Guild Wars 2

You do know that you can get the skins from Dragon Coffers that drops from every single thing in the whole world right?
And rather frequently as well.

lordkrall.7241:

You do know that you can get the skins from Dragon Coffers that drops from every single thing in the whole world right?
And rather frequently as well.

frequently?
have been reading the forums. I’ve not been keeping count but I’ve opened hundreds, and no ticket.

People have opened thousands and no ticket….

yeah, just get them from the common coffers. they’re cheaper, you can get more at any time, and you can farm them.

after opening roughly 85 rich coffers… i got my ticket from a common one of course i had to open 300+. it was still a heck of a lot cheaper than the rich coffers. glad i finally got my longbow jade skin.

Cameirus.8407:

frequently?
have been reading the forums. I’ve not been keeping count but I’ve opened hundreds, and no ticket.

People have opened thousands and no ticket….

Yes, they drop very frequently.
I bought 250 Dragon Coffers on the TP, after opening about 25 I got a ticket ^^

They should make the trading post versions acquirable 1 per daily during the week of the festival, that would be cool. Wouldn’t be too much to ask for would it?

P.S: 1.5k+ regular coffers opened no ticket, not complaining just throwing my number out there for those people that just love to know that info. I’m determined to get that longbow skin.

ye i think ill be doing that, its just crap that i had to waste about 50 pounds to realize that, if anet had just told people the drop chance i might have saved my money :/ but i guess that why they didnt

Cheer up, you’re playing an mmo for free.

ninetales.5208:

Cheer up, you’re playing an mmo for free.

I paid for it 60$.

ninetales.5208:

Cheer up, you’re playing an mmo for free.

Imagine how good the game would be with a subscription tho,

ninetales.5208:

Cheer up, you’re playing an mmo for free.

If ANets continues with this RNG crap you can soon discard that first m of mmo.

Shadowmoon.7986:

And the person who opened 1000 and got nothing cares to disagree. Welcome to the RNG casino, where the house (anet) refuses to tell you the odds, but why would they when they have all the idiots out there buying up the lotto tickets in droves, and then all the fan boy white knights defending them for this practice. As long as these people exist in the game, Anet will not change its practices.

Of course.
Good thing you don’t need to spend any real money to get the Coffers then, aye?

ninetales.5208:

Cheer up, you’re playing an mmo for free.

£10 a month is nothing. I would rather pay that than have this gem store infecting every aspect of the game.

Eridani.8317:

£10 a month is nothing. I would rather pay that than have this gem store infecting every aspect of the game.

Hmm?
I have yet to see the gemstore infect: Dungeons, WvW, PvP or most Open-world PvE.

Ca$h$hop MMO are not free MMOs. Look at lotro and DnDO, both were subscription games and started making MORE MONEY when they went FTP. They just take your money using dispersive methods, IE the last 3 RNG chests. Lotto tickets that have a chance at what you want without stating the odds.

Shadowmoon.7986:

Ca$h$hop MMO are not free MMOs. Look at lotro and DnDO, both were subscription games and started making MORE MONEY when they went FTP. They just take your money using dispersive methods, IE the last 3 RNG chests. Lotto tickets that have a chance at what you want without stating the odds.

Oh, but you CAN play the game without ever buying anything from the cash shop.
You are CHOOSING to buy something from the shop, not being forced.

Um, this game is free for me. I have my exotic/accended armor and weapons, I have fun killing world bosses and doing an occasional dungeon or fractal.

Nothing in that cash shop will make you a better player, nothing gives you an edge (besides maybe an EXP boost, which you can also get for free). If people want to spend their money for a lotto ticket that’s their right. They also have the right to complain, but really, they should have thought more before they played the odds.

Eridani.8317:

ninetales.5208:

Cheer up, you’re playing an mmo for free.

£10 a month is nothing. I would rather pay that than have this gem store infecting every aspect of the game.

Really, how is it infecting every aspect of the game, tell us.

lordkrall.7241:

Oh, but you CAN play the game without ever buying anything from the cash shop.
You are CHOOSING to buy something from the shop, not being forced.

Instead of white knighting everything Anet/Nexon does, why don’t you go to school. Day 1 in a basic economy will teach you about there is no such thing as a free lunch

Shadowmoon.7986:

Instead of white knighting everything Anet/Nexon does, why don’t you go to school. Day 1 in a basic economy will teach you about there is no such thing as a free lunch

And instead of attacking everyone that disagrees with you maybe you should start checking facts?

