Guild Wars 2

The other day I was sorting out some odds and ends my main character carries around and I got thinking about the Hero’s Band.

This is the item you received for pre-ordering the game, a ring which adds +2 to all stats. It’s great for the first few levels but is obsolete pretty much as soon as you can get any 2 other rings. Which seems a shame to me. I don’t want to get rid of it but it just ends up sitting in a bag unused.

So I was thinking it would be nice to have a way to upgrade it to ascended stats so those who want to can keep using it. Maybe a Mystic Forge recipe.

Three important points:

• It should not be any more powerful than any existing ascended item. I’m not sure if there are ascended celestial rings but if so it should copy the stats from one of them.
• It should also be just as hard to acquire. Obviously players who pre-ordered have the ring already (if they haven’t destroyed it) but the other components to upgrade it could be things like T6 materials, skill points or laurels so it’s just as hard/expensive/time consuming as buying an ascended ring.
• These two together should mean that it doesn’t give pre-order players any advantage, it just means we can keep using the item.

I would suggest a multi-step process where it can be gradually upgraded, but since it was only available through pre-order and I assume most people who pre-ordered have level 80 characters now that would be a bit pointless. Although you do continue to get them on any new characters who are created. I suppose it depends on if Anet are willing and able to go through all the hassle of creating it and players would be willing to keep upgrading it instead of doing it all in one go.

What do you think?

I think it was a pretty useless item to get with the special edition. Like you said you can throw it out as soon as you get to the TP.

I no longer have it available without buying a new character slot. That’s not to say I won’t do so in the future. Because of that I would really like to be able to gradually upgrade the item. I would even go so far as to use all six tiers of mats, each tier upgrading it to a new level range.

Kal Spiro.9745:

I no longer have it available without buying a new character slot. That’s not to say I won’t do so in the future. Because of that I would really like to be able to gradually upgrade the item. I would even go so far as to use all six tiers of mats, each tier upgrading it to a new level range.

Actually I don’t know why I dismissed that idea, I still have 5 characters under level 80 so I could use this, rather than leaving the ring sitting in a bag until level 80.

It’d be nice if just like the HoM stone, there was an NPC to give you the ring once you’ve deleted it from a character – though i really approve of Kal’s suggestion. Make it upgradable as you progress through the game – maybe every 10 levels it can undergo an upgrade somehow through the mystic forge.

From there, at level 80, it could, like you said, use a similar recipe to become first exotic, then ascended, then infused later on. I really like the sound of this. +1 to the OP so this gets more recognition.

Kal Spiro.9745:

I no longer have it available without buying a new character slot. That’s not to say I won’t do so in the future. Because of that I would really like to be able to gradually upgrade the item. I would even go so far as to use all six tiers of mats, each tier upgrading it to a new level range.

+1’d that as well because I REALLY like that idea! Hope something like this eventually finds its way into the game. It’d be nice to see the ring retain its value and importance through the entire game =)

So you want anet to construct a large middle finger to everybody who preordered and has played the game enough to have their characters to 80 and tossed that useless little trinket?

Player Character.9467:

So you want anet to construct a large middle finger to everybody who preordered and has played the game enough to have their characters to 80 and tossed that useless little trinket?

As one of those people, I don’t see it that way.

Player Character.9467:

So you want anet to construct a large middle finger to everybody who preordered and has played the game enough to have their characters to 80 and tossed that useless little trinket?

Which could easily be fixed by introducing an NPC to give it back to them, like the HotM stones.

Or…since this isn’t a cosmetic item, they could just get an exotic/ascended item the normal way (I’m sure most already do).

I think it should be able to go into its own slot and just be extra stats for older players.

Player Character.9467:

So you want anet to construct a large middle finger to everybody who preordered and has played the game enough to have their characters to 80 and tossed that useless little trinket?

I’m also pretty sure that everything above digital deluxe gets the ring. So if you have a Collector’s Edition or the Digital Deluxe (which can be purchased with gems) you get the ring.

And as I mentioned we can have the same NPC or even a different one that offers it to you if you deleted it similar to how the NPC in LA gives you another Hall of Monument stone.

TehPwnerer.7215:

Player Character.9467:

So you want anet to construct a large middle finger to everybody who preordered and has played the game enough to have their characters to 80 and tossed that useless little trinket?

I’m also pretty sure that everything above digital deluxe gets the ring. So if you have a Collector’s Edition or the Digital Deluxe (which can be purchased with gems) you get the ring.

And as I mentioned we can have the same NPC or even a different one that offers it to you if you deleted it similar to how the NPC in LA gives you another Hall of Monument stone.

The Digital Deluxe edition doesn’t include the ring: https://buy.guildwars2.com/en-gb/

I’m not sure about the Collectors Edition. Because only a limited number were made and I’m pretty sure they were all intended to sell before or shortly after release they might all count as pre-purchase copies. It depends on if that’s determined by the codes being tied to particular account types or by when the code is registered. But you’d have to ask someone who bought one a while after release (aka not me) to know for sure.

It’s often mixed up with those items because a lot of people who pre-purchased got one of the special editions, and if I remember correctly if you get both then the ring is delivered in the same mail as the banker golem (and separate to the single-use items like the Chalice of Glory and mini Rytlock).

Which is why I was very clear in my original post that I didn’t want the ring to be any better or easier to get than existing ascended items. I didn’t want it to seem like I was asking for people who pre-purchased to get something extra. I’d just like the item we did get to be useable for more than a few levels.

Yeah that may be the case then.. I can’t remember. All I know is I pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition and I don’t remember getting the ring as a pre-order bonus, I thought it was something the special edition came with.

I agree with you though. It’d be nice to have it be useful rather than just being deleted at level 10. I would support the idea of it being just as hard to get as regular ones.

And definitely I support the idea of having it upgradable every 10 levels via the mystic forge.

I really like this idea. But I would also support making rings, accessories, etc. transmutable. It would be nice to at least be able to keep the icon image and the name while upgrading the stats via transmutation stones. For whatever reason, I can’t bring myself to toss it, but it’s just taking up inventory space.

Earendil Starsailor.4675:

I really like this idea. But I would also support making rings, accessories, etc. transmutable. It would be nice to at least be able to keep the icon image and the name while upgrading the stats via transmutation stones. For whatever reason, I can’t bring myself to toss it, but it’s just taking up inventory space.

I like this idea. I would not be willing to use a transmutation stone for something that only I can see, though.

Yeah, I figure that not everyone would want to do that, but it does give us some choice. Perhaps couple that with an inherent, subtle glow/particle/aura/etc. effect that you get by wearing the ring? Something that says “hero” without being obnoxious about it.

Earendil Starsailor.4675:

Yeah, I figure that not everyone would want to do that, but it does give us some choice. Perhaps couple that with an inherent, subtle glow/particle/aura/etc. effect that you get by wearing the ring? Something that says “hero” without being obnoxious about it.

Devotion Aura! (GW1 style, obviously) but really this is a great idea I’d love to see this get more support.

TehPwnerer.7215:

Earendil Starsailor.4675:

Yeah, I figure that not everyone would want to do that, but it does give us some choice. Perhaps couple that with an inherent, subtle glow/particle/aura/etc. effect that you get by wearing the ring? Something that says “hero” without being obnoxious about it.

Devotion Aura! (GW1 style, obviously) but really this is a great idea I’d love to see this get more support.

If it ties back to GW1, so much the better. And I’m all for having an npc that hands them out to people who already chucked theirs.