Knife Tail Hunting Gang / Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock

[Brother.1504]

Got the Timekeeper Shield for my free one. Free 110g skin.

[Danikat.8537]

@Bloodstealer.5978 said:

@Danikat.8537 said:

@"Donari.5237" said:I saw a person say they got Aureus dye in map. I myself got the

tiger stripe springer

, along with

Caithe's Crystal Bloom sword

, a handful of shifting sands weapons, mini Squire Aurene, mini Kormeerkat, and miscellaneous other weapons (scientific shield for sure was one ... um ... also Mad King Pistol, Keepsake rifle ... don't off the top of my head recall the others). Anyway, regular mounts confirmed. You can use Preview to see which ones could show up for you.

Well I'm jealous. Those are both high on my "want but not quite enough to buy" list.

@JustTrogdor.7892 said:So since I have not used on yet I have another question about this. The wiki says, "While bonded, any kill worth XP has a chance to reveal one of the Knife Tail Gang! Find them, and each bond will allow you to loot a piece of Recovered Black Lion Goods, which are yours to keep."

So does that mean if I use one and kill mobs worth XP there is a chance based on RNG there would be no Knife Tail to kill and I don't get anything?

It seems like the way it works is the bond lasts until one of the skritt appears.

I've not thoroughly tested that - I didn't log out, switch characters or change maps - but on my first try I was going around Brisban Wildlands killing one thing at a time to watch how it worked, mainly boar and wind riders - and there was no indication that it would expire. It only disappeared when the skritt turned up - which spawned a short distance away and attacked me.

On my main account I went to Verdant Brink and didn't actually notice the skritt because it was in the middle of a heap of mordrem. I had a bit of a panic thinking the buff had gone and I'd missed the skritt until I remembered the Olmakhan Bag pulls consumables out of my top bag and saw that I had apparently killed the skritt and got the wardrobe unlock.

So it seems pretty unlikely that you'd miss it. I'm not quite sure what the point of that extra step is (except maybe a pre-emptive attempt to get around loot box legislation if/when that happens in more places, by presenting this as content rather than simply an RNG unlock) but it does seem designed so you know when you buy it you'll get a drop from it.

The bond disappears when you kill a gang member and a chest drops.. so its essentially buying a 1 hit wardrobe unlock

Ah ok. The first time I forgot to check the bond until after I'd killed the skritt, and as I said the second time I didn't even see the skritt and didn't know I'd killed it until I saw the unlock in my inventory. But that's good to know - it sounds like the only way you might miss out is if you somehow don't loot the skritt after it's killed and that seems relatively unlikely.

@JustTrogdor.7892 said:I wonder what happens if the Knife Tail appears and you get killed before you can kill it?

As long as you hit it before dying you should be able to run back to the body and loot it. I've done that with normal loot from enemies, as long as you don't leave it for ages it will stay there. I'm not sure what would happen if you didn't attack the skritt at all though.

[Donari.5237]

Hmm, I hadn't even thought about the issue of not getting to the skritt to loot it, since I've got Pact Mastery auto loot. I don't think you have to personally kill the skritt though. I can't be sure, but I think at least two of my skritt got killed by other people in the events I was at before I could tag them, and the chest still dropped into my bags. It's hard to say though, as I was on a Reaper and aoe'ing my heart out. For all I know it wasn't even my skritt spawn but having one die near me while I had the buff up was good enough. To be safe, though, I was scanning for Knifetails any time I saw XP from a kill pop up on my screen.

I did zone without losing the buff so that's safe. I didn't risk a relog, however.

[Bloodstealer.5978]

@Donari.5237 said:Hmm, I hadn't even thought about the issue of not getting to the skritt to loot it, since I've got Pact Mastery auto loot. I don't think you have to personally kill the skritt though. I can't be sure, but I think at least two of my skritt got killed by other people in the events I was at before I could tag them, and the chest still dropped into my bags. It's hard to say though, as I was on a Reaper and aoe'ing my heart out. For all I know it wasn't even my skritt spawn but having one die near me while I had the buff up was good enough. To be safe, though, I was scanning for Knifetails any time I saw XP from a kill pop up on my screen.

I did zone without losing the buff so that's safe. I didn't risk a relog, however.

I just killed gang member, chest drop straight into inventory.. though waiting for support to come back regarding duplicate unlock drop.. not for the first time unfortunately :(

[Danikat.8537]

If you're worried about missing the skritt, not looting it, getting killed before it dies etc. my advice is to find a relatively quiet area of a map and kill things one or two at a time until you get it. That might take longer, but the bond doesn't have a time limit and doesn't appear to be removed by anything except killing the skritt, so that shouldn't be a problem and it removes most of the risk of something going wrong.