I buy RNG boxes a lot. I don’t have to, but I do. I will not blame Anet for my own choice. I feel like kitten when I don’t get what I want, but I don’t go out and blame everyone but myself.

Anet’s slowly taking the right steps. Rich dragon coffers just have a “better chance for rares.” (Read: Your mileage may vary) But this event allows me to NOT be compelled to spend tons of cash on the boxes. Since the coffers are farmable from holograms, awarded from dragon ball, and occasionally drop from everything.

I have nothing to complain about the steps being taken here. I’ll gladly take the “regular” coffers over the “rich” ones, any day of the week. I admit I feel compelled to buy the RNG boxes, but that is my own issue. I am aware it is gambling, in a sense, and I still do it.

I will fully accept responsibility knowing that I am “gambling.”

That being said, all the “RNG hate” is hilarious, because it’s everywhere. I’ve yet to see a single MMO without some RNG. Sure, GW2 has it a bit worse than others, but of course people that get a Dawn from a trash mob don’t talk about how kittened up RNG is.

So, all in all, free / easily accessible RNG boxes >>>>>>>>>> cash only ones.

I’m a diehard GW1 fan, and I love me some ArenaNet. I’m not too fond of any of the skins from this event…but jeez. I’m starting to lose faith in ArenaNet’s customer relations.

I understand that they’re a company and this game is being “updated” frequently with “content,” but wow…Can the people get a few event skins that aren’t locked away in casino boxes? What happened to the SAB model? Wintersday, even? You guys are too money hungry right now for my taste, and I’m a conservative capitalist – that says a lot.

Also, the white-knights shouldn’t get so upset over something that in no way harms their experience. You want RNG weapons? Cool, what if ArenaNet still put them in those “roll-the-dice-for-a-0.05%-chance-at-a-skin” boxes, and everyone else could just buy the skins for a flat rate off of the gem store? What a perfect solution, no? Ah, but it isn’t, right? Because that means less prestige for your ego and less money to a company that seems to be twiddling its thumbs in the content development department.

shrug I’m just here to watch, really. I still love Guild Wars 2. :P

lordkrall.7241:

Cameirus.8407:

frequently?
have been reading the forums. I’ve not been keeping count but I’ve opened hundreds, and no ticket.

People have opened thousands and no ticket….

Yes, they drop very frequently.
I bought 250 Dragon Coffers on the TP, after opening about 25 I got a ticket ^^

You do not understand how random numbers works. You simply got lucky, and that is no basis for how to compile information on the frequency of the drops.

Last estimate I saw from the common coffers was at .05%. That is not frequent at all.

Ozymandias.5704:

lordkrall.7241:

Cameirus.8407:

frequently?
have been reading the forums. I’ve not been keeping count but I’ve opened hundreds, and no ticket.

People have opened thousands and no ticket….

Yes, they drop very frequently.
I bought 250 Dragon Coffers on the TP, after opening about 25 I got a ticket ^^

You do not understand how random numbers works. You simply got lucky, and that is no basis for how to compile information on the frequency of the drops.

Last estimate I saw from the common coffers was at .05%. That is not frequent at all.

It becomes pretty frequent when you will have easy access to thousands during the month from YOUR farming alone, let alone if you buy off the TP.

I’m pretty sure most of us will have a ticket by the end of the MONTH. It has been live on day. Just play and if you really really want one. Just try and buy as many at the end of the month. Prices will be very low then and you can try your luck then.

I guess I question the decision to put skins behind nothing but luck. Yeah, you can play the game to get coffers as loot but what’s the point of designing all these neat skins if only a very very small population of the world has them? Forget about how you get the chance – I wanted a Southsun skin, played the crap out of the game, even bought $10 worth of chests – all nothing.

Dungeon armor and weapons are a different story – you do the dungeons, you get the stuff. But random chances of getting a skin that is only going to be available for a limited time. Kinda sucks not to get one when you really want one. Guild Wars teaches me a hard lesson in life? Thanks Guild Wars!

My solution – make the skins either saleable on the TP or make them achievable with doing how many runs or whatever (grinding). Yes, I would agree to grind for a skin long before standing in the RNG line and coming away empty handed just because I’m one unlucky kitten.

Stop buying the RNG gemshop stuff and they’ll stop doing it.

