AgentMoore.9453

> @"Silvia.9130" said: > At the current state of things it's a useless feature that is only there to cause drama and issues to players who need to be in multiple guilds. Actually, the primary purpose of guild rep is so players can switch between You Can't Tell Me What To [Do] and I Lost The Zerg [OhNo] Sure there are _practical_ applications for repping (depositing of certain guild decos that go directly to your repped guild when purchased as well as guild mission participation, usage of guild hall merchants, and accepting of permanent guild buffs), but those are boring. I just want to be able to run around with [ARGH] next to my name. Don't take that away from me.

Once upon a time, this was a heavily-populated map because you could farm leather pretty steadily in it, but after some nerfs the people quit coming - at least as often. That shard is meant to be gotten when you're with a group. It isn't impossible to snatch without one, but you might want to look into some stealth to make solo attempts a little easier. Putting up an LFG to try and get some people to help you could work, but asking in map chat's not a bad idea either if people are there for other reasons. The wiki's guide is terrible, so I suggest Dulfy instead. These are her images for the location of the shard as well as a description of where to find it so you don't waste time chasing it in weird places. > **4. Tower Shard** > This one is super annoying to get. It is in the centaur camp with all the sharpshooters that can kill you in 4-5 hits. It is best to do this in a group. The object you are looking for is a Tower Stone stone up top of a small tower on the path to Fallen Watchtower POI. > [https://s3.amazonaws.com/dulfy.net/uploads/2017/02/gw2-cin-business-achievement-guide-9.jpg](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dulfy.net/uploads/2017/02/gw2-cin-business-achievement-guide-9.jpg) > [https://s3.amazonaws.com/dulfy.net/uploads/2017/02/gw2-cin-business-achievement-guide-8.jpg](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dulfy.net/uploads/2017/02/gw2-cin-business-achievement-guide-8.jpg)

> @"Ashantara.8731" said: > you can still exchange them for the Tyrian Seals, just like last time. The vendor has a second tab. Actually, the vendor's second tab asks for an item called an [Ebon Vanguard Proof of Allegiance](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ebon_Vanguard_Proof_of_Allegiance) which by all accounts doesn't seem to be a thing that exists in the game (yet). I'm surprised they didn't fix that in the last patch, since I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be trading Ebon Marks for Seals.

If implemented, a guild raid (or any raid, honestly) should have different difficulty modes (with rewards that scale proportionately), accurate scaling depending on how many players are in the instance, and rewards that would ensure repeated playthroughs. For a guild raid, I guess guild decorations, commendations, guild-themed armors, mounts, and other guildy-like things would be what you'd aim for in terms of loot. [Forging Steel](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Forging_Steel) is by no means a raid (or a strike - it's more like a 10-man dungeon), but the framework of it is a good example of content that's puggable, straightforward, scales well (you can even solo it) and has rewards that draw people back in multiple times with a challenge mode for those who want it. Is challenge mode as hard as current raids? Not really, but if you had multiple difficulties available for raids, there's no reason it couldn't be. There's a raid community in this game, but it's not big. Part of the reason is a lack of train-up by the game (some people still have no idea what a break bar is and the game doesn't go out of its way to teach them), part of it is that so much of the game appeals to casual players (and has for years) which has expanded the casual base, and part of it is a lack of large friend groups or pugs willing to partner up with strangers. I think raids would be much more welcome in the game if ArenaNet expanded the audience for them. Retool them to appeal to both raiders and casuals; I see no reason to only provide content for one group if you want more people doing them.

Honestly, yeah. Both this and the [Dark Matter](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dark_Matter_weapon_skins) set are examples of flashy/bright particle designs that actually look alright. Recently I've been pretty let down by messy eye-burning additions like the [Demon Haunted](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Demon-Haunted_weapons) and [Volcanic Stormcaller](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Volcanic_Stormcaller_weapons) sets and even the overabundance of sharp teal in some of the [Dragon Slayer](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/f/f4/Dragon_Slayer_Shield.jpg) set, but employing the right amount of contrast really made a difference with [shimmering Aurora](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shimmering_Aurora_weapon_skins). Nice. Good. I'd enjoy more like this for the shiny things, and more like the [Privateer](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Privateer_weapon_skins) set for the practical things.

