Guild Wars 2

Why does the Infinite Watchknight Tonic have a 30 minute cooldown?
I worked the whole day for it and would like to show it off more often than just 5 minutes every 30 minutes (25 minutes downtime)

I’ll play devil’s advocate for you. In GW1, Anet designed costumes that were designed in parts (head, chest, gloves, etc.) much like in GW2. However, in GW1, Anet gave you the option of displaying your costume in outposts only, combat areas, or both. What probably ended up happening is that some, if not many, players ended up running around in costume only most of the time. That’s what I saw when I played at least. That’s certainly not to say everyone did but a decent number.

Now, based on design choices like the 30 minute cooldown, instead of saying that costumes are an “all the time” thing, they are a “sometimes” thing. This might serve a few purposes. It limits the screen time for a potential glut of Halloween ghosts beating up Ettins or Watchknight battalions roving through Orr in a game meant to portray the story of the 5 races. It also instills a sense of fun vs business, you get in costume in social settings but don your armor when a Centaur starts bearing down on you. Keep in mind though, this is the first (?) battle costume they created thus far so maybe they are trying to find a middle ground between players asking for permanent costumes and those who think that idea is ridiculous.

This tonic is amazing and when it wore off in only 5 mins I was incredibly unhappy. I mean really there is no real point to a full half hour cooldown, make it 10 mins or something anet.

It’s the ONE thing you get from this weeks living story, the events are bland, there is almost no content…. and then once you manage to get the one thing there is to be had… it has a 30 minute cooldown timer…. that’s super fun. Not.

Oh my god yes, they need to change this! It is horrible having to wait half an hour just to use a tonic again. I would rather have it not be combat and be able to use it whenever I want than this abomination. At least make it always useable in towns for god’s sake.

Wait wait wait wait wait. You can FIGHT in this new tonic’s form? Not costume brawl, but actual fight? Unique skills as well, or your own weapon skill sets?

Smooth Penguin.5294:

Wait wait wait wait wait. You can FIGHT in this new tonic’s form? Not costume brawl, but actual fight? Unique skills as well, or your own weapon skill sets?

While I did not test in it actual combat yet (due to the whole 30 minute thing) you do keep your skills and weapon equipped. So for example, when transformed I could use all my Guardian’s great sword skills and shouts with no issues.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

Wait wait wait wait wait. You can FIGHT in this new tonic’s form? Not costume brawl, but actual fight? Unique skills as well, or your own weapon skill sets?

Yes, for 5 min. Then you gotta wait 25 min. to use it agian. Your own skills.

Yeah, I was really disappointed when I found out about the tonic cooldown. It’s just completely unnecessary & decidedly un-fun. I get that they might not want players to run around in tonics all the time, but we’re talking about a game that lets you join the circus and potentially run around with a big purple afro while killing things with a candy cane hammer, all the while dyed like a rainbow.

Simply put, I do not want to see cooldowns on this or any future tonics. We don’t have any on all of the others, why start now?

This needs more publicity. It almost feels like we’re being punished for our achievement. I mean, it’s like a tease… who designs something like that? You can be a bloody pig for an infinite ammt of time, but after spending how many hours on these mandatory invasions, you get 5 minutes? With a 30m CD? Extremely disappointing.

I don’t understand why there’s a time limit on it. When I use an ever-lasting tonic I want it to last until I zone to the next area without cooldown.

Even worse, it doesn’t work in WvW at all

If the tonic is supposed to last for 30 minutes, it should last for 30 minutes. I can live with a cooldown (I… guess…?) but it should not come into effect automatically when you leave a zone.

When I first tried this it was very cool and exciting. Combat while transformed! Then 5 min later I changed back.

I think ANET’s advertisement of “Once you complete the Clockwork Chaos meta achievement, you’ll receive a tonic that allows you to transform into a Watchknight at any time.” is misleading. They should say it is for 5 min and then has a 25 min cool down. That is not ANY time.

The cool down to me is ok, it is the 5 min limit that I do not like. I want it to work as long as I am in an area. If I port somewhere else – fine give me a cool down.

