Why I've Been Spending Less in Game...

[Stamen.9240]

Man, I hate reading about layoffs and sliding numbers and all that jazz. My heart goes out to the team and everyone around who's been busy putting out great content, great stories, and beautiful maps for so long. I thought I'd drop a quick note here to say why I've been spending less. Granted, I haven't been a big spender. I've bought gems here and there and a few gift cards aroudn birthdays and Christmas to pump up my account. I mostly just buy cosmetic stuff or practical use items like inventory slots, bank slots, etc.

 

Again, never a big annual spender, but I have noticed that I've not bought hardly a thing for a year now. In fact, I had like 1200 gems just sitting around in my account forever and I felt like I wasn't ever going to see something I wanted. I finally spent a few on the winter outfit... even then, it was more of just the reality of looking at them in my account for so long.

 

One of the things that has really thrown me off, really since HoT, are the dozens of different currencies. Each new living world was coming with it's own currencies... geodes, aurrilum, bloodstones, ley lines, mosiacs, on and on and on. Rather than just play the game, it felt like I was getting funnelled into doing the same things over and over for six weeks, then moving to the next currency grind. Honestly, it just got aggrevating after a while in that I never knew if I was coming or going on chapter, and why I was bothering. I cut way back on hours spent in gamea and just generally started losing interest. I always jump back in to run the story, then maybe do a festival for a few days, then I'm back out again. I don't stay on a mount long enough to by a skin for one, and don't play long enough to justifiy this skin or that... my progression in the game seems stalled because the grind for legendary armor seems to wide a gap for a casual...

 

My home instance needs a lot of work, but even there the price points on the nodes in the gem store are all but out of reach if I want to a complete job. The odds on rare skins feels insanely low so I'm not buying keys the way I once did. Anyway, I end up looking through the store over and over and just don't know what to buy. I don't know of much that's going to change the way I play at just a few hours a week these days. Hoping that changes for me soon.

 

Looking to do my part,

 

~ Stamen

[phs.6089]

While I appreciate the way gw2 didn't follow 'tf2 hats' but yes there is hardly anything I want to buy, because there isn't anything, that I wound look at and say, 'holly cow man, I want this, I really do'.

 

[Witch of Doom.5739]

I agree that there are way too many currencies. Let's see, I need more Volatile Magic... no, wait, I mean Unbound Magic. And I need Ley-Line Crystals.... oops, I mean Crystalline Ore. Make them easily interchangeable with no "transaction fee" please. And going forward, don't introduce new currencies; let us build on old ones.

[MoriMoriMori.5349]

Talking about things to buy.. They really should consider expanding character customization possibilities. Just a dozen of hairstyles per gender/race? Just one channel for hair coloring? No way to set color of different parts of an eye separately? In a game where everybody and their mom talking kitten about fashion-wars? Really, Anet, really?

 

There could be other customization options, like the one mentioned by *some guy* in [this post](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/66799/suggestion-mutilations-permanent-injuries-new-cosmetics " this post") B)

 

All those options could be made available only through makeover kits, for example, making it more popular gemstore item.

[BunjiKugashira.9754]

I have the same "problem" if you can call it that. I only play 2 or 3 characters actively and I'm pretty confident with their current looks. So for now I don't have any cosmetics I'd want to buy. I would pay for racial armour and mount skins, but those don't seem to be coming. New faces could also make me buy a character overhaul kit.

 

However I won't spend anything on loot boxes. I never did and I never will.

[kharmin.7683]

> @"Witch of Doom.5739" said:

> I agree that there are way too many currencies. Let's see, I need more Volatile Magic... no, wait, I mean Unbound Magic. And I need Ley-Line Crystals.... oops, I mean Crystalline Ore. Make them easily interchangeable with no "transaction fee" please. And going forward, don't introduce new currencies; let us build on old ones.

 

I think that this is meant to make zones "replayable". I, too, don't care for the wild diversity of currencies or the manner in which I feel forced to farm certain zones for specific ones.

[Stormcrow.7513]

Personally I don't play the game much anymore because there isn't much to do.

I DON'T care about AP.

I DON'T care about gold that much anymore(I find myself "toileting" gold for precursor gambling for fun).

I DO want to do raids but they are so exclusive that I don't even know where to begin. Not to mention I can't commit to doing a run at a specific time each week.