The achievement text for the Bo collection is incorrect. It claims the plate weapons cost Crystalline Ore, but they don't, just a set amount of each HoT map currency and then some [Reclaimed Plates](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Reclaimed_Metal_Plate). The staff you need to buy is the [Plated Staff](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Plated_Staff) the vendor in Dragon's Stand is selling. Once you have that, you'll unlock [a collection](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Machined_Staff_(achievement)) which you can complete to get the [Machined Staff](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Machined_Staff), which is what the Bo collection is asking for.

"Ah yes, I see you have the Raid Hair." I dunno. I already feel weird about emotes being meta/achievements rewards. I like emotes well enough (I even bought the dance book for that reason), but it's pretty underwhelming for people to whom emotes aren't rewarding. Something like character creation options might have a similar 'that's an odd reward' hit to it and not motivate people as effectively as armor skins, since those have broader customization potential. I remember being a bit perplexed when they released [a mini](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mini_Freezie%27s_Heart) as a Wintersday meta reward, since minis don't strike me as something people would vie for. People undoubtedly want more customization as evidenced by the recurring 'yoo, where the faces and hairs at?' threads, but paired with the 'I hate grinding out this content to get x reward' threads in equal numbers, I'm drawing the conclusion that if character creation options got locked behind the completion of something unenjoyable or grindy, people wouldn't be happy. Rather than hitching that stuff to content, I'd suggest either adding it to the makeover kits to boost kit sales, or adding some sort of 'makeover upgrade' packs to the shop which would unlock more options whenever you used a TMK. You'd still technically be able to get them by playing the game because of gem conversion, it just wouldn't be gated by specific content.

> @"maddoctor.2738" said: > You'd have a point if they provided the ability on the gem store to level up faster to earn those mastery abilities, or to unlock waypoints of expansion zones, but so far they've never added any kind of skipping items on the gem store, that apply on expansion progression systems. I mean, for all content they've always had [boosters](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Booster). You could earn them through gameplay or you could buy them, but they give an undeniable edge. That choice of 'pay for it' or 'play for it' was always there in some form. As for selling waypoints, well. [icebrood Saga](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/World_Boss_Portal_Device) waypoint item. [Heart of Thorns](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Maguuma_Pact_Operation_Portal_Device) waypoint item. [Path of Fire](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Lily_of_the_Elon) waypoint item. I don't even bring those up to try and embarrass you, but they're in the game and they give you a pretty clear fast-tracked advantage for getting to those places ahead of someone doing it 'manually'. ArenaNet has tried to mitigate that a bit by requiring level 80, but you can purchase a level 80 boost, so here we are. > And since you mentioned HPs, you'd notice that they aren't available on the gem store, makes you wonder about that. It doesn't make me wonder, really. You buy your 80 boost and have your core HP training filled out for all content that was released up to 80. That checks out. If they added HP unlocks to the store at any point so people could train up through the gem store, I'd shrug like I'm shrugging at the idea of adding MPs right now. As it stands, [there's already a 'skip ahead' method for HPs in the game](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Heroics_Notary) (including expansion HPs), so I imagine that's why it's not in the shop yet. > Only people cannot buy WPs in expansions, nor train mastery abilities, with the gem store items. Those progression skipping gem store items affect Central Tyria exclusively, which as you well know is free to play. At the moment, sure (unless we count lounges which are WPs). I'm saying that being able to buy the progression that you can currently buy has not appeared to be a problem in the portion of the game where it's more noticeable - Core Tyria. I can't measure something in expansion content that doesn't exist. The teleportation items I mentioned above, however, do affect expansions though, and so far they haven't seemed to be a problem. My observations on the effects of gemstore progression in core are why I don't see it becoming an issue in expansion content, and you seem to believe the opposite. I won't try to change your mind. > From a financial point it makes sense for Arenanet to want to push players out of the free zone as quickly as possible, so they can get access to the paid parts of the game. If they did things from a financial standpoint, they'd rethink their packaging of the game so that new players aren't hit with the 'by the way, living story not included' bomb right after purchase. As for it being more profitable to rush players through core game, I guess that's up for debate. I'd think pushing people through the free portion too quickly would cause them to be confused about mechanics and eventually lose interest in playing (and paying). Honestly, _that_ would be the strongest argument against progression of any sort being sold in the shop: people moving too quickly through content and burning out. But that still doesn't mean people shouldn't have the choice. Letting people choose their path to progression in the game, especially when there are already examples of it in the shop, is why I'm not offended by the idea of MPs for sale. If it doesn't change my experience or reduce the quality of non-paid progression, bring it on.

