I don't understand the Mistlock Sanctuary passkey

[LisaJ.4582]

Hi I see a lot of people talking about the passkey because it's supposed to be so convenient. Alao about the Lily of Elon pass from the deluxe and ultimate editions.But all those things are also available from Lion's Arch right? Crafting station, fractals, banker, merchants etc. So why would a passkey give more convenience? LA is even free to use for everyone!

I just really don't get it, so if anyone can explain that would be nice :)

[Metasynaptic.1093]

As far as I'm aware, it's the only, or one of the few, exclusive areas that allows you to return the your last position on your previous map.

This allows you to go to the mistlock, unload your bags, refresh salvage and harvesting tools, etc, and return to your previous map and continue.

It also has excellent crafting station layout, and quick access to fractals.

Compared to LA in particular, it has faster access to trading Post and guild bank

[LisaJ.4582]

But to unload bags and the trading post there are the mists? Accessible through PVP menu and it returns you to the same spot you were before?

[Metasynaptic.1093]

No crafting stations and the mists isn't particularly conveniently organised

[Zephire.8049]

Obsidian Sanctum in WvW is better than the PvP lobby now that it has NPCs, but again there's no crafting station, mystic forge, fractal vendors, and more. Mistlock is popular because everything is in a small area, you get a special action to move faster, and there are crafting stations, NPCs, and the fractal entrance that none of the other lounges have. It's essentially all of LA put in an area no bigger than the domed area southeast of the LA bank.

LA and EotN are fine, as are the other lounges, Mistlock just has the most QoL features than the others. And once you know to change map layers to waypoint, the biggest inconvenience of it is gone. You still can't click waypoints from chat, but that still beats having to run between everywhere.

Also keep in mind a lot of players bought the Mistlock pass before PoF so that's not just a couple raptor jumps between places, that's a good several seconds of running that Mistlock cut out, albeit for a premium price.

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

Its mainly used by Fractal-goers because it allows easy access to the NPCs and such.

You also have Eye of the North and guild halls (though no Trading Post there) which are free for everyone, and the Borderlands but they're rarely used except by newbies because you lose WvW participation while idling there.

Cities are poorly organised, even with mounts and waypoints it takes much longer to get to where you want.

But yes, there are lots of different ways to access this content and ArenaNet says they did that intentionally. Its one of few things in the game that adds flavor; every person has their own personal preferences with where to spend their shopping or crafting time (or just talk to others), and the many different options are also not equal which is also intended.

[Danikat.8537]

It's intentional that the various lounges don't offer anything you can't get in towns normally. It's just slightly more convenient, and some people prefer paying a one-time fee for a pass over paying for waypoints or going through multiple loading screens to use asura gates to reach LA. Or they like the theme/layout/smaller (and therefore quicker to load) map more than the default cities.

A lot of the time going to the Heart of the Mists is fine for me, because I just need the bank, TP and a generic merchant and then I can go straight back to my previous map. And of course I will go to LA or other cities for specialist vendors. But a lot of the time I'll use the Lily of the Elon pass just because it's convenient. I can use it from anywhere in the world and end up in a town I know has everything I'm likely to need all in a relatively small circle. I'm considering buying the Amistice Bastion pass too, because that's like the Mistlock Sanctuary in that you can go straight back to your previous map, and it has travel skills and while I hardly ever play Fractals I do play WvW so the additional NPCs there would be more useful to me (especially being able to access them without my participation dropping). But I'm not sure the extra convenience is really worth the cost.

Even having gotten one pass with PoF and considering buying another I'm glad they're not a 'must have' and don't offer anything you can't get elsewhere for free. Otherwise that would be venturing into pay-to-win territory and that's something I really hope this game stays away from.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

I use the Royal Terrace almost exclusively, because everything is within a few steps. Lion's Arch is wayyyy too spread out to be convenient.
I use Obsidian Sanctum, if I have a character parked, and need a Merchant or the Bank.I use the PvP Lobby only for characters that need a portal to Lion's Arch (which is rare).
I think Lily of the Elon is inconvenient for Crafting and the Mystic Forge.

But, everyone has their favorites, or bought their one pass at a different time, and got a different Lounge they like and/or got used to.

[Tyncale.1629]

@LisaJ.4582 said:But to unload bags and the trading post there are the mists? Accessible through PVP menu and it returns you to the same spot you were before?

I definitely use this a lot on all my Alt accounts for which I can not be bothered to buy a Lounge key. Very convenient and a bit baffled that Anet is actually granting us this free ticket for unloading, banking and buying stuff. If this was not possible I might have considered buying a Lounge pass for my other accounts too.

Did I say too much?

[LucianDK.8615]

Royal Terrace is well designed unlike the others that is way too spread out. Id argue that a fully upgraded Eye of the North qualifies as a lounge too, and its extremely spread out. So bad that they allowed mounts in there. Hah.

[WolfOwl.3968]

I don't know what I'd be doing without the Mistlock Sanctuary. For a fractal player, it's pretty much a must have. You have easy access to all crafting stations, bank and AH, mystic fountain, laurel vendor, all the vendors from the fractal lobby and a fractal portal.The portal also returns you to your last location, so you can use the key, sell off junk, then return in a fraction of the time it'd take normally.

[LisaJ.4582]

Still feels like a waste of money for me, but thanks for all your answers. I just wish the tryout pass was cheaper so I can see for myself what the fuzz is all about haha.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

You get a free one with the 5th Anniversary/Birthday reward. (Choose from 3 different ones.)Buy one for 4 Black Lion Statuettes.Get one in the Warclaw Reward Track.

[SexyMofo.8923]

You can fly in space. Nothing more needs to be said.

[Turkeyspit.3965]

For me the mistlock has everything:

• all crafting stations
• BL Auction NPC
• access to Mystic Forge
• access to fractal vendors
• access to fractals
• ability to port to any capitol city + special forces aerodome from the same spot
• Your character can log out in the santuary and then return to whatever map they were in via the portal

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would buy any of the other passes over this one, with perhaps the exception of the Armistice Bastion for those more focused on WvW. If you already own some of the other passes, it's a judgment call on whether it's worth buying this one. I'd put the pass on the same level as Copper Fed salvage kit in terms of QoL improvement.