Guild Wars 2

Just wanted to share my reaping of the 100 Black Lion Chests I opened today in attempt to get a fused weapon claim ticket.

• 7x Black Lion Harvesting Sickle
• 6x Black Lion Mining Pick
• 6x Black Lion Logging Axe
• 4x Black Lion Salvage Kit

• 1x Total Makeover Kit
• 2x Dye Pack
• 29x Unidentified Dyes
• 1x Pink Quaggan Backpack Set
• 15x Transmutation Crystals
• 82x Mystery Tonics

• 7x Revive Orbs
• 7x Instant Repair Canisters

• 10x Karma Boosters
• 3x Armor Boosters
• 6x Magic Find Boosters
• 9x Rejuvenation Boosters
• 15x Experience Boosters
• 6x Crafting Boosters
• 8x Strength Boosters
• 6x Speed Boosters
• 11x Armor Boosters
• 9x Killstreak Experience Boosters

• 2x Large Guild Discovery
• 5x Medium Guild Discovery
• 5x Small Guild Discovery

• 12x Trading Post Expresses
• 13x Bank Access Expresses
• 12x Merchant Expresses

0/100 Black Lion Chests for a fused weapon claim ticket. I have 2 guildies who received a ticket in under 5 chests. RNG Troll strikes again!

That sort of RNG luck is actually quite depressing. Good luck to you, truly, hopefully it is better than mine.

You gambled and lost, move on.

Thank you for the post, it’s good to see some real statistics. I was considering buying a few BLC keys to get a fused weapon, but now I don’t think I will be. I still remember the BLC Halloween skin chances were terrible, I’m not getting sucked into that again.

Well to be honest it’s all luck, yours is probably better than mine. Trust me, I’ve had bigger RNG fails in GW2 than this lol.

My guildies got it in less than 5 tries so you might have the same luck!

thanks for sharing the info, OP! and too bad you didn’t get any tickets : (((
most appreciated. just straight facts. ; )) and i wish you luck! if you were to continue to test your luck a bit more.

looking forward to trying it out myself when i get home lol

The breakdown is appreciated.

I just opened mine and proceeded to a rather much more disorganized breakdown (Ha! Pun! Ha!).

Seriously though. The RNG is cruel on these. I’d have to be drunk to gamble on them again…

/fetches-next-beer

[EDIT] I put a period in the wrong place. This has since been rectified.

are the tickets account bound?

lin.6487:

are the tickets account bound?

If the weapons are, then one would assume the tickets are as well.

On another note, I plunged for a few more (because of sunk costs, or escalation of commitment, or beer).

At last, I saw a shred of paper. I had it! I felt relief. I was done.

Turns out it was a Name Change Contract.

But hey – I’ve been meaning to change my Charr’s name to that of my cat, anyway.

Yes. The money presently being fleeced is coming from crazy cat people. It’s okay. We shall go softly into the night – surrounded by fur and undaunted by allergies.

lin.6487:

are the tickets account bound?

Yes.

It’s kittening bullkitten that they keep releasing RNG based rewards.

It’s starting to really kitten me off considering it is straying away from a game that rewards you for putting in the effort, time, and money (not literally money…because I don’t want a pay to win), and becoming a luck based game.

If I wanted to gamble everything, I’d be spending all my free time in a casino.

TheAngryLuddite.1834:

The breakdown is appreciated.

I just opened mine and proceeded to a rather much more disorganized breakdown (Ha! Pun! Ha!).

Seriously though. The RNG is cruel on these. I’d have to be drunk to gamble on them again…

/fetches-next-beer

[EDIT] I put a period in the wrong place. This has since been rectified.

Did you get it?

I tried the chests before, got bit by RNG and that did it for me. RNG, too high. Key prices, too high. Value of contents, too low. The sooner the community as a whole learns this and stops buying keys, the sooner the prices will drop and they stop putting stuff in there and make them direct gem store purchases.

Astral Projections.7320:

I tried the chests before, got bit by RNG and that did it for me. RNG, too high. Key prices, too high. Value of contents, too low. The sooner the community as a whole learns this and stops buying keys, the sooner the prices will drop and they stop putting stuff in there and make them direct gem store purchases.

Yeah true about the value. I’ve played over 20 MMORPG’s and by far GW2 is the least satisfying when gambling for something.

I don’t think they will ever put weapon skins like that directly purchasable on the TP though. It’s good they are rare and all, but you’d think they’d start putting some kind of hidden buff or something once you start hitting numbers like 100-500 chests.

You know why they keep putting in RNG items like this into the game? Because people keep spending money/gold on them. It’s profitable/effective, so they keep doing it.

So if you don’t like these types of systems, you have to show them as a company by being a good consumer and not buying them. They will keep selling things you don’t want if you keep buying them.

I spent NZD$50 and just under 5G to buy 60 keys and got at least 10 keys from chests. Didn’t get a skin. I understand it’s a gamble and it’ll be different for everyone, and I’m not complaining about it, but just wanted to chime in and say that the odds aren’t that great.

