Guild Wars 2

I was reading the patch notes and getting quite excited, then i read this “A two-week Captain’s Airship Pass can now be purchased in the Services category for 150 gems. // Permanent Captain’s Airship Pass in the Services category for 1000 gems”

From my understanding, they’re offering LA’s utilities for real money, and this makes me very concerned.

Can someone shed some light on this?

It’s the same thing with the Royal Terrace. Just an airship this time. It’s still all available at Vigil Keep for free.

They will still be accessible from Vigil’s Keep as far as i’m aware, they will just be more spread out and more laggy. The airship just puts everything closer together and makes it a smaller instance so you can load faster and get things done faster.

My reading of the patch notes says that crafting will be available in this airship — but not at the vigil keep.

They’re not even making an effort to be sneaky or subtle about it anymore.

No.
They are offering something like the Royal Terrace in DR over the Vigils Keep.

The other things will be available for free at the Keep.

From the description it is simply another version of the Royal Terrace. Purely a convenience area.

This is equivalent to the Royal Terace in Divinity’s reach. Its just a convenient place where everything is closer together. The services of LA are going to be moved to Vigil’s Keep.

Lord Kuru.3685:

They’re not even making an effort to be sneaky or subtle about it anymore.

you have no idea what you’re talking about. this is the same as the royal pass which has been in the game for a while, just with a different name.

I mean like, alternatively you could just go to the Grove or Rata Sum where there are hardly any people to make the maps laggy and all the services are close together. But if you want to waste your money then go ahead xD.

okay then, i just hope they’re not so far apart that i have to WP to transport between npcs.

The new airship pass looks exactly like the royal pass as others mentioned. You can get most services by going to Rata Sum and the others are only a wp away.

Go to Ebonhawke. Crafting is all right next to each other and free. Better than any other city.

Bad move to have to pay for pass or go to another city. Make it inconvenient to buy convenience. I sure didn’t see craft in vigils keep….

I guess I see it as important to have 1 hub in an mmo. If spread out, will appear dead.

I really don’t like the idea of making the central hub city’s services available only via the gemstore. I know they are elsewhere in the game, but LA is the main/central city.

Removing a convenience for the purpose of selling selling it in another form is something I expect from a free mobile game, not a game with a retail box price.

Next: Evon Gnashblade says that WPs are behaving erratically because of Scarlet’s tampering with Tyria’s magic. Everyone must take a WP safety course before resuming use of WPs. Safety course price: 1000 gems.

White knights response: “But you don’t have to use WPs. You can always walk wherever you need to.”

Lord Kuru.3685:

Next: Evon Gnashblade says that WPs are behaving erratically because of Scarlet’s tampering with Tyria’s magic. Everyone must take a WP safety course before resuming use of WPs. Safety course price: 1000 gems.

White knights response: “But you don’t have to use WPs. You can always walk wherever you need to.”

It’s better if you do walk, you can scoop up craft materials along the way, especially in some areas which yield useful plants from sickle harvests.

But of course, you’re not meaning someone to take the post seriously anyway so I don’t know why I bothered

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

Some of those services are just unavailable till you cough up gems for a pass. I didn’t need a pass to craft at the central hub an hour ago.

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

Where are the crafting stations? No crafting stations at the Keep that I have seen. Oh right, I have to buy a ticket to the airship to use them. Money grubbing at it’s worst. Put the crafting stations in the keep where they belong.

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

So where’s the crafting?

no crafting stations or even the laurel vender in the keep

ZudetGambeous.9573:

They will still be accessible from Vigil’s Keep as far as i’m aware, they will just be more spread out and more laggy.

Of course god forbid they put it in one area and easy to use for ppl who don’t want to spend the gems.

If you enter WvW, your main server BL has a TP, Merchants, Laurel Merchant, and even Crafting Stations. It’s convenient to get there and free to travel.

and a pain to get back to where you were

Sligh.2789:

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

Where are the crafting stations? No crafting stations at the Keep that I have seen. Oh right, I have to buy a ticket to the airship to use them. Money grubbing at it’s worst. Put the crafting stations in the keep where they belong.

Uh. There are ~free~ crafting stations in every city and even Ebonhawke. [edit: and WvW as others have mentioned.]