I DID like doing dungeon runs because they were fun but I do them now just for the achievement, title and mostly boredom.

 

I know that Raids were supposed to be the FOW/UW/DOA of GW2 but they are far far too exclusive and the community has made it so that people don't want to bother.

It is too bad really because this game had so much potential to be more amazing than GW1.

[Balsa.3951]

Nothing unusual u guys played the game long time now u have most what u wanted. About currency how else u get ppl to play a specific map ? If geodes are in all maps would u go drytop ?

[Bast.7253]

> @"Balsa.3951" said:

> Nothing unusual u guys played the game long time now u have most what u wanted. About currency how else u get ppl to play a specific map

 

 

You give those maps an identity other than that if the currency they contain. You create engaging content that’s specific to those maps, I.e. meta events and others that are unique. You focus that exclusivity into heart vendor rewards. Lots of ways.

 

[Balsa.3951]

> @"cptaylor.2670" said:

> > @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > Nothing unusual u guys played the game long time now u have most what u wanted. About currency how else u get ppl to play a specific map

>

>

> You give those maps an identity other than that if the currency they contain. You create engaging content that’s specific to those maps, I.e. meta events and others that are unique. You focus that exclusivity into heart vendor rewards. Lots of ways.

>

 

Come on u know that people rush thru content and looking for the easiest way to farm. Or u tell me that Instan is the best designed map in game ?

 

How many would do Dragon stand if there are no specific rewards ?

[Terry Bogard.6950]

Side comment: Gifting straight-up gems could be a boon to the game's income. Sometimes guessing what a friend might already have or what they might want is a chore and so is the gold conversion method. Though I'm sure folks are still willing to gift, as folks do with gift cards. I haven't seen as many Gem Cards in brick n' mortar stores these days. More methods of gifting inside and out of the game could help if the creation of the method isn't too taxing.

[Obtena.7952]

I can't believe the obvious sells aren't in the GS yet ... visual effects. I mean, I would buy items/skins JUST for the visual effects they would have on a character. Who wouldn't? We buy outfits and armor part skins ... where are my nightfury and float magic things? Anet if you want to make money, start expanding your visual offerings.

[Blude.6812]

Let me buy in my own currency. Simple. And get those GEM cards out. I used to buy gems when I could hit my local Walmart, Game Stores etc. And was able to avoid the high additional cost of conversion by credit card companies.

 

[joneirikb.7506]

Well, half jest: The reason I don't buy more gems nowadays is because I can't get GW2 to like my current Visa card... (But I really haven't tried that hard, since there hasn't been much that interest me, and I have "enough" account upgrades to manage).

 

> @"Obtena.7952" said:

> I can't believe the obvious sells aren't in the GS yet ... visual effects. I mean, I would buy items/skins JUST for the visual effects they would have on a character. Who wouldn't? We buy outfits and armor part skins ... where are my nightfury and float magic things? Anet if you want to make money, start expanding your visual offerings.

 

I'd be all over buying something that removed visual effects from others >_< I don't even care about my own, I could remove that as well honestly.

[Ashen.2907]

The new currency of the moment model tends to make me not engage with new content. Seems like a hassle rather than a game.

[Bast.7253]

> @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > @"cptaylor.2670" said:

> > > @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > > Nothing unusual u guys played the game long time now u have most what u wanted. About currency how else u get ppl to play a specific map

> >

> >

> > You give those maps an identity other than that if the currency they contain. You create engaging content that’s specific to those maps, I.e. meta events and others that are unique. You focus that exclusivity into heart vendor rewards. Lots of ways.

> >

>

> Come on u know that people rush thru content and looking for the easiest way to farm. Or u tell me that Instan is the best designed map in game ?

>

> How many would do Dragon stand if there are no specific rewards ?

 

Umm.. sometimes I do Dragon Stand just because it's fun. I haven't tried going for any gen 2 legendaries in ages, so there isn't really anything I need from there. It's a great place to go if you want some engaging pve, whether you're trying out a weird build or just wanting to play but don't really have any goal in mind.

