order to catch up just to have something nice.

"Optional" in MMOs these days mean you'd better exhaust yourself physically and neglect your social life if you want it.This game has a ton of content for people like you and me that aren't able (or willing) to put a lot of "time and effort" into aquiring shiny stuff. There are however players that do have the time and interest, and the game needs content catering to their playstyle and time availability, too. A lot of the "high effort" rewards tend to be shiny to give people extra incentive to do it, but they still are entirely optional. On the other hand, there is also a lot of shiny (as in noticeable, even though considerably less rare of course) stuff you can get much easier.

If you don't have the resources (time, patience, perseverance) to fulfill the requirements for the more intense collections (I know I don't, as a full-time employed parent), your best bet is to pick and choose. For example, I did get the Skyscale (and nobody is more surprised than I that I already finished it ;) ) because the whole collection really appealed to me, but I have neither Aurora not Requiem armor nor most of the season 4 meta achievements done, since I wasn't prepared to fulfill the requirements. Would I like to have some of them? Sure, but either there'll come a time when I find myself in a situation where I'm prepared to do them, or I'll do without. Not having those shinies in no way impacts my ability to play this game.

Pretty much this. Take your time and do it. It's not locked behind a raid or some insane JP (you can already skip the needed JP with food or mesmer).

[Voltekka.2375]

"Give me what i want, or else!!"

They made a mistake with nullification sigils, they made no mistake this time. Play at your own leisure, enjoy the game, if it feels like you HAVE to do it RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW and stress yourself over it, I suggest talking a break, three steps back, and evaluate yourself.

[RavenSkye.5764]

@Absconditus.6804 said:I'm on the verge of quitting over needing to grind these maps after I've felt long done with them.

This is where I am right now, I have to get the saddle. I have to regrind for all of the currencies.. because back when I didnt know much better I didnt know keeping them was going to be needed as the vendors didn't have anything I really wanted.. so I ate them for volatile magic a week.. before the skyscale came out. I didnt know this would be needed.

Right now, I'm in hate with this game. I've been trying to get this since it started, it's going to likely take me about a month to get the saddle if even that little. I don't want to play at the moment, I'm tired of it. Which feels stupid of me to feel too, and grinding generally in most games isn't a big deal to me and hasn't before been on GW, but right now. I hate it and I just don't want to play. I dont have multiple characters I can do it on.

I'm also disabled, so sitting here trying to longer just irritates me :p (long story)

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

Here is what it felt like to me, during the Skyscale achievements:

1. Began first portions of achievements. I'm like "Ok let's do this."
2. It started feeling a bit grindy but Ok, doesn't feel too different than Griffin.
3. Gorrik tells me I have to take a break and time gates me. I get pissed off about it.
4. More time gates kept happening and it was feeling like a bit too much.
5. I get to "Raising Skyscales" and there is a 4 day time gate on feeding the damn Skyscale. Now I'm thinking "This is definitely too much." At this point I just feel an uneasy anxiety towards completing these achievements. Too much waiting going on.
6. Four days later I finish "Raising Skyscales" and I'm thinking "Ok, that has to be the bulk of the ridiculousness."
7. I get to the Skyscale Saddle achievements. I load up a good guide to read through so I know what I need to do. The guide tells me that I now needed to go back through every LS4 map, and farm 250 of each currency. It was at that precise moment, that it felt like an invisible stalker snuck up and sucker punched me so hard, that I fell out of my gaming chair and immediately went into downstate. After I rallied myself, I knew I needed to be prepared for the tribulation to come.
8. After the additional 4 to 5 day grind that it took me to go from 0 to 250 in every map, that I had to play hard for, as if I were working a job to do it, I began to feel seriously burnt out. None of it was fun and none of it was even lucrative in terms of wealth gained.
9. After actually unlocking the Skyscale and completing the masteries, I found myself still using Beetle/Springer/Griffin due to mechanical advantages concerning speed for following meta trains, and/or for fastest map complete scenarios. It just felt bad.