Cameirus.8407:

lordkrall.7241:

You do know that you can get the skins from Dragon Coffers that drops from every single thing in the whole world right?
And rather frequently as well.

frequently?
have been reading the forums. I’ve not been keeping count but I’ve opened hundreds, and no ticket.

People have opened thousands and no ticket….

I just hit the 1000 mark for opened coffers, been farming like crazy since event kicked off. still not 1 claim ticket, and from the countless holo’s I’ve smashed, no wings either. Meanwhile, someone in my guild logs in, opens 5 coffers and gets two tickets.. fml.

displacedTitan.6897:

Ozymandias.5704:

lordkrall.7241:

Cameirus.8407:

frequently?
have been reading the forums. I’ve not been keeping count but I’ve opened hundreds, and no ticket.

People have opened thousands and no ticket….

Yes, they drop very frequently.
I bought 250 Dragon Coffers on the TP, after opening about 25 I got a ticket ^^

You do not understand how random numbers works. You simply got lucky, and that is no basis for how to compile information on the frequency of the drops.

Last estimate I saw from the common coffers was at .05%. That is not frequent at all.

It becomes pretty frequent when you will have easy access to thousands during the month from YOUR farming alone, let alone if you buy off the TP.

Thousands? I think your definition of frequent is far off if you call farming thousands of chests during the whole event easy.

Maybe it is worth it you to spend hours grinding and farming, or to spend most of your gold, or even lots of RL money on chests, but not to me. I like the new skins, but not that much. GW2 is a game, and while I think it is OK to spend some money for gems now and then, I don’t gamble it away.

That said I don’t mind a challenge to get the skins, doing a really hard dungeon, or a really hard boss fight, a scavenger hunt or anything of the sorts. Something more substantial. That is gaming, and it is fun.

The way it is now, its just pure gambling. And sadly we do not need to guess why that is how they implemented it.

As an example, doing the molten dungeon and getting the gloves was fun, doing scavenging and other southsun activities for the backpieces was fun. Grinding chests for a chance of getting a skin is not fun. (That goes for scelerite and fused weapons as well.)

They could just as easily have implemented something similar to get a weapon ticket, even if just one, and still kept the gambling if you wanted more weapons and skins.

I’d be more inclined to agree with you if you “needed” the jade weapons, but you don’t. It’s just a skin, and every few months, there’s a new batch of em. I get it, you think some of the skins are pretty, and it’d just be dandy if you could get one or two for some characters, but we simply just do not need these items.

Yes, I know it’s really, really frustrating and annoying to literally flush hard earned money away. But, all I can say is just don’t do it then. If you want to support ANet, bye items which you are sure to get. And if you don’t like their practices with chance boxes, then don’t bye them.

There will be more skins. Some of them you’ll like, some of them you won’t. Some of them will be in chance boxes, some of them won’t.

And hey, of you really have had enough, stop playing. If you aren’t having fun in a game, what’s the point?

Lil Green Dragn.8049:

I’d be more inclined to agree with you if you “needed” the jade weapons, but you don’t. It’s just a skin, and every few months, there’s a new batch of em. I get it, you think some of the skins are pretty, and it’d just be dandy if you could get one or two for some characters, but we simply just do not need these items.

Yes, I know it’s really, really frustrating and annoying to literally flush hard earned money away. But, all I can say is just don’t do it then. If you want to support ANet, bye items which you are sure to get. And if you don’t like their practices with chance boxes, then don’t bye them.

There will be more skins. Some of them you’ll like, some of them you won’t. Some of them will be in chance boxes, some of them won’t.

And hey, of you really have had enough, stop playing. If you aren’t having fun in a game, what’s the point?

Subscription models allow you to unlock all the content, you realize how rare these skins are? You can’t even fill your PvP locker up… it’s ridiculous and weather he needs them or not, if you are a collector, you should be able to get them, especially if you are a good supporter(money invested), and you shouldn’t have to pay $500 to get enough ticket skins. This is poor practices on the games behalf and why subscription models are better than free models for dedicated gamers. Without dedicated gamers, Guild Wars 2 would keel over because it wouldn’t make any money, we should be the last people being screwed over. I’d rather pay $15 and get what I should be entitled to, rather then being expected to pay $500 a month due to all the people that don’t put any money into the game.

Sadly, bottom line, cash shops are like a pyramid scheme, certain types of players get screwed over pretty badly, just so they can label their game “free and awesome”.