Sorry for the delayed responses; been busy doing life things. > @"Cyninja.2954" said: > First off, the items which could even be considered "paying for progression" are at best limited AND in no way endgame related AND not account wide. The level 80 boost is absolutely 'endgame-related' in my opinion, as level 80 is when 'endgame' content begins. You can disagree with me about that - I'll live. And yes, the level 80 boost and WP packs are not accountwide (unless you count the [lounges](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Lounge), which are absolutely accountwide WPs). That might impact how a mastery unlock would be priced in the shop, but I don't think that's enough of a reason not to add them. Bag upgrades and bank upgrades are both in the shop - one is per character and one is accountwide, both available to buy. Those things aren't progression, but they are an example of the difference you mention not seeming to matter when it comes to the question of 'can we sell it?' > Literally EVERY progression upgrade is character specific. So anything accountwide would have to be more expensive if they offered it in the shop - at least that's what I'd expect. Still doesn't explain why that's the reason they shouldn't do it. > you have no way of supporting your claim that past monetization of progression has NOT had a negative effect on the game. As a refresher, what I said was **'Buying progression in GW2, so far at least, hasn't seemed to lead to anything that you couldn't already achieve just by playing the game'**, which is my opinion based on personal observations, and not a concrete or factual claim as you seem to suggest. I do not have access to ArenaNet's 'ratio of progression sales to negative/positive effects' numbers, so I can't definitively weigh in on whether it's been good or bad for the game (and neither can you, my dude), just that the end result appears (from where I stand) to be the same and that in-game acquisition of progress doesn't seem to have changed just because people can buy WPs and 80 boosts. If you're gonna put words in my mouth, at least sprinkle a little house dressing on there first. Or ranch. > players who enjoy the game are opposed to having content which is part of the game play cycle be put up for monetization If I disagree with you about this, it means I don't enjoy the game? That seems a little unfair. > @"maddoctor.2738" said: > I can give you one reason: MPs give a reason to play new content, if you remove MPs, you remove an incentive to play the content Arenanet developed that awards them. It is true that MPs can be a reason to play new content, but they also aren't the only reason. Some people just play for whatever new skins/weapons/titles have come out or just for the sheer enjoyment of exploring new story/maps. I played GW2 long before masteries, for example, and would continue to play whether or not they could be purchased. For me at least, removing MPs would have no effect. Having them in the store also wouldn't deter me from playing the game instead; why pay when I can play? > That would certainly depend on how any kind of gem store Mastery Point is given. A heaps-ton would depend on that, yes. I'm only really tackling the concept of introducing MPs to the store at all, but there's a rich conversation to be had about _how_ to actually go about doing it in a way that would be sensible and, you know, not break the spaghetti that holds this game together. I doubt this is something devs are actually going to consider, but if they _did_ I imagine getting MPs from the shop would function like the HP unlocks, randomized and restricted only to expansions you own. Furthermore, I assume they wouldn't add a pack to the shop until an expansion/LW chapter was completely released, so as to give people incentive to play first and also to keep people from buying more mastery points than they could spend. > Then of course there is the question of how much each mastery point is "worth". One mastery point is easy to acquire, another is very hard, how is their cost going to be determined? Some guy in marketing would squint for a moment and pronounce '5 dolla' and that'd be the end of it. I'd love to see a chart of how WP packs and 80 boosts have sold, because I suspect they actually don't sell too many of them or put too much thought into the pricing portion of offering them since playing the game is so much easier (and cheaper, besides). The price of something like this wouldn't matter terribly much if the options are still going to be 'get thing for free by playing the game' and 'get thing by paying real money'. I dunno about you, but I feel like most people would rather try to earn an MP in game (even a hard one) than shell out five bucks. But if some folks have been beating their head against a wall to get the last one they need, why is it my business how they decide to get it?