Ranger Hussy.9523:

and a pain to get back to where you were

But there is an exit button now in the WvW menu which takes you back to where you were located when you entered WvW. Easy peasy (unless your BL is full).

Ranger Hussy.9523:

and a pain to get back to where you were

WvW is much easier than towns to return from — so long as you don’t have to deal with a queue, that’s faster and easier. If you go to the character select screen, and choose the same character you were using, you’ll be wherever you were before you went to WvW.

You don’t need to use the LA portal & etc — just logging in again. I sometimes use this, though the royal pass is more convenient since things are closer. (And I care more about time than cost in silver.)

If the crafting stations aren’t in the vigil keep … well, they’re easy to find elsewhere, but that would be kind of lame.

WingedVictory.9013:

Sligh.2789:

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

Where are the crafting stations? No crafting stations at the Keep that I have seen. Oh right, I have to buy a ticket to the airship to use them. Money grubbing at it’s worst. Put the crafting stations in the keep where they belong.

Uh. There are ~free~ crafting stations in every city and even Ebonhawke. [edit: and WvW as others have mentioned.]

there also isn’t mystic forges in each town and the idea of them using gems so that we get it all in one place is a non selling point for my support, which isn’t much i guess in the grand scheme of things, just a few hundred dollars worth a gem sales a year

People do realize there are other cities in the game that have crafting stations and laurel vendors right?

LiveSpartan.8206:

People do realize there are other cities in the game that have crafting stations and laurel vendors right?

lol I do and I actually prefer my home city >.> I guess people want to complain about something they don’t have to buy.

LiveSpartan.8206:

People do realize there are other cities in the game that have crafting stations and laurel vendors right?

the other cites do have but not all cities had all the amenities la had which anet said they moved to the keep which i guess they did but now want to charge gems for us to use.

I’d also like to note that there are no more class trainers for LA without the pass. You either buy the pass or go to another city. Some may argue this is fine, but locking LA resources behind a pay pass is a problem regardless of other locations. LA has been, and will remain, a large hub for players. If the aim was to spread players out, remove the items altogether…don’t lock them behind a paywall.

I really enjoy this patch, but this decision leaves a sour taste in my mouth as Anet continues to go down a path of nickle and dime transactions for full access.

It’s only full access if they put access to something behind a pay wall.

Just like with the Royal Terrace, there is NOTHING there that you cannot find elsewhere in the world. It’s a lot less convenient now, but that’s the extent of it.

Lord Kuru.3685:

Next: Evon Gnashblade says that WPs are behaving erratically because of Scarlet’s tampering with Tyria’s magic. Everyone must take a WP safety course before resuming use of WPs. Safety course price: 1000 gems.

White knights response: “But you don’t have to use WPs. You can always walk wherever you need to.”

My Response : You get what you deserve, not what you need.

Convenient in the sense that all things i need are all in one location… What i don’t like is when you exit the airship you will exit not to your previous location but in gendarran fields…. Hope there’s an option when going to exit the airship whether exit from previous location or exit in gendarran fields to be more convenient.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

If you enter WvW, your main server BL has a TP, Merchants, Laurel Merchant, and even Crafting Stations. It’s convenient to get there and free to travel.

Ranger Hussy.9523:

and a pain to get back to where you were

Actually, all you have to do is open the WvW dialog (default key “B”) and select “Leave the Mists” in the lower right-hand corner.

You will be returned to the precise place in the PvE world where you were standing when you entered, which can be anywhere in Tyria that’s not in an instance.

Just saying.

Majic.4801:

Smooth Penguin.5294:

If you enter WvW, your main server BL has a TP, Merchants, Laurel Merchant, and even Crafting Stations. It’s convenient to get there and free to travel.

Ranger Hussy.9523:

and a pain to get back to where you were

Actually, all you have to do is open the WvW dialog (default key “B”) and select “Leave the Mists” in the lower right-hand corner.

You will be returned to the precise place in the PvE world where you were standing when you entered, which can be anywhere in Tyria that’s not in an instance.

Just saying.

Again, the fact you can go somewhere else is a moot point. That is the rationalization that this is OK. The issue is that they took features in LA and put them behind a payment requirement.