Osi.3504:

Lil Green Dragn.8049:

I’d be more inclined to agree with you if you “needed” the jade weapons, but you don’t. It’s just a skin, and every few months, there’s a new batch of em. I get it, you think some of the skins are pretty, and it’d just be dandy if you could get one or two for some characters, but we simply just do not need these items.

Yes, I know it’s really, really frustrating and annoying to literally flush hard earned money away. But, all I can say is just don’t do it then. If you want to support ANet, bye items which you are sure to get. And if you don’t like their practices with chance boxes, then don’t bye them.

There will be more skins. Some of them you’ll like, some of them you won’t. Some of them will be in chance boxes, some of them won’t.

And hey, of you really have had enough, stop playing. If you aren’t having fun in a game, what’s the point?

Subscription models allow you to unlock all the content, you realize how rare these skins are? You can’t even fill your PvP locker up… it’s ridiculous and weather he needs them or not, if you are a collector, you should be able to get them, especially if you are a good supporter(money invested), and you shouldn’t have to pay $500 to get enough ticket skins. This is poor practices on the games behalf and why subscription models are better than free models for dedicated gamers. Without dedicated gamers, Guild Wars 2 would keel over because it wouldn’t make any money, we should be the last people being screwed over. I’d rather pay $15 and get what I should be entitled to, rather then being expected to pay $500 a month due to all the people that don’t put any money into the game.

Sadly, bottom line, cash shops are like a pyramid scheme, certain types of players get screwed over pretty badly, just so they can label their game “free and awesome”.

Firstly, you dont know what a pyramid (multi-level marketing) scheme actually is.

Second, when you PAY $15 a month then you are entitled to things, when its free then you should never expect to get more than the $60 game you initially paid for.

Third, if subscription models actually worked anymore then you would see them still in new games, the fact that they are DEAD outside WoW says a lot about what the vast majority of players think of them.

displacedTitan.6897:

Osi.3504:

Lil Green Dragn.8049:

I’d be more inclined to agree with you if you “needed” the jade weapons, but you don’t. It’s just a skin, and every few months, there’s a new batch of em. I get it, you think some of the skins are pretty, and it’d just be dandy if you could get one or two for some characters, but we simply just do not need these items.

Yes, I know it’s really, really frustrating and annoying to literally flush hard earned money away. But, all I can say is just don’t do it then. If you want to support ANet, bye items which you are sure to get. And if you don’t like their practices with chance boxes, then don’t bye them.

There will be more skins. Some of them you’ll like, some of them you won’t. Some of them will be in chance boxes, some of them won’t.

And hey, of you really have had enough, stop playing. If you aren’t having fun in a game, what’s the point?

Subscription models allow you to unlock all the content, you realize how rare these skins are? You can’t even fill your PvP locker up… it’s ridiculous and weather he needs them or not, if you are a collector, you should be able to get them, especially if you are a good supporter(money invested), and you shouldn’t have to pay $500 to get enough ticket skins. This is poor practices on the games behalf and why subscription models are better than free models for dedicated gamers. Without dedicated gamers, Guild Wars 2 would keel over because it wouldn’t make any money, we should be the last people being screwed over. I’d rather pay $15 and get what I should be entitled to, rather then being expected to pay $500 a month due to all the people that don’t put any money into the game.

Sadly, bottom line, cash shops are like a pyramid scheme, certain types of players get screwed over pretty badly, just so they can label their game “free and awesome”.

Firstly, you dont know what a pyramid (multi-level marketing) scheme actually is.

Second, when you PAY $15 a month then you are entitled to things, when its free then you should never expect to get more than the $60 game you initially paid for.

Third, if subscription models actually worked anymore then you would see them still in new games, the fact that they are DEAD outside WoW says a lot about what the vast majority of players think of them.

You are wrong, subscription models work just fine. EVE Online is still kicking and growing, for example.

The real reason MMO’s are using “free to play” models is that the micro transactions actually make them more money, not that the subscription model do not work. Its not directly intuitive why, but once you read up a bit on psychology, the human behavior that enables it makes sense. Plus they can market it as “free”, and that is an easier sell then “only XX euro per month”.

Same reason they keep putting these skins behind gambling pay walls. I bet they get pretty good money from it, otherwise why do it?