> @"Linken.6345" said: > > Now, past examples don't guarantee they _wouldn't_ do something unintelligent and change their model to try and encourage sales - they've done unintelligent things with monetization before - but they haven't yet with other conveniences like the 80-boost and WP packs. > > > > Cough build loadouts cough, yea never happen to any conveniences before at all. I mean, I wasn't gonna call it out by name given the 40,000 other threads about loadouts that already exist, but that's what I meant by unintelligent monetization. However, it's still not a equitable comparison. Switching your build with a 3rd party program was something people were doing for a while, but it was never an integrated feature in the game like MPs, Levels, and WPs are. If you weren't someone who used outside software, then the templates and loadouts they put in the gemstore were something you didn't have access to before as a player. The closest we had was watching our builds switch automatically when entering WvW or PvP, but it wasn't really storage of the sort that later got put in the store. I'd argue it's still more cost effective to just keep a notepad of build codes and switch out your gear as needed since that option is free, but I'm not really interested in switching up my gear and build very often, so I'm not the target audience for what they're selling. If they really wanted people buying it, the implementation should have been loads better, both for the people who'd been using outside software and for people new to the idea. > @"The Greyhawk.9107" said: > IF Arenanet put in Mastery Points in the Gem Store I Would quit this game for good That is absolutely your right, and in the spirit of gaming, I would hope that on the eve of your departure you would return to the forum one last time in order to 'give us your stuff'. On a more serious note though, I'm not sure paying customers matter that much more than nonpaying customers. If we did, I'd assume we'd see more of what we requested show up in the game in terms of fixes and implementation of content. I'm sure ArenaNet appreciates it when some of us go 'hey, have some cash', but I seriously doubt they regard us with any kind of elevated appreciation that isn't also extended to anyone who plays the game in a given month, as they too can become paying customers at any time. Making people with money comfortable spending _more_ money seems like a nobrainer, but we've repeatedly seen that Not Happening . There are still quite a few elements of GuildWars2 that I _do_ enjoy though, so when threads like this crop up, looking at the 'does this give ANet development money without making the game worse?' angle is a consideration for me. That brings us back to this thread about purchasing mastery points in the gem store. Buying progression in GW2, so far at least, hasn't seemed to lead to anything that you couldn't already achieve just by playing the game - What is it about MPs (or any other progression) that you think would be different? Why would this be the thing that made you quit, or is it something you've been considering before now?

> @"Linken.6345" said: > And even if you wouldent by mps the way they are implemented now, whats stopping anet from making it so boring/tedious or even hard that you have to buy mps for cold hard cash or quit the game? I'd assume that if any (additional) progression got added to the shop, it'd be added like the current ones are - in such a way that it's more cost effective for most people to play the game than to throw down money and jump ahead. Now, past examples don't guarantee they _wouldn't_ do something unintelligent and change their model to try and encourage sales - they've done unintelligent things with monetization before - but they haven't yet with other conveniences like the 80-boost and WP packs. Any convenience added to the store should just be an additional path for those willing to shell out - not an excuse to ramp up the difficulty or reduce the enjoyability of gameplay in order to turn a dollar. Whether or not we trust the company to be respectful of that is a totally separate topic, but I figured this thread was more about the concept of having progression in the shop at all - MPs specifically.