[Linken.6345]

@"JustTrogdor.7892" said:So since I have not used on yet I have another question about this. The wiki says, "While bonded, any kill worth XP has a chance to reveal one of the Knife Tail Gang! Find them, and each bond will allow you to loot a piece of Recovered Black Lion Goods, which are yours to keep."

So does that mean if I use one and kill mobs worth XP there is a chance based on RNG there would be no Knife Tail to kill and I don't get anything?

The buff dont have a timer so you will always get a skritt to kill.

[Super Hayes.6890]

I just went to Queensdale and killed low level bandits one at a time until the skritt appeared. I didn't want to chance missing it or screwing it up somehow.

[Guest]

@Bloodstealer.5978 said:TBH not worth the time or gems imo.. I just used the free one from the BLTC and got the Dynamics glider... already got it so it wasn't a unique unlock. Had that happen with the guaranteed unlocks from the chests previously. So iI wont be buying any at 200gems to get unlocks I already had unlocked.As for how it works.. each one you by give you a bond, when you get a gang member discovered you kill it, you get your chest and the bond is lost so its 200gems per unlock.. just as easy to go use the statty vendor.

This particular item has a glider and a backpack and they're unlocked separately if you didn't buy the gemstore pack. This is the case with a lot of gliders - they have a back item skin counterpart and when you unlock it with the Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock or the like you don't get both at once. So, most likely, you previously unlocked the backpack and this time the glider. So, depending on how much you like that skin, could be good or bad luck.

[Cragga the Eighty Third.60]

I didn't even see my Knife Tail gang member among the mobs I was killing, just noticed the chest in the looted items column.Took about 15 kills on an easy map. I got the Black Lion 'Devoted' pistol, which I am not likely to ever use, but free stuff is always nice. ^^

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

From my two free Knife Tail Gang Hunting Bonds, I got the Legion Jetpack Backpack Glider Combo (awards both the backpack and the glider), and the 3 weights (Light, Medium, Heavy) of Jackal Rune Greaves unlocked.
Pretty nice.

[Cynder.2509]

Okay, so I just did this too and I got the Cook Outfit unlocked. Well... could be worse, I guess...Only thing that's bothering me: Some outfits come with bundles. So, what about them when the outfits are unlocked via these "tickets". Any way of receiving the bundles too?Another thing I'm confused about is if this item is some kind pay to win based on RNG. What is this whole thing now? Is it true that people with multiple accounts can receive multiple of these for free on one account through gifting? That would be an unfair advantage then.

[BlueJin.4127]

@Cynder.2509 said:Is it true that people with multiple accounts can receive multiple of these for free on one account through gifting?

If ths is true, then I just made a big boo-boo. I accepted these on my alt accounts, which I don’t play, and got a Cyanide dye on one account and a Tormented Short Bow skin on another account, both of which are around 100g each. Oh, and on my alt account that doesn’t even have PoF and can’t use mounts, I got the Trailblazer mount skin... /facepalm

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@ugrakarma.9416 said:So the Hunting Bond is better, because has less chance to unlock trash stuff.

There's still 500+ skins that are of lesser value than 80g/200 gems that it can unlock, however. In all honesty, it's not worth 200 gems. Maybe worth 160 per (effective price if you buy the largest bundle), but I'd have priced them at 150 gems normally for fair value in chances of loss to profit, personally. Buuut I'm more anti-lootbox than ANet is.

@BlueJin.4127 said:

@Cynder.2509 said:Is it true that people with multiple accounts can receive multiple of these for free on one account through gifting?

If ths is true, then I just made a big boo-boo. I accepted these on my alt accounts, which I don’t play, and got a Cyanide dye on one account and a Tormented Short Bow skin on another account, both of which are around 100g each. Oh, and on my alt account that doesn’t even have PoF and can’t use mounts, I got the Trailblazer mount skin... /facepalm

You can indeed. I gifted the one on my alt account to my main, so I have 2 free ones.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

@"Cynder.2509" said:Some outfits come with bundles. So, what about them when the outfits are unlocked via these "tickets". Any way of receiving the bundles too?No outfits come with bundles. Some bundles include outfits. The other items in the bundle can be obtained separately, for the most part. For the few bits that aren't, the price of the items you have unlocked already is prorated.

if this item is some kind pay to win based on RNG.It's not in any way, shape, or form "pay to win." It's pay to get cosmetics, which is no different from before. All of the unlocks are things available from the gem shop or from BL chests.

Is it true that people with multiple accounts can receive multiple of these for free on one account through gifting?It's true that any account can gift their single, free item to any other account, including one owned by the same person. This is exactly how it's been since the game launched.

That would be an unfair advantage then.How so? People paid for the accounts (or otherwise got them gifted through a contest, which amounts to having done something to earn the account). People who own multiple accounts already get the opportunity to earn daily rewards, have characters with r500 to craft ascended mats, and so on.

