Guild Wars 2

I’m just curious on your opinions, as mine is clear for me and I’ll try to describe it:

When gw2 started, there was alot of unique things in the game, that actually made u feel special. It was some cool skins that ppl didnt know (like emberglow), and then legendaries, which was like “Wow” when u saw them. They had driven the game then.

Any1 would agree with my, that legendaries are anywere near special now. Actually that kind of design made me leave gw2 in february – as I had thousands of gold, and everything connected to gearing yourself with nice looking skins came down to spending X gold. As you was walking around the map all u saw was: ‘Oh, 10g’, ‘Oh, 50g’, ‘Oh 300g’. There was nothing like ‘Wooow I would love to have that, thats so epic’. – I love to have that feeling….

That feeling make me come back to gw in June. After seeing items like ‘Fervid Censer’ (ahh, I regret so much that I didnt play that content), or fused waepon skins, or other event skins – all I thought was: Wow, they are so great, so special, this game is finally getting content that I regret I wasnt able to get. That made me finish every event, and get as many cool items as i could.

The limited content has sth in it. You just can put a lot more effort in getting it, just to have it and know, that it was a good choice because if you would miss it, it wouldnt come back, like, ever.

Now we can see some changes in those ideas, as event skins are actually tradable. This way everything is just a matter of cash. This makes (atleast) me not willing to acquire any of them for now, as I know that I dont rly need them, and if I sometime will, I’ll just go to the TP and buy one of them.

It has some good, and bad sides. On one side if you really want something, you will have it, and it actually increases diversity. On the other side, it just makes everything so usual. Everything is just a matter of money, and you wont have anything that will make u SPECIAL, not just different.

There are some minis, and backs, that still are kind of limited, but do ppl rly love them that much? I mean, isn’t it nicer to have some unique waepon or armor, than some mini running around?

I had the same thing with LoL skins – I bought some of them on every single event, as they were limited. No matter how much cash I had to spend, I knew that it makes it somehow special and unique. Now there are no limited skins at all, and I haven’t bought even a single one since then.

Just to be sure, I’m not complaining thakittens bad, maybe I dont rly like it this way, but others could, thus why I just wonder what your opinions are.

tl;dr;
Do you like the current way of game changes? Making everything tradable, old cool items coming back to TP for sale. Does it makes u feel great that you can finally get a skin u like, or makes u feel that if its available for anyone its actually not special anymore?

I’d much rather everything was tradeable.

To me cool gear is stuff I like the look of. Or good combinations put together by players. It doesn’t matter how many other people can get it. I’d much rather everyone be able to get the skins they want, and sell the ones they don’t so they can get something else, than everyone be stuck with specific items based on the content they were able to play.

Dont you like to look somehow special?

Kareth.6572:

When gw2 started, there was alot of unique things in the game, that actually made u feel special. It was some cool skins that ppl didnt know (like emberglow), and then legendaries, which was like “Wow” when u saw them. They had driven the game then.

None of those things ever made me “feel special”, and I never went “Wow” when seeing some item in the game.

In fact, I’m going to get a legendary (almost there, too), and do you know what? It’s not a big achievement. It doesn’t require skill, it doesn’t require inteligence, it just requires time spent, like almost every reward in GW2. Those things don’t impress me – if anything, I feel bad for the guy who has been playing the game more than 12 hours per day since release.

Meawhile, do I like the “exclusivity” in having a rare item? Not really. If, after I got my legendary, every single player in the game got one for free, I wouldn’t mind. I don’t play because of others, I don’t suit my characters based on what I imagine others will feel when they look at them, and I don’t live to please other people. All equipment I have is based on being something I enjoy looking at; if everyone else in the game had the exact same thing, it wouldn’t make those skins any uglier, so I would still keep using them.

IMO, this need for external validation – trying to have something no one else has, assuming that makes you special – isn’t really productive. I wish everyone could get the skins they want, and play the game for the experience of having fun, as opposed to for shiny rewards in the end. After all, even after people spend hours and days and months of their lives grinding shiny stuff…

Kareth.6572:

Dont you like to look somehow special?

…You don’t look special to me, sorry lad.

Im not gonna lie. I like having items that most other players cant get

I like them i must say i like limited items its good to know there are things i missed and things i did not miss it gives items more feeling behind them beyond just a bit of a different skin. That being said i love even more items i know i cant get but “could” get one day such as legendary weapons this is the same way as T5 weapons from ff11 ( i think it was t5 its been too long i just know the best weapons from ff11 where ungodly hard to get but to know there was something to work for that took years gave such items so much worth that they where must have items).