 

Istan is a lot smaller scale is and the meta is a lot faster pace. And I think most people go to Istan is to farm the loot drops and chests from the meta, not specifically for the Kralk Ore or currency there. People go there because it's lucrative. And despite it being a champion tag train, it's still a mass multi-person meta, and the kind of thing that I enjoy most in Guild Wars 2.

 

It's funny you mention two of my most favorite maps in the game as your counter. lol If we're talking about the best designed maps in the game in general, I would say Heart of Thorns maps in general. Because of the connectivity that you have with the other players, and how alive they feel because of it. How interwoven the events are and how organic the flow is between them.

 

With Path of Fire and many living story maps, I don't feel that same kind of connectivity. It feels like all the events, or what few there are, kind of work independently of one another. The main questchain I can think of off the top of my head is the Elon Riverlands Hall of Ascension event chain. As well as perhaps the Maw of Torment chains.

 

But yes, people still do Heart of Thorns metas even to this day, just because of how engaging and fun they are. Sure, many of them are looking for infusions, legendary materials, or have specific things they want from them. But I think plenty of them do them just for the fun of it.

 

And honestly, bounty trains are still going fairly strong and they're arranged over many many maps by people seeking a currency that they all share. So I don't think you need to create map specific currencies. I would think, similarly to bounties, you could have one currency with a cap and force players seeking that currency to revisit other maps. That could be good or bad I guess, but I just don't see the argument that you HAVE to have map specific currencies to create populations on those maps. You can't have the same currency obtained in many different maps, and then have one map be much more proficient at providing that currency because then you will have people swarming to that map and abandoning others if their sole intention is gaining that currency though, but that could be managed without needing to have a separate currency per map. I suppose the main problem with that would be that people would stockpile currencies from older maps, and then immediately purchase what they want from the new maps. So to that extent, I agree that there needs to be something to keep that from happening.

 

But either way, I think there could be a little bit better items to spend this currency on in these maps than just material crates or gathering tools. Because as it stands, I have the full requiem set, I have all the two whole combat tonics from Istan and Sandswept, I have the rewind device, and I have everything that I could want the currency for. I don't have the full Stellar weapon set, or the full Dragonsblood weapon set, but I'm not keen enough on those to pursue them. And I doubt many people aside from hardcore skin collectors, completionists, and achievement hunters are going to pursue that goal anyway. So ultimately, the maps I go back to, are the ones that I feel are most engaging. I may go back to Sandswept for the Djinn escort meta or the Subject fight and Inquest ambush, I may go back to Istan to enjoy the Palawadan and Hall metas, I may go back to Jahai for the Shatterer, admittedly mainly because I want to hit that infusion lottery... but I'm going back because of these events, not because I need whatever currencies these events provide me.

 

This all actually gives me an idea that I think I might make a separate thread about before I forget!

 

[Malavian.4695]

I'd buy a boost for Raids so I could play them with my friends rather than 9 strangers intent on blaming everyone else for the failure of a run...

[Balsa.3951]

> @"cptaylor.2670" said:

> > @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > > @"cptaylor.2670" said:

> > > > @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > > > Nothing unusual u guys played the game long time now u have most what u wanted. About currency how else u get ppl to play a specific map

> > >

> > >

> > > You give those maps an identity other than that if the currency they contain. You create engaging content that’s specific to those maps, I.e. meta events and others that are unique. You focus that exclusivity into heart vendor rewards. Lots of ways.

> > >

> >

> > Come on u know that people rush thru content and looking for the easiest way to farm. Or u tell me that Instan is the best designed map in game ?

> >

> > How many would do Dragon stand if there are no specific rewards ?

>

> Umm.. sometimes I do Dragon Stand just because it's fun. I haven't tried going for any gen 2 legendaries in ages, so there isn't really anything I need from there. It's a great place to go if you want some engaging pve, whether you're trying out a weird build or just wanting to play but don't really have any goal in mind.

>

> Istan is a lot smaller scale is and the meta is a lot faster pace. And I think most people go to Istan is to farm the loot drops and chests from the meta, not specifically for the Kralk Ore or currency there. People go there because it's lucrative. And despite it being a champion tag train, it's still a mass multi-person meta, and the kind of thing that I enjoy most in Guild Wars 2.

>

> It's funny you mention two of my most favorite maps in the game as your counter. lol If we're talking about the best designed maps in the game in general, I would say Heart of Thorns maps in general. Because of the connectivity that you have with the other players, and how alive they feel because of it. How interwoven the events are and how organic the flow is between them.