But the sad part is not that they make you pay for certain items, but make you gamble for it. I would be totally fine with it if they sold the skin tickets directly in the gem store, but still kept the RNG for the boxes that drop off of mobs.

Stark.1350:

Ozymandias.5704:

displacedTitan.6897:

Osi.3504:

Lil Green Dragn.8049:

I’d be more inclined to agree with you if you “needed” the jade weapons, but you don’t. It’s just a skin, and every few months, there’s a new batch of em. I get it, you think some of the skins are pretty, and it’d just be dandy if you could get one or two for some characters, but we simply just do not need these items.

Yes, I know it’s really, really frustrating and annoying to literally flush hard earned money away. But, all I can say is just don’t do it then. If you want to support ANet, bye items which you are sure to get. And if you don’t like their practices with chance boxes, then don’t bye them.

There will be more skins. Some of them you’ll like, some of them you won’t. Some of them will be in chance boxes, some of them won’t.

And hey, of you really have had enough, stop playing. If you aren’t having fun in a game, what’s the point?

Subscription models allow you to unlock all the content, you realize how rare these skins are? You can’t even fill your PvP locker up… it’s ridiculous and weather he needs them or not, if you are a collector, you should be able to get them, especially if you are a good supporter(money invested), and you shouldn’t have to pay $500 to get enough ticket skins. This is poor practices on the games behalf and why subscription models are better than free models for dedicated gamers. Without dedicated gamers, Guild Wars 2 would keel over because it wouldn’t make any money, we should be the last people being screwed over. I’d rather pay $15 and get what I should be entitled to, rather then being expected to pay $500 a month due to all the people that don’t put any money into the game.

Sadly, bottom line, cash shops are like a pyramid scheme, certain types of players get screwed over pretty badly, just so they can label their game “free and awesome”.

Firstly, you dont know what a pyramid (multi-level marketing) scheme actually is.

Second, when you PAY $15 a month then you are entitled to things, when its free then you should never expect to get more than the $60 game you initially paid for.

Third, if subscription models actually worked anymore then you would see them still in new games, the fact that they are DEAD outside WoW says a lot about what the vast majority of players think of them.

You are wrong, subscription models work just fine. EVE Online is still kicking and growing, for example.

The real reason MMO’s are using “free to play” models is that the micro transactions actually make them more money, not that the subscription model do not work. Its not directly intuitive why, but once you read up a bit on psychology, the human behavior that enables it makes sense. Plus they can market it as “free”, and that is an easier sell then “only XX euro per month”.

Same reason they keep putting these skins behind gambling pay walls. I bet they get pretty good money from it, otherwise why do it?

But the sad part is not that they make you pay for certain items, but make you gamble for it. I would be totally fine with it if they sold the skin tickets directly in the gem store, but still kept the RNG for the boxes that drop off of mobs.

Many, many people in EVE online pay their subscription fees with in game money.

They pay with PLEX. PLEX can only ever be gotten with RL money. In essence they pay others with ingame currency to pay for their game time with RL money. Same as a subscription really, but others pay for it and you work for it by grinding isk to pay them.

I personally only spend money at the gem store on items I’m guarenteed to get. I don’t even entertain the idea that I’m gonna get anything from these events unless it’s an achievment reward (going for my free shattered wings).

I do think the above posters have a point though. The drop rate should be higher and if not, the whole “you need to buy RNG boxes to take the gamble” needs to be rexamined. The problem with Dragon Bash is that there’s too much “gambling” involved in this event. The Moa race gold sink gambling and this whole purchasable RNG box thing. You may say, “Who cares? Just don’t gamble! Don’t take part!” The big problem with gambling (as many gambling addicts know) is that the lure / trap of gambling can be very destructive and addictive. It is almost impossible for some people to resist and if sanctioned and encouraged by Anet it can result in some really upset, financially wounded customers.

If you have an object for sale, the consumer will gauge the price, weigh the time/effort/financal expense in accruing the item, then make a choice to get it or not. if they do spend the money they feel satisfied becayse they got what they paid for, and there are usually no surprises. With gambling it’s completely different.