How dose this relate well by giving a set time and a set event that you must do to get these items give the same effect of wanting an item with out needed to spend years to get. You may miss some or a lot but you will get the ones you want for the most part. As in if you want something you WILL put the effort to get it but if you do not want it that much then you may of just wanted it as a “fad” like item or the next “in” thing. That is the truth of things ppl wants the new items because its the “in” thing not because they want it for the worth behind getting to that item.

“Special” isn’t as nearly as meaningful in a game where at some point everybody evens out in terms of max stats and what they can do combat-wise. So what if you have a shiny new sword? It does pretty much exactly what my sword does.

Not to mention that the one fallacy that most mmorpgs -GW2 included, sadly- do with their graphic content, is to put in so many bright lights, that another Legendary sword trail so easily gets lost amid all that effects.

Spending (insert insane amount of gold here) on something isn’t going to make it “special” no matter how you slice it.

Of all the weapon skins I have had, the one that made me the happiest was the Pact Staff. Yes, I know it’s not legendary nor is it even that spectacular. The one thing that it is, though, is special. You can only have 1 pact weapon per character, and you can only get it by completing your personal story. To my knowledge, it’s the only weapon skin in the game that you can ONLY get by completing an epic, map covering story line that involves numerous “quests” and tasks. So, go ahead…laugh…Pact weapons are the only “special” weapons in the game.

Ashabhi.1365:

You can only have 1 pact weapon per character, and you can only get it by completing your personal story. To my knowledge, it’s the only weapon skin in the game that you can ONLY get by completing an epic, map covering story line that involves numerous “quests” and tasks. So, go ahead…laugh…Pact weapons are the only “special” weapons in the game.

You can buy them from the TP (here’s a staff).

Difficult-to-acquire items are fine. One-time only items which are also tradeable (see Flame and Frost dyes on the TP) are not fine.

Ashabhi.1365:

Spending (insert insane amount of gold here) on something isn’t going to make it “special” no matter how you slice it.

Of all the weapon skins I have had, the one that made me the happiest was the Pact Staff. Yes, I know it’s not legendary nor is it even that spectacular. The one thing that it is, though, is special. You can only have 1 pact weapon per character, and you can only get it by completing your personal story. To my knowledge, it’s the only weapon skin in the game that you can ONLY get by completing an epic, map covering story line that involves numerous “quests” and tasks. So, go ahead…laugh…Pact weapons are the only “special” weapons in the game.

Yup so special! Sold my avenger skin on the TP for 94s……

I must admit that I do like trophies. Something to show that you were able to succeed at a difficult task can be very nice.

On the other hand I do not see how a reward for good attendance qualifies as special.

No, I do not believe in “exclusivity” for games. I believe that every player should have the opportunity to acquire any kind of appearance they want, either by getting it themselves, or by buying it on the Trading Post. Limited time skins/rewards/achievements are something I am vehemently against, because it discourages new players who joined later, and it creates a feeling of “buy it nownowNOW!” which I find distasteful, because I hate being pushed into making a decision.

Kareth.6572:

Dont you like to look somehow special?

Not particularly. I create my characters so that I find them visually appealing to myself. I couldn’t care less what another player thinks of them. Likewise, I don’t give a Centaur Spearhead what another player is using/wearing. If they’re wielding two Legendaries and decked out in Radiant gear because they like the look, all the more power to them. But if they got them just because they’re fishing for compliments from other players, then I pity them, because then they’re just like the guy who buys an expensive car and then drives around looking for compliments about it. It makes you look desperate for attention, which is probably not the impression you want to make at all.

I like to look different and unique. I don’t think limited amounts of items would achieve this, at least it would not be the best way to go about it.

Fungalfoot.7213:

Limited anything is bad for an MMO as far as I’m concerned. Discourages new blood while offering little in the way of prestige. No, nobody is impressed over somebody shelling out a hundred bucks trying to score a rare weapon skin from the RNG chest.

That said, it probably works wonders for their gem shop.

This ^

I can’t see how anything in a virtual game can be classed as prestige, it all needed to be in game for everyone to have access too, not to appeal to a few rich elitists egos.

Limited from the gem store? No. If you ever sold it, keep selling it.

Limited in the sense of festival hats from Guild Wars? Yes. No problems with a free cosmetic item that says “I was there, then”.

