Guild Wars 2

Okay, so we all know that even the worst dps toon can kill a supply dolyak in less than 15 seconds, and this will net them 15 WvWXP or more depending on buffs. Now this is a 15 second action that nets this reward, yet players who escort a yak for 5-10 minutes get absolutely nothing. The solution to fix this is actually already in the game.

In the Norn starting area of Wayfarer Hills there is a quest to “Hunt with the Pack”. When you take this quest you then talk to a wolf and say you want to hunt with them, this starts the event. The lead wolf then gets a blue circle around him which remains throughout the event. As long as the player stays in this circle going around with the wolf, he gets an xp tick every couple of seconds. This same circle could be placed around a supply yak once he starts his path, but not if they’re just standing in the supply area. The circle should be doubled in size from the one in WH to allow for defensive movement on the players behalf and still allow them to stay in the circle. The longer the supply route, like from North Camp to Garrison, will obviously garner more WvWXP than a shorter run from one of the closer camps. Use the same tick timer with a single point given for each tick or even double the timer used in WH for a single point, it would still be very rewarding for players doing this important task. It makes no sense that while a single player spends 10 minutes guarding a yak he gets nothing while in those same 10 minutes other players can get 500+ points taking a Keep, Tower and 2 Supply camps, and yes, I’ve seen this done in 10 minutes by the same group, I’m sure many of us have.

The second change that needs to be made no matter what, the yak speed. Even with a 33% speed buff on it I can still walk backwards and stay ahead of it. Base yak speed needs to be doubled which will also increase the run speed.

~Fluffy Mcsnugglekin
80 Charr Guardian
Yaks Bend

I wholeheartedly agree, WvW is all about supply and not many will take the time to walk a yak. The OP’s has a workable solution that I think will motivate folks. I also like the yak speed up idea.

Brilliant idea. Maybe make it so that only the first 5 or so people in the area can get the xp so you don’t have 50 people huddled around a dolyak (unsure if that is possible to implement though). Overall I think this is a great suggestion though.

If you give any kind of rewards, it will attract bots.

At the release of Guild Wars 2, There were hundreds of bots that uselessly guard yaks for free money and exp. They take up queue.

runeblade.7514:

If you give any kind of rewards, it will attract bots.

At the release of Guild Wars 2, There were hundreds of bots that uselessly guard yaks for free money and exp. They take up queue.

Bots have no interest in WXP, they can’t sell that. OP’s suggestion offers no other rewards besides WXP.

You mean like the people who stand at the crafting stations in citadel and do nothing all day? If having 5 bots walking a yak prevents a single or duo from attacking and killing it because they think they’ll get roflstomped the bots did their job, they protected the yak. I think your concern for bots is seriously over-rated though.

This is a really, really great idea!

I like the idea of rewards for escorting the yak. But there’s something very Zen about the speed of the yak. There’s a lesson to be learned here grasshopper.

I’m a slow walker, but I never walk back.
~Abraham Lincoln

Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.
~William Shakespeare

Speak softly, and carry a big stick.
– Theodore Roosevelt

The yak doesn’t speak at all, so I do believe a giant weapon is in order.

I kid, kinda.

Toast.6459:

Speak softly, and carry a big stick.
– Theodore Roosevelt

The yak doesn’t speak at all, so I do believe a giant weapon is in order.

I kid, kinda.

LOL… Me too. I kid kinda too, but I do appreciate the yak’s slowness. It’s realistic, it adds character and a bit of a challenge to the game. I don’t have a problem with the challenge.

I still think this is a great idea as outline by the OP to give WXP to characters AS THEY ESCORT Supply Caravans to reward player who try to protect that valuable resource.

This is still something worth pursuing.

I agree, Daithi. This is still an excellent idea.

YES, YES, YEEESSSSS!!!!!!!

When are you going to implement this Anet? 100% agree and want.

Please don’t forget this very useful suggestion.
It’s still something that would improve the WvW experience.

Please consider this suggestion for a future patch, it would make supply as important as it deserves to be.

Toast.6459:

runeblade.7514:

If you give any kind of rewards, it will attract bots.

At the release of Guild Wars 2, There were hundreds of bots that uselessly guard yaks for free money and exp. They take up queue.

Bots have no interest in WXP, they can’t sell that. OP’s suggestion offers no other rewards besides WXP.

I think as long as it just gave WXP it might be okay. Though an idea to add onto that would be that you could make get some gold + karma at the end based on the amount of enemy players you killed within the Dolyak’s range. The more people you killed, the better the reward. And honestly if bots found out a way to beat players in a duel like that….then well…I don’t know.

Dodforer.2470:

You mean like the people who stand at the crafting stations in citadel and do nothing all day? If having 5 bots walking a yak prevents a single or duo from attacking and killing it because they think they’ll get roflstomped the bots did their job, they protected the yak. I think your concern for bots is seriously over-rated though.

It isn’t over-rated. When the game first launched, it was common to see upwards of 20+ bots escorting a single yak. Bots that are contributing nothing to the WvWvW game mode and which take up slots for real players forced to wait in queue.

Furthermore, bots don’t prevent yak attacks. Bots are easy to spot and – once identified as bots – won’t stop anyone from attacking the yak since bots are also easy to kill. So not only will bots fail to protect the yak, they will give an opposing server free kills and – potentially – free points if that server has a Bloodlust buff.

That said, I support the OP’s suggestion since the reward is WXP; a reward that has no monetary value either in-game or in the real world. Thus, there’s no motivation to bot farm it.

Great idea it would give some folks like myself something to do as I hate the main gameplay of this game as it stands at the moment which is just to mindlessly zerg everything.