A Fix to Armor Acquisition in Verdant Brink

[Crystal Marie Williams.731]

I honestly think a fix needs to be enacted for the Chest Armor box in Verdant Brink, where one of the only ways to get the Bladed Chest Armor box is contingent on all players present pushing the map meta event to tier 4 in the 45 min of nighttime on VB. With the current set up, it is unfair to players who push to get high participation, but cannot earn the box because the rest of the players present are either not organized or unwilling to push the meta to its T4 requirement. So far, of all the Maguuma Depths Armor boxes, the Bladed Chest armor box is the hardest box to earn, if not impossible, despite a player's best efforts. I can understand that there is a group and community effort envisioned here, but to make it so that one person trying to earn the box has to hope the other players even care enough to push for T4 meta is unjust, especially if the other players decide to spite the one or two players in question and refuse to push for the higher meta. My suggestion is an alternate method of acquiring this box, similar to how the leystone box is acquired in Dragon' Stand. Granted there is an alternate method for the bladed armor box, however, it requires an inordinate amount of reward grinding in WvW, and a lot of players don't play WvW. I am hoping the devs read this and decide to add the Bladed Chest Armor box to the vendor's list but for a larger cost than would normally be the case. Frankly, I don't see what the major fuss is about this box, why it is so hard to acquire, when, from what other players have stated, it is no better or worse than the Leystone Armor set, unless Anet is making it hard to acquire simply because of its unique skin. Hopefully the devs make it easier to acquire where we don't have to hope other players do their part.

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

The primary and reliable way to get all the bladed armor is buying the boxes in the vendor. However, it does suck the meta doesn't seem give you a box often.

[Ayrilana.1396]

The map requires just as many players working towards it as the other metas. Well, DS requires a full map for the most part.

 

A very large percentage of the camps can be done solo depending on natural spawns in the area. Natural spawns meaning those that occur outside the defense events.

 

The amount of work needed to obtain T4 is very lenient. I believe we hit it once while ignoring an entire camp cluster or whatever you want to call it. Nobles was bugged at the beginning so we didn’t have access to the camps and never killed patriarch. Still got T4. I’ve also done it numerous times where we’ve only just hit T1 when the choppers come down. Still managed to get T4.

[ShiningSquirrel.3751]

> @"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:

> The primary and reliable way to get all the bladed armor is buying the boxes in the vendor. However, it does suck the meta doesn't seem give you a box often.

 

You cannot purchase the chest armor, the only way to get it is to get the map to tier 4. If you want to unlock all it means getting to tier 4 at least 3 times.

[Fremtid.3528]

> @"ShiningSquirrel.3751" said:

> > @"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:

> > The primary and reliable way to get all the bladed armor is buying the boxes in the vendor. However, it does suck the meta doesn't seem give you a box often.

>

> You cannot purchase the chest armor, the only way to get it is to get the map to tier 4. If you want to unlock all it means getting to tier 4 at least 3 times.

 

The chest box isn't even a 100% drop from t4 even with max participation, unless they've changed it. That said, I don't think the current system needs to change.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

It's actually easier in some ways to progress VB. What makes it more challenging is that none of the things that work for other maps apply. In other maps, zerging helps; in this map, it makes T4 impossible. In other maps, having commander tags up helps; in this one, it hurts. And unlike other maps, a tiny core of people can't do enough of the mechanics to pull off victory for the map.

 

* Someone must lead by typing in /map before night and during the event the key mechanics: split up to defend & retake camps, run supply while you are moving from event to event.

* The first 10 minutes often makes or breaks it, so keep pushing: split up, defend & retake camps.

* After "enough" camps are secure, start helping with other events. Keep running supply

* If you the map makes enough progress, then the night bosses can push it over the edge. That usually takes, guess what, splitting up. Matriarch will get done without any help, so head to the others. A really good commander can zerg the other four down; it's just more reliable to split up.

* If the n-bosses die and you still aren't T4, then run supply like crazy. It's possible to push from T3.5 or worse to T4 if enough people do it. (Each adds a small tick.)

 

tl;dr the acquisition isn't broken; it's just trickier than for other armor sets.

[Voltekka.2375]

> @"Fremtid.3528" said:

> > @"ShiningSquirrel.3751" said:

> > > @"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:

> > > The primary and reliable way to get all the bladed armor is buying the boxes in the vendor. However, it does suck the meta doesn't seem give you a box often.

> >

> > You cannot purchase the chest armor, the only way to get it is to get the map to tier 4. If you want to unlock all it means getting to tier 4 at least 3 times.

>

> The chest box isn't even a 100% drop from t4 even with max participation, unless they've changed it. That said, I don't think the current system needs to change.

 

The wiki says:

 

Bladed armor box

Awarded for participation in the night cycle of the map meta-event in Verdant Brink. The box is contained in the map meta-event reward chest at the end of the night cycle if the map successfully reaches tier 4 and the player has at least 100% map participation

 

It is a guaranteed drop.

 

Rarely, a night boss can drop a bladed coat box

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

^As long as you have 100% participation. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed.

[Khisanth.2948]

I've also gotten it with t4 and only 90something % participation. Thought I was going to miss it by a hair but turned out I got it anyway. Maybe probability is equal to participation level.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Yes. It starts at 33% at minimal participation and is guaranteed at 100%.

Just an FYI so there's no cries of 'foul' if someone didn't get it without participating a lot.