Possible solution: Split Gems.
Fine Gems: they will grant you access to all the BLC items, you can buy them with real money only and have access istantly to skins without gambling.
Common Gems: you can obtain them converting gold earned in the game, they will grant you access to all BLC item but skins. You can still get those skins gambling with chests.

Why complain about something that …
a – Holds content that has very little to no in game value
b – Is quite clearly labelled as a risk item not a guarantee
c- Has a mechanic to control it that has been around since early table top days and quite possibly since the Arc
d – Is not forced upon you to do?
e – Oh yeah and has beaten to death across the interweebs repeatedly ever since the concept first materialised in online gaming…. or maybe people missed it.

Simple solution… if you don’t like RNG and can’t absorb the hits when it goes south for ya.. don’t keep spending the coin in order to chase down the unicorn across the otherside of the rainbow… cos if and when you finally catch it, you will likely find out its just a mule you got with some white spray paint over it and a toilet roll stuck on its head.
The game has to attempt to generate income streams, its not a charity so it places hooks inside the game…. if you choose to take the bait knowing full well that what you get is randomised then you have no grounds to complain.
These loot envey threads are nothing more than “I want, I want, I am entitled” – and when they finally get the golden ticket then they complain that something else isn’t fair again “boss chests being a typical example”
I really do wonder why some people buy games to play that are based around RNG mechanics.. yes everything in the game that holds consequence has a dice roll behind it, get used to it or go play some P2W game instead – or mayb e tiddly winks for the bigger kids instead.

As RNG based rewards seem to be an evil for the loot envey brigade .. I suggest NCSOFT/ ANET propose a new way forward for this game.
No longer need to dream up new dungeons, openworld events and no need to dice roll rewards… lets just have 1 map with a start point and an end point that is moved each month.. everyone just has to run to the endpoint, click the TP symbol and pick 12 items then pay for them.
Then ANET can save on development and other associated costs, the lag and culling will become irrelevant, skills and traits no longer require balancing as the only thing that determines a players skill is their credit limits.
There will be no whines about grinding mobs, dungeons etc for the holy trinity of gear, there will be no whines from the hard luck brigade about loot drops not being guaranteed for them and the forums will become a place of tranquility, full of butterflies and daisies.

Maybe then at Christmas then can bring in a special event… the Christmas Present Hunt .. everyone who reaches the endpoint on the map before midnight on the 22nd December is teleported to the Evil Santa Shopping Mall where they have until midnight on the 24th of December to purchase as many items as their credit card balances can hold then ascend the NCSOFT Tower of Joy – seek out the Mysterious Chimney Portal, jump down it and land in a small dimly lit room.. as you move forward a you will see tiny box on the floor that begins to eminate a coloured light the closer you get to it… when opened the box reveals a new, highly sought after prize, the item of all F2P and P2P items… the Guild Wars2 Golden Credit Card with a shiny credit limit set by the purchase tier you reached in the event. This item is a new accessory type … “The Wallet” and a variety of infusions are also purchasable via the ingame store… increased credit limits, travel insurances, payment protection, interest free peiods (max 3 days), payment holidays… the card comes as standard with 93.7% APR, no interest free period and no insurance. Additional cards can also be purchased in game for a one offfee of $79.95 with a standard credit limit equal to that of the lowest purchase tier from the event.

There.. everyone is a winner… and not an RNG required!!

Here is after 47 chests, didn’t get the skin after that either, or even an “endless X” in the end you end up spending more money on the keys than you would converting gems to gold them buying the everlasting item.

Bloodstealer.5978:

lets just have 1 map with a start point and an end point that is moved each month…

…Then ANET can save on development and other associated costs…

And we can call it “Map Laurel”.

Stop gambling on Black Lion Chests. Unfortunately, some people never learn from their own mistakes.

How did you get x82 Mystery tonics? I thought they always dropped in lots of 3?

Nike.2631:

How did you get x82 Mystery tonics? I thought they always dropped in lots of 3?

I must have had one already in my stash/inv. It happens.

Indeed it does. I have stacks of some of the older tonics that dont’ drop anymore.

EPS – Extreme Packrat Syndrome .

So, after having attempted another 79 chests today, after the 48 attempts yesterday…I have come to the decision that I’m not supporting any kind of RNG bullkitten in this game any longer. Also, if this RNG trend continues…I will most probably be finding myself a replacement game, as I am not a fan of RNG based rewards.

I’m SEVERELY disappointed at ANet at this point about this whole matter. I’m not even mad about the situation, just EXTREMELY disappointed that I was supporting this game so valiantly up until this point, even though they ruined two of the most important things that made the original Guild Wars, Guild Wars (the pvp set up and the skill diversity).

Kurow.6973:

So, after having attempted another 79 chests today, after the 48 attempts yesterday…I have come to the decision that I’m not supporting any kind of RNG bullkitten in this game any longer. Also, if this RNG trend continues…I will most probably be finding myself a replacement game, as I am not a fan of RNG based rewards.