I agree with the points raised above. The tonic needs a longer duration – endless whilst staying in the area/cooldown upon zoning out seems like a more than reasonable fix to be honest.

As it is with five minutes duration/25 minute cool downs, it’s basically useless and forgettable.

30min cool down? What the hell?

I was super excited when I saw the combat transformation text, figuring it would be exactly what it turned out to be. But if I can’t use it for a majority of the time I guess I just wasted ~10 hours of my life farming for this tonic.

I’m seriously disappointed.

Well it would still be hilarious to see a 5 minute watchknight assault in WvW. Good luck figuring out which character is which class at a glance.

It’s because they don’t want you to run in this tonic all the time. The fact that you can fight in it for 5 minutes is a tremendous bonus and is enough of a benefit to offset the cooldown timer.

After this event is over people won’t even bother complaining about this minor issue.

EFWinters.5421:

30min cool down? What the hell?

I was super excited when I saw the combat transformation text, figuring it would be exactly what it turned out to be. But if I can’t use it for a majority of the time I guess I just wasted ~10 hours of my life farming for this tonic.

I’m seriously disappointed.

The release hasn’t been out for two days. It’s your fault for hardcore farming to get the tonic.

Vol.5241:

It’s because they don’t want you to run in this tonic all the time. The fact that you can fight in it for 5 minutes is a tremendous bonus and is enough of a benefit to offset the cooldown timer.

After this event is over people won’t even bother complaining about this minor issue.

After this event is people won’t even bother using the tonic. It will end up being forgotten about, I can guarantee it.

pardon my ignorance but aren’t most tonics 15 minute duration? I’ve not used an ‘Endless’ Tonic in GW2 but it was my impression that when ANet says ‘Endless’ they are referring not to effect duration but to the fact that the ‘consumable’ can be reused endlessly.

Now I sympathize with upset over 5 min duration and 30 min cooldown, but …. To ask for a Transformation to last till you map change shakes head.

I too was shocked by the downtime of this tonic. I was very excited about getting this tonic, but frankly at this point it just gets chalked up to useless junk that takes up space. I have a hard time even giving it a slot in my item inventory to carry around with this kind of downtime.

ANET – Great concept, nice execution in getting it and the effect, a giant FAIL on the amount of downtime

I’m holding out that this will be found as a “bug” and the duration and cooldown were accidently switched.

Wow, it’s incredibly stupid, reminds me of WoW back when people first found out about archeology’s disguises, 20 seconds for 30 minute cooldown..

If there’s one thing you shouldn’t copy from WoW, it’s the stupid and unnecessary cooldown on vanity items, I was looking forward this disguise, since it’s the first combat-available disguise, but now I’m disappointed before I even got it.

Wings.5140:

Vol.5241:

It’s because they don’t want you to run in this tonic all the time. The fact that you can fight in it for 5 minutes is a tremendous bonus and is enough of a benefit to offset the cooldown timer.

After this event is over people won’t even bother complaining about this minor issue.

After this event is people won’t even bother using the tonic. It will end up being forgotten about, I can guarantee it.

Heck, I barely see people in the three Wintersday tonics..

Vol.5241:

It’s because they don’t want you to run in this tonic all the time. The fact that you can fight in it for 5 minutes is a tremendous bonus and is enough of a benefit to offset the cooldown timer.

After this event is over people won’t even bother complaining about this minor issue.

How, exactly, is that a benefit? Does it make my character stronger? Do I get more loot? Not at all, no benefit whatsoever.

KitaYumi.7048:

Vol.5241:

It’s because they don’t want you to run in this tonic all the time. The fact that you can fight in it for 5 minutes is a tremendous bonus and is enough of a benefit to offset the cooldown timer.

After this event is over people won’t even bother complaining about this minor issue.

How, exactly, is that a benefit? Does it make my character stronger? Do I get more loot? Not at all, no benefit whatsoever.

It allows you to transform completely and fight in it for 5 minutes? Isn’t that benefit enough? That you can transform and be unique?