The Skyscale is a good design, but it needs tweaking. I'd also like to point out that the content involved, the way it was designed, was good. That's all great, nothing was BAD there. It was just too much. The achievements linked to unlocking it, are too much. This is about more than the time gates. The 250 collection at the end really just felt like a low blow. I agree with the OP that I was actually more upset with the 250 collections than I was the time gating. Hands down 100%.

[eldrin.6471]

@"Voltekka.2375" said:"Give me what i want, or else!!"

They made a mistake with nullification sigils, they made no mistake this time. Play at your own leisure, enjoy the game, if it feels like you HAVE to do it RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW and stress yourself over it, I suggest talking a break, three steps back, and evaluate yourself.

thats exactly what i done.and now after several days break i have reevaluated my self.and after a 7 year addiction to guild wars 2 i am free to choose what i do with my time and money. all thanks to sky scale saddle.

[YoukiNeko.6047]

@eldrin.6471 said:

@"Voltekka.2375" said:"Give me what i want, or else!!"

They made a mistake with nullification sigils, they made no mistake this time. Play at your own leisure, enjoy the game, if it feels like you HAVE to do it RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW and stress yourself over it, I suggest talking a break, three steps back, and evaluate yourself.

thats exactly what i done.and now after several days break i have reevaluated my self.and after a 7 year addiction to guild wars 2 i am free to choose what i do with my time and money. all thanks to sky scale saddle.

Again. Can I have your stuff please?

[YoukiNeko.6047]

@"Trevor Boyer.6524" said:Here is what it felt like to me, during the Skyscale achievements:

1. Began first portions of achievements. I'm like "Ok let's do this."
2. It started feeling a bit grindy but Ok, doesn't feel too different than Griffin.
3. Gorrik tells me I have to take a break and time gates me. I get pissed off about it.
4. More time gates kept happening and it was feeling like a bit too much.
5. I get to "Raising Skyscales" and there is a 4 day time gate on feeding the kitten Skyscale. Now I'm thinking "This is definitely too much." At this point I just feel an uneasy anxiety towards completing these achievements. Too much waiting going on.
6. Four days later I finish "Raising Skyscales" and I'm thinking "Ok, that has to be the bulk of the ridiculousness."
7. I get to the Skyscale Saddle achievements. I load up a good guide to read through so I know what I need to do. The guide tells me that I now needed to go back through every LS4 map, and farm 250 of each currency. It was at that precise moment, that it felt like an invisible stalker snuck up and sucker punched me so hard, that I fell out of my gaming chair and immediately went into downstate. After I rallied myself, I knew I needed to be prepared for the tribulation to come.
8. After the additional 4 to 5 day grind that it took me to go from 0 to 250 in every map, that I had to play hard for, as if I were working a job to do it, I began to feel seriously burnt out. None of it was fun and none of it was even lucrative in terms of wealth gained.
9. After actually unlocking the Skyscale and completing the masteries, I found myself still using Beetle/Springer/Griffin due to mechanical advantages concerning speed for following meta trains, and/or for fastest map complete scenarios. It just felt bad.

The Skyscale is a good design, but it needs tweaking. I'd also like to point out that the content involved, the way it was designed, was good. That's all great, nothing was BAD there. It was just too much. The achievements linked to unlocking it, are too much. This is about more than the time gates. The 250 collection at the end really just felt like a low blow. I agree with the OP that I was actually more upset with the 250 collections than I was the time gating. Hands down 100%.

Or you could take a month or two and dedicate a hour of your playtime to do some hearts, while you use the rest to do something different.Getting 250 isn't that hard, doing the hearts in Jahai Bluffs gets you 15 on a single characters. So if you are in a rush just get 5 or 6 alts and do them.But then again what is the point of rushing now? Given that the next LS will be couple of months from now?