I actually hate that you can now get these limited skins with gold now. I don’t see why you should be able to in the first place. It is to make you feel awesome that you have this awesome skin that no on else can get anymore. It’s a reward for those who kept with the game and didn’t quit. Limited skins don’t effect the game in a negative way, so why get rid of them?

If I knew I would be able to buy my Sclerite GS with gold back then, I never would have wasted the time farming. Now that I know that there will be no more limited skins, what’s the point of even trying to get them during the events?

Anet is really turning this game into a “pay2win skins edition MMO”. All the new content is limited, unless it involves skins. I hate the way this game is going and I’m very close to quitting. Like kitten Anet, what are you guys thinking?

Gatiha.9483:

I actually hate that you can now get these limited skins with gold now. I don’t see why you should be able to in the first place. It is to make you feel awesome that you have this awesome skin that no on else can get anymore. It’s a reward for those who kept with the game and didn’t quit. Limited skins don’t effect the game in a negative way, so why get rid of them?

If I knew I would be able to buy my Sclerite GS with gold back then, I never would have wasted the time farming. Now that I know that there will be no more limited skins, what’s the point of even trying to get them during the events?

Anet is really turning this game into a “pay2win skins edition MMO”. All the new content is limited, unless it involves skins. I hate the way this game is going and I’m very close to quitting. Like kitten Anet, what are you guys thinking?

They’re thinking that they can sell you gold. It’s not technically pay2win, per se, but it is certainly a huge, huge turnoff.

But my opinion and yours don’t matter to them nearly as much as that of the guy who doesn’t mind spending hundreds of dollars in the gem store. This isn’t about making a good game for a large audience any more. It’s about selling gems to a small one.

But you’re right. I’m not impressed with anything I see a character wielding in this game, because it can all be purchased with a credit card.

Limited yes, but they should be drops. So in the end all people have a chance at them. I do not like the fact you can craft legendaries, imo they should be drops only. And the fact they are legendary should be connected to either a specific boss, or an area. Higher chance to get it from either.

I don’t care. All i want is skins you acquire by playing the game (you know? how its meant to be in an rpg???), not buy them in an rng chest and have no content to even use them in

The more I think about it, the more I think I’d rather just play a game with a sub fee and none of this monetizing crap.

Edit: but to be clear, I would not pay a sub fee to play GW2. Not worth it.

Chuo.4238:

The more I think about it, the more I think I’d rather just play a game with a sub fee and none of this monetizing crap.

Edit: but to be clear, I would not pay a sub fee to play GW2. Not worth it.

Of course its not worth it. For what would you be paying $15/month for, wvw and its engine exclusive 13fps lag fest? There’s nothing but an empty world with 90% of the gw2 population dancing naked in LA telling others how many legendary weapons they have… There’s no content for you to log in and spend hours with your friends or alone, absolutely nothing.

What I want A-net to do is to stick to their guns.

Why make things rare or limited if you’re just going to pull something that revokes the limited nature soon after? :/ That’s what Im finding annoys people most. ANet shouldn’t expect ANY respect from their players if they can’t put any weight on their own convictions.

Kareth.6572:

Dont you like to look somehow special?

So you want to be special? When new skins are released everyone gets it…“omg, I’m zo speshul”…yeah right.

As for the topic. If it’s RNG lotto boxes then no it shouldn’t be limited. If it’s a straight buy from CS ok. In game obtained skins is fair game for any way.

Kareth.6572:

Dont you like to look somehow special?

I do like to feel special but to me that means creating an individual look for my character that compliments the concept I have of her.
I use anything from starter gear to karma skins to order skins to event items, cultural gear etc- I don’t really care where they come from as long as I enjoy the look they create in combination with each other.

To that end I think everything should be trade-able, the exception being legendary weapons.
More diversity makes for more unique characters in the world and that stands out much more to me than the armies of “special” skins I see allover the place.

ON the other hand things like the Fervid Censer marks a time in the game that will never come again- and having it shows you were there.

It is a case of on the one hand and on the other hand really.
Maybe make the RNG skins trade-able and the achievement rewards for LS account bound?

Kareth.6572:

Dont you like to look somehow special?

If you have that one item that no one else has, you’re not special. That item is. If you can make other people go “Wow, i like that look you made!” with ordinary stuff, now that… that there is special. It’s not the items that made the special look, it’s you.

Very few players like super limited gear. The problem is ANet doesn’t even need a large percentage of players willing to spend ridiculous amounts of gems on this gear to be profitable, a very small portion of the playerbase is enough, so it probably isn’t going to stop any time soon.

And about the appeal of a rarified character through limited items, when everything that makes you ‘look special’ and ‘unique’ is either randomly obtained or purchased with what could be real world currency, the only people you ‘look special’ to are people that don’t play the game.

Most player dislike limited time items. However, offering something for a limited time only increases the likelihood that people will buy it. It reinforces tendencies towards impulse purchases.

Basically, like the RNG boxes, its another psychological trick to get us to spend more money.

TooBz.3065:

Most player dislike limited time items. However, offering something for a limited time only increases the likelihood that people will buy it. It reinforces tendencies towards impulse purchases.

Basically, like the RNG boxes, its another psychological trick to get us to spend more money.

I wouldn’t necessarily say its a trick. With RNG, keep in mind that you do t really k ow if you’ll win. But if you have a limited item, which you know you’re going to receive, even if its absolute garbage in terms of how it looks, or the amount it sells for, you know you got it, and more importantly, if you like it, it makes no difference, and if you didn’t, then you should sell it. Assuming you can sell it of course.

My brutally honest answer?

I like limited content when I have the limited content item that I want.

I hate limited content and think its bad for MMOs when I can’t get the limited content item that I want.

=D

I strongly dislike limited time things. Even if the argument is that <event to be named> (wintersday, halloween, SAB etc.) happens every year, you can get the skin next year’. blerg… I don’t know where i’ll be in my life in a years time. There are a million things that can happen. I know where I plan to be that could go off the rails due to a meteor, traffic accident, family stuff and on an on. Heck the game might even close a year from whenever.

It’s just not fun that way. All of the skins should be available all of the time. This way players could actually customize their appearance and everyone would have a wider variety to choose from.

It’s frustrating to take a break from a game, come back, (or even start new) and be told ‘oh you like that, well you can’t have it Ever, too bad. Why ? because kitten you! thats why’

Equipment, particularly armor and weapons, I feel should not be limited much, if at all. While I can understand seasonal/annual events having recurring skins, they should be the only cases of that.

However, I do feel that non-equipment items/effects, such as minis, titles, or vanity items (Tonics, musical instruments, kites, ect.) are perfectly fine being limited.

Chuo.4238:

Limited from the gem store? No. If you ever sold it, keep selling it.

Limited in the sense of festival hats from Guild Wars? Yes. No problems with a free cosmetic item that says “I was there, then”.

This here … armor/weapon/back items/etc. skins, dump ‘em in the gem store/TP for any and all to buy, tailor-suit to their chars, mix and match, etc. Honestly, if you’re spending that much time wandering LA trying to show off what you’ve got your char decked out in (“Check out my big freakin’ sword! Betcha wish YOU had this thing, but you can’t because you ain’t specccialll”), that’s an issue for another thread altogether …

But limited time items linked to specific events, like festival hats, that in GW2 would wind-up being town clothes — it proves the been there/done that. I think I’ve still got the GW2 baseball cap lying around somewhere in one of my char’s sacks.

Abyssmal Shadow.2785:

TooBz.3065:

Most player dislike limited time items. However, offering something for a limited time only increases the likelihood that people will buy it. It reinforces tendencies towards impulse purchases.

Basically, like the RNG boxes, its another psychological trick to get us to spend more money.

I wouldn’t necessarily say its a trick. With RNG, keep in mind that you do t really k ow if you’ll win. But if you have a limited item, which you know you’re going to receive, even if its absolute garbage in terms of how it looks, or the amount it sells for, you know you got it, and more importantly, if you like it, it makes no difference, and if you didn’t, then you should sell it. Assuming you can sell it of course.

I view anything that preys upon the way our brains work to get us to spend more for less to be a trick.

RNG preys upon the fact that random unpredictable rewards greats compulsive behavior in the lizard mind.

Limited Time offers prey on our fear of feeling left out, of missing a good thing.

Combine the two of them and they are applying a lot of pressure to get you into gem store purchases. Maybe they need to to stay afloat, but the more they do it the more it turns me off.

This is a blog, so it’s not authoritative, but it talks about impulse purchases and limited time offers. http://addictions.about.com/od/glossar1/tp/Five-Advertising-Tricks-That-Trigger-Impulse-Buying.htm

Tolmos.8395:

My brutally honest answer?

I like limited content when I have the limited content item that I want.

I hate limited content and think its bad for MMOs when I can’t get the limited content item that I want.

=D

I don’t feel that way at all, I feel horrible whenever I have to tell a player that something which he really wants and is willing and capable of earning is not available anymore, or is only available based on nigh-impossible RNG in the first place. Regardless of whether or not I have it or want it.