The gambling cycle goes something like this. The consumer believes they have a chance of “winning”, that is spending a little and getting a lot. In reality the odds are stacked against them, but the BELIEF that you could win big (or in this case get the weapon skin) is tantalizing. So you invest, and start buying boxes or betting. At a certain point, if the consumer starts to lose, they become obsessed with the idea that only a few more bets will make it all worth it. They hate the idea of all the previous lost bets or boxes purchased being a waste of money, so they actually wind up spending MORE money. This is where it starts to really get out of control. The more you lose the more you bet. If you win, you keep betting, high on winning. If you lose, you keep betting. It’s a psychological trap. And it’s very, very dangerous. I know families in RL that were torn apart by gambling. One parent got hooked on gambling and secretly spent all their money, always thinking he could win it all back and make it worth it.

In terms of GW2, you can clearly see this psychological trap in play (albeit on a smaller scale). The posters on this thread got stuck in it. I saw someone on the forums openned thousends of boxes and spent almost $100 in a day. 0 tickets. Another lost 45g on Moa racing. That’s the gambling cycle demon in action. And I think Anet should be very careful about releasing that demon on their players.

Sure, you can argue (as casinos do) that the responsibility rests with the client, not the house. But the house is responsible for setting up the trap. And Anet should really reconsider this method for future events.

As the saying goes “the house always wins”.

GW2 is becoming more like the standard MMO with grind and RNG. The only appeal GW2 has anymore is the non subscription pay-2-play model and the somewhat monthly themed content that is riddled with RNG.

New Agers defending Anet with their weak platitudes against the Victims supporting the game through purchases at the gem store based on the inference of a better chance for something like a a weapon skin need to pull there heads out of their collective dark place. The inference is clearly made that the drop rate is more reasonable for getting a ticket in the Rich Coffers. Players should not have to research odds on getting a ticket. They should have a a very good chance if they support the game. The chance getting a ticket should be significantly lower for those prideful of leeching off the community. What is the “skin” off Anet’s back if a player has a really good drop rate for the purchased coffers over farmed coffers? A common practice is to give out a ticket for X number of chances bought. Why not? Market research shows rewarding loyalty is more profitable than scamming people. One can only surmise that the Anet business model is changing as sales of the game fall off. By frustrating people, they stop playing, this reduces server load, allowing consolidation and a migration to a high turnover based model. The only answer on the Victim’s is to stop buying the Rich Coffers and other boxes of chance or keys until Anet ceases their highly questionable less than honorable business practices within the game. I reiterate my question: What’s the “skin” off Anet’s back for supporting those players that support them?

Groonz.7825:

GW2 is becoming more like the standard MMO with grind and RNG. The only appeal GW2 has anymore is the non subscription pay-2-play model and the somewhat monthly themed content that is riddled with RNG.

Credit where credit is due, I enjoy WvW, and I enjoy leveling new characters. The easy going casual environment is nice, and I am able to get the stat items I need. Ascended items are a bit of a grind to get, and I hope they tone that down.

That said, putting all new weapon skins behind RNG is cheesy and I dislike it. The new backpieces, and other achievement items are nice, and I appreciate begin able to get them. South sun was good fun, for example, and F&F was also nice.

It is no all bad, in fact ANet is doing a lot of good as well, but it is sad to see such great looking weapon behind gambling paywalls, and i think of that as exploiting otherwise loyal customers.

Eridani.8317:

ninetales.5208:

Cheer up, you’re playing an mmo for free.

£10 a month is nothing. I would rather pay that than have this gem store infecting every aspect of the game.

This is the part that people don’t understand. The game makes so many compromises to have a gem store in place of a monthly fee. A lot of people who use the store would be much better off with a monthly fee. People who don’t use the store settle for less than what a subscription MMO would offer.

Shiren.9532:

This is the part that people don’t understand. The game makes so many compromises to have a gem store in place of a monthly fee. A lot of people who use the store would be much better off with a monthly fee. People who don’t use the store settle for less than what a subscription MMO would offer.

In many cases (mine as well) it is a matter of principle though.
The fact that I don’t NEED to pay in order to play. I can CHOOSE to pay for stuff, but if I chose not to, I can still play the game, whilst with a P2P game I cannot.

Just don’t buy the gem store boxes and just get the normal dragon coffers whatever way suites you. Ofc rng is a kitten but you should get a cool weapon for about the same gold price as other cooler weapons in the game.

lordkrall.7241:

Shiren.9532:

This is the part that people don’t understand. The game makes so many compromises to have a gem store in place of a monthly fee. A lot of people who use the store would be much better off with a monthly fee. People who don’t use the store settle for less than what a subscription MMO would offer.