>

> With Path of Fire and many living story maps, I don't feel that same kind of connectivity. It feels like all the events, or what few there are, kind of work independently of one another. The main questchain I can think of off the top of my head is the Elon Riverlands Hall of Ascension event chain. As well as perhaps the Maw of Torment chains.

>

> But yes, people still do Heart of Thorns metas even to this day, just because of how engaging and fun they are. Sure, many of them are looking for infusions, legendary materials, or have specific things they want from them. But I think plenty of them do them just for the fun of it.

>

> And honestly, bounty trains are still going fairly strong and they're arranged over many many maps by people seeking a currency that they all share. So I don't think you need to create map specific currencies. I would think, similarly to bounties, you could have one currency with a cap and force players seeking that currency to revisit other maps. That could be good or bad I guess, but I just don't see the argument that you HAVE to have map specific currencies to create populations on those maps. You can't have the same currency obtained in many different maps, and then have one map be much more proficient at providing that currency because then you will have people swarming to that map and abandoning others if their sole intention is gaining that currency though, but that could be managed without needing to have a separate currency per map. I suppose the main problem with that would be that people would stockpile currencies from older maps, and then immediately purchase what they want from the new maps. So to that extent, I agree that there needs to be something to keep that from happening.

>

> But either way, I think there could be a little bit better items to spend this currency on in these maps than just material crates or gathering tools. Because as it stands, I have the full requiem set, I have all the two whole combat tonics from Istan and Sandswept, I have the rewind device, and I have everything that I could want the currency for. I don't have the full Stellar weapon set, or the full Dragonsblood weapon set, but I'm not keen enough on those to pursue them. And I doubt many people aside from hardcore skin collectors, completionists, and achievement hunters are going to pursue that goal anyway. So ultimately, the maps I go back to, are the ones that I feel are most engaging. I may go back to Sandswept for the Djinn escort meta or the Subject fight and Inquest ambush, I may go back to Istan to enjoy the Palawadan and Hall metas, I may go back to Jahai for the Shatterer, admittedly mainly because I want to hit that infusion lottery... but I'm going back because of these events, not because I need whatever currencies these events provide me.

>

> This all actually gives me an idea that I think I might make a separate thread about before I forget!

>

 

Sometimes is the keyword here...I mention dragonstand vs instan bcs one is a extremely high design meta event with organization needed 3 commanders vs a just run kill everyone meta

 

 

Triple trouble would be another example without special rewards events will be abandoned fast no matter how great the design is. Except ppl come back sometimes for the nostalgia u was able to do dragon stand bcs of people who still farm this map

[Mushuchalaka.9437]

I'm fine with the map currencies, I don't think that's the problem. The only reason I'd go to a certain map is if there's something there I want. HOT/POF each has their strongpoints, but some maps are ghost towns in POF. I think if they have something similar to pvp, where a map gets double karma,or some other rewards for a day. It'll bring players to said map. Core Tyria should be included and I don't mean the T4 mat rewards. They need something more rewarding, I just don't know what.

 

I feel the same about the gemstore, there's not much, I need. I have enough gold but I still spend money on gems to support the game, when there's something I want/need. However there's nothing I want/need anymore since they changed to outfits. Perhaps mount skins. I think they should sell infusions,effects you can tack on to weapons to customize your weapon or each armor piece to mix and match, instead of affecting the whole character. It'd also be great if they can implement jewelery or trinkets to show on characters.

[Gehenna.3625]

I guess I don't get the link between in game currencies and spending on gems but ok. As far as in game currencies are concerned there are good reasons to have them but also good reasons not to have too many. For example, it made sense originally to have different currencies for dungeons, but since they are basically abandoned content and not many people do them anymore, they might as well turn it into one single currency. That would also make it a bit easier for the WvW reward tracks I think. But beyond that I think it's good to have currencies so that different types of content actually has an individual value. I mean if you got one currency in HoT then people would just pick the Auric Basin meta and forego the rest. But because of there being 3 different currencies there are reasons to go to all 3.

 

Again, I just really don't understand why this would make you spend less in the gem store.

