New Horizons Supply Drop

[Paradoxoglanis.1904]

So to me this looks like a way to attach some sort of cost to season 5, which is fine with me since its optional. However It seems pretty ambitious releasing this before we even know what season 5 will bring, since its supposed to celebrate its release. Its also quite disheartening to see that once again, the majority of an update is gem store items. The entire end game for many people is based around acquiring cosmetic skins for our characters, and the large majority of new items being added to the game are exclusive to the gem store. I hope for the sake of this game this trend does not continue and we get some substantial content and rewards for playing season 5, otherwise its quite clear that gw2 is turning into another ncsoft mmo cash cow.

[Vavume.8065]

You seem surprised, the whole game revolves around the gem store, always has.

[Zeefa.3915]

They need to make money somehow. And this thing is working. I don't have the money right now, but once I do get money on friday I for sure get the supply box. Also not surprised it is before the release, the previous supply box was before the chapter release too. Its meant to be a supply drop of things to prepare you before the next adventure. Besides that the items themselves have very, very little to do with the story chapter... probably nothing really. I mean I want the box because I will enjoy the items, I don't need to know what season 5 will bring to know that. Since I have enjoyed story up to this point I have faith I will continue to enjoy it, even not knowing what it will be.

[Gandalf.1537]

So you guys think this is worth it? The buy?

[Danikat.8537]

This isn't unusual, they normally bring out new gem store items around the game's anniversary and around the start of new episodes, so if anything it would be more surprising if they didn't have new items in the gem store now. It's also not the first time they've bundled them together like this, they did it for War Eternal too: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/War_Eternal_Supply_Drop_Requisition

So there's no reason to think this is replacing in-game rewards. War Eternal came with 2 full armour sets for each weight (or 2 variants, however you want to describe the Mist Shard and Blossoming Mist Shard armour), Corsair Boots, the Scion weapon set and various tonics, minis, guild hall decorations etc. all as in-game rewards, in addition to the gem store stuff. And of course the new legendary greatsword was released at the same time.

Of course everyone has their own preferences for cosmetic items and so different opinions about how many of the 'best' items are in-game vs. in the gem store and we could spend forever debating it (that debate has been going on longer than the game has been out, roughly since the gem store was confirmed to exist) but in this case the important thing is that new gem store items being released during the anniversary sale, and shortly before the start of a new season, isn't unusual. It's not a change in direction or a new trend, it's the same thing Anet have always done, so it's reasonable to assume there will be a similar amount of in-game rewards as normal too.

[Danikat.8537]

@Gandalf.1537 said:So you guys think this is worth it? The buy?

My approach is to work out which items I'd buy if they were sold separately, and what I'd pay for them (for example I only buy mount select licences when they're on sale, so I price those at 720 gems, not 1,200) and then add up the cost of only those items. If it comes to the same or more than the pack costs then it's worth buying.

So far, for me, the answer is no. The only items which really interest me are the mount select licences and the outfit voucher and - with the above condition that they're priced at what I'd pay for those items, not necessarily what they usually cost, that comes to 2040 gems, so I'm 360 short of the price of the pack.

But other people may well decide differently. For example if someone is willing to buy mount select licences at full price and wants 2 mounts available though this pack then that alone covers the price and everything else is effectively free.

[VDAC.2137]

@Paradoxoglanis.1904 said:So to me this looks like a way to attach some sort of cost to season 5, which is fine with me since its optional. However It seems pretty ambitious releasing this before we even know what season 5 will bring, since its supposed to celebrate its release. Its also quite disheartening to see that once again, the majority of an update is gem store items. The entire end game for many people is based around acquiring cosmetic skins for our characters, and the large majority of new items being added to the game are exclusive to the gem store. I hope for the sake of this game this trend does not continue and we get some substantial content and rewards for playing season 5, otherwise its quite clear that gw2 is turning into another ncsoft mmo cash cow.

There’s no sub. How else should would they get revenue for the game? GW2 is quite generous in their F2P, requiring only purchase of the two expansions for all content. Every other MMORPG that I know of locks major functionality or QoL behind a sub — if they have a F2P option at all. I think it’s awesome that you can acquire all mounts and so much else in the game alone. Gem store items really are optional cosmetics or additional QoL (not comparable to that other games lock behind subbing and a one time fee in any case). Of course I don’t agree with every decision made for GW2, but I really can’t complain about what they charge for.