I suppose ANet could just prevent free items from being gifted. Then that would generate a different set of complaints.

[BlueJin.4127]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@BlueJin.4127 said:

@Cynder.2509 said:Is it true that people with multiple accounts can receive multiple of these for free on one account through gifting?

If ths is true, then I just made a big boo-boo. I accepted these on my alt accounts, which I don’t play, and got a Cyanide dye on one account and a Tormented Short Bow skin on another account, both of which are around 100g each. Oh, and on my alt account that doesn’t even have PoF and can’t use mounts, I got the Trailblazer mount skin... /facepalm

You can indeed. I gifted the one on my alt account to my main, so I have 2 free ones.

I guess I’ll go cry in the corner now. There goes 6 free bonds and 300g worth of unlocks. T_T

[Shep.4026]

@Zaklex.6308 said:

@Tiviana.2650 said:Got my hopes up that this was something that would drop in game from an event. But no its another loot box.

It does drop in game, from killing a Knife Tail gang member after you've revealed them by killing creatures, which as others have stated you get an icon showing it's active after you buy the bond from the Gem Store. It's not a box they just give you to open, you actually have to play the game to acquire it.

@Vavume.8065 said:

@Tiviana.2650 said:its another loot box.

Quoted for truth.

Technically it's a loot box, yes, but the only way to get it is to kill something in the game...so it's a combination of a loot box with playing the game.

Dude, come on... It's a loot box. Putting it in that kind of perspective may help the one or the other poor sod persuade him/herself that it's okay, but that doesn't change the fact: it's a full fledged loot box. In Belgium, you can't even get the free one, the FREE one, because it plays at the same addictive tendencies as every other l o o t b o x...

[Linken.6345]

@"Cynder.2509" said:Okay, so I just did this too and I got the Cook Outfit unlocked. Well... could be worse, I guess...Only thing that's bothering me: Some outfits come with bundles. So, what about them when the outfits are unlocked via these "tickets". Any way of receiving the bundles too?Another thing I'm confused about is if this item is some kind pay to win based on RNG. What is this whole thing now? Is it true that people with multiple accounts can receive multiple of these for free on one account through gifting? That would be an unfair advantage then.

They paid for those accounts so why should you care if they gift their freebies to their main account or not?

[Stalkingwolf.6035]

so the game now exist to sell us items in the Gemshop to unlock rng some items.nice. i dont want to play the gemshop, i want to play the game to get stuff.

[Cynder.2509]

Well, if they're paid accounts it's fine. I was just referring to free accounts (which would be odd since the item doesn't appear for these at all). If it's a lootbox why did we get ANOTHER of these? It's not like we already have black lion chests.

[Batel.9206]

(First off, forgive any incoherence in my post here. Insomnia chose the worst possible time to pay a visit...it's nearing one in the morning. Not sure if my sleepy sloth-brain ever really got off the ground today...)

@Stalkingwolf.6035 said:so the game now exist to sell us items in the Gemshop to unlock rng some items.nice. i dont want to play the gemshop, i want to play the game to get stuff.

Oh please, don't exaggerate. The game does not exist solely to market gem store items. The Hunting Bond thingamajig exists if you want to purchase it - or to grab the one freebie - and you are in no way obligated to get it.Matter of fact, you absolutely can play the game to get most, if not all, of the stuff offered in this deal. Since you can convert gold to gems, and you earn gold by playing the game....

@"Cynder.2509" said:If it's a lootbox why did we get ANOTHER of these? It's not like we already have black lion chests.

Because it contains a specific subset of items available. Black Lion chests contain only what's available in that specific chest at that time (for example, the contents of the [current "Zephyr Sanctum" BLC](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Black_Lion_Chest#Contents "current "Zephyr Sanctum" BLC")). The Hunting Bond offers a different set of items, as detailed in the wiki link provided in the OP.

[Cynder.2509]

Why not just update the chests, or better update the unlock vouchers within these, instead? We don't need another RNG item. I'd really prefer earnable skins by actually playing the game except gemstore stuff. Yes, I know raids are there in that case but not everyone is able to get into raids due to some toxics of the community gatekeeping that stuff. Luckily there are a few non toxic groups but these are only very few and they're not as active as others. But that is a different story.This whole gemstore situation has gotten out of hand. Things were better before any expansion was released in the vanilla days to be honest. People also tended to be nicer.

[Tommo Chocolate.5870]

Thanks OP and others for all the info. Does anyone know, when you activate this, is it active just for the character, or for the whole account? Does it have a finite duration? And is there anything that can go wrong? (My guess is, at the very least, if you enter SAB while it's active it will be disabled - although obviously that's not possible right now.)

@Danikat.8537 said:

• Armour (individual pieces only, none of the sets like Primeval or Aetherblade)

Doesn't the Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock preview also show individual armour pieces, even though it actually unlocks full sets? Maybe I'm misremembering...