I’m SEVERELY disappointed at ANet at this point about this whole matter. I’m not even mad about the situation, just EXTREMELY disappointed that I was supporting this game so valiantly up until this point, even though they ruined two of the most important things that made the original Guild Wars, Guild Wars (the pvp set up and the skill diversity).

After what I read on the forums about the Black Lion Chests around Halloween when everyone and their dog was trying to get the skins out of there, I wouldn’t do this in the first place…..but pretty shiny skins really aren’t my thing anyway.

Given the amount of complaining I’ve been seeing lately regarding the RNG to get these new skins, I’d like to use your results as an example.

You used 79+48 keys to open at total of 127 Black Lion Chests.
Let’s assume you got a generous 40% return of keys from your Chest openings (or you already had through various in game tasks).
That would mean that you used 77 keys that you purchased with Gems, which means you spent 9,625 Gems on keys……or if you bought them at the discounted price by buying 5 for 450 Gems…..you would have spent 6,930 Gems….or if you bought them when the sale was going on and got them for 5 for 360 Gems…..you would have spent 5,544 Gems.

Let’s use the LEAST possible amount of Gems you could have bought (5,544) and see how the numbers work out.

If you converted gold to Gems, using a conversion rate of 100 Gems / 2g, to buy those keys, you effectively removed 110g88s00c from the economy in the process.

If you bought those gems with real money, you paid approximately $69.30 USD.

Either way you look at it, you have done an amazing job of supporting a wonderful game and I’m sure there are a lot of other players that have done the same. You are just one player. Imagine how many other players did this too.

Let’s say 10 did it……that’s 1108g80s00c removed from the economy or $693.00 USD put into Anet’s pockets….

What about 100 other players……
11,088g00s00c removed or $6,930.00 USD given to Anet.

1000?
110,880g00s00c removed or $69,300 USD given to Anet.

If you choose not to participate in any future RNG methods of achieving desirable items, that’s totally your choice, but I, for one, would like to thank you for your contributions to keep this wonderful game alive and free to play.

Thank you,
Sincerely,
Charismatic Harm

BuddhaWrath.5073:

Nike.2631:

How did you get x82 Mystery tonics? I thought they always dropped in lots of 3?

I must have had one already in my stash/inv. It happens.

I have over 300….. just sitting.. waiting lol

Charismatic Harm.9683:

Kurow.6973:

So, after having attempted another 79 chests today, after the 48 attempts yesterday…I have come to the decision that I’m not supporting any kind of RNG bullkitten in this game any longer. Also, if this RNG trend continues…I will most probably be finding myself a replacement game, as I am not a fan of RNG based rewards.

I’m SEVERELY disappointed at ANet at this point about this whole matter. I’m not even mad about the situation, just EXTREMELY disappointed that I was supporting this game so valiantly up until this point, even though they ruined two of the most important things that made the original Guild Wars, Guild Wars (the pvp set up and the skill diversity).

After what I read on the forums about the Black Lion Chests around Halloween when everyone and their dog was trying to get the skins out of there, I wouldn’t do this in the first place…..but pretty shiny skins really aren’t my thing anyway.

Given the amount of complaining I’ve been seeing lately regarding the RNG to get these new skins, I’d like to use your results as an example.

You used 79+48 keys to open at total of 127 Black Lion Chests.
Let’s assume you got a generous 40% return of keys from your Chest openings (or you already had through various in game tasks).
That would mean that you used 77 keys that you purchased with Gems, which means you spent 9,625 Gems on keys……or if you bought them at the discounted price by buying 5 for 450 Gems…..you would have spent 6,930 Gems….or if you bought them when the sale was going on and got them for 5 for 360 Gems…..you would have spent 5,544 Gems.

Let’s use the LEAST possible amount of Gems you could have bought (5,544) and see how the numbers work out.

If you converted gold to Gems, using a conversion rate of 100 Gems / 2g, to buy those keys, you effectively removed 110g88s00c from the economy in the process.

If you bought those gems with real money, you paid approximately $69.30 USD.

Either way you look at it, you have done an amazing job of supporting a wonderful game and I’m sure there are a lot of other players that have done the same. You are just one player. Imagine how many other players did this too.

Let’s say 10 did it……that’s 1108g80s00c removed from the economy or $693.00 USD put into Anet’s pockets….

What about 100 other players……
11,088g00s00c removed or $6,930.00 USD given to Anet.

1000?
110,880g00s00c removed or $69,300 USD given to Anet.

If you choose not to participate in any future RNG methods of achieving desirable items, that’s totally your choice, but I, for one, would like to thank you for your contributions to keep this wonderful game alive and free to play.

Thank you,
Sincerely,
Charismatic Harm

So, you went through all of that to restate what I already said? Good to know!

Nike.2631:

Indeed it does. I have stacks of some of the older tonics that dont’ drop anymore.

EPS – Extreme Packrat Syndrome .

I hear ya… 8 personal bank slots all full of crap

I have about the same results as you with the chests. Although i did manage to get 2 pink quaggen, which made it feel less icky. I have so many boosters now, it almost feels like they are multiplying…. Stack of tonics, yup those too.