It would be if we could do that when we want to. As it is, we can not, since we need to wait on a ridiculously long cooldown for a measly five minutes of “uniqueness”.
Really, what is the problem with being able to use it for as long as you like? Does it break the game in any way?

KitaYumi.7048:

It would be if we could do that when we want to. As it is, we can not, since we need to wait on a ridiculously long cooldown for a measly five minutes of “uniqueness”.
Really, what is the problem with being able to use it for as long as you like? Does it break the game in any way?

You mean wait 30 minutes to look like what 95% of the GW2 population look like in a couple of days? The unique horror!

KitaYumi.7048:

It would be if we could do that when we want to. As it is, we can not, since we need to wait on a ridiculously long cooldown for a measly five minutes of “uniqueness”.
Really, what is the problem with being able to use it for as long as you like? Does it break the game in any way?

Then you end up with the whole population wearing nothing but the watchknight skin. There’s nothing appealing looking at people wearing the same thing.

I been waiting for tonics like the ones we had back in gw1, I spend lots of ectos to buy the Margonite tonic and also had my Vekk tonic! It was really fun to play in dungeons with those tonics or just run around towns with it, if im not wrong it last fo 40 minutes and had no cooldown time.
Now this is GW2 and things are diferent… so please some Dev just get in here and let me know if this tonic is working as intended and only last for 5 miunes so i can destroy it.

Vol.5241:

KitaYumi.7048:

It would be if we could do that when we want to. As it is, we can not, since we need to wait on a ridiculously long cooldown for a measly five minutes of “uniqueness”.
Really, what is the problem with being able to use it for as long as you like? Does it break the game in any way?

Then you end up with the whole population wearing nothing but the watchknight skin. There’s nothing appealing looking at people wearing the same thing.

What’s wrong with having a toggle instead of a timer of 5 minutes? I think it would be awesome if a large guild could all coordinate and do one of the big guild events all in costume for the duration of their events. I know if a combat-friendly quaggan tonic came out, the vast majority of my guild would want to coordinate a quaggan-themed event, for instance. Someone else also mentioned a WvW watchknight rampage. That’d be cool, too. If ArenaNet releases more tonics then not everyone will choose to wear the watchknight skin later on, either.

I approve this unhappyness .

I hope teh tonic duration will be reviewed soon.

A trasformation with 30 mins CD , not usable in WvW , and the disappointing duration of only few minutes.

Ascalonian mage trasformation does not suffer all that problems.
-Ascalonian mage tonic : no CD , usable in WvW , duration 30 minutes (as consumable) and can be recasted immediatly after his effect dissapears.

Watchwork INFINITE tonic , is a reward for an event….it should be AT LEAST the same as the ascalonian mage tonic .

Oh please Arena Net , give us tonics lovers what we would like …. .
It’s only a tonic that does not even modify the character statistics,no reason for a so long CD…or for a CD at all !

i am very disappointed in Anet for making a tonic like that i thought the tonic was great but really a 30 min cool down with only 5 min use WTF? if it was a 20 min use with 30 min cool down i could see it happening but 5 mins is ridiculous i really hope i see a change to this tonic cause i worked hard to get it and now it seems pointless to use

also :
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/august-20-2013/

" Infinite Watchknight Tonic
Once you complete the Clockwork Chaos meta achievement, you’ll receive a tonic that allows you to transform into a Watchknight at any time. " .

Loled.

They forgot to mention " Anytime means : duration of the tonic is 5 minutes , and CD is 30 minutes".

When I first obtained the item, it seemed like a really cool reward for completing the meta achievement. However, that impression faded out really fast after realizing the illusion lasts for 5 minutes and can only be used every 30 minutes… Which turns a potentially cool reward in to a useless gimmick item that will more likely end up occupying a bank slot than one of my inventory slots.

Adding such a lenghty cooldown alongside with an incredibly short duration to a purely cosmetic fluff reward seems like a poor design choice and the only message it gets across is “no fun allowed”.