[Rasimir.6239]

@Tommo Chocolate.5870 said:Thanks OP and others for all the info. Does anyone know, when you activate this, is it active just for the character, or for the whole account? Does it have a finite duration? And is there anything that can go wrong? (My guess is, at the very least, if you enter SAB while it's active it will be disabled - although obviously that's not possible right now.)It gives the character that uses it a stacking buff. Each use of the item stacks one charge, and each kill of a skritt removes one charge and gives you one box. There's no time limit on the buff.

[Bloodstealer.5978]

@"Kunzaito.8169" said:

@Bloodstealer.5978 said:TBH not worth the time or gems imo.. I just used the free one from the BLTC and got the Dynamics glider... already got it so it wasn't a unique unlock. Had that happen with the guaranteed unlocks from the chests previously. So iI wont be buying any at 200gems to get unlocks I already had unlocked.As for how it works.. each one you by give you a bond, when you get a gang member discovered you kill it, you get your chest and the bond is lost so its 200gems per unlock.. just as easy to go use the statty vendor.

This particular item has a glider and a backpack and they're unlocked separately if you didn't buy the gemstore pack. This is the case with a lot of gliders - they have a back item skin counterpart and when you unlock it with the Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock or the like you don't get both at once. So, most likely, you previously unlocked the backpack and this time the glider. So, depending on how much you like that skin, could be good or bad luck.

Nope already have them unlocked.. same happened with Hydra Staff and some random char pistol that I've had unlocked for at least 3years.. support refunded those previous duplicates, currently waiting to hear on this latest one.

EDIT - Heard back from support.. quick response.I have just been refunded the token because of the duplication.. so if anyone else gets the same issue, put a polite message to support, as I have found them to be very helping in regards to this.. 3 times now :)

Now to try my luck once more.. crossing all fingers and toes, while I dance round the RNGeesus pole...

[Danikat.8537]

@Cynder.2509 said:Another thing I'm confused about is if this item is some kind pay to win based on RNG. What is this whole thing now? Is it true that people with multiple accounts can receive multiple of these for free on one account through gifting? That would be an unfair advantage then.

I don't think the item itself is pay to win. It only awards gem store cosmetics, meaning they have no functional benefits and they're all things which are available to buy anyway. It's basically a mount adoption licence for all gem store skins and dyes - it's cheaper than buying them directly but with the disadvantage that what you get is random.

And yes people with multiple accounts could have gifted the free one to their main account (unless they didn't think of that and used it on the account they never play like I did), but I'm not sure that in itself makes it pay to win. Or at least no worse than other advantages like being able to pass mystic coins and materials bought with laurels to your main account.

@Illconceived Was Na.9781 said:

@Cynder.2509 said:Some outfits come with bundles. So, what about them when the outfits are unlocked via these "tickets". Any way of receiving the bundles too?No outfits come with bundles. Some bundles include outfits. The other items in the bundle can be obtained separately, for the most part. For the few bits that aren't, the price of the items you have unlocked already is prorated.

Back when we had town clothes many of the full sets came with an additional item - the pirate costume came with a toy sword for example and the chef outfit came with a frying pan. When costume brawl was introduced those were turned into brawl toys.

But they don't seem to be available anymore, or are only available if you buy the outfit directly from the gem store. I used a Black Lion Outfit Voucher to get the chef's outfit and it didn't come with the frying pan, and it sounds like getting it from the hunting bond or a wardrobe unlock works the same way.

@Stalkingwolf.6035 said:so the game now exist to sell us items in the Gemshop to unlock rng some items.nice. i dont want to play the gemshop, i want to play the game to get stuff.

That's a very narrow definition. But it's also not new; the gem store has been part of the game since day 1 (or before, since it was in the betas) and there's always been RNG items. Black Lion Chests are the best known but during most of Season 1 each release used to have it's own RNG box with event themed items.

It doesn't change the fact that all the rest of the stuff in the game still exists and can be played without ever buying those RNG items, or anything else from the gem store.

@Tommo Chocolate.5870 said:

@Danikat.8537 said:

• Armour (individual pieces only, none of the sets like Primeval or Aetherblade)

Doesn't the Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock preview also show individual armour pieces, even though it actually unlocks full sets? Maybe I'm misremembering...

As far as I know the Guaranteed Wardrobe Unlock only unlocks individual pieces - so for example you can get the heavy aetherblade helmet without getting the rest of the set, but I may have misunderstood that because I've never gotten one myself so I'm just going by what I've read on the forum.

But with the Hunting Bond what I meant was that armour skins which are sold as full sets in the gem store do not appear at all. It's only the stand-alone pieces like the Raven Mantle and Toxic Shoulders. There were no full sets or pieces from sets in the preview list for either of my accounts, even though the only one I have is the Krytan armour.