Edit: I just got one from random from the supplies bags, it is a 1 time pass currently. There is the possibility of getting one, but from over 100 bags…one drop.

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

Please add crafting stations and a laurel vendor to the Keep, and then your statement will be true.

Crafting and Laurel merchant go to DR (Divinity Reach). thats what i been doing at least

People! Our great city of Lion’s Arch is being destroyed by the forces of evil and all we can do is whine about being mildly inconvenienced in our crafting? What about the children?

Zalzan Kavol.9048:

People! Our great city of Lion’s Arch is being destroyed by the forces of evil and all we can do is whine about being mildly inconvenienced in our crafting? What about the children?

I hear they make tasty drawings.

cainejw.7142:

Again, the fact you can go somewhere else is a moot point. That is the rationalization that this is OK. The issue is that they took features in LA and put them behind a payment requirement.

This.

We’ve had these conveniences at no extra charge for the last year and a half, but now we have to pay extra for no good reason.

Also, I get the impression that Vigil Keep is just a temporary location for services, yet they are selling a permanent pass to the airship. Am I the only one thinking that LA will be rebuilt with either the crafting and other services missing, or spread out to be very inconvenient? Of course, the airship would be parked right over the Trader’s Forum for easy access for those willing to pay up.

And I’m fine with Anet trying to get money, but this is a really bad way of going about it. This release has been monetized enough without the passes. 3000 gems/$37.50 worth of finisher and armor sets, plus the 1300 gems/$16.25 in novelties put out last week.

cainejw.7142:

Again, the fact you can go somewhere else is a moot point. That is the rationalization that this is OK. The issue is that they took features in LA and put them behind a payment requirement.

Spot on, this is disgraceful. Why should I have to go elsewhere and have to spend significant time in loading screens when all services should be available in Vigils Keep.

cainejw.7142:

Again, the fact you can go somewhere else is a moot point. That is the rationalization that this is OK. The issue is that they took features in LA and put them behind a payment requirement.

Oh, I don’t disagree with you about that. I was just pointing out (admittedly with some redundance given the other replies) that it’s very easy to return from WvW and isn’t a pain at all.

There are many places to craft, but I agree nuking Lion’s Arch and not providing crafting stations in the new hub — while simultaneously floating a pay-to-enter airship overhead that offers them for a price — does seem rather shady.

Hopefully the refugees in the Vigil Keep will be able to set up some crafting stations there soon.

Maybe the Havoc’s Heir can drop some as a gesture of good will to the peons below.

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

Please provide a response as to why crafting stations are not at Vigils Keep.

Majic.4801:

Oh, I don’t disagree with you about that. I was just pointing out (admittedly with some redundance given the other replies) that it’s very easy to return from WvW and isn’t a pain at all.

Spending a minute per loading screen is a pain. Coupled with the fact that getting out of WvW is actually 2 screens, firstly to the mists then back to where you were in tyria.

morrolan.9608:

Spending a minute per loading screen is a pain. Coupled with the fact that getting out of WvW is actually 2 screens, firstly to the mists then back to where you were in tyria.

When you choose “Leave the Mists” from the WvW interface, you are returned directly to the map you left. That is the only loading screen involved when you leave.

As for the hassle of using the borderlands crafting stations versus Lion’s Arch, that’s debatable, of course, but entering WvW isn’t any more laborious than traveling to a waypoint — and costs nothing.

YMMV.

Mark Katzbach.9084:

We have not removed the central hub. All services have been moved to Vigil’s Keep, due to the attack on Lion’s Arch. You can find everything there.

Ok so tell me one thing. Where the hell are actually crafting stations in Vigil Keep ? Am I blind or what ?

It is just the dumbest thing that I have ever seen from any dev on this forum. Do you play this game after patch or just saying it because your firend from work say that ?

There are other cities that have the crafting tables and such…

Majic.4801:

As for the hassle of using the borderlands crafting stations versus Lion’s Arch, that’s debatable, of course, but entering WvW isn’t any more laborious than traveling to a waypoint — and costs nothing.

YMMV.

Like I said loading screens are a hassle, I sometimes get over a minute in a loading screen.