I agree the description is misleading and it’s a bummer about the cooldown. Was looking forward to a break from “looking at the same old thing”, there is just nothing appealing about that.

I was extremely disappointed with this “infinite” tonic. I have several of them that I’ve worked to get (I like to collect tonics), and after working a lot ot get this one, I was really disappointed when it only lasted 5 minutes, and then it had a 25 minute CD! For the only major reward for the LS, besides just endlessly farming champions in a ‘spam 1’ type of event, it’s really quite the let down.

While I appreciate being able to fight with it on. I’d appreciate a lot more if there wasn’t a 30 minute cooldown with a 5 minute duration on the tonic. Soooo if you could just fix that, that’d be great.

Yes please, just remove the cool-down altogether…it’s so lame…only 5 minutes of use time and 30 mins cool-down? I really like the tonic it’s one of the best rewards in my opinion from completing an achievement set but please just remove the cool-down.

For the people saying everyone is gonna use the watch knight skin constantly, nope…that’s not gonna happen, maybe at first but over time people won’t be doing it. If you noticed anything about previous events, everyone wanted that super adventure box greatsword, now look around, barely anyone has it. But I for one dislike the 5 minute duration time -_- it’s so useless, just please change it to last longer and take the cooldown off or something.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/livingworld/speech/Watchknight-Tonic-Is-Getting-Fixed/first#post2681378

They are aware and fixing it, then we can be fembots forever woo.

I’m incredibly skeptical about that post, I’m hopeful that it is true, however, it is quite possible they misunderstood what question that user had asked in their support ticket. The answer has a high chance to be in reference to the watchwork knight mini which has been confirmed for a fix soon.

That said, I really adore the idea of the combat tonic. I would prefer them to be usable on command (10 minute duration, 10 minute CD – so dying would see it go to waste, otherwise it’d be permanent), especially for the infinite variations. I hope they continue to offer interesting in combat rewards in the same vein.

One issue I have with the current iteration, though, is that changing maps removes the transformation. The CD should be lowered significantly (5 minute CD/5 minute duration) if that behavior is maintained.

^
He told me he wanted a screenshot of the tonic, the 30 minute countdown, and the message saying you cant use it right now. What he did not tell me is what the fix is going to be but that is probly because employees cant do that because if something different was made from what he would/could have told me he could get introuble.

Hope the fixing will include WvW-usability. As Nirvana said, it should at least be as useful as asaclonian mage tonic

Really sad about that too, it would be cool to use it in WvW too but it dosn’t work at all.

The star that burns twice as bright burns for half as long.

Or 1/6th as long in this case

If they are worried people will just stay in the Watchknight form the entire time, it would be better to make it 10 minutes in the tonic with a 5 minute cooldown. For the people who actually want to play around in the tonic (like myself), this gives us plenty of time. For those who are always wearing the tonic, hopefully the 5 minute cooldown will put them off having to constantly select it. I honestly feel like 5 minutes with a 25 minute cooldown is ridiculous – I can barely even use it. I’d rather not be able to fight in the tonic form if it meant I could play as a Watchknight for longer.

Slushey.8236:

If they are worried people will just stay in the Watchknight form the entire time…

This was EXACTLY what I wanted to do! Before I saw the cooldown and duration, I was about to make a new toon that I’d level all the way as a Clockwork. THAT would be cool. But with the 5 min. duration then a 25 minute wait… pfah.

Vol.5241:

KitaYumi.7048:

Vol.5241:

It’s because they don’t want you to run in this tonic all the time. The fact that you can fight in it for 5 minutes is a tremendous bonus and is enough of a benefit to offset the cooldown timer.

After this event is over people won’t even bother complaining about this minor issue.

How, exactly, is that a benefit? Does it make my character stronger? Do I get more loot? Not at all, no benefit whatsoever.

It allows you to transform completely and fight in it for 5 minutes? Isn’t that benefit enough? That you can transform and be unique?

No.

I want to use it to RP an Asura’s mechanical bodyguard! This won’t do.