Mastery tracks - choice to put exp points towards spirit shards

[CarteBlanche.3078]

Being a casual, non-raider, solo player, I would very much appreciate it if we are given a choice to put our experience points earned into an infinite mastery track that gives spirit shards (both tyria/Hot tracks). I have no intention on getting the raid masteries nor do I want to hunt those last 40 mastery points gated behind raids and group event/bosses that do not fit my play schedule. Getting those exp points that count towards nothing feels really bad and really a bad design imo.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Nice idea, but....anything but Spirit Shards (or ToKs), please, Devs, if you ever consider doing this.

[Rauderi.8706]

I'd really just like to have the raid tracks open. I have the mastery points just sitting there, the xp grind doesn't scare me.

[Djinn.9245]

I'd like to just get the rewards the game keeps telling me I'm getting. Having "260 XP!" (or whatever) flash on the screen every time I do something is terrible game design if I'm not actually getting anything. It just constantly reminds me that I should be getting a reward that I'm not getting. Whether they translate that unused XP into Spirit Shards or give us some other way to use them, it is demoralizing to constantly be notified of a reward that you aren't getting.

[Zephiera.9804]

Personally, I'd just be happy if partial experience would be transferable from one mastery track to another within the same zone. I have a couple of HoT mastery bars accidentally half-filled before I realized that I neither needed/wanted the remainder of those tracks. It would be great to be able to flip that experience to one I do want to complete.... The points are a universal pool that only gets attributed once you chose where to spend them - if would be wonderful if the experience was a universal pool that works the same way.

[Miss Lana.5276]

> @Rauderi.8706 said:

> I'd really just like to have the raid tracks open. I have the mastery points just sitting there, the xp grind doesn't scare me.

 

All you have to do is get one boss kill. There's plenty of training groups out there. Or if you really want to, you can always buy a boss kill. They're not as difficult to kill as everyone seems to think they are.

[Shirlias.8104]

Agree. It's senseless as it currently is.

[Djinn.9245]

> @"Miss Lana.5276" said:

> > @Rauderi.8706 said:

> > I'd really just like to have the raid tracks open. I have the mastery points just sitting there, the xp grind doesn't scare me.

>

> All you have to do is get one boss kill. There's plenty of training groups out there.

 

I haven't seen "plenty of training groups". And I don't think selling kills would be a thing if it was so easy to get one for free...

[Miss Lana.5276]

> @Djinn.9245 said:

> > @"Miss Lana.5276" said:

> > > @Rauderi.8706 said:

> > > I'd really just like to have the raid tracks open. I have the mastery points just sitting there, the xp grind doesn't scare me.

> >

> > All you have to do is get one boss kill. There's plenty of training groups out there.

>

> I haven't seen "plenty of training groups". And I don't think selling kills would be a thing if it was so easy to get one for free...

 

You ask in guild, you form one with friends, you post in LFG and there'll be a training group happy to accept you. I've seen more training groups than hardcore groups, so yes, there are indeed plenty of training groups. You just have to *actually look* ;)

 

I personally wouldn't buy a boss kill seeing as how easy they are, but that's an option for those who aren't willing to put in the time or effort to learn *shrug*

 

---

49 Characters|Necro|Raider|Fractaller|PvPer|Singer

So long Treeface o7

"...Kormir? I know not of whom you speak."

[Djinn.9245]

> @"Miss Lana.5276" said:

> > @Djinn.9245 said:

> > > @"Miss Lana.5276" said:

> > > > @Rauderi.8706 said:

> > > > I'd really just like to have the raid tracks open. I have the mastery points just sitting there, the xp grind doesn't scare me.

> > >

> > > All you have to do is get one boss kill. There's plenty of training groups out there.

> >

> > I haven't seen "plenty of training groups". And I don't think selling kills would be a thing if it was so easy to get one for free...

>

> You ask in guild, you form one with friends, you post in LFG and there'll be a training group happy to accept you. I've seen more training groups than hardcore groups, so yes, there are indeed plenty of training groups. You just have to *actually look* ;)

>

> I personally wouldn't buy a boss kill seeing as how easy they are, but that's an option for those who aren't willing to put in the time or effort to learn *shrug*

>

> ---

> 49 Characters|Necro|Raider|Fractaller|PvPer|Singer

> So long Treeface o7

> "...Kormir? I know not of whom you speak."