I've been coming back to this thread on and off since it was posted to see if my initial thought, that adding MPs to the shop wouldn't matter, would change. Honestly? Hasn't. Progression has been for sale in this game for years. You can buy waypoints. You can buy an expansion to obtain mounts. You can buy legendary weapons with gems-to-gold. You can dance if you want to. You can leave your friends behind. Wait, that's the safety dance - I'm sorry. The point is, there are multiple ways to get these things, either by purchase ($$$) or by playing the game (free!*) Right now, you can pop a character to level 80 by buying a boost from the shop and instantly be geared and ready for end-game content. You can do this as a brand new player, or you can do it as someone who has played for a while and is ready to max out a new alternate. It makes no difference at all to me, a person who typically gets to 80 by hand or by using writs of experience I've accumulated through gameplay. How other people get to 80 is none of my business, and getting to 80 isn't an unfair advantage as it's available to everyone who owns the game. **Buying levels (or buying MPs as is being proposed) isn't something I'd do, and the costs to do so make it more sensible to simply play the game** to achieve the same result. That said, how other people reach a goal doesn't matter to me in the slightest, and I fail to see gem shop progression doing any more damage than people who choose to do it through playing the game. It's not better or worse; one method isn't morally or logically superior to the other. The end result is no different. In summation, I wouldn't buy MPs from the gem store, but I wouldn't care if they were available there. People are going to get their masteries one way or another, and if they add a way that gives the company some cash and also doesn't take away from my experience, then who cares? _* Free - Ish. Sometimes you need to buy an expansion, though arguably you can do that for free too if you want to grind gold for all eternity and turn it into gems._

If you want a real head-scratcher, the [chicken tonic](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Endless_Mystery_Fowl_Tonic) is gendered too and will only give you roosters if your character is male at creation. Genderlocking chickens is annoying enough, but it's even worse when it's something as simple as bear feet. Silly. Just silly. I wish they'd release both versions of fashion items for both genders so I don't have to wonder if something called 'Excellent Pants' is actually going to be a strip of tissue paper when worn on a female model.

The community event and achievement told people to turn in 'tokens' and the release gave people two new currencies, neither of which was called a token. That people were inevitably confused by this should surprise no one. This event also made the same mistake as previous rushes, where the goal wasn't just to complete the tasks, but to _spend_ the currency, something that was conveyed poorly and counterintuitive in a game that usually trains people to save currency for long-term goal purchases later on. Seeing this mechanic generate confusion in the past should have prompted them to either try something else or do a better job of conveying the terms of their event. And finally, this event required you to manually talk to an NPC to collect a reward instead of simply receiving it upon entering the Eye of the North after a reward tier is completed. Three separate NPCs, two currencies, inaccurate messaging in the achievement and event text, baffling 7-day timer for a patch meant to span 2 weeks. They made players do more to get their reward while giving them less instruction. Not ideal. It didn't matter so much because this event had pretty lukewarm rewards, but they really need to pay attention to how this went when designing similar things in the future.

School of aggressive fish for underwater combat. You can have up to twelve, but you have to tame (or fish for) them individually.

> @"Randulf.7614" said: > Would it still work with mounts as a novelty? Yes. Just hopped in-game to test for you. 

*hops up and down and points at this idea!!!* I hate this hat, but just imagine the fashion possibilities if it was slotted like the [selfless Halo](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Selfless_Potion) novelty under 'toys'. A book floating around behind you, a swirling little cloud of fireflies dancing around your head and shoulders, a parrot sitting on your shoulder with flappy idle animations. Clipping wouldn't even matter (the starlight hat already does). This would be a creative way to get around the current gear slot limitations we currently have without having to add more. Not sure how difficult it might be to implement, but they've done similar in the past with the halo, horns, and ancient novelties like the [Ellen Kiel buttons](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ellen_Kiel_Representation_Button_(rare)).