[Ashen.2907]

> @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> I guess I don't get the link between in game currencies and spending on gems but ok. As far as in game currencies are concerned there are good reasons to have them but also good reasons not to have too many. For example, it made sense originally to have different currencies for dungeons, but since they are basically abandoned content and not many people do them anymore, they might as well turn it into one single currency. That would also make it a bit easier for the WvW reward tracks I think. But beyond that I think it's good to have currencies so that different types of content actually has an individual value. I mean if you got one currency in HoT then people would just pick the Auric Basin meta and forego the rest. But because of there being 3 different currencies there are reasons to go to all 3.

>

> Again, I just really don't understand why this would make you spend less in the gem store.

 

I cant speak for others, but if I am spending my time and effort tracking accumulation across multiple currencies the experience becomes more of a hassle so I disengage with the associated content. If I am not engaged with the content I am less likely to spend money on the game.

[Skotlex.7580]

Yet I don't think there's any way to go around having specific map currencies. If a new LS map just reused a currency, that would mean people could acquire the rewards on launch day without even playing the content (as they accumulated it from earlier playtime).

 

Having maps share a currency makes sense when the maps are released at the same time (like POF expansion maps), but beyond that, nope.

 

Also, thanks to how seamless the wallet work, I don't even look / care about having a hundred dozen currencies, it only makes a difference when I want a specific reward and realize it requires playing a specific map to acquire it.

[Kylden Ar.3724]

> @"kharmin.7683" said:

> > @"Witch of Doom.5739" said:

> > I agree that there are way too many currencies. Let's see, I need more Volatile Magic... no, wait, I mean Unbound Magic. And I need Ley-Line Crystals.... oops, I mean Crystalline Ore. Make them easily interchangeable with no "transaction fee" please. And going forward, don't introduce new currencies; let us build on old ones.

>

> I think that this is meant to make zones "replayable". I, too, don't care for the wild diversity of currencies or the manner in which I feel forced to farm certain zones for specific ones.

 

Except it doesn't.

 

When each map's currency goes toward that map's version of trinkets for the new stat set, which no one will use as it's not meta, you get teh story done and never go back cause the currency does nothing.

[shoegaze.3482]

> @"Stormcrow.7513" said:

> Personally I don't play the game much anymore because there isn't much to do.

> I DON'T care about AP.

> I DON'T care about gold that much anymore(I find myself "toileting" gold for precursor gambling for fun).

> I DO want to do raids but they are so exclusive that I don't even know where to begin. Not to mention I can't commit to doing a run at a specific time each week.

> I DID like doing dungeon runs because they were fun but I do them now just for the achievement, title and mostly boredom.

>

> I know that Raids were supposed to be the FOW/UW/DOA of GW2 but they are far far too exclusive and the community has made it so that people don't want to bother.

> It is too bad really because this game had so much potential to be more amazing than GW1.

 

Its not about Ap itself it's about rewards that comes with achievments, chests with good items and titles.

 

Try to pick a raid, spend 20 minutes reading a guide and watching a video about It. Set a lfg for a "training run" and in few minutes you will have a full squad also with some experienced players who can provides useful tips. Easy. Trust me.

Once you've done that, try to join an experienced group, don't be afraid to tell them "Hey i don't have the required KP but i do know mechanics" they will give u a chance.

 

Gw2 Is a really accessible game, that's its strenght. You don't even Need full ascended to raid, a good build and the right exotic set are good enough to run any raid.

[kharmin.7683]

> @"Kylden Ar.3724" said:

> > @"kharmin.7683" said:

> > > @"Witch of Doom.5739" said:

> > > I agree that there are way too many currencies. Let's see, I need more Volatile Magic... no, wait, I mean Unbound Magic. And I need Ley-Line Crystals.... oops, I mean Crystalline Ore. Make them easily interchangeable with no "transaction fee" please. And going forward, don't introduce new currencies; let us build on old ones.

> >

> > I think that this is meant to make zones "replayable". I, too, don't care for the wild diversity of currencies or the manner in which I feel forced to farm certain zones for specific ones.

>

> Except it doesn't.

>

> When each map's currency goes toward that map's version of trinkets for the new stat set, which no one will use as it's not meta, you get teh story done and never go back cause the currency does nothing.

 

I agree. I was simply speculating on the reason.