 

So you meant I could **create** any number of training groups, not that they already exist ("there ARE").

[Miss Lana.5276]

> @Djinn.9245 said:

> > @"Miss Lana.5276" said:

> > > @Djinn.9245 said:

> > > > @"Miss Lana.5276" said:

> > > > > @Rauderi.8706 said:

> > > > > I'd really just like to have the raid tracks open. I have the mastery points just sitting there, the xp grind doesn't scare me.

> > > >

> > > > All you have to do is get one boss kill. There's plenty of training groups out there.

> > >

> > > I haven't seen "plenty of training groups". And I don't think selling kills would be a thing if it was so easy to get one for free...

> >

> > You ask in guild, you form one with friends, you post in LFG and there'll be a training group happy to accept you. I've seen more training groups than hardcore groups, so yes, there are indeed plenty of training groups. You just have to *actually look* ;)

> >

> > I personally wouldn't buy a boss kill seeing as how easy they are, but that's an option for those who aren't willing to put in the time or effort to learn *shrug*

> >

> > ---

> > 49 Characters|Necro|Raider|Fractaller|PvPer|Singer

> > So long Treeface o7

> > "...Kormir? I know not of whom you speak."

>

> So you meant I could **create** any number of training groups, not that they already exist ("there ARE").

 

You also have that option, but other than looking in LFG, asking in guilds or on the forums there's no way you'll find one.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

Let's see what happens on Friday. Since ANet has to create an entirely new set of mastery trees/branches for PoF, I am hopeful that they will divorce HoT mastery from those associated for Raids.

 

For example, if it were up to me, I'd have:

* Core: Fractals, Pact, Legendary Weapons; earned via XP in all core content

* HoT: Gliding, VB, AB, TD, LS3; XP from all HoT maps/content

* PoF: Mounts, Map X, Map Y etc, LS4; XP from all PoF maps/content

* Raids: HoT Raids, PoF raids.; exclusively via raids

 

Thus those that don't want to raid would end up with zero pressure.

 

(That aside, Spirit Shards? Every veteran is going to end up with huge surpluses of them, unless ANet adds huge, huge new sinks, which doesn't seem likely. In the long run, it won't matter if folks aren't earning shards via HoT XP, even if that would be more fair.)

[endurio.7065]

I have long road ahead of me before I have achieved all the masteries that are relevant to me :) but yes I support this idea, we need an endless mastery track that converts xp into something useful

[joneirikb.7506]

Would like a way to de-select a mastery myself, Done the pact+fractals one (think I've done 10 fractals total), and really do not want to put mastery points in the legendary crafting one. But clicked it once to collect up the xp, so now stuck with big shiny yellow bar, and game reminding me to spend mastery points on it.

 

Don't really care about the wasting xp thing myself, I kinda find it liberating to not care about xp again. It does mean I mostly ignore events and other things though :)

[DeanBB.4268]

I've gotten used to ignoring XP, but would welcome seeing the bar fill up. It's just something one expects in an RPG.

[Djinn.9245]

> @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> Let's see what happens on Friday. Since ANet has to create an entirely new set of mastery trees/branches for PoF, I am hopeful that they will divorce HoT mastery from those associated for Raids.

>

> For example, if it were up to me, I'd have:

> * Core: Fractals, Pact, Legendary Weapons; earned via XP in all core content

> * HoT: Gliding, VB, AB, TD, LS3; XP from all HoT maps/content

> * PoF: Mounts, Map X, Map Y etc, LS4; XP from all PoF maps/content

> * Raids: HoT Raids, PoF raids.; exclusively via raids

>

> Thus those that don't want to raid would end up with zero pressure.

 

I also hope they do something about this situation.

>

> (That aside, Spirit Shards? Every veteran is going to end up with huge surpluses of them, unless ANet adds huge, huge new sinks, which doesn't seem likely. In the long run, it won't matter if folks aren't earning shards via HoT XP, even if that would be more fair.)