In many cases (mine as well) it is a matter of principle though.
The fact that I don’t NEED to pay in order to play. I can CHOOSE to pay for stuff, but if I chose not to, I can still play the game, whilst with a P2P game I cannot.

Sadly that also means some content is gated behind cash-shop bars. Even if it’s just optional skins, content is content. What’s even worse is that you can’t just say “Heck, I’ll spend some money, support ANet and get that content”, because the content is also gated behind HUUUUUUUGE RNG bars. That’s the absolutely worst thing.

RoterFuchs.9216:

Sadly that also means some content is gated behind cash-shop bars. Even if it’s just optional skins, content is content. What’s even worse is that you can’t just say “Heck, I’ll spend some money, support ANet and get that content”, because the content is also gated behind HUUUUUUUGE RNG bars. That’s the absolutely worst thing.

Hmm?
I have yet to see a single piece of content in this game that required you to use the gem-store (and no, skins are not content).

lordkrall.7241:

RoterFuchs.9216:

Sadly that also means some content is gated behind cash-shop bars. Even if it’s just optional skins, content is content. What’s even worse is that you can’t just say “Heck, I’ll spend some money, support ANet and get that content”, because the content is also gated behind HUUUUUUUGE RNG bars. That’s the absolutely worst thing.

Hmm?
I have yet to see a single piece of content in this game that required you to use the gem-store (and no, skins are not content).

Read again.
By the way: you cannot just declare skins as not being content. What else should they be? Random amounts of data that accidentally found their way into the game?
Skins are content. Skins are important to a lot of people. Otherwise we would not have all these drop-rate-nerf and skins-locked-in-rng-chests threads complaining.

If skins are not content, what reason is there to play once you hit 80?

panzer.6034:

If skins are not content, what reason is there to play once you hit 80?

Because you enjoy the game, and sometimes just want to mindless kill some world bosses/do some dungeons/play some wvw or pvp? Sorry, just a little grumpy how every time there is a new event and I check the forums there are many threads of people complaining because they spent their money on a lotto ticket and didn’t win.

But to try to be unbiased, Anet is a business and they need to make money somehow. Instead of doing a sub fee (which if they did, personally I’d drop out in a heart beat) they have the gem shop where they avoided the “buy-to-win” that a lot of F2P MMOs have and allowed people who spent the time with heavy grinding to still be able to buy the gem shop items.

I’m sure from their perspective they want to make a good deal of money. If they sold the skins in the store directly there’s three things that could happen.

One, they sell them too cheap and don’t make as much money as they could have via the rnd boxes, but the players are all very happy.
Two, they sell them for an incredibly high amount of money and you need to decide if you want to spend $50-$100 to directly buy a skin or take your chances on the rnd boxes. Here I’m sure the players would cry foul saying that anet just wants to bleed our wallets.
Three, they do what they do now. Technically they did throw us a bone and have the mobs drop the normal chests giving anyone a chance to get them for free. You can buy the better boxes for an increased chance (1% is still better than 0.5%, just pulling numbers out there) or you can play the game and try your luck that way.

For my bias, sure I’ve love to have some of those skins, but no where did they say that you are guaranteed to get one after X chests. Personally, if people want to gamble that’s fine, it’s their choice. They can even complain that they didn’t get anything. But just think before you spend money on something. While yes, this is just cashing in on people’s gambling itch, and yeah, I’ve love some sort of long quest chain that gives me 1 ticket, sadly that isn’t here.

While it does suck that the skins are behind a rnd number, thankfully none of these are needed to play the game, and heck from all of the past events. I rarely see any gs chainsaws running around (and none of any other weapon). I don’t see anyone using any Christmas skins either. These are just the next “hot item” which in two to three months the majority of people will have moved on to the next new rnd box skins.

You guys do all realise those rich dragon coffers exist as an option to donate to NCsoft, right? The contents are just a inconsequential “thank-you” style junk reward.
If you’re buying them primarily intending to actually get skins you are an idiot, lets face it.

I am happy sitting here, reading this stuff and weighing things in, but I have to say I just can’t agree to saying “skins are not content”. This is a game. its meant for enjoyment, so its contents are meant to give enjoyment. I like dressing up my toons nicely, creating themes and unique looks etc, that is part of my enjoyment of this game, and thus skin is content. As long as there are people that enjoy a certain aspect of the game, it is content.

On final note: I dislike RNG. will always say this even if i get rng lucky. also, SAB model for getting skins is best!