> @"DarkEmiLupus.2876" said: > Can we have an interface option to dissable the use of these things? So the people that like to use it can toggle on and the people don't like it can toggle off. Everyone happy!!! Well maybe not the trolls but the rest can play fine. Enable/disable player novelties. Enable/disable player portals. Show/hide player effects Show/hide player mount skins Show/hide the models of users on your block list These are the things I think about late at night.

I think I'd be a lot happier if they simplified lootboxes in such a way that they'd be arranged by mount. Only use Jackal? Buy a Jackal box. Only use Beetle? Beetle box. Yeah, they're going for the grab-bag mentality where you'll buy 40 blindbags in hopes of getting 'the cool one', but they don't have to go as hard with the RNG as they have been. At least let there be a slight guarantee you'll get something you have a chance of using. In a perfect world, they wouldn't be RNG'ing gemstore purchases at all, but that's not where we're at.

They should implement this change and also remove armor weights. Once upon a time, the armor weights were implemented to maintain a 'look' for the different classes, but that notion has clearly been discarded with the advent of outfits and cross-class armor pieces that have no appreciable difference in appearance. As for clipping, the list is already quite long, even for cultural items being worn by the correct race; clipping incurred by mixing and matching is a nonissue. Any amount of work on old content seems to give ArenaNet the vapors, but given the FashionWars nature of the endgame, I think it'd be more than worth it for them to give this to people.

I'd be fine with a toggle for this, but what I'd _really_ like is 'stances' where you can select your idle/running animations/posture in settings like you can in other games. They've already got several stances like this in the game already ('Weapon-drawn running Charr' 'Risen loping Charr' 'Vanilla run on all fours Charr') and you could extend it to things like the gendered idle animations when giving the same toggle to the other races. Something like that would be a pretty big systems overhaul, but people have been calling this game FashionWars2 for years, so I imagine character cosmetics and customization are a pretty big deal to those who play.

> @"Smoosh.2718" said: > This could work with Ipos as well if the weapon actually came with 3 legendary skins. That sounds like an excellent solution, honestly. Current owners of Ipos lose nothing, future owners of Ipos perk up at the thought of additional shinies. Just make a mini quest/collection for each subsequent/alternate skin where you 'hone' your ability with the legendary in order to be able to use it in different ways to get the different looks. Not all legendaries come with the same benefits or cost the same to make/journey toward, so it'd be in line with the current scope of legendary attainment and it wouldn't force ArenaNet to do it for all of them.

Nah. I'm sure this was something they thought about when designing the size tonics, and what they settled on is what they found appropriate. I'm fine with that. The tonics already have a very dramatic effect that people already abuse. I've played MMOs that had stacking size effects, and I kid you not it was commonplace to see people with their heads and torsos sticking out the roofs of buildings. Restricting this to 'veterans' or whatever ensures nothing. It's not like GW2 is a particularly realistic game, but it's not GiantWars2 either.

> @"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said: > Really? I've always had 'camera shake' on, and environment sounds up, and I've yet to encounter an 'earthquake'. > I have, on the other hand, encountered the 'shaking' in Jumping Puzzles, and the big 'quake' at Megadestroyer each time. I know, right? Some friends and I have been asking around in-game. Of the people who gave us real answers, some claim to have experienced them as early as during the Halloween festival, others haven't experienced any at all - even with extended gameplay. Here's a [link to a video clip]( ) of one of them - you can see how subtle and brief they are even with effects turned on. Can only imagine they intended for players to experience them out in the world before the Bangar dialogue (which is how I found out about them and why the dialogue was so confusing for me). Unclear if they only 'unlock' for an account after meeting certain criteria or if they're just out there for anyone to find or how frequently they occur. It is a mystery.

Apparently these have been in the game for a while and people are only just now starting to notice them because so many of us have camera shake turned off or certain sound sliders set low due to noise pollution in the game. Whoops. Might have been an improvement to have Taimi buzz the Commander on their communicator whenever a quake hit, just to make sure the seismic activity was noticed, even if it was just a quick 'did anyone else feel that?'