 

Presumably Anet thought that at least the majority of players would complete all the Masteries and get back to earning XP. And from what I have seen of most vets responding to threads like this, most vets are already getting Spirit Shards. So hopefully Anet does have something else planned for them.

 

But for me the issue isn't the Spirit Shards per se, it is the fact that the most pervasive reward I am supposed to be getting for playing my character - one that pops up on my screen with great frequency if I am doing almost anything at all - is not actually being received. It was a terrible idea to leave the XP notices if you're not actually getting them. While I'm playing I just keep thinking "Liar".

[Shirlias.8104]

Another idea, unlock raid masteries without the prereq.

[Tekoneiric.6817]

I largely ignore experience these days but I do wish it would just fill up your mastery tracks for the regions (Core, HoT, PoF) even if you aren't training them and they are locked then when they are all full give spirit shards. That way you don't waste experience and when you unlock that track and get mastery points you can spend them without waiting.

[Bollocks.4078]

I fully support the idea of optional rollover XP and rewards not gated behind full mastery of each area. Ideally there would be different rollover XP choices so people can choose which of the available rewards they get.

[Makai.3429]

I bought a raid boss kill some time ago to unlock the masteries, but there should be an option for players who just want to earn spirit shards. We were able to acquire them through leveling between the June 2015 specialization update and HoT; taking them away and locking them behind group content always felt dirty to me.

[FunnyCide.5426]

I finally got the raid track unlocked a couple of months ago. Otherwise I had been maxed since a few months after HoT came out. During that time of xp being wasted it slowly started killing my care to play because before masteries our bars always rolled over. While I don't care about the reward, I do like that sense of progression. So, the short of it is that I wish Anet would put in an infinite mastery track so those who don't want to do certain content can have their carrot if they want.

[sukima.9458]

As an avid fashion wars player, I need spirit shards. I don't mind having an excess of them. It bothers me when I'm in HOT because i have lost hundreds of them. As far as raiding goes, that is iffy for me. If anet must push raids, let them be a fully electable option. Give us another kind of star by our names if we do them. Any special indication that we've don them is fine w/ me. I don't particularly want any. BUT i do want my spirit shards & other things that come from gaining xp.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> (That aside, Spirit Shards? Every veteran is going to end up with huge surpluses of them, unless ANet adds huge, huge new sinks, which doesn't seem likely. In the long run, it won't matter if folks aren't earning shards via HoT XP, even if that would be more fair.)

 

I am assuming we can read it as a stand-in for pretty much anything but it is what people are earning now. Yes, unless you use the mystic forge a lot you will wind up with a couple thousand of the things in your wallet before you know it.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

> @sukima.9458 said:

> As an avid fashion wars player, I need spirit shards. I don't mind having an excess of them. It bothers me when I'm in HOT because i have lost hundreds of them. As far as raiding goes, that is iffy for me. If anet must push raids, let them be a fully electable option. Give us another kind of star by our names if we do them. Any special indication that we've don them is fine w/ me. I don't particularly want any. BUT i do want my spirit shards & other things that come from gaining xp.

 

I'm curious. What, in Fashion Wars, do you use Spirit Shards for? And, is the 1 Spirit Shard given each time you level up really holding you back? I mean, I have thousands, literally thousands, of Spirit Shards, and no maxed region Masteries. They drop as loot quite often, they are given as rewards...they just seem to accumulate without even trying.

[BlueIce.6951]

I would love to see all of the mastery tracks become something that you can opt into rather than need to complete. I understand about the additional progression but if you are not playing in a particular area or play in a particular fashion, you should not need to complete a "mastery" track geared for that. There may be some people who purchased HOT just for gliding and after maxing that never go back into the HOT zones. Why should those players have to complete all of the other HOT tracks? Granted, if they do not play in HOT they are not losing exp by not completing mastery tracks but that example was the first that came to mind.

 

Personally, I would love to see mastery tracks expand into a variety of options and you choose which ones you want to go for. Maybe there should also be a set of options to choose rewards such as crafting materials or additional currencies. Maybe have it be something like with PVP and WVW reward tracks, you choose what you work towards and it gives the players the ability to customize their experience for what they like or want to try out.