I have decided to make a post of this matter (after months of frustration) because I think, the price has finally reached a godlike height. Right now (and I don’t know for how much longer) dusk’s price is 2000g!
Firstly, I have to say some things for myself . I have studied economics in my life and I have in my possession a Masters degree in Applied Economics. Why I mention this? To explain to the world in some simple words why this phenomenon (the high prices of precursor weapons) is not a “balanced economic state” which was created as a result of the 2 forces: demand & supply of the precursors, but a monopoly situation of rich people which in real world would be banned and prevented.
2-3 months ago the price of the precursor weapons were some hundreds gold cheaper. For example, dawn and dusk costed around 400-500g and 800-900g respectively. If we go further back in time we see that their price was even lower: 200g and 400g respectively. To sum up, the more we go back in time, the cheaper they were!
In economics there are some “logical” causes for an item to change in price. Changes in demand (less or more people want a precursor), changes in supply (less or more people sell a precursor) and changes in some other factors (example: money gets easier or harder to make in-game) affect prices. Some of these things happened and the following changes in precursor weapons’ price changed in logical limits. For example, money making got easier and as a result their price rose. Another significant change was making legendaries account-bound, making players able to choose any stat and applying legendaries’ skin many times at any weapon. This rose the demand of legendaries and as a result precursor weapons’ price went up again. But what happened at some points and what happens now is far more interesting.
We see (and saw in some past cases) a phenomenon where changes to factors that affect precursor weapons’ price weren’t happening (example weeks between patches) and their price was going way up! Nothing was happening, but their price kept raising dramaticaly! If anyone could monitor this phenomenon in tp, he/she would have easily discovered that there are some “economic games” going on: 1) Players that are billionaires (have much gold in-game) buy all the precursor weapons in low prices until nothing is left for selling in tp. 2)Then they set their starting “selling price” as they like at high levels and make huge money. As a result…the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer (because we have to buy precursors in godlike prices).
So, why don’t the poor people make the precursor weapons at mystic forge and stop caring of what is going on with their price in tp? Because it is luck(!)…..luck with a low possibility! That means you can try as many times ..wasting thousands of money and there is still a high possibility you won’t still get one! I believe we all have friends who wasted hundreds of gold in mystic forge and got no precursor weapon at all! Of course, there is the other side of the coin where a few throw 4 gold only in mystic forge and get a precursor! But as I said…it is luck…luck with a low possibility!
So how do we break that phenomenon of monopoly of the rich people? How do we make the game even for all players?(!)(!) Well, Anet already announced the solution! Back in 2013 Anet officialy announced that at some point in the future there is gonna be new ways of getting a precursor weapon (was mentioned through crafting or hunting maybe). By doing this more people will have hands on a precursor weapon (with 100% chance of getting one! ) and as a result the supply of precursor weapons will raise and that is gonna bring prices down to logical levels again! But why Anet isn’t going forward with this plan? Why in mid 2014 we still get no update about this matter, although it was announced in 2013? The answer is: I don’t know! …I believe China comming into game recently affected this plan (because Anet will have to coordinate the patches).
So, the purpose of this post is this: To protest to Anet of letting this phenomenon raging in tp so many months and for not adding the other ways of getting a precursor yet. Many people have saved much money these past months. And I find it wrong for them to waste this money and be ripped off by the economic games of billionaires than to spend them deservedly in a healthy